My Years as a Copyist in Taiwan

Zhao Wen had just stepped into his old wooden house carrying his bag when Zhao Wenwen, who was tapping the piano with one finger, immediately spotted him...

"Brother! Waaah..."

"Meow!" - Ah Hu, who had grown into a large tabby cat, quickly climbed onto Zhao Wen's chest, vying for his affection.

It seemed to have a sense of time, and sensing that its owner had been away for quite some time, it kept snoring.

When Alai saw that Zhao Wen's left eye was covered in a dark bruise, he was so anxious that he almost spoke, gesturing wildly with his hands.

"I accidentally injured myself while sparring with a master. Aunt Chun, you can tell Ah Lai, it's nothing serious..."

The bruise on his eye was caused by Rong Ge's "Red Eyebrow Smear," a standard Chen-style Tai Chi second-order cannon strike.

"It's only been a few days, and you've already ascended to the Qi Refining Realm?" Zhao Wen resentfully complained that his silly aunt was biased, only to receive a big eye roll in return.

Aunt Chun gestured, explaining that the master had been beaten up while practicing martial arts. A-Lai, speechless, waved his index finger in front of his eyes, then covered his forehead in exasperation. Zhao Wen rubbed his nose, and A-Lai whispered in his presence, "Oh dear, hopeless..."

"That guy was in even worse shape than me. I punched him in the shoulder, and his bones are broken!" Zhao Wen tried to save face...

Zhao Wen leaned back in his bamboo chair, petting the cat. Zhao Wenwen rolled an egg on the cat's eyes. In the kitchen, Aunt Chun was making braised pork liver and trotters as he had instructed—a top-notch gout-friendly meal, a secret recipe taught to Zhao Wen by Gu Long.

Editor Gao, a general manager who's always so busy, is actually learning how to pluck hairs from pig's feet from Ah Lai!

"Brother, can you take me with you next time you go out?"

"Of course, but we'll have to wait until you're on vacation."

"Can I, like you, end my studies early...?"

"Of course, but you have to write an award-winning novel first, uh, a fairy tale will do too..."

Ah Hu was woken up by the noise. He groggily raised his head, licked Zhao Wen's hand, and then went back to sleep, snoring away.

-

Hayao Miyazaki contacted Kodansha through Toshio Suzuki, so Zhao Wen was directly taken by Mr. Fujiki to the headquarters of Tokuma Shoten in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

This time, only a few dozen fans greeted him at the airport because Zhao Wen still used the guise of a business trip and requested the Taiwan News Agency to keep it confidential. These few dozen fans were the die-hard and influential type, like the Tokyo Three Musketeers.

To be honest, Zhao Wen almost always looked down on the people of Japan, except for a very few Japanese people who were called "traitors" or "the shame of Japan" by the Japanese—such as Miyuki Nakajima, Yasuyuki Hirata, and Hayao Miyazaki.

The naturally reserved and stubborn Hayao Miyazaki was unaware that in the heart of "Mr. Snail," his status had long surpassed that of the vast majority of Japanese people. He, who strongly resisted social etiquette, nervously followed behind Konoe Takada and Toshio Suzuki, welcoming Zhao Wen, who had only emerged from obscurity a year prior.

After getting out of the car, Zhao Wen simply shook hands politely with Takada Kono and Suzuki Toshio before approaching Miyazaki Hayao.

The 41-year-old man showed no signs of balding at all; his thick black hair, styled in a classic Japanese side part, looked freshly styled.

Through his black-rimmed glasses, Zhao Wen saw a pair of sensitive, yearning eyes.

"Miyazaki さん, ずっとおMU いしておりました. こんなに Morning くお会 いできて乐しく生じます." (Mr. Miyazaki, I have long admired you, I am so glad to see you so soon)

In response to Mr. Snail's sudden greeting, the old man looked a little dull: "Ah, long time to greet you."

"I've read your 'Lupin III' and 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,' even though they came to our beautiful island through unofficial channels. But that doesn't stop me from recognizing your outstanding talent!" (Japanese omitted)

Miyazaki was somewhat taken aback. He looked at Zhao Wen, who was holding his hand tightly, and had an internal monologue: Uwaa, ugh!

You've got it wrong, Mr. Snail, you're the real idol!

For Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away is a masterpiece in the world of cartoons. Regardless of who the characters are, or even whether they are human or not, they are his idols...

But for Zhao Wen, born in the 80s, I don't care if you're forty or eighty years old, Mr. Miyazaki, you are my idol!

Why is Hayao Miyazaki considered the "God of Animation" and why has no one been able to surpass him for decades? It's because he has overwhelmingly surpassed all his contemporaries and successors in terms of awards, the quality of his works, and their lifespan!

Spirited Away is the only hand-drawn 2D animated film in the world to have won both the Berlin Golden Bear (competing with live-action films) and the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

He has a total of ten feature-length animated films: My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle... Spirited Away, all of which are works that transcend national borders, age groups, and eras.

His works have long dominated the Japanese box office charts, and Hayao Miyazaki himself has received the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Venice Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement!

Of all the animation directors in the world, only he has elevated animation to the level of mainstream cinematic art, entered the core competition sections of the world's three major film festivals, and won the highest awards. This is a clear advantage in terms of hard honors.

The dumpling-themed one can't be counted yet; its box office will definitely crush all other animated films, but the content is still debatable. (Don't criticize me, I copied this from Douban.)

Tell me, doesn't such a remarkable person deserve Mr. Snail's respect?

But Miyazaki Hayao didn't know, and neither did anyone around him. Mr. Wicker Chair was pondering again: Mr. Snail must have high potential; was there any possibility...?

"I've been watching Spirited Away for several months now, and I've already drawn the storyboards for the first thirty scenes. There are many parts... I'm not sure about." In his studio, Miyazaki Hayao regained a little confidence, but he still seemed a bit hesitant when facing Zhao Wen.

Zhao Wen, who watched "Spirited Away" 19 times in his past life, discovered upon opening the script that these storyboards, compared to his masterful work twenty years later, still hadn't completely lost the old man's sharp edge.

"Mr. Miyazaki, in the tunnel entrance section, you used a four-frame level shot, with the camera following Chihiro's back the whole time. The sense of space is flat, and the sense of separation from the 'everyday world' to the 'divine realm' is not conveyed."

A string in Miyazaki's mind was suddenly plucked by Mr. Snail's words, and he returned to his normal state.

"I knew something was off here, Mr. Snail..."

Zhao Wen said gently, "Mr. Miyazaki, don't get excited. You've done a fantastic job, absolutely fantastic!"

"We can just change this part: the car stops at the tunnel entrance, the first frame is a low-angle shot of the arch, and the camera slowly moves in... the moment it exits the tunnel, we switch to a wide-angle shot from above, the ruins and grassland under the sunlight spread out, the light and shadow are sharply cut, without a single line of dialogue, the sense of detachment between the two worlds is brought out..."