1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 509 Girls' Generation - The Best!
In this life, Wan Ziliang no longer needs to worry about 'what position Hung Hing is actually in'.

What Hung Hing?
Red Star!
As the song "Entering the New Era" came to a close, Wan Ziliang waved goodbye and left the stage with an air of grandeur.

Zhai Yuan suddenly felt that all the remaining performances were boring; this prematurely released revolutionary song was simply too much of a blow.

Interspersed with guest appearances, the Girls' Generation members also each performed their own solo hits.

Ye Yuqing's "First Love" and "Eyebrows Dancing"

Li Lizhen and Bai Anni's "Surely We Can Fly to the Sky", "Night", and "Annie"

Li Saifeng's "Three-Crescent Moon" and "Sword and Horse Dancer"

Noriko Sakai's explosive hit song "aLIEz" had just ignited the atmosphere in the venue.
Zhou Huimin then took over with a youthful and energetic song, "Bluebird," accompanied by a short clip of intense battle animation from "Naruto" on the screen behind her, pushing the atmosphere to a new climax...

The attitude of the Japanese audience in the audience gradually changed.

From the very beginning, there was no expectation or even contempt for the idea that "Hong Kong idols dare to perform at the Taipei Arena, are you kidding me?"

Later on, exclamations of "Huh?" "Huh!" "Huh—" rose and fell.

As the saying goes, when Girls' Generation performed at the Taipei Arena, a chorus of cheers erupted.

Japanese men, who are in the early stages of feminism, are actually getting tired of the aloof and sophisticated Japanese women around them. However, they have to pretend to be gentlemen and are afraid of being labeled as disrespectful to women, so they still need to maintain a respectable appearance.

However, the meticulous packaging of Girls' Generation—whether sexy and charming, youthful and lively, or heroic and dashing—has precisely disrupted this balance.

Both dedicated and capable!
They're way better than those TV girl groups!
No wonder the Kitty Club disbanded after only two years; look at the quality of the girls from Hong Kong!

The Japanese men in the audience were all struck by this unprecedented new feminine charm.

Idol singers, after all, sell their persona.

Whether it's Ye Yuqing's sexiness, Zhou Huimin's innocent charm, or Noriko Sakai's vitality, their distinct personalities far surpass those of the local girl groups that were still in the exploratory stage at that time.

Onyanko Club, which was established a year later than Girls' Generation, should be considered the pioneer of Japanese girl groups. It was a product of variety shows and disbanded after only two years. Its selling point was to recruit a large number of female high school students of varying quality.

BaBa and Wink later became a duo idol group, and could not be considered a girl group.

Currently, Girls' Generation is definitely the first girl group in the entire Asian region to form a large-scale, truly established idol industry model.

Any one of the group members could stand on their own.

Only Boss Zhai was willing to spend so much to package them together; any other company would have sold them separately.

"Is this what a Hong Kong girl is like? I need to work hard to earn money so I can find a girlfriend in Hong Kong!"

Dongyangzi in the audience stared at the girl group members singing and dancing on stage, his eyes sparkling with hope: "They're so cute, they must not have lost their first kiss yet, right?"

Chen Shufang, sitting in the front row, almost burst out laughing when she heard the sigh from the Japanese boy behind her.

First kiss?

Stop teasing Ye, Zhou, Bai, Shuang Li, and Sakai-nee.

"...I want to shout out that I love you, try to change tomorrow, break the gradually freezing time, the collapsing time, I want to shout out that I like you..."

Each member has released a solo single, and Girls' Generation's third group dance for the seven-member group took to the stage.

Slam Dunk: I Want to Shout "I Love You"

Once again paired with cartoon visuals on the big screen, the images of Sakuragi Hanamichi, Rukawa Kaede, and Ao...Akagi Haruko appear alternately.

On the screen, basketball players sweat it out.

Off-screen, Zhou Huimin, Ye Yuqing, and the others changed into matching basketball jerseys. The loose, sleeveless jerseys accentuated the girls' shoulder and neck lines, while their knee-length shorts and sneakers created a rhythmic beat as they stepped on the stage's wooden planks.

Ye Yuqing took the lead in mimicking a three-point shot, gracefully retracting her wrist before immediately turning and entering the dance steps.
The other girls then demonstrated their ball-bouncing and dribbling skills.

Li Saifeng finally caught the basketball thrown by Li Zi, steadily holding the center of the ball with one hand. Her heroic spirit swept across the audience, and with a light flick of her fingertip, the basketball began to spin rapidly on her index finger.

"Oh--"

The crowd below erupted in gasps of surprise, especially the Japanese, who clenched their fists and waved them, their cheers ringing out.

Spinning the ball isn't too difficult.
But when it's performed by a vibrant young girl in a loose-fitting jersey, the meaning is completely different.

The men of the Heisei era suffered!
The Japanese women around me are increasingly emphasizing their own individuality, and competitive sports like basketball, which are more male-dominated, are mostly regarded as a waste of time and are met with indifference and disdain.

But the Hong Kong girls on stage not only swung basketballs, but their charming smiles and gestures seemed to invite you to run on the court.

Every turn, every jump, stirs the hearts of the Japanese boys.

They are different!
A dazzling array of guests took to the stage one after another.
Andy Lau: "Five thousand years of wind and rain have hidden so many dreams..."

Leslie Cheung: "Let bygones be bygones, life has already been full of storms..."

Zhang Xueyou: "...Do I really have nothing left? Where will I anchor tomorrow...?"

To broaden its reach, Mr. Zhai is now creating original music for the singers on The Voice of China, gradually shifting towards Mandarin versions, and at most, making a bilingual version.

Andy Lau, Leslie Cheung, and Suet-Yu Cheung have expanded their audience in Taiwan with several hit songs.

Their arrival in the mainland sparked a new wave.

After assembling a host of both established and emerging singers, The Voice of China's record company has seen a surge in revenue this year.

Unfortunately, tonight at the Taipei Arena, it won't be able to move the Japanese audience.

After singing "Woman Flower," Anita Mui bowed and left the stage.

Chen Shih-Lung and Bunta Mino took to the stage to liven up the atmosphere, and the Japanese fans in the audience started shouting in unison.

Girls' Generation!

Girls' Generation!

Girls' Generation!

All the staff members, both in front of and behind the scenes, were looking on with dismay.

What happened to the promise of veteran singers mentoring new singers?

Given this situation, it's hard to say who will be leading whom!
……

"Ah-Ching, Hui-Min." After leaving the stage, Anita Mui hurried backstage and asked the Girls' Generation girls, "Do you have any more performances?"

Ye Yuqing said, "There's also a 'Pikachu Song,' plus a piece for emergencies."

Anita Mui glanced at the program and calculated the time: "Two songs together, the remaining fifteen minutes of the stage are all yours."

It's already 23:40 PM.

According to the original plan, Alan Tam and Chan Sze Lung would each take the stage once more to extend the performance time, ensuring that "The Song of Pikachu" would be the finale of the entire show, ending just as the clock struck midnight, thus concluding this New Year's Eve concert.

However, Girls' Generation is now more popular outside, and with a clear distinction between primary and secondary, Anita Mui took the initiative to cut the programs featuring Chen Shilong and Alan Tam.

Tam Wing-lun couldn't help but joke, "Maybe I should switch to The Voice next year too."

Everyone laughed.

The fact is that when Girls' Generation held their concert at the Taipei Arena, the audience's cheers drowned out all those of local Hong Kong singers.

A newcomer has squeezed out music superstar Alan Tam? This is clearly a UFO-themed short drama!
then,

Dressed in matching Pikachu outfits, Girls' Generation once again took to the stage.

A Pokémon cartoon was playing on the screen behind me.

From "Sailor Moon," "Naruto," and "Slam Dunk" to the current "Pokémon," Girls' Generation may have lost money on their concerts, but they haven't come away empty-handed. Every time they perform on stage, the anime episodes they play are an advertisement for anime works.

The losses can be factored into the marketing and promotion of anime.

Moreover, they gained a huge following tonight, making Girls' Generation's performance resound throughout the stadium.

……

The stage lighting was soft, with warm yellow and light orange intertwined to form a light curtain.

Amid the cheers of the audience,

The seven members of Girls' Generation, dressed in chubby Pikachu outfits with only their delicate faces showing, staggered onto the stage.

Ye Yuqing and Zhou Huimin stood on the stage, waiting for the applause to gradually subside.
With her two little hands, she made an ear-prickling motion and shouted the slogan in a sweet, clipped voice.

"Pikachu! Pikachu!"

It complements the adorable Pikachu image on the screen behind it.

The audience seats below the stage.

Zhai Yao stole a glance at her cousin Hai Mei, then looked at the Pikachus on the stage, and suddenly felt like she was about to betray them.

The previous acts were fine, but this round, chubby stuffed animal is just too much...

Zhai Yao's girlish heart burst forth in an instant, and she shouted along with the enthusiastic rhythm of the crowd: "Pikachu!"

Zhou Haimei pouted and looked at Zhai Yuan with a wronged expression.

"I didn't take them to see Princess Diana!" Zhai Yuan quickly changed the subject, took his cousin's hand, and stroked the string of pearls on her wrist: "It was just an act, don't you know what's important?"

Zhou Haimei thought about it and it seemed to make sense.
Zhai Yao sighed inwardly. Oh no, her cousin Hai Mei has gone crazy from studying too much.

Is this a question of which is more important? Have you overlooked the key point about my boss's womanizing ways?
"Pikachu Pikachu?"

On stage, Zhou Huimin skipped a step, pointed the microphone at the audience, and smiled playfully.

Just a second ago, Zhai Yao was worried, but she immediately jumped up, waved her hand and shouted: "Ahhhhh Pikachu!"

Of all Girls' Generation's performances tonight,

"Pikachu Song" is a piece that Zhai Yuan composed in the shortest amount of time.

The entire song only uses the words "Pikachu" and "Pikachu" interchangeably.

The entire performance was carried by the adorable interactions of the seven-member team on stage.

But judging from the current results, it has been a great success.

Not only did it elicit cheers and applause from Japanese boys, but Pikachu's image also captured the hearts of a group of Japanese girls.

One thing is certain: Pikachu's image alone contributed more than half to the global success of Pokémon.

How popular is it?

In the 1990s, when the mainland economy had not yet developed, there were street performers in the south, especially in the Yangzhou area, who would revive old stories to attract customers.

When mentioning books like "The Story of Yue Fei," "Investiture of the Gods," and "Mu Guiying Breaks the Heavenly Gate Formation," which depict battles between gods and demons, two immortal figures are often added to the list.

One was called the Blue-skinned Immortal, who was skilled in using the Hundred Treasures Pouch; the other was called the Yellow-skinned Immortal, who was skilled in using the Five Thunder Technique.

I'm talking about Doraemon and Pikachu!

"We just received news from backstage that Chen Shilong and Tan Yonglin's show has been canceled. The next show will still be Girls' Generation, so they'll have to perform until midnight."

Girls' Generation bowed and left the stage, and Chen Shih-Lung and Bunta Mino came up to host the event.

Chen Shufang, sitting in the second row of the audience, approached Zhai Yuan to report, and then asked, "But I see that 'The Song of Pikachu' is the last program on the program list. Does Mr. Zhai have any plans?"

"There was an emergency piece that was put on to save the day."

Zhai Yuan glanced at his watch; there were less than ten minutes until midnight. He turned back to Chen Shufang and smiled, "Don't worry, there's plenty of time."

Chen Shilong exchanged a few jokes with Mino Bunta before leaving.

Girls' Generation, taking the stage again.

Cheers spread.

As the crisp rhythm of an electronic synthesizer spread, the stage lights slowly shifted to a pink hue.

The silhouettes of the Girls' Generation members appeared in the light and shadow, and as they stepped onto the stage, they had changed their outfits again, donning clothes that represented their individual styles.

Ye Yuqing wore a small cape-like coat, paired with skinny jeans and black boots.
Zhou Huimin wore a white lace blouse, paired with a pleated skirt and ankle boots.

Noriko Sakai wearing a cartoon jacket, paired with a tutu skirt and sneakers...

The styles are characterized by mature women, innocent girls, and cute girls.

The dynamic electronic beats were short and powerful, and the girls swayed their bodies gently to the music.

Ye Yuqing: "Tell me more about yourself..."

Girls' Generation backing vocals: "Tell me more and more and more..."

Zhou Huimin: "Let me hear more of your voice..."

Girls' Generation harmonies: "Let me her more and more and more..."

Noriko Sakai: "I'm so excited, I can't contain myself..."

Girls' Generation's backing vocals: "All I need you! Oh! All I need you!"

Sitting in the audience, Zhai Yao's eyes sparkled, and she unconsciously swayed her head to the melody.

I couldn't understand it, but those ladies were so cute!
Zhai Yuan glanced at the reactions of the audience around him, squinted and smiled. This song, which was used as an emergency measure, might not be inferior to the Yellow-skinned Immortal in terms of its brainwashing power.

A meme song boasting 0% comprehension and trillions of points of cuteness:
"Aishkuri~" is also known as "I Like You More Than XX".

Even the useless kids of the Heisei era are getting to enjoy delicious treats ahead of time.

As the music tempo quickened, the girls on stage suddenly stopped moving and surrounded Noriko Sakai.

"Fazi-chan, what do you like?"

"I like you more than chocolate!"

Noriko Sakai pointed her finger at Zhai Yuan in the audience, and after two seconds, her fingertip swept across the audience again.

The Japanese fans in the stadium went wild, they were so cute they were practically bleeding from their eyes, they were going to die from cuteness!
"Vivian-chan, what do you like?"

"I like you more than strawberry flavor!"

Zhou Huimin also pointed at Zhai Yuan before slowly moving her finger away.

Boiling Point X2!

"Yip-chan, what do you like?"

"Compared to cookies and cream, I like you much more!"

Ye Yuqing, exuding a domineering aura, pointed at Zhai Yuan without moving her finger, her cold gaze sweeping across the audience.

Boiling Point X3!

At this moment, Li Zi hopped and skipped to the middle of the venue.

The little girl raised the microphone and shouted in a raspy voice, "Girls' Generation—the best!"

It has a strong "burn my calories" vibe.

By the time the song reached its second round, the Japanese fans in the audience had already joined in.

The girls swarmed around Ann: "Ann-chan!"

The audience members shouted in unison, "What do you like?"

After asking, Pak On-nee, Lee Sai-fung, and Lee Lai-chun...

Li Zi jumped to the center of the venue again: "Girls' Generation—"

The audience chanted in unison, "Best!"

Girls' Generation—

"Sweet!"

Girls' Generation—

"Best! Best! Best!"

As the clock struck midnight, tens of thousands of people in the Taipei Arena roared "Go! Go!" at the top of their lungs.

1990 year 1 month 1 day,
Girls' Generation made their debut in Japan, and it was a thunderclap from the ground up, making them an instant sensation!
The next day,

The seven members of Girls' Generation have all appeared in Japanese entertainment newspapers and magazines.

The Voice Records Company conservatively prepared 5,000 copies each of a photo album, a girl group MV DVD, and anime-signed comics.

Less than half an hour after it went on sale, it was completely sold out by the crazy Japanese fans!

Amidst the clamor,
Zhai Yuan finally met with Tao Zongyi of Shenshan Semiconductor alone.
Then, with the trendsetting Girls' Generation in tow, they stepped into the international airport and embarked on their journey back to Hong Kong.

"Let the hype build up first."

Sitting in the waiting room, Zhai Yuan pointed to the group of local Hong Kong singers gathered not far away and winked at the still excited girls: "When you come to Japan again in two months, you won't need to bring this group of old people to support you anymore."

Amidst bursts of soft laughter.

Michiko Nishiwaki walked over with a newspaper, pointing it to Zhai Yuan with a helpless smile: "Chizuko Ueno called last night to congratulate Girls' Generation on their successful performance, and today she's putting this kind of headline in the newspaper."

Zhai Yuan didn't know Japanese, but among the string of scribbles, he recognized a few Chinese characters very clearly.

'Girls' Generation's Attraction to Men'

Michiko Nishiwaki briefly translated, and sure enough, various Japanese feminists turned their guns on Girls' Generation, claiming that their performance at the Tokyo Dome was not a release of female power, but a celebration of male desire, using sexy and cute poses to cater to the male market and gain applause, sacrificing women's rights to serve the male gaze, and so on...

Zhai Yuan smiled and shook his head: "Let them be. They need to do business too."

Pushing girl groups to the forefront of gender discourse may not necessarily be a bad thing.

Performances are performances, the music scene is a market, and being able to generate controversy actually means that Girls' Generation gets more exposure.

It is foreseeable that the more progressive Japanese feminism becomes, the more popular Girls' Generation will become.

Michiko Nishiwaki nodded knowingly, not taking it to heart, and casually tossed the newspaper aside.

Noriko Sakai picked up the newspaper out of curiosity, glanced at it, frowned, and muttered in a very soft voice, "You old-fashioned jerk..."

(End of this chapter)