Anime Park Part 1 by Peter Kaminsky -- I was thinking, not so long ago, about Jurassic Park. Yeah yeah yeah, it's the biggest hit of the summer, it'll earn half a billion dollars before it's through, etc. Then I got to thinking... what if there was some way that anime characters could be brought to life? And run around in a theme park, like in Jurassic Park? I guess the demented mind of an otaku works in many ways... :) The plot doesn't match up exactly with the one of Jurassic Park; It's not supposed to. I didn't want this to be a Jurassic Park with different names and different things (in this case, anime characters), although *some* of the situations have been written into the story. Reading the book may help you to understand the story just a bit more. I'll make up a supplement for each part that describes exactly how all the technology in the story works, as well as descriptions of the characters in the story, and it should be distributed along with this file. If you are missing the supplement, you can download the original release from Anime Fanatics BBS, at 718.966.4047. Of course, most of it really can't be done (yet!), but it's there for reference purposes. (If anyone uploads this to an FTP site, please tell me so I can keep track of things!) Anime Park contains profanity, violence, and a whole lot of other stuff. (There is no sex, however. ;) If you can't deal with it, then you might as well delete this. Anyway... here is part one of Anime Park. Enjoy... --- Part 1 -- 'Welcome... to Anime Park!' /----Prologue----\ He had done it. Dave Takahara walked across the lab to the creation chambers, and there he was. Garfield the cat, as real as life. Hell, it *was* alive. Garfield meowed, and waddled over to where Takahara had laid out a pan of lasagna. Takahara watched in awe as Garfield ate the entire thing in less than a few seconds. He picked up Garfield and hooked him into the ThoughtSynthsizer. Takahara tapped a few keys on the keyboard of the Mac, and Garfield had as much brain activity as a plastic cup. He had downloaded Garfield's personality into the computer and saved it in the database. Takahara walked over to Garfield, put him into the DeRez unit, and broke him back down into atoms from which more thoughts could be brought to life. Takahara was a rich man, and he knew it as soon as he saw the computer blink 'Duplication Success Probability 100%'. He shut everything down, except the Mac, which ran a VR so that the personas in the database could run around and play while they weren't in use. Takahara wondered just what it would be like to be in that VR, in a custom-built existance. Takahara wandered out of the lab, and securely locked the door. He wondered what he would do with his millions as he walked down the hall to the parking garage. The clock applet running on the Mac said that the time was 5:42 PM, July 3, 1993. The first time that he heard about it, though, Mark Collins thought it was a load of shit. "Cartoon characters. Hmmph. Why the hell would anyone want to go to a park with a bunch of cartoons?" was his initial opinion, as he glanced around the lab at the computers and equipment that could make him millions if he invested. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me that you've never wanted to meet Mickey Mouse," Takahara said, "Even as a little kid! This would make those dreams come true, for kids of all ages!" "And where, pray tell, are you going to get the money for all the licensing fees for these characters? As soon as Disney finds out what you're doing," Mark pointed out, "They'll want 50%. Maybe more. And they might try buying you out, just so they can put it in... what's that thing. EPCOM Center, or something." "That's why I need you, Mark. I can't get started with this until I get some characters to license. Besides, it's EPCOT, not EPCOM." Takahara chuckled to himself silently. "So... what do I have to do?" "Just get me Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. That's all I need to start." "And... what do I get?" "You get to be my co-chairperson. And two million a year... once it takes off, of course." "Give me a month while I hammer out contracts... Meanwhile," Mark said while starting towards the door. "Make more of these. If we're turning out dozens of ducks and mice and pigs, we'll need more'n one. Besides, I think my kid would like one." Collins laughed and left the room. Takahara sat down in a chair, and raised his hands toward the ceiling. The janitor said later that you could hear his shout of "YATTA ZE!!" throughout the halls of the building, and in the parking garage. /----First Iteration----\ 'At the earliest entry into anime fandom, an otaku may still get out of it with little damage to his or her wallet... or sanity.' ---Peter Kaminsky **Contracts "What do you mean, they won't grant permission?" Takahara yelled into his phone at Collins. "They don't want to. Mostly because they don't know what we're doing. Maybe they think we're making something that they could make money off of," Collins replied. He had just got out of a meeting with lawyers for Disney. Disney refused to grant permission because of two reasons; They wanted 75%, and they wanted to know just what Takahara would be using the characters for. Two things that Takahara did not want from them. "Well, fine. Screw 'em. What about Warner? Any news from them?" "I never got a response from them." Takahara sighed. He had no ideas for cartoon characters that were popular with the kids and easy to get the contracts to. "Get on home, Mark. I'll think of something." Takahara hung up the phone, and wondered if he would actually get rich. That night, Takahara went down to his local video rental store. He hadn't been there in a while, and thought that there must be something new that he could see. He glanced over the New Releases section, and still there was nothing that interested him. That is, until he got to the Japanimation section. Ten tapes, ones that looked like that they had been copied from other tapes just so that they could be put out for rent. Half-assed color coping of the covers made it even look more and more like a piece of trash. He marveled at the artwork on the box covers, even though it was messed up by color copies of color copies of color copies. He grabbed all of the tapes and headed for the register. "You aren't gonna rent all those tapes, are ya?" The fat woman running the register stared at him in disbelief. "I sure am," Takahara said. He shelled out $30 to rent them all, and he had to watch them all in three days. 10 tapes, with strange names like 'Kimagure Orange Road' and 'Bubblegum Crisis'. Takahara hopped into his Jeep and rode home. It was 3 in the morning when the phone rang. Mark pulled the pillow over his head, thinking that it was the clock telling him that it was time to get up and go to work. After a few rings, he realized what it was, and picked up the phone. "Hello?" "Mark? Did I wake you up? It's Dave." "Hell yes. It's the middle of the night for chrissakes." "Sorry, but I've got an important question for you." "What?" "Do you know any Japanese companies? Like, cartoon studios?" "Yeah... a few of them owe me a couple favors. Why?" "I want a list of them in the morning. Good night, and sorry for waking you, Mark." Takahara hung up. Mark handed a piece of paper to Takahara. It was filled with strange, comical names like Toho, Artmic, Youmex, and a whole slew of others. "All of these companies owe me favors. The ones on this list, however, don't," Mark said. He handed Takahara a seven page list. "Get contracts for as many popular characters as you can from the ones that owe you favors," Takahara said without even looking at either of the lists. "Why such an interest in Japanese cartoons all of a sudden?" "Last night, I stayed up all night watching Japanese cartoons that I had rented from my video store. Even though the tapes were really bad in quality, I could see one thing... Japanese animation kicks ass when compared to other cartoons from around the world." Takahara bounced up and down excitedly. "Here, take this tape home and watch it." Takahara handed a tape to Mark labeled 'Bubblegum Crisis 8 -- Scoop Chase'. "Ok, I'll see what I can do. And I'll watch the tape. See ya." Mark turned and walked out of the lab. Takahara suddenly remembered something important, and ran after Mark. "Mark! Don't let your kid watch some of it!" Mark was almost out of the building, and down the long hall that led to the parking garage. But he heard Takahara. He spun around and yelled back, "Why not?" "Because there's nudity in it!" "WHAT?!" **Disbeilef Drew Merchant walked out of the Dealers' Room, laden with CDs, laserdiscs, t-shirts, and other things he wasted his money on. He always came to OtakuCon, every year, without fail. From August 2nd to the 5th, every year. OtakuCon was a convention of fans of Japanese animation. It was a good thing that he was rich; he was a very successful corporate lawyer. Otherwise, he might not be able to afford this expensive hobby. He stepped into the lobby of the Hilton where the convention was talking place, and got onto the elevator. He peered into his bags to see just what he wasted his money on. "It's junk," he muttered to himself in the empty elevator. He punched the button for the fifth floor, and a few seconds later, the doors slid open. He walked down the hall to room 503, unlocked the door... And there was this Japanese guy sitting on his bed. A Japanese guy wearing that obviously was not supposed to be there. "Excuse me," Drew said slowly, "But what are you doing in my room? And how'd you get in here, anyway?" "I'm sorry, Mr. Merchant, but the people at the front desk were getting really snotty, and refused to let me leave a message for you. In any case... I'm Dave Takahara." Takahara extended his hand. Drew was so mad that he would have thrown Takahara out of the window, but he kept his composure. He didn't even think of shaking hands with Takahara. "Takahara," Drew said. "Your name is familiar. Didn't you receive an award not too long ago--" "Yes, I did. From the U.S. government, for making a Virtual Reality War Machine for 'em. I hear they sold machines like it to all the NATO member nations. But anyway, Mr. Merchant," Takahara stood up. "I, and a few colleagues, would like to speak to you in one of the conference rooms downstairs. Room 6B," Takahara glanced at his watch, "In about 15 minutes." "What's it about?" Takahara grinned. "I can guarantee that you will find it most... interesting, Mr. Merchant. Jaa ne." Takahara walked out the still open door. Drew stood there, wondering just what had happened. And what was going to happen. Drew stepped into the lobby wearing a very nice Sailor Moon t-shirt that he had just bought at the con. He walked through the Dealers' Room, and headed to Conference Room 6B. He opened the door to see six people, including Takahara, sitting at a long table. Drew stepped into the room. "I'm glad to see that you could make it, Mr. Merchant," Takahara smiled. "Please, have a seat." Takahara beckoned to the only remaining empty seat. As he sat, Drew looked around at the others at the table. Only Takahara and two people flanking him were in suits. There was a tall, brown-haired man to Takahara's left, and a short, balding Japanese man to his right. The other three were dressed casually. Drew recognized all of them from the con. Tricia Seward, a woman representing AnimEigo at the con, was there, as well as a few other people that he couldn't place as working for a company. Tricia was 26, about six feet tall, and dirty blond hair that hung to her waist. One of the other people had a little name tag that read 'Hi, I'm John. Now mind your own damn business', and wore black everything. Black sneakers, black socks, black jeans, and a black Ren & Stimpy t-shirt. Drew thought he was around 5'11". The other guy was wearing a Ranma 1/2 t-shirt, and a beanie with the Ranma 1/2 logo on it. He also had a pair of dark Gargoyles on. Either he was shooting up or he had been watching anime all last night and it hurt to open his eyes, Drew thought. Takahara smiled at everyone. "I like to thank you all for coming to our little meeting. The man to my left is Mark Collins, and the man at my right is Yoshi Nakasone. Mr. Collins is in charge of licensing and contracts for our organization, and Mr. Nakasone is in charge of most of the corporate things that a corporation must do." Takahara laughed. "But what exactly are we doing here, anyhow?" Tricia asked. "We're just getting to that," Mark replied. "Of course, all of you have a great interest in Japanese animation. Am I correct?" Everyone nodded their agreement. "Well. Let me ask you a question," Mark said. "What would you say if we told you that we could bring cartoons to life?" **Meeting Fantasy Without hesitating, Drew replied, "I'd say that you're full of it." "Ditto," said the guy with the beanie. "It's impossible." "Actually," John said, "I'd ask for proof first. Ok, so no one has done it before. Maybe," John looked around at everyone, and lowered his voice to a low whisper. "Maybe they've found a way to do it." "Davidson has a point." Tricia shifted in her seat. "I mean, you wouldn't actually call us all together for nothing, would you? Drew slowly gathered who the other two men were as the conversation went on. John Davidson was the man in black, and the guy with the beanie was Vince McHarley. Davidson was a very popular newspaper columnist... and McHarley was in charge of Viz's Ranma 1/2 things. It explained all the Ranma stuff he has on, Drew thought. Nakasone spoke up for the first time in the meeting. "Well. Now that we know what you all think... we'll unveil the proof that you require." Nakasone fumbled with a box that he had in front of him, and a side door to the room opened. An incredibly life-like C-ko Kotobuki walked in. She stared at everyone for a second and then yelled out, "HIIIIIIIIII EVERYONE!!! My name is Kotobuki C-ko! I'm so glad to meet all of you!!" Vince was so scared that he jumped out of his seat and hid under the table. He gradually lifted his head above the table and removed his sunglasses to get a better look at her. "Holy Mary, Mother of God..." "This... it... she isn't real!" Drew exclaimed. "How'd you do it? Is she a robot with lots of makeup?" John laughed. "Hey, can I take home one of these things, but like Ayukawa Madoka? In lots of lacey lingerie?" Tricia leaned over and slapped him. Takahara smiled. "So, I guess right now the question is... what do we need you for?" Vince regained his composure and sat back down in his seat, but still a little shaky. "Actually, that ain't such a bad question," Vince stammered, still staring at the grinning C-ko. He managed a weak smile. Mark stood up and began to pace the room. "Right now, we have made a little island resort filled with them. It's on Maboroshi Island, just off the coast of California." "It's really a nice place," C-ko said, as she opened a closet and pulled out another seat. She lugged it over to an open spot at the table and sat. "It's got all this wide space... nice if you like the outdoors... lotsa rivers and ponds and stuff... and there are all these really pretty mountains..." C-ko heaved a sigh. "You mean..." Drew said in a horrified voice. "You mean... that they can carry on a conversation?" "Why, OF COURSE I CAN!" C-ko yelled in an extremely cute voice. "And I thought that it would just be hump, hump, hump!" John mumbled to Tricia. Tricia leaned over and slapped him around a little more. The three suits laughed. "I see that you'll have a little adjustment to get used to," Mark said. "C-ko, why don't you leave us all alone for a little bit... we have some important things to discuss." "OK! Bye everyone!" C-ko smiled a really big cute smile at everyone, and left through the side door. "As I was saying... it's on Maboroshi Island. It's about 100 miles off the California coast. And we have everything there. A hotel, restaurants, tennis courts... everything." Mark stopped his pacing. "Everything, but the opinions of some Japanese animation fans. We need to know if it's real enough. We're prepared to pay all of you $40,000 per day, over your little three day tour of the park. We also need you to give some good reviews of the park to the rest of the fans here in the U.S." Takahara stood up, and Mark returned to his seat. "That's all we need from you. Your opinions. And you get $120,000 each, just for reviewing the resort before it opens." Takahara sat back down. And there was suddenly silence. John was the first to open his mouth in the silence that followed. "Hey, count me in. $120,000 for doing nothing more than criticizing stuff. I never thought that I'd be this lucky." "Me too. I'm in." Tricia replied. "Uhh, sure." Drew was busy wondering where Tricia had gotten that Ah! My Goddess t-shirt that she was wearing. He didn't see anyone selling it in the Dealers' Room. "Well... since everyone else is going... I might as well go," Vince mumbled. "Excellent," Takahara said, and the three suits stood up. "We all thank you very much. Please be at LAX at nine AM on the 10th. The helicopters will be boarding at Gate 12. We'll see you then." The three suits filed out. The four otaku sat around in the conference room, saying nothing to each other for a long while. Finally, Drew spoke up. "Uhh, Ms. Seward... can ask you a question?" Tricia snapped back into reality from dreams of beating the stuffing out of John. She turned to Drew and smiled. "Go right ahead." "Where'd you get that Ah! My Goddess shirt that you're wearing?" "I'll tell you.... if you tell me where you got that Sailor Moon shirt. Deal?" Tricia grinned. "Fine with me..." Drew answered. Tricia and Drew got up and went back into the Dealers' Room. After Tricia and Drew left, Vince turned to John. "Hey John... you weren't actually serious about that Madoka thing, were you?" "Hey? How'd you know I said that?" "I have excellent hearing, John." "Ah ha." John turned beet red and slid down in his seat. **'Now zees iz Conspiracy!' Damn, Carl Macek thought. AnimEigo was secretly getting some sort of deal with the people making that resort. Why don't I ever get the good deals? Macek was furious. He couldn't help it if all these people hate him. And now, AnimEigo was going to get even more popular with the resort deal. "I have to do something..." Macek mumbled to no one in particular as he sat in his office. And then... a light bulb went on. "Hello... Davis?" "Yeah, this is Davis. Who's this?" "It's Carl. Listen. I need you to get something for me." "What is it? It has to do with the new resort, doesn't it?" "Yeah. I'll meet you at the airport with the plans." "Yeah, but how much'm I getting?" "A lot. Don't worry." Macek hung up the phone, and began to get the $500,000 out that he had been saving for a situation like this. Macek walked into the lounge for Gate 12, carrying a heavy briefcase. He hoped that Davis would accept the job. Macek walked over to a man wearing a heavy beige overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat. And Macek sat down. "Hey Davis." "Mmmm. So, what is it?" "I need you to steal some... characters." "Of what?" "Anything. Anything you can get your hands on." Davis moved around uncomfortably in his seat. "You sure that you'll be able to read them once I've gotten them out?" "Yeah. The disks that you'll need are in the case. Along with $500,000. Each construct that you bring out is an extra $100,000." "How do I get them off the island?" "Tomorrow, there'll be a yacht at the eastern utility dock. At around 9 PM. Just give the disks to them." "The eastern dock? That's through the Wasteland Zone." "Sorry. It's the only way that we can do it without being detected." "...Okay. You got it." Macek handed over the briefcase. "You sure that you can do it? I don't want to lose all this money because of a botched job." Davis laughed. "Don't worry. I have access to the entire damn island." Macek got up. "Thanks. I knew I could trust you." Macek walked out of the lounge. **Boarding Perfect, Takahara thought. Just perfect. Everyone was on the helicopters. Tricia, John, Vince, Drew... all the extra crew that was needed there... and the guy who ran the computer systems... what was his name... Akira Davis. Yoshi and Mark'll be here soon... and we'll be off. Perfect. Akira got on the helicopter and took a seat. He sighed, and hoped that the trip would be quick. He couldn't wait to fool around with his... yes, it was his... his system... his network... the blood and soul of the island. He sighed again, thinking about it. Running an OS that he had designed. Himself. On a network of 5 Cray XMPs across the island. All that power was his. He sighed a third time and flipped open his laptop, hoping to get some work done before he reached the island. The two helicopters flew across the blue waters of the Pacific. Two were needed because of the sheer amount of people that were needed to keep the resort going. One with the guests and suits, one with the people like the janitors, the chefs, and the plumbers. And anyone could have told you that it looked too perfect. Something was just waiting to happen. But the fact is, no one paid any attention. **Maboroshi Island "There it is, everyone, straight ahead. Maboroshi Island; The Dream Island," Takahara said proudly. After all, it was his creation, wasn't it? "Everyone might want to buckle up right now... it's going to get pretty choppy." Everyone sat down in their seats and fastened their seat belts. And they approached the island, shrouded in fog. The fog was hard to land in, but it kept their privacy, Takahara thought. The two helicopters entered the fog, and they were immediately tossed around by the winds. The fog gradually cleared, and they were able to see a pair of landing pads near a huge mountain. The two helicopters set down, and everyone got out of the helicopters almost at once. A group of people rushed over to greet the new arrivals. Vince was ushered along with the three other observers onto a path that led to a huge mountain... at least it looked like a mountain. They were led up to a huge blast door with the letters AP emblazoned on it. One of the people that had come out to greet the helicopters pulled out a card with a magnetic strip, much like an ATM card, and inserted it into a slot next to the door. She put he hand on a glass plate next to the slot, and the great door slid to one side, yielding a short corridor that led to an elevator. Vince led the walk inside, but had to wait as the woman slotted the card once more so that the doors would open. Everyone stepped into the elevator, and when everyone was on, the doors shut with a hiss, and the elevator went up. Vince wanted to get out of it, because he was claustrophobic. After a minute, the elevator lurched to a stop, and the doors slid open. He was on the peak of the mountain. And as far as he could see... buildings... houses... streets... there was also a tube that ran from this mountain across the little town... it also went much further than he could see. Drew, John, and Tricia couldn't believe it. It was wonderful. A whole damn town!, Drew thought excitedly. And you can't even see the other end of it! "Hey! Lookit that..." Drew pointed a finger at a building about a mile away. "Am I dreaming... or is that the Tendou Doujou? And that! Nekohanten!" Drew pointed at another building. Tricia grinned and pointed to yet another two buildings. "How about Ucchan and Fuurinkan High?" Mark wondered how the guests would take it. I guess that they didn't think that Maboroshi was so big!, he thought. Mark chuckled to himself. The four observers turned to Takahara within a period of a few seconds. Each had their own questions... ranging from "Are we going down there?", to "Just how big is this place?" "Well, lady and gentlemen..." Takahara spread his arms wide, as if embracing the town. He laughed, and yelled, "Welcome... to Anime Park!" --- Have some flames, kudos, comments that you want to send me? I can be reached on Anime Fanatics BBS, 718.966.4047. Or, you can reach me on the Internet at wk00173@worldlink.com. Look for part 2 soon, on a BBS (or network) near you! --- All characters, places, and things in this work are fictional. (As if you didn't know!) Jurassic Park is (C)opyright 1990, Michael Crichton. References are used without permission. Anime Park is (C)opyright 1993, Peter Kaminsky. Anime Park Supplement is (C)opyright 1993, Peter Kaminsky. Trademarks not appearing here, but used in the story, are used with iniital capital letters to distinguish them. Any oversight is unintentional. THIS FILE MAY BE DISTRIBUTED FREELY AS LONG AS THE CREDITS ARE NOT REMOVED, AND THAT IT IS DISTRIBUTED IN IT'S ENTIRETY. ALTERATIONS TO THIS FILE, OTHER THAN CORRECTION OF GRAMMATICAL ERRORS, ARE PROHIBITED WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S CONSENT. THIS FILE MAY NOT BE INCLUDED AS PART OF A CD-ROM DISK OR DISK SET WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR.