Chapter 1044: How about producing *Voice of Japan*?!

When the weather is nice and he's not in a hurry, Naoki Nagayama likes to drive his sports car for a joyride; sometimes it doesn't matter if he takes a detour.

When his cheeks are brushed by the warm summer breeze, when his ears are surrounded by lazy city pop, and when before his eyes is a painting composed of the deep blue sea and lush green mountains, Naoki Nagayama truly wishes Akina could be by his side to enjoy it together...

It's just a pity that Akina isn't suited for long car rides right now~

"After the baby is born, I'll leave her at home and take Akina out to play!"

By the time he took a large circle and arrived at the Tree Friend building, it was already nearing noon.

He came to the company today because Editor Morikawa from Shogakukan had called to remind him about the manga adaptation. It was to discuss the future adaptation of *Slam Dunk* and to drop off a few songs.

In Yin Tangxiu's office, Fangcun Dayou also came over to discuss.

"*I Want to Shout 'I Love You'* has already been given to Shizuka Kudo~"

Fangcun Dayou flipped through a few scores, very surprised.

"And then this *My Friend*, *Until the End of the World*, *Only Gazing at You*, *Capturing the Shining Moment*..."

He looked up at Naoki Nagayama, filled with incredulity:

"Naoki-san, did you write a series of theme songs based on *Slam Dunk*?!"

This was too incredible. How could someone write five theme songs before the anime adaptation had even begun?! Even for Naoki Nagayama, this felt too exaggerated!

Naoki Nagayama originally wanted to admit it, but seeing the expressions of Fangcun Dayou and Yin Tangxiu, which were like they were looking at a monster, he still modified it tactfully:

"Actually, these are just a few songs I wrote before... but based on the passion, friendship, and other factors of *Slam Dunk*, I just gathered them together when I saw they were suitable..."

"So that's how it is~"

The complexions of Fangcun Dayou and Yin Tangxiu returned to normal slightly.

Believe it or not, I believe it anyway!

Fangcun Dayou keenly discovered a blind spot: "Does that mean Naoki-san still has a huge pile of songs here?"

"..."

Naoki Nagayama ignored this guy who was always coveting his small music library and continued:

"After *Slam Dunk* is adapted into an anime, I think these songs can all be used... but before that, we still need to find suitable singers for these songs..."

"Can't Yutaka Ozaki do it? Shizuka-chan?" Fangcun Dayou said immediately. "We still have many idol artists under our banner..."

This guy, always thinking about digesting all the good things internally...

"For these few songs, the musical styles are all different, and the interpretations have huge differences, so the requirements for the singers are very high..." Naoki Nagayama explained slightly. "For example, this *Only Gazing at You* needs high-pitched explosive power, while this *Until the End of the World* needs that kind of decadent uncle's vocal timbre, but it has to be refreshing..."

"In short... I think the singers under our banner might not have this level..."

The female artists under Tree Friend were almost all from idol backgrounds; they were cute, and their popularity was high, but when it came to singing skills, they really didn't have any advantages.

As for the male singers, Yutaka Ozaki and Kazumasa Oda could be considered powerful, but one was a prince of love songs, and the other's voice had a sense of youth; singing these songs would be a bit awkward.

"Then who should we find to sing them?"

Yin Tangxiu looked at these songs and also had some happy troubles. The manga had only been online for a short time, and the theme songs for the anime were already out... This was simply forcing the adaptation work!

Fangcun Dayou and Yin Tangxiu chatted for a few sentences, both feeling a bit helpless.

Naoki Nagayama actually remembered the original singers of these songs. If it were Noboru Uesugi and Maki Ohguro, they should be in middle school now? The only one who was slightly older was Izumi Sakai... oh oh, she should be called Sachiko Kamachi now, she seems to be 19, and hasn't debuted yet?

But if he told them now to go find a girl named Sachiko Kamachi and let her sing... would Dayou-san and Xiu-san think he was just talking nonsense, or that he was possessed by a monster?

Seeing that the two had no results from their discussion and started listing famous singers in the entertainment industry, Naoki Nagayama shook his head and interjected:

"Finding existing singers to sing them has no novelty..."

"Does Naoki-san have any ideas?"

"I'm thinking, for the anime adaptation, it's expected to wait until the end of the year... Since Tree Friend wants to make a splash in the anime world, why not start building momentum from the theme songs!"

"..."

Here it comes, here it comes, Naoki Nagayama's wonderful little ideas are out again!

Yin Tangxiu and Fangcun Dayou had already gone from initial exclamation to being unperturbed by the ideas that Naoki Nagayama popped out from time to time, and could even expand according to his train of thought...

"Does Naoki-san mean to make the matter of choosing singers for these songs grand and eye-catching?"

"Auditioning singers?" "Singing competition?" "Talent show?"

One term after another came out of their mouths. Having been in the entertainment industry for so long, these routines naturally came to them.

"Something like that..."

Naoki Nagayama actually just said it casually.

"Toho has the Toho Cinderella Contest, Toei also has the Karaoke Queen Selection... I think Tree Friend can also hold one~"

"Doesn't Tree Friend have Tree Girls?" Fangcun Dayou said with a smile. "Has Naoki-san forgotten?"

"Eh?"

"Naoki-san's movie casting sessions have already been called the Tree Girl Selection Contest!"

Yin Tangxiu also interjected.

"Now everyone is thinking about when Naoki Nagayama will choose a movie heroine again!"

Naoki Nagayama's romance movies, *A Scene at the Sea*, *Love Letter*, *April Story*, etc., every heroine was an amateur actor, and almost every newcomer could win the Newcomer Award of the year. It could almost be considered one of the best tickets to enter the entertainment industry.

"Hahaha, but this time it's choosing singers..." Naoki Nagayama said. "It has nothing to do with movies, it's best not to mix them together..."

"Then what name should we use?" Fangcun Dayou asked.

"Why not use the name 'Voice of Japan'? Produce a singing program called *Voice of Japan*?" Naoki Nagayama thought of the future *The Voice* and *The Voice of China* instantly.

"Actually representing the whole of Japan directly..."

Fangcun Dayou's interest rose sharply. At his age, he liked grand narratives the most.

"Is the process still the same as a talent show?" Yin Tangxiu asked. "If it's a talent show, auditions like *Idol, Born* or singing competitions are already very numerous..."

In this era, various idol talent shows were emerging one after another, and even idols were flooding the market. There were actually many singing competitions, and even the Asian Singer Contest had been held... Yin Tangxiu was skeptical about the popularity of such auditions.

Naoki Nagayama looked at Fangcun Dayou, who also agreed slightly, and asked:

"With so many talent shows, don't you feel tired of them? What about all the vulgarity, attention-seeking, behind-the-scenes manipulation, unfair judging, and other such problems?!"

"That's true..."

Almost all talent shows had such problems. When they weren't famous, the participants were ordinary civilian contestants, so they selected many hidden gems and won huge fame and profit.

But after the reputation started to rise, all kinds of monsters and demons would stuff their descendants in, arrange it in advance, and want to occupy such benefits... This led to a decline in the quality of the talent show...

Then, in order to maintain topics and popularity, they would use various extreme explosive points, such as sharp-tongued judges, bizarre contestants, etc., to increase topicality... forming a vicious cycle...

"This time our 'Voice of Japan' can adopt the method of blind auditions. Participants go directly on stage to sing, and the judges sit in rotating chairs, listening only to the voice. If they think the voice is good, they can turn around, and the contestant passes..." Naoki Nagayama said. "This kind of simple selection standard doesn't look at appearance, looks, experience, or other conditions..."

"Mentors choose famous singers. If multiple mentors choose the same contestant, the initiative is in the contestant's hands... Finally, form several teams and PK each other..."

Actually, Naoki Nagayama had provided the mentor system to Fuji TV during *Twilight Meow Meow*, but they only learned the appearance and added a bit of novelty to *Twilight Meow Meow*, and it was completely useless afterward.

Speaking of which, this form of talent show had a fleeting glimpse in the TV series *Hana Yori Dango*...

However, this time for "Voice of Japan", it could be said to be more distinct and prominent.

"The most important thing is... it can be stated during promotion." Naoki Nagayama said. "The champion selected this time can directly get a contract with Tree Friend and the opportunity to sing these theme songs..."

After saying a lot, Naoki Nagayama actually just wanted to use this method to promote the anime adaptation of *Slam Dunk* and select suitable singers.

Fangcun Dayou nodded repeatedly as he listened. Not to mention anything else, just signing with Tree Friend, plus Naoki Nagayama's songs, would be enough to attract many people to participate... And things like blind listening, mentor rotating chairs, team PK... it sounded very interesting.

Even though Japan had so many talent shows, the "Voice of Japan" that Naoki Nagayama mentioned was very distinctive.

"Naoki-san, it sounds very interesting~"

Fangcun Dayou nodded with satisfaction.

"Sure enough, Naoki-san's talent for variety shows is also outstanding..."

Yin Tangxiu smiled and said:

"Of course, haven't you seen that *Music Station* is already the flagship music program of TV Asahi?"

"Hahaha, that's true~" Fangcun Dayou agreed with a smile. "Then for this *Voice of Japan*, which TV station should we cooperate with?"

TBS has *The Best Ten*, Fuji TV has *Yoru no Hit Studio*, TV Asahi has Naoki Nagayama's *Music Station*... These three major TV stations already have representative music programs. Wouldn't the remaining two TV stations be very lonely?

"Dayou-san, Xiu-san..." Naoki Nagayama showed a smile. "Haven't we cooperated with NTV (Nippon TV) on a program yet?"

"Ah, indeed we haven't..."

Fangcun Dayou nodded. Even TV Tokyo had cooperated on late-night dramas, but it seemed like NTV had been forgotten...

"Then let's contact NTV first this time. If they don't have the intention to cooperate, then we'll discuss with other TV stations..." Naoki Nagayama shook his head. "For the five major TV stations in Japan, Tree Friend must also share the rain and dew equally!"

"..."

Yin Tangxiu and Fangcun Dayou looked at each other, feeling that something was strange.

However, the meeting with Naoki-san today really didn't disappoint. Not only did they get several songs, but they also got an idea for a program...

"Naoki-san, when will *Voice of Japan* start?"

"Summer... during the summer vacation~" Naoki Nagayama said casually. "It just so happens that young people are very free, and they all have time to watch TV..."

Summer vacation, that is, mid-to-late July... It's already mid-to-late June now, there's still about a month left.

Fangcun Dayou didn't feel it was rushed either. This wasn't a large-scale event like the Tokyo International Film Festival. For a mere variety show, with Tree Friend's current efficiency, one month would definitely be handled properly.

"Naoki-san, do you want to lead this program?"

"No... I'll just hang my name on it..." Naoki Nagayama shook his head. He still wanted to stay at home and accompany Akina. "I'll supervise the initial plan and recording, and the specific execution will be left to others."

"Good~"

After having lunch together, Naoki Nagayama started to head back... If he didn't see her for a long time, Akina would become anxious.

She was originally very young and couldn't even take care of herself, yet she was about to give birth to a child. In the late stages of pregnancy, Akina actually needed a sense of security very much~

The remote-controlled iron gate opened, and Naoki Nagayama saw a foreigner with gray hair but meticulously groomed standing at the entrance of the building:

"Naoki-san, welcome back home..."

"Alfred..." Naoki Nagayama parked the car at the entrance, got out, and handed him the keys. "Sorry for the trouble~"

"This is what I should do~"

Alfred was the new butler Naoki Nagayama had hired, a relative of a senior employee at the company.

He was a mixed-race person himself, with the Japanese name Yusuke Fukuchi. He used to be a butler for the British in Minato Ward, but his former employer had grown old and returned to London. He was also getting old and didn't want to go abroad, so he was quite suitable in all aspects...

Alright, the above were all additional items. Actually, after Naoki Nagayama heard his English name was Alfred, he had pretty much decided... who wouldn't fantasize about having a Batman butler~

After walking into the entrance hall, Akina was reading manga on the sofa. Seeing Naoki Nagayama, she showed a smile:

"Naoki-san, you're back~"

"Mm~" Naoki Nagayama walked to Akina's side and kissed her soft cheek. "Have you had lunch?"

"Hai~ It's very hot outside, right?" Akina pointed to the refrigerator. "Mrs. Nonaka also made red bean soup... it's in the refrigerator... does Naoki-san want to drink some?"

"Let's talk about it later..."

Naoki Nagayama sat on the sofa, feeling the soft cushion, and stretched comfortably.

"Has Naoki-san already sent the songs over?"

"Yes, I gave them all to Dayou-san~" Naoki Nagayama nodded. "Dayou-san is very happy~"

"After all, they are Naoki-san's songs..."

Akina had naturally seen those songs; almost every one of them was a boutique. Even she wanted to sing *My Friend*... It's just a pity that her body didn't allow it...

"Which singer will sing them?"

"It hasn't been decided yet, it will be selected through a talent show..."

Seeing that Akina was very interested, Naoki Nagayama told Akina about the *Voice of Japan* variety show.

"Blind selection based only on voice..." Akina sighed after hearing it. "Then it doesn't matter if you're cute or not..."

If it were based on vocal conditions, Akina was among the top tier in Japan. However, when she first debuted, Akina was hit hard by the judges and teachers in the entertainment industry regarding her appearance...

They even said things like she wasn't as cute as Yoko Oginome and others, so she could only rely on singing...

Thinking back now, it was still a bit sad~

For a teenage girl, being told to her face that she wasn't as cute as others...

But no one expected that a girl changes eighteen times, and Akina would become a great beauty from sixteen to twenty~

"What is Akina reading?" Naoki Nagayama saw that Akina was holding *Weekly Shonen Sunday*, which was a bit strange.

"Of course it's *Slam Dunk*~"

Akina came back to her senses and held up the manga magazine.

"You're not interested in sports..."

"Naoki-san's manga, of course I have to understand it~"

"Oh?"

Naoki Nagayama still wanted to ask, but saw Akina leaning over with bad intentions:

"Naoki-san... the prototype of the characters in *Slam Dunk* was drawn by you... then who is the prototype of Haruko Akagi? You can tell me now, right?!"

"..." "No one... just referenced a female basketball player..."

This wasn't the first time Akina had asked, and Naoki Nagayama could only prevaricate.

"Anyway, it's definitely not me, right?!"

Even though she had succeeded in losing weight, Akina knew that she didn't have the long, athletic legs like Haruko Akagi...

"..."

If this question continued, it would cause a family dispute!

Naoki Nagayama decisively chose to change the subject:

"Ah, I'm feeling a bit thirsty. Akina just said the red bean soup is in the refrigerator, right? I'll go taste it..."

"Tsk..." ===== CHAPTER 1045 =====