The 2000 Digimon theatrical film animation, of course, refers to the second installment, Our War Game.
Though called a theatrical film, it was actually an OVA, just 40 minutes long. The story revolves around a DigiEgg that suddenly appears on the internet. After hatching, it gives birth to a Digimon that goes on a rampage, devouring the entire power grid system and causing widespread disruptions. The creature continuously evolves, its appetite growing exponentially, triggering a global crisis.
In the end, Taichi and the other protagonists enter the virtual world of the internet. After a fierce battle, they finally defeat the Virus Digimon with the ultimate evolution of WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon.
The plot itself is relatively straightforward, and the extensive use of limited animation gives it a low-budget, almost bootleg feel.
However, around the year 2000, the Y2K bug was causing global anxiety, and the internet was just beginning to rise in popularity. This context made the audience highly invested in Our War Game.
Although the animation style was a departure from the TV series and might have been jarring for viewers, the film boldly incorporated elements of cybersecurity and internet viruses. For the audience of 2000, it was a wildly imaginative and forward-thinking vision.
In the end, the animation grossed 2.1 billion yen at the box office. Even after twenty years, this achievement still ranks among the top three highest-grossing Digimon theatrical films of all time.
The supervising director was naturally Mamoru Hosoda, who had also directed the previous film, The Birth of Agumon. It was with Our War Game that Hosoda first showcased his remarkable talent for imagining the digital world, laying the foundation for his later works like Summer Wars and Belle.
Around 8 PM, after watching the movie, Lin Zhiyan and Nanase Mayumi emerged from the cinema.
"Ah~ That was amazing!" Nanase Mayumi exclaimed, clearly thrilled.
She soon remembered something and turned to Lin Zhiyan. "Senior, I think you know Supervising Director Hosoda, right?"
Lin Zhiyan nodded. "I do, but not very well."
With that, he pulled out his phone, found Hosoda's contact information saved from two or three years prior, and sent an email. The message congratulated him in advance on Our War Game, stating that he had just watched it and found it excellent and successful, predicting it would gross 2 billion yen.
Lin Zhiyan had actually seen this film before, but it was so good that watching it again didn't feel boring at all.
Putting his phone away, he said to Nanase Mayumi, "Let's go. I'll walk you home."
"Okay, thank you, Senior!" Nanase Mayumi replied cheerfully.
Inside a izakaya, Mamoru Hosoda was drinking and laughing heartily with his friends, looking full of swagger and confidence.
This is the life.
The box office success of Our War Game was truly exhilarating.
He'd received a job offer from Toei in his first year of high school, but he couldn't accept immediately due to his studies. Moreover, his heart belonged to Studio Ghibli, and his idol was Hayao Miyazaki. In his mind, if he were to join any animation company, it had to be Ghibli.
After graduating from university, he took a job at another company, coasting through his days while drawing keyframes on the side. When Ghibli announced new hiring, he applied with a portfolio of 150 keyframes—a king among overachievers, considering the requirement was only two.
He was brimming with confidence, certain he'd be accepted. Both Miyazaki and Isao Takahata at Ghibli recognized his talent. Yet, when the results came out, he was rejected.
Hayao Miyazaki personally rejected him, even writing him a letter stating that he was a man destined for success wherever he went and that staying at Studio Ghibli would likely stifle his potential.
With his dream shattered, he had to swallow his pride and call Toei Animation, the company that had invited him to join during his first year of high school. He asked if they still remembered him, explaining that he had graduated from university and was now available to start.
Fortunately, the producer who had originally invited him answered the phone and still remembered him vividly. So, he joined Toei Animation, starting from the bottom as an animator and gradually rising to become a Supervising Director.
Last year, the first Digimon theatrical film, The Birth of Agumon, was his directorial debut. It was a 20-minute OVA, yet he managed to achieve a box office gross of 900 million yen.
With such success came inevitable criticism. But last Saturday, Our War Game was released, silencing all his detractors.
Now, no one questioned his abilities anymore; the media even hailed him as a genius.
Though his original dream remained unfulfilled and he was only thirty-two, he felt he had already reached the peak of his life.
It was simply too satisfying.
In fact, even greater surprises awaited him. With the massive success of Our War Game, he would soon receive numerous project proposals, including Studio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle. However, this very animation would plunge him into the first crisis of his career, leading to his second rejection by Hayao Miyazaki.
This was a future he knew nothing about.
He raised his glass and toasted Yamashita Takanaru, his close friend and one of the Animation Directors for Our War Game.
After taking a large gulp, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
He pulled out his phone and glanced at it. It was an email from Lin Zhiyan.
After reading the email, he replied with a simple "Thank you," put his phone away, and continued drinking.
Soon he remembered something. "By the way, didn't Lin Zhiyan leave IG over a month ago?"
"Lin Zhiyan?"
Yamashita Takanaru naturally knew him. "I heard he's started his own animation company and is planning to make his own anime."
Mamoru Hosoda had originally assumed Lin Zhiyan was making a living doing outsourcing work. This was the first he'd heard of him preparing to produce his own anime.
He didn't dwell on it, however, and simply mentioned the congratulatory email Lin Zhiyan had sent him earlier.
"Ah, I see... You know, he's also hailed as a genius, just like you. The industry widely recognizes him as a keyframe genius, while you're the universally acknowledged genius supervising director." Yamashita couldn't resist comparing the two.
Mamoru Hosoda smiled. "If he's making his own anime, he's probably aiming for the title of genius supervising director. I'll have to check it out when it comes out. But keyframing is different from supervising. I don't think he'll be as skilled in directing as he is in keyframing."
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