Chapter 99: Nationwide Participation Concept! The Shock Of 《super Change Change Change》!
“Then, tell me, do you still have the qualification to stand here and speak to me.”
Hiroshi Nohara indifferently uttered this sentence.
This sentence was very light, yet heavy as Mount Tai, every word like an invisible giant hammer, smashing ruthlessly onto Kei Tanaka’s already collapsed mental defenses, thoroughly crushing his pitiful remaining self-esteem into dust.
For a guy who had completely lost confidence, he needed to be treated harshly, with heavy medicine to cure him.
He had to give his spirit a stimulation.
So Kei Tanaka stared blankly at the young person in front of him, those calm eyes like two bottomless ancient wells, reflecting none of his current wretchedness, yet seeming able to suck in his entire rotten soul.
Qualification?
What qualification did he still have?
A loser abandoned by the era, a living dead who had even given up on himself, a… waste who felt like he was desecrating this holy place just by standing in this office full of vitality and hope.
“Heh…” The corner of Kei Tanaka’s mouth hooked up into an arc more ugly than crying, full of self-mockery.
He was even too lazy to refute, too lazy to generate any emotions.
No sorrow greater than a dead heart.
But that past as a second-class director of variety shows still made him feel some unwillingness.
Especially this young person in front of him.
An excessively young young person.
Looking no more than early 20s, about the same age as his son, yet speaking to him so impolitely with such rude words.
Kei Tanaka did want to see this variety show proposal.
So Kei Tanaka stretched out his hands that trembled slightly from long-term alcoholism, like a walking corpse, mechanically picking up the thin document on the table that seemed to bear his final judgment.
He didn’t even look at the young person’s face, just letting his gaze fall on the clean white cover.
On it, in a unique artistic font full of childlike innocence and demonic charm that he had never seen before, were several large characters that seemed to dance.
——《Super Change Change Change》.
“…Grabbing attention.”
Kei Tanaka let out a dry, disdainful light laugh from his throat.
What was this?
Children’s graffiti?
With a scrutiny nearly numb, he flipped open the first page.
Then, his pupils suddenly contracted.
“Hm!?”
In those eyes already eroded by alcohol and despair like stagnant water, for the first time, a faint ripple like a candle in the wind emerged.
【Program core: Creativity, from life, from the people.】
【Program concept: We don’t need stars, because every ordinary person can be the shiniest star in their own life.】
【Program form: No threshold, full participation, real imitation show.】
These lines, like faint currents, instantly pierced through his already numb nerves.
No threshold full participation real imitation show program?
What was this?
He subconsciously continued reading downward.
There, no flowery rhetoric, no empty theory, just concise language and intuitive simple sketches outlining specific, executable creativity full of wild imagination.
【Creativity example one: Bowling.】
【Props: Black background cloth, black tights, White Gloves.】
【Performer: One person.】
【Presentation: Performer fully covered in black tights, blending with black background. Only hands wearing White Gloves clearly visible under lighting. One hand curled into a ball shape rolling on the ground, the other hand extending five fingers, imitating bowling pins scattering after impact…】
And behind were a few short comics, perfectly illustrating this text, just like illustrations.
Making it clear at a glance what it meant.
Vivid and specific!
‘Boom!’
Kei Tanaka’s brain felt struck by a thunderbolt!
His professional brain as a variety director, long stopped turning, uncontrollably began frantically operating at this moment!
Before his eyes instantly appeared the specific image—in a pitch-black stage, two White Gloves like elves given life, performing a pantomime full of fun and visual impact!
This… this was simply…
His breathing stalled, in those dead-fish eyes, for the first time, burst a greedy, creator’s scorching light!
He impatiently flipped to the next page.
【Creativity example two: Pouring beer.】
【Props: Several yellow and white tights, large transparent Glass Cup props.】
【Performer: Multiple people.】
【Presentation: Several performers in yellow tights flow like liquid from above into the giant Glass Cup. Then, performers in white tights rise slowly from below, using body undulations to imitate the continuously rising, dense-textured white foam of beer…】
“Boom——!”
Kei Tanaka felt his crown of the head forcibly lifted by an invisible force!
His mind, eroded by failure and alcohol like a swamp, at this moment thoroughly washed clean by a flood named ‘creativity’!
Like a traveler dying of thirst in the desert suddenly finding an oasis, he frantically gulped down the sweet spring that could save his soul!
He flipped page after page, those hollow eyes opening wider, brighter, finally igniting two blazing fires enough to set the prairies ablaze!
He saw the whimsical idea using simple bed sheet and fan to imitate Marilyn Monroe’s classic moment!
He saw the astonishing concept using body stacking and lighting contrasts to present a grand fireworks show!
He even saw the black humor genius creativity using just a few people’s limbs to perfectly recreate a working typewriter!
This… where was this a variety show proposal?!
This was clearly an unmined gold mine containing infinite treasures!
No!
This was fundamentally a god-level secret codex enough to overturn the existing pattern of the entire Neon variety world!
However, when he turned to the detailed planning on program format and promotion mode, his heart already pounding from extreme shock nearly exploded from his chest!
【Season one: Establish divinity, set the benchmark.】
【Contestant sources: Do not use audition mode. All select professional actors with solid acting skills and extreme expressiveness（with Kanto Faction internal entertainers as core）.】
【Goal: Use the most professional people to present the most perfect performances. In the first season, elevate《Super Change Change Change》’s creative height and artistic level to a peak all imitators can only look up to, unattainable!】
Kei Tanaka’s body trembled violently.
On his face swollen from long-term alcoholism, all color drained instantly.
He knew too well.
He knew too well how vicious and brilliant this move was!
This wasn’t making a variety program at all!
This was setting a trap!
A heaven-shaking grand scheme using the entire Kanto Faction’s resources as chess pieces, that young person’s peerless talent as the key move, enough to strangle all competitors in the cradle!
He could already see, after the first season airs, the entire Neon conquered by those professional actors’ godlike performances!
And《Super Change Change Change》this brand, at that moment, directly thrust onto the altar named ‘art’ and ‘creativity’!
By then, all imitators would seem so clumsy, so… laughable before this insurmountable mountain.
However, this wasn’t the scariest part.
When his gaze fell on the season two planning, he felt his breathing completely stop.
【Season two: Deity preaches, national carnival.】
【Mode: Fully open auditions! Set preliminary points in every city across Neon! Set finals points in every region!】
【Promotion: Deep cooperation with major local areas, full broadcast of regional finals! Shape each region’s team into local heroes! Elevate a simple variety competition to a holy war betting hometown honor!】
【Interaction: Introduce new ‘telephone support’ and ‘pager voting’ modes! Give final championship decision half to on-site professional judges; the other half to all ordinary audience nationwide watching Television!】
“Rumble——!”
Kei Tanaka felt his brain bombarded by countless atomic bombs in turn!
His variety director worldview, long destroyed by failure, at this moment thoroughly crushed to dust by this majestic blueprint full of kingly dominance!
Full participation!
Regional confrontation!
Telephone voting!
This… this was no longer making a program!
This was building an unprecedented huge commercial empire binding all Neon people together!
He didn’t dare imagine what terrifying energy this mode would unleash once successful!
That would no longer be simple ratings!
That would be a huge cultural weapon enough to influence public opinion, leverage local economy, even somewhat sway popular will!
After all in Neon, there really were deep-rooted stubborn faction forces.
This inseparable from the feudal domains, daimyo between regions left by the Warring States Period and shogunate enfeoffment era.
Between cities there were daimyo, and former prestigious families.
Between prefectures there were domain lords and country lords.
Even between regions there were once different allegiance forces.
Level by level upward.
Layer by layer downward.
So much so that between these cities, prefectures, regions, the people also had their native factions.
If really starting telephone voting, Pager sms support.
Then local people to make their supported team win would rally friends for popularity voting, watch variety programs in groups.
This way… ratings and audience stickiness… would absolutely reach terrifying levels!
Really the full participation kind!
This was too terrifying!
And that young person who conceived all this…
Kei Tanaka slowly raised his head.
He looked at that young person who from start to end just sat calmly there, as if casually tossing an ordinary document, in those eyes now filled with shock, all numbness, all despair, all self-mockery, at this moment quietly melted like ice and snow.
In their place, the purest… fanaticism from the soul’s depths after witnessing a true miracle!
He finally understood.
He finally understood why he failed.
He finally understood why Deputy Director Asumi unhesitatingly handed that team he saw as a great humiliation to this young person.
Because they weren’t in the same dimension at all.
He, Kei Tanaka, was just an artisan struggling bitterly in old rules.
While this young person before him was the deity who created rules!
“…I.”
Kei Tanaka slowly stood up from that chair.
His back, once hunched from self-abandonment, at this moment uncontrollably straightened bit by bit.
In those dead-fish eyes, the long-extinguished flame, at this moment reignited by scorching lava named ‘hope’!
He looked at Hiroshi Nohara, on that face swollen from long-term alcoholism, all dejection gone, replaced by shame and embarrassment.
Then, under everyone’s gazes of slight astonishment and understanding.
He brought his feet together, body taut like a spear, toward that young person, bowed deeply, deeply.
A standard ninety-degree bow full of respect and surrender!
“Sorry!”
His voice no longer hoarse, no longer numb, but full of aftermath of a disaster vitality, resounding loudly!
“Nohara… Section Chief!”
“It was I, blind! It was I, frog in the well! It was I, using my superficial cognition to gauge your Great Man’s boundless ambition!”
“Please… please give me one more chance!”
“I, Kei Tanaka, wish to offer this already rotten heart for you, for this great work enough to change the era!”
These words rang out, like a clarion proclaiming old self’s death and new self’s rebirth, echoing in this office full of vitality.
Nearby Kenji Sato and Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, watching this dramatic scene, exchanged glances, seeing in each other’s eyes heartfelt gratifying smiles.
They knew, that Kei Tanaka once fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with them at Kanto Television Station, full of talent and edge, he was back.
No, reborn.
Under a more powerful monarch named Hiroshi Nohara, gaining a gorgeous rebirth enough to burn all his light and heat.
And Hiroshi Nohara, looking at this reborn man, finally showed a satisfied smile.
He slowly stood, walked before him, reached out, heavily patted his still slightly trembling shoulder.
“Welcome back to the team, Director Tanaka.”
His voice calm, yet carrying power enough to make stones nod.
“Go clean yourself up.”
“Then, come back for the meeting.”
“Remember to call those elites in your team, tell them, the new battle has begun.”
