You might recognize CyberConnect 2 president Hiroshi Matsuyama, who goes by “Piroshi” among fans and coworkers, as that guy who dresses up as Naruto at major events. But he’s not only a great Naruto cosplayer—he’s also the .hack series director and one with a heart of gold.
Matsuyama delivered the beloved .hack series to fans across the world since its earlier days on PlayStation 2, but there was one special delivery to a fan that stood out among others, and its story will be told in a little book called “The Medicine Called Entertainment – A Delivery from a Game Creator to a Boy who is Losing his Vision.”
It all started with a single phone call that took place just before the release of .hack//G.U. Vol. 3//Redemption. The call was from a boy with an eye disease who was scheduled for an ophthalmectomy, a surgical removal of his eyes. The boy got in touch with Matsuyama in hopes of being able to play the sequel to .hack//G.U. Vol. 2//Reminisce before losing his sight.
With the surgery scheduled for nine days before the release of Vol. 3//Redemption, there wasn’t enough time, so Matsuyama took an exception and grabbed the ROM for the game to personally deliver it to the boy who was counting his last remaining days of having vision.
Matsuyama’s book will cover more from the event that took place 10 years ago, a behind-the-scenes story on how it happened, and more about the boy’s life. This book is the CyberConnect 2 president’s way of showing people the possibilities of what we can do with video games and entertainment. It’s a story he wishes to to tell everyone involved in game development and entertainment, a story about an encounter with a young boy who gave Matsuyama and the development team hope and courage moving forward.
The Medicine Called Entertainment – A Delivery from a Game Creator to a Boy who is Losing his Vision releases in Japan on November 1, 2017 for 1,500 yen plus tax. For those of you interested, it is currently available for pre-order on Amazon Japan.
