I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema!

These words were like a warm current, instantly hitting the softest part of the three people's hearts.

All the inferiority complex and fear of being marginalized disappeared at this moment.

They looked up at Hiroshi Nohara, and their eyes instantly turned red.

"Yes! Section Chief!"

The three of them bowed together, their voices choked with sobs, yet filled with unprecedented determination.

They understood that the section chief had not forgotten them.

They are not abandoned old subordinates, but the core cornerstone of this new team!

However, just as this feeling of emotion and passion was quietly spreading in Suzuki's office, a shrill and undisguised laugh erupted from Iwata's classroom not far away, penetrating the wall and appearing particularly abrupt.

……

In stark contrast to the tense and orderly atmosphere in Suzuki's classroom, Iwata's classroom was currently immersed in a hypocritical carnival.

"Hahahaha! Hashimoto-kun, you're truly a great contributor to our Iwata classroom!"

Iwata Masao's face was flushed. He put one arm warmly around Hashimoto's shoulders and pointed his other finger at him. He announced loudly to the room full of subordinates, "From today on, Hashimoto-kun will be the deputy director of our department! You will be responsible for the production of our highly anticipated flagship project - the third season of 'Anshiji'!"

"Oh oh oh!"

"Congratulations, Deputy Section Chief Hashimoto!"

"As expected of Senior Hashimoto, you've turned from evil to good and have a bright future ahead of you!"

The group of lackeys under Masao Iwata immediately burst into thunderous applause and compliments.

They surrounded Hashijita Ichiro and showered him with compliments as if they were free.

Hashijitaro's face was already flushed red at this time.

Half excitement, half embarrassment.

He has a simple and honest character. When has he ever enjoyed such treatment as the center of attention?

Although he is a senior in Suzuki's classroom.

But everyone's eyes were focused on Hiroshi Nohara.

He is like a planet revolving around the sun, never emitting any light or heat of his own.

But now, in Iwata's classroom, he has become the center and the hero!

This huge sense of satisfaction made him feel a little dizzy.

The slight guilt caused by betrayal was completely washed away by the flattery.

"No, no... This is what I should do." Hashijitaro waved his hands dizzily. Surrounded by the crowd, he felt that his life had reached its peak.

"Deputy Section Chief Hashimoto, please stop being so modest!" A clever subordinate immediately handed over a cup of hot tea. "I heard you brought all the secrets to the success of 'Anzhiju' with you? Come and open our eyes!"

"Yeah, yeah! We're all so curious. How on earth did Nohara Hiroshi come up with such a brilliant idea?"

Driven by his huge vanity, Hashijitaro puffed out his chest and proudly took out several notebooks from his briefcase that he had sorted out for a long time and regarded as treasures.

"Humph, that kid has a lot of ideas, but I've followed him for so long, I've figured out his tricks!" He exclaimed, slapping his notes on the table. "The key to the success of 'Dark Zhiju' is all here! As long as we follow this, the third season will definitely be another success!"

Everyone immediately gathered around and scrambled to look through the notes.

"Hiss—I see! The story of each episode originates from a widely circulated urban legend!"

"The handling of this storyboard deliberately imitated the pulling and pulling feeling of 'Kamishiba', which is why it is so unique!"

"And this soundtrack! They actually use dissonance to create a sense of horror... Oh my god, whoever came up with this idea is a genius!"

The exclamations kept coming and going.

However, as he listened, Hashijitaro's expression gradually became ugly.

Because he found that although everyone was reading his notes, what they were exclaiming about were "Nohara Hiroshi's brilliant ideas", "Nohara-kun's talent", and "What is the difference between that young man's brain structure and ours".

Not a single word was praising Hashijita.

He was like a jester presenting a treasure, who worked hard to bring it up, and in the end everyone was praising the original owner of the treasure for how ingenious his craftsmanship was.

A feeling of humiliation and unwillingness surged in his heart, and Hashiji Ichirō's face turned completely purple.

"Cough!" He coughed loudly, interrupting everyone's discussion. He stiffened his neck and said, "Nohara Hiroshi is amazing, but... but I've also learned a lot of the essence! I've completely mastered his methods!"

He didn't notice at all that while he was defending himself with a flushed face, Iwata Masao and several of his core subordinates exchanged smug glances in the gaps among the crowd.

It's like a group of experienced old hunters watching a smart prey walk step by step into their carefully set trap.

A hint of barely perceptible contempt flashed across Masao Iwata's eyes, and then it was replaced with a sincere expression of eagerness to recruit talents.

He signaled with his eyes, and the lackeys around him immediately understood.

"That's right! We believe in the ability of Deputy Section Chief Hashimoto!"

"Deputy Section Chief Hashimoto's ability to compile this information is a tremendous achievement!"

"That's right! No matter how great Nohara Hiroshi is, isn't he filming a live-action drama now? The future of Anzhiju still depends on us, Deputy Section Chief Hashimoto!"

The new round of flattery helped Hashiji Ichiro regain some confidence.

Seeing the time was right, Iwata Masao spoke slowly, his voice as if carrying a kind of magic: "Hashimoto-kun, now that you've grasped the essence, why don't you tell us what was the key to the success of the first two seasons?"

This question was exactly what Hashiji Ichiro wanted.

He couldn't wait to prove himself and immediately replied, "It's 'urban horror stories'! The core is urban horror stories! Audiences have a natural sense of connection with these familiar horror stories circulating around them! This is the foundation of the success of 'Dark House'!"

"Well said!" Iwata Masao clapped his thigh, his face full of approval. "Then, in your opinion, what should we do for the third season?"

"Of course, we'll strictly follow the same format as Seasons 1 and 2!" Hashijitaro said without hesitation. "We don't need to innovate. As long as we continue to explore those classic urban legends and present them in the original style and techniques, we'll definitely succeed! This is the safest and most correct path!"

Of course, these words coincide with Masao Iwata's thoughts.

What he wants is not to surpass, but to copy.

He needs to use the success of the third season of "An Shibaju" to prove that he, Masao Iwata, knows how to operate a mature IP better than Hiroshi Nohara, in order to consolidate his position in the production department.

As for innovation?

That's a risk only a young and inexperienced person like Nohara Hiroshi would take.

"Good! Great!"

Iwata Masao stood up suddenly, raised his arms high, and announced in a very inflammatory tone: "From now on, the production of the third season of "Anzhiju" has officially started! Everyone obey the command of Deputy Section Chief Hashimoto! We have only one goal -"

He paused, his eyes scanning everyone.

"Starting on time in July during the summer season! Let's use the ratings to show everyone who is TV Tokyo's true trump card!"

"Oh!!!"

The entire Iwata classroom erupted in thunderous cheers once again.

In the fanatical atmosphere, a cold smile appeared on the corner of Masao Iwata's mouth.

His gaze passed through the wall and he seemed to see the figure of the young man working hard next door.

S-level project...

When he thought about how this should have been a smooth road for him to be promoted to a second-level director, but ended up becoming a ladder for Nohara Hiroshi to climb to the sky, the jealousy and anger in his heart burned uncontrollably.

But so what?

Masao Iwata thought with a sneer.

Your idea, Hiroshi Nohara, is great, but can a live-action drama be handled by an animator like you?

Budget management, actor communication, on-site scheduling, post-production... the water here is so deep that you can't see the bottom!

The cartoon failed, and the only loss was the production cost.

If an S-level live-action drama fails, the loss will be astronomical, enough to ruin any producer!

What's more, the war in the sub-prime time slot has never been just a game within Tokyo TV.

It is said that Osaka TV and Kansai TV have invested heavily this year and are preparing to make a big splash in the summer season.

Whether it is prime time or mid-prime time, there are extremely well-produced programs prepared.

That is the real Shura field!

Nohara Hiroshi is a newcomer. He thinks that he can fight his way out of this sea of ​​blood with the support of the Kanto faction?

It’s simply a fool’s errand!

In Masao Iwata's mind, the meaningful instructions given to him by Director Takada Toshihide emerged.

"Iwata-kun, don't be impatient. The station director's intentions are clear; this is a 'clear strategy.' Let that Kanto kid charge ahead and make his move. If he succeeds, it'll be a testament to the station's leadership; if he fails, it'll be a chance to reprimand the entire Kanto faction, letting them understand who's in charge at TV Tokyo. All you have to do now is stabilize the base of 'Anzhiju', and then... just watch the show."

Go to the theater.

That's right, all I need to do is move the bench, make some hot tea, and quietly watch how that ignorant kid walks step by step towards the abyss and is eventually smashed to pieces by the huge waves of reality.

By then, the Kanto faction behind him will completely lose its power.

If they want to continue to survive in the TV station, they must lower their proud heads and integrate into their Tokyo faction.

Thinking of this, the smile on Iwata Masao's face became more complacent and cruel.

Especially when you think about such an important planning project as "Dark Zhiju" and such an important IP, which can be held in his hands.

Even though his previous work "Ghost Shop Samurai" failed.

So what?

Now, am I not preparing to embrace a better life once again, relying on the wedding dress embroidered for me by my enemies?!

Masao Iwata's laughter became more and more arrogant, as if he had returned to his former arrogant self.

Chapter 68: This is the time to train the team!

The atmosphere in Nohara Hiroshi's special production team's office is completely different from the hustle and bustle outside.

There was no halftime champagne, no flattery.

There was only the faint aroma of freshly brewed black tea, the rustling sound of drawing boards and pencils rubbing against each other, and the almost anxious concentration of a group of souls that had been suppressed for too long and were rekindling.

The time came to noon.