Tokyo: The evil god doesn't want to be the top star

"Hirano Yuta, passed, next."

"Shibata Makoto, passed, next."

"Sid, failed, next."

"Martin, qualified, next."

Among them, the number of unqualified international trainees is far greater than that of local trainees.

Aside from the fact that some "seed players" were "missed in advance", international trainees may be very good at dancing, but except for "fake foreigners" like Martin, most of them have a natural disadvantage in singing local language songs in District 11...

It is no problem to learn the dance in three days, but it is a bit too much for foreigners to understand the meaning and core spirit of the lyrics while ensuring accurate pronunciation and clear articulation.

Chapter 230 Please start your performance

2024-07-13

Of course, the program team originally chose this theme song that does not contain a single foreign word because they wanted to reduce the proportion of international trainees in the theme song MV.

After all, no matter how much it claims to be "international", in the xenophobic District 11, a national talent show where half of the theme songs are sung and danced by foreign faces is probably not something the audience would be too happy to watch.

"Basong, passed, next..."

"Jack, you passed, next..."

Thanks to the teamwork and hard rehearsals over the past three days, Xia Fan's three international trainees in the same dormitory all successfully passed the exam.

"It's really unexpected. I was a little worried about Jack and Basong..."

"Me too. It looks like these two have been through three days of hell."

Before the next trainee came in, Goro Kimura and Oda chatted for a while.

Jack and Basong, as the rare five-stars among international trainees, their performance will naturally attract more attention...

Judging from his performance on the first stage, Jack is obviously focusing on the route of a pop singer, and the dancing part seems rather "amateurish".

Although Basong's singing and dancing are very balanced, and he has a unique and charming stage presence that ordinary male trainees cannot match, his District 11 dialect can only be described as "just enough to understand."

Therefore, from the moment the etude assessment task was announced, several instructors were worried about the two.

But after this assessment, although Jack's dancing posture was not very good, his rhythm was accurate and his movements were standard, without any major flaws...

Basong’s dancing performance was stable, and the pronunciation of the lyrics was still a bit stiff and sticky, but at least it was “understandable” enough, and it was obvious that he had put a lot of effort into the pronunciation of the words.

As for the four-star Martin Luther King, with standard pronunciation and skilled dancing skills, he was one of the better performers among the international trainees, so he naturally scored "qualified".

“Yo… Yo yo…”

"Hello, teachers..."

Just as Shota Hirai was still chanting "rap-presurge" and was about to join the discussion, the next trainee walked in.

Tall and thin figure, cool temperament, three-dimensional facial features, charming eyes...

It was clearly the same show uniform that had made people vomit, but on him it looked as if it was a haute couture dress, exquisite and fitting...

As soon as this handsome trainee walked onto the stage, Goro Kimura and Masaru Oda fell silent, and Shota Hirai crumpled the "rap version of the comments" he had just written into a ball.

On the contrary, the nonchalant Yayoi Tsukishima secretly straightened her waist.

Because this person is Xia Fan.

Ever since the program team released the "temporary announcement" that day and broadcast the complete content of Xia Fan's first stage performance, the reputation of Yayoi Tsuki and Xia Fan has gradually reversed...

Instead, the three mentors other than Yayoi Tsuki were caught in the eye of the public controversy because of the huge contrast between their expressions, reactions and actual scores.

Some netizens who are more serious about this have dug up the backgrounds of several mentors’ personal studios or management companies from somewhere and released a detailed equity structure penetration tree diagram...

The final "actual controller" or "largest beneficiary" all unsurprisingly points to the three large companies J, A and S.

Then, more and more netizens went from gathering together to discussing things, to going to the instructor’s personal account to publicly question him.

Therefore, when it comes to Xia Fan, the "Seven Star International Trainee" who has been in the spotlight recently, the mentors now have a headache whenever they see him, and they even have to be cautious when giving their evaluations.

"Trainee Xia Fan, please start your performance."

Normally, Goro Kimura would make some jokes to the four-star and five-star trainees for show effect, but when it came to Xia Fan, he simply and directly CUE the process.

As the producer representative, he gave Xia Fan zero stars on the first stage. He received the most doubts among the three mentors, so he was more cautious in his words and actions.

Without any extra words, as soon as the prelude of the theme song sounded, Xia Fan entered the state and started dancing...

His dancing posture is smooth and powerful, full of tension and rhythm. With amazing flexibility, strength and coordination, he perfectly presents the complicated and fast-paced movements, accurately hitting every rhythm point...

"Good... very steady, very standard dance moves..."

Shota Hirai, who is good at dancing, muttered something subconsciously and covered his mouth.

Except for Yayoi Tsuki who had expected this, the other two instructors also widened their eyes silently.

The instructors have watched dozens of people dance this prelude and opening dance so far today...

Just like marking a test paper countless times, any subtle differences and flaws from the "standard version" are clearly visible to them.

But at this moment, Xia Fan's dance moves were no different from the "standard version" demonstrated by the choreographer. There was no personal style, no habitual movements, no mistakes or dislocations in rhythm...

It should be said that he became the "standard answer" itself and reproduced the original dance with accuracy to the second.

"The spring breeze calls forth dreams, cherry blossoms fall, and every time I practice, my dreams and heartbeats."

"The stage is bright, the fireworks are scattered, you are my God, lighting up the stage."

"With a flame in my heart and Mt. Fuji towering high, I will keep my faith and move forward courageously."

"No matter how long the road is, we will eventually reach the other side. You are my God, guiding my steps forward."

While perfectly replicating the dance, Xia Fan also sang the main song along with the melody, his eyes focused and his expression confident...

As always, his singing voice has no fancy techniques, and his pitch and breath are just at the passing level, but he sincerely conveys the dazzling hope, the unextinguished passion that is presented only for you...

At this moment, Xia Fan's vigorous singing and dancing exuded a huge appeal, giving the audience the illusion that "it was all dedicated to him alone", igniting a strong motivation in their hearts.

"Xia Fan's singing has a unique appeal that makes people feel emotional. It feels so wonderful every time I listen to it..."

When Shota Hirano heard Xia Fan singing for the second time, he had already forgotten the deliberate "rap" and subconsciously let out a low cry.

"If I had this kind of drive, maybe I could restart the "Of Course" commemorative tour, right?"

Oda Masaya narrowed his eyes in ecstasy.

Something in his heart that had burned out when the band "Of Course" disbanded suddenly rekindled and lit up a spark...

"She has a very strong physique, her breath is quite stable, and her singing and dancing are well coordinated, without any interference..."

As the center of the first-generation boy band, Goro Kimura is naturally more concerned with the "singing and dancing" part.

Most of the trainees who appeared earlier had varying degrees of unstable breathing due to their physical fitness, which made the whole song sound very "breathless"...

There are also a small number of people who have problems with the coordination of singing and dancing, and the whole singing and dancing effect appears very "stiff".

But Xia Fan's breathing was so steady, as if he was singing while standing in place. His dancing moves were so smooth that there was no lag after he started singing. The coordination between his singing and dancing was simply impeccable.

Chapter 231 The audience's money is split -

2024-07-13

"Hearing that makes me very motivated, I also want to prepare for the concert again..."

"She can sing and dance to this extent. It seems that those abdominal muscles are not just for show."

Watching Xia Fan singing and dancing smoothly on the stage, Yayoi Tsuki rested her chin on one hand with peace of mind and teased in a voice that only her own.

Kimura Goro and the other three, who can serve as mentors together with Yayoi Tsuki, are naturally people with high professional level in the entertainment industry.

Although they have to lie with their eyes open when evaluating and scoring due to their corporate background and capital manipulation, this does not affect their private appreciation of art and stage.

If you want to be good at "singing and dancing", the most important thing is not repeated practice, but strong lung capacity and physical fitness.

Most trainees focus on honing their talents before their debut. They do not have the conditions or willingness to spend a lot of time and money to improve their physical fitness, so singing and dancing become their most common shortcomings.

Before this, she had always been worried about Xia Fan's singing and dancing performance, but from the moment Xia Fan opened his mouth, the heavy stone in her heart fell to the ground.

On the stage, Xia Fan, who sang and danced passionately, seemed like a tireless, precise and powerful dancing machine. The emotions in his singing made people dream back to their youth, always looking up at the sun in the rough...

His movements and singing, like a fusion of ice and fire, create a strong visual and auditory impact.

What is even more outstanding is Xia Fan's neat posture, impeccable appearance, simple and generous expression management, and those sparkling eyes that grasp the camera, which complement the singing and dancing, creating a stage effect where one plus one is greater than two.

"This kid's singing and dancing are so infectious, they are already at a professional level..."

The mentors were like baseball players who were cheered on by a huge cheerleading team. They couldn't wait to rush into the stadium and compete with others.

"The flame in my heart, the light of hope, cuts through hope."

"You are my God, illuminating the starry night and allowing me to find my true stage."

After the song and dance ended, Xia Fan's chest rose and fell slightly, with no sign of breathing. He bowed calmly and waited for the test results.

The four mentors, without any hesitation, directly raised four "qualified" signs.

"Very good, Xia Jun, a very standard and stable performance. The coordination and breath of singing and dancing are also excellent..."

"I didn't give you any stars during your first performance because I wanted to wait and see your dance part. And you didn't disappoint me!"

Goro Kimura gave a "kind" smile and said in a pretentious manner.

His somewhat far-fetched remarks were obviously a false evaluation, but he actually wanted to explain to the audience that he was moved to tears during the first stage, but he gave them sporadic performances.

"The dance moves are very good, they are textbook standard!"

“Even with such a strenuous and fast-paced dance, the singing is as steady and infectious as ever.”

Shota Hirai and Masaru Oda also followed suit and gave positive comments.

It was impossible for Xia Fan to fail in singing and dancing the theme song with such textbook-level skills, so they were happy to help him and took the opportunity to "whitewash" themselves in this episode.

Anyway, it was the program team that "betrayed" first, and the mentors who were careful to protect their reputation had no time to care what the executive directors thought.

“Thank you, mentors. I will continue to work hard.”

After getting four "qualified" scores, Xia Fan bowed and left the studio obediently.

……

Three hours later.

"Director, out of the 101 trainees, a total of 21 people failed the assessment and cannot participate in the theme song recording."

In the recording room, Assistant Director Souta respectfully handed a form to Manjiro Akimoto.

"Twenty-one? That's about the same as expected... They can't even perform the most basic of performances. Regardless of company background, they will all be disqualified."

Looking at the statistical data, Akimoto Manjiro curled his lips in dissatisfaction.

In the recording of the theme song, the chorus part at least had a chance to "get by", so these twenty-one people, who could not even pass the most basic dancing and facial expressions and were seriously unbalanced trainees, were not worthy of being "let off the hook".

"The live-action videos of the qualified trainees have also been sorted out and are all here. They will be online on the website tomorrow..."

"For the cooperating channel partners, activities such as recharge, consumption, and new user recommendation to exchange voting rights will also be launched simultaneously."

Assistant Director Kusata opened the folder, revealing a densely packed collection of his own dance live-action videos.

"Is it finally about to begin? The first test of the consumption potential of the "Idol Birth Festival"..."

Akimoto Manjiro sat down in front of the computer and his expression became serious.

The popularity votes for the "Idol Birth Festival" are mainly obtained through the consumption of "support products" and the acquisition of new customers on the Internet platform.

The categories range from video website memberships, game memberships, instant noodles, fruit juice, etc., which can be said to fully cover all aspects of the audience's life.

For him, as the "creator of a girl group", the voting data of the theme song's personal straight shot with real money can reflect the consumption potential of this program to a certain extent.

"Based on your preliminary internal judgment, which trainees will perform better in this straight-shooting?"

He randomly clicked on a few trainees' videos and examined them carefully.

"Based on my preliminary judgment, the five-star trainees, Yuta Hirano, Yu Takahashi, Xia Fan, Shiyao Kishi, Jack, and Basong, are very well-balanced in all aspects and will have better results with straight-shot shooting."

After thinking for a while, Assistant Director Souta mentioned a few names.

"What's the best?"

Akimoto Manjiro was obviously not satisfied with this answer and continued to ask.