N-M Chapters 1338 and 1347: On vote-rigging? Can anyone beat me at it?!
Chapters 1338 and 1347: On vote-rigging? Can anyone beat me at it?!
Chapters 1338 and 1347: On vote-rigging? Can anyone beat me at it?!
When the reporters were summoned to the Shibuya Composers Association headquarters, most of them did not understand what was going on.
However, when Koji Ishikawa, the president of the Japan Music Association and chairman of the judging panel for the Japan Record Awards, spoke, everyone was shocked to realize that the Japan Record Awards, which had been held for nearly 30 years, was about to undergo a dramatic change!
"In order to ensure the fairness and impartiality of the Japan Record Awards and to listen to the voice of the people, the Japan Record Awards Committee, which selects the songs that best represent the year, has decided that, starting this year, new rules will be introduced for awarding the Japan Record Awards Grand Prize!"
"Among the songs shortlisted for the finals by the judging panel, the song that ultimately wins the grand prize will be determined by the public vote, which will account for 50% of the final score, in addition to the judges' opinions and scores!"
"The committee will use a formula to calculate the final score, and the one with the highest score will be awarded the grand prize of the Japan Record Awards!"
"."
Koji Ishikawa's statement made no mention of the recent public opinion situation, nor did it explain the reason for the committee's temporary rule change. In short, it was all about ensuring the fairness and impartiality of the grand prize.
As soon as the statement ended, the reporters at the scene began bombarding him with questions:
"President Ishikawa, is this rule change related to the recent bribery scandal?!"
"Ishikawa-san, could you please tell me the specific formula?"
"Mr. Koji Ishikawa, how can we prevent fraud in public elections?!"
"."
One sharp question after another was aimed at Koji Ishikawa like a stone arrow, causing cold sweat to quickly break out on his forehead.
"The specific details of the plan will be announced later, and the formula is included. Each reporter present will receive a copy. As for preventing fraud, there are also contingency plans in place."
"This change is entirely for the sake of fairness and impartiality in the awards; there was absolutely no external pressure involved!"
"."
Veteran leaders of Japanese groups tend to be stubborn and refuse to admit anything; if they don't confess, then it's not true! Ishikawa Koji was tight-lipped, leaving the reporters present helpless.
However, not all those who attended the Record Awards meeting kept quiet, and sources soon found out the reason.
As rumors spread, the reasons behind the record awards' rule-changing committee gradually sparked a lively discussion among the reporters present.
"Sure enough, I told you there would be no pressure, how could these guys possibly change!"
"Tree Friends are really something else, they withdrew from the competition directly!! Now the pressure is naturally on the Record Awards."
"Ken-On and Shu-Yu are on the same side!"
"I've heard there's also pressure from past winners."
After learning this information, the reporters asked again:
"Mr. Koji Ishikawa, was the decision to change the rules made due to pressure from Kiyu's withdrawal from the competition?!"
Koji Ishikawa's expression stiffened slightly, but his mouth remained the most stubborn part of his entire being:
"That's not true!!!"
The press conference ended hastily, somewhat anticlimactically. Back at the newspaper office, the reporters quickly edited the breaking news into a story and released it as fast as possible.
Then this breaking news exploded in Japan!
As a devoted Akina fan, Yoshiaki Kosaka was instantly ignited with fighting spirit the moment she saw the news! She quickly grabbed the newspaper and found fellow fans at the Akina Club:
"According to this formula, as long as there are enough supporters, Akina will definitely win the grand prize!"
"Yes, yes. Points are awarded proportionally." "When it comes to popularity, who is our Akina-sama afraid of?!" "..."
The club members started discussing it, and everyone was very confident in Nakamori Akina's popularity.
However, Yoshiaki Kosaka was somewhat worried:
"However, what I'm worried about is that Johnny's boy groups have a long tradition of sticking together."
"If everyone from the very first boy group season supported the rumored bribery of Hikari Genji, then..."
It was only then that everyone realized that from Hiromi Hō to the Tahara Trio, Shonentai, Shibushishitai, and Otokogumi, these generations of male idol groups had all been incredibly popular and had their own fan bases.
The fan base accumulated over the years is not to be underestimated! Although some fans have grown up and stopped speaking out, they have all become the backbone of society and cannot be ignored! (Similar to the fans of a certain Jay Chou artist, or the fans of a certain Cyndi Wang).
If these people, at the urging of Johnny & Associates and their idols, directly support Hikaru Genji, it will inevitably have a significant impact!
Hearing Kosaka Yoshiaki's concerns, the others also felt the pressure:
"Yes, our opponent is not to be underestimated!"
"The fans they've built up over generations, this is just too much!"
"How can Akina Sauce's five years of hard work compare to generations of inheritance! Johnny's Entertainment might even be willing to pay to buy her out!"
"If they really did that, Johnny's would have no shame whatsoever!"
"."
Discussions erupted, with many feeling the formula was unfair and a strong voice defending Akina Nakamori. However, none of this could defeat their opponent!
After pondering for a long time, Yoshiaki Kosaka clapped his hands together:
"No, we fans need to take action!!!"
"Contact Akina's personal guards, members of Akina's national fan club, and friends and family. We all need to support Akina!"
"In short, we must ensure that Akina achieves a three-peat!!"
"Buying votes is even an option if necessary!"
"."
The usually gentle and lovely Yoshiaki Kosaka suddenly seemed to have a decisive and efficient demeanor.
After assigning the tasks, she immediately got her other friends to take action, and she herself quickly communicated with Ken-on to ensure that the agency was on the same side as Akina's fans!
Meanwhile, inside Johnny & Associates, a small meeting was being held, with several powerful figures from the agency all present, also discussing the breaking news of the day.
"Baka!" Kitagawa Mary cursed. "That Ishikawa guy didn't even notify us beforehand! He just issued this statement!!"
"Don't these guys want the money they're owed?!"
"As long as they continue to invest all their money in GENJI, the money will still be paid. That's the beauty of this plan."
Johnny Kitagawa, the true core figure of the agency, remained calm as he addressed his key members:
"What's done is done, so we need to think about what to do next!"
"This time, it's obvious that agencies like Shuyu and Ken-On are trying to challenge Johnny's status in the entertainment industry. This is absolutely intolerable!"
Kitagawa Mary immediately spoke up,
"We must be even more assertive and let everyone in the entertainment industry know that Johnny's is the real boss!!!"
In Japan, a society with a tradition of overthrowing superiors, if the leader shows even the slightest weakness or decline, all the others who are eyeing the position will rush in eagerly!
Upon hearing Kitagawa Mary's words, the other executives nodded in agreement. Johnny's Entertainment had already monopolized the male idol market, directly dominating half of the idol industry. If they wanted to maintain their monopoly, they had to be even more aggressive!
"Within the agency, gather fans of other artists to vote for GENJI!"
"We can use advertising agencies to run a lot of ads and attract fans to vote!"
"Go to a brokerage firm and find someone to buy votes!"
"."
Amidst the back-and-forth discussion, the concept of vote rigging emerged decades ahead of schedule!
Ultimately, Johnny Kitagawa nodded in agreement with their opinion:
"Then let's proceed in this direction."
"At least this time, we want to show the entertainment industry that no artist that Johnny's wants to promote has ever failed!"
After the meeting ended, Johnny Kitagawa and Mary walked out together, preparing to go to the office to discuss some backup plans. On the way, they ran into Masahiko Kondo, who looked increasingly gloomy.
When Mary saw her former darling, she showed no sign of reminiscing.
"Kondo, you've come at the right time. Go contact your fan club and tell them to vote for Hikaru Genji in the year-end music awards!"
"."
Looking at the gloomy Mary and the flippant Johnny Kitagawa beside her, Kondo Masahiko nodded, despite his resentment.
"Okay, Mary-san."
"Take it seriously, or you'll regret it!!"
"Hi"
The two turned around immediately, not looking at Kondo Masahiko again. Naturally, they didn't see the twisted look in his eyes!
"Akina Nakamori, Naoki Nagayama... It's all because of you!!!"
After returning to his office, Johnny Kitagawa asked his sister:
"Didn't you used to really like Kondo? How come you're so indifferent now, and even gave him to me?"
In his view, aside from some common flaws of young celebrities, Masahiko Kondo didn't make many mistakes. He simply offended Naoki Nagayama when he was young, and failed to successfully reinvent himself as an adult.
He's just an ordinary, washed-up idol, so he doesn't understand why his sister dislikes him so much.
"He used to be a bit arrogant, but at least he could make money. Now he's fallen to the third tier! Looking back now, the cost invested in him could have supported two boy bands!"
Kitagawa Mary frowned. Actually, she had used her looks to solicit resources many times before, and now she was just tired of it.
"It's just a toy, brother. Keep it if you like it!"
"Haha, I tried it, but it wasn't to my taste~"
Johnny Kitagawa shook his head, changing the subject.
Let's talk about what happened this time.
“Kiyu and Ken-on, we all know that they are essentially supporting Akina Nakamori, and other agencies are just following suit.”
Johnny Kitagawa said earnestly,
"Are we really going to have to confront Kiyoto and Naoki Nagayama head-on this time?!"
To be fair, Johnny Kitagawa had a pretty good impression of Naoki Nagayama. Although Naoki Nagayama expressed his dislike for Masahiko Kondo, he was just a person.
Naoki Nagayama was friends with the Shonentai group, giving them the opportunity to be regulars on "Music Station," and he also collaborated with other Johnny's artists.
“But this time,” Mary said, somewhat unwillingly, “we’ve been cornered!”
"If we don't fight back, people in the entertainment industry will know that we're afraid of Shuyou, and then we'll always be inferior to Shuyou!"
"."
Johnny Kitagawa stroked his chin thoughtfully for a long time, then sighed.
"Then we have no choice but to give it our all. Hopefully, we won't both end up severely damaged!"
Whether it's their current status or the secret mission they shoulder, Johnny & Associates needs to be the number one in the Japanese male idol industry!
That evening at the Yama-oka Temple, Naoki Nagayama also learned about the new rules for the Japan Record Awards, but he wasn't too worried:
"Akina, should we ask Otomo-san for help?"
"No need! As long as the rules are fair," Akina said confidently, "I'm not afraid even if it comes down to competing for fans!"
"Are you that confident?"
"Of course!"
Akina held Natsuka in her arms, then positioned her daughter's hands in a fighting gesture.
"I'm still very confident about my popularity!"
After Momoe Yamaguchi, Akina Nakamori is the true queen of the idol world. Even with many competitors, she is not worried that her fans will lose.
However, Naoki Nagayama naturally wouldn't underestimate Johnny's integrity, and his future memories also showed him how much of the so-called public vote was inflated.
"We just have to be careful that no one breaks the rules or rigs the votes!"
"?"
"It's about paying ordinary people to vote for you." Even with verification measures, it's guaranteed that they are real people!
Would such behavior occur?
“Of course!” Naoki Nagayama nodded. “Even elderly people in the city and countryside would cast a vote for a single egg.”
"."
Akina, who had never experienced the frenzy of online vote-rigging, was somewhat surprised. In her mind, even running for president was just about placing ads, holding campaign rallies, and giving speeches.
"What should we do then?"
"Well"
Naoki Nagayama's eyes darted around.
"We'll do that too!"
When it comes to vote-rigging, can anyone beat me?!
"what?!"
"I'll have someone follow Johnny's team, and if they buy tickets, we'll buy double the amount!"
Naoki Nagayama said with a smile,
"They promised one egg, so we'll give them two!"
This is a complete battle of wealth. To put it bluntly, with Naoki Nagayama's current wealth, he could easily outlast ten Johnny's Entertainment companies!
"But...won't this cost a lot of money?!"
Akina was a little worried. Although she knew her family was rich, they couldn't afford to burn money like that!
Hearing her husband's words, she even considered giving up the competition.
"Or... I won't."
"Don't worry! Johnny's doesn't have that kind of guts!"
Naoki Nagayama smiled and comforted him.
"I'll spend at most a hundred or two hundred million, and they'll realize I'm serious!"
"Then Johnny's shareholders will have to consider whether it's worth competing with us at all costs! And then, naturally, they'll give up—that's the weakness of the bourgeoisie!"
Johnny's Entertainment is all about making money, but Naoki Nagayama isn't; he's pursuing something more metaphysical!
To put it bluntly, Naoki Nagayama worked so hard to earn so much money so that he could use it to overwhelm his opponents when facing problems!
"Naoki-san~ You're so kind!"
Akina leaned in and kissed her husband, while little Natsuka in her arms wasn't to be outdone, laughing as she nuzzled Nagayama Naoki's face and took a big bite.
"Ouch, it hurts!"
"Flower Sauce, you actually bit me? Are you a puppy?"
Haha, kiss!
"Okay, you'll treat this as a kiss?" Naoki Nagayama looked at Natsuka's chubby little face and opened his mouth wide. "Then I want to kiss Hana-chan too!"
Xiaoxia let out a clear laugh, quickly ran away from her mother's arms, and chased after Naoki Nagayama in the living room.
Akina, sitting on the sofa watching this heartwarming scene, couldn't help but smile.
(End of this chapter)