'Fiction and reality must be mixed', freelance writer Keisuke Hirota talks hotly from 'My captain' to 'Gunhead'
Freelance writer
postscript:
Added the question and answer part at the end because it was cut off.
The talk event was held at the Pagoda Square at the summit of Mt. Bizan, a place a little away from the main stage. Producer Kondo also showed up.
Well then, it's about time, so let's get started.
audience:
In a guidebook, it's terrible to put 'Yamatok' on the opposite side of the page where this event is written, because the time overlaps!
UFO Table Kondo Hikaru Producer (hereinafter referred to as Kondo):
Oh, you're right.
Writer Keisuke Hirota (hereafter, Hirota):
The flyer says that it will be held yesterday (October 7th), and some people said they went there, so I think we're losing out on that point. After this, Mr. Kondo and Director Yamakan suddenly said that they would play a game, don't be silly (laughs)
Kondo:
There's no way I'd bring this up (laughs). There was a trend at a talk event with people involved in the industry, and before I knew it, it had become a project.
Hirota:
We can only talk for 30 minutes.
Kondo:
It's okay to talk to me separately, we'll be playing games around here.
Ichijinsha Post Media Editorial Department
where?
Hirota:
That's why today's guest is Mr. Tetsuro Okonogi from Ichijinsha. What is your title?
Okonogi:
In terms of company title, it's something like assistant manager.
Hirota:
' Chara☆Mel Febri '.
Okonogi:
Yes, I run a magazine called Chara☆Mel Febri, and I'm the deputy editor-in-chief even though there's no editor-in-chief.
Hirota:
When I say deputy, it's okay to say 'deputy captain'. Acting editor-in-chief is cooler than editor-in-chief. aside from that?
Okonogi:
Ichijinsha basically publishes manga, such as '
I belong to the place where I make books, such as Akiyuki Shinbo's ' Shinbo language ' and anime mook books. From such Ichijinsha, Mr. Hirota will publish a book called 'Ore no Captain', a book that collects battleship captains from old and modern anime works and learns from their view of life. became.
Hirota:
Or rather, I decided that I would do it, and then I said who should I call, so I thought it would be nice to hear various behind-the-scenes stories if the editor in charge was by my side. I don't know much about it either, but I think you told me at the drinking party yesterday who had been selected for the cover.
Okonogi:
Actually, I asked Kia Asamiya for the cover illustration. If you think it's impossible because you're busy, just reply.
Hirota:
I haven't heard about that, so don't say it at a drinking party (laughs) 'Cover: Kia Asamiya', did this give you a little value?
Okonogi:
I didn't even have a meeting yet, but I didn't expect to make an announcement at a place like this.
Hirota:
Far from having a meeting, I generally don't sign a contract.
Okonogi:
Contracts are usually made at the end of the process.
Hirota:
I wish I could talk about my experiences and failures today. This book called ' Super Robot Complex ' was supposed to sell for 1,000 yen and receive 800,000 yen in royalties. The book was written about 10 years ago, but it was decided to come out on the 25th, so I remember it clearly. The publisher went bankrupt on the 25th when the book came out, and I wrote a whole book for zero yen. Publishers have such traps, so I would like to talk about such things.
Hirota:
In the first place, 'My captain' was one of the serial projects that Febri released when it was renewed. For Yamato, Juzo Okita and Susumu Kodai. In the case of Gundam, Bright Noah calls the captains one by one to the bar and asks, 'How was the Battle of Pluto?' I wondered if I could do it, but before I knew it, it had become a book.
Okonogi:
At our planning meeting, the editorial staff came up with ideas rather than things that seemed too daunting, and we discussed what would be good. It's become an era where people don't have to graduate from otaku, and I think there are more and more people in their 30s and 40s who continue to be otaku. When these people were young, I think they sympathized with the main characters and the characters who were doing their best. Mr. Hirota just came up with a plan, and I'm asking him to serialize it in Febri, saying that it's a story that focuses on the old man, even if he's not the captain.
Hirota:
The sixth is Fate/Zero's rider. Every time, Ichijinsha sends me a script to make it easier to write. So, I write down famous scenes, character points, keywords, etc. When I wrote Rider, it wasn't finished yet, so I read the scenario and cried, and while crying, I imagined what the video would look like, and if I wrote it, it would be a spoiler...
Okonogi:
'It's going to be a spoiler if I write a little too much,' he said.
Hirota:
I was told that I shouldn't write 'Rider dies', but the original is out, right? If I write that it doesn't matter if it's already out, I'll rewrite the last page.
Okonogi:
I'm really sorry about that.
Hirota:
This is how the old man comes to my place. It's because I'm an old man.
Okonogi:
No, no, if you carelessly end up with gyaru jokes, once in a while you want to create a corner where male characters are good too, and all the female readers will happily say, 'Huh?'
Hirota:
e? this page? I just heard it for the first time. I have to tell you all about that.
Okonogi:
I said I said
Hirota:
I'm 45 years old and have been a freelance writer for about 14 years. Work comes when it comes, but I control it so that it comes. But when I look around, I see that I'm past my 40s and have no choice but to become a Hen Pro, or do I have a job? I was consulted. I can send work introductions and reviews that I can't write without me to other people, but there are things that I can't write unless I'm an old man. The same is true for ``Captain'', and I wonder if it is difficult for young people to suddenly say ``Learn from the captain's way of life'' without a certain amount of experience. I'm going to try and write it. There are famous lines in the text that are not included in the captain's catalog. I intend to write what I want to do by borrowing the captain's way of life.
The other day, I was invited to
Okonogi:
There are various kinds of writing jobs, and this time it's a talk show about ``My Captain'', so Mr. Hirota is the author, but he doesn't like to call him a writer, so I'm going to proceed without using the word writer. smile). A writer is a book author, and a manga artist is also a writer in a broad sense. Writers write novels and light novels, but there are also many people whose job is to write for anime and game magazines. Most of the people would say “kure”, and most people would say “writer” or “writer” or something like that.
Hirota:
I used the word “artist” to mean someone who wants to express themselves, but doujinshi can also do it. I published 200 doujinshi in 2009 and it sold out, but I also write novels, so I'm also a writer... But I also have 'History of plastic model pants' and pants in the 80's. But no one had researched its history or anime picture books, so I researched it by a fairly famous animator, and interviewed an actress who made an independent film. I did it with self-satisfaction. I didn't have an order for this, but I did it because I liked it, and even though there were merits such as someone doing graphics or a designer doing the binding, in that sense, I did what I liked. There was no order because I wanted to do it.
This time, I wrote 'Ore no Captain' because I had an order from Ichijinsha. I mean, it's tough (lol) The fact that I'm making a living as a regular writer means I have a job. There aren't many people who write to Febri and earn money every month, eat, pay taxes, go to hostess clubs and still save money. There are side job writers, but people who go to cabaret clubs just for writing work...
Okonogi:
Cabaret, is that an important point? (laughs)
Hirota:
It's important! (Laughs) If you stay overnight at a cabaret club, you'll spend about 100,000 yen. The next day I think I used too much mentally, but I've been doing something every month and I've been doing it for 14 years, so I have know-how. How to adjust when three jobs overlap. Even though I have a very heavy job, I have to say ``Please do this by the end of today'', but if I refuse this, I can't eat it. Then, how can we do it without sacrificing quality? Survival know-how is lying around like mountains, but no one wants to hear about it.
The reason is that today's young writers say, 'You only have to write once.' If it's a misunderstanding, it's okay to get angry, but I can only think that I would be satisfied if I wrote it only once in an adult anime and put the word 'writer' in the colophon, and I'm not trying to survive as a writer. I'm not saying it negatively, if the person is satisfied, that's fine. where to put satisfaction In the story of writers and writers, some people say, 'I'm a writer, not a writer.' While working as a writer, the person potentially wants to become a writer someday. In fact, some people have written and published books. where to put satisfaction.
This time, in 'My captain', I was told 'One captain a week'.
Okonogi:
With an order to write one by one a week.
Hirota:
I managed to save Saturday and Sunday to write it. When I can't write, it's really hard to make adjustments to write two people the next week, because I can't get paid for that. Even if you write it, you will be knocked down by 800,000 yen like the story in the previous book, so it's pretty tough if you have to survive. However, some people say that 'the purpose is to publish a book'. I know an idiot who saved 4 million yen for a family trip and spent it all on self-publishing. He's older than me, and I think publishing a novel was a challenge in his life.
Okonogi:
There are publishers in the world who say, 'If you give me money, I will publish a book for you.' This is a problem that often arises, but I believe that if I donate about 1 million yen or 2 million yen, they will accept the offer first, and then I will talk about how much I need for publication, so it is a relatively large amount. you will need money.
Hirota:
We are selling to the author, not to the reader. There are also authors who say, 'If you publish my book, I'll do it as much as you want.' If the person is satisfied, isn't that enough? That's what it feels like.
Okonogi:
Many people in the baby boom generation wanted to create their own history when they retired, and it was a terrible situation that such planning publishers would run sales to earn retirement benefits.
Hirota:
Doujinshi is fine, I think. Even if it's not a doujinshi, it's not the case that someone who is making songs with Vocaloid wants to sell 1 million CDs. They don't want to make money. They would be happier if they got 500,000 views on Nico Nico Douga or got a lot of comments. I think that's a new way to find satisfaction and self-actualization. I wonder.
'Black
Young people are more flexible, so it would be nice if it was played on Nico Nico Douga, it would be nice if everyone could listen to it, and I want them to listen to it. Who are you going to show your grandfather's autobiography to? Isn't that right, isn't the purpose of making things to give back to people in the world? I'm wondering what I should do to return it to myself.
Even with 'Ore no Captain', I want to be as helpful as possible to those who read it. For some reason, men are gradually losing the value of life, except for those who are making anime like Mr. Shinbo or making things that are useful to the world like Mr. Tomino. Where to find the value of living becomes a theme. Living for yourself is the worst. What do you do not for yourself, but for people younger than you, for generations to come, if life is worth living? A captain is older than his subordinates, and there are no captains with only older subordinates. The captain keeps young people alive. I will take such a captain as positively as possible. It doesn't matter what the intention of the work is. There are young captains among them, and I want them to enjoy the present and enjoy the position of being a captain. That's because I want young people to have fun. In your 20s, you can live for yourself. If you're in your 40s, or even past your mid-40s, you shouldn't be living for yourself, although there are many people like that. Help young people, benefit young people. I publish books because I want them to be useful to people in the world. I don't want to publish a book because I want to publish it.
Is that what the book is about?
Okonogi:
As Mr. Hirota said, it contains Mr. Hirota's message to young people, to people in middle management, that they are too particular about themselves as they get older, and the way of living for themselves is a bit... that's what I think.
Hirota:
When I see guys around my age now, it's become commonplace to preach to young people, and if they're young, they'll be called out without asking questions. It's unsightly. There is absolutely no such stupid story that you are great just because you are old. The older you get, the more stupid people become. I have to seriously think about what to do in order not to be stupid.
I don't know what you're talking about (laughs), but I'm starting to think that it's faster to talk like this than to write a book.
Okonogi:
that? (smile)
Hirota:
So recently, I've been doing a lot of talk shows, how many did I do this year? I don't remember, but I was the moderator at the Wonder Festival the other day, and at the end I talked about my thoughts and said, 'I'm not the moderator' (laughs). There are people, and you can see their reactions... I think books are a bit roundabout. You can carry it around or read it over and over again.
Okonogi:
The main function of the book is that it can be saved.
Hirota:
So for me, publishing a book was neither my goal nor my purpose, so when I was asked if I was happy that 'My Captain' was published, I would be happy if the people who read it were happy, but the publication itself was not. I'm not particularly happy. Thinking about what it would be like if it didn't sell well... the moment when many people say it was fun to watch is self-fulfillment, isn't it?
Okonogi:
There is a story that if it doesn't sell, there are roughly two types of contracts for royalties. One is the royalties for the number of copies printed. If you make 1000 copies and pay the same royalties even if you sell only one copy or if you sell 1000 copies, you will pay the actual sales royalties only for the number of copies sold. That's what I mean.
Hirota:
See, I haven't heard anything.
Okonogi:
It's usually the number of copies printed, and I talked about the royalties a long time ago (laughs). By the way, if it's a copyrighted work like 'Captain', Gundam, Macross, or Yamato, you may have to borrow the material and pay for it, so in that case, you'll have to split it in half, or the whole thing. There are ways to do it, such as changing the royalty percentage. For example, we put out an anthology, but when we put out an anthology of Super Robot Wars series, it was difficult, so I asked you to divide it by 20 companies.
Hirota:
Eh
Okonogi:
After all, if you do a commercial, the bottom half of the screen is Marcy notation. So, I'm supposed to have Banpresto, who is taking the lead, and break it.
Hirota:
'My captain' is based on Yamato, Gundam, and Macross, and I really want to include Blue No. 6 , aiming for the top! Also, there is a slightly irregular part called Ginga Drifting Vifam , but I only put captains who I really like. 'Why isn't the captain of the Martian Battleship Nadesico the main character?'
Okonogi:
I think that the selfishness unique to the author is reflected in that area.
Hirota:
I didn't want it to be a catalog, because if it was a captain's catalog someone would do it.
Okonogi:
That's exactly what Mr. Hirota said earlier, it's a self-fulfillment of wanting to do things that only you can do.
Hirota:
yes. For example, when I wrote Captain Bright, I wanted to include
Okonogi:
It was at the brink of whether or not to let it in.
Hirota:
Emary-san is the acting captain of the dock ship La Vie En Rose , but to me she is 'Club La Vie en Rose'. When Mr. Bright gets tired of fighting, he returns to La Vie En Rose to heal his fatigue. I was on the verge of writing 'Club La Vie En Rose'.
Okonogi:
It was written in the email that I had stopped thinking (lol)
Hirota:
I wrote it a little while ago. But I feel like writing 'Club La Vie En Rose'. No matter which captain you are writing, your feelings will run, and the sentences at that time should be knocking. It's not a love scene, but there's a scene where he hugs Mr. Bright. When I wrote that Mr. Bright's body temperature was transmitted, and that it was transmitted through the military uniform, it was like Mr. Emary had already possessed me. One day, I became Juzo Okita. I thought about how I felt when I became Juzo Okita and stood on the bridge of the ship called the Okita ship, and wrote, 'The floor of the bridge is cold.' I don't know if it was cold or not, but I write while thinking that it must have been cold. I couldn't write without getting into that much, and I shouldn't write. I think it's a mysterious book that tells the story of my life using the space battleship Yamato that people made.
But everyone should look at it that way, and I once wrote on my blog, 'No, no, Hirota-san, don't confuse fiction with reality,' but I thought it was a joke. Then why are you watching anime? It's not interesting if you don't mix anime and your own life, why do you divide it? I rather don't understand the idea of separating fiction from reality. does everyone do that? You have to mix fiction and reality, you have to see yourself in anime. It shouldn't be fun if you don't do that, but I thought it was funny. am i crazy? When I watch anime, I feel like I cry more while watching anime, or get angry with the characters.
The other day, I went to Macross the Musical Char , and it was really interesting. It's so funny that I want to go see it even after the talk show is over. When I was talking with my friend, 'There was such a line, wasn't there?' The story of musicals is also very cliche, with enemies and allies confronting each other, but at the end they sing a song and end with a feeling of 'It's okay to sing, isn't it?' So does Lion King. I'm stuck in that pattern...it's not a pattern, I think that's what the director thinks it's good. Serif is also very embarrassing. “I want you to sing one more time,” or “I want you to dance energetically.” If you say it in anime, you'll say, 'What's with this ugly line?' However, if I explain that the main character is here because I want to help you, it would sound cliche, but the charm of live performances is that there are people there who can honestly say that they like you. Even if you have heard the lines dozens of times, when the actors say them there, they resonate. It confuses reality with fiction, because we breathe the same air. I want to tell you that. Musical chars and stage equipment don't cost money, so they compete with singing and dancing. The stage has two stages, and the second stage is double-door, so you can see that it is human-powered. That's why I have no choice but to compete with young people's dance and songs. There was applause from the middle, and I thought we should dance together. I came to the conclusion that the original power of theater and the sequel to Macross was actually theater. Macross F didn't have to be CG.
Okonogi:
But for us who are competing with books that are not real ... (lol)
Hirota:
After all, if you say a book, it's just a series of letters and ink stains. However, I would be happy if you could tell me what this guy is saying, his feelings, and his enthusiasm.
The other day,
Hirota:
When I wrote in
Kotobukiya GUNHED 1/35 scale gun head
Hirota:
To advertise this month's issue, I'm interviewing Masahiro Takashima, the star of the series. Don't be silly, this isn't a monopoly (laughs). Because I heard it from the perspective of 'I didn't get Gunhead. I didn't get it, but it's wonderful.' Mr. Takashima said, 'Gunhead was the bottom of Toho that year.'
(Venue laughter)
Hirota:
First place was Hana no Gogo, and he said, 'I'm the only one who got both first place and last place.' Usually it disappears with a check, but it remained. With this, I said, 'I won.' I think I probably won. I haven't read Rival, so I don't know.
Hirota:
After all, I wonder if there are many people who have an obsessive notion that they should be praised when such a new product is released or a new work is released.
Okonogi:
Well ... On the publisher's side, when making an article introducing a work, it is basically 'borrowing'. It's different from writing something that goes into a certain amount of depth, and what Mr. Hirota is doing is writing in depth. However, it's probably even tougher than anime magazines for things like home appliances and cameras that are made of materials, and it seems like you shouldn't write about 'weakness here', and the articles just end up praising the products. You can go into anime and write ``I like it here, but I like it'', but you can't write ``I like it'' on home appliances. Some people might be able to write things like 'this form' or 'I can't use this function, but I love it'. Anime that is made to convey something is easier, isn't it?
Hirota:
That's right. Somehow, I think it's really boring. You praise me without grounds, if you think it's good, you can praise me as much as you want, but I don't understand the mental structure of giving groundless praise.
Okonogi:
Certainly, I think it would be nice to suddenly start writing 'that masterpiece'.
Hirota:
Like 'long-awaited'. It's not long-awaited. It's strange that Gunhead's plastic model comes out, it's crazy (lol) Then someone has to say that 'crazy' part. 'Long-awaited' or 'Finally released' ... 'Finally, it's sudden'. Otherwise, it would not be possible to say the value of the product. If you say it like that as a template, the words will become thin. Isn't the word 'long-awaited' becoming empty?
Okonogi:
It's nothing more than a fancy word. There are just letters on it. It doesn't mean 'long-awaited'.
Hirota:
'Long-awaited' cannot be expressed in words. It's strange that the gun head appears, and I'm doing something wrong. I didn't hit that much, and when I brought the proposal to Sunrise asking if I would like to do an anime version, he got angry and said, 'I don't understand the nerves of Mr. Hirota who brought this' (laughs) That's the title. What is it? I'm personally on good terms with Gunhead's producer, so I thought it would be nice to have a drink with him. Please don't do it.' You can't use the word 'long-awaited' to describe it. it is lying. I have no conscience for words. It's called word magic, but that's too silly and meaningless. I have to write 'why' (laughs). 'For some reason plastic model'. I think that's what makes culture interesting.
If the 'long-awaited' or 'everyone has been waiting for' keeps coming out, it's not fun. Why is this animated now, why is this made into a plastic model now, and who will buy it? Isn't it boring to just do what everyone wants? Isn't it boring if only popular manga continues to be animated? Culture is enriched by the unexpected happening, so we only make things that we know will sell, K-ON! was sold, so K-ON! There are people in the publishing world who say let's publish a book, but if that's the case, it's not interesting. Even from the buyer's point of view, you'll know, 'Oh, I made the cover because K-ON! is selling well now.' It's transparent, isn't it? It's obvious, it's not funny, what are you doing? Something like 'Why are you doing this now?' is more interesting.
'Why are you the captain now?' As for whether the captain is popular now, I don't think there is a single anime with the captain.
Okonogi:
Rather it does not come out (lol)
Hirota:
I wonder if that's more interesting. Now that there is a movie version of 'Madoka Magica', I don't have to be the one who says, 'Well, please write it in Madoka Magica.' I wonder if that's what it is.
I have about 10 minutes left, so I think I'll make a question corner. The editor of Ichijinsha is here today, so you can ask him to sell you something like, 'I want to make this kind of book.'
Q1A:
I was involved in 'Rinne no Lagrange', so I looked through it, but there was a story that there was a little bit of something inside.
Hirota:
There was
Q1A:
To be honest, I think that there are places where the reputation is not good ... ...
Q1B:
Say clearly that 'the story is straying'! Didn't you say so?
Q1A:
It feels like it's wrapped in an oblate (laughs)
Hirota:
It's very difficult to answer. I have mixed feelings about that piece. At the time of Wonder Festival, I was the moderator for two stages. Free of charge.
Q1B:
You said you were a volunteer writer.
Hirota:
So when I thought they would say, 'Thank you for your hard work,' two staff said so. When I asked, 'Do you have a launch today?' So, only Mr. Okawara (producer Ken Okawara) who came here last year was left and said, 'I'll drink it.'
(audience applause)
Hirota:
I feel glad that I had that. If anyone else has any questions.
Q2:
I don't think this is a difficult question to answer, but when I'm watching anime, there are times when I'm trying to make sense of things in the work, for example, through sci-fi research. I would like to ask if there is anyone who does research into such social sciences because it doesn't make sense or it seems strange in a society that has progressed so much. Sometimes there are works that are very bankrupt ... ....
Hirota:
It's really hard to answer, isn't it?
Q2:
There are works that make you wonder what is going on with the flow of money, what are the relationships between people there, and so on.
Hirota:
Hmm, shouldn't it be fun? I have to make a work that is so interesting that it doesn't bother me.
Q2:
Ah, is it the same as if you don't care if it's scientifically crazy as long as it's interesting?
Hirota:
You can say it that way, but the point is, if you make something interesting, you don't have to worry about that kind of thing. It's not fun, so I'm curious. I can't say anything but...
(Venue laughter)
Hirota:
Sure, it happens sometimes.
Q3:
I also remember seeing Gunhead in real time and coming out of the theater with a confused look on my face. Of course, I can say as many bad things as I want, but what did Mr. Hirota resonate with?
Hirota:
Serif, isn't it? 'Guns and balls are not playthings.'
Q3:
Ah, in the hard-boiled direction. What about mecha and special effects?
Hirota:
To be honest, special effects are miniatures. I really like the 1/1 gun head, but there are almost no scenes that use 1/1, and only the first scene shows the whole body. At that time, Toho was good at making big things like 'Cybot Godzilla' and exciting press conferences.
Q3:
It's a memorable work, including the weird parts.
Hirota:
I like all of them (lol) That's why it's fun to talk about Gunhead. I didn't go to That's why when I meet someone who says, 'I liked Gunhead,' after becoming a member of society, I want to hug him.
Q3:
Luckily, there were a lot of tokusatsu otaku around me, so I went to see it with them, but they came back without saying a word. Thank you very much.
Hirota:
I have a little more time, but did I say what I wanted to say? Talking is good after all. Everyone should talk, too. Right now, there are people broadcasting on Ustream without permission. I want to talk freely too. That's what it conveys. I think it's an online weapon.
Okonogi:
I'm doing Ustream, but I'm talking about something else in the comments section (laughs). It's Ustream, which is broadcast from a bar with ZUN once a month, but it's like listening to and talking to the person at the table next to you at a family restaurant.
Hirota:
Should professionals do that?
Okonogi:
We're not professional talkers, so I thought it would be good if we could say, 'Sake is delicious, isn't it?'
Hirota:
I'm not a talk professional, so I'm not even a moderator, so I want to do it with that kind of glue. But now, anime events are doing something like variety shows, although I don't think it's a gore*asobi thing. When I'm in trouble, I'll do a quiz competition like a variety show. I thought that the question corner between the voice actor and the director had nothing to do with the content of the anime. I'm sure there's a lot to do when I hear about directing because it's a big deal. I don't think it's okay to say, 'I've gathered voice actors' and just let them talk about whatever they don't care about. If you do that, you will taper off. A hit anime doesn't do that. I know what to do properly. When an anime that is not a hit hits hard, the advertising department only comes up with ideas like that. It could be more interesting. That's why it's no good. I won't say which works, but...
Okonogi:
Mr. Hirota, please stop at that point.
(Venue laughter)
Hirota:
Well then, Mr. Kondo and Mr. Yamakan will do something here after this, so I would like to close soon. Finally, when will 'My Captain' be released?
Okonogi:
'My captain' is next month...
Hirota:
next month!?
Okonogi:
I don't know when Mr. Asamiya's manuscript will be published, so it depends on that...
Hirota:
Isn't it this month!?
Okonogi:
I don't think it's possible this month.
Hirota:
So, it's the end of November.
Okonogi:
Yes, thank you very much.
(audience applause)
'My captain' is scheduled to be released in late November 2012. (* Released on January 31, 2013)
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