I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema!

And all they had was a cheap videotape and a few thin pages of paper.

Even he himself, after seeing the performance of Masao Iwata, began to lose confidence uncontrollably.

Is it really... going to lose?

Lose to something soulless built with money?

He was promoted from his subordinate TV station to Tokyo TV because of the popularity of the cartoons he produced, but he found himself stuck in a quagmire.

It’s not that Tokyo TV is against him, of course that’s also a reason.

A bigger reason is that Tokyo TV has produced many talented people.

There are too many capable people.

Even as for that guy Masao Iwata, as I had learned before, some of the animations he produced were of quite high quality.

Although it was indeed built with money.

But the ratings are very good.

Why do you say that others are incompetent?

Having connections and abilities that are no less than his own has made Suzuki Seito feel extremely bitter inside.

Although I am really confident in "Anzhiju"...

But everything depends on the ratings.

"..."

Nohara Hiroshi, who was standing behind him, looked at Suzuki Seito's back which suddenly hunched over, pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Until the results come out, any words will be like empty comfort.

The group silently returned to their classroom, which was located in the corner and had insufficient lighting.

There was a depressing atmosphere in the air.

Nancun Xing and Beichuan Yao saw them coming back and immediately surrounded them, their faces filled with anticipation: "Section Chief, what's going on?"

Suzuki Seito opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He just waved his hands weakly, returned to his office, sat back in his creaky old chair, gritted his teeth and looked solemn.

The feeling of disappointment spread quickly throughout the small office like a virus.

Everyone was silent, with only the monotonous sound of the old air conditioner.

In this dead silence, the phone on Suzuki Seito's desk suddenly rang sharply.

"Jingle Bell--!"

The sound was so sudden and frightening that it made everyone tremble.

Suzuki Seito suddenly raised his head as if awakened. He looked at the phone that kept yelling, his eyes full of hesitation and fear.

Is this from the Audit Department?

Are you here to sentence them to death?

The phone rang stubbornly, again and again, knocking on everyone's heart.

"Section Chief..." Hashijitaro's voice was trembling.

Suzuki Seito took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and reached out his hand tremblingly and picked up the microphone.

"...Hello, this is the Suzuki classroom of the director team, I'm Seito Suzuki." His voice was dry and hoarse.

A competent, unfamiliar female voice came from the other end of the line: "Hello, Section Chief Suzuki, I'm the assistant to Section Chief Takeshita of the Audit Department."

coming!

Everyone's hearts were in their throats.

Suzuki Seito's back instantly straightened up, he gripped the microphone tightly, and even forgot to breathe.

"Yes...Yes, what can I do for you?"

The voice on the other end of the line paused, then spoke in a formulaic, emotionless tone, "Regarding your class's project, 'Anzhiju,' it has been approved. Section Chief Takeshita asked me to inform you that the official approval document for the project will be delivered to your class this afternoon."

"..."

"Section Chief Suzuki? Are you listening?"

Suzuki Seito was completely frozen. He held the microphone, his eyes wide open like bells, his mouth slightly open, but he couldn't say a word.

Passed?

Did he hear wrongly?

Or is this just a bad joke?

"Section Chief?" Nohara Hiroshi couldn't help but remind him softly when he saw his expression.

"Ah...ah! I'm here! I'm listening!" Suzuki Seito woke up as if from a dream, and almost shouted in response: "Passed...passed? You mean, our plan, passed?"

"Yes." The assistant on the other end of the phone seemed a little surprised by this extreme reaction, but still answered affirmatively: "It has passed the review. Please prepare for the subsequent production work."

"Okay! Okay! Thank you! Thank you very much!"

Suzuki Seito was so excited that he was incoherent and bowed repeatedly into the microphone, as if the other party could see him.

He remained in that position until the call was hung up and a busy tone sounded.

The office was still silent.

Everyone stared at him blankly, disbelief written all over their faces.

A few seconds later, Seito Suzuki slammed the receiver onto the phone!

"Snapped!"

He suddenly stood up, walked out of the office, and excitedly waved his fist at everyone, saying:

“Passed—!”

boom!

The oppressive atmosphere was instantly swept away.

Hashijitaro, Minamimura Xing, Hase Rozou, and Kitagawa Yao all showed excitement on their faces: "That's great!" They cheered.

Passing the review means that the Tokyo TV production department has approved their work.

You know, they were worried before.

After all, although the subject matter of "Anzhiju" is very novel, the conception is also very clever.

The production was really crude and shabby at the beginning!

After all, if we talk about their works, even if they are just slides, there is absolutely no problem!

And this can all pass the review.

It is the best affirmation for all of them for their persistence and hard work during this period of time!

Nohara Hiroshi stood in the crowd, looking at the jubilant scene in front of him. The corners of his mouth, which had been tense, finally lifted up into an imperceptible arc.

The previous life of "Anzhiju" was produced by Tokyo TV itself, and its style and content are both in line with Tokyo TV's aesthetics.

The approval of the review was indeed within his expectations.

However, before their joy could last long, the phone on the table rang again at an inopportune time.

This time, Suzuki Seito didn't hesitate at all. He grabbed the microphone and shouted with full energy: "Hello! This is Suzuki's classroom!"

"Hello, Section Chief Suzuki, I'm Yamamoto from the projection department."

The voice on the other end of the phone sounded quite authoritative.

Chapter 14 Faction Struggle

At the same time, in another spacious and bright office in the Tokyo TV building, Masao Iwata hung up the phone with a smile on his face.

"I knew it, how could I not pass!?"

He excitedly slapped the table, and the expensive solid wood desk made a dull sound. Several of his followers immediately surrounded him, and flattering congratulations continued to fill his ears.

"Congratulations, Section Chief! 'Kibo Samurai' is sure to be a huge success!"

"Yes, how could it be rejected when Deputy Director Takada personally took care of the project?"

Masao Iwata leaned back in his leather boss chair with a smug look on his face, enjoying the flattery from his subordinates.

He seemed to have already seen the scene where the ratings of "Ghost House Samurai" would explode after it was broadcast, and he would be promoted to a second-level director and call the shots in the station.

He thought about it and signaled all his followers to leave.

Then he picked up the phone and dialed a number skillfully.

"Hello? Deputy Director Takada, it's me, Masao." His voice instantly became humble and respectful, with just the right amount of gratitude: "I just received a notification that 'Ghost House Samurai' has passed the review! Thank you so much for your support and care! I'll make some arrangements in Ginza tonight, and we must have a good chat!"

A calm, middle-aged man's voice came from the other end of the phone. It was Toshihide Takada, the deputy director of the production department of Tokyo TV.

"Well, it's good that you passed. You deserve it." Takada Shunying's voice was emotionless. "But there's one more thing I need to tell you."

"Please give me your instructions!" Masao Iwata immediately sat up straight.

"Suzuki Seito's 'Anzhiju' was also approved."

"What?" Iwata Masao's smile froze on his face. He almost thought he had misheard. "That piece of junk... also passed? Is that woman Takeshita Ai blind?"

"Watch your words." Takada Shunei's voice turned a bit colder. "But I'm surprised too. So, are you confident? Don't let yourself be outdone by a little-known production."

"Hahaha, how is that possible!"

Iwata Masao laughed exaggeratedly, as if he'd just heard a ridiculous joke. "Deputy Director, you don't know, but I've found out everything! That animation by Suzuki and the others can't even be called animation! It's just a few scraps of paper, played back and forth like a slideshow. I heard the colors are blurry and crude! The fact that something like that even made it through the review process is a disgrace to the TV station! Compared to 'Kibo Samurai,' which I invested two million per episode in, how can it even be worthy?"

Masao Iwata's tone was full of disdain and contempt.

In his opinion, the fact that "Anshiji" was able to pass the review was a miracle in itself. Perhaps Takeshita Ai wanted to do that old stubborn Suzuki a favor, but in terms of real market competitiveness, that thing is not even worthy of carrying the shoes of "Kimi no Samurai".

However, Takada Toshihide on the other end of the phone did not smile.

He was silent for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "Zhengnan, don't take it lightly. This matter may not be that simple."

Masao Iwata's laughter stopped abruptly. He put away his frivolous expression and listened attentively.