I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema

Chapter 111: Absolutely sure! A hilarious bonus from the past life of Neon!

Time quickly arrived at the beginning of August. The scorching sun of midsummer poured down on the back of Tokyo, a giant beast built of steel and glass. Every inch of air was distorted by the scorching heat, as if even time and space were trembling slightly in this endless light and heat.

TV Tokyo, production headquarters building.

Tomorrow Sea Office.

The atmosphere at this moment is like the eye of the deep sea, isolating itself from all the noise and heat from the outside world, leaving only an almost solidified, heaviness as if a storm is about to come.

"Nohara-kun, are you...really sure?"

At this moment, Ming Rihai was like a young man who stepped onto the gambling table for the first time, holding the half-burned cigarette between his fingers, with anxiety in his eyes.

In front of him, the final plan and master tape of "Super Change", which was created by Hiroshi Nohara himself and is considered the bible of variety shows, was lying quietly on the mahogany desk.

It weighed heavily on his heart.

"Deputy Director Asumi, this is the third time you've asked this question today." Nohara Hiroshi sat opposite him with a gentle smile on his face.

He refilled Ming Rihai's empty cup with boiling hot tea, his movements neither hurried nor slow, as if the public opinion storm outside the window, which he had ignited with his own hands and was now intensifying, was just an insignificant wisp of smoke in the teacup.

"The filming of the variety show went smoothly. The first three episodes of the first season have all completed post-production and are ready to be submitted for review and broadcast at any time. Director Kei Tanaka and his team have also fully entered the stage."

Nohara Hiroshi reported, his tone still full of absolute confidence: "As for the ratings, you don't have to worry. I assure you, it will not disappoint you."

"Sigh..." Asumi let out a long breath of foul air mixed with tobacco and anxiety.

Of course he believed in Hiroshi Nohara.

This young man, from "Anzhiju" to "Wonderful Stories of the World", has created miracles that are beyond the scope of common sense.

But this time is different.

"Guangzhi-kun, do you know what this "Super Transformation" means to our entire Kanto faction?"

Asuka slammed the cigarette butt in his hand into the ashtray, and an unprecedented solemnity appeared on his face, which was always elegant and calm.

"This isn't just a ratings battle! This is war! A life-or-death battle that will determine whether we, the Kanto faction, can plant our own flag in the salt-alkali land of variety shows, which has been monopolized by the Tokyo faction for decades, for the next ten years!"

"That old fox, Takada Shunei, seems to be flattering you, but in reality, he's using the most vicious scheme to force you, and our entire Kanto faction, onto a cliff from which there's no retreat! He's turned all the media and the audience into spectators of this public execution! If we fail, we won't just lose a project, but our entire faction, the last shred of hope for a comeback in the variety show industry!"

Asumi actually sees things very clearly.

However, Nohara Hiroshi just smiled calmly, and that smile showed the insight and understanding of someone who had experienced it.

"Deputy Director Ming Rihai, have you heard of 'Black and Red'?"

"Black and red?" Ming Hai was stunned. This word full of modern Internet flavor was obviously beyond the comprehension of people of his generation.

"Yes, black and red are also red."

Nohara Hiroshi gently rubbed his knuckles against the warm teacup, his clear eyes gleaming with the wisdom of someone who understood the future of media. "Public opinion is a double-edged sword. Deputy Director Takada and his gang thought that by overwhelmingly praising me and raising the audience's expectations to the highest level, they could make me fall even harder when I failed. This calculation was truly vicious."

"But they overlooked one thing."

He paused, a cold arc appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"This overwhelming anticipation also drives...intolerable traffic. Like a giant vortex, it draws the attention of everyone in Neon irresistibly to our production. Whether they're expecting or skeptical, coming for a pilgrimage or simply to see the fun, they'll be glued to their televisions the moment the show airs."

"As long as our work is good enough, good enough to subvert their perceptions, good enough to crush all their doubts, then this 'haters' will instantly transform into the most fervent 'fans'. The huge backlash caused by this over-the-top praise will ultimately only burn Deputy Director Takada and his team to ashes."

This is why later generations pursued black and red traffic.

Where there is traffic, there is topic.

Where there is traffic, there is ratings.

Where there is traffic, there will be a steady stream of audiences!

Black and red are also red!
Black fans are also fans!
People today will never know how crazy and instigative traffic tactics were used in order to grab fans and traffic in later generations.

Hiroshi Nohara is not new to this kind of flattering public opinion.

At the end.

Didn’t it all change from black and red to pink?

These words were like a flash of lightning that cut through the chaos, instantly illuminating Ming Rihai's brain, which had long been imprisoned by the thinking of traditional TV people!
He stared blankly at the young man in front of him. All the anxiety on his elegant face had faded away, and instead, there was a kind of bottomless shock that came from the bone marrow after witnessing a real dimensionality reduction attack!
He finally understood.

This young man wasn't responding to the challenge at all.

He was using the enemy's offensive to create a huge wave for his giant ship that was about to set sail, enough to completely overturn all the rules of the old era!
……

The first Saturday in August, 2:25 PM.

The entire neon area seemed to be shrouded in a wonderful atmosphere full of contradictions and expectations.

Televisions in countless homes, countless offices, and countless cafes and izakayas that were still open were all tuned to the Tokyo TV channel.

Many of them are not fans of variety shows.

They were simply dragged into this controversial game by the overwhelming public opinion storm that lasted for a whole week.

They want to see whether the young man who is praised by the media will create a new myth or become a huge joke that will be ruthlessly exposed by the times.

In the study of an elegantly decorated apartment in Tokyo.

The veteran film critic "Xinkou Tang Shizi" is sitting at his desk with a serious face.

In front of him was a latest model Sony TV, and next to it was a stack of snow-white manuscript paper that had been prepared long ago, and a Montblanc pen filled with ink.

There was a cold sneer on the corner of his mouth, full of professional superiority.

He had already thought of the title for today's column - [The Fall of a Genius: A Magnificent Suicide Caused by Arrogance.]

He even prepared the beginning of the article.

"...When a storytelling genius attempts to use his cold cinematic logic to challenge the iron wall of variety shows, which is full of fire and passion, all we can see is a Don Quixote-like charge that is doomed to fail and full of tragedy..."

He just had to wait, wait for that young man to use a clumsy performance to provide the most perfect footnote to his manifesto, which had already been doomed to fail.

Arrived on time at 2:30.

A burst of electronic music full of childishness and magic, so simple that it was almost brainwashing, suddenly rang out from the TV speakers without any warning.

The melody, like a naughty child, instantly caught the ears of all the listeners in the most unreasonable way.

The screen lights up.

There is no gorgeous stage, no dazzling lights.

There is only a studio that looks a bit simple but full of intimacy, like a community activity center.

Two figures stood in the center of the stage. "Huh? Aren't these... Kinichi Hagimoto and Shingo Katori?!"

Xinkou Tang Shizi's brows wrinkled slightly.

Of course he knew these two people.

Kinichi Hagimoto is a veteran comedian who is well-known in the Kanto region and is known for his approachable and amiable style.

Katori Shingo is a new idol who was once strongly promoted by Kanto TV. He is sunny, handsome and full of youthfulness.

These two people may not be considered big names compared to the star-studded group of top stars in the Tokyo School.

But for those old viewers who grew up watching Kanto TV programs, there is an irreplaceable sense of intimacy like family.

"Dear audience friends! Good afternoon!"

With his signature infectious smile, Hagimoto Kinichi waved at the camera and said, "Welcome to the brand new national imitation show, Super Change, created for you by TV Tokyo!"

"Yeah!" Katori Shingo on the side cooperated and made a victory gesture full of energy.

This opening is quite standard, even... a little rustic.

The sarcastic curve at the corner of Xinkou Tang Shizi's mouth deepened.

However, just as he was about to start writing and write the first harsh comment.

After the host's introduction, the first performance began.

"Huh? The speed is so fast?" Xinkou Tang Shizi noticed that something was wrong with this variety show. The pace was a bit too fast.

The background of the stage suddenly darkened.

The spotlights came on and the first performance officially began.

There was no announcer, no introduction.

There is only a man in black tights, performing a pantomime full of fun and visual impact in front of a pure black background.

Those two hands in white gloves sometimes turned into a rolling bowling ball, sometimes into scattered pins, and sometimes into a typewriter that was furiously tapping away at the keyboard...

"……this!"

Xinkou Tang Shizi's hand holding the pen suddenly stopped.

For the first time, a hint of undisguised surprise appeared in his eyes, which were always full of scrutiny.

This...what kind of game is this?
Then the judges appeared on the stage. They were all a group of veteran actors and producers from Kanto TV. Although Xinkou Tang Shizi couldn't remember all of their names, they all looked familiar.

Moreover, these judges directly gave scores based on the performances just now and conducted routine scoring.

This was not unexpected to him.

but……

For Xinkou Tang Lion, the performance just now was indeed too wonderful, and he still feels like he has not recovered from it.

"What a novel way of performing..." Xinkou Tang Lion murmured.

Before he could recover from the shock of this novelty, the second, third, and fourth performances came one after another at a dazzling speed, like a movie film with the fast-forward button pressed!

He saw it—the brilliant idea of ​​using bodies to stack up, mimicking a glass of beer being poured!

He saw the ingenious idea of ​​using the simplest bed sheet and a fan to imitate Marilyn Monroe's classic moment!
He saw the amazing idea of ​​using only a few people's limbs to perfectly recreate a grand fireworks show!
One after another, the creative ideas, which are full of wild imagination but also derived from life and full of intimacy, are like a sudden and impenetrable rainstorm, overwhelming and hitting the senses of all the audience!

Xinkou Tang Shizi felt as if his brain had been completely turned into a paste by a high-speed blender!
His rational defense as a professional film critic, which had been tempered into a rock by countless bad movies, was completely broken down at this moment by a more primitive and purer powerful force called "interesting"!

He even forgot what he was going to do and what he was going to write.

The corners of his mouth uncontrollably curled upwards little by little.

Finally, when the funny scene of using the simplest props to imitate the "ramen chef throwing noodles" appeared on the screen.

"puff--"

He couldn't hold it in any longer and spat out a mouthful of tea.

“Hahaha…hahahaha…hahahahahahaha!”

A burst of uncontrollable laughter that was almost uncontrollable broke out without any warning in this quiet study!
He laughed and clapped his hands on the table, tears flowing uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes. His face, which was always filled with sarcasm and seriousness, now only had one kind of expression: being completely conquered by the purest joy, a feeling of complete satisfaction!

"Genius... this... this is the real genius!"

While laughing, he wrote sloppily on the manuscript paper with his tea-stained hand. His handwriting was sloppy, but full of excitement as if he had survived a disaster.

"This isn't just a simple variety show! It's a carnival of imagination, a national extravaganza! Nohara Hiroshi... he's not even filming a variety show! He's using a method none of us can understand to inject a powerful dose of 'happiness' into this era, already eroded by boredom and numbness!"

He crumpled up the piece of paper filled with words of praise and threw it into the trash can.

Then, he picked up the Montblanc pen and rewrote a brand new title on the snow-white manuscript paper, one that would shock the entire Japanese television industry.

【God has come.】

……

This hurricane of pure joy brought by "Super Change" swept across the entire Neon in an unparalleled manner in just half an hour.

In the late-night restaurant, the nightclub guards who were just worried about the quality were now laughing so hard that they were rolling on the bar, clapping their hands on the bar with tears streaming down their faces.

"Oh my god! This 'human typewriter' is so fucking hilarious! Hahahaha! I can't take it anymore! I'm going to die from laughing!"

In the male dormitory of the University of Tokyo, the group of academic elites who were just angry about "betrayal" were now lying on the ground, holding their stomachs and laughing like a group of 300-pound children.

"I...I take back everything I said before! Mr. Nohara! You are my God! No! You are the faith I will always believe in!"

The same earth-shaking laughter filled with pure joy broke out in countless homes, countless offices, countless cafes and izakayas.

They forget all their worries, all their pressures, and all their disappointments.

In their eyes, there is only simple and pure happiness that is full of childishness and imagination.

And at the center of the storm, in the office of [Nohara Hiroshi - Special Production Team].

Nohara Hiroshi just watched the TV calmly. Even the judges in the judges' booth gave close-ups of faces distorted by laughter, and the corners of their mouths curled up into a light and relaxed smile that belonged to the winner.

He knew that the war was over.

From the moment he decided to bring that plan that could revolutionize the era from the future into this world, the ending was already determined.

PS: Keep asking for votes~
(End of this chapter)