America: My Time

Chapter 192 John's Guidance

Chapter 192 John's Guidance
When John frowned, Riko noticed and vaguely understood why. Naturally, she wouldn't give Kondo Masahiko, that ignorant bastard, a friendly look or any leeway, and bluntly said, "What are you doing here? You're not welcome here!"

Faced with Riko's rebuke, Kondo Masahiko's expression changed repeatedly. He wanted to retort, but he didn't have the courage. Riko had the powerful Akio Morita behind her, and if he angered this big shot, even Johnny's Entertainment couldn't protect him. However, he was unwilling to leave in such a dejected manner. The scene instantly became awkward, causing the group of beauties to frown and feel utter contempt for this shameless bastard!

When Naoko saw this awkward situation, she kindly stepped in to defuse the crisis, saying softly, "Riko-nee, it's okay, don't be angry. He didn't mean it; he didn't notice there were so many ladies here!"

This is Naoko's character. Even when wronged, she doesn't hold grudges and instead remembers the other person's good points. Although Kondo Masahiko is a jerk, Naoko had worked with him quite a bit and was fairly familiar with him, so she instinctively stepped in to defuse the crisis. This is what John likes most about Naoko—a woman like that would never betray him!

At this moment, Kondo Masahiko quickly accepted Naoko's offer and left to avoid losing face or causing unnecessary trouble. After all, this party was not ordinary and he could not act recklessly!
Japanese people value face very much, but not so much for that bastard Masahiko Kondo. You can't see a single good thing about him; he's got all the worst traits of a Japanese person.

After watching Kondo Masahiko leave, Riko said, "I really don't know what to say to you. Why bother with such a despicable person? He's not worth your pity at all!"

As a veteran in the industry, Riko knows many things Naoko doesn't. Kondo Masahiko's current position isn't as simple as it seems on the surface. The internal power struggles within Johnny's are far more intense than the outside world realizes. Kondo Masahiko's ability to obtain the most resources from this situation naturally involves many untold secrets! For an older woman to repeatedly protect him and provide him with such substantial support, it's hard to believe there isn't something shady going on behind the scenes!
However, all of this was well hidden and unknown to outsiders. Not everyone has the opportunity like Naoko, who suddenly met a big shot like John and treated her so well, and her status and position changed instantly!

In the entertainment industry, many people experience repeated failures before finally seeing a glimmer of hope for success. Moreover, the situation is particularly tragic for artists without powerful connections, especially in Japan. Naoko was a prime example; she was constantly bullied by her agency and forced to follow their arrangements, becoming a beautiful public relations professional. Fortunately, the outcome was ultimately positive.

The Japanese entertainment industry is more chaotic and even more insane than Hollywood. Hollywood is about transactions, but Japanese agencies exploit their artists, and this exploitation is extremely terrible. Many artists have lost money and ended up with nothing. Not everyone is as lucky as Naoko!

In Riko's eyes, Naoko is incredibly lucky to have found such a perfect backer. John's way of handling things shows that he is a person who values ​​relationships. As long as Naoko doesn't make any big mistakes, there won't be any problems in the future. Moreover, Riko can see things very clearly; John really likes Naoko!

"Mr. John, you seem to really dislike that guy?" Riko hesitated for a moment before finally asking. She wasn't just asking for herself, but more for Naoko's sake. Riko had seen John's expression before she spoke up and berated Kondo Masahiko, calling him a despicable and shameless scoundrel. Of course, "scoundrel" is an understatement; "scum" is the best word to describe him!

"I wouldn't say I hate him, I'd just say I don't like him. What happened before left me with a very bad impression of him. Regardless of any conflict between him and Hideki Saijo, Hideki Saijo has a very good impression of me. If there's a conflict between them, I'll naturally side with Hideki Saijo. Besides, this guy doesn't seem like a good person!"

John's words startled Riko and surprised everyone present. No one had expected such a reason, especially Naoko, who instantly understood Riko's intention: he was teaching her how to handle problems. There was no need to pity a jerk like Kondo Masahiko; being a pushover wasn't always a good thing, and sometimes it could become a source of trouble. Seeing everyone's surprised expressions, John smiled calmly and said, "Alright, don't worry about these little things! This party is the most relaxed one I've ever had. Don't be so tense, don't feel pressured, just relax. It'll make me uncomfortable too. Relax and don't put pressure on yourselves!"

John was telling the truth. At the previous parties, there had been various incidents, and he had always handled them with caution and discretion. Although he had a meeting with Akio Morita at this party, it hadn't put too much pressure on him, and the Japanese had hidden their schemes well, at least not affecting him.

Not everyone can relax and be at ease in front of a big shot like John! However, John's words stirred something in Yoshie Kashiwabara's heart. The competition among idols in Japan is extremely fierce, and Yoshie Kashiwabara's situation is not very good. The company's positioning for her is very vague, which has caused many problems, making Yoshie Kashiwabara somewhat distressed. The big shot in front of her is a master in the industry. If she can get his guidance, perhaps she can get out of her predicament!

Others might not know John's songwriting abilities, but Yoshie Kashiwabara does, given that she and Naoko Naoko are both from Osaka and have a close relationship. Since Naoko Naoko moved to Japan last year, John has been handling all of her album production. Her albums have seen phenomenal success in Japan, rivaling even Seiko Matsuda's, and have also gained popularity in Europe and America, transforming her from an idol into a truly accomplished singer!
Then, Yoshie Kashiwabara asked, "Mr. John, what preparations should we make if we want to transition from idols? How can we avoid falling into a popularity crisis?"

"Transformation is not something that can be explained in a few words. Transformation for idols is not a trivial matter; a slight misstep can end in failure and ruin one's popularity. To transform, you first need the strong support of your agency and a large amount of resources as a backing. Otherwise, it's all just empty talk, and a hasty transformation will only destroy your popularity! The Japanese record market is shrinking, so if you want to transform, you can start with acting. If you need resources, you can contact Naoko. TV Tokyo and Nikkatsu Studios still have quite a few opportunities!"

Speaking of career transitions, John couldn't help but think of Naoko. Without his intervention, Naoko's situation would have been much worse; she would have been ruined by her agency. In the fiercely competitive world of Japanese idols, countless people have failed in their transitions and fallen from grace.

John's advice regarding Yoshie Kashiwabara's situation is quite suitable: while her popularity remains, she should participate in more movies and TV dramas to maintain her popularity and enhance her abilities. However, this requires resources. Such resources are not something that ordinary agencies can provide. Yoshie Kashiwabara's agency has very limited capabilities, which is a common problem for small agencies—they have too few resources at their disposal and can only offer their idols too few opportunities.

Without sufficient resources, idols have a very low margin for error, and the chances of a successful career transition are slim. Of course, there are some lucky ones who don't have this problem at all; they can perfectly transition with just one opportunity. However, such lucky individuals are rare; most fail. Especially in a highly competitive environment like Japan, without enough resources, it's easy to fail and fall into a popularity crisis.

Once an idol loses popularity, the agency will gradually abandon her and focus its energy and resources on other idols instead of fully supporting them and giving them new opportunities. This is especially true for smaller agencies, which don't have the resources to spare.

Yoshie Kashiwabara was well aware of the risks of transitioning, but her current situation was delicate and her positioning unclear. This was the weakness of a small agency: too much anxiety and limited resources. If things continued this way, she would soon fade into obscurity in the fiercely competitive idol scene. The golden age for Japanese female idols is only a few years. If she couldn't complete the transition within these limited years, her future development would inevitably be hindered, and she would gradually disappear from the crowd!
John didn't know much about Yoshie Kashiwabara; if he had to name a song he was most familiar with, it would be her favorite. He was also very knowledgeable about the entertainment industry, and he knew that if he were to send a song to Kashiwabara under these circumstances, it would inevitably cause misunderstandings, which was definitely not the outcome he wanted.

Although he wanted to deceive those old guys, he didn't want to use such despicable means, using a woman as bait. He wasn't that shameless! Just like when he was fighting Warner, he gave up the idea of ​​using Nakamori Akina. Using a woman to achieve his plan was something he couldn't accept!
(End of this chapter)