Japanese Entertainment: A Comeback Beginning from Bankrupt President

three…

two…

When his mind was clear, Amano Aki, who had been preparing for a long time, opened his throat and began to sing the familiar song "Reminiscences Like a Tide".

Four years ago, when she was still with Watanabe Entertainment, this song accompanied her on the stage of NHK's year-end program, the Kohaku Uta Gassen. But after that performance, Aki Amano never sang this song again.

Few people remember that she once sang this song, but she can't forget the melody.

Her voice trembled slightly as she sang the first line of the song, but by the time she got to the chorus, Amano Aki had put aside all those irrelevant emotions and devoted herself entirely to the performance.

Unbeknownst to her, Kazama Yumi's eyes gradually brightened.

After the song was finished, she couldn't help but applaud Amano Aki: "Great voice, great emotion. Watanabe Entertainment wasted their time only making her into TV movies. She's a rough gem and should be properly polished."

"Nayami-nee..."

Kazuya Sawashiro saw a glimmer of hope, but before he could finish speaking, he was met with a bucket of cold water.

"But..." Kazama Yumi stopped clapping, bent down and pressed the microphone switch, "The technique is too bad. Even if famous teachers write lyrics and arrange music for you, and you hire a professional sound engineer to produce it, you still can't sell 100 CDs."

Kazama Yumi's voice echoed in the recording studio, and cold water was poured over Amano Aki's head, chilling her to the bone.

"I know, I don't know how to sing, so..." Amano Aki mustered up his courage and looked up at Kazama Yumi, who was scrutinizing him from behind the wall. He opened his mouth for a long time but couldn't say a word of pleading.

So please help me...

She couldn't bring herself to say it, worried that she would be rejected again, since this had been happening for the past four years.

Amano Aki slowly closed her mouth, but Sawashiro Kazuya, who was standing opposite her, spoke up: "So please help her. This is my request. I hope you can make a decision as soon as possible after careful consideration."

Time waits for no one.

It's already the end of June, and Kazuya Sawashiro is still thinking about having Aki Amano participate in the summer music festival to be held in Odaiba in August.

In the afternoon, Kazuya Sawashiro naturally didn't spend all his time contacting the fan club. He learned about this annual music festival in China from the internet. It attracted a lot of attention from people inside and outside the music industry, and its popularity was enormous.

Most importantly, newcomer singers like Aki Amano also have a chance to participate.

This stems from the organizers' encouragement of new singers.

Among the participation rules, there is a special rule for newcomers: after registering for this event, if a singer's work is listed on mainstream music charts at home and abroad within a time limit specified by the organizer, or receives a certain number of downloads, they can perform on stage as a special guest.

These rules are difficult for newcomers, but they don't completely eliminate the possibility of success.

If Kazama Yumi is willing to help them, Sawashiro Kazuya can save a lot of time to do more thorough preparation, and their chances of performing on stage will be greater.

Kazama Yumi turned around, first glancing at Sawashiro Kazuya who had begged her, then at Amano Aki, who was bent over in the recording studio. After a moment's thought, she spoke calmly into the microphone: "I can help you, but you have to obey me completely. Do whatever I tell you to do. Can you do that?"

"Yes!" Amano Aki suddenly raised his head and shouted out his thoughts, "I'll do anything you ask, as long as you're willing to help me."

"You don't need to be so sure, nor do you need to make it sound so simple..." Kazama Yumi raised her hand, already having her answer in her heart, "I just want you to embarrass yourself on the streets of Shibuya, after all, I'm not a bad person."

"Shibuya streets? Could it be?" Kazuya Sawashiro vaguely guessed the answer.

Kazama Yumi didn't keep them in suspense and answered Sawashiro Kazuya's question: "That's right, it's street performance. Outside Shibuya Station, where there are many people coming and going, you express all your joys and sorrows through singing."

After saying that, Kazama Yumi turned her gaze to Amano Aki and asked her in a deep voice, "So? A former Academy Award Best Actress has been reduced to singing on the streets. Are you really willing to do something so shameful?"

Amano Aki remained silent for a while in the recording studio.

She had almost forgotten that she had won the Academy Award for Best Actress and was once a highly anticipated newcomer. Now, thanks to Kazama Yumi's reminder, she realized that she had nothing left.

It's just singing on the street, what's the big deal?

"Why not if it's something useful?" Amano Aki asked with a smile, showing no fear on his face.

Kazama Yumi was deeply moved.

She turned to Kazuya Sawashiro and asked him the same question again: "And you? What do you think?"

"You're the expert in this area, I'll listen to you." Kazuya Sawashiro moved a chair over so that Yumi Kazama could sit in the instructor's seat.

Kazama Yumi nodded in satisfaction and instructed the two, "Then go to the police station in front of the station to apply for a street performance permit. We'll need it tomorrow night. And the one inside can come out now. The recording studio isn't a place for you to cry..."

"Yes, I'm sorry..."

Amano Aki rushed out, afraid that not a single tear would fall on the recording studio floor. She returned to Sawashiro Kazuya's side and listened attentively to Kazama Yumi's further instructions.

As a professional producer, Kazama Yumi has learned a lot about vocal music from a young age, and she is now telling Amano Aki some songs that are very suitable for newcomers.

As for more details, we'll have to wait until the vocal coach at the recording studio comes to work tomorrow, then play the recording for him and get his professional feedback.

As for having Aki Amano perform on the street, the purpose was to train Aki Amano's live performance skills.

After explaining the arrangements, Kazama Yumi also revealed an industry secret to Sawashiro Kazuya: "Remember what I told you this morning? I'm working with Watanabe Entertainment on a multinational girl idol group. They'll be releasing their debut single in early August, barring any unforeseen circumstances. I don't know if this will be helpful to you."

"An idol? Early August..." Kazuya Sawashiro suddenly sensed that something was very wrong.

This is not good news. Given Watanabe Entertainment's size, they will definitely promote the product across all sectors before and after its release, which may draw away some of the streaming traffic.

My own Shiba Inu bumped into that unreasonable big black bear; I can only imagine it was cosplaying as an after-dinner snack.

"Thank you, this is very useful information." Kazuya Sawashiro stopped joking and stood up to say goodbye to Yumi Kazama. "I think I need to go back and check the information on that group and re-examine the current plan. See you tomorrow."

"There's another piece of news: they seem to be going for a K-pop style." Kazama Yumi smiled and waved.

She watched quietly as Kazuya Sawashiro led Aki Amano away. Once she was sure they were really far away, she took out her phone, opened her call log, and dialed back the unfamiliar number that had called her that afternoon.

"It's me, Kazama."

"..."

"They came and wanted to borrow my recording studio to mentor Amano, so he could start over as a singer. I refused their request because I lacked talent."

"..."

"Is this alright? If I give you serious guidance, it's not impossible for Nao to debut as a singer." As a professional music producer, Kazama Yumi said this with absolute confidence in her abilities, and she was definitely not joking.

After she finished speaking, there was another burst of laughter on the other end of the phone.

"Hahaha..." After the laughter came a sudden chill. "So what if she debuts as a singer? The best way to ruin someone is not to destroy everything about them from the beginning, but to kick them back to the bottom just as they are about to reach their destination."

A chill emanated from the phone, quickly seeping into her entire body, causing Kazama Yumi to shiver involuntarily.

She didn't speak, and the person on the other end of the phone didn't stop: "Kazama, from now on you still need to do your job as a spy well. Tell me everything those two are doing. Only in this way can you protect everything we have now, understand?"

"I see."

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