According to Aoki Haruhi's thoughts, Princess Mononoke—this game—first of all, it was impossible to make into a galgame.
The male protagonist had too few love interests to conquer. In the animated film, there were only two female characters in total: one was the Ghost Princess San, and the other was the human leader Eboshi. In fact, based on Aoki Haruhi's viewing experience, the characterization of Eboshi might be even stronger than that of the heroine.
She was a very intelligent and courageous woman with her own convictions and infinite execution power.
Of course, having few female characters wasn't the main problem. The main issue was that since everyone had already seen the animated film before playing the game, there wouldn't be much plot content left to experience.
Unless you could make massive modifications to the story.
But would Hayao Miyazaki ever agree to that?
Furthermore, making Princess Mononoke into a visual novel-style galgame would be a waste of its themes and setting.
The conflicts in the anime are incredibly intense, the kind that can get your blood pumping. It needs to be an action game.
However, Aoki Haruhi is currently torn between choosing a 3D approach—specifically, 3D rendered as 2D, but played from a 3D first-person perspective—or a 2D one.
If it's 3D, it could be like Zelda.
If it's 2D, it could be like The Witcher or Diablo.
In any case, the combat must be a core feature, and the level and scene design need to be meticulously planned.
3D would definitely be the best option, but Aoki Haruhi couldn't help but worry. He wondered if current technological advancements could keep up.
According to Hayao Miyazaki's schedule, Princess Mononoke was set to be released in '96. If any problems arose, it could be delayed to '97.
So, in the next few years, there had to be a massive leap forward in both hardware and software. They couldn't just settle for the blocky, voxel-like character models they had now.
Aoki Haruhi would have to return to his old specialty—developing an animation engine that could achieve anime-style rendering for 3D models, just like the one he'd worked on for Genshin Impact at miHoYo in his past life.
If he could pull that off, the result would be absolutely stunning.
But that was all a big "if."
It was only 1994. Technological advancement required time to mature and iterate. Aoki Haruhi couldn't be certain they would even have the hardware and software capabilities to support such a feat by then.
It was a real headache.
But worrying was useless; all he could do was wait.
The only thing Aoki Haruhi could do was use his own methods and influence to push the boundaries of technological development, giving it an extra nudge forward.
At worst, he'd have to settle for a 2D top-down perspective, implementing The Witcher's mechanics. Perhaps he could even push 2D visuals to their absolute limit.
After staying on Yakushima for two days, Aoki Haruhi had forged a deep bond with Hayao Miyazaki and Joe Hisaishi. They had spent their time chatting enthusiastically, exchanging thoughts on the production of Princess Mononoke.
That night, the three of them lay in bed, talking.
Aoki Haruhi had never dreamed things would turn out this way, but the two older men were in high spirits, and he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
Truthfully, he now deeply regretted not asking Miyazaki for permission to bring his girlfriend along.
Tsuda Nao would have probably enjoyed listening to their stories even more.
"The Forest Spirit in Princess Mononoke was actually designed based on the Five-Colored Deer," Miyazaki said.
The Uji Shui Monogatari, compiled during the Kamakura period, is a collection of Buddhist tales and folklore, consisting of 15 volumes and 197 stories.
Among them is a tale called The Tale of the Five-Colored Deer.
It tells of a Five-Colored Deer dwelling deep in the mountains who happened to rescue a traveler who had fallen into the water.
The traveler promised the Five-Colored Deer that he would never tell anyone about their encounter.
In a kingdom beyond the mountains, the Queen dreamed of the Five-Colored Deer and, coveting its beautiful fur, offered a huge reward for its capture.
Driven by greed, the traveler whom the Five-Colored Deer had saved betrayed its location to the King and led an army into the mountains.
The Five-Colored Deer then appeared and recounted to the King how it had saved the traveler.
The King subsequently executed the ungrateful traitor and decreed a nationwide ban on killing deer, punishable by death.
Does this sound familiar?
When Aoki Haruhi heard this story, he felt as if he had seen it somewhere before. After thinking it over—
Holy shit, isn't this just the 1980s Chinese animation "The Nine-Colored Deer"?
Of course, The Nine-Colored Deer itself isn't originally Chinese culture.
Whether it's the Five-Colored Deer or the Nine-Colored Deer, both originate from Buddhism and Tianzhu.
Although Japan claims to have "eight million gods," most of these deities were absorbed from foreign cultures like China and India. The truly indigenous gods are few in number, making up barely one-tenth of the total.
The Tale of the Five-Colored Deer was adapted from the Buddhist story The Deer King Jataka. In the original tale, the Five-Colored Deer, who lived in the deep mountains of Tianzhu, was actually a Nine-Colored Deer dwelling by the Ganges.
The 1981 Chinese animated film The Nine-Colored Deer was also adapted from the Dunhuang mural The Deer King Jataka Mural and remains a highly acclaimed classic to this day.
In Princess Mononoke, the head of the Forest Spirit is said to be able to cure all diseases in the human world. Therefore, Jiko-bo, the red-nosed monk, is sent into the mountains to hunt the Forest Spirit. This plot point mirrors the scene where the king leads his army into the mountains to obtain the hide of the Nine-Colored Deer for his queen.
So, it turns out Master Hayao Miyazaki is also a plagiarist, Aoki Haruhi thought wryly. But then again, you'd never think that while actually watching the movie. Miyazaki's re-imagining of these ancient legends is simply too brilliant. While the traces of his sources remain, they serve primarily as a vehicle for his own creative vision.
Thus, the Nine-Colored Deer—and by extension, the Forest Spirit in Princess Mononoke—was imbued with a new and profound meaning.
"Actually," Hayao Miyazaki said, "besides the original story of the Five-Colored Deer, I also drew a lot of inspiration from the Epic of Gilgamesh."
Hearing the name Gilgamesh, Aoki Haruhi was even more surprised.
Huh?
Gilgamesh... that name sounds so familiar.
Could it be—
Goldy?
Aoki Haruhi felt a wave of confusion.
Miyazaki smiled as he recounted the story of Gilgamesh:
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the protagonist journeys to the Cedar Forest with his beast-man companion to obtain cedar wood, where they engage in a fierce battle with Humbaba, the forest's guardian.
Humbaba was a demi-god, described in the epic as having scales, lion's paws, and eagle's talons, with horns on his head, though he was said to be a great tree himself.
Humbaba protected the flora of the Cedar Forest and forbade outsiders from destroying it. But in this war, he became the loser, his head severed and placed in a metal bucket.
The details—both the demi-beast form and the head severed and placed in a metal bucket—perfectly matched elements in Princess Mononoke.
Aoki Haruhi admitted, "I don't know Humbaba, but I know a bit about Gilgamesh."
But my knowledge is incredibly superficial.
For example, this guy always likes to stand on streetlights and show off his treasury the moment someone disagrees with him...
After hearing the story, he understood a lot more about Goldy.
Gilgamesh was both a tyrant and a hero, performing many courageous feats in his youth and earning the love of his people.
Who would have thought, Aoki Haruhi mused, that Princess Mononoke would incorporate so much of this?
No wonder all creators are essentially one big family—borrowing from each other, blending and re-creating.
Still, judging by the final film, Aoki couldn't help but admire Hayao Miyazaki's imagination. It also gave a glimpse into the sheer volume of his reading. Without such a vast store of knowledge, a masterpiece like Princess Mononoke could never have been made.
"Actually, Miyazaki-senpai, if you have some time, you should read China's Classic of Mountains and Seas," Aoki Haruhi suggested.
"Hmm? The Classic of Mountains and Seas?"
"Yes," Aoki nodded. "It's said to be a book describing the geography and landscapes of ancient—or rather, primordial—China. It records the terrain of various regions and the birds and beasts that dwell there. The Classic of Mountains and Seas is filled with creatures that are both fascinating and bizarre."
"Take the Torch Dragon, for example."
"The Classic describes it like this:
Beyond the Northwest Sea, north of the Red Water, lies Mount Zhangwei.
There dwells a god with the face of a man and the body of a red serpent. His eyes are fixed and straight. When he closes them, darkness falls; when he opens them, light returns. He neither eats, nor sleeps, nor rests, and the wind and rain attend to him.
This is Zhu Jiuyin, the Torch Dragon."
Ah, well...
Hayao Miyazaki and Joe Hisaishi sat on the bed, completely spellbound.
Fortunately, Japanese culture drew much of its inspiration from China, so although they were still a bit lost, they could grasp the general meaning of the words.
Aoki Haruhi continued to explain in modern language: "Beyond the Northwest Sea, north of the Red Water, there is a mountain called Mount Zhangwei. On this mountain lives a god with a human face and a snake's body, covered in red scales. Its eyes are long and vertical. When it closes its eyes, the world becomes night; when it opens them, the world becomes day. It neither eats, nor sleeps, nor breathes, and it can summon wind and rain. It can illuminate the most remote and obscure places. With a human face and a snake's body, it is a thousand li long. This is the Torch Dragon."
"Whoa..."
Miyazaki looked up. Just imagining the scene sent shivers down his spine and gave him goosebumps.
"This is fascinating."
He quickly scrambled up, found a pen and paper, and began jotting down what Aoki Haruhi had just said.
Aoki glanced over and saw that he was actually sketching a figure with a human face and a snake's body. But...
Huh?
Why the hell does that look so much like the River Spirit from Spirited Away?
"I feel like the image of Bai Ze in the Classic of Mountains and Seas is quite similar to the Forest Spirit in Princess Mononoke."
"On Mount Dongwang, there is a beast called Bai Ze, which can speak. When a virtuous ruler shines his light far and wide, Bai Ze will appear."
"When a virtuous ruler appears in the world, Bai Ze will manifest."
At this, Aoki Haruhi glanced at the pen and paper in Hayao Miyazaki's hand.
"Um, Senior, may I borrow those?"
Miyazaki blinked in surprise, then handed them over.
Aoki Haruhi began to sketch his imagined Bai Ze on the blank paper.
Miyazaki took one look and slapped his thigh in laughter.
"Yes, yes! This is exactly the Forest Spirit I envisioned!"
Adding the detail of him standing on a lotus flower and controlling life and death made the concept feel complete.
"Bai Ze, huh..." Miyazaki chuckled, noting that Japan also had a Bai Ze figure, not just China's Classic of Mountains and Seas.
"Though, they probably just 'stole' it from China," he added.
As the night wore on, Joe Hisaishi fell fast asleep, but Miyazaki only grew more excited.
After talking with Aoki Haruhi, the man couldn't wait to find a copy of the Classic of Mountains and Seas to read thoroughly.
However...
Aoki Haruhi had a bad feeling.
Dammit, if he creates something that completely transcends my imagination, how am I supposed to turn this into a game?!
But time was running out.
The next morning, Aoki Haruhi bid the two of them farewell and boarded a plane to Chicago for the Consumer Electronics Show.
The flight from Kagoshima to Tokyo took two hours, followed by a several-hour layover. By the time he boarded his next flight, it was already past 1:00 PM.
The journey from Tokyo to Chicago took a total of twelve hours.
Aoki Haruhi slept soundly the entire way.
Kazuma Takahashi, a senior at the company, had already booked a room for him.
He still had to adjust to the time difference after landing.
1:00 AM in Tokyo was roughly 3:00 PM in Chicago.
Though still exhausted, he couldn't sleep at this hour. With nothing else to do, Aoki Haruhi and Kazuma Takahashi started wandering around the neighborhood near their hotel.
Street culture in the US was actually quite developed. As they walked along, they could see all kinds of graffiti on the walls.
Wild and unrestrained, much of it was painted directly with spray paint, giving off a pungent smell. The colors were rich and full of a Western cartoonish feel.
Aoki Haruhi had specially brought a camera this time.
In the 90s, Japan was the undisputed world leader in camera manufacturing.
For example, the Canon SLR Aoki Haruhi brought cost nearly 600,000 yen for the optical lens alone. The full set of equipment cost nearly one million yen.
It was more expensive than a set of high-end golf clubs.
However, the image quality was truly excellent. As long as you knew how to use it, you could take very clear and aesthetically pleasing blockbusters.
Chicago's streets not only had graffiti, but also street basketball.
Every block had at least one or two basketball courts, and the surroundings were also covered in various graffiti.
Some basketball courts might only have a single hoop, without even a backboard, making them incomparably crude.
You could call it chaotic—a dizzying kind of chaos—but they really didn't care about appearances.
As Aoki Haruhi and Kazuma Takahashi walked past one of the basketball courts, they happened to see a group of teenagers playing. There were both Black and white kids.
His gaze was instantly drawn to a girl sitting on the bench.
She was fair-skinned and beautiful, not very tall, with a head of blonde hair. But you could tell it was dyed blonde because her roots had already grown in dark brown—likely her natural hair color.
How should I put it?
She looked remarkably like Scarlett Johansson—the one who played Black Widow.
After chatting with them for a bit, he was stunned to learn that the oldest one in the group was only fourteen.
And Scarlett was just thirteen, yet she was already quite well-developed.
"No way. You're middle schoolers?" Aoki Haruhi asked, genuinely shocked.
But even in his shock, he couldn't help but marvel at how fast Americans developed. At just twelve or thirteen, they already looked like they were eighteen or nineteen.
"Guess how old I am," Aoki Haruhi asked in return.
Scarlett sized him up skeptically. "Twenty-one?"
The boy beside her shook his head. "Nineteen, at most."
Hahaha...
Aoki Haruhi burst into the most genuine laughter he'd had in a long time. "Exactly! I'm actually twenty this year."
Who told Asians they look so young?
Especially a stunningly handsome guy like Aoki Haruhi—even in his thirties, he looked barely twenty. In the eyes of Westerners, he must have looked even younger.
Beside him, Kazuma Takahashi stared at Aoki Haruhi in astonishment.
President, you have some nerve! How can you even say something like that?
"Are you Chinese?" Scarlett asked.
"Huh? Why do you ask?" Aoki Haruhi replied, puzzled.
"Because Japanese people don't speak English this well."
Hahaha...
Kazuma Takahashi felt this was the most brutal roast the President had ever taken.
Wait, no.
On second thought, he realized he was the one getting roasted the hardest.