“We’ll have you do it in both English and Japanese,” one of the girls told me.
Their plan was to make thirty-second, forty-five-second, one-minute, and three-minute versions for both the web and television.
“We’ll get you into the CGI studio to get your body mapped this morning. This afternoon you’ll do the voice work.”
They took me to a room that had a smaller, circular room inside it. I was put into a bodysuit that was covered in sensors. They explained that the circular room had cameras and sensors embedded in the walls so I could be seen from all angles, and they could record my movements. They ran me through different poses and then had me make specific movements like sitting, walking, and opening a door.
The next step was to strap my head into something that looked like a medieval torture device so my head wouldn’t move. I then had to go through a series of facial expressions and say my lines as they recorded my facial movements. I was told that natural and believable facial expressions were the key for the CGI to look as ‘real’ as possible.
Then they filmed me doing the commercial as reference points for their CGI work.
◊◊◊
We finally stopped for lunch, and I was able to get out of the bodysuit. Saul was all smiles, but Paul didn’t look happy. I figured out that I was about to do some PR work.
“They want to allow their employees to meet you,” Saul explained.
The only problem was, I hadn’t been fed, and my stomach was growling.
“I’m here to work, I’ve been going nonstop, and I’m starving,” I grumbled. “Can I at least get some food in me first?”
We walked into the cafeteria and saw they’d catered lunch. I almost sank to the floor in relief.
Kent had a box of my headshots and another of me as Stryker. I was happy when Hana stood up and told everyone that I needed to eat first, and then would take time to meet them all. She’d gone through the buffet for me and set up small plates of different foods like she’d done for the traditional meals she’d made me. Hana smiled when I picked the chopsticks instead of the fork she’d also brought. Japanese food looks pretty. They take the time to make everything look appealing.
Kent had a system in place. I would meet each employee, either Hana or they would tell me their name, and I would write it on the photo they picked and sign it. Then I would stand up, and they would come around the table where someone called the ‘camera boy’ would take their picture with me.
I found them all to be very polite, and once they’d met me, they would hurry off to talk excitedly with their workmates. With Kent’s system, we were able to accommodate everyone in a reasonable amount of time. Kent later told me that a few of the girls had slipped him their numbers to give to me.
◊◊◊
The afternoon was spent doing the voice work. I was glad that Hana had spent so much time working with me because there were only a few words I either mispronounced or used with the wrong inflection.
The English version of their final product was very formal in the way it sounded. I thought it likely sounded like the Japanese version would if I tried to translate English into Japanese. Google was my friend for translation, but it was like a friend who didn’t really speak the language.
“Would it be okay if I fixed this?” I asked.
“Is it not correct?”
“No, technically, it’s fine. It’s just not how Americans speak, and I’m assuming that’s your target audience.”
“Which parts would you change?”
“You have no contractions. It makes everything sound stiff and formal. It’s like the difference between a business report and a conversation. For example, in this sentence, you have my avatar saying ‘we will,’ where in normal conversation, I would say ‘we’ll,’” I explained.
“But our audience is business people.”
“Let’s do this. I’ll do the short one both ways, and we have Saul come in and tell you which he thinks sounds best. He’s a businessperson who’s well aware of what sells.”
They agreed. When he came in, Saul didn’t hesitate to pick my version as sounding more American. It seemed that they usually contracted with another company to write the English translations of their ads and commercials. They were now concerned that they needed to have them reviewed.
I pointed at Hana and explained that she was my interpreter and in college. I suggested they should hire her to review the wording. She could probably use the extra money.
We were done by 3:30. When we got downstairs, I found Paul had been busy: he’d hired a security firm. There were three big black SUVs parked out front with people blocking the sidewalk so we could make it to the car unmolested. Saul and Kent were directed to the first car, while Paul, Hana, and I rode in the second. There was a security person who drove and another who rode shotgun. In the last car, five extra men followed us. I felt like a big-time VIP.
The reason they were needed was that we had a massive crowd of fans and paparazzi waiting for us. Someone at Tokyo Animation must have leaked that we were there.
◊◊◊
Once we got back to the hotel, Brook came to my room.
“We’re going out,” she announced.
“Did you see everyone out front?” I asked.
“It’s your birthday. You aren’t going to let a few fans keep you from going celebrating, are you? It was bad enough you had to work.”
With the time change, and basically losing Saturday, I’d forgotten today was my birthday. I wondered for a moment why no one had sent me birthday wishes, and then it dawned on me. They were either sleeping or just getting up.
I heard my door’s lock click as someone used the keycard. Of course, it was Cassidy.
“How come you’re standing around? Go, get dressed,” she ordered.
There was a knock at my door almost as soon as she closed it. It was Kent. I should have gotten a suite.
“I told Mr. Goda that it was your birthday. He already had a reservation at Ise Sueyoshi, his favorite place to eat in Tokyo, and gave his reservation to you. The only problem is it only seats five people. I thought we should invite Megan as the fifth,” Kent suggested.
“What about Saul, Paul, and Hana?” I asked.
“Bitch, please—it’s your birthday!” Kent said with a big smile.
That statement alone told me that Kent wasn’t going to be anything like Kendal. He might, in fact, corrupt me. I wondered if this was one of those ‘you can trust some people to do some things’ moments.
◊◊◊
Our motorcade, as I was now calling it, took us to a small restaurant. Ise Sueyoshi really did only seat five people. You sat at a sushi bar and watched as they prepared your meal. The meal was served kaiseki style, which is a traditional Japanese multi-course meal. Kaiseki cuisine was originally developed to be a simple meal as part of the Japanese traditional tea ceremony. Over time it has been elevated into an art form to stimulate all your senses.
Yuuki-san, our chef, opened with ikkon—a cup of crisp sake from Ise Shrine—and then moved us through a series of delightful small courses. The variation in ingredients, cooking style, and temperature was engaging. Regardless of whether the vegetables, meat, or fish were served hot or cold, raw, steamed, boiled, or fried, every morsel was a treat and presented with flair.
We got the sake pairing for each course, and this made it wonderful. Each sake, six in total, was selected from the same region as the course it was paired with, and the sake went perfectly with the whole meal.
Over the course of the meal, Yuuki-san explained the dishes, the preparation techniques he used, and the origins of the ingredients. This conversation helped us understand the sophistication of kaiseki. There was a story behind each ingredient, and he had a book with photos to help show it. As he walked you through this, you felt personally invested in each dish, which took the whole experience to another level.