I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema!

In Setagaya Ward, in a fairly respectable-looking apartment.

An art director who was once famous for his attention to detail was now wearing a neat suit and tying his tie meticulously in front of the mirror.

He was going to a small advertising company for an interview for an assistant position.

Beside him, his wife was silently adjusting his collar, her gentle eyes filled with worry and reluctance.

'Beep! Beep!'

The pager rang.

The man took a look, and a bitter smile appeared on his face, which always had a certain elegance.

"That Tanaka guy again...hasn't he given up yet?"

"Let's go take a look." The wife said softly, her voice carrying a woman's intuition: "I have a feeling that this time... maybe it will be different."

"It's better than being an assistant in a small company. After all, you're already... in your thirties."

The man was silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

……

Messages, like dandelion seeds, scattered to every corner of Tokyo.

Some people choose to ignore it.

Some people chose to wait and see.

Some people, after seeing the message, immediately put down everything they were doing and quickly dug out the most decent suit from the deepest part of their closet, which was already covered with dust but carried all their pride and dreams.

They didn't know what Kei Tanaka, who had long become a laughing stock and a loser, was up to this time.

How good would that so-called excellent variety show plan be?

But they knew that the sentence "concerning the future of all of us" was like a poisoned needle, accurately piercing the softest and most unwilling scar in their hearts.

Then they quickly arrived at the hotel where Kei Tanaka had agreed to stay.

I also saw it after dressing up.

He has become almost the same as the extremely sharp, capable, and popular Kei Tanaka he used to be!

"Are you surprised?" Kei Tanaka looked at the four or five people who had arrived, waited for a moment, raised his hand to look at his watch, and found that it had been more than 20 minutes.

It seems that no one is coming next.

Tanaka Kei sighed with regret, but didn't say much. He simply took a deep breath and said to everyone, "Deputy Director Asumi called me this morning and asked me to meet a young man named Nohara Hiroshi. You may be unfamiliar with his name, but you should know that both 'The Wonderful World' and 'Anshiji Residence' are his works."

"The original author of "The Strangest Tales of the World" and "Anzhiju"?"

"That guy named Nohara Hiroshi!"

However, these old subordinates who came over exclaimed in surprise, because even though they were very lost during this period and indulged in alcohol all day to escape reality, they still heard of these two extremely popular programs and this young but well-known name.

Then they all thought of something and looked at Tanaka Kei in surprise: "Deputy Director Asumi, have you asked Nohara Hiroshi to help us?!"

"Yeah." Tanaka Kei nodded slowly: "Yes."

"That's great! I heard that Nohara Hiroshi is like a monster. Whenever he's involved in a program, the ratings explode!"

"I didn't expect it to be him! Deputy Director Ming Rihai hasn't forgotten us yet!"

Everyone present was extremely surprised.

In their eyes, the young man Hiroshi Nohara has become a savior worthy of their trust.

After all, there's no other way. The legend created by Nohara Hiroshi is simply too powerful. A show in a less prime-time slot has a viewership rating of around 21%, which is higher than even the average prime-time show.

Moreover, during the broadcast period, it also closely followed the 21.5% viewership rating of "Yesterday's Sakura", which was created by the goddess of romance dramas Keiko Matsumoto after ten years of polishing.

It can be said that they are evenly matched.

There were even a few days when the ratings exceeded that of "Yesterday's Sakura".

That already explains the situation.

After all, the prime time starts at 8 o'clock and two episodes are broadcast in a row. It is a time period that is highly recognized by the Japanese people.

"Wonderful Stories of the World" starts at nine o'clock and only broadcasts one episode.

There are also time slots for other programs.

There is no comparison between the two sides!

As a result, the two sides were still evenly matched, which also shows that "Yesterday's Sakura" was the one at a disadvantage.

Now, such an excellent director wants to work with me.

How could everyone present not be surprised?

"Yoshi! Very good! Very energetic!"

At this time, Tanaka Kei also smiled and nodded. Looking at his refreshed self in the mirror, he nodded to everyone and said, "Then let's go meet Nohara Hiroshi, the next chief director, and the one we need to obey next... the section chief!"

Chapter 101: Another Praise! Tokyo School’s Little Tricks!

In the production headquarters building of Tokyo TV, the office of the executive deputy director at the top of the power pyramid was like the eye before a storm, so quiet that it was suffocating.

Takada Shunei stood with his back to the door in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cup of premium Blue Mountain coffee that had already gone cold.

Outside the window, the steel behemoth of Tokyo casts dappled light and shadow in the afterglow of the setting sun. The interweaving of light and shadow is like the intricate chessboard of power in his heart at this moment. Every vein leads to a future full of unknowns and murderous intentions.

The information was like silent electricity, having already passed through his neural network throughout the entire TV station and was accurately transmitted here.

Kei Tanaka, the defeated general of the Kanto faction who was sent to hell by his own hands and should have rotted in the corner like a puddle of mud, actually... regrouped his old subordinates.

And the one who brought this group of defeated soldiers together again was the name that had kept him awake at night recently - Nohara Hiroshi.

"Variety show..." Takada Toshihide's knuckles tapped lightly on the cold glass window, making a dull and suppressed sound.

He turned around slowly, and his face, which was always a little gloomy, showed no joy or anger, but his bottomless eyes were flashing with a coldness like the cold current of the deep sea.

He pressed the intercom button, his voice was calm, but with an authority that brooked no argument.

"Tell Yasui and Ito to come to my office immediately."

……

Within ten minutes, two completely different figures, like two unsheathed blades, one in front and one behind, cut through the tranquility of the corridor and appeared at the door of this room that symbolized the will of the Tokyo faction.

Takashi Yasui still had the demeanor of a playboy, wearing a bright blue Versace suit with three buttons casually undone on his collar, revealing his bronze skin and a faintly visible gold chain. A cynical smile hung on his handsome and unruly face.

Ito Changan next to him was like his opposite, wearing a tightly-fitting dark gray suit. His eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses were as sharp as a hawk. He exuded a calculating, cold aura like a scalpel.

They are the true twin stars in the variety show field of Tokyo TV, and the two sharpest and most proud variety show aces in Takada Toshihide's hands.

"Deputy Director Takada, why are you looking for us so urgently? Is there something good?" Yasui Takashi sat down on the sofa and poured himself a glass of whiskey without any hesitation. His posture was so casual as if this was his own office.

Ito Changan just stood quietly by the side, pushing the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose. His sharp eyes were observing every subtle change in expression on Takada Toshihide's face without making a sound.

"Good news?" Takada Shunying chuckled, but there was a hint of cold sarcasm in his laughter.

He gently threw a briefing on the changes in Kei Tanaka's team, which had just been delivered by his confidant, on the coffee table.

"See for yourselves."

Yasui Takashi picked up the document nonchalantly, took a look at it, and the cynical smile on his face froze instantly.

Ito Changan also came over. When he saw the key words "Nohara Hiroshi", "Variety show planning", "Tanaka Kei team reorganization" and "National-level planning" clearly, a trace of imperceptible solemnity flashed in his eyes, which were always calm for the first time.

"Those Kanto guys...really refuse to give up." Yasui Takashi threw the documents back on the table and sneered. His voice was filled with the absolute confidence of a king. "That old fox Asumi, is he scared off and planning to switch gears and join us in a variety show?"

"You don't know your own limitations." Ito Nagaan's evaluation was more concise and harsher.

He looked at Takada Shunei, his sharp eyes flashing with sarcasm. "Deputy Director, with all due respect, you don't have to worry about this. Variety shows, TV dramas, and animation are two completely different worlds."

"What is a variety show? The essence of variety shows has never been creativity, but habit! It's stickiness! It's the sense of dependence that comes from viewers turning on the TV at a fixed time every week and seeing familiar faces!"

He held up a finger, his gesture full of superiority.

"We, the Tokyo faction, have been operating in the variety show industry for decades. From cultivating comedians to signing idol stars, to collaborating deeply with major agencies, we've already built a massive ecosystem that the Kanto faction simply can't break!"

"That Nohara Hiroshi might have a bit of a talent for storytelling, but variety shows are about the 'scene,' the 'people,' and the 'stalks!' These things take time to develop and require connections to build! Even if a young man who's only been in the industry for less than a year comes up with something earth-shattering, what good will it do?"

"That's right!"

Yasui Takashi also took over the conversation at this time. He shook the wine glass in his hand, and a wicked smile appeared on his handsome and unruly face. "Once the audience's viewing habits are formed, it is difficult to change. 'Laughing Wednesday' and my 'Stars Shine' have already occupied the two most important variety show positions on Wednesday and Sunday. He wants to steal the audience from us? It's simply a pipe dream!"

"Even if his show is really interesting, so what?"

Yasui Takashi shrugged, like a cat playing with a mouse:

"Variety shows air weekly, so we have plenty of time to study his formula. All we need to do is tweak the show a bit, borrow his highlights, and then leverage our top star resources to give it a comprehensive upgrade. Then, the audience will simply think we're the original, and he's just a poor imitator."

These words are full of undisguised arrogance, but they also reveal a cruel reality of the industry.

First-mover advantage and platform barriers.

In the face of these two mountains, any lone challenger seems so insignificant.

"Very good." Seeing them so confident, a satisfied smile finally appeared on Takada Toshihide's gloomy face.

This is the confidence he wants, the absolute confidence that belongs to an ace.

"Since you're so confident, I'm relieved." He picked up the cup of coffee in front of him, which had long since cooled, and took a sip. His cold eyes fell on the two of them like knives: "But, let me be frank. Your show is the last face of our Tokyo School in the variety show industry. Absolutely, no problems can occur. Otherwise..."

"Don't worry, Deputy Director!"

Yasui Takashi and Ito Changan stood up almost at the same time and bowed deeply to him. Their voices were filled with an unquestionable determination: "We will never give that young man any chance!"

……

When the two figures full of confidence and arrogance disappeared at the office door, the satisfaction on Takada Toshihide's face quietly faded away like the tide.

Instead, there was a deeper gloomy color.

He pressed the intercom button again.

"Let Iwata get in."

This time, he was too lazy to even use the honorific "Jun".

Soon, a distraught figure appeared at the office door like a ghost.

It's Masao Iwata.