Chapter 988: It's snowing... Akina fever is here again!!

"Naoki Nagayama, this guy, didn't he just get married!"

Toei's General Manager, Takafumi Ogasawara, couldn't help but grumble when he saw Tree Friend starting auditions again,

"Can't he go on a honeymoon and relax properly?!"

Being reported by his subordinates early in the morning that Tree Friend Film's new TV series 'Tokyo Love Story' had been approved and was conducting extensive auditions in the entertainment industry, Takafumi Ogasawara's mentality was about to explode!

Since the New Year, the entertainment industry had been shrouded in the shadow of 'Hayato's Legend: New World', with widespread promotion, excellent word-of-mouth, and high box office... Almost the entire New Year's season was about to be occupied by this film.

And now that the popularity had finally started to decline, you tell me Tree Friend's next drama is going to start filming?!

Do these guys in the Tree Friend Group not know what rest is?!

Are their people iron men, not taking vacations?!

"General Manager, 'Tokyo Love Story' is a TV series... not a film!" Assistant Toru Nakano advised, "They probably want to take advantage of the novel's popularity to film a TV series directly."

"For things like IP adaptation, film studios usually take a year or two... This novel 'Tokyo Love Story' has only just started selling! There isn't much of a reader base at all!"

Takafumi Ogasawara said angrily, getting angrier the more he spoke,

"Adapting a novel whose popularity has just emerged, are they at Tree Friend not afraid of failure? Are they not afraid that the audience won't buy it? Are they not afraid that the investment will go down the drain?!"

"..."

Toru Nakano's mouth opened slightly; he really wanted to say that 'Tokyo Love Story' was already very popular!

Even Toei's employees would talk about this novel when chatting at work, all saying that this kind of urban love was very much to their taste, and they were even looking around for girls who were as cheerful and enthusiastic as Rika Akana...

With the fermentation of word-of-mouth, the fame of this novel would definitely become greater and greater in the future~

However, seeing his own General Manager in an angry state, Toru Nakano very wisely shut his mouth!

"Any other news?"

Takafumi Ogasawara was, after all, a General Manager, and quickly adjusted his emotions.

"Ah, there's also... news from the industry that Naoki Nagayama is looking for a singer for his new song, this time a male singer..."

"Doesn't Tree Friend have Tsuyoshi Ozaki? Isn't he the very popular affectionate prince right now?" Takafumi Ogasawara was surprised.

"It is said that the new song has requirements for the singing voice, and Tsuyoshi Ozaki is not suitable..." Toru Nakano paused, "It is said that this song is the theme song for 'Tokyo Love Story' later..."

"Kishou, they've even prepared the theme song!!!"

Takafumi Ogasawara had nothing more to say; Tree Friend Group had this guy Naoki Nagayama, who covered everything from script, production, directing, editing, and even the current promotional theme song!

It was simply that one person could overturn someone else's entire company! How was anyone else supposed to compete?!

"Simply not letting others live!"

Watching a new enterprise like Tree Friend Group about to sit on equal footing with old companies like Toei and Toho, Takafumi Ogasawara felt an indescribable sense of powerlessness.

He only felt that the so-called deep connections, the tentacles spread throughout the entertainment industry, the deeply rooted and complex interest chains, and the generations of Toei's efforts had all become a joke!

"General Manager, don't worry so much... a company that develops too fast might not last long..."

Toru Nakano hurriedly comforted him,

"There is an old Chinese saying, 'It rises rapidly, and it falls suddenly'; Tree Friend, which has no foundation, will not last long!"

"..."

Takafumi Ogasawara nodded, feeling slightly comforted in his heart.

Just at this moment, Planning Manager Toshitaka Yamamura knocked and walked in:

"General Manager... I heard Tree Friend has set up a creative center and is recruiting screenwriters from the literature departments and screenwriter associations of various universities~ There's also gossip that they are coming to poach people from old companies like ours..."

"..." Foundation..."

Actually, some people say that the most important thing in the entertainment industry is capital, some say it's stars and actors, and others say it's platform connections... but no one has focused on the most basic and common place—the script.

Films and TV series need scripts, variety shows need scripts, manga need scripts, stages need scripts, and even stars creating scandals need scripts; it's like eating and drinking in the entertainment industry, yet no company can do without it~

This script looks ordinary, as if one could recruit hundreds of screenwriters by waving a hand, but it is an important cornerstone supporting the entertainment industry.

Toei and Toho both have their own creative teams within their systems, and now that Tree Friend Group has started to build a creative center, it can be considered as having made up for its shortcomings.

As long as this company doesn't encounter a dimensionality reduction strike like a financial crisis, even if it is decadent for a while, it will stand up again!

"In the future, it should be Toei, Toho, Shochiku, and Tree Friend..."

As for Kadokawa, it's just the corpse of Nikkatsu~

Not caring about Tree Friend Film causing waves in the entertainment industry again, Naoki Nagayama was proceeding with his work step by step.

A few days ago, he accompanied Akina for another prenatal check-up; the fetus was developing normally, and seeing the baby's small body curled up in Akina's belly, Naoki Nagayama only felt an indescribable emotion of wanting to protect it forever...

Today, after waiting for Akina to fall asleep again when she got sleepy, he took a moment to come to the Tree Friend building again.

"Naoki-san, these are the actor materials collected in the past few days..."

Masami Inada handed a stack of materials to Naoki Nagayama and Ito Shuichi Yin Tang.

Naoki Nagayama and Ito Shuichi Yin Tang flipped through the photos; they were all male artists in the entertainment industry with similar images and ages, black and thin, honest, and roughly fitting to play Kanji Nagao.

After flipping through a few, Naoki Nagayama didn't pay much attention; anyway, what he cared about most was the female lead.

"What about the female lead?"

"According to Naoki-san's requirements, videos of the female lead candidates were specially collected and all gathered in a videotape..."

Masami Inada turned on the TV in the office and put the videotape he brought into the VCR to play.

On the screen appeared various female artists' lively and enthusiastic images, some were screenshots of auditions, some were self-introductions, and some were interviews on the street...

Masami Inada introduced the candidate information to the two while playing; for today's presentation, he had already memorized all these materials.

Naoki Nagayama supported his chin, watching the images of the audition candidates slide by, but didn't show a satisfied expression.

"Naoki-san... are there none suitable?"

Ito Shuichi Yin Tang had already sketched out the candidates, and seeing Naoki Nagayama frowning, he couldn't help but ask,

"I think they are all very cheerful and lively, and also very cute, with a sense of manga..."

"However, what I want..."

Naoki Nagayama rubbed his cheeks, seemingly considering how to explain it, and then when he turned his head, he saw the gloomy weather outside the window,

"Is the kind of female lead who, once she smiles, makes the cloudy weather outside feel like it's becoming sunny..."

"..."

Ito Shuichi Yin Tang and Masami Inada subconsciously looked out the window, then turned their heads to look at each other, feeling very helpless.

"Naoki-san, you're not looking for an actress, you're looking for a legendary shrine maiden, right?!"

Ito Shuichi Yin Tang shook his head, feeling amused by his friend's statement.

Masami Inada also grumbled softly: "How can humans control the weather?!"

Witnessing the two people's resentful expressions, Naoki Nagayama joked:

"Don't you know that there has always been a kind of god-chosen one called 'Weather Child' in ancient times? It is said that they have the superpower to make the weather sunny!"

"..."

The two were even more speechless, looking at Naoki Nagayama with the eyes of looking at a baka; having been with Naoki Nagayama for so long, they had long known that Naoki Nagayama had a hobby of teasing people~

"Alright, alright, no more joking~" Seeing that he hadn't fooled them, Naoki Nagayama returned to the topic, "These candidates are very lively and cheerful... but they are still a bit lacking in infectious power..."

"What I want is that kind of smile that you can't forget at first glance..."

"..."

Sigh~~~ The more vague the standard, the higher the requirement!

Just like some people, when looking for a partner, they say it nicely, as long as they are a normal person... then the actual requirement must be high to the sky~

Naoki Nagayama discussed with Ito Shuichi Yin Tang and the others in the office for a long time, and finally circled the general range of candidates for the male lead and male and female supporting roles.

They only needed to conduct one final audition to find the most suitable one.

As for the female lead... Naoki Nagayama, relying on his final impression, gave some guidance:

"Inada-kun, you can go ask people in various film crews to see if they have noticed any newcomers who are impressive when they smile..."

"Hai, I understand~"

When walking out of the Tree Friend building, he happened to encounter a cold wind, and Naoki Nagayama couldn't help but tighten his windbreaker.

"February this year is really cold... and looking at the weather today, it might snow..."

Just as he was looking up at the dark clouds in the sky, he suddenly felt a bit of icy cold on the tip of his nose, and then Naoki Nagayama heard a faint rustling sound.

When he came back to his senses, he only found white snowflakes falling on his shoulders and arms...

"This is... it's snowing?!"

Looking up, the originally sparse snowflakes started to become dense, and then the snowflakes turned into snowflakes like velvet... It seemed that in just an instant, snowflakes were falling one after another.

"It's snowing!" "It's snowing!" "..."

Only hearing the front desk's Jia Hua walk out the door, seeing the snowflakes in the sky, she immediately called out happily, calling Xing Xia to come out to see the snow...

Soon, a group of people gathered at the entrance of the Tree Friend building.

They were a bit restrained when they saw Naoki Nagayama, but seeing that Naoki Nagayama was also admiring the snowflakes, they immediately became relaxed~

Laughing and walking out of the building, reaching out to catch the snow in the courtyard in front, and then laughing as they watched the snowflakes melt... and then going to catch snowflakes again in an instant...

Sometimes, adults are no different from children~

A sudden snowfall made the hustle and bustle of Tokyo soften a bit.

Thick snow covered the reinforced concrete buildings and slowed down the speeding cars, slowing down the pace of the entire city a bit.

People who were originally hiding at home to avoid the cold also walked out of their small huts to play and frolic, enjoying the rare joy.

At the same time, the first snow in Tokyo had fallen, so 'Snow Flower' once again echoed in record stores and TV stations...

Major cinemas also put up posters for 'Love Letter' again...

Memories that had already faded away surged into their hearts again~

"..."

Female idols from major agencies in the entertainment industry were broken again at this time,

"Why is it Akina Nakamori again!!!"

This guy has clearly already gotten married and retired, why is the entertainment industry still her voice, still her image!

In the idol industry, where the replacement is extremely fast, if there is no exposure for a month, it can basically be declared that this idol is outdated, and naturally, new idols will come to the stage to take over.

And Akina Nakamori, since announcing her marriage in October last year, had significantly reduced her announcements and activities, and her exposure had already started to decline...

And after getting married, she only participated in two major activities, the Record Awards and the Red and White Song Festival, and in the New Year, she completely retired, not even accepting magazine interviews like Seiko Matsuda.

A few months passed, and by rights, her popularity should not be able to keep up with the successors Yukiko Okada and Shizuka Kudo!

But now, with one snowfall, the entire Tokyo was permeated with the gentle and magnetic voice of 'Snow Flower', and with the re-screening of 'Love Letter', people remembered Akina Nakamori's beautiful face even more...

This double memory of hearing and vision made the public suddenly recall that top star who stood at the top of idols!

A snowfall actually made Akina fever emerge again!

"How is Akina-chan?" "What is Akina-chan doing?" "I heard she didn't go on a honeymoon~"

"Akina Nakamori is pregnant, right? Is she nurturing the fetus?" "Where is she?" "..."

Voices were constantly asking about Akina Nakamori's situation, and even President Hanami of Burning Productions would be blocked at the entrance of the headquarters by some reporters, asking about Akina Nakamori...

"As for Akina-chan, she is currently in a very stable state of nurturing the fetus..."

Everyone actually knew about Akina Nakamori's pregnancy, so Hanami didn't avoid it,

"She is in good health... and her mood is also very happy... thank you all for your concern~"

"Then where is Akina-chan living currently?!" A reporter asked unwillingly, as if wanting to block the door for an interview... or sneak a photo...

Hanami looked at this very brave young man, really wanting to tell him the address of Shan Ying Yuan, let him experience the feeling of being warned by Naoki Nagayama...

However, forget it... it was a living life after all!

"Akina-chan is currently in her own home... I hope everyone will not go to disturb her..."

Several reporters refuted:

"Liar!" "We have been to the old home in Kiyose before, Akina is not at home!" "Yes, sometimes there is no one at home at all!" "..."

Hanami shook his head:

"Of course she is in Akina's own home... she is married!"

"Ah~ it's the Nagayama family!" The reporter reacted, "Then let's go to Naoki Nagayama's old home..."

Once this was said, the interview environment was quiet for a moment...

The hot 'Hayato's Legend' had just cooled down a bit, people knew Naoki Nagayama's old home was in Shizuoka, but did anyone really dare to disturb it?!

Do you want to try visiting the legendary Yakuza boss of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Hayato Nagayama, who has the title of "Eagle of the Nagayama Family"?!

Yes, now Hayato Nagayama's great name in the streets had become the majestic title of "Eagle"!

After all, among all the Yakuza bosses, perhaps there were forces bigger than him, and people who could fight better than him, but there were few who could compare to him in fame...

Hanami saw that the reporters had retreated, and immediately walked towards the inside of the Burning Productions headquarters.

On the way, he happened to meet Yoshiaki Tanaka and immediately sighed:

"Ryomei-kun... it seems Akina's popularity is still there!"

"Hahaha, yes... Naoki Nagayama has tied Akina Nakamori and 'Snow Flower' and 'Love Letter' together tightly. Every time it snows in Tokyo, Akina Nakamori will enter people's sight again..."

Yoshiaki Tanaka admired Naoki Nagayama very much; such planning was something every producer wanted to do but couldn't!

"Yes... if Akina wants to make a comeback after giving birth, it will definitely be no problem!"

Hanami also nodded in agreement!

"Hmm hmm... by the way~" Yoshiaki Tanaka thought of something and took out a sketch, "Wasn't the discussion about Akina-chan's next album started before... Akina seems to have designed the stage costume..."

"Oh? That album for which the song has already been written?"

Hanami took the sketch and looked at it; the combination of a traditional kimono and a large gold chain bob cut had a special attraction at first glance... He could imagine what kind of craze it would cause when Akina Nakamori wore this stage costume!

"It's really amazing!"

"If Akina comes back next year, I don't know who in the entertainment industry can resist!"

"Hahaha, our Yukiko-chan also has great potential~"

"Potential only... Yukiko-chan still needs representative songs, representative styles, to show her dominance among idols...

Only in this way can she compete with Akina~" ===== CHAPTER 989 =====