Full-time comic artist

“A remarkable work,” he nodded, looking at the indignant expressions of the audience, yet also somewhat worried that things might get out of hand.

“I’m not asking you to talk nonsense,” Masao Maruyama said. “What are your thoughts on the storyboard, animation pacing, and background music?”

“Yes,” Junichi Sakata said, having spent more time with the work. He put himself in a professional position, temporarily forgetting the story of the work, and focused on recalling details from the perspective of a director. Finally, he shook his head.

"Compared to the immaturity of other works, 'The Four Major Public Health Problems' is much more complete and was produced through a proper process. It has a script, character designs, and a supervisor. However, it focuses too much on content, which affects the pacing. The storyboarding and camera work are also problematic, lacking coherence..."

"As expected, it's just a student's work," Junichi Sakata concluded.

“Yes,” Masao Maruyama nodded, “That’s what I think too. It’s a very good work among students.”

Junichi Sakata was somewhat worried, since "The Four Major Public Health Problems" exposed the government's secrets and was a topic that should not be touched.

If it receives a big reward and its popularity spreads, it's not impossible that the hard-won initiative could be nipped in the bud.

Maruyama Masao then took him to another venue.

The third round of the project has just begun.

Junichi Sakata saw a figure, somewhat stout, with gray hair, who looked very familiar.

The person watching intently, after a long period of confirmation, was indeed the great man who created "My Neighbor Totoro," Hayao Miyazaki.

He was so focused that he didn't even notice President Maruyama while pursing his lips.

Junichi Sakata was puzzled. What was this animated film that was being shown that captivated Hayao Miyazaki so much?

Just then, the name "Hey—Come Out!" appeared on the screen, and he started watching it seriously.

"Excuse me, excuse me." A clumsy high school student walked past him and sat down in the seat next to him.

Behind him, his friend complained in a low voice, "Nishimura, it's all because you overslept that we're late."

“I’m sorry, Kitamoto,” Nishimura apologized, clasping his hands together. “Please forgive me for choosing to come with you since I wasn’t by Asahina’s side.”

"Isn't that because you're too scared when you're around Asahina?" Kitamoto said.

He tried to keep his voice down, but when he saw the old man in front of him turn around and glare at him, he quickly apologized, "I'm sorry."

He then fell silent and started watching anime.

……

After a typhoon, the sky was clear and blue.

In the suburbs not far from the city, a village was damaged by the typhoon. However, the damage was not too serious; only a small temple at the foot of the mountain outside the village was swept away by the typhoon, and no one was injured.

Beneath this temple, people unexpectedly discovered a large hole.

It's bottomless, making people feel uneasy just looking at it.

A young man couldn't help but shout, "Hey—come out!"

But after waiting for a long time, there was still no response.

So he took a pebble and threw it in, but there was still no echo.

The next day, all sorts of people arrived. Some were greedy merchants who wanted to use the mysterious cave for personal gain.

There are also scholars who pretend to know what they don't, and in order to save face, they put forward unfounded opinions.

The darkness of human nature is constantly reflected in the animation.

Junichiro Sakata watched very intently. The pacing of this animation was surprisingly good, guiding the audience from beginning to end without any unnecessary complexity.

Some of the works don't quite resemble those of students.

Driven by curiosity, he continued watching.

A burly man bribed the villagers and the local government to buy the right to use the cave and established a cave-filling company.

"Our company possesses a magnificent, unfathomably deep cavern. Scholars estimate its depth to be at least five thousand meters. This is the perfect location to house hazardous materials such as nuclear waste from nuclear reactors. Don't miss this opportunity!"

Chapter 59 Hey - come out

Upon seeing this, Junichiro Sakata suddenly realized that the large hole was used for this purpose.

However, it's understandable; he probably already knew the underlying message of the animation.

After the government issued operating permits and lobbied the local people, the "hole-filling company's" business finally took off.

This black hole became the country's sewer system.

Waste from nuclear reactors,

Confidential documents from government agencies

Animal carcasses used in infectious disease experiments and the unclaimed bodies of homeless people.

Pipes will be laid to drain all the city's wastewater and sewage into this hole...

It's much better than the ocean.

Everyone threw away the things they didn't want or wanted to destroy—whether it was the government, a company, or a private individual—into the hole.

The animation pace suddenly quickened, and as more complex scenes appeared later on, the original artwork began to show signs of disarray.

Junichiro Sakata nodded. It was precisely because of these shortcomings that he remembered this was a student's work, rather than a masterpiece by a fellow student.

This hardworking hole swallowed the filth. Gradually, the ocean and sky turned a beautiful azure blue again, looking like transparent glass from afar.

Under this azure sky, newly built high-rise buildings are springing up one after another like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

One day, a worker was working on the roof of a building under construction. After finishing riveting a rivet, he put down his tools and rested for a while. Suddenly, he heard a strange noise coming from above.

"Hey—come out!"

However, when he looked up at the sky, he saw nothing; the sky was clear and blue. He thought he was just imagining things because he was a little dizzy from working.

Then, just as he returned to his previous posture to rest for a while, a stone flew from the direction where the sound had come from, whizzed past him, and fell to the ground.

But he just squinted, gazing smugly at the distant horizon. Ah, our city is becoming more and more beautiful!

The work abruptly ended at an inexplicable point, and it wasn't until the final, breathtaking view of the beautiful world that Junichi Sakata was startled.

"The shouts from the village youths, and the stones he threw—they all came back!"

Thinking of the filth that humans had thrown in, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine, and he could imagine how polluted the world would become!

The work is coherent and quite mature.

Junichi Sakata was deeply impressed by this story.

Who wrote this script?

As the ending theme of the animation played, Hayao Miyazaki stood up and clapped first, followed by thunderous applause from the entire venue!

"That's amazing!"

"Does this reflect an environmental pollution problem?"

"I never expected it to end like this! Students these days are terrifying!"

Junichi Sakata clapped and listened to the cheers of the crowd in the stadium while keeping his eyes glued to the screen.

until……

Script: Hibiki Higashino

His heart skipped a beat; as the words rose, he seemed to see a rising star of tomorrow.

"That's terrifying."

I couldn't help but think about it.

"Higashino! Is this a script written by Higashino?!" He overheard the conversation between two students beside him.

The one who was making a big fuss was extremely surprised, "He actually has this ability?"

“I’ve always felt that Higashino is a man of few words and deep thoughts,” the composed one nodded and asked, “But Nishimura, aren’t you a member of the animation team? Don’t you know that Higashino wrote the script?”

Nishimura gave an awkward smile. "Asahina-san didn't say anything, but you know me. I don't dare to talk to her..."

"How embarrassing," Kitamoto shook his head.

As the two of them turned to leave, telling Higashino Hibiki that his work had been a great success, they were stopped by someone.

It was that old man who had glared at them earlier; he was in his fifties and looked fierce.

"Do you know Higashino Hibiki?" he asked.

Nishimura: "I'm not telling you..."

He was annoyed by the person glaring at him and became a little irritable.

Kitamoto looked at the person in front of him and found him increasingly familiar until he finally remembered.

"Are you Hayao Miyazaki? The great director Hayao Miyazaki!"

He was shocked; he never expected that the person sitting next to him was such an important figure.

He nodded quickly, "Of course I know him!"

“It’s me,” Miyazaki nodded. “I’ve watched this animation three times already. The content is amazing, so I’d like to meet the person who wrote the script.”

……

Hibiki Higashino was also watching the movie in the venue. Although his other works were immature, they also had many merits.

It's something professional animators wouldn't touch; it's done with a bit of inspiration, and you might occasionally see unexpected scenes.

He learned a lot.

He didn't meet up with Asahina and the others until the agreed time arrived.

The animation team gathered together, and everyone was excited. After careful comparison, they felt they were sure to win the grand prize.

Moreover, they met many important figures, who were their idols.

"Higashi... Higashino! Why didn't you say so? You wrote the script!" Shinonome stepped forward excitedly, punched Higashino in the chest, and stammered.

Seeing the enthusiastic looks in everyone's eyes, Higashino took a step back, feeling somewhat worried.

The thought of a team member tossing and catching the main contributor in an animated work sends chills down his spine.

With so many people in the clubhouse, what if someone dies and gets hurt?