Tokyo Literary Masters: Starting from the Late 1980s

mid-December.

The cold rain outside the window seemed to finally show signs of stopping, and the long-awaited sunshine pierced through the clouds and shone on the streets of Kagurazaka.

The literary department of Shinchosha was filled with a festive atmosphere of fervor and joy.

Within two weeks of its release, "The Ring" saw its sales soar, nearing the 200,000-copy mark, thanks to Hiroshi Aramata's recommendation, long queues at bookstores, and widespread public discussion.

At this moment, the office was filled with the constant ringing of phones for additional orders, and to the editors, each ring sounded as pleasant as money falling into their pockets.

This is an absolutely dream start for a newcomer, worthy of being recorded in the company's history. Some of the young editors are already discussing where to go to an izakaya tonight to celebrate with champagne.

"Editor-in-chief! Something terrible has happened!"

At that moment, Machida, clutching a newly released copy of Weekly Bunshun, stormed into the office with a livid face, so panicked that he forgot to knock.

Weekly Bunshun is Japan's largest-circulation magazine, known for its investigative reporting of scandals and sharp commentary, and is hailed as the king of weekly magazines.

An article in this magazine often possesses the terrifying power to sway public opinion and even destroy a public figure.

"What's wrong? Which bookstore is pressing for more stock this time?"

At that moment, Editor-in-Chief Sato was in a great mood, smoking a cigarette while looking at the sales report.

"No... it's Kijima."

Machida gritted his teeth and explained, "That old guy publicly challenged me in his column in Weekly Bunshun."

In the most prominent section of literary reviews, a sensational headline in bold boldface was prominently displayed:

The Decline of Literature and the Loss of Humanity: A Critique of the Vulgarization of the "Ring" Phenomenon

Author: Kijima Heihachiro

The article is extremely scathing, with a sullen arrogance and a condescending sense of judgment between the lines: "...Recently, a strange book called 'The Ring' has been flooding the market."

"It is heartbreaking that such a 'scary manual' that has no literary merit whatsoever has been elevated to a pedestal by the public."

"The author, Kitahara Iwao (if he can be called a writer), has completely abandoned literature's concern for the human soul. His writing is as cold and mechanical as an autopsy report, alienating the victims into hosts and tools for spreading the 'virus,' and is filled with aesthetically devoid rational analysis and death countdowns."

"He exploits readers' curiosity, using cheap thrills to stimulate their senses. How is this any different from selling potent drugs on the street?"

"For Shinchosha, a century-old publishing house, to promote such 'garbage like spiritual drugs' for the sake of sales is a disgrace to the Japanese literary world and a tragedy of the Heisei era!"

In addition to Kijima's lengthy remarks, the page also included quotes from several conservative commentators who were his allies.

There are even rumors that Kijima has joined forces with judges of several literary awards to declare that as long as he is alive, such unorthodox methods will not be allowed to touch any literary awards.

Upon seeing this, the air in the entire office seemed to freeze.

Although Machida and the other young editors were confident in the content of "Ring," they were also aware of the influence of critics.

But in this era before the Internet and with readers having extremely limited channels to voice their opinions.

The critic's pen often wields more power of life and death than the author's book.

They control the arts and literature sections of newspapers and the judging panels of major awards, acting as the absolute judges who define "literature" and "garbage."

Once labeled as vulgar by these authorities, it not only means being shut out of all public libraries in Japan, but also being completely banished from the entire mainstream cultural sphere, with no hope of ever rising again.

"That's too much!"

Looking at the magazine's contents, Machida trembled with rage, exclaiming, "This is clearly settling a personal score!"

"Because he lost face at the meeting, he used his connections in the critical community to launch this kind of massive criticism! If it's classified as a harmful book and the library refuses to purchase it, the impact will be immeasurable..."

"Moreover, Kijima is setting a line for the entire literary world."

Editor-in-Chief Sato frowned, stubbed out his cigarette sharply, and said in a deep voice, "He's forcing others to take sides. If we don't respond, those book reviewers who are still observing might also join in to avoid offending him. If public opinion turns out to be one-sided, that will be troublesome."

"We must call Mr. Kitahara immediately to discuss our strategy!"

Thinking of this, Editor-in-Chief Sato dared not delay and quickly picked up the phone to call Kitahara Iwao's apartment.

The call connected quickly.

Editor-in-Chief Sato spoke rapidly, giving a general explanation of Kijima Heihachiro's attack in Weekly Bunshun and the potential for a literary blackout.

After he finished speaking, Editor-in-Chief Sato's palms were sweating as he held the microphone.

He thought that this hot-blooded young genius writer would be furious upon hearing such an insult, would slam his fist on the table, and might even demand that Shinchosha immediately write a scathing rebuke in response.

However, to everyone's surprise,

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the microphone, followed by a soft laugh.

"puff."

"Teacher Kitahara?"

Editor-in-Chief Sato was stunned for a moment, thinking he had misheard.

"Counterattack? Why would we counterattack?"

Kitahara Iwa's voice came from the other end of the phone, his tone as relaxed as if he were talking about today's lunchbox, without a trace of panic: "Editor-in-Chief Sato, since Professor Kijima is working so hard to promote us, how can we interrupt him? This is the best gift he could give us."

"A gift? This will surely condemn you to the pillory of shame!"

"Editor-in-Chief Sato said urgently."

"In this world, controversy has a greater impact than positive reviews."

Kitahara Iwa stood at the window of his apartment, looking out at the bustling streets of Tokyo.

At the peak of this bubble economy, people were affluent yet empty, craving anything that could stimulate their senses.

"If it's just ordinary praise, readers will forget it after one glance."

"After all, the term 'masterpiece' is already overused. But what about a book that literary giants vehemently condemn, or an outlier censored by the mainstream literary world..."

Kitahara Iwa paused, a businessman's shrewdness in his voice, and said, "Editor-in-chief, don't rush to respond, and don't let the public relations department issue any clarification statement. Let the dust settle for a while."

"You mean...?"

"Give the media and the public some time to process this. Let them discuss and debate it."

"Once everyone's attention was drawn to Kijima-sensei's outburst, once everyone was curious about just how bad the book was..."

"At that moment, we will release the new waist belt."

"Waist belt?"

"That's right."

"Print on the line that Kijima criticized the most harshly... 'Sensory stimulation like a potent drug, reading it leads to depravity.' Make sure the font is large, the color is the most glaring bright red, and the design is in the style of a 'Minors are prohibited from touching' warning."

At this point, Kitahara Iwa couldn't help but laugh: "For students going through their rebellious phase, and office workers feeling numb to life and seeking excitement, is there a more enticing recommendation than this?"

"Mr. Kijima isn't insulting me; he's telling everyone in Tokyo... Want something exciting? Buy it!"

After hearing this explanation, Editor-in-Chief Sato, holding the phone, froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

After a few seconds of silence, his intuition as a seasoned publisher suddenly made him realize something.

This isn't a crisis; it's a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity!

The worry in Editor-in-Chief Sato's eyes quickly faded, replaced by shock, and finally turned into uncontrollable laughter.

"Hahaha! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!... You're really going to muddy this waters completely!"

Editor-in-Chief Sato slapped his thigh hard: "No problem, I'll take care of the waist belt!"

"Not only that, since we're going to make this a big deal, let's make it a national phenomenon!"

"I'll contact a few reformist commentators who usually dislike Kijima and get them to stand up and debate with him!"

"Once the two sides start arguing, the fire will never be extinguished!"