I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema

Chapter 18 The Decadence of the People

Seeing this number, Yamamoto's tense nerves relaxed instantly and he breathed a long sigh of relief.

1.75%!

In the late-night slot, this number isn't the worst, but it's definitely in the lower middle range. For a brand new project, this is a pretty bad start.

"It's garbage."

A sneer of contempt played on Yamamoto's lips. He quickly compiled the data into a concise report and sent it to Deputy Director Takada's personal email address.

After doing all this, he felt that he had completely completed the task.

Now that he had boarded Deputy Director Takata's ship, he had no choice but to stick with it. Suzuki Seito and the so-called "Anzhiju" were destined to become victims of the struggle between the Deputy Director and the Asumi faction.

……

The next morning, Toshihide Takada woke up in his luxurious apartment overlooking the cityscape of Tokyo.

While drinking the coffee that his secretary had prepared long ago, he turned on his computer and browsed through the various work briefs from last night.

When he saw the report on "Anzhiju" sent by Yamamoto, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up, revealing a mocking smile.

1.75%.

As expected.

He even felt a little ridiculous about the slight palpitations and uneasiness he felt in his heart when he watched the animation last night.

In the end, it was just a small trick that was not presentable. In the face of absolute resources and channels, no matter how ingenious the creativity was, it would not make any waves.

Mingrihai, ah Mingrihai, you made a wrong move from the very beginning.

In a good mood, Takada Shunei even ate an extra slice of toast.

On the other side, Masao Iwata, who was driving on his way to the TV station, also received a text message forwarded by Deputy Director Takata's secretary.

When he saw the number "1.75%", he almost stepped on the accelerator to the bottom, and the car suddenly jumped forward.

"Hahahaha!"

He laughed unrestrainedly in the car, his laughter full of arrogance and complacency.

"I knew it! For a show like that to have a 1.75% viewership rating is a disgrace to the TV station! Suzuki Seito, you old stubborn old man, let's see how you die this time!"

Just then, his cell phone rang again. It was a message from Yamamoto from the projection department.

"Section Chief Iwata, your show 'Kibo Samurai' has been confirmed. It will be aired next Monday at 22:00 PM!"

boom!
This news was like giving Masao Iwata a shot of the most powerful stimulant!

22 PM! Monday night prime time slot!

This is the top resource second only to the prime time eight o'clock slot!
Using a high-quality production with an investment of two million per episode, during prime time, to crush a crappy slide show with an investment of less than one hundred thousand, played during garbage time?
Is this still useful?
Iwata Masao felt like he had won, completely! He could almost see himself being promoted to a second-level director, trampling over the poor idiots in Suzuki's classroom.

……

9:00 AM, Suzuki classroom.

Everyone arrived at the office early. A night's rest did not completely dispel the fatigue on their faces, but everyone's eyes were shining with anticipation and nervousness.

The air was eerily quiet, and the only sound was the air blowing from the old air conditioner.

Finally, the classroom door was pushed open, and Hashimoto Ichirō walked in with a grim expression, holding a report that had just been printed out from the statistics department.

Everyone's eyes were instantly focused on him.

"How is it...under the bridge?" Suzuki Seito's voice was a little dry.

Hashijitaro swallowed hard, placed the thin piece of paper on the table, and said in a tone that was almost a verdict: "The premiere ratings... 1.75%."

This number was like a basin of ice water, poured over everyone's head, instantly extinguishing all the flames in their hearts.

There was deathly silence in the office.

1.75%... Everyone knows what this number means.

Failure! Total failure!

According to Tokyo TV’s internal regulations, if a new program’s ratings remain low for a week, it will be immediately cut in half and removed from the air!

They fought desperately for a week, and this is the result they got?

“How could it be…how could it be so low…” Nancun Xing muttered to himself, his face pale.

"It's over... We're finished..." Hase Luzou slumped down in the chair.

Beichuan Yao's eyes turned red instantly. She bit her lips tightly to prevent the tears from falling, but she couldn't suppress the huge disappointment and grievance.

Suzuki Seito looked at the report, feeling the world spinning before his eyes. He seemed to see the mocking faces of Takada Toshihide and Iwata Masao, feeling that all his years of persistence had become a joke.

You know, although most of the ratings for late night and early morning programs cannot be high because the audience is asleep.

They only fluctuate between 1.5% and 2.0%.

However, the viewership rating of 1.75% is indeed relatively low among the early morning films and cartoons produced in the past!

You have to know that the horror reality show that I replaced, which was supposed to start this week and air at 20 am, had a viewership rating of 1.79% on the first day.

As a result, the ratings are declining every day.

On Sunday, the ratings reached 0.9%.

The show was cut short.

No further broadcast allowed.

Then their "Anzhiju" came to the fore.

So, that's why everyone is so depressed and sad. Even the last project with a 1.79% viewership rating was so bad.

So how could they possibly compare?

"Everyone!"

In this desperate silence, a calm and powerful voice once again resounded throughout the classroom.

“This is only the first day.”

Everyone raised their heads and looked towards the source of the sound.

Nohara Hiroshi.

He still stood there, without any frustration or disappointment on his face, his eyes clear and firm.

He walked in front of the crowd, his eyes sweeping over every pale face.

"Our broadcast time is 1.75: a.m., and this time period itself means our ratings cannot be high. This % is the result we achieved under the worst possible conditions."

"After all, no one knew we were taking over the horror reality show produced by the previous project, and they thought Monday would still be the same reality show, so it's normal that no one is watching."

He paused, his voice becoming more powerful.

"But don't forget what our work is! It's 'Anzhiju'! Its weapon has never been the premiere ratings, but word of mouth! It's word of mouth from person to person!"

"Last night, those 1.75% of the audience were the first seeds we sowed! Today, they will bring fear and curiosity to ten or a hundred times more people around them! Believe me, starting tonight, everything will be different!"

His words were like a ray of light, splitting the haze that enveloped everyone's hearts.

Yes, Nohara-kun is right!

Their animation is unique!

Looking at this young man who was always full of confidence, everyone's hearts, which had sunk to the bottom, miraculously rekindled a glimmer of hope.

Suzuki Seito looked at Nohara Hiroshi, and the light in his cloudy eyes burst out again.

That’s right! It’s not time to give up yet!
The battle has just begun!
(End of this chapter)