Chapter 758

Naoki Nagayama, who had finally succeeded, walked out of the lounge in a good mood. A man and a woman alone in one room—if he stayed inside any longer, who knows what might happen~

After arriving at the venue, he talked to several industry insiders he knew, chatted about gossip, and shot the breeze. With his current fame and status in the circle, most of the seasoned veterans in the entertainment industry wouldn't refuse to chat with him.

"Sure enough, in the entertainment industry of this era, what kind of idol you are doesn't matter at all; fame and fans are the most important....." A veteran industry insider sighed a bit sourly. "As long as you have fame, no matter how your singing skills are, whether you are professional or not, whether you sing well or not, there are many people who will support you~

Record sales are higher than some professional singers~"

It was obviously souring a certain big-nosed actor~

"Yeah, yeah~" "As long as fans pay for it~" "This is also a kind of idol~"

Everyone was echoing. This trend actually existed long ago, just not as naked as it is today.

"Excellence in business leads to officialdom, excellence in acting leads to singing" was originally a common cross-border phenomenon, but now there is a trend of acting without singing well, and singing without acting well. In the future, there will even be phenomena of using cutouts to act and using lip-syncing to sing.

Naoki Nagayama smiled and interjected: "Maybe in the future, as long as there is a virtual character image, one can become an idol and release records~"

"Hahaha, Naoki-san really knows how to joke~"

"Virtual idol?"

"Like a manga character drawn on manuscript paper? That should be called a paper person, right!"

"Doesn't that mean there are only two dimensions? Two-dimensional?"

"....."

Naoki Nagayama's words sparked heated discussion among the people present. Although everyone thinks that the characteristics of idols themselves are getting weaker and weaker, a two-dimensional virtual character can also become an idol?

This is too exaggerated!

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Everyone's discussion attracted more attention. Kazuki Takano, a senior executive at Fuji TV, naturally had to participate in the FNS Music Festival hosted by Fuji TV, and was also attracted over......

"Naoki-san?"

He saw Naoki Nagayama at a glance in the crowd. Other handsome and beautiful artists were all preparing in the lounge. Those in the venue were..... can't say they were ugly, but most didn't have particularly outstanding images, so the plain-looking Naoki Nagayama was as conspicuous as a crane in a flock of chickens.

"Director Takano~" Naoki Nagayama greeted him.

"What are you talking about? So heated?" Kazuki Takano walked to the side curiously.

"About the development of future idols~" Naoki Nagayama smiled. "Saying that future idols are very likely to be two-dimensional paper people~"

"This is too exaggerated!!!" Kazuki Takano opened his eyes wide. "How can anyone like paper people?"

"Anyway, the idols everyone sees are on TV or in newspapers, what's the difference from paper people~"

Naoki Nagayama's words sparked exploration by many people. Come to think of it, such paper people have great advantages compared to real idols....... No messy things, the image and personality are shaped by the production side, and there is no need to pay wages.......

Thinking about it this way, it seems very attractive.....

"Ahem, about this point, let's talk about it later."

Kazuki Takano didn't indulge in this reverie for too long. As a pragmatic TV station management, at worst, he could let his subordinates experiment with it.

But since he happened to meet Naoki Nagayama, there were some things he could talk about.

"Naoki-san, let's step aside and talk~"

Kazuki Takano whispered. After saying that, he really took a step to the side.....

"......."

You really only took one step! Doesn't that mean the guys next to you can hear clearly? Why make the tone sound like secret agents meeting up??

Although Naoki Nagayama didn't understand, he still expressed respect:

"Ahem..... Director Takano, what do you have to say?"

Kazuki Takano didn't notice anything strange and started chatting directly with Naoki Nagayama: "Naoki-san, about the annual word for the 'New Words and Buzzwords Awards'....... Recently, many people have called me....."

"Oh?"

Although he knew that this program would very likely attract the attention of politicians and the upper echelons, but someone called so early...

"It's about the 'Glico-Morinaga Case'." Kazuki Takano said to Naoki Nagayama. "Senior officials of the National Police Agency and some high-ranking government officials have expressed their opinions that this case cannot be the annual word for this year....."

The Glico-Morinaga case refers to the criminal case from 1984 to 1985, starting with the kidnapping of Katsuhisa Ezaki, president of the Ezaki Glico food company, and the demand for ransom, which eventually developed into poisoning threats and ransom demands against numerous Japanese food companies.

It is the legendary first "unsolved case" in Japan, a serial major case that shocked Japan.

In Naoki Nagayama's memory, the culprit was never found even in later generations. It is the most famous Showa cold case in Japan and was even adapted into an anime plot by "Ghost in the Shell."

"For this word, should we use 'Poison'?" Naoki Nagayama whispered, then said to Kazuki Takano, "Has Fuji TV already reached the point where it can't bear the pressure?"

"It's all high-ranking government officials..... It has risen to the destruction of the police's ability and the country's security image....."

In fact, Fuji TV has produced many "offensive" programs. As one of the powerful and deeply rooted big capitals, a little pressure from politicians naturally won't be too troublesome. At least it's a "free and democratic" country, and they still value the opinions of the public very much......

However, for a program that is still considered ordinary, it seems there is no need to go against them....

"Naoki-san, what do you think we should do? Give up? Or persist?" Kazuki Takano asked.

"Director Takano~"

Naoki Nagayama looked back at the others who were pricking up their ears to eavesdrop, and couldn't help but shake his head. "The case is still under investigation!

You just need to get a notice from the police station, saying something like avoiding the increase in the criminal's motivation due to the annual word voting, which would affect the investigation. Isn't that enough~"

"The public is just a mob. Once they have an explanation that looks passable, they won't dwell on it too much!"

Just like banning a few out-of-spec heroes when ranking in LOL, this is the rule~

This way, the program won't be called a black-box operation or something!

Coming from the era of the Internet and self-media in later generations, Naoki Nagayama knows too well how easily the general public is manipulated by the media.

"This..... seems to be no problem......"

In the chat, time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the empty seats in the venue were full of people, and the preliminaries of the FNS Music Festival officially began.

Naoki Nagayama naturally sat in the front row with the best view, sitting with TV station executives and big shots in the entertainment industry. He had no pressure to score, purely enjoying the performances on stage.

When each artist appeared, dry ice mist would spray on the stage. Under the illumination of colorful radiation lights, it was like the Heavenly Palace in the '82 version of "Journey to the West," fairy-like and floating~

When Akina Nakamori came out, the golden puffy dress and purple eyeshadow and lip gloss were eye-catching and brilliant.

A proficient "Jikkai" demonstrated a perfect stage presence, making the audience on-site beat rhythmically and burst into cheers.

In addition to "Jikkai," Akina Nakamori's competition songs also included "Kita Wing" and "Yuki no Hana"..... She quickly changed into a white puffy dress, the lights on the stage also changed to white, and snowflakes drifted down.....

"

Kaze ga tsumetaku natte (The cold wind begins to rise)

Fuyu no nioi ga shita (The scent of winter permeates)

Sorosoro kono machi ni (This city will also welcome)

Kimi to chikazukeru kisetsu ga kuru (The season to get closer to you)

"

From the impassioned melody to the gentle melody, Akina Nakamori's low and soft voice made the judges and audience on-site fall into that warm winter romance~

The quality of the song had already been proven by sales, and at this time, Akina's freely converted style made people feel her solid singing skills and stage presence.

Naoki Nagayama watched his girlfriend showing her style on the stage from the audience, feeling very gratified in his heart.

With his existence, Akina is now not only at the peak of her looks and figure, but she has almost stepped onto the peak of her career a whole year early~

Maybe...... she even has a chance to win the Japan Record Award this year......

In Naoki Nagayama's reverie, Akina's performance had ended. He also saw his own artists, Junko Ito and Chikako Aoyama. Chikako Aoyama's "Arigatou" might also win a newcomer award~

In the subsequent performances, actors he was familiar or unfamiliar with all went on stage. Naoki Nagayama finished listening to Teresa Teng's "Tsugunai" (Atonement)~

He also saw Jackie Chan go on stage to sing "Marianne"..... The Beijing accent was heavy, and there was indeed a Chinese teleprompter underneath...... It seems he still hasn't memorized the Japanese~

However, among the audience, a group of female fans actually stood up and cheered loudly for him. At this time, the popularity of the kung fu superstar in Japan can be seen.

The fulfilling and tense music festival, after the judges finished scoring, lasted almost two hours in total...... The sky outside had already darkened.

"Naoki-san, are you going to participate in the party later?" Kazuki Takano invited. "It's said that Naoki-san never shows up at these banquets; he's a very mysterious person!"

Naoki Nagayama rarely participates in these banquets. People in the industry have a feeling that this person seems to be everywhere, but few people have seen him.

"Haha, how can it be that exaggerated~ I just don't like socializing much~"

"Then since you're here today?" Kazuki Takano pulled Naoki Nagayama and left with the people going out. "Then let's have a drink...."

"But, I have to drive....."

"There's a designated driver, there are taxis...."

Just like that, Naoki Nagayama was pulled to the celebration party after the music festival~

In the banquet hall, champagne glasses were piled into a tower, and delicious food was waiting on the table to the side. However, most people just took a little snack or a glass of wine and shuttled through the crowd, getting close to and chatting with different people.

There were even reporters with cameras and background walls for taking photos...... convenient for stars to take group photos, or to accept a sentence or two of inquiry from the media, award acceptance speeches, etc.

After entering the banquet hall, Kazuki Takano did pull Naoki Nagayama to meet some big shots, drank a glass or two of wine by the way, and then went to find others himself......

And the remaining Naoki Nagayama didn't even remember their names...... There were too many people~

"Just say that coming to this kind of gathering is coming in vain~"

Naoki Nagayama took a small cake and found a remote corner to taste it, looking just like a child brought into a vanity fair by an adult,

"In my previous life, I was very annoyed by this kind of socializing. This time, at least I have the confidence not to rely on others. I should come less to this kind of high-end party in the future..... Isn't it tiring~"

Various thoughts kept emerging in his mind. Naoki Nagayama felt that he was standing at a higher angle, looking down at the sentient beings burdened by fame and fortune below.

"Naoki-san?" A sudden call brought Naoki Nagayama back to his senses.

"Yukiko-chan?" Naoki Nagayama recognized the very delicate newcomer idol.

"I heard Naoki-san was here when I was backstage before, but I haven't seen you, and now I finally found you!"

Yukiko Okada smiled, then raised the champagne in her hand,

"I haven't thanked Naoki-san for the song yet...... Arigatou!"

"Uh...... it's nothing, Yukiko-chan sang very well~"

After giving "Yume wo Akiramenai de" (Don't Give Up on Your Dreams) to Tomo Yoshimura, Naoki Nagayama hadn't cared about it, but Yukiko Okada also sang it on stage.....

Come to think of it, at this FNS Music Festival, Naoki Nagayama had four or five songs, and each song was shortlisted for the final award..... He really rolled hard in the music industry.

"Anyway, I still have to thank you~"

Because of this song, Yukiko Okada had already entered the fast lane of idols early. She hadn't debuted long ago, and now she is an idol at the level below Seiko Matsuda and Akina Nakamori.

If Akina is a super first-line idol, then Yukiko Okada might be called a new first-line idol? In short, she is a fresh force~

"Why is Naoki-san here alone?" Yukiko Okada asked.

"Because I'm hungry...." Naoki Nagayama smiled and ate the small cake, joking, "Actually, this kind of social occasion is very boring, I just don't want to deal with them~"

"No wonder the seniors all say Naoki-san is a different person...." Yukiko Okada smiled.

After entering the entertainment industry, she became familiar with all the celebrities, and she had seen many people she often saw on TV many times.

However, Naoki Nagayama, a celebrity who is very popular in the entertainment industry, had only seen him once or twice, and that was under the leadership of Seiko Matsuda....

"I'm just too lazy to always go out~"

Naoki Nagayama smiled and chatted with Yukiko Okada.

Handsome men and beautiful women attract attention wherever they are, even in this kind of crowded and complicated occasion.

Naoki Nagayama, who has the title of a playboy, was chatting and laughing with the rising pure female idol, and was soon seen by interested people at the party.

"That person is Naoki Nagayama, right~"

"The one next to him seems to be a female idol who debuted this year~"

"Oh?"

More or less, eyes began to gather toward the originally remote corner. Even the media who were originally interviewing at the other end heard the wind more or less and turned their heads to look a few times.

However, in front of them was the popular martial arts star Jackie Chan and other artists. They thought about it and decided that this side was more important.