For those of you who'd like to check the first part of this mini-series, here's the link.
All right, so, where was I? Oh yeah, I was planning my strategy to approach Suda and Mikami. One of the ones that occurred to us was to sit next to Mikami during breakfast, very casual, not giving him the time of the day. Then, I would call my brother’s phone and this song would play (which so happens to actually be his ringtone) :
I still had Whitney Hills, Scott Gaynor and Tom Jubert’s presentations ahead of me, which were amazing on their own right, let me tell you. I didn’t get to talk with them, but I wish one day I’ll be able to. Then, on the night of the last day I was having dinner and recollecting with my brother what had happened during those 3 days, and how it was worth every penny to get there. Well, it wasn’t over yet.
We got back to the hotel, and who was down at the bar near the entrance? Suda-san and Mikami-san, along with their respective companions. “Want to go over there?” I asked him. We went to have a coffee, and I suggested we sit in a table next to them. A couple of minutes after being there (they hadn’t noticed us), their translators left! Onward to about 10 minutes of awkwardness, of us just sitting there while our favorite game creators were drinking the night away.
My brother, who was not drunk but had drunk enough to raise his spirit, decided to go there and say good night. There we were, telling how much we appreciate those guys’ work, not knowing if they understood us or not. We shook hands, and suddenly Mikami tells us “Ganbatte!”. Suda looks at him, looks back at us and also says “Ganbatte!”. It was nothing short of magical. In the middle of the night, these guys were telling us to do our best and wishing us good luck.
Honestly guys, I may never meet Suda 51 or Shinji Mikami again, and I probably won’t, but I won’t forget the last words my idol said to me:
“We are drunk!”
Have a nice [insert time of day you're in when reading this] and enjoy life. Yours, preferably.