pjbooks Chapters 1542 and 1551: The first ever fan-based ranking event in the entertainment industry?!
Chapters 1542 and 1551: The first ever fan-based ranking event in the entertainment industry?!
Chapters 1542 and 1551: The first fan-based ranking event in the entertainment industry?!
In Tokyo in December, the most talked-about event was undoubtedly the "battle royale" between the Seiko faction and the Akina faction!
Since the third season of "Neon Voice" premiered to great acclaim, the competition and arguments between the two mentors on set have ignited the emotions of their respective fans!
From hotline calls to fan club verbal battles, the arguments were even more intense than those on the show. Fans gathered in one area even arranged an offline fight, resulting in bloodshed.
This was something that neither producer Kazuhisa Fujiwara, director Sora Uemura, nor Akina Nakamori and Seiko Matsuda themselves had anticipated, and even Naoki Nagayama was caught off guard.
In the internet age, the battles between the two groups of fans mostly involve "flooding the public square with trending topics", "buying online trolls to spread negative information", "online mutual insults", and so on. In more serious cases, it can lead to doxxing or cyberbullying.
Little did he know that fans in this era would actually engage in real-life offline battles for their idols!
The media and newspapers all reported on it, saying that the idols' behavior caused a conflict between fans, putting both "Neon Voice" and the two idols in the spotlight.
In the NTV conference room.
Faced with such public opinion, Ken-On's chairman Hanami Hyuk and Sun Music's president Aizawa Hideyoshi met together, along with Fujiwara Kazuhisa, Uemura Sora, and others.
Of course, both parties involved were also present.
"Nobody wants this to happen."
Fujiwara Kazuhisa somewhat awkwardly took the lead, because it was he who had suggested the gimmick of having the two mentors "compete" against each other.
"The most important thing now is how to quell public opinion."
Hideyoshi Aizawa tapped his fingers impatiently on the table. Compared to Ken-On and Yukiko Okada, the pillar of Sun Music agency was only Seiko Matsuda!
"Since the show has already aired, there's nothing we can do about it."
Aizawa Hideyoshi said,
"At present, it seems that only by having the two hold a press conference, admit that they have set a bad example, and demonstrate their friendly relationship to persuade fans not to fight."
This is a common practice in the entertainment industry when there is public opinion; no matter what, apologize first and then talk about other things.
However, Fujiwara Kazuhisa was somewhat anxious:
"This won't do!"
"In the later 'Neon Voice,' the struggle between Akina-san and Seiko-san is a major storyline!"
If the two hold a press conference now and act like they have a good relationship, viewers will think the show is fake, and the ratings for the third season of "The Voice of Neon" will be in jeopardy!
"."
At this point, everyone in the conference room fell silent.
"Neon Voice" is a national variety show that is valued by television stations, talent agencies, and even the artists themselves. If they were to fall behind, Seiko Matsuda and Akina Nakamori would have to worry about getting good gigs in the future!
Akina Nakamori isn't really affected; at worst, she can become a chaebol's wife and happily raise her children. But Seiko Matsuda isn't willing to do that!
Her acceptance of "Neon Voice" and agreement to compete against Akina Nakamori on the show was purely for the sake of popularity and to further her career.
"Ultimately, this is because the fans got too excited."
Seiko Matsuda spoke up,
"We can post notices in the fan club, urging fans not to resort to violence and hoping they will pursue their idols rationally."
Director Uemura Sora nodded:
"Yes. After hearing their idol's advice, I believe the fans will be able to restrain themselves a bit!"
Fujiwara Kazuhisa also spoke up:
"We can also issue a statement in the name of the 'Neon Voice' program team to advise fans and viewers and express our attitude. I believe this will help the program and the mentors extricate themselves from the public opinion predicament!"
"But the show itself still has to go on!"
Then he even said with a smile:
"After all, we don't want the popularity to drop. The greater the public opinion, the higher the popularity of our program!"
This approach, which focuses solely on ratings and popularity, may seem irresponsible and impersonal, but it reflects the true attitude of NTV and the production team.
Even the media outlets hope that this conflict will last as long as possible!
Akina, who had been listening to the discussion, finally spoke up:
“When the fan conflict was just beginning, Naoki told me that this kind of thing could not be ignored, otherwise it would eventually lead to both sides paying the price.”
He told me something about Dongda Hong Kong.
"Two top singers in the music industry, one surnamed Tan and the other surnamed Zhang, had their fans engage in a violent clash over an award competition, resulting in bloodshed."
"Fans from both sides would even send cursed items like ghost money to each other's idols."
Akina learned about the rivalry between Alan Tam and Leslie Cheung from Naoki Nagayama. Because Naoki had worked with Leslie Cheung, he knew that Cheung was showing signs of depression.
"At such a time, the media and record companies exploited the conflict between the two to create news and boost sales. This incident caused serious damage to both sides."
When she said this, Akina glanced at Fujiwara Kazuhisa, which startled him!
"The end result was that one of them withdrew from all award competitions in order to quell the situation, while the other, under immense public pressure, also considered retiring from the music industry."
In such fan conflicts, the program gains popularity and ratings, the record company gains sales, and the media gains traffic and hot news, while Nakamori Akina and Matsuda Seiko, as the core figures, will suffer tremendous pressure!
After hearing Akina's words, President Hanami Kagami of Ken-on spoke up:
"Yes, in this situation, we must protect the artists themselves!"
Upon hearing keywords such as "retirement" and "silence," Hideyoshi Aizawa immediately stood with Hanami Hyuk.
"The show's popularity is important, but the artists' image is also very important!"
"When we put the two of them together on the show, we never expected something like this to happen. But now that it has happened, our agency has to prioritize our artists!"
Now, it was the production team and the TV station that started to get anxious.
The discussion in the conference room began to get agitated, with suggestions such as "cooling off," "suppressing the hype," and "bribing other media outlets" being offered.
The final decision was that Akina Nakamori and Seiko Matsuda would hold a joint press conference to advise fans not to be too impulsive, and to explain that the competition and arguments in "Neon Voice" were all about vying for excellent contestants and did not involve any personal relationships.
The goal is to guide fans' idol worship in the right direction!
However, before leaving the meeting room, Akina remembered what Naoki had said.
"When fans gather together, their intelligence and rationality decline. It's very difficult to get them back to their senses!"
Naoki Nagayama was petting his dog at the time.
"You can think of their IQ as being the same as Eitaro's."
Upon hearing the keyword, Eitaro wagged its tail happily.
As he spoke, Naoki Nagayama pulled out a small biscuit from somewhere, waved it in front of the dog, and then tossed it into the yard. Eitaro immediately darted out.
"They need a new goal to pursue."
"Hana-san, President Aizawa, and Fujiwara-san."
Akina addressed the group,
"I think we need to give fans a platform where they can openly support their idols! We need to guide this emotion in a harmless direction and avoid offline conflicts."
"???"
All of them turned to look at them.
"What is Akina-san's suggestion?"
"We could hold a popularity ranking competition, promote it on TV and in newspapers, and encourage fans to actively participate by voting and making phone calls to express their love for their idols!"
In the Showa era, most rankings were sales rankings, not popularity rankings. Similar popularity rankings were only held at the end of the year, and they were based on sales performance and surveys.
Because there is no internet platform, no systematic fan community guidance, and no selection criteria, there is no such thing as fans spontaneously launching ranking campaigns.
Perhaps this is the first time in the entertainment industry that fan-based ranking has become a conscious practice?
Perhaps it's even possible that fan culture in the entertainment industry will form earlier than expected?! Making Akina Nakamori and Seiko Matsuda the originators of fan culture?!
Most importantly, ranking competitions prevented fans from engaging in real-life offline battles, thus avoiding bloodshed and injuries. Therefore, ranking competitions, which intensify fan wars in the internet age, served as a channel for channeling fan emotions during the Showa era.
Regardless of the consequences later, it's a good way to guide fans in the moment!
This is probably an unexpected consequence of the changing times.
"The two of us can provide positive guidance within the fan club. For example, if we win in the charts, we can produce a special thank-you album next year, hold a solo concert, and so on to reward our fans."
At this point, Akina looked at Seiko Matsuda:
"Seiko-chan, you'll be holding a solo concert next year, right?"
"I do know how."
Seiko Matsuda nodded.
"However, it's expected in April."
"That's alright then."
Akina nodded.
"The 'Neon Voice' competition ends in January next year. We could try to move it up, or have it sponsored directly."
"In this way, fans' enthusiasm will be diverted to ranking and voting instead of thinking about competing against rivals in real life!"
"."
The others nodded in agreement.
Fujiwara Kazuhisa even said:
"In that case, the popularity chart might make 'Neon Voice' even more lively."
"Uh-huh."
Kamimura Sora also nodded,
"However, we still need to discuss the specifics of how to operate this popularity ranking."
Both company presidents agreed, since this would definitely increase the popularity of their artists.
"That's true."
The discussion in the meeting room turned into how to create a popularity ranking list, whether more candidates should be included, and so on. Everyone seemed to have settled their thoughts, and the discussion became more logical and organized.
Seiko Matsuda then looked at Akina Nakamori, who had just offered her opinion, and felt that Akina now seemed to be more than just an entertainer or a housewife; she seemed to be a more formidable woman.
She's the kind of independent woman who can solve problems and has a strong core!
Amidst the turmoil in the entertainment industry, one young and handsome man found himself increasingly conflicted.
Masaharu Fukuyama has recently reduced his visits to underground bars, it's unclear whether he's afraid of being discovered or afraid of the person waiting for him there, Sony Kishimoto.
That guy's words were like poison, always finding their way into his heart.
Promises like "transfer of residence," "better resources," and "a wider world" were like honey, constantly swaying Masaharu Fukuyama's heart.
He was just a minor not even twenty years old; how could he resist the temptation of a seasoned old fox?!
Although Kishimoto Yamato's words were very pleasant to hear, Fukuyama Masaharu still felt somewhat uneasy.
"Betraying the tree friend".
The thought of this made Masaharu Fukuyama feel ashamed and a little scared.
He knew how well Shuyu was treated in the entertainment industry, and he also knew about the connections Naoki Nagayama and Otomo Yoshimura had in the industry. Could Yamato Kishimoto, with Sony's name on his side, really persuade Shuyu to let him leave?
And even if I leave, can I really achieve better development at Sony?!
These days, his mind is filled with all sorts of thoughts that are making him incredibly irritable.
"So annoying!!"
Masaharu Fukuyama reached for the wine in the refrigerator, only to find it empty. He then considered calling his assistant to ask him to buy some more.
After all, Masaharu Fukuyama is not yet of legal age to buy alcohol.
"Fukuyama-kun? Buying sake again?!"
Kitagawa Tetsu exclaimed in surprise,
"You're not even an adult yet, how did you get addicted to alcohol?!"
He'll be an adult in a few months, so Kitagawa Tetsu will keep him drinking, but after all, he's a young man, and drinking too much isn't good!
"I've been having some worries lately."
Fukuyama Masaharu could only stammer out his answer, leading Kitagawa Tetsu to believe that there was a problem in his relationship with Okada Yukiko.
"Fukuyama-kun"
Kitagawa Toru did not give up, but instead advised him...
"Don't you have musical dreams?! Then you should know that smoking and drinking can damage your voice, right?!"
"."
"Although you're currently unemployed, next year..."
Kitagawa Toru lowered his voice.
"I heard from above that they're going to produce a new album for you! They want to help you transform your image."
"Transformation?"
"Yes, you're a very talented singer!"
"This"
Masaharu Fukuyama was surprised.
"Why didn't anyone tell me this?!"
"Why haven't we heard that Otomo-san specifically asked Naoki-san for a song?"
"what?"
"This matter has not been announced yet."
Kitagawa Tetsu lowered his voice and said,
"However, I heard it when Masayuki-san was drunk. It was said to be an early song created by Naoki-san, and they hadn't been able to find a suitable singer for it. They specifically asked for it for Fukuyama-kun!"
"The song is called 'Koi Fuka ni Nosete' (Love-induced Wind Evil)."
Kitagawa Tetsu smiled when the song title was mentioned.
"What do you think? It suits Fukuyama-kun perfectly, doesn't it?!"
"Forehead"
Masaharu Fukuyama was unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Hahaha~"
Kitagawa Tetsu smiled, then gave some instructions.
"These days, Naoki-san writes fewer and fewer songs for singers. Many people are watching his work closely, and news about our other artists is kept strictly confidential!"
"If it weren't to boost your morale, I wouldn't have told you this, so you have to keep it a secret too, understand?!"
Okay, take good care of yourself and your voice.
"Naoki-san's songs are guaranteed to break into the Oricon Top 10, ensuring you have a fantastic start to your singing career! He's one of the top musicians in the industry!"
"."
After hanging up the phone, Masaharu Fukuyama felt a warm glow in his heart. It turned out his agency hadn't given up on him! They had actually planned his future career transition and even managed to get him a new song from Naoki Nagayama.
Even he knew what Naoki Nagayama's current status was. Despite his top-notch musical talent, his position meant he could no longer give songs to newcomers like before!
Under these circumstances, only people like Yoshimura Otomo and Itō Shuichi could persuade him to give him a chance.
At that moment, he thought of the underground bar again, and of Kishimoto Yamato, who was all sweet talk.
A feeling of guilt and unease welled up inside me.