Today, I won’t talk about the damn AI, LLMs, or even prompts. Instead, I’d like to boast shamelessly about myself.

First, a disclaimer: If you’re NOT interested in copyright law practice, Japanese anime and its classic history, the media-mix anime business, or ME, you should skip this post and get back to work. It’s just going to waste your time.
Alright, here I go.
 

Back in the year 2000, by the grace of God, I managed to get my New York legal license, but I was completely broke. I set up my own law office, but the phone never rang. So, I visited a Japanese publisher where I had previously worked as a freelance translator and met with the director of the international transactions department. I told him I would do whatever I possibly could.

He then gave me a chance: drafting a New York jurisdiction-compliant contract for the manga Oh My Goddess! (Aa! Megami-sama) (1988-2014) by Kōsuke Fujishima Sensei. After successfully completing that task, I landed another gig—drafting the contract for its anime game adaptation.
Finally, I hit the jackpot. The company was facing a deadlock on a make-or-break project in the States. The director told the president about me, and she entrusted this massive project entirely to me at age 28. I pulled it off. The hourly rate she paid me back then remains unmatched by any other employer—including universities and the government—or client I’ve ever drafted a contract for. This money literally covered my first tuition payment for graduate school at Keio University, supporting me until I secured a non-refundable scholarship and grants for the Master's program in Computer Science.

The workplace at the publisher was marvelous: some schoolgirls around 11 to 13 years old were respected and addressed as "Sensei"—meaning a maestro of manga and anime. Many fantastically talented young women worked together to support these Senseis. Those maestros and the staff were incredibly nice to me. I was fascinated by the creative atmosphere and the harmony orchestrated by their ensemble. I met there many maestros, Fujishima-Sensei, CLAMP Sensei, and voice actress Kikuko Inoue Sensei 'Belldandy' in Oh My Goddess!; I respected them, and they respected me back. It was a paradise for a lawyer. I've never seen anyone so creative and original in my entire life. Meanwhile, I was wondering whether I should write this. Inoue Sensei always introduced her to everyone, saying that she is seventeen years old. 

So please, don't just label me an "anime lawyer with expertise in media-mix" or something. Hopefully, you can just call me one of the true pioneers of anime law.