Ren wanted to be the scriptwriter for the animation because he feared the company adapting his work into an animated movie might mess up the script.
Although "Your Name" wasn't originally his work and he had copied it, Ren had spent considerable time adapting it to remove the Japanese style.
He had put effort into revising "Your Name," so he naturally didn't want other scriptwriters to ruin it.
"Well... I can suggest it, but are you sure you can handle it?"
After all, writing an animation script is different from writing a manga.
Hearing Jada's question, Ren replied confidently, "Don't worry, no problem!"
When the system gave him his abilities, it included everything related to drawing, including writing animation scripts.
"Alright." Jada was surprised by Ren's confident tone.
If she didn't know Ren's background, she might have thought he was a scriptwriting master!
However, she didn't doubt him. After all, this was her husband, and she trusted him completely. Plus, past experiences showed that Ren didn't take on challenges he wasn't prepared for.
"I'll suggest it then. Besides, this is a great learning opportunity," Jada teased. "You can learn animation scriptwriting, and when I start an animation company, you can handle this part."
"Hey! Are you trying to kill me with work?" Ren said jokingly. "I barely have enough time for my manga."
"Okay, talk to you later."
Jada laughed and hung up.
As Ren put down the phone, he felt the curious eyes of his assistants and students on him.
They had heard the words "animation script," which meant… their teacher's work was going to be animated?
"Teacher! Which work is getting animated?" Felix asked eagerly.
"Your Name." Ren didn't hide it.
Everyone started clapping.
Even though they hadn't contributed to this work, they had all become Ren's assistants after reading it.
As readers, seeing a favorite work being adapted into animation was the happiest thing ever!
...
The next day, Ren and Jada visited the animation company.
Soon, a staff member led them to a conference room.
In the room, they met Leo, the person in charge of the animation movie project.
Leo was a board member of the company, accompanied by two animation experts, showing the importance they placed on this collaboration.
It made sense, given the substantial investment needed for an animated movie.
"Hello, Mr. Ren. I've heard a lot about you." Leo stood up, extending his hand with a smile. "My sister has been well taken care of by you. Thanks to you, my niece found her biological parents."
"Your sister? The child's biological parents?"
Ren and Jada were confused by Leo's words.
But then Ren had a realization. "You mean… Xena?"
"Yes!"
Seeing Leo nod, Ren and Jada exchanged looks, filled with disbelief.
This didn't make sense.
If Xena had this kind of backing, why was she ousted from her company?
And why would she end up working under someone else?
Wasn't there a family company she could rely on?
"Haha, my sister has always been strong-willed and loves games." Leo, noticing their confusion, explained with a smile, "As the youngest, the family indulged her a lot, secretly helping her. But as she got older and still hadn't married, the family became anxious. So, they used her recent failure as an opportunity to bring her back."
"I see." Ren and Jada nodded.
Indeed, for many parents, whether their child can settle down is the most critical issue. However...
Ren glanced at Leo. Despite his friendly appearance, Ren remembered the saying, "Kind-looking people can be deceptive."
Did Leo play a part in Xena's repeated failures?
Although Ren was tempted to ask, he restrained himself.
After chatting for a while, they sat down to discuss the collaboration. Ren didn't understand much about the business side, so he listened to Jada and Leo talk.
Most of the discussion revolved around profit, and after listening for a while, Ren understood why they wanted to collaborate.
The recent festival brought significant revenue to Xena's family due to "Your Name." It wasn't just during the festival; the shrine continued to attract many visitors daily.
Tourist attractions are expensive, and adding "Your Name" merchandise would make them even pricier.
So, Leo wanted official authorization to use "Your Name" characters for the shrine's merchandise.
As the saying goes, "Fans spend a fortune on their favorite characters."
Fans often spend generously on things related to their favorite characters.
The discussion lasted a long time, with both sides trying to maximize their benefits. Ultimately, Leo's company secured the rights to use characters from "Your Name."
Of course, this was just the appetizer. The main focus was the animated movie.
During negotiations between Jada and Leo, the final details were gradually settled.
They reached an agreement.
Leo's company would invest 70 million to produce the animated movie.
Compared to some big-budget movies costing billions, 70 million wasn't much. But this was just the production cost. In Ren's previous world, Toho produced "Your Name" with 450 million yen, which is nearly 30 million. In this world, the budget was more than doubled.
In addition, another 20 million was planned for marketing. The final profits would be split according to the agreement.
This made Ren look at Leo a few more times.
As long as there were no hidden costs, the production budget should result in a movie of much higher quality than the original "Your Name."
------
Just as Ren was surprised by the investment in the project, the conversation shifted to him.
After all, he had mentioned his interest in being the scriptwriter for the animated version of "Your Name."
It wasn't that he wanted to write the script for every future animation adaptation of his works.
The main reason was that this work, in his previous life, had a beautiful art style and a great storyline. Turning this phenomenal piece into a manga didn't capture its full potential, which he felt was a waste.
In the future, he probably wouldn't want to be the scriptwriter again.
Especially if his wife started an animation company, he would just review the scripts of the scriptwriters the company hired to see if they matched his works.
"Mr. Ren, you want to be the scriptwriter?" Leo asked with a smile, but his palms were sweaty.
He didn't expect the woman earlier to be so tough. She saw through all the traps in his words.
Moreover, she was hard to handle when it came to negotiating benefits.
Now, talking to this man would give him a chance to relax a bit.
"Yes, I have a strong interest in it. I have high hopes for 'Your Name.' Initially, I wanted to keep this IP in-house."
"Is that so? But Mr. Ren, animation scripts and manga scripts are two different things. If we give you this role, can you really complete the script?"
His tone carried a hint of skepticism.
Which was understandable.
From his sources, he knew that the game his sister was working on was proposed by this man, and he was also a manga artist.
He found it hard to believe that one person could be a genius at everything.
"Rest assured," Ren said, not minding Leo's tone.
If he were in the same position, he would have doubts too. But it was better to let facts do the talking.
That was what he had prepared for last night.
Ren opened his briefcase and took out a notebook. "Please take a look."
Leo took it and handed it to the two experts beside him.
He wasn't knowledgeable in this area, so he brought them along for this purpose.
The two experts took Ren's script and, after flipping through a few pages, their eyes filled with astonishment.
It wasn't bad. It was surprisingly good.
The content was straightforward and vivid.
They knew Ren was just a manga artist. How could someone be so talented?
Seeing the reactions of the experts, Leo smiled and nodded. "Since my colleagues are satisfied, Mr. Ren, we'll leave the script for 'Your Name' in your hands. It's January now. Can you have the script ready in three months?"
Ren thought for a moment.
He could go on his honeymoon and do some location scouting, then return to work on "Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit Seven Knights," and spend his evenings on the script.
Yes, that was more than enough time.
Now that his right hand was fully healed, drawing was no problem, and his speed was unaffected.
Ren smiled and nodded.
The rest was simple. Ren just needed to sign a script contract.
He didn't have to worry about voice acting or other details.
If it were his own company, he would have loved to see the voice actresses…
...
Three days later.
In Yunnan Province, at Blue Moon Valley in Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
This valley, formed by the melting snow of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, got its name from the moon's reflection on the blue lake.
The river formed four larger bodies of water: Jade Liquid Lake, Mirror Lake, Blue Moon Lake, and Sound Wave Lake.
The lakeshores were lush with vegetation, and the snow peaks in the distance provided a stunning backdrop.
At this moment, Ren's family was here.
"Wow, Daddy, take my picture~~"
Yueyue, wearing a pink down jacket and looking like a chubby little bear, stood there, wanting to capture this beautiful scene in the camera.
"Hold on." Ren looked around and found a handsome guy in a black coat, asking him to help take a family photo.
"Okay, you three, pose." The man waved at Ren and Jada. "Yes, just like that. Squeeze your child in the middle, half squat, and move a bit to the side."
"Great, now you, the dad, put your arm around your wife's waist. Mom, you do the same. Little girl, stand close to your parents' legs."
Following the instructions, they quickly settled into position, and the photo was taken.
"Take a look at this."
After thanking the man, Ren and Jada checked the photo.
In the photo, Ren had his right hand out, forming half a heart, and Jada used her left hand to form the other half.
Their hands were a bit far apart, but the heart shape was complete, with Yueyue in the middle.
Her ears were red from the cold, but she had a happy smile.
For Yueyue, even though it had been less than a year, she felt the massive change in her home since her daddy arrived.
Although he often stole her snacks, this feeling was something she had never experienced before.
"Come on, I told you to wear your earmuffs." Jada squatted down, warming Yueyue's red ears with her hands before putting the earmuffs on.
Then she looked at Ren. "Is this the location for your scenes?"
"Yeah, this is where one of the Seven Swords, the wielder of the Ice Soul Sword, is based."
Ren had come here for a dual purpose: the honeymoon and location scouting.
During this time, besides working on the script, he was revising some parts of the original manga, mainly by choosing appropriate scenic spots to include in the work.
For example, he planned to set the Ice Soul Palace of the Ice Soul Sword wielder in Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
He chose this snowy mountain to match the Ice Soul Sword and its wielder. Many movies and novels depict the most beautiful women living in snowy mountains, possibly to emphasize their beauty?
Of course, the name Blue Rabbit would have to change; it was too low-class.
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