Traveling Through the Tokyo Bubble Era

Chapter 998 The Cautious Hideki Hanyu

The last day of September.

While having breakfast, Hideki Hanyu received a call from Reiko Uemura in the Japanese assistant's office.

"Mr. Yuzuru, the news of you receiving the award at the United Nations headquarters has been broadcast in Japan, and the public reaction has been very enthusiastic..."

According to Reiko Uemura, after the news footage of him receiving the award was transmitted back to Japan, it pushed him into the center of attention for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

Nowadays, he has almost completely dominated radio and television as well as traditional print media.

The increased exposure from receiving the award also prompted media outlets that chase sales and viewership ratings to dig up and report on his other news stories.

After all, he's currently a hot topic, and he's very popular in Japan. Everyone likes to read his news, so the media naturally wants to report on him a lot.

What idols fail, what legendary entrepreneurial stories of starting from scratch?

What literary talent and romantic escapades, what fleeting pleasures among women?

Or perhaps some fabricated little stories that he himself didn't even know about.

Although he was somewhat annoyed, Hideki Yuzuru did not intend to pay any attention to it, nor did he intend to use any means to suppress it.

After all, it's perfectly normal for public figures to be reported by the media.

As for those gossip stories and scandals, Hideki Hanyu cares even less.

From beginning to end, he never established himself as a devoted and faithful man.

A playboy surrounded by beautiful women, a romantic philanderer—that's his image.

In this situation, no one in Japan would attack him for gossip or scandals; instead, they would enthusiastically discuss and enjoy it as a pastime.

However, after reporting on the public opinion situation, Uemura Reiko immediately changed the subject.

"Mr. Yuzuru, Atsushi Yamada, a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, came to my assistant's office to ask when you will return to Japan from America, and hopes to meet with you in person after your return."

Upon hearing Uemura Reiko's words, Hanyu Hideki on the other end of the phone showed a puzzled expression.

"Atsushi Yamada? A member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly? I don't think I've ever had any dealings with him before. And he doesn't seem to have any connection with us?"

Reiko Uemura replied, "Yes, Representative Atsushi Yamada had no prior dealings with us, and even publicly criticized you in the media when you were stripped of the Order of Culture."

Hideki Hanyu asked, "So, what does he want to do with me? Does he want me to forgive him?"

Reiko Uemura shook her head. "They didn't explain, they just wanted to meet you in person."

"strangeness……"

As Hideki Hanyu was wondering, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, as if he had guessed something.

“He attacked me on the issue of the Order of Culture. I think I know what he’s up to. Have someone investigate him and see if he has any connection with the Locust Chamber.”

Having worked for Hideki Hanyu for many years and accumulated a wealth of experience, Reiko Uemura seemed to realize something after hearing Hideki Hanyu's words and immediately agreed.

"I understand, Mr. Yuzuru."

Hideki Hanyu asked, "Is there anything else in Japan?"

Reiko Uemura replied, "There are still some itinerary arrangements I need to confirm with you, Hong Kong..."

Next, Reiko Uemura and Hideki Hanyu discussed the schedule and adjustments with Hideki Hanyu for a while before hanging up the phone.

After ending his call with Reiko Uemura, Hideki Hanyu gave an exclusive interview to the Australian ABC in his suite that morning.

In fact, after the awards ceremony yesterday, he completed exclusive interviews with mainstream media from various countries at the United Nations headquarters.

The reason I gave ABC a private interview today was, of course, to repay that beautiful reporter.

However, this female reporter, having received a bribe yesterday and the opportunity for an exclusive interview today, was still somewhat unsatisfied. After the interview, she flirted with the scumbag, clearly lusting after Hideki Hanyu.

The female reporter originally thought that Hideki Hanyu, being a playboy, would definitely not refuse.

However, Hideki Hanyu adopted a gentlemanly demeanor, rejecting the beautiful woman without hesitation and "politely" escorting her out of the suite.

Clearly, this female reporter only saw Hideki Hanyu's playboy side and didn't understand the real scumbag.

For Hideki Hanyu, unless they are beauties who live in his past life memories and have special significance, or beauties who are useful to him, he might spend time and money to collect them for a long time.

Other women, no matter how beautiful, are nothing more than casual participants in friendly matches.

Once he succeeds, the novelty wears off due to real-world experience, and he immediately forgets about it.

This beautiful reporter from ABC clearly belongs to the latter category.

Of course, besides losing interest in the beautiful reporter, another very important point is that Hideki Hanyu had other plans besides the interview today.

As for the arrangements, it was naturally an appointment with Peter Peterson to discuss investing in Broadway.

After lunch, Hideki Hanyu took a car to the agreed meeting place.

This place is located on 44th Street, the heart of Broadway, inside a coffee shop that looks quite old.

As you step into the store, the aroma of hand-ground coffee wafts over you.

Although Hideki Hanyu doesn't like drinking coffee, he doesn't dislike the taste.

After he gave his name, the waiter led him directly to the second floor.

Then he saw Peter Peterson, who had arrived earlier, in a semi-enclosed seat by the window.

Broadway actress Grace Hayes, who was present at the charity auction gala that evening, was sitting opposite Peter Peterson.

However, today the red-haired beauty has shed her evening gown from the banquet and is wearing an office lady suit with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on her nose.

She remains beautiful, but her appearance and temperament are quite different, possessing a unique charm.

Sitting there, she didn't look like a Broadway actress, but rather like a business elite who had just emerged from Wall Street.

Moreover, looking at Hideki Hanyu's outfit, the two are surprisingly compatible.

"I'm sorry to have kept Mr. Peter and Miss Grey waiting."

After approaching, Hideki Hanyu politely spoke first.

Peter Peterson and Grace Hayes stood up to greet them, saying things like, "You're welcome, we just arrived too."

After the two sides finished exchanging greetings, Hideki Hanyu sat down on the other side of the coffee table.

For a moment, the three of them were in different directions, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Hideki Hanyu looked at Peter Peterson on the left and Grace Hayes on the right, and felt that the relationship between the two was not simple.

It wasn't the relationship between the sugar daddy and the actress that he had guessed.

However, Hideki Yuzuru didn't care what their relationship was.

He's only here today to deal with Peter Peterson's Broadway investment project.

To be honest, he wasn't very keen on investing in this project.

The reason I agreed to Peter Peterson's request the night before last was mainly to appease him temporarily so that he could help Larry Fink gather information.

Of course, even without Larry Fink's request, he wouldn't refuse Peter Peterson on the spot to save face and maintain his relationship with him.

However, if he felt that Peter Peterson's project was worth investing in after today's discussion, he wouldn't mind putting some money into it.

So after sitting down and exchanging pleasantries, Hideki Hanyu got straight to the point, "Mr. Peter, I'm very interested in your investment products. Could you please give me a detailed introduction?"

"of course can."

Upon hearing that Hideki Hanyu was interested, Peter Peterson immediately took out product brochures and began to explain in detail to Hanyu the different investment portfolio products, how to invest specifically, and the expected returns after investment.

After listening, Hideki Hanyu realized that Peter Peterson's Broadway portfolio was not entirely a charade, but a very "solid" product.

They made very detailed preparations, including market research, investment composition, data on related industries, and future expectations.

Moreover, these product portfolios are larger and more expensive than Hideki Hanyu had anticipated.

Take, for example, the most expensive theater portfolio investment, which reached a staggering two hundred million US dollars.

If Hideki Hanyu were willing to pay such a high price, he could even invest in nineteen of the forty-one theaters on Broadway in one go.

These theaters are not only members of the Broadway Theatre League, but also include large, long-established theaters such as the Palace Theatre, the Hudson Theatre, and the Winter Garden Theatre.

Seeing these famous theaters on the investment list, Hideki Hanyu realized that Peter Peterson had exaggerated his claims.

That's the reality of Broadway today; it's not as wonderful as Peter Peterson described.

Clearly, like the theaters of England's West End, Broadway has entered a period of decline due to the times. As for the reasons for this decline?

It can only be said that things in this world never develop or operate independently, but are interconnected and mutually influential.

Beginning in the 1960s, America's booming television media impacted the film industry, forcing major Hollywood studios to shift towards big-budget productions and special effects, aiming to attract consumers back to theaters.

The emergence of large-scale action films and the birth of action movie stars have helped the film industry return to its former glory, but they have also inadvertently affected the traditional theater industry.

After all, no matter how exquisite the set design of a Broadway theater is, or how dedicated the actors' performances are, it can never compare to the visual impact that a giant screen brings to the audience.

Hideki Hanyu was well aware that the impact of big-budget action films on the theatrical market was only just beginning.

Universal Pictures is currently collaborating with James Cameron on Terminator 2.

And with the remuneration agreement about to be finalized with Steven Spielberg and the upcoming pre-production of "Jurassic Park," it will completely usher in the era of big special effects in film.

By then, no matter how hard Broadway tries, it won't be able to withstand the impact of Hollywood blockbusters.

Of course, Broadway will not decline as a result.

However, if you calculate the production costs of Broadway shows, the average production cost of a Broadway play is $300 million, while musicals range from $800 million to $1500 million depending on their size.

Such a high cost is equivalent to a mid-budget Hollywood film today.

With such costs, the production cycle for Broadway shows is no shorter than that of Hollywood movies, and often exceeds the production time of big-budget Hollywood productions.

It's common for production companies to prepare for some large-scale musicals for three or four years.

High costs and long production cycles are one thing, but their profitability is far inferior to that of Hollywood movies.

Not to mention that 80% of Broadway productions lose money, even if some shows are successful on Broadway and start touring, the profits are still far less than those of movies.

After all, how could the efficiency of a live performance possibly compare to that of a film projection?

Of course, these problems didn't just appear now; they existed long before Hollywood blockbusters emerged.

However, before being impacted by blockbuster films, market returns could barely support a virtuous cycle for theaters and production companies.

But the emergence of big-budget productions destroyed that last shred of hope.

Profit-driven capital fled quickly, preferring to invest in Hollywood film compilations rather than Broadway production companies, leaving only the support of Broadway show enthusiasts.

Then, due to a lack of funds to produce shows, the production companies had to produce an insufficient number of new shows on Broadway and could only perform old shows, which further led to a loss of audience and created a vicious cycle.

From this perspective, investing in Broadway today does not seem like a wise choice.

However, Hideki Hanyu, who knew the future well, knew that Broadway would receive the same script as London's West End.

Although Broadway's traditional operating mechanisms are no longer sustainable, changes in the international situation have led America to become a so-called "beacon."

Then, Broadway, as one of the representatives of lighthouse culture, was directly embraced by enthusiastic fans overseas, transforming from a simple cultural symbol into a "tourism" symbol to some extent.

This situation has emerged in recent years.

But what comes next is key.

With the departure of the Big Brother, the war in the Gulf has once again shocked the world, and this situation will be catalyzed to its limit.

Hollywood blockbusters are going global, sweeping the world and exporting American culture and values ​​at an alarming rate.

Broadway reaped huge benefits as a result, helping it enter another golden age despite the collapse of its original mechanisms.

Thinking about this, Hideki Hanyu suddenly became more interested in Peter Peterson's investment.

Entering the market during a downturn and riding the wave of a bull market will surely yield substantial returns.

Hideki Hanyu also realized that investing in Broadway would bring him far more than just direct monetary gains.

First, investing in Broadway would make it easier for him to acquire the film adaptation rights to Broadway shows.

Although the adaptation of Broadway shows has become less popular with the advent of blockbuster movies, there are still occasionally good shows that are suitable for competing for awards.

Secondly, Broadway, as one of America's important "cultural" stages for showcasing itself to the outside world, can also serve as a platform to help promote its IP.

For example, stage plays based on Marvel stories.

However, this does not seem to be accepted by some Broadway theaters that adhere to tradition.

But that's okay, if Inner Broadway doesn't work out, he'll invest in Off-Broadway theaters.

If the play is successful, he doesn't believe other theaters won't follow suit, given the allure of money.

This will undoubtedly accelerate the promotion of these IPs in North America and even worldwide.

Thinking of this, he slowly spoke.

“Peter, I’m interested in these investments, but I feel that some of them are not well-founded.”

Peter Peterson quickly asked, "For example?"

Hideki Hanyu said, "For example, some theaters, although located on Inner Broadway, are worthless and even less valuable than popular theaters off-Broadway."

Upon hearing Hideki Hanyu's words, Peter Peterson shrugged and said, "Seraphim, that makes sense, because that's what portfolio investment is all about."

Just like Hollywood's anthology film investment, as the head of Universal Pictures, you should be well aware of this.

Hideki Hanyu certainly knew what Peter Peterson was talking about; this kind of portfolio investment definitely involved packaging high-quality investments and low-quality investments together for sale.

Hideki Hanyu was just curious about how Peter Peterson communicated with Broadway investors.

However, he knew that Broadway was backed by theater associations and theater management companies, and perhaps these forces had reached some kind of agreement with Peter Peterson.

Even so, it doesn't mean he's willing to accept the investment portfolio offered by Peter Peterson.

Hideki Hanyu took the materials, circled the names of several theaters on the paper with a pen, and then said to Peter Peterson, "If I were to invest, I would only be willing to accept these few theaters in this portfolio."

When Peter Peterson saw that Hideki Hanyu was making demands that were absolutely unacceptable to him, Peter Peterson was not angry at all; on the contrary, he was extremely happy.

Since Hideki Hanyu was willing to set conditions, it proves that he genuinely wanted to invest.

He values ​​investment success more than changes in the investment portfolio.

Broadway is having a tough time right now. Some investors are eager to sell, while others desperately need financial support, which is why they contacted him and offered high returns.

Hideki Hanyu, a super-rich man in the entertainment and media industry, is the best choice for both Broadway and himself.

Peter Peterson laughed, “Seraphim, you know it’s impossible with just these few companies.”

Hideki Hanyu said forcefully, "Peter, I'm an investor. Nothing is impossible."

Peter Peterson circled a few more theater names and suggested, "How about adding these to the list?"

Hideki Hanyu chuckled, "Hehe, why don't you help me add a few Off-Broadway theaters instead?"

Peter Peterson exclaimed in surprise, "You're also interested in the Outer Broadway?"

Hideki Hanyu said, "I'm interested in any investment that can make money."

"That's not as good as..."

"Okay, but..."

……

And so the two of them went through various back-and-forths over the investment until it finally came to an end near dusk.

It's not because the investment has already been finalized; such a large investment simply couldn't have been confirmed so quickly.

Next, Peter Peterson will revise the portfolio according to Hideki Hanyu's requirements.

Hideki Hanyu would also arrange for his subordinates to conduct a detailed investigation of the investment, and then take over his role in contacting Peter Peterson.

All I can say is that this investment is only just beginning.

Inside the coffee shop, Peter Peterson put away his documents and said to Hideki Hanyu, "Seraphim, you're really cautious."

"An investment of hundreds of millions of dollars certainly warrants my caution."

Although Hideki Hanyu is rich, his money didn't come from thin air.

Then, at that moment, Grace Hayes, who had been playing the role of a decorative figure and hadn't said much throughout, suddenly extended an invitation to Hideki Hanyu.

"Since Mr. Seraphim is on Broadway, how about we go see a show together?"

　Regarding the influence of television media, movies, and Broadway, this is purely my personal opinion, intended to serve the narrative, and I hope you will understand if it does not conform to the facts.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)