Tokyo Literary Godfather

Fujiwara Kei came to the appointed restaurant. There seemed to be no one in the restaurant and it was very quiet.

This is the restaurant Oshii-an made an appointment with because his studio is nearby. This is a suburb of Tokyo, surrounded by rural scenes. When Kei Fujiwara came here, he climbed over a field and stepped on mud.

The owner of the restaurant is an uncle dressed in a gangster style. He is wearing a floral shirt and sunglasses and is cooking in the kitchen. From time to time, he makes the sound of chopping with a kitchen knife. Even if he says he is chopping people's bones, some people believe him. Indeed. It's a bit creepy, no wonder there's no business here.

Kei Fujiwara sat for a while. A cartoon was playing on the TV in the restaurant. Kei Fujiwara was watching when Oshii-an walked in. Kei Fujiwara didn't recognize him for a moment.

Oshii-an's style has changed a bit. Before, he was still wearing suits and leather shoes, and he had the image of a business elite. Now he has become a long-haired artist, and has grown a beard. He is wearing a black kimono and holding a folding fan with the words " There are four big characters: Fenglin Volcano.

Very good at second grade.

"Oshii-san, long time no see. You've changed a lot."

"You haven't changed much." Oshii-an stretched out his hand to shake hands with Fujiwara Kei, "It's been a long time since I saw you. Although I don't have much contact with you, I often hear your name in various rumors. Your career is getting better and better. The better it is, the happier I am.”

"You are being too modest. Koganei Studio is also performing well in the animation industry, and everyone knows this."

The two complimented each other and sat down.

Oshii-an picked up the menu and ordered a few dishes. Soon, the boss brought two drinks.

"Did Oshii-san come alone?" Kei Fujiwara asked.

Oshii An nodded, "Sorry, Mr. Fujiwara, my colleague is a bit withdrawn, so he is not willing to keep the appointment, so I came first. If everyone has the same intention, he will come in person next time. Sorry."

"What does he want?"

"His request is that investors should not interfere with creation. This is his only request."

Fujiwara Keidao: "I am also a creator, and I am not an outsider in creative matters. Why don't I just ask?"

Oshii-an smiled bitterly: "I'm afraid that person can't agree."

Oshii-an is talking about an animation director named Otomo Keiichi, who is almost fifty years old this year and has been in the industry for more than ten years. I have always been a staunch supporter of hand-drawn animation. It may seem a bit stubborn to others, but it also reflects the persistence of traditional animators.

Otomo Keiichi should be regarded as Oshii-an's master in the industry and one of the founders of Koganei Studio. However, not long after the establishment of this studio, there were signs of a split due to production concept issues.

Otomo Keiichi disagreed with others' decision to use computers instead of hand-painting methods, and insisted on hand-painting, even quitting the studio. As an investor, Toei is more supportive of the partner's idea, and Otomo Keiichi is in a difficult situation in the studio.

Otomo Keiichi's departure seems to be a foregone conclusion to some extent, and Fujiwara Kei takes action at this time to recruit

The reason was that he had seen the works of Otomo Keiichi and was struck by it at the first sight. So similar, so similar in style, to that old man with the white beard...

"What about Oshii-san's thoughts?" Kei Fujiwara asked.

Oshii-an shrugged and said: "I was recruited into the studio by Otomo-sensei, and we have a community of interests. If Otomo-sensei leaves Koganei Studio, I will have to leave, otherwise I won't be able to stay there alone for long." of."

"Fujiwara-san...are you also interested in the animation industry?" Oshii asked.

"Japanese animation is a treasure trove. Since I am in the cultural industry, I will definitely get involved in this field in the future. But Mizuha Productions does not have an animation production department yet, so I need an original animation studio. Oshii-san, if you don't mind, and Let’s do it together.”

Oshii-an smiled and nodded: "Fujiwara-san's talent is obvious to all, and I am naturally willing to work with Mr. Fujiwara, but as for the teacher... I still have to discuss it with him again."

Fujiwara Kei nodded: "Okay, then please tell Mr. Otomo, Oshii-san, that if you are willing to accept investment, I will give you maximum support, both in terms of funds and creative freedom. To be honest, I am very grateful for animation production." I’m interested and want to learn more about hand-painting.”

The two had a very simple sandwich lunch and did not reach any actual agreement, but at least they expressed their intention.

"A Qian is Coming" has begun its third week of broadcasting.

After two weeks of airing, this morning drama has now completely conquered Japan's housewives who love morning dramas, and has become one of the hot topics discussed at housewives' meetings.

A women's magazine often asks readers about topics they care about, and one of the questions they ask is what they often talk about at housewives meetings. Recently, the drama "A Qian is Coming" has become an important topic.

Many TV magazines also saw this morning drama with high ratings, and quickly published content related to it.

"New TV Talent": "Aqian Is Here" is different from traditional morning dramas. It breaks away from the shackles of shaping a good wife and mother. Instead, it focuses the plot on the self-realization of the heroine. The popularity of this drama also shows that the creators of the TV series have made the right changes. It is foreseeable that this drama will end the theme of "Heisei morning dramas" that have lasted for decades and have been good wives and loving mothers.

"TV Superman MEGGA": Morning dramas have always been a TV series that serves women, but according to statistics from this magazine, this drama has a considerable proportion of male viewers. The reason may be that terms such as "late Edo shogunate" and "big industrialist" attracted the audience's interest. Unprecedented high ratings cannot be sustained by any one group. From this, it can also be seen that the crew has great ambitions and hopes to once again create a popular drama on the battlefield of morning dramas.

The ratings of "A Qian Is Here" remained strong in the third week, and the ratings of "The White Tower" also increased steadily.

Their discussion remains high in major newspapers, magazines, offline events and even online forums.

Two popular national dramas seem to be on the rise again.

In comparison, "Blue Life and Death" still seems to be tepid. The ratings of the third episode also increased, but not by much.

However, by observing the data, Kei Fujiwara discovered that the audience retention rate of this drama is unusually high. Almost as long as those who stay to watch the drama, more than 80% of them will be able to watch the ending without quitting midway.

This is a very gratifying phenomenon. From this point of view, all we need to do is find ways to expand the audience base and attract more people to watch the show, and leave the rest to the show itself.

Kei Fujiwara has also gained some confidence in the final results of this drama.

He specifically called the director of the production bureau of Fanxing Channel, hoping to increase the publicity resources for this drama before the fourth episode is broadcast. Ishii Yoshimitsu was hesitant at first, but he couldn't stand it and Fujiwara Kei kept analyzing the data with him, telling him that this drama has a certain probability of significantly increasing the ratings, but the prerequisite is that the TV station must cooperate enough.

Because the ratings of "Blue Life and Death" were not as good as expected, so Yumitsu Ishii inevitably hesitated to increase investment in publicity, fearing that he was wasting his money. But after hearing what Fujiwara Kei said, I couldn't help but agree to him.

This is the power of the dozen or so successful works in the past. Even if the performance is temporarily unsatisfactory, you can still gain trust.

Fanxingtai is working hard again, and the exquisite posters of "Blue Life and Death" are once again plastered all over the streets of Tokyo.