Full-time comic artist

Page 233

"What's going on?" Higashino asked, puzzled, but still turned on the TV and tuned to TV Asahi.

"Oh, this."

……

The trailer for "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day" was released on November 11, 1998.

"This is Mirai-sha's first 24-minute animated film, isn't it?" Miyazaki thought with a serious face.

He had previously watched "Gag Manga Biyori". Although the anime was very successful and well-received by audiences, well, how should I put it?

He doesn't really like it.

It parodies historical figures too much, and the narrative lacks a coherent storyline, making it feel forced and contrived.

More imaginative ideas than a compelling narrative; that's about it.

So I didn't watch it much.

"Has director Hayao Miyazaki been paying attention to Akino Mirai?" someone asked him out of curiosity, and he just nodded.

He paid attention to Akino Mirai not because of her manga, but because of her achievements in animation that no one else was paying attention to.

In 1994, he watched the animation "Hey—Come Out!" at the Tokyo Student Animation Fair.

Even now, Miyazaki Hayao can still clearly recall the specific details of "Hey—Come Out!". He remembers the cause, development, climax, and ending.

That bottomless hole that swallowed people's garbage and waste also revealed the profound darkness in people's hearts.

In the end, it will return everything to its original state; the cave will remain the same, but human life will be different, and they will bear the consequences of the malice they inflicted upon it.

Among his works on environmental protection, Miyazaki Hayao would call them the most concise and effective.

This ending shocked Miyazaki for a long time. How could he not have come up with such a contrasting ending?

Therefore, Miyazaki Hayao had been thinking about the story's creator, Hibiki Higashino, for a long time.

Unfortunately, the other person went on to draw comics, and they did quite well.

Hayao Miyazaki can only focus on Hibiki Higashino's animated works now.

"With you, summer, and dreams for the future."

"I have never forgotten that great hope."

"I believe we will meet again in the summer 10 years from now."

"With the most beautiful memories..."

The trailer has been released, and the ethereal yet melancholic song pulls Miyazaki Hayao out of his memories.

On TV, there's Meiko Honma, Jinta Yadomi, Naruko Anjou, Atsushi Matsuyuki, Chiriko Tsurumi, and Tetsudo Hisakawa...

One character after another appears, their childhood and adulthood images intertwined.

At the end of the trailer, the sun rises amidst lush green forests, bringing the morning light, and the scene shifts.

"Aired on April 1, 1999, 'Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day'."

Hayao Miyazaki coughed lightly. "What a long name."

From the trailer, he gained some understanding; it was about friendship, love, and character development, which was slightly different from the animation he had hoped to see.

"However, it will be a very good work."

Through this song alone, he seemed to understand the meaning that "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day" wanted to express.

"It's great that one excellent animation after another is appearing."

With a sigh, he ended his break.

……

"This trailer is pretty good," Hibiki Higashino said.

In the future, he will often watch trailers for upcoming animated films on Bilibili, and viewers can see the dedication of the productions in the trailers.

Whether it's a shabby PowerPoint presentation or a well-made work, it's all very clear.

The "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day" that Hibiki Higashino saw was the latter.

There was no shoddy workmanship, the characters' running movements weren't distorted, and the background music was very nice—that was enough.

"You see, even though I'm an outsider and don't manage the company, 'Future Company' is running smoothly," he said smugly to Akemi Akemi.

“You’re just too lazy to manage it,” Akemi Akemi exposed him. “Perhaps if you were directly managing ‘Mirai-sha,’ the company would be producing even more works and its influence would be far more astonishing.”

“Maybe,” Higashino Hibiki shrugged.

"But that's another story."

……

Hibiki Higashino returned to school after a two-month vacation.

In the past, there would be more than 20 students in the traditional Chinese painting class, but now there are only a few scattered people.

Akemi Akemi no longer teaches courses, but instead lets students handle their graduation projects and theses.

Hibiki Higashino has begun his graduation project.

He wanted to paint a ukiyo-e print.

After all, he had been taught by Akemi Akimiya, so he knew more about this than the average person.

Hibiki Higashino picked up a pencil and began to draw a draft, but his mind was completely blank, devoid of any ideas.

Suddenly, something came to mind; a memory flashed through his mind—an animated film he had watched years ago.

The story has a stream-of-consciousness feel, with reality and film intertwined, making it hard to distinguish between truth and fiction. He was simply shocked, and in the end, his mind was blank; he had just watched a spectacle.

This anime is Satoshi Kon's "Millennium Actress".

There's a fragment of a ukiyo-e print in there, which remained in Higashino Hibiki's mind, and it suddenly popped up now.

He had completely forgotten about the movie, but with the appearance of ukiyo-e prints, "Millennium Actress" suddenly became very memorable, and he remembered all the scenes from the movie.

With his eyes closed, the movie replayed in Higashino Hibiki's mind, from the love between the heroine and the patriot to the final letting go, reflecting on his own life, and quietly passing away.

Higashino Hibiki opened his eyes and drew what he wanted to draw. It was a scene of people fighting, some wielding samurai swords and others holding smoothbore guns. The times were intertwined, and some people rode white horses, galloping into the distance.

“This is a really interesting drawing,” Akemi Akemi said, standing behind Hibiki Higashino at some point. She was examining the sketch with interest in her eyes.

"It feels like I've witnessed a story, but I don't know what it is."

Higashino looked at her with a smile, "Perhaps it is because of the changes of the times, the pursuit of love, and finally the discovery that the life that was pursued is the most precious."

Akemi Akemi couldn't understand how such a painting could express such rich meaning.

However, she understood that Higashino Hibiki must have another story in his heart, and this story was definitely very meaningful.

"Good luck," she patted Hibiki Higashino on the shoulder, "I'm waiting for you."

……

In Slam Dunk, Shohoku High School has already begun preparing for the national tournament. But before that, the stories of Coach Anzai, Rukawa, and Akagi will unfold slowly, so there's no rush.

Time flies, and it's December 25th already.

Snowflakes began to fall from the sky, and pedestrians put on scarves.

Yuko Asahina left school and walked through the bustling streets of Tokyo.

Everywhere here, lights are flashing "Merry Christmas." In front of the mall, there are large pine trees decorated with candy canes, Christmas wreaths, bells, and all sorts of small gifts. At the very top, there are twinkling little stars.

This is a children's holiday, and Santa Claus will give gifts to children.

There were children beside me, holding their parents' hands, eagerly heading home after leaving the mall, waiting for Santa Claus to bring them presents.

Yuko Asahina had this idea when she was a child, and firmly believed that Santa Claus existed.

Her dream used to be to have a doll, and it always came true.

The latest design features a doll with long, golden hair and exquisite craftsmanship.

She grew a little older, and by age 11, she wasn't so childish anymore. Dolls and such were for little girls.

Her dream became the Dragon Ball manga, but it was never realized.

"I really miss it," Yuko Asahina said sincerely.

Over the years, her dream has been gradually realized. She has become a supervisor, and although she is still a newcomer in the industry, she has already gotten on the right track.

But the men and women around me were treating Christmas like Valentine's Day, sticking together and joking around non-stop.

Yuko Asahina couldn't understand.

Even today, when she suddenly had a great idea, she rushed to the "Future Society" company to record it.

Why not cherish your time?

“Tori Akino-sensei must still be working,” she firmly believed.

Yuko Asahina's expressionless face softened instantly.

"He's always been like this."

Suddenly, Asahina Yuko felt even more motivated. She strode ahead, overtaking the lovesick men and women, and headed towards the next traffic light.

An uplifting melody seemed to fill my mind, and my steps became lighter.

Asahina Yuko savored the moment until…

"Huh?"

She was stunned.