Crossover Anime: The Heroine is in Trouble? I Take Advantage of the Situation

In the top-floor boardroom of TBS, several bigwigs who control the lifeline of Dongying Media had grim expressions.

One of the directors, sporting a Mediterranean hairstyle, slammed his hand angrily on the conference table, making the teacups rattle: "This is outrageous! This outsider is trying to completely seize our foundation! Who does he think he is?!"

A general affairs officer at Fuji TV scoffed, “Young man, you don’t know your place. Variety shows and dramas aren’t something you can master with just one hit like ‘Legal High.’ Every field is far more complex than he imagines.”

The NHK director, his face grim, spoke slowly and deliberately: "We can't let him continue to be so arrogant. This time, we're going to use our real trump card and show him what decades of industry barriers really mean!"

"Regarding variety shows," the chairman of TBS turned to a production department head and asked in a deep voice, "who is our strongest trump card?"

The person in charge immediately replied, "It's Takeshi Tanaka! Producer Tanaka! He's been in the industry for twenty years, and his connections and experience are unmatched. With him in charge, there's absolutely no chance of failure!"

"Good!" The chairman slammed his hand on the armrest. "Contact Takeshi Tanaka immediately! Tell him there's no budget limit, and he can pick any people he wants! I want him to create a lavish variety show that will completely crush Seiji Fujiwara's ambitions!"

As for underhanded methods?

This is something everyone has deliberately forgotten.

The death cases involving Tatung Life Insurance are less than half a month old, and they don't want to become the next victims.

……

……

Soon, they were in a private room at a high-class restaurant.

Several high-ranking officials from the television station personally hosted a banquet for Takeshi Tanaka.

Takeshi Tanaka, a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair, took an elegant sip of sake after listening to the requests from the higher-ups, a confident smile on his face.

"You're too kind, esteemed chairmen." He put down his wine glass and said slowly, "There's no need for such a grand show to deal with a newcomer who got a role in a drama by sheer luck. However, since you all value him so much, I, Tanaka Takeshi, will naturally show him some real skills and let that young man know that in this industry, seniority and connections ultimately matter."

His arrogance, ironically, reassured the high-ranking officials present.

Soon, a massive battle plan was quickly formed.

……

But that's not all!

They're going to launch a two-pronged counterattack!

In the variety show field, it is led by the ace producer Takeshi Tanaka.

In the realm of television dramas, they even brought in a semi-retired, renowned director who had once created a ratings phenomenon.

Soon after, the TV Alliance also held a grand press conference, announcing their star-studded lineup of all-star artists and legendary production teams.

At the press conference, they made no attempt to hide their provocation: "We're happy to see newcomers willing to take on the challenge, but we'll respond in the most professional way. We hope that when Fujiwara-sensei loses, he won't cry too much... hahaha!"

Genesis remained unmoved by this.

Seiji Fujiwara didn't pay attention and didn't respond.

……

……

Japanese Television.

Takeshi Tanaka is extremely efficient.

After receiving a promise from the TV station that there was no budget limit (bgcg), he immediately activated his vast network of connections.

In his office, the phone rang incessantly, while he, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, wrote one resounding name after another on the whiteboard with great enthusiasm.

"Takafumi Wakaba, the nation's comedian, is confirmed!"

"Leader of the idol group 'Shining Girls'? No problem!"

"Let's have the popular actor Ken Yamada as a guest star on one episode!"

In less than three days, a star-studded cast, comparable to a "galactic battleship," was assembled.

Tanaka Takeshi looked at the string of glittering names on the whiteboard and smiled smugly.

Just getting these people together is half the battle won for the show.

The show's format follows Takeshi Tanaka's signature classic combination: top-tier celebrity interviews plus fun games. In his view, this "winning formula," repeatedly proven by the market, coupled with an unparalleled cast, makes it virtually impossible to lose.

Television executives and producers' associations are also optimistic about this, all saying that "victory is assured."

On the day of the program recording, the TV station's largest studio, Studio 1, was brightly lit.

However, the ideal was soon shattered by the harsh reality.

The first game segment was a "Test of Teamwork," which required the guests to perform the same actions based on a given prompt.

Veteran comedian Takafumi Wakaba, accustomed to being the center of attention, would always preemptively make exaggerated movements before others could react, disrupting the rhythm. The idol team leader, on the other hand, maintained a perfect smile throughout, his movements barely perceptible, as if afraid of ruining his image. Popular actor Ken Yamada, somewhat disdainful of participating in what he considered a "childish" game, stood aside with a cool expression the entire time.

The on-site director was sweating profusely and kept giving hints to the guests through the earpiece, but to little avail.

In the backstage control room, Takafumi Wakaba sat in the lounge, looking at the messy scene on the monitor, his brows furrowed.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly: 'Putting so many big names together has only created a disaster!'

Everyone has their own fixed performance style and persona, and no one is willing to cooperate with anyone else.

"That singer always tries to steal the spotlight by singing, that actor is so aloof and refuses to play games, and then there's me and that guy… We had a public feud on a show three years ago, and now they're making us sit together forcing smiles. It's so awkward I could dig a mountain out of my toes!"

The final result was predictable.

As the producer, Takeshi Tanaka quickly realized the problem.

He sat in the main seat of the control room, his face gradually turning ashen from its initial confidence.

He yelled into the microphone, "Camera number three! Keep up with the close-up of Ms. Wakaba! Sound team, turn down the volume on Ken Yamada's microphone, he's been talking nonsense! Lights! What are the lights doing?!"

However, no matter how he tried to manage it, the images on the screen remained a jumbled mess.

Looking at the uninspired, even contradictory, footage in the editing room, Takeshi Tanaka's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

The overall effect was far worse than he had expected, and could even be described as "boring".

But with a huge production budget already invested and so many big names brought in, the die was cast and the project was on. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue, secretly praying, "I hope that Fujiwara Seiji doesn't understand variety show production and is just an amateur..."

At the same time, he browsed the internet and saw the huge amount of discussion and various trending topics brought about by the participation of these big-name celebrities, which rekindled his confidence.

"At least we have the appeal of celebrities!"

"Publicity and buzz are the core of variety shows. As long as the popularity is high, the audience will still buy into it even if the content is a bit mediocre!" he comforted himself.

When I saw that there wasn't a single big-name star on the cast list released by Genesis, I couldn't help but let out a sneer.

"A bunch of second- or third-rate newcomers? They think they can compete with my 'Galactic Battleship'?"

"Fujiwara Seiji, you're still too young. You don't understand how this industry works at all!"

……

……

Meanwhile, at Genesis headquarters, the film and television department...

Following Seiji Fujiwara's instructions, they solicited variety show proposals from all company employees. The head of the film and television department had hoped to discover one or two brilliant ideas, but reality dealt him a heavy blow.

He looked through the mountain of proposals piled on his desk, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

These proposals are not bad, but most of them are imitations of existing programs, full of stale and mediocre ideas.

"These...these plans are simply not good enough to be called excellent, let alone meet the ratings targets of that crazy betting contract!" The minister paced anxiously in his office. With time running out, he even began to wonder if his boss had really overestimated things this time.

Just as he was at his wit's end, the office door was pushed open.

Seiji Fujiwara walked in, his expression indifferent.

"How's the proposal coming along?"

"Boss..." The minister stood up with a look of shame, "I'm sorry, none of these plans... are usable."

“I didn’t expect them to work.”

Fujiwara Seiji's words stunned the minister.

"Then why do you still..."

"Submitting articles is just to screen out who in the company has ideas and who has potential, so that we can promote them in the future." Seiji Fujiwara said calmly. "As for the actual works, of course I will do them myself."

As he spoke, he placed a thin document on the minister's desk.

The cover has only four words: "Human Observation".

The minister opened the proposal with skepticism, but after reading only a few pages, his breathing became rapid, his eyes widened, and his face was filled with disbelief.

Those few sheets of paper felt incredibly heavy. When he held them in his hands, he didn't feel the weight, but rather a disruptive creative power.

What a brilliant idea this is!

The cameras were disguised, and various interesting or even touching scenarios were set up to observe the most authentic reactions of unsuspecting passersby when they encountered these unexpected situations!

For example, if you encountered an anime otaku being bullied on the street, would anyone stand up for them? If you were eating at a restaurant and the celebrity at the next table suddenly asked to borrow money, how would you react? What if your wife told you that she was actually the illegitimate daughter of a former prime minister…

Each observation project is full of drama and uncertainty, directly addressing the weaknesses and brilliance of human nature.

It breaks away from all the fake scripts and routines of traditional variety shows, pursuing 100% "authenticity"!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Thank you to the generous contributors "17667.." and "Nanyou Auditorium Dingzhen" for the monthly tickets!

Chapter 139: A Complete Victory! Tanaka Takeshi's face turned ashen! (3/4)

"My God... Genius... This is simply a genius idea!" The minister trembled with excitement, looking at Fujiwara Seiji with eyes full of fanatical admiration. "Boss, with this plan, we're guaranteed to win!"

"Calm down, go cast the actors." Seiji Fujiwara simply smiled calmly.

He has even more popular variety shows in his mind than "Human Observation"!

Where are we even now?

"Yes, President!" The department head, thinking Fujiwara Seiji was incredibly talented, quickly bowed and agreed, then enthusiastically led the planning team to prepare.

……

With the project plan finalized, the next step is naturally casting.

Thanks to the success of Legal High and the current popularity of Genesis, a flood of resumes have been pouring in, including many A-list actors.

The minister spent a day excitedly compiling a star-studded list, which he then handed over to Seiji Fujiwara for selection.

"President, this is the cast list I've prepared. Do you think it's suitable?"

However, Seiji Fujiwara only glanced at the list before pushing it aside.

"We don't want any of these people."

"Huh? Why?" the minister asked, puzzled. "They're all popular celebrities who can bring in huge traffic!"

"Traffic?" Seiji Fujiwara shook his head. "The core of 'Human Observation' is 'authenticity.' These established big-name celebrities each have their own 'persona.' They can't abandon their fixed personas, nor can they really lower themselves to be 'played' by us to amuse the audience."

He paused, then pointed to another list consisting of second- and third-tier artists and newcomers.

"What we need are people who crave opportunities, have no idol baggage, and are willing to do anything for the sake of the show's effect."

"They are real enough and obedient enough that we can mold them into any shape needed for any program."

The minister stood there, stunned, after hearing these words.

He then realized that the gap between himself and his boss was not only in creativity, but also in the depth of their understanding of the program. This cold-blooded precision in treating artists as "parts" sent chills down his spine, yet he admired them immensely.

And indeed, things turned out exactly as Seiji Fujiwara had predicted.

……

The filming location of "Human Observation".

On a shooting day, on the streets of Akihabara.

A young actor, dressed as a typical anime otaku, awkwardly walks around carrying a bunch of paper bags printed with pictures of beautiful girls. Suddenly, two other actors playing delinquents rush out and deliberately bump into him, scattering the contents of the paper bags all over the ground.

"Hey! Can't you watch where you're going?!" the delinquent shouted menacingly.

More than a dozen cameras, hidden in the surrounding shops, billboards, and even trash cans, are precisely capturing every subtle expression of passersby.

A well-dressed office worker frowned, but quickened his pace and left. A young couple hesitated for a moment, then also chose to take a detour.

Just then, a high school student with dyed blond hair and ripped jeans, who looked more like a delinquent than the two "delinquents," walked over.