Chapter 324: Pseudonyms and Film Adaptation

For hard science fiction works, the scientific speculation is the most important element, even far exceeding writing style and narrative quality.

Many science fiction works even place the scientific speculation from within the book directly into the title, allowing readers to understand it at a glance.

For example, Andy Weir’s *The Martian*, Jules Verne’s *Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea*, and Asimov’s robot series.

As the president of the Science Fiction Club, Yuriko Tatsuzawa naturally understood this principle.

Therefore, upon seeing the title *Japan Sinks*, she immediately knew what kind of theme this book would address.

For a moment, she felt a bit excited.

Among these submitted manuscripts, there was finally one that was not a soft science fiction work about space battleships or robot combat.

Furthermore, this scientific speculation work about the sinking of Japan was something no one had ever written before.

However, amidst her excitement, Yuriko Tatsuzawa was also secretly a little worried.

After all, although this subject sounded very attractive, this contributor named Akihara was someone she had never heard of before.

So, could such a newcomer really write an excellent work?

Would he waste this subject and write something specious?

For instance, using the gimmick of Japan sinking to tell some love story between a man and a woman.

Such things were not unheard of; in fact, there were too many precedents.

Thinking of this, Yuriko Tatsuzawa composed herself and decided to read it first.

She pulled out this thick manuscript, placed it on the desk, then lowered her head and began to read carefully with a critical mindset.

The beginning covered a lot of geographical and cultural knowledge—not bad, not bad; it seemed the author had put in a great deal of effort.

Huh, so Japan’s sinking could be explained in this way!

Because the Japanese archipelago is located at the junction of the North American Plate, the Pacific Plate, the Philippine Sea Plate, and the Eurasian Plate.

And the Pacific Plate, due to crustal movement, is currently subducting beneath the Eurasian Plate.

This leads to three possibilities.

The first is that the two plates push against each other.

The second is that one plate slides beneath the other, pushing the other plate upward.

And the third is that the subducting plate will drag the large plate where the Japanese archipelago is located deep into the Earth's crust.

The text also cited the viewpoint of a scientist from 1977, which was that scientists had confirmed the Japanese crust was indeed gradually sinking toward the eastern trench.

Seeing this, Yuriko Tatsuzawa couldn't help but feel a chill; could Japan really sink? And what would happen after it sank?

Carrying these new questions, she continued reading.

Time passed bit by bit, and the sky outside the window changed from azure to dusk, and then into pitch black.

By 3:00 AM, Yuriko Tatsuzawa finally finished this extremely heavy manuscript, and she realized she had spent over 10 hours in total.

At this moment, she was both hungry and thirsty.

However, despite this, she had no intention of getting up to eat something; instead, her pupils contracted, and her eyes shone with excitement.

At this very moment, she was thoroughly impressed by this work and its author.

This book, this... who on earth wrote this!

This was far more interesting than those books that wore a science fiction skin but told love stories between men and women!

With rigorous and detailed scientific settings, social dynamics of humanity facing a crisis, and a concise writing style, it could even hold a place in the world of global science fiction literature!

Could it be some retired science fiction master who was dissatisfied with the current state of the genre and decided to take up the pen again?

Or was it a foreign science fiction writer who specifically wrote a Japanese version to enter the competition?

Thinking of this, Yuriko Tatsuzawa turned her gaze back to the first page of the manuscript, the contributor column.

On it, the word "Akihara" was written.

Akihara?

Yuriko Tatsuzawa silently recited it twice and associated it with the Japanese translation of the name, which was "Akiwara."

Could it be that the mystery writer Akiwara Yuto was entering the science fiction world?

Yuriko Tatsuzawa couldn't help but consider this possibility.

But she quickly shook her head, feeling she was overthinking.

Akiwara Yuto, as the best-selling writer in the current Japanese mystery world, had already won the Uemura Prize, which represented the highest honor in Japanese mystery.

And the status of mystery was currently much better than that of the declining science fiction genre.

Therefore, she couldn't think of any reason for Akiwara Yuto to enter the science fiction field.

Besides, as a mystery writer, even if he were truly interested in writing science fiction, he would likely only write soft science fiction, and at best, he would be a newcomer.

A work as rigorous and logical as *Japan Sinks* could not possibly be written by a newcomer.

So the question remained: whose work was this, which senior or peer had written it?

She frowned and thought for a long time, but in the end, she couldn't figure it out, so she decided to give up.

After all, in her view, as long as the person came to the venue to receive the award, she would definitely see the real person.

While Yuriko Tatsuzawa was marveling, Akiwara Yuto was in a private room at an izakaya, drinking shochu while waiting for someone.

And the person he was waiting for today was Utsumi Takuto.

After *Memories of Murder* became a hit, this director, who worked as an independent investor on the side, had also gained many opportunities thanks to this chance.

Not only were many film companies inviting him to direct, but there were even investors willing to fund him to shoot new films.

To put it simply, he had now become a popular figure in the film circle.

And the reason Akiwara Yuto was looking for him today was regarding the film adaptation of the work *Japan Sinks*.

Compared to the promotional effect of the Science Fiction Club's award on book sales, he believed that a film adaptation would be even more effective.

After all, the former could at most offer a few kind words on the cover or the obi strip, while the latter could help the work be seen by a much larger audience.

Once a social sensation was formed, it would inevitably lead to massive sales!

Just like in his previous life, after the film *Japan Sinks* was released, it quickly sparked heated public discussion and was printed in hundreds of editions.

It could simply be said to have created a "miracle" in the publishing industry.

After that, no other Japanese science fiction work could compete with it, until *The Three-Body Problem* arrived in Japan, which could barely put up a fight.

"Akiwara-sensei, what is the matter that you asked me here today?"

Ten minutes later, Utsumi Takuto arrived in a hurry; in fact, he had just rushed over from a film set in Kyoto, which was why he was quite late.

Akiwara Yuto nodded and stated his idea.

"Utsumi-san, I would like to ask you to direct a film about Japan sinking."