Japanese Entertainment: A Comeback Beginning from Bankrupt President

[Professionals with film production experience are welcome to contact us...]

"What do you think they're planning? They're not really going to make a movie, are they?" In the office, Watanabe Sōta closed his laptop and scrutinized his secretary standing in front of the desk. "Although Amano Aki's Best Actress award was partly due to her own abilities, her talent is still recognized by the audience. Yoshioka Yuko might not be able to win in terms of acting skills."

Watanabe Souta couldn't resist the urge to do something naughty.

As Aki Amano's former boss, he knew Aki Amano's personal abilities, and as Yuko Yoshioka's mentor, he also knew Yuko Yoshioka's abilities.

If the two actresses were to play the same role in the same script, Amano Aki would definitely shine.

This isn't Watanabe Sōta praising Amano Aki, nor is it belittling his own artists. It's just a judgment he made after calm consideration, simply because Amano Aki has had a few more years of being sidelined compared to Yoshioka Yuko.

Setbacks were not a bad thing for her; they were merely a catalyst that helped her grow.

The secretary sensed something was amiss.

He could understand to some extent, after all, not long ago, Amano Aki, with that little-known Ayase, gave Watanabe Souta a resounding slap in the face, utterly crushing the idol group he led.

But movies and music are different.

Even if it's a script used for practice, it's still a theme that has been tested by the market and will resonate with the audience.

"I think you can rest assured and not be affected by their actions. Let Yoshioka Yuko continue to do her own thing," the secretary said confidently, yet humbled in front of Watanabe Souta. "Without a good script, no matter how much they try, they won't get out of the way."

That's not how movies are made.

Grab some equipment, find a few extras, rent a place, and shoot a few scenes—that's something high school clubs do.

To get released and stand out from the competition, a good script and professional production staff are the foundation, good publicity and a strong cast are the driving force, and finally, it depends on whether there are any competing films being released at the same time. If you clash with other films, you will know what a headache it is.

Leaving aside other markets, let's just talk about the most important domestic market. If you release a film without considering the lunar calendar and deliberately clash with popular animated films based on popular IPs, then you're in for a bad time.

Animated films often gross billions at the box office, and a blockbuster film by a famous director can easily surpass 10 billion, something live-action films can't do.

Let's take a look at Amano Aki's lineup right now.

If the core production team needs to be found from outside, then it's inevitable that you won't find those professional and experienced masters, because most masters have full schedules and won't pay attention to these kinds of collaboration updates posted online.

As for actors, the most famous one is definitely just one person.

If the filming team wants to generate buzz, they'll definitely have to keep waving the Apple Japan banner, which many photographers are unlikely to be comfortable with, making the chances of them collaborating negligible.

Everyone has their own hobbies, and the more professional they are, the more they like to nitpick. Sometimes, they can even argue with the director backstage over a single shot.

Even if we assume that Aki Amano and Kazuya Sawashiro actually produced enough material for a movie, when it comes to editing and directing, the two most crucial aspects of a finished film, even if Sawashiro has the skills to edit music videos, can that compare to a movie?

The secretary must have done her homework before saying such things.

In his view, this was nothing more than a desperate struggle between Kazuya Sawashiro and Aki Amano, who, after realizing that the pressure from this side was beyond their ability to resist, thought of using this method to shine their last light.

"During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a strategist named Guo Jia. When his lord Cao Cao hesitated about whether he could fight against Yuan Shao, the hegemon of the north, he put forward the famous theory of ten victories and ten defeats. This helped Cao Cao defeat Yuan Shao in one fell swoop and become the new hegemon of the north. I think it is the same now as before." The secretary quoted classics to consolidate Watanabe Sōta's confidence.

Of course, he considers himself a national hero.

Unfortunately, Watanabe Sōta preferred Zhuge Liang, but this didn't affect his mood much.

He nodded, tossed the file on Kazuya Sawashiro into the trash can, and said proudly, "I don't know who you're talking about, but we definitely have an absolute advantage in terms of the situation. This time, we must show those who are watching us that even without resorting to tricks, we can still crush them."

"Please leave it to me with confidence..."

...

at the same time.

Inside the haunted house investigation office, Aki Amano and Kazuya Sawashiro sat facing each other.

"Did you post this tweet? Why would you send a message like this? Do you know my inbox is about to explode?" Amano Aki opened Twitter and showed the tweet, which had been retweeted more than 2 times, to Sawashiro Kazuya.

She had no idea that the agency was suddenly looking for film production staff.

Although the agency's future is decided by the president, she is, after all, the agency's only artist, and the message was sent from her Twitter account, so Aki Amano felt she had the right to know.

With Kurosaki Takuya busy outside right now, we can only ask Sawashiro Kazuya.

"Calm down. I'll handle the spam. I'll teach those anonymous people who are being rude a lesson," Kazuya Sawashiro first calmed Aki Amano down before explaining to her, "Of course, these messages are for making a movie. We need a professional team, don't we?"

"Who are you making movies for?" Amano Aki asked, pointing to himself, knowing the answer already.

Kazuya Sawashiro stopped answering and nodded, then brought up something more important: "You should know Yuko Yoshioka, right? She's a few years younger than you and also has a sunny and innocent image. Watanabe Entertainment is planning to use her to openly replace you."

Their team is very professional and will definitely be able to produce more and better quality content. However, sticking to the established plan is definitely not feasible, so we need to speed things up to maintain our viewership, whether for actors or singers.

This time, I personally wrote the screenplay for the film, and you are the lead actress. We want everyone to know that you were once an artist, an outstanding artist who won the Best Actress award.

"Yes, yes, yes... Let me sort this out," Amano Aki's brain raced, and after thirty seconds she came to a conclusion, "You mean, we should bet our future on your unknown creative abilities?"

"Although your statement has a slightly negative connotation, it can be interpreted in this way."

"That's it," Amano Aki shrugged, showing the whites of his eyes to Sawashiro Kazuya. "The thought that the movie we're going to act in is just a short play at an elementary school talent show makes me feel like my life is completely dark. Do you feel that way?"

Look, he's being silly again.

Kazuya Sawashiro chuckled and flicked Aki Amano's forehead. "You can see the world as soon as you open your eyes. Of course you can't see the world if you roll your eyes."

"Hey... so from what you're saying, your scriptwriting skills are at a middle school level?" Amano Aki poked his head over, grinning mischievously at Sawashiro Kazuya.

Kazuya Sawashiro's smile was similar, tinged with a hint of pride. He raised his hand and said, "About the same, a little higher level."

"So... you're a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur)?"

"...I thought you would say high school, so I could proudly say that my level is as high as a college student."