America: My Time

Chapter 981 Amazing Layout
Chapter 951 An Astounding Plan
Although he had stirred up hatred between the Japanese and the oil capital, John wasn't arrogant enough to think that his enemies would necessarily do as he wished. After all, this was no small matter, and the other side wasn't so easily trusted. Most importantly, even if the Japanese wanted to be his enemy, they had to be cautious. So John was still willing to complete his plans in Japan first, to complete his plans in the anime industry, to turn Akihabara into an anime district, and to obtain the benefits he wanted.

"What? You want a Saint Seiya figure set too? Uncle, are you sure? The real-life version?" John was shocked when he received his uncle's call. He never expected that his uncle was also a Saint Seiya manga enthusiast!
"I'm sure you won't be reluctant to part with it, will you?"

Upon hearing his uncle's teasing words, John laughed heartily and said, "Uncle, how could I begrudge such a small thing? Don't worry, I'll get you the most perfect set of figurines, you'll definitely be satisfied!"

A set of live-action figures is nothing to John. Originally, John only wanted to make two sets, one as the town's treasure and the other for his own collection. Now John felt that he could make three sets, and he should make three of the best live-action figures, especially the twelve Gold Cloths, which should be made of gold-copper alloy to ensure hardness and achieve his purpose. The Silver Cloths should be made of real silver, and the Bronze Cloths should not be made of bronze, but also alloyed, with copper making up the majority. Such a crazy idea appeared in John's mind, and he happened to have the ability to complete it.

When he heard John's request, Matsumoto Taro was stunned once again. He never expected his boss to be so crazy, overturning the previous plan and making such an insane decision in just a few days.

"Boss, it's not that I don't want to create such exquisite figurines, but I simply don't have the resources. It requires too many precious metals. If it were just gold plating, that would be fine, but if we're using an alloy, the amount of gold and silver needed would be far too much. Even banks wouldn't sell us that much gold and silver!"

"Don't worry, I've already made arrangements. Standard Chartered Bank will provide you with enough gold and silver, that's not a problem. What I want is an absolutely perfect figurine, one that will satisfy and amaze everyone. Phoenix Group doesn't need to pay for it; I will personally cover the cost. One of the three sets will be Phoenix Group's labor fee, and I will take the other two sets with me!"

"Boss, a finished product like this takes time, at least a year to make. After all, your requirements are too crazy, and such craftsmanship requires a master craftsman!"

"Don't worry, I can wait. However, creating limited edition figures also requires personnel, so you need to make arrangements for that as soon as possible. If you want to become famous overnight and complete our plan, you will need to put in more effort! Phoenix Group can establish a high-end figure company to create these limited edition and valuable figures!"

When Matsumoto Taro heard John's words, he was moved. What the company had in abundance was talent, including master-level talent. Moreover, this was a good thing for the company, as it would eliminate any worries about high-end figures.

Soon, news of Phoenix Group's plan to create lifelike figurines spread among the upper echelons of Japan. After all, it wasn't a secret; anyone with a little effort could find out. Moreover, John clearly hadn't intended to keep it a secret. As for Standard Chartered Bank, they had already airlifted some of the necessary precious metals to Japan.

And so, a high-end figure company was added to the Phoenix Group, directly under Phoenix Comics, and it recruited master craftsmen. This caused a huge stir in Japan. Everyone was shocked by John's crazy idea. A whole set of live-action figures would be left in Akihabara as a local treasure, while the other two sets would be collected by John personally. How crazy was that?

"What a madman! How much gold and silver would this consume? Even if it's an alloy, it's insane! Not to mention the labor costs, these precious metals alone are not a small amount. Only this guy could do it. As a mining giant, we don't lack these precious metals at all. If we were to buy them from the market, it would still take a lot of effort!"

"Perhaps. I heard that John, that madman, even wants to have a bronze elephant made for Standard Chartered Bank, saying it brings good fortune!"

"Let's not concern ourselves with this. What he does is his own business. What we want is for him to succeed in his Akihabara project. Judging from his current frenzy, the chances of success are high. If he really creates a set of large-scale, life-size figures, the impact will be extraordinary!" Soon, the Japanese guys understood why John was acting so high-profile. He wanted prestige and wanted anime fans all over the world to know that there was such a set of large-scale, life-size figures in Akihabara, and that they were incredibly valuable. With such an allure, Akihabara would become a holy land among anime fans worldwide.

“You guys are saying why no one thought of this before, why no one thought of doing this? I think we should learn from John, that little fox. In terms of brand value, the surrounding environment, and even the reputation, we are far behind John. Not to mention this matter, his creation of the shopping mall was really amazing!”

"That's true, but no one expected the bubble to burst so quickly, plunging many of us into difficulties. We are all affected by the pressure from these shopping malls. The decline in real estate prices has caused us heavy losses, and we see no hope of recovery. Even if there is a possibility of recovery, how long will it take for us to recoup our previous investments? If possible, I would like to sell those shopping malls I own."

"What's the use of thinking about it? Who's willing to accept it now? Back then, some people were laughing at John for selling his real estate so easily. But now it seems he was right. Although Mr. John didn't sell his assets at the peak of the real estate market, he still made a fortune. And no one can predict the market. Even though he sold a bit early, it's still much better than us leaving them stuck with us."

"That's right. Seibu Group is in the worst situation right now. Yoshiaki Tsutsumi is really desperate. The bursting of the real estate bubble has affected him the most. He's been trying to get loans from banks all along. But look at Mandarin Oriental Group, they got out unscathed and weren't affected by the bursting of the bubble. Now they're making a comeback. That's the difference. Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's vision is indeed good, but he only saw the beginning and didn't see the dangerous consequences."

"In retrospect, we were too greedy. We were blinded by the profits brought by the real estate bubble. Mr. John mentioned more than once that the real estate market in Japan was too crazy, but none of us listened. Even that old guy Akio Morita, who was closest to John, didn't listen and got caught up in the real estate bubble too!"

"Akio Morita is much better than us. At least the convenience stores he took over are a good business now. If he weren't so greedy and insisted on investing heavily in real estate, he could have expanded the convenience store business even further. After all, it's a lucrative business. Look at 7-Eleven now; it has expanded again and is once again spread throughout cities and towns in Japan. In this respect, one has to admire Mr. John's vision and strategic planning. Everyone thought his numerous factories in China and Southeast Asia were too extravagant, but now these factories have become the solid foundation for 7-Eleven and other retail businesses. The shipping business between Australia and Russia is still continuing and has not been affected in any way."

"I heard that old man Akio Morita intends to sell his shopping mall, but I don't know if it's true. Also, this guy wants to have some exchanges with the Japanese entertainment industry. I wonder what he's up to!"

"What are they doing? Naturally, they're eyeing the US market. After all, Sony acquired Columbia Pictures, making them a Hollywood giant, and Panasonic acquired Disney, also making them a Hollywood giant. They want to increase their influence in North America, so naturally they want to go further and unite with Japanese media and entertainment. Moreover, this guy has always wanted major corporations to support his plans."

"That's just wishful thinking. Nobody has the energy to support them right now. Their influence in North America is negligible. After all, they don't have any involvement in television networks, and their influence in the media is limited. Even if there were to be a collaboration, it would be Phoenix Media and Legendary Entertainment, since they are the most powerful!"

"Now that Akio Morita wants to expand in North America again, isn't that putting pressure on us? If those damned oil capitalists find out, they'll put even more pressure on us. Sony and Panasonic don't have the power of Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media. Those two groups are truly world-class media giants, and their power is incomparable to theirs! If there's a need for publicity, everyone would rather choose to cooperate with those two groups. Look at the benefits of Toyota, who wouldn't be tempted!"

"That's true, but we can't rely on Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group forever. After all, they're not forces we control. If possible, we should support Sony and Panasonic, since they are the forces we truly control. Like an iron ore mine, if it's not under our control, it's dangerous. This lesson is the best illustration of that!"

(End of this chapter)