I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema

Chapter 44 Cold Water
Monday's sunshine streamed into the Tokyo TV production headquarters building.

When the employees met in the corridor, their eyes no longer exchanged a formulaic nod of greeting, but were filled with a bit of exploration and speculation, as if there was an unspoken secret floating in the air - the final showdown between "Anzhiju" and "Ghost House Samurai" will be revealed today.

Today is the day to count the results of last month.

Everyone arrived at Suzuki classroom early.

"Section Chief!" Nancun Xing's voice was still hoarse from a hangover, and a kind of spiritual excitement: "Today... should be fine, right?"

Everyone's eyes subconsciously focused on Seito Suzuki.

Suzuki Seito smiled while holding a cup of hot tea.

That smile showed the most unwavering confidence of a veteran general in his elite troops on the eve of a decisive battle.

"Don't worry." He took a sip of tea, his voice gentle but powerful. "My friend from the projection department tipped me off last night. Our ratings are climbing steadily, so we don't have to worry about anything!"

"After all, the ratings for the early morning show never exceeded 3% before us, but now our ratings are 6.01%!"

This is the confidence of Seito Suzuki.

In the past, when has there ever been a program in the early morning that could break 6%?
You should know that the entire historical record of Neon’s late-night movie season is probably just the record of my own "Anzhiju"!

Thinking of this, he paused, looking at the young faces of the crowd that were full of expectations, and a deeper sense of relief and emotion flashed in his eyes.

"Also, I have two good news to announce."

The office suddenly became quiet.

"The first good news."

Suzuki Seito glanced at the crowd and said slowly, "The station has officially approved that the first season of our 'Anzhiju' will be handed over to the affiliated Kanto TV station in its entirety after the main broadcast. It will be rebroadcast on their Saturday night 9 o'clock 'Horror Theater'."

boom!
This news excited everyone more than any ratings figures.

Kanto TV! Saturday night at 9pm!

Even though it was just a subsidiary station, it was ranked among the top ten in terms of ratings in the entire Kanto region!

And Saturday night at 9 o'clock is the top time slot second only to the prime time at 8 o'clock!

This means that "Anzhiju" is no longer a small production that can only be admired in a corner late at night. It will truly move to a broader stage and be seen by more people!
"This... this is what Deputy Director Asumi meant," Suzuki Seito added, a subtle hint of gratitude in his voice. He knew that behind this was the former lord of Kanto TV, building a new world for these former employees of Kanto TV.

"Then...what about the second good news?" Beichuan Yao's eyes sparkled like two obsidians immersed in water.

An even brighter smile appeared on Suzuki Seito's face.

"The second good news is—" He deliberately stretched out his voice, enjoying the eager anticipation of everyone: "The production department has officially approved the plan for the second season of 'Dark Zhiju'! Moreover, this time, our broadcast time slot will be late at night at 11 pm! The station will also provide us with corresponding promotional resources!"

“Oooooohh ...

This time, the office erupted in cheers.

From the unpopular garbage time slot to the highly anticipated late-night slot! This is no longer a simple upgrade, it is a leap in class!
"Wait..." Beichuan Yao suddenly remembered something, and her joy was mixed with a hint of doubt: "Section Chief, isn't Iwata's class's 'Kibo Samurai' on at 11 o'clock right now?"

Upon hearing this, Suzuki Seito's lips curled up in a meaningful arc.

Hashijitsu Ichiro answered for him, "Onibo Samurai was only contracted for its first season, which also only lasted two weeks. Furthermore, its ratings have been declining, and the production costs are very high. I guess the production team decided to cancel Onibo Samurai after weighing their options."

"Yeah, that's right." Suzuki Seito chuckled. He didn't know much about this, but he knew it must be due to a fight between the upper classes.

But then he changed the subject, looked at everyone, and his eyes became serious: "By then, in order to fill the time gap, our "Anzhiju" will be changed to broadcasting two episodes a day. In other words, our production pressure will be twice as great as it is now."

However, at this moment, everyone has already been overwhelmed by the huge sense of happiness and no longer cares about the word "pressure".

"no problem!"

"We can do it!"

Everyone's face was filled with a passion and enthusiasm for devoting themselves to a great cause.

However, Suzuki Seito looked at Nohara Hiroshi and said with some respect: "Then, Nohara-kun, you... should be fine, right?"

The smiles on everyone's faces suddenly froze.

Minamimura Hoshi and Hasegawa Rin, who had just been cheering that they could do it, now looked embarrassed and shrank back. After all, it's easy to shout, but the real producer and creator of "Yamishibai" is Hiroshi Nohara. "Yeah, no problem." Hiroshi Nohara nodded with a smile, his face relaxed: "Everything is fine."

"What a real man!" Nancun Xing, Changse Luzou and Beichuan Yao all exclaimed in surprise.

Looking at Nohara Hiroshi, I admire him even more.

Even Suzuki Seito and Hashiji Ichiro were deeply moved when they looked at Nohara Hiroshi at this time. Especially seeing his young appearance, they couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

Especially Hashijitaro, his eyes flickered with a special jealousy because Nohara Hiroshi was ten years younger than him.

Now it is so successful...

Hashijitaro lowered his head to hide the jealousy in his eyes: "Maybe, I can succeed in the future?" He thought about his failure in getting promoted to a third-level director, and felt more and more depressed.

However, the conversation in the classroom continued and the overall atmosphere was quite good.

"Oh, right, Section Chief!" Nancun Xing seemed to have remembered something crucial. There was a slight tremor in his voice, a longing for the upcoming glory. "This afternoon... this month's 'No. 1' will be announced, right? We... should be fine, right?"

"Ichiban"!
These two words, like a spell, instantly silenced everyone in the office.

This is more than just a title or a bonus.

This is the highest recognition of a production team's efforts and talents over a month. It will be recorded in their personal files and become the most shining medal in their future careers.

Hiroshi Nohara also stopped writing, raised his head and looked at Seito Suzuki.

He didn't care about the bonus, but he needed the resume.

After all, this honor is the most solid stepping stone for him to break free from the identity of "intern"!

"Ah."

Looking at the expectant eyes of the crowd, Suzuki Seito's face showed unprecedented confidence.

"Don't worry." He waved his hand, as if he had already grasped the honor in his hands: "We deserve the 'number one' in the early morning time slot. As for the 'number one' in the animation..."

He chuckled, and in that smile, there was a kind of pride that belonged to a winner that could not be questioned.

"This month, besides us, who else deserves these two words?"

Suddenly everyone burst into laughter.

……

However, fate, the most brilliant playwright, always mercilessly presents the most unexpected twist just when you think the plot is about to end happily.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, when Ling Guanqingdou walked out of the conference room that decided the fate of countless people, the confidence and pride on his face had disappeared without a trace.

Instead, there is a gloomy feeling after being defeated by the absurd reality.

He returned to the classroom and, without saying a word, slammed the two documents that had just been issued on the table.

Everyone gathered around.

On the first document, it was written in bold black letters - "April's early morning program 'No. 1': "Anzhiju"."

"It's indeed the first one!"

"Isn't this great?!"

There was a brief cheer in the office.

But everyone's eyes quickly fell on the second document.

On it, written in bold black letters, it said -

"The first of April's late night 11 o'clock shows: Onibo Samurai".

"April's top animated show: Onibo Samurai."

(End of this chapter)