"Huh~ The PV for Pokeni's new game this time feels just average."
Hiruta Masato, the president of ELF, felt somewhat puzzled after watching the PV.
It wasn't that the PV wasn't well-produced.
After all, with Hayao Miyazaki serving as the animation director, the art quality was guaranteed, and one could tell at a glance that it was Miyazaki's style.
And it was even a school-themed style drawn by Miyazaki himself.
This was quite remarkable.
That old guy Miyazaki had always preferred producing works set before World War II; the sailor suits and school uniforms of that era were quite different from those of today, carrying a heavy sense of that historical period.
But it was very clear that this game, CL, was set in the present, a Japanese school story set in the current 1990s.
So, Miyazaki had used delicate strokes to depict contemporary students.
Actually, this was very rare.
This shows that Miyazaki also put in a lot of effort and hard work for this.
But that is precisely where the problem lies.
The vast majority of galgames on the market—if not 100%, then over 90%—are set in modern school environments.
The reason is quite simple and can be summed up in two points:
School—middle school and high school—is a stage of life that almost everyone in Japan has experienced. Using this as the background for a galgame creates a very strong sense of immersion.
If you were to design the protagonist as a pilot or a physicist, players would lack resonance.
Furthermore, the reason school is chosen is that high school is the most important and beautiful period of one's life.
It contains both youth and that kind of unforgettable, pure first love.
Once past this period, both men and women alike, to some extent, are no longer as pure; they all become tainted with impurities and become something else.
It's not exactly "tainted," but rather, they get re-baptized by society and transform into a different kind of creature.
Therefore, the high school campus is the most universally experienced stage of life, as well as the most beautiful one, which is why most galgames prefer to use it as their background.
It is precisely because there are too many homogenized games that Pokeni's uniqueness stands out.
Whether it's The Mermaid's Heart, The Entropic Man, or the later Blanket Man, they have all, to some extent, broken away from traditional tropes and set themselves apart from other works.
Yet, who would have thought that Pokeni would now also begin walking this path?
I don't know if Kogahara Tsubakiaki has run out of ideas, or if they made this decision after careful research and consideration, concluding that this is simply what the market demands.
In short, after watching the PV, Hiruta Masato felt a sense of disappointment.
This is not the Kogahara Tsubakiaki I had in mind.
The combination of Kogahara Tsubakiaki and Hayao Miyazaki should not be at this level.
"It's too generic. Seriously, while maybe not hundreds, there are dozens of galgames out there with this exact same premise," Hiruta Masato said, feeling troubled.
He had held high expectations for Kogahara Tsubakiaki, so he never imagined the result would be like this.
"Indeed," echoed ELF's scriptwriter, Masaki Takei. "If not for the prestige of Hayao Miyazaki's name, a galgame promotion of this level would certainly never have been able to win the favor of players."
Ah~ for some reason, seeing that even a god can have a day where they fall from their pedestal, as both a peer and a galgame creator who faces the most pressure, Masaki Takei felt a mix of regret and complex emotions.
However...
It seems a bit too early to be happy now.
Although his first reaction after watching the PV wasn't very good, and he just felt it was too ordinary.
Even a master like Hayao Miyazaki would probably have a hard time handling it.
But based on his past experience and gut feeling, he didn't quite believe that a combination like Kohara Tsubakiaki + Hayao Miyazaki could make a game fail.
Unless the script really had major issues, or the entire worldview setting was a Waterloo, it shouldn't happen.
According to Masaki Takei's own thoughts, regardless of whether it's Old Thief Kohara or Master Miyazaki, either one of them pulled out alone would have immense appeal, and players would definitely flock to it in droves.
If it really had problems and led to unsatisfactory results, it must be Kohara Tsubakiaki's responsibility.
If that day ever really came, one could only say that Kohara Tsubakiaki had been away from the game industry for too long, causing his form to decline after his return.
***
In short, this "not so good" impression is not limited to the big shots at ELF; even the players are not optimistic about the prospects of CL after watching the PV.
"It's over, it's over. Could Master Miyazaki be ruining his own reputation with this one?"
"I feel like it's not just Master Miyazaki, is it? Old Thief Kohara is also ruining his own reputation."
"This style of game that forces tear-jerking moments is indeed typical of Old Thief Kohara, but this setting is still a far cry from the imaginative Kohara Tsubakiaki I have in my mind."
"Could this be a fake Kohara Tsubakiaki?"
"Hard to say. In fact, no one has ever seen what Kohara Tsubakiaki looks like. Who knows who he actually is, whether it's a man or a woman, or what they look like. It's possible the real Kohara Tsubakiaki retired long ago, and now the black-hearted president of Pokeni is just forcibly using his name to exploit players."
"Ah~ damn it, if that's really the case, we absolutely cannot let that dog Aoki Haruhi off."
"But, have you guys thought about this carefully? If Kogahara Tsubakiaki is a fake, then why would Hayao Miyazaki collaborate with them?"
"Right. In an interview I saw earlier, Hayao Miyazaki himself said he was very much looking forward to the collaboration with Kogahara Tsubakiaki, and this is his first time making a game."
"Hmm... then there is only one truth—it seems Kogahara Tsubakiaki is the real Kogahara, but this time his performance was definitely lacking. He ended up dragging Hayao Miyazaki down with him."
"What? Hayao Miyazaki + Kogahara Tsubakiaki, and they made something like this?"
"I have a bad feeling about this. I don't know what the game will actually turn out like."
"Ah~ stop it, don't say any more, or I won't even want to buy the game anymore."
"Anyway, let's just wait and see for now. This combination is actually quite strong, and there will definitely be a lot of people playing this game just for the names Kogahara Tsubakiaki and Hayao Miyazaki. As for whether it's good or not, we'll definitely have an answer by then."
***
"In any case, let's just wait and see. This combination is actually quite strong, and surely many people will play this game just for the names of Gu Yuan Chun Qiu and Hayao Miyazaki.
Whether it's good or not, there will definitely be an answer when the time comes."
***
The anime community is relatively more tolerant. After all, they don't play many games and haven't experienced the negative effects such settings can cause.
On the contrary, those who have researched games and are also fans of Hayao Miyazaki have a lot of resentment.
They couldn't sit still when they saw the PV for this game.
There were even many who wanted to go to the Pokeni game company to denounce Aoki Haruhi.
"It's truly detestable! Why did Hayao Miyazaki accept such a lousy job? I was really looking forward to what kind of achievements Hayao Miyazaki could make in gaming.
As a result, after watching the PV, I was really disappointed.
A simple and ordinary school story—I don't know how many times this setting has already been used.
It's just totally cliché, isn't it?
What is Hayao Miyazaki thinking? This is completely making a joke of his reputation for the rest of his life, isn't it?"
"Indeed. A national treasure-level animation master joining a game company that has always been known for its good reputation should have been a joyous occasion for everyone.
I've seen various reports and interviews, and Hayao Miyazaki has been strongly promoting this game."
I didn't expect the PV to be so ordinary when it was released.
It's just too disappointing."
"Overall, it's not the visuals that are disappointing; Master Miyazaki's standard is still there, you can tell even from the simple PV.
"I didn't expect the PV to be so ordinary. It's so disappointing."
"Overall, it's not the visuals that are disappointing; Master Miyazaki's standard is still there, which you can tell just from the simple PV. The varied and soft colors, the rich layering, and every character—even though they don't say a single word—their movements feel full of tension and soul. This is very much Miyazaki's style.
But the only thing that makes me uncomfortable is that this is clearly just a simple campus romance story. And with so many female characters, it looks like a cliché bishoujo harem theme at first glance. Is this kind of game really worth it? Is it worth players buying? Is it worth Master Miyazaki putting his effort into it? I am deeply skeptical."
If one were to look only at the PV or the players' reactions, it's possible that the editors at Famitsu might make the same judgment—what on earth is this? The PV has large sections of blank space, and only shows character designs and the basic meeting process; it's hard to say what its strong selling points are. The biggest selling point has instead become [Hayao Miyazaki].
"Indeed, having a national treasure-level animation master join a game company with a long-standing reputation should have been a happy occasion for everyone. I've seen various reports and interviews, and Hayao Miyazaki has been extremely supportive of this game."
Is a game like this really produced by Pokeni? Is it really produced by Furuhara Chunqiu? But fortunately, not long after the PV was released, Ao Zhiyuan sent the game disc to Famitsu.
Is this game really made by Pokeni?
Is it really produced by Kogahara Tsubakiaki?
Fortunately, shortly after the PV was released, Aoki Haruhi sent the game disc to Famitsu.
This was mainly to fulfill the promise he made to Hamamura Hirokazu during their last meal, and also to thank Famitsu for giving "Patema Inverted" a perfect score.
After experiencing the game, the editors finally had an idea of what they were dealing with.
"Ah~ The PV shouldn't have been made like that. The game's actual content is far, far more spectacular than the PV," sighed Watanabe Miki, the only female editor at Famitsu.
Honestly, the game far exceeded her expectations.
"Yes, I still haven't quite recovered from it," Kato Katsuaki said with a pained expression.
"It's definitely a great game. The visuals are super strong, and the soundtrack and voice acting are all perfect, in my opinion. If we could rate it after fully experiencing it, this game would undoubtedly be a masterpiece.
The only regret is that it's a galgame. It seems it will once again miss out on the Platinum Hall of Fame."
"Honestly, this is probably the most moving game I've ever played, aside from Blanket Man and The Entropic Man. Everything about it is excellent, except that tears just can't help but flow from my eyes."
Hahaha...
The others were amused and started laughing.
But after the laughter died down, a sense of melancholy was hard to hide in their eyes.
Watanabe Miki sighed, "Yeah, the lingering impact is just too strong. Right after finishing the game, I was incredibly moved, but I felt so empty inside, like my very soul had been drained away. But I was still too naive. When I got home and went to sleep, I realized how terrifying the aftereffect really was. I could even dream that I was crying. Can you guys understand that feeling?"
"Mm-hmm." The editors nodded, signaling they understood her feelings very well.
Watching the editors discuss it, one after another, the Editor-in-Chief, Hamamura Hirokazu, appeared much calmer and more rational by comparison.
He crossed his arms and silently pondered a question—
Since the game itself had no issues whatsoever, and both the side quests and main storyline were so moving, it completely lived up to the names of Kogahara Tsubakiaki and Hayao Miyazaki.
Why make the PV so simple, just conveying a sense of atmosphere?
Even the backstory feels boring and formulaic.
It makes no sense.
Based on Hamamura Hirokazu's understanding of Kogahara Tsubakiaki and Hayao Miyazaki, neither of them is the type to settle for the mundane.
In their respective fields, these two geniuses have always been renowned for their extraordinary imaginative power.
There is no reason CL's setting would be made so ordinary—so ordinary that, apart from the art style and the excellent soundtrack, one can barely tell it apart from those dime-a-dozen galgames just by looking at the PV.
"Is there a possibility..."
Just then, a spark of inspiration flashed through his mind.
Hamamura Hirokazu synthesized the recent events and various bits of information, and a terrifying thought emerged in his mind:
"Could this actually be a marketing strategy from Pokeni?"
As soon as these words were uttered, the entire editorial office went dead silent.
The previously noisy, chattering atmosphere suddenly plunged into a strange, eerie silence.
"Eh?"
At this sentence, the entire editorial office immediately fell silent.
The noisy atmosphere from a moment ago turned suddenly, strangely quiet.
"Eh?"
A few seconds later, everyone turned their heads to look at him simultaneously.
"Otherwise, there's no explanation for it," Hamamura Hirokazu said, snapping his fingers. "Think about it. The game is actually excellent, but the PV is so ordinary. Perhaps this is a topic Pokeni intentionally created.
If you think about it carefully, it really is a possibility. The contrast formed by a strong collaboration with a master will definitely lead many players to express doubts, and then the buzz will pick up very quickly.
And—
To a certain extent, because the PV is too ordinary, it actually lowers the players' expectations.
Because Kogahara Tsubakiaki's fame was so loud before, combined with Master Miyazaki's assistance, players must have had incredibly high expectations.
Lowering expectations at this time is actually advantageous.
When players actually experience the game, that feeling of rediscovery, of expectations being exceeded all over again, will definitely be explosive!"
"Wow~" The group nodded in deep agreement, signaling that Hamamura Hirokazu's explanation was extremely convincing.
Indeed, excellent marketing requires knowing how to manage players' expectations; one must be able to stir up anticipation, but also know when to dampen it.
This is actually a very profound subject.
The buzz surrounding Master Miyazaki and Kogahara Tsubakiaki was explosive enough; players' expectations had reached unthinkably high levels. If they didn't pour a bucket of cold water on it now, then when the time came...
This is actually a very deep subject.
The buzz around Hayao Miyazaki and Kogahara Tsubakiaki is explosive enough; players' expectations have reached who-knows-how-high a level. If they don't pour some cold water on it now, when the game is released and fails to meet those expectations, it will actually have the opposite effect.
It's a simple principle, really, just like the Brazilian national team. This year's lineup is world-class, featuring "The Phenomenon" Ronaldo, Ricardo, Cafu, Santos, Sergio...
If a national team like that fails to win the World Cup, who knows how much they will be slammed.
"President Aoki's move is truly brilliant!"
"Maybe that really is it! Appropriately lowering expectations might actually make the actual gaming experience feel better."
"Yeah, Pokeni's president is a cunning old fox; he really knows his way around marketing."
"Thinking about it that way, Aoki Haruhi's schemes are terrifyingly deep!"
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