America: My Time

Chapter 469 Let yourself go
Chapter 469 Unleashing Oneself

"The development of Japan's bubble era is accelerating, and Japanese companies will also accelerate their counterfeiting. The appreciation of the yen will seriously affect their own survival, making counterfeiting an inevitable result. The so-called craftsmanship will gradually disappear. Perhaps it is precisely because those guys know the situation in Japan that during the bubble era, Japanese people were unwilling to accept their own products and instead chased after European and American products. Their car quality was completely unreliable!" Thinking of this, John couldn't help but shake his head slightly. At the same time, Japan's overseas expansion will also advance by leaps and bounds. Japan's economy will enter a vicious cycle, entering a terrible era where real estate is king. No one will care about the development of factories anymore, and more people will invest in the stock market and futures.

After learning about the situation in the United States, John couldn't help but sigh. Living in this era, he was inevitably drawn in and faced various problems and challenges. John had no sympathy for these guys, nor would he show any mercy. It would be a waste not to seize such a golden opportunity.

Of course, now is not the time. I need to continue to hide in the shadows and not expose myself in the slightest. The more this is the case, the more cautious I need to be and the less careless I can be.

"Are these all the artists signed to our company?" John saw all the artists currently signed to the company in Elite Entertainment. Unfortunately, there weren't many, but they were all carefully selected by the company. Each of them had good potential and the ability to stand on their own.

John is most familiar with the original members of Elite Affairs. They are all doing quite well now. After all, Elite Affairs has a huge amount of resources behind it, so they have never lacked resources from the beginning, and their popularity is still very good.

After a careful evaluation, John nodded slightly. Actresses like Miho Nakayama, Yui Asaka, Chisato Moritaka, Naomi Suzuki, and Reiko Takashima all had good potential and deserved significant investment from the company. In contrast, the only male stars considered were Toshinobu Kubota and Toshiaki Karasawa. While Tetsuya Koishi could be considered a singer, John positioned him as a producer.

"Miko, from now on, the company will no longer recruit new artists, at least not this year. The company already has enough female idols. If we recruit more, it will affect their development. Since the company has chosen them, we must give them the best development environment. Also, the Japanese record market is becoming increasingly sluggish and is on the decline, so we need to accelerate our expansion in Asia."

"I will, but it's difficult for TV Tokyo to help on its own. After all, TV Tokyo's influence is limited. Even with the cooperation of record companies, it will be difficult for us to expand our presence in Asia!"

"You don't need to worry about that. ATV will provide assistance, and I will inform them. Phoenix Pictures will also offer some help. With market competition becoming increasingly fierce, they need to expand beyond Japan and into Asia. As for Michiko Nishiwaki and Yukari Oshima, their development is not suited to Japan; Hong Kong is more suitable for them. You can have someone contact Phoenix Pictures and Nikkatsu Pictures to ask for their assistance. Elite Entertainment also needs to make some changes. The idol path no longer needs to be expanded. We need to prepare for the band aspect. The slump in the record market has had a significant impact on them. From now on, Elite Entertainment cannot continue to develop along the path of female idols. We need to learn to walk on two legs. We also need a band and a few male artists, otherwise it will be very dangerous. The idol market is becoming increasingly chaotic, and we need to prepare in advance."

Upon hearing John's words, Yoshiko Koizumi couldn't help but sigh. The Japanese idol market was indeed in a state of chaos. First, the emergence of Onyanko Club disrupted the entire idol market, and now the death of Yukiko Okada had caused a huge shock, making the idol market feel like it was on the verge of collapse.

This is why Yoshiko Koizumi made some changes, with talented women like Takako Okamura joining the team, as well as Miwako Fujitani, Reiko Takashima, and Honami Suzuki. Their main focus was not on idols or records, but on acting, all because they were worried that the idol market would collapse.

John wasn't the only one who saw the crisis in the idol market; many industry professionals did too. The death of Yukiko Okada had a significant impact on the entire idol market, shaking the whole of Japan. After all, her death triggered a wave of suicides, changing many people's views on idols. This storm is only just beginning, and it has already made many agencies uneasy, including Elite Entertainment.

Although Elite Entertainment doesn't exploit its artists like other Japanese agencies, nor does it face the same level of pressure, and it boasts resources that are the envy of the entire industry, this incident has still had an impact on the agency.

Even elite agencies with vast resources in the industry felt the pressure, so you can imagine how other agencies felt. These idols, who weren't under much pressure before, now had a hint of worry in their eyes. In contrast, the actresses didn't feel much pressure, since they didn't lack resources.

"With such support, there won't be any problems. The only questions are: how many resources do we need for the band, how many male artists, and how many for solo artists?" "We don't need too many male artists, just three to five. After all, our focus is still on idols, but we need to diversify now, though the core focus won't change. As for the band, two bands for men and two for women will suffice. The number of capable solo artists isn't an issue; you can manage that yourself! The band needs to speed things up; ideally, they should be formed by next year. Time is running out! Phoenix Group is accelerating its satellite television network development; you must seize this opportunity to escape your current predicament. Holding onto the Japanese market is too stressful!"

Yoshiko Koizumi was well aware of how fierce the competition was in Japan's idol market. Although Elite Entertainment had trained several beautiful idols, none of them had reached the top yet. Although their development was quite good and the company had made good profits, it was only normal compared to the resources invested.

The original team of Momoko Kikuchi, Yoko Minamino, and Minako Honda has been on track and their development is not a problem. Now, the company's main focus is on promoting Miho Nakayama, Yui Asaka, and Chisato Moritaka.

After learning about the development plan for the artists under his management, John gently shook his head and said, "Wrong. Asaka Yui and Moritaka Chisato can be heavily developed in the music field; they have the talent. However, Nakayama Miho's singing skills are average. It would be better to develop both aspects. Minamino Yoko and Kikuchi Momoko are the best examples. We must cultivate her acting skills! As for Moritaka Chisato's route, it also has problems. The sweet route is not suitable for her at all. There are too many idols like that in Japan now. Taking this route is almost a dead end. Elite Entertainment itself doesn't lack such idols. Moreover, her appearance has a rare touch of heroism. Individuality is the best and most suitable for her."

When she heard John's opinion, Yoshiko Koizumi couldn't help but sigh. She realized that her judgment was still lacking and far inferior to that of her boss. She hadn't even noticed the problem with Chisato Moritaka.

Unfortunately, John had no idea what Koizumi Yoshiko was thinking. If he did, he would just smile indifferently. The reason he said that was not because he had seen anything, but because the later Moritaka Chisato was known as the most beautiful legs of the Showa era, and her appearance was absolutely stunning. That's why John could tell that there was a problem with Koizumi Yoshiko's arrangement at the first moment.

After settling things at the agency, John couldn't help but sigh. Many people only saw how foolish it was for him to focus his energy on the entertainment industry, but they didn't see how rapidly Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group were developing. When satellite TV reached all of Asia and even the world, its influence would be completely different.

The agency may not make amazing profits, but the TV station will make unimaginable profits. As long as the publicity is done well and the audience is locked in, the TV station's development will be on the fast track.

Many people have focused their attention on John, failing to notice the rapid development of Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, and the continuous expansion and preparations of both media groups. Phoenix Media's goal is the whole of Asia, and it has already obtained satellite television licenses; now, only the final resource integration remains.

Legendary Entertainment, on the other hand, focused on specialization. NBC was developing specialized financial, sports, and even fashion channels, but none of this caught anyone's attention. They considered these channels to be niche, forgetting that while they might be niche channels, their specialization would give them a loyal audience.

John did not actively interfere with the development of the two media groups. He left professional matters to professionals and did not have the ability to interfere. At most, he would offer his personal opinions and suggest a direction for development. How to develop the group was a matter for the professionals.

Just like with the matter at the elite firm, John only mentioned the direction of the company's development without interfering in it himself, because he didn't have the ability or the energy. If he put his energy into it, people would think he was crazy, and it would be a waste of time.

(End of this chapter)