Anime rating game

The next morning, at the foot of Musashino Tower.

"Ms. Ogasawara, have you remembered the route I just mentioned?"

"Was the president talking to me just now?"

"As the only reliable adult in this group, you're probably the only one, right?"

The only reliable one?

Rinko Ogasawara looked around. Director Takeuchi was too busy to come, and the others were all illustrators who didn't usually interact with people, so they all seemed unreliable. Kiyoshi Handa felt the same way.

"Sigh... I wasn't listening carefully just now. Could you please repeat it for me, President?"

"No problem. Handa, listen carefully too. As one of the few men in the group, you have a great responsibility on your shoulders."

"Understood." Handa Kiyoshi paused for a moment, then immediately became serious.

Seeing this, Masamune slowly spoke:

"First, our company's security guards will drive you south to the port, and then you will transfer to a yacht to depart."

"The yacht has been rented for five days. You can come back early, but you can decide the specific time yourself. Even if you want to extend it, that's fine too."

"We have also contacted the relevant maritime authorities, and you will travel directly by boat to the Goto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture."

"Remember to let us know in advance when you come back, and we will send a car to pick you up at the pier."

"Understood." Ogasawara Rinko nodded slightly.

So we're traveling by boat?

That's right, I didn't notice where that island was when I was looking at the script.

Looking back now, Nagasaki Prefecture is located in the northwest of Kyushu Island, so it's definitely not accessible by car; you'd have to go by boat or plane.

Renting a boat is more suitable than renting a plane.

"President, once we arrive at the dock, will we have a contact person?"

"There are banners from Musashino hanging on the hull. You'll see them when you get there. Just talk to the captain and crew."

"So it wasn't us who were driving the boat."

Does anyone here know how to drive a boat?

"will not."

"Once you get there, collect all the information and take plenty of photos so you don't have to go back a second time."

"Understood. Has the president been there before?"

"No."

"... "

Ogasawara Rinko looked surprised. Had this person completely stopped pretending?

Despite never having been to that island, he knew everything about its people and things like the back of his hand.

"President, how old is our leading lady, Naru?"

"She's about three years old."

"President, although I've repeated this several times, I still want to say, is it really okay to simply incorporate other people's works directly into the animation?"

"If you're worried about legal issues, then make sure you get the person's permission before you go there."

"That's not what I meant. Wouldn't it be bad for a child's development to have their experiences seen by a national audience?"

"Then let's try to make animations that won't negatively impact children's development."

"... "

Ogasawara Rinko was speechless and instead began to say goodbye.

"President, we'll try to come back as soon as possible."

"Go ahead." Masamune smiled and waved, then turned his gaze to Handa Kiyoshi. "Handa, how many days off did you take?"

"I've taken five days off to accommodate your schedule."

"You're sure to gain something from going to that island."

“That’s what my father said too.” Handa Kiyoshi paused, then said with a complicated expression, “Hayase, I’ve read the anime script too. Is that rural island really that interesting?”

"What's interesting isn't the countryside or the islands, but the people on the islands; you'll love it there."

Masamune smiled slightly and reminded him:

"Don't forget your identity as a college student. Don't stay there forever and be reluctant to come back."

"Don't worry, I'm from Tokyo."

……

In the afternoon, the yacht successfully arrived at its destination and docked at the island's pier.

Seeing that the Musashino crew had dispersed and were taking photos with their phones or cameras, gradually getting into work mode, Handa, having nothing else to do, struck up a conversation with Captain Asano.

"Captain Asano, are you going back to Tokyo later?"

"No, for the past five days, not only the ship, but all of our crew members have been booked by Musashino. Therefore, we will travel with you."

"So, is it possible to go out to sea again?"

"Any time."

In that case, to avoid wasting the five days' rental fee, shouldn't we suggest that others go on a few more sea trips together?

With so many people, is there enough room for my father to live in the house on the island?

Moreover, bedding was also lacking.

How many crew members do you have in total?

"There are 13 people in total, including myself."

"There are 17 people from Musashino, so with me there are 19, making a total of 32. Hmm... the island probably can't accommodate everyone, right?"

"You can live on the boat."

That’s right.

There are too many people, let's do it this way.

After taking photos on the island's edge for a while, the group headed towards the island's interior.

Even though it was his first time here, Handa Kiyoshi felt a strange sense of familiarity, perhaps because he had read the script before.

As we walked to the area where the island's residents lived, several children playing suddenly came into view.

The moment I saw one of the children, the image of Naru Kotoishi, as described in the animation script, gradually appeared in my mind.

She is four years younger than described in the script, but her energetic feeling has not diminished at all.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Looking at the little girl hiding behind Naru, and Naru's curious face, Handa Kiyoshi half-squatted down and said with a smile:

"My name is Handa Kiyoshi. I am a calligrapher who came to the island to gather inspiration. I had already informed the township head beforehand."

"A calligrapher? Isn't that a very impressive person? What are you doing here?"

"They all said they came here to gather material."

"What do you mean by 'procuring materials'? Do you cut down trees and carry them back?"

Okay, all that was said in vain.

Honestly, why am I chatting with a three-year-old kid? Can she even understand me?

"What you mean by 'taking photos' is... anyway, can we talk to your grandfather in person?"

"What do you want with Grandpa?"

The conversation is making absolutely no progress.

Or is it that I'm just not good at communicating with people, which is why I've become like this?

Noticing Handa Kiyoshi's pleading gaze, Ogasawara Rinko slowly walked over, took out the candy she had prepared beforehand, and asked with a smile:

"Want some candy? In exchange, please let me take a few pictures."

"Miwa said, 'You can't eat candy given by bad people. But you don't look like bad people, so it's a deal.'"

……

Musashino City, Tokyo.

In the afternoon, once Mashiro was in work mode, Masamune immediately took out the photos that Ogasawara Rinko had sent him that morning and showed them to her one by one.

"These are the real people from the animated series Bare Kid. Just draw the character designs according to this feeling."

"I want to video chat with Naru."

"Okay, I'll call and ask Ogasawara."

After the call was connected, it quickly switched to video mode.

Naru on the screen kept running around, causing the camera to shake violently.

Seeing this, Mashiro turned to Ogasawara Rinko to inquire about Naru's situation.

"...Ms. Mashiro, Naru in the story is four years older than she is now. I think we can add some room for imagination in terms of action design."

"Can Naru and Handa stand together?"

“No problem. Handa, hold Naru back and make sure she doesn’t run around. I’ll take a picture of you two together.”

Chapter 106 Waiting for someone who will never return

The video call lasted for about ten minutes before ending.

Before I knew it, a lot of material had accumulated on the drawing board.

Naru from different perspectives and with different expressions, including her head, limbs, and clothing.