Flying over the bubble era

Chapters 1569 and 1570: Destined to be Enemies
The love of the audience can nurture a star. But to become a superstar, one must be prepared to absorb the hatred of the audience.

This awareness is not simply about enduring negative comments from the public, but about accepting that the public might hate you for your own sake, even if their actual actions are an expression of malice under the guise of "liking."

Creating a super idol is essentially no different from creating a god.

This era is filled with hatred and defensiveness; it is the era most prone to creating gods.

God is the embodiment of love and hate.

But the most important thing about becoming a god is not being loved by believers, but giving believers an outlet for their hatred, granting them the legal basis to condense their hatred into weapons to attack, and bearing the consequences of this era on behalf of believers.

……

The promotional procedures for launching a heavyweight newcomer are already well-known. Huge budgets, all available promotional connections, and a determination to make her known to everyone in Japan as soon as possible.

GENZO has extensive experience in these areas.

With funding and connections secured, everything proceeded smoothly. Television stations and newspapers/magazines were all taken care of, and agreements were reached with advertisers to secure debut endorsements for Ayumi Hamasaki through zero-compensation and buy-one-get-one-free deals, ensuring she shone brightly from the very first moment she appeared on stage.

All that's needed to launch a "star" has been done. With her debut imminent, Ayumi Hamasaki has no shortage of high-quality records, promotion, or exquisite packaging. The only thing she lacks is an enemy.

The pre-debut discussion meetings were held time and time again. With Ayumi Hamasaki's talent and GENZO's resources, becoming popular was inevitable. But Shinichi Iwahashi was not pursuing something as simple as "becoming popular".

No matter how much he perfected the debut plan, there was always a feeling that it wasn't enough. Until this moment, sensing the breath of a new era, Shinichi Iwahashi finally found the decisive piece among a pile of fragments.

Without enough and strong enough enemies, intense hatred cannot be formed.

As a bond, hate is stronger than love. Hate needs an object; the more external enemies there are, the more severe the situation, the more united the internal forces, and the more loyal the audience.

Celebrities are thus nourished. The stronger their own image, the more they attract audiences.

After discussing the matter with Mayumi Watanabe, Shinichi Iwahashi made it clear at the next meeting: "We are going to wage a full-scale war against BURNING."

His words left the people in the meeting room stunned.

Only Watanabe Mayumi remained calm.

"This is the best time to start the war. Namie Amuro is Ayumi Hamasaki's enemy, and BURNING is GENZO's enemy. We must push forward Ayu's debut with this kind of awareness."

Without a strong rival, Ayumi Hamasaki would not have been able to ascend to the throne of a superstar.

The relationships between the record companies representing these young female celebrities of similar age are delicate. Moreover, Namie Amuro's debut was predicated on BURNING disrupting Tetsuya Komuro's collaboration with GENZO.

In every respect, these two girls are destined enemies.

Even though they have never met, the power struggles at the top have made them destined rivals. And choosing Namie Amuro as their adversary means a direct confrontation with the BURNING group in terms of publicity.

There is no better moment than this to openly and fairly challenge BURNING to a duel.

A new era is bound to arrive. Whether we stand by and watch or seize the opportunity to join in, a fierce reshuffling is inevitable once new forms of mass media emerge.

Shinichi Iwahashi's gaze, even if it only glances towards the future, doesn't want to linger too long on those stale relationships.

Suo Ikuo is an enemy that must be defeated.

He defeated him head-on, stripping him of his domineering authority. From that moment on, this man was no longer worthy of Shinichi Iwahashi's attention. Shinichi Iwahashi's decisive move shocked those around him with his aggressive display, but now, they had no choice but to side with him.

Going forward, any promotional activities related to Ayumi Hamasaki will intentionally or unintentionally link her to the "battle against Namie Amuro".

However, in reality, Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro do not share the same musical style. That's precisely why this promotional method is suitable.

As practitioners, we should never truly put the audience in a situation where they have to choose between two options.

Because the audience is unburdened and free, they are able to surrender their emotions and willingly become part of the mob.

……

After the meeting ended, Watanabe Mayumi did not leave.

She waited until the people involved left before approaching Shinichi Iwahashi: "I really don't know why you said all this."

Shinichi Iwahashi said in a serious tone, "I still have something to say."

This time, Watanabe Mayumi truly showed surprise.

What else do you want to do?

The conflict with BURNING means that the two companies will directly compete for resources and openly vie for dominance in program schedules. If necessary, if Ikuo Suo uses the Yamaguchi-gumi, Shinichi Iwahashi will counter with the Inagawa-kai.

Under such circumstances, whatever Iwahashi Shinichi kept hidden was enough to surprise Watanabe Mayumi.

"There aren't enough enemies yet."

Shinichi Iwahashi truly did not disappoint Mayumi Watanabe. After hearing this, she waited a moment before commenting, "It's a good thing he didn't say something like that at the meeting."

"I always tell you the scary things first..." He was also interested in joking.

Watanabe Mayumi was amused by his absurd reaction—partly out of exasperation. Nevertheless, her attention remained focused on the previous sentence.

"enemy?"

“It would be boring with only Namie Amuro. Mayumi-san, we are actually setting up a super-sized entertainment, and Ayu is the unshakable center, but if there is only one opponent, the visual stimulation is not so strong.”

Watanabe Mayumi was somewhat fascinated by these words. "I've never heard of such a promotional method before." No, that's not it. No one but Iwahashi Shinichi would think of such an absurd idea.

"I really hope that other companies will also introduce more strong newcomers, and that more interesting rivals will emerge," said Shinichi Iwahashi.

At this moment, it is a very short-sighted idea to try to hold all the good cards in your hand.

Once the balance is broken, the sense of competition disappears. Therefore, Ayumi Hamasaki, who was essentially guaranteed a championship, lost the possibility of being adored by the public.

Shinichi Iwahashi smiled slightly. "I think Komuro-san can be of great help. ... In this new era, others may be unaware, or they may stand by and watch coldly, or they may be on guard. Only Komuro-san will show interest at the first moment."

This person's ambition will lead him to utter ruin. But until then, only those with such ambition can generate more buzz in the industry.

Watanabe Mayumi's expression was subtle: "Does Komuro-san know how much help I can give you?"