Chapter 158

Since the director had said so, how could a small actor with little power object?

Naoki Nagayama naturally lent out his beloved car.

"Naoki-san, the effect is really good~" Shuichi Yin Tang nodded in admiration. "It has a very flamboyant feel~"

After a day of filming, it was 2 AM again.

Thanks to the care of the rest of the crew, Eitaro didn't go hungry today, but he had already fallen asleep curled up in the car on the way back.

After returning to the Shanyingyuan, Naoki Nagayama also rested quickly; after all, he had things to do the next day.

Woken up by the alarm in the morning, he forced open his eyes that were constantly protesting. He had only slept for 3 hours...

Naoki Nagayama found that his dark circles had deepened a bit, and his complexion was very pale. Perhaps he could play a vampire without any makeup.

Fortunately, his young body provided enough capital. After finishing breakfast, his energy recovered quite a bit.

Eitaro, on the other hand, had eaten well and slept well yesterday, and was full of energy again today.

He went to the recording studio in the morning and brought Eitaro along, planning to take him to the set in the afternoon.

The weather in Tokyo was getting better and better. The warm morning sunlight shone on his body, bringing vitality for the day.

The tender buds on the treetops were quietly growing, the wild grass on the roadside was silently emerging, and even the bird calls and insect chirps that hadn't been heard for a long time seemed to have been dormant for a winter, starting to become lively again.

Driving in such weather, one's mood would also be much better.

The reserved recording studio was the same one where he had previously recorded "Sakura Sakura I Want to See You" for Yoshie Kashiwabara.

It's a Japanese habit: as long as there has been a good collaboration, and there are no major changes, they will always look for familiar partners. Even shops will take great care of the experience of "returning customers."

When Naoki Nagayama arrived, Otomo Yoshimura and Junko Ito had naturally arrived as well.

Having had no scenes yesterday and returning early, they were naturally full of energy and confidence today.

"Otomo-san, Junko-san, you've already arrived~"

Walking through the door and seeing Junko Ito already preparing, and Otomo Yoshimura communicating with the staff nearby, Naoki Nagayama greeted them.

"Hai, if Naoki-san has arrived too, we can start recording~"

Because there was still filming in the afternoon, none of them exchanged too many pleasantries and went straight to work.

Listening to the pre-recorded music starting outside the recording room, Junko Ito's pure voice came through the headset:

"A heart stained with loneliness"

"Floating in a pure white void"

"In this room where only emptiness remains"

Naoki Nagayama's brow gradually furrowed...

After the song was finished, Naoki Nagayama said into the microphone: "Junko-san, take a short break first. Wait for my instructions, and we'll record it again in a while~"

Otomo Yoshimura clearly noticed Naoki Nagayama's expression.

Oh no, is Naoki-san about to become the recording studio tyrant again?

Speaking of which, last time when recording for Yoshie Kashiwabara, he also said he hadn't slept well. Could it be because he didn't sleep well this time too?

"Naoki-san, is there a problem with Junko-chan's interpretation? Is it not polished enough?"

"That's not it. Junko-san's singing is very polished; Sachiko Tokunaga-sensei taught her well." Naoki Nagayama thought for a moment and then said, "But it feels empty in terms of emotion, and as for the voice, it lacks a bit of ethereal quality."

Whenever it comes to record production, Naoki Nagayama can't help but compare it with the original singers of the songs in his mind, because the Japanese songs that can leave an impression in his mind are, to some extent, crossover hits, and all have their own specialties in one aspect or another.

Even the version sung by Hatsune Miku was meticulously crafted by the team.

In comparison, the fledgling Junko Ito naturally lacked a lot.

How can Junko-san sing this slightly sad song...

"Junko-san, when you sing it again, try to express more of the slightly sad emotion..."

It's a matter of lowering the tone, slowing the rhythm, and so on, but as a producer, Naoki Nagayama's requirements are very vague, which tests the singer's spirituality even more.

"Hai~" Junko Ito adjusted her voice and recorded it again.

Otomo Yoshimura looked at Naoki Nagayama's unrelaxed brow, his heart also drumming. Although it sounded very good to him, Naoki-san, as a producer, was very strict at this time.

Should he fulfill his duty as a manager and bow to apologize? But he and Naoki-san are so familiar, it's a bit hard to lose face...

"Junko-san, slow down a bit more in the chorus."

"Hai..."

"Junko-san, sing this line again..." "Junko-san, the high notes need to have a feeling of suppression..." "Junko-san..."

For the next hour or so, Junko Ito truly felt the pressure of the recording studio tyrant.

"Junko-san?"

"Hai!" Junko Ito replied reflexively.

"Let's take a short break."

"Hai?" Suddenly liberated, Junko Ito walked out of the recording booth, a bit unable to believe it.

Afterward, seeing Naoki Nagayama still listening to the song just recorded with his headphones, she felt a bit uneasy and quietly asked Otomo Yoshimura: "Otomo-san, is it still not okay?"

"Don't overthink it, just listen to Naoki-san~" Otomo Yoshimura comforted her while also feeling puzzled.

He asked Naoki: "Naoki-san, are you still not satisfied?"

"Most of it is fine, but the beginning of the first line, I always feel like something is missing..." Naoki Nagayama turned and asked, "Junko-san? Have you ever been in love?"

"Eh?" Junko Ito's face turned red instantly, and she said stammeringly, "Love or something... I did write love letters in high school..."

"First love? Did it end without a result?" High school romances that can be maintained are very rare, especially since Junko Ito is about to step into the entertainment industry now.

"Ah... hai..."

"Then you don't have that sadness of nostalgia, of not being able to get it, of losing it..."

Naoki-san, be a human! Upon hearing this, everyone in the recording studio had this thought in their hearts...

"Then there's no other way. Junko-san, have you ever had anything sad happen? Tell us so we can be hap... cough cough... if you have, just recall that emotion."

Naoki Nagayama almost said "so we can be happy..."

Junko Ito didn't think too much about it. She saw Eitaro playing in the office.

"Actually, my family also raised a Shiba Inu since I was a child. Every time I came back, it would wag its tail to welcome me... In elementary school, one day Chai-chan suddenly disappeared. Mom and Dad both said it was lost, but I probably understood that Chai-chan should have..."

As she spoke, her voice lowered, and she seemed to have a nasal tone.

Naoki Nagayama spoke very ruthlessly at this moment: "Junko-san!"

Junko Ito was startled: "Hmm?"

"Although it's very rude, please sing it again now."

"Eh?"

This recording was still very strict. Junko Ito sang it 5 times from beginning to end. The sad emotion became fainter and fainter, and Naoki Nagayama finally found the slightly sad beginning he wanted.

However, after the recording ended, why were the looks Junko Ito and Otomo Yoshimura gave him so strange?

"Naoki-san, was making Junko-san recall sad things just for that kind of emotion?"

Otomo Yoshimura chatted with Naoki Nagayama on the way back.

"Although the method is very impressive, it is indeed very cold-hearted in some respects~"

"Eh? I'm just doing this for the effect of the record~"

"Hai, that's why I said it's very impressive, but also very cold-hearted."