MMB Chapter 250 The Giant of Light's Ambition: Hijacking "Long Vacation"!
Chapter 250 The Giant of Light's Ambition: Hijacking "Long Vacation"!
Chapter 250 The Giant of Light's Ambition: Hijacking "Long Vacation"!
The broadcast of "Tell Me You Love Me" on TBS was like a summer storm that swept across the entire Japanese archipelago.
As the plot unfolded, the show's ratings not only showed no signs of weakening, but instead skyrocketed at an alarming rate. From 27.5% in the premiere episode, it broke the 30% mark by the third episode. Female viewers across Japan were practically going crazy for the aloof painter in a white shirt, painting his solitary masterpiece in a silent world.
Meanwhile, Johnny & Associates, which was once invincible in the idol drama field, was experiencing an extremely painful dark moment.
In order to fill the "drama vacuum" that Kitahara Shin missed last year, they spent a lot of money and devoted all the company's publicity resources to promote a youth romance drama starring the core members of their popular super rookie group V6.
In the minds of Johnny's executives, this script was supposed to be their trump card to capture the hearts of young girls across Japan this summer, and a powerful tool for them to regain control of the female market.
However, reality gave them a resounding slap in the face.
Compared to Kitahara Shin's god-like pantomime performance, which was like a game-changer, and the heartbreaking sense of unease it evoked, the Johnny's newcomers' assembly-line-like, slightly exaggerated acting in front of the camera was simply a disaster.
"The viewership ratings have fallen below 10% —"
In Johnny's data analysis room, the staff members' voices trembled as they looked at the viewership curve that was almost crawling along the horizon.
This was nothing short of a one-sided massacre. Kitahara Shinnobu's pure love drama, which didn't even have any dialogue, brutally shattered Johnny's hopes of promoting a new generation of idols this year.
He didn't even glance at the newcomers before using his absolute strength to repeatedly crush them into the ground.
Just as the traditional television giants of Tokyo were trembling with fear at Kitahara Shin's dominance, an extremely special guest arrived at the top-floor office of Kitahara's office.
Sitting across from Kitahara Shin today weren't some top executives from Fuji TV or Nippon TV. After all, given Kitahara Shin's current status, even if those major television stations wanted to collaborate, their proposals would only be queued up on Secretary Aida's desk. The visitors were the deputy director of the production department of MBS (Mainichi Broadcasting System), a key local station in the Kansai region, and an executive from Tsuburaya Productions.
These two men, who are considered prominent figures in the industry, sat opposite Kitahara Shin's large mahogany desk, yet their expressions were extremely reserved and cautious.
"President Kitahara, thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with us." The deputy director of MBS bowed slightly, his tone very formal and sincere.
Kitahara Shin leaned back in his leather chair, his knuckles lightly tapping the table as he calmly began, "I've read your proposal. You want to reboot the classic tokusatsu hero series, creating a brand new phenomenal work—'Ultraman Tiga'—for next year's 30th anniversary. That's certainly an ambitious plan. But what I don't understand is that MBS should be well aware that the production budget you've provided isn't even enough to cover my salary for a regular commercial drama."
The deputy director swallowed hard and nodded with utmost sincerity: "President Kitahara, we are well aware that with your current box office appeal and absolute status in traditional television stations, inviting you to star in a tokusatsu drama is indeed a very presumptuous request. That's why MBS would never dare to hope to entice you with a conventional salary system."
He took a deep breath and offered their meticulously prepared strategic bargaining chip: "We hope to seek cooperation through a 'resource exchange.' If President Kitahara is willing to personally star in this new generation of giants of light, it will not only create an incredibly sensational buzz among family audiences throughout Japan, but MBS is also willing to fully open up all our core resources in the Kansai region and late-night slots to Kitahara's office."
"Specifically, over the next three years, we can tailor-make exclusive late-night music shows, local variety shows, and fixed billing positions in late-night dramas for many of the new artists under Kitahara Agency. Kitahara Agency is currently very strong and desperately needs stable exposure platforms."
Our local TV station can absolutely provide you with the most solid foundation for talent development and promotion in lower-tier markets.
Kitahara Shin stopped tapping his fingers on the table, his deep gaze quietly scrutinizing the two people before him.
The deputy director's words hit the nail on the head. For someone of his current stature to act as Ultraman would seem like an unbelievable downgrade to an outsider. But for Kitahara Shin, a transmigrator with a godlike perspective and a capital tycoon controlling a vast business empire, what he saw was an incredibly terrifying hidden gold mine behind this project proposal.
First, there's the issue of talent acquisition channels. Kitahara Agency has indeed signed a large number of extremely promising newcomers, but it's unrealistic to cram them all into big-budget productions. Having local TV stations' late-night slots as a training ground allows for a very healthy, closed-loop ecosystem for talent development.
Secondly, there's the enormous ambition stemming from the EVA toy licensing agreement recently signed with Bandai. Bandai isn't just a partner of EVA; it's the absolute dominant force in the Japanese tokusatsu toy market!
Once Kitahara Shin personally stars in this destined-to-be legendary "Ultraman Tiga," he can fully leverage his capital to aggressively enter the tokusatsu merchandise market.
With his current star power, starring in a tokusatsu series would not only generate explosive viewership ratings, but also lead to an incredibly high number of toy sales.
This is the ultimate weapon to unlock the children's and family consumer market.
Finally—in Kitahara Shin's mind, a heartwarming scene suddenly appeared: the time he had walked in the park with Matsushima Nanako.
That day, some unruly children were bullying someone in the park. Nanako looked at the children dressed as monsters and heroes and said to him with great tenderness and admiration, "If you are going to play a hero who saves the world in the future, I would like to play the heroine standing next to the hero."
A capital giant's promises are often fulfilled in the most unexpected ways.
"I'll take this project."
Kitahara Shin made a decisive decision, and looking at the two executives who were overjoyed, a faint smile appeared on his lips: "However, Kitahara Agency must have absolute control over the selection of the female lead and the related toy and merchandise revenue sharing agreement."
"Absolutely no problem! Thank you, President Kitahara!!" The two executives were so excited that they stood up and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle. The business negotiations went extremely smoothly and a consensus was reached. With the help of a true legend like Kitahara Shin, this tokusatsu drama has already secured its place as a nationwide hit in Japan next year.
After seeing off the MBS executives, Kitahara Shin rubbed his temples and turned his gaze to the extremely thick pile of scripts on his desk, which were being considered by various television stations.
Filming for "Tell Me You Love Me" is nearing its end, and he must now begin searching for the next project that can maintain his absolute dominance in the Japanese drama market.
He casually flipped through the similar romance and workplace dramas, his eyes showing a lack of interest. Then, his fingers suddenly stopped in front of a thin outline of only a dozen pages, not even a fully completed first draft.
Screenwriter: Eriko Kitagawa.
Title: Long Vacation
Upon seeing those four words, Kitahara Shin's pupils contracted slightly, and a playful yet cold smile immediately appeared on his lips.
If "Tokyo Love Story" was the pioneer of pure love Japanese dramas in the early 1990s, then "Long Vacation" was the ultimate masterpiece that completely dominated Japanese society in the mid-to-late 1990s.
In the original timeline of 1996, this show created the terrifying social phenomenon of "staying home on Mondays."
More importantly, this drama was the absolute stepping stone for Takuya Kimura to truly achieve legendary status and begin his two-decade-long reign as the king of Japanese dramas!
Although Johnny & Associates is currently suffering setbacks in the new talent market due to Shin Kitahara, they still hold onto Takuya Kimura, a rapidly rising star.
Kitahara Shin casually pulled out the outline. He would personally take on the role of the male lead, "Sena Hidetoshi," the somewhat introverted and frustrated young pianist! He would follow Kimura's path and leave Kimura with nowhere to go! As long as he intercepted this most crucial stepping stone, the last glimmer of hope for Johnny's would be completely extinguished.
"Aida." Kitahara Shin pressed the intercom, his tone extremely calm. "Contact the Fuji Television production department and tell them I'm very interested in the outline of 'Long Vacation,' and I'll personally attend the audition for the male lead."
Secretary Aida was always efficient and decisive. She had just confirmed her audition intention with Fuji TV when she immediately grasped her boss's strategic intention of "keeping the profits within the family."
She directly instructed the talent agency to make several copies of the character biographies for "Long Vacation" and distribute them to several of the company's core female artists whose schedules were currently available, so that they could familiarize themselves with their roles in advance. Since the boss was going to personally take to Fuji TV and dominate the market, it was natural that the important roles around her would be chosen first from within her own camp.
As expected, news that Kitahara Shin had taken a liking to the script, along with the character biographies, spread rapidly within Kitahara's office.
In the afternoon, the office door was pushed open very gently.
The first to walk in was Rie Miyazawa, dressed in an extremely sophisticated yet sexy Chanel early autumn suit.
"Shin-kun~" Rie walked around the desk very naturally and leaned against the armrest of Kitahara Shin's boss chair.
Her incredibly bright eyes gleamed with undisguised ambition: "The talent agency just sent over the outline, and I heard this is the script you've got your eye on? The female lead, 'Hayama Minami,' is an older model whose fiancé jilted her? For Shin-kun's sake, I'm willing to try breaking out of my image and playing this kind of somewhat down-on-her-luck mature woman."
Just as Kitahara Shin was about to speak, seeing her quirky and eager-to-show-off demeanor, there was another knock on the office door.
This time, it was Nanako Matsushima who walked in, wearing an extremely elegant light beige trench coat and exuding a gentle and intellectual temperament.
Seeing Rie leaning back in her chair, Nanako gracefully approached, carrying two cups of freshly brewed hand-drip coffee. The moment her gentle eyes met Kitahara Shin's, they lit up with an unreserved, fervent adoration.
"Teacher! I just brewed you a Mandheling coffee." Nanako casually put down her coffee and handed Rie a cup, her smile warm and gentle. "Any script personally selected by you, teacher, is absolutely a masterpiece that can sweep across Japan! I was so excited just from looking at the outline!"
She skillfully circled behind Kitahara Shin, placing her soft hands on the man's slightly stiff shoulders with just the right amount of pressure.
He kneaded her hands with extreme tenderness, his tone full of unconditional support and affirmation.
"However, teacher—" Nanako's voice was as gentle as a spring pond as she massaged his shoulders and naturally got to the point, "The outline describes Hayama Minami as a thirty-year-old woman facing a career crisis and a failed marriage. Rie is very beautiful, but she's too young and dazzling. That feeling of a mature woman who has been badly hurt by life but still wants to find support by your side—want to be with you, teacher—do you think my temperament would be more suitable for the role, and better complement your acting skills?"
Nanako's attitude of constantly calling someone "teacher" and her eyes filled with fervent admiration, yet cleverly using her "mature woman" charm to win her over, instantly made Rie look like a little girl eager to wear adult clothes.
Rie puffed out her cheeks slightly. Although she was somewhat unconvinced, looking at Nanako's gentle and mature demeanor, she had to admit that what Nanako said made a lot of sense.
Surrounded by this undercurrent of competition between two top actresses, yet maintaining a dignified demeanor, Kitahara Shin smiled somewhat helplessly.
He didn't put on any airs of having women on either side; instead, he naturally reached out and gently patted Rie's hand, which was resting on the edge of the table, soothing the girl's frustration caused by her competitive spirit. Then, he slightly raised his hand, signaling Nanako behind him to stop massaging her.
"Rie's on-screen presence is extremely strong, while Nanako's temperament is indeed more in line with the character design. You two each have your own irreplaceable advantages." Kitahara Shin sat up slightly, putting away his previous casualness, and his tone became extremely professional.
"However, this drama is ultimately controlled by Fuji TV. Although I have a say, I also have to consider the production company's feelings." Kitahara Shin looked at the two beauties in front of him, both of whom were burning with fighting spirit, with a deep and frank gaze. "I will personally attend the audition tomorrow. If you really want to play my female lead, you should all go back and study your lines carefully. Then, in the audition room, you can each use your own abilities to conquer the director."
Kitahara Shin's extremely decisive approach, which directly brought the issue back to the realm of professional expertise, instantly dispelled the slight tension and resentment that had been building in the office.
Then, he casually added, "Oh, and before you leave, tell the talent agency to have Matsu Takako prepare the script for the role of 'Ryosawa Ryoko' and come to the audition with me."
Upon hearing Matsu Takako's name, Nanako and Rie exchanged a perfectly synchronized glance.
They were all part of the core group of the Kitahara Office, and seeing each other all the time, they naturally knew this person from a prestigious Kabuki family...
I am very familiar with the "young lady" who has an extremely pure and earnest personality.
It seems the teacher intends to bring her own people to secure the entire core cast of the production. A fiercer fighting spirit ignited in the eyes of the two top beauties. Since they were all acquaintances, they had to give it their all at the audition and put on a good showdown.