February brought Tetsu Kobayashi a brief and to-the-point message.
After a month of adjustments, recalls, and re-manufacturing, the Famicom would reenter the market this very month—complete with new titles already stocked in specialty stores, awaiting preorders.
Early in the morning, as Yuji Naka and the others arrived for work, they found Tetsu Kobayashi flipping through the latest issue of FAMIMAGA.
Yuji casually asked, "Kobayashi-kun, something big happen again?"
"The Famicom's coming back," Tetsu replied.
Yuji jolted so hard he nearly fell into the next seat.
"What? You just say something that huge like it's nothing?!"
He hurried over, and Tetsu simply handed him the magazine.
There's an old saying: Snow falls in Hokkaido, and Oda City girls get married—things go as they must.
Let it be.
Of course the Famicom would return. Tetsu had tipped off Sega early, stirring up public pressure. Naturally Nintendo had moved to fix things in advance.
What he wanted to know was this:
What game was Nintendo betting on so confidently that they were willing to relaunch in February?
More importantly—
They had already lost the entire New Year sales month. Sega's combined SG-1000/1200/2000 lineup had surpassed Nintendo by more than two hundred thousand units. Because Sega's cartridges were cross-compatible, the models essentially counted as one platform—Nintendo would need something truly heavyweight to catch up.
"You guys handle things here today. I'm going to gather intel."
Throwing on his coat, Tetsu walked out.
He couldn't relax without knowing what Nintendo had prepared.
---
Across from Shimayose Game Shop, the Nintendo specialty store sat quietly.
Store manager Chiyama practically lit up at the sight of him—Tetsu's dazzling gameplay skills were unforgettable.
He waved his staff aside and personally came over.
"Well, if it isn't Blue-Eyes White Dragon-kun! Saw the news and rushed over? Perfect timing. Mid-month—around the 18th—the Famicom will return. After the adjustments, I guarantee it won't have problems anymore!"
Tetsu nodded. Of course he knew.
Historically, in 1983–84, Famicom and SG sales weren't that far apart in Japan.
But in 1985, once the Famicom conquered North America and gained the moniker "the console that saved the U.S. game industry," its success fed back into Japan, letting Nintendo dominate Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe.
Still, what mattered now was something else.
"I saw in FAMIMAGA that new games will launch alongside it?"
"Certainly."
Chiyama smiled mysteriously. "I can't say much yet, but rest assured—it's a third-party title of very high quality, suitable for all ages. And it's perfect for two players—say, you and that Koizumi girl for example."
Tetsu fell silent.
A two-player game for all ages, good for couples? Nothing came to mind immediately.
He probed, "So… what's the title?"
"Nope." Chiyama shook his head. "Until the promo materials arrive, my lips are sealed. Company orders."
Tetsu clicked his tongue. "But I'll know in a few days anyway, won't I?"
"Exactly!" Chiyama laughed and slung an arm around his shoulders. "So just wait a few days!"
But Tetsu had no intention of waiting.
Intel was for getting early—so countermeasures could be made early.
Seeing how eager he was, Chiyama finally leaned in and whispered, "I can't tell you the name, but I'll say this much: it's a third-party game, and the developer is the famous… Hudson."
Tetsu's head snapped up.
Hudson. Home of the legendary Takahashi Meijin.
And the birthplace of Adventure Island.
Hudson was an unusual company—their main business wasn't even games. They were famously instrumental in the rise of SoftBank.
(Yes, that SoftBank—the one that invested in Jack Ma.)
Tetsu rifled mentally through the catalogue of early Hudson works.
Hudson. Two-player. All ages. Couple-friendly. Nintendo platform.
He knew exactly what it was.
"The House of Love."
A deceptively simple-looking game—yet quintessentially Nintendo.
Easy for anyone to pick up, appealing to players young and old, and massively successful as a two-player title.
In his memory, the game shouldn't have launched until April.
But now it appeared ahead of schedule.
"Not surprising," he thought. "Sega adjusted its royalty structure to benefit third-party devs. Nintendo had to respond. So Hudson signed on—and made this game."
Tetsu bowed politely.
"I'll come back when the game releases."
"Absolutely," Chiyama said cheerfully. "Come by anytime! Nintendo games are great too, you know!"
Tetsu thought, You should really be thanking me…
Now that he knew the game was The House of Love, he relaxed.
It was very good—excellent even.
But its audience didn't overlap with his.
The House of Love targeted younger players and especially couples.
But Salamander, though a two-player title, targeted teens and young adults—core gamers.
The audiences barely intersected.
And as for couples playing Salamander…
Honestly, they'd be too busy kissing to play a high-speed shooter!
More likely: "Why'd you die?" "It's your fault!" Game over—relationship over.
"Since it's The House of Love, then everything's easier. I'll focus on progressing steadily—and get Episode 1 of Jörmungandr's anime out as soon as possible."
Tetsu checked the calendar.
Even with this opportunity, the earliest possible release was around February 10th.
Hand-drawn animation took time—Annō Hideaki and Daicon Film couldn't conjure a full episode instantly just because he wanted it.
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