Tokyo Sound

"Wait, there's one more thing." Yoshida Tomoki called out slowly.

"Say something quickly."

"I have an outsourcing job here..." the producer began slowly.

"Isn't 3.0 about to be announced? Do you have something else that you haven't finished? Are you asking me for help at the last minute?" The man was shocked.

"No, it's not mine, someone else found it for me," the producer added.

"Oh, a second-hand bag. Do you want to make a profit by doing nothing? That's not fair, Mr. Yoshida. You're treating your brothers as outsiders." The man snorted coldly.

"How can I, the head of the Third Development Division, embezzle that little money? It's just that I have a wide network of contacts, and others asked me to ask if there is anyone who can help." Yoshida Tomoki said firmly.

"I found you here. Could it be that Capcom next door is rehashing something old and has started working on a remake of Resident Evil?" Yin Ze continued to frown. "Not really. The pot is still hot."

"Forget it. It's not a game company, it's an animation company." Yoshida Tomoki sighed. "In fact, there are often people who are working on animations on a tight schedule and temporarily look for people to work in game art, especially R&D departments like ours that have just finished work and have nothing to do."

"That's it. Just ask the dozen or so top-notch hunks in group 2D. If anyone wants to make some extra money, it's done." Yin Ze sneered.

"But after thinking about it, I think you are the most suitable one." Yoshida Tomoki affirmed.

"Oh, everyone has their own expertise. I'm a semi-realistic thick-coated artist. And when it comes to drawing, I'm so utilitarian that I'll never draw if I can stick the material, and I'll never use perspective lines if I can model. You want me to be patient and draw lines? In three words, impossible! When I was making a two-dimensional work, I was forced to use a brush of a few pixels, which made me feel like I was in ecstasy. There's absolutely no way I'll be busy drawing line drafts again!" Yin Ze denied it repeatedly.

Yoshida Tomoki did not sell out the official piece, but spoke directly in an extremely simple and unpretentious tone.

"The other party is Kyoto Animation, and the project is Hyouka. It's up to you if you want to go or not."

"..."

There was a brief silence.

"Looking at the situation, if we don't get strong support, we may have to release a omnibus to catch our breath," Yoshida Tomoki continued.

"This is the worst part, I thought he was going to have a stream of consciousness episode, I was scared to death." Yin Ze breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's a compilation of two weeks in a row, maybe even three."

"..."

Takemoto-san, what are you doing, why are you just watching?!

"Dear Oreki Houtarou-kun, what is your choice?" Yoshida Tomoki asked calmly.

"Damn it, what else can I do? The fire has even burned my trouser legs. I'll reply to them and tell them that I'll go to the company tomorrow." Yin Ze held his forehead with his hand.

"So urgent?" Yoshida Tomoki was surprised.

"Nonsense, one episode is broadcast every week." Yin Ze said unhappily.

"I mean, don't go to bed so early tonight. They've already sent some cuts to my mailbox in advance. I'll call you back later and you can start working on it. Tomorrow is just the right time for the handover." Yoshida Tomoki said casually, "I hope I can see a proper episode next week."

"..."

Chapter 44 is over

Fushimi-ku, Kyoto City.

The man rode the Tokaido Shinkansen almost all the way through Shizuoka and Nagoya, and arrived at his destination about two and a half hours later. It was a pity that he had to travel far for work.

The long history of Kyoto has made it rich in historical relics, and it is also one of the important places of traditional culture in the country. This is a place where modern and ancient coexist. Other places use ancient monuments to decorate the city, but here, the simple modern buildings become the foil.

Master Yin finally got off at Rokudizang Station.

Uji City to the south was the home of the Heian nobles and the main stage for ancient wars and the Tale of Genji. The area also has the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha, the headquarters of more than 30,000 Inari shrines across the country.

Hundreds of vermilion torii form the four-kilometer-long path to the top of the mountain. The old, faded dark red archways and the bright and beautiful vermilion archways are densely intertwined, which is particularly spectacular under the sunlight and visually very shocking.

It is one of the favorite check-in spots for photographers and travelers.

In the evening, under the dim sunlight, red lanterns are lit, like sparks, clustered in the fiery red under the gradually darkening sky. Walking in, the stone statue of the fox, symbolizing the messenger of the Inari God, is hidden among the light and the leaves, making a bow to welcome visitors. The whole exudes a spiritual sense of heaviness brought by the accumulation of time, which is incomparable to steel and concrete.

However, the place where Yin Ze got off was an inconspicuous small station, located at the junction of the Tozai Line and the Uji Line, in a very quiet town. There was a poster with anime girls on the wall.

In the distance, you can see the surrounding mountains. The Kamo River under the bridge is flowing and clear. There are a few egrets with clean feathers playing in the water. The railway passes through a small road. In the background are small wooden houses that are becoming less and less common in Tokyo. The sky is a very clear blue. Students riding bicycles ring the bells of the sun and miss the clean streets.

It was a small town with not many people. The sun was warm and the breeze was gentle, as if everything was slowing down.

This may be the ordinary daily life in Kyoto. Without the golden coat of culture, it is just a place where some people live, a place suitable for retirement.

The man followed the address given and wandered around for a few minutes before quickly finding the production company's first studio, which was located in a quiet residential area, surrounded by single-family low-rise buildings.

The building's walls are painted in a bright, cheerful yellow, reminiscent of a little yellow duck floating in a bathtub.

Yin Ze stopped at the relatively small entrance. He did not rush forward to knock on the door. Instead, he sent a message on his phone and waited quietly.

Soon, a young man wearing a gray shirt and glasses, a style favored by programmers, walked quickly out of the reception desk.

"You are Teacher Yin, right?" The young man smiled with a student-like smile, and had a shy temperament that was completely different from the office workers who often frequented izakayas. It was like a college roommate greeting you from the upper bunk and asking you to bring a bowl of twice-cooked pork rice.

"Well, hello, I was introduced by Yoshida Tomoki to help." Yin Ze also responded with a smile, and the two shook hands.

"That's great. AQUARE ENIX is a major R&D company with strong artistic capabilities. I also heard from Mr. Yoshida that you have rich experience in meeting deadlines. I can rest assured to have the help of an original artist like you who has been fighting on the front line for many years." The young man praised.

“I’m ashamed to say that. But actually I don’t work at AQUARE ENIX,” Yin Ze said modestly.

"Are you from Ren Kongtang?" the young man asked puzzledly.

"No, I'm a voice actor now. I just draw some loose design drawings after meals and before going to bed. I was spotted by Mr. Yoshida by chance."

"?"

“Not to mention too much. After confirming the contract, I have already completed some cutting last night. But after all, different industries have different production standards. I came here specifically to formally connect with you to avoid delaying the process.” Yin Ze took out a small USB flash drive.

"Okay, please follow me in." The young man nodded repeatedly, and then showed an introverted and innocent smile, "Oh, by the way, I haven't introduced myself yet, sorry, my name is Taishi Nishiya."

……

With the help of air conditioning, the temperature in the studio is filled with a pleasant coolness.

The first floor is very spacious and leisurely, with only a few HR ladies staying here. There are free snacks and drinks, and the walls are covered with home-made animation posters. Figures and peripherals can be seen everywhere. Animation fans will be very happy to visit here, and it is fascinating to understand how their favorite things are born from scratch.

Is this one of the many places for dreaming?

The blue sky, the sunset, the flowing water, and the wooden classrooms... these warm and peaceful things are present in almost every work of Kyoto Animation.

"It's basically all wooden decoration." Yin Ze sighed. Men still have the old-fashioned idea that solid wood furniture is good, but expensive.

"You can go directly to the second and third floors from here." Taishi Nishiya pointed to a very rare and well-designed spiral staircase. The steps broke through the barriers between the second and third floors, making it very convenient to go up and down at any time.

"It feels like a small castle, which is really interesting." Yin Ze also found it very novel and followed him to the second floor where paintings were done.

The layout of the space and workstations is somewhat familiar. Tables and chairs are neatly arranged on the flat floor. People are quietly working at their desks, their slender figures buried in the thick materials and books on the table, and the rustling sound of pencils is scratching their ears.

Taishi Nishiya led the man straight to a corner. Some busy employees noticed the movement and subconsciously looked over here, while the young girls who were just starting out couldn't help but silently look at him for a few seconds, and then exchanged small glances with each other. They probably thought that they might have a handsome colleague in the future, and he was a painter, not a photographer.

"This is Mr. Yoshiharu Kigami, our master craftsman. He was the one who contacted Mr. Tomoki Yoshida in your department."

Taishi Nishiya's voice was filled with the trust and respect of someone close to him, and he continued the introduction.

"Mr. Kigami, this is Mr. Yin Ze who was invited to help Hyouka fill in the middle frames."

The man at the workstation stopped drawing after hearing this, shifted his attention away from the paper, turned around, and revealed an ordinary face, like a Chinese teacher from a middle school, gentle and elegant. His hair was already mixed with a pale color that represented the passing of time. Judging from his age, he was perhaps only slightly younger than Nagasaki Yukinu. At this age, he should have left such a high-intensity front-line painting position.

However, this old painter is in very good spirits. Just one glance and you can tell that he is enjoying himself and is still enjoying the joy of painting.

There were countless reference materials and past drafts piled up on the table. Those things were stacked up layer by layer, forming a mountain that was a head taller than an adult. However, this physical height seemed very small in front of this old painter who had been innovating for a long time.

Because he is a man who has created giant peaks, seas, endless skies and worlds in the past.

"Thank you for your hard work. You've come all the way from Tokyo. The ticket must be expensive," said Kigami Yoshiharu in a friendly manner.

"No, just now, I feel that I have made my money back."

Yin Ze chuckled. He noticed the thick calluses on the old man's palms from years of holding a pen, and among the stacked materials, there were old manuscripts containing Doraemon, Akira, Macross, and Cat's Eye Sisters.

"The person who painted my childhood dreams is right in front of me. This feeling cannot be bought with money."

"I have only made a small contribution in painting, but I cannot be compared with those real masters." Yoshiharu Kigami understood the meaning of his words and shook his head gently.

"Although it is a dream, hundreds of shots, thousands of drafts, and tens of thousands of lines are drawn one by one. You are indeed one of the weavers of children's childhood dreams, there is no doubt about that." Yin Ze said affirmatively, "Animation production is labor-intensive. Without everyone's accumulation, everything is just a castle in the air."

"Shouldn't young people with aspirations set their sights higher? Especially for a young talent like you who is working for a world-class company?" Kigami Yoshiji asked with interest, "Many people learn art because they want to freely depict their fantasies. So you should be more envious of famous supervisors, right? They are the ones who are directing a story."

"Not only do you need to have the basic skills to project the three-dimensional world onto two-dimensional paper, you also need to connect multiple sheets together to give it time. To do this, animators must observe daily life in detail, have an unconventional imagination, and ultimately invest a lot of energy to improve in order to keep up with the times... They even sacrifice their health and persist in the struggle for a long time." Yin Ze said slowly, "And all this comes from a beautiful and kind heart. Isn't it admirable?"

"Then, you who have the skills, will you always do such hard work?"

"There's nothing wrong with stability. This is all I have left now."

"Haha, just a little joke. If he really has great abilities, I won't let him just focus on animation and original painting. Even if he doesn't want to, I will push him to a position with greater responsibilities." Kigami Yoshiharu smiled, and he looked like an excellent teacher in anime. "I heard from Mr. Yoshida that you have already done part of it? Are you so confident? Aren't you worried about the poor quality or the useless work of redrawing due to simply different specifications? Let me make it clear first, I am not very strict in the eyes of these juniors."

"If the instructions and diagrams written in the email are all there is, I think it should be fine." Yin Ze thought about it.

"...I haven't seen such a sharp and lovable kid in years. I really envy AQUARE ENIX. More and more talents are going to game art." Kigami Yoshiji sighed, "Taizhi, go print out his manuscripts first. I'll sign a simple outsourcing contract with him."

"Okay." Taishi Nishiya responded, took the USB drive and walked away.

"Let's go to the first floor and sit for a while. It's a good opportunity for me to exercise." Yoshiharu Kigami stood up and twisted his sore waist.

"Is it confirmed?" Yin Ze was stunned, surprised at the speed of decision-making here.

"AQUARE ENIX's Final Fantasy is a national IP and the result of decades of hard work for your company. Producer Yoshida dared to restart a failed work. This courage alone shows that he is a rare talent, not to mention that it was a huge success. Your Third Development Division is definitely a leader in the industry. I have no reason to doubt it. As I said before, the only thing left is the standard docking." Kigami Yoshiharu said in approval.

"...I don't work there." Yin Ze explained reluctantly.

"Job-hopping?" Kigami Yoshiji frowned. "Have you ever considered giving up games and doing animation? Our company's treatment is pretty good in the industry. Almost all of our animators are full-time employees who pay a guarantee and a deposit."

"Aren't these conditions natural?" Yin Ze asked doubtfully.

“You are in a well-known company with good conditions, so you may not be clear.”

The two went downstairs, and Masuji Kigami talked as they walked.

"The vast majority of domestic animators are just self-employed business owners. Investors and production companies work together, and the funds received from investors are generally divided into hundreds of orders, which are then sent out. Animators make a living by completing the orders."

"Pure performance-based?" Yin Ze was curious. Isn't this something that only talented people in the workplace can do? For example, if I help you complete an investment, I don't need a base salary, but I want to take 10% of the profit. It's full of the demeanor of a master.

"Well, many animators work on a contract basis, and there are no other guarantees, such as compensation and post-production responsibilities." Kigami smiled bitterly, "In a society where many companies have a lifetime employment system, this industry is the opposite."

"Why does it have such a shape?" Yin Ze was puzzled.

"As a mass commercial entertainment product, animation is very risky. Perhaps nine out of ten will lose money, but the only one that makes money, if lucky, can make up for the losses and even make a lot more. I don't need to give examples of blockbusters with this kind of appeal and market, right?"

Masuharu Kigami explained in detail.

"But no one can guarantee success. There have been many cases of well-made works that failed suddenly. In an environment where large companies with sufficient funds have to rely on production committees to spread risks, how can small workshops dare to do things casually? A failure may mean losing everything. Therefore, most production companies are in a state of taking orders and cannot occupy a leading position in animation production."

"Contractor?" Yin Ze suddenly realized.

"Well, there is money only when there is work to do. It is difficult to support idle people without work, so I dare not sign long-term contracts. On the contrary, as long as there is reliable management and coordination, when there is a big project, people can be recruited at any time. If there is nothing to do, you can also work for other companies, which is actually easier. However, this will inevitably make the low-level animators suffer." Kigami Yoshiji said slowly. He found the personnel department and asked for two simple contracts.

They walked to a nearby sofa and sat down.

"Then what did you do? How did you compete in such an environment?" Yin Ze asked while looking at the thin contract.

"Become a good contractor, and after accumulating strength, become your own investor. The cost of living and operating in Kyoto is lower than in Tokyo. In the past, many works, including The Melancholy of Summer, brought in funds and reputation, but the most important thing is the cultivation and reserve of talents."

Yoshiharu Kigami waited on the side and continued talking like a teacher explaining something to a student.

“To be honest, a good animation needs to have both commercial and entertainment value as well as artistic value. This of course places high demands on the creative team’s abilities, not only talent but also practical training and the flexibility to collaborate with others. Such a strict threshold results in a high elimination rate.

“Maybe there are many people who just lack time. With hard work, they can still become excellent animators. However, the industry does not allow this. The meager income at the bottom cannot support their stable growth. They can only work part-time to make a living. Even if they overcome many bottlenecks and truly gain a foothold, they will still face the situation of relying on orders as mentioned before. In the end, it is still unclear and they will eventually quit.” The old man sighed.

"It's like a wild jungle," Yin Ze said, "there are giant trees that block out the sun, and there are also trees that grow tenaciously, and there are more that die due to lack of sunlight. So is your path good and correct?"

"I don't know." Kigami said unexpectedly and quickly, "We have disadvantages in using this method. For example, the creative styles are becoming more and more similar, the structure is becoming more rigid, and we have lost some overly powerful employees because of this.

"But our animators have solid skills. Even if they leave and go to other places, they won't have any difficulties with their mature skills," the old man emphasized.

"The progress of Hyouka was wrong this time because many of the intermediate frames were not properly destroyed. Although it was a huge mistake, strictly speaking, it was not serious enough to affect the progress or even the compilation. We have always been stable. However, if we want to continue to broadcast on time, we will inevitably have to compromise on quality. Of course, Takemoto is unwilling to do so, so he asked for help."

Kigami Yoshiharu paused.

"And since I've already found someone, I simply asked my friends to help me make inquiries. I'm looking for high-level painters, just to keep improving."

"I understand. I won't hold you back. I will do my best to help you this time." Yin Ze said calmly.

"Thank you." said the old man happily.

Yin Ze took the pen and was about to sign his name in a casual manner.

"Teacher Kigami, I got the manuscript." Taishi Nishiya walked down the stairs with a thick stack in his hand.

"So many? How many servings are there?" Yoshiharu Kigami held the sheets in his hands and looked at them, feeling a little surprised.

"It's drawn according to your requirements. It will take about 5 seconds to play." Yin Ze roughly calculated.