Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 780 Pulling Hanyu Hideki off the altar

It has to be said that while Hideki Hanyu was making ruthless plans and cold calculations for the upcoming event.

Akina Nakamori's sudden and sincere dedication brought a little warmth to Hideki Hanyu's heart.

But it was just a trace.

After rejecting Xiaopangcai's kindness and taking good care of the other party, Hideki Hanyu continued to devote himself to his career.

October 18, 1989.

Wednesday.

Shogakukan announced that Hideki Hanyu's new novel, which he had already written, would be released two days later on Friday.

As soon as this news came out, it immediately attracted the attention of countless media and book fans.

After all, if you calculate the time, Hideki Hanyu hasn't published his novel for the first time in Japan for a long time.

In addition, Shogakukan also announced that Hideki Hanyu's new novel is completely different from his previous works in type and style.

Such publicity has aroused more and more interest from the media and book fans.

Driven by the publicity of the new book, the rumors of Hideki Hanyu being acquired by Mitsubishi Rockefeller, the failed investment that was suppressed by "Neon Can Say No", and bankruptcy were once again brought up and hyped.

Just one person is enough to compete with national news for popularity. Hanyu Hideki's influence in Japan and his high national popularity are extraordinary.
This is also the reason why Shogakukan's president, Tetsuo Aiga, advised Hideki Hanyu not to release "I Am a Cat".

This kind of work, which is full of irony and secretly pours cold water on the prosperous destiny of Japan, if it is only published by an unknown little writer, it is very likely that it will only cause public laughter after it is released.

No matter how thought-provoking the words of a small person are, no one will take them to heart or even give them a second look.

But the problem is that Hideki Hanyu is not a small figure.

Even at this time, Japan can definitely be ranked among the top five in terms of personal influence and popularity.

The words and articles published by such people will definitely be carefully studied and interpreted under a magnifying glass by the media, critics, readers, and peers.

"I Am a Cat" is a blatant satire, and everyone will know what it means if you just read it twice.

Therefore, after this book was written and published by Hideki Hanyu, the influence it created is not comparable to that of ordinary writers, and the response it brought is simply unimaginable.

But it's useless to say that now.

Shogakukan announced the news, and the arrow was on the string that had to be shot.

With the eager anticipation of the media and book fans, October 20th finally arrived.

The cover of the book features a starry night sky, a neon-lit Tokyo city silhouette, and a cat looking out over it all.

In the dark night sky, the book title "I am a Cat" and "Hazeki Hanyu's Work" were simply written.

This cover, designed entirely by Hideki Hanyu, immediately appeared in the most conspicuous position in major bookstores in Japan, attracting a lot of attention.

And Hideki Hanyu's fame in the field of writers is by no means exaggerated.

Countless book lovers flock to bookstores just to buy the works of their favorite writers as soon as possible.

For a time, there were even queues in bookstores all over Neon.

However, under this circumstance, a very strange phenomenon occurred after the book was published.

Those media, book critics, and colleagues in the industry did not publish the commentary immediately.

Readers who bought the new book discovered after starting to read it that this book was just as Shogakukan advertised, and the style was completely different from Hideki Hanyu's previous works.

Although the writing style is humorous and the plot is witty, even ordinary readers can easily distinguish the strong irony and criticism between the lines.

No one expected that Hideki Hanyu would actually write a unique novel that criticizes reality.

The book is indeed interesting, and the anthropomorphic cat as the protagonist is also novel, but hidden beneath these elements is the exposure of the naked reality.

Unemployed workers, frustrated teachers, women who become prostitutes for economic reasons...

With the help of humorous plots and characters, Hideki Hanyu ruthlessly tears off the false cloak covering the surface of the neon society.

If I have to describe it, this book and the previously published "Neon Can Say No" are two completely different extremes.

One advocates prosperity, the other exposes scars.

A story that makes Japanese readers' blood boil and their national pride overflow.

One that forces everyone to face the cruel real world, and even makes them dare not admit what is described in the book.

And while readers are still talking about this book.

As for professional media reviews, there has been a huge debate internally over this book "I Am a Cat".

Inside the editorial department of Weekly Asahi.

After reading I Am a Cat, a columnist expressed his admiration without reservation.

"It has been many years since I have seen such an excellent work. With this article, Hideki Hanyu has become a great writer!"

Someone nearby immediately echoed, "That's right, I originally thought Hanyu Hideki only knew how to draw picture books and write fairy tales, and that he was a commercial writer who was only interested in money. But who would have thought that he actually had such a literary character! I'm really impressed!"

"It's more than just the character of a scholar. Under such fanatical public opinion, Hanyu Hideki actually dared to publish such a work. He has the style of a literary giant who was not afraid of the military power at the beginning of the century!"

"Yes, this book is really well written. The colorful bubbles in the cat's eyes are simply the best portrayal of the current neon economy. It is frivolous and groundless, beautiful and gorgeous, but it will burst with a poke."

"Bubble economy era? That's a good description!"

"How dare he write like this? He is such an admirable fighter!"

……

In the editorial department, everyone praised Hanyu Hideki almost unanimously.

Obviously, in the eyes of writers, this kind of novel that criticizes reality is the best work in their minds.

But just as the editors were discussing heatedly, the editor-in-chief and senior management of the magazine suddenly walked in.

Judging from the editor-in-chief's livid face, it was obvious that he was not in a very good mood.

After the magazine executive stood still, he tapped the table lightly and then spoke to everyone.

"Reports on Hanyu Hideki's new work must comply with the requirements of superiors, not over-praise, and should be appropriately criticized."

As soon as the senior management said this, an editor immediately objected, "It's fine if you don't praise such a good work, but how can you criticize it?"

"Because it is inappropriate." The senior management said lightly.

The Japanese are very concerned about their reputation, never repent, and attach great importance to their appearance. They are the type of people who would never admit it even if they know they are wrong.

So what if what Hanyu Hideki said is true? So what if the reality is revealed?
In today's social environment, no matter how good this book is, it will be of no use.

We can only blame the fact that this book is contrary to current public opinion. Many people know that what it says is true, but they are unwilling to believe that this is the truth.

After all, everyone thinks that the Japanese economy will always be glorious and its international status will continue to improve.

At this time, Hideki Hanyu jumped out and said that this was all an illusion, the prosperous economy was actually a bubble and would collapse sooner or later.

How can ordinary people accept such a cruel reality?

Therefore, it is very likely that the Japanese people would rather live in the present with a life of luxury and decadence than think about what the future will be like.

In this situation, if Hanyu Hideki shatters these people's pipe dreams, he will definitely not get any thanks, but only escape and counterattack out of anger and shame.

Hideki Hanyu is willing to go against the trend and challenge the entire trend of public opinion in Japan.

But in order to increase sales, the magazine will of course report the news in a way that caters to readers. There is no need for them to stand on the same front with Hanyu Hideki.

Seeing that the editors were still angry, the senior management emphasized again, "Do as I say, and don't have any other tricks."

After saying this, the man turned and left.

All the editors turned their eyes to the editor-in-chief, whose face was livid.

The editor-in-chief just sighed and said, "Hey, I've tried my best. This is a decision made by the higher-ups and cannot be changed."

When the editor-in-chief said this, he took a piece of paper from the table in front of him and quickly wrote a line of words.

"Is the 'bubble economy' in the eyes of cats true or false?" He pushed the written paper in front of everyone and said, "Let's create a report based on this title. It must be completed before the publication tomorrow morning, so everyone will have to work overtime."

In the editorial department, the editor-in-chief was powerless. Although the editors admired Hideki Hanyu's works and his literary character, they could only bow to reality.

Such discussions were not limited to the editorial department of Weekly Asahi. Basically, most of Japan's mainstream newspapers and periodicals chose to criticize Hanyu Hideki's work.

Some even reported on Hanyu Hideki's previous news in order to attract readers' attention to the greatest extent.

Of course, not every Japanese publication ultimately chose to follow the trend.

There are still some professional literary media that have published articles praising Hideki Hanyu's book.

For example, "New Trend", "Literary Circle", "Group Portrait" and so on.

If we were to say which publication praised Hanyu Hideki the most, it would be Weekly Bunshun, which kept looking for scandals about Hanyu Hideki, and Bungeishunju, which belongs to the same magazine company.

After all, this publishing house is known to be tough, so why would it care about the trend of public opinion?

But what’s interesting is that in the past, whenever this magazine mentioned Hanyu Hideki, they were all digging up Hanyu Hideki’s secrets and scandals.

As a result, now that Hanyu Hideki has stood against the public, they are standing with Hanyu Hideki instead.

But unfortunately, under the surging wave of public opinion, the few voices speaking for Hideki Hanyu were instantly drowned out.

It can be said that after the eerie silence at the beginning of the release of "I Am a Cat", the entire Japanese public opinion was overwhelmingly questioning, criticizing, and even insulting Hanyu Hideki.

Some people commented that Hideki Hanyu wrote this novel intentionally in order to highlight his uniqueness and individuality, and to express his sense of superiority that he is the only one sober while everyone else is drunk.

Some people say that Hanyu Hideki's views are too pessimistic and completely generalize. They criticize Hanyu Hideki for not paying attention to the glorious and powerful side of Japan, but specifically choosing to expose the dark scars in order to undermine the national self-confidence and being unable to bear the rise of Japan.

Some people even said that Hideki Hanyu became a wealthy man from scratch, and then he was exaggerating and didn't want to see other ordinary people getting rich.

Some people even directly insulted him, saying that Hanyu Hideki is not worthy of being a national teacher and should solemnly apologize to the people of the country for this behavior that undermines national morale.

And these are just normal comments.

Some reports contained rumors about Hideki Hanyu and talk about failed investments and bankruptcy, and the language used was even more vulgar and offensive.

For a time, it can be said that the wall fell and everyone pushed it.

The overall public opinion in Japan seems to be taking the opportunity to pull Hideki Hanyu down from the altar of the national darling.

And this is definitely more than just talk.

Some radical Japanese people have started organizing people to protest in front of Shogakukan, holding up banners demanding "Take 'I Am a Cat' off the shelves."

Some senior officials who are not on good terms with Hanyu Hideki and do not belong to the same camp took the opportunity to jump out and make sarcastic attacks.

The most exaggerated thing is that some right-wing elements even labeled Hanyu Hideki a "traitor to the country punished by heaven" and a "non-citizen".

Despite this kind of public opinion, Hideki Hanyu continued to stay in Hawaii for vacation, as if he didn't care at all about what his reputation in Japan had become.

Although Shogakukan released the passionate words that Hanyu Hideki said to Tetsuo Soga intermittently, many readers felt the literary character of Hanyu Hideki.

But it only affected a small number of people and did not bring about much change in the mainstream public opinion.

What puzzles the outside world is that Yunshang Entertainment, which controls huge media resources, did not come out to defend Hideki Hanyu.

To a certain extent, he even joined the mainstream in criticizing Hanyu Hideki.

The strange attitude of Yunshang Media made many old foxes in the Japanese media industry smell something unusual.

But no matter how they guessed, they had no idea what Hanyu Hideki was up to.

And so, time came to the end of October.

Akina Nakamori and Kyoko Koizumi, who had been with Hideki Hanyu in Hawaii for more than 20 days, were very worried about Hideki Hanyu's condition, but they had to return to Japan at the end of the month due to work in Japan.

After these two beauties left, Hideki Hanyu would naturally not be alone in an empty room in Hawaii.

After some consideration, the scumbag, who felt a little tired of young beauties, took in three young and mature widowed beauties who he had not been with for a long time.

They are Chiharu Ono of Ono Ryori, Koharu Igawa, a former fan of her book whose husband jumped into the sea due to the stock market crash, and Ayako Fuji, the enka beauty who has signed a contract with the Burning Department.

If it were in the past, Hanyu Hideki would not have called the three girls together to enjoy the feast out of consideration for them.

However, as Hideki Hanyu becomes more and more of a superior, he seems to care less and less about the attitudes of these beauties.

The three women came alone this time. After getting off the plane, they were taken to Baisha Bay Manor, and then they were dragged onto the yacht by Hideki Hanyu. They changed into sexy bikinis and went to the sea to have fun.

From noon to afternoon, Hanyu Hideki was served contentedly by three young beauties. After returning to Baishawan Manor, he unexpectedly received two messages from Japan.

First news.

I don’t know if it was because Panasonic envied Mitsubishi’s acquisition of Rockefeller Center and Sony’s founder’s release of “Neon Can Say No” which stole too much limelight, but it finally couldn’t hold back after quietly acquiring MCA Universal.

On the last day of October, they officially announced that they were in acquisition negotiations with MCA Universal, one of the six major film studios in America, and had made great progress.

Of course, Panasonic announced this news at this time, perhaps hoping to take advantage of the public's criticism of Hanyu Hideki to step on his competitor.

Faced with this news, Hideki Hanyu of course notified Hirohashi Asako immediately. Since Panasonic has made the acquisition clear, Yunshang Entertainment does not need to hide it.

Therefore, Yunshang Entertainment held a press conference that day, stating that Yunshang Entertainment and Panasonic were in competition with each other in the acquisition of MCA Global.

As soon as this news came out, it can be said that one stone caused thousands of waves.

The two Japanese corporate giants' siege on the American media giant naturally added fuel to the burning national pride.

With the end of Yunshang Entertainment's press conference, previous rumors about Yunshang Entertainment's fundraising and Hideki Hanyu's investment failure were also refuted.

After all, everyone now knows that whether it is Cloud Entertainment or Hideki Hanyu, they are raising funds definitely to compete with Panasonic to acquire MCA Universal.

After saying the first piece of news, the second piece of news made Hanyu Hideki feel completely absurd and ridiculous.

November 3rd of every year is Neon’s “Culture Day”.

The spokesperson of the Neon Locust Room will also announce on this day the list of people who will go to the Neon Locust Residence to receive the Cultural Medal.

Although the list was drawn up by the Japanese government, it was only announced to the public by the spokesperson of the Locust Room.

But considering Japan's special political structure, the Locust Room actually has a lot of say in who gets honored.

For a long time, Hideki Hanyu has been a runner-up in the Order of Culture for various reasons.

After the release of "Brigitte" last year, it caused a huge sensation around the world, received high praise, and won numerous awards, making Hideki Hanyu one of the top writers in the international pyramid.

Therefore, the literary circles in Japan unanimously believe that with this achievement, Hideki Hanyu can definitely end his runner-up status and win this year's Cultural Medal.

In fact, Hanyu Hideki also learned from upper-level channels that he was indeed on the list of recipients of the Order of Culture.

But even when the outside world and he had already confirmed that he would receive the Cultural Medal, someone from the Neon Locust Room subtly stated it in an interview before the list was announced.

"Some Japanese public figures who enjoy great reputations overseas have not adhered to the Yamato spirit of striving for progress and have not fulfilled their responsibility to guide public opinion in a positive direction. Therefore, we must carefully consider how to award them honors..."

Then, Hideki Hanyu learned from his own channels that he was removed from the list of recipients of the Order of Culture.

"Ha ha……"

After hearing the news, Hanyu Hideki couldn't help but burst out laughing and said, "The locust house of a small country with few people is indeed petty.

It seems that the power of my novel is really great. Not only did it make ordinary people in Japan refuse to admit it, but it also directly penetrated into the lungs of the locust room. "

He had heard that as more and more reports criticized his new book, the term "bubble economy era" began to be frequently quoted.

It's obvious that everyone knows what's going on, but they just don't dare to face it.

However, at this moment, in terms of personal influence, reputation, and status, he no longer needs a cultural medal to prove himself.

To put it bluntly, awarding him the medal is not an honor for him, but an honor for the Order of Culture.

Of course, Hideki Hanyu was not surprised by this incident.

After all, he had never had a good impression of the Locust Room, so his relationship with the Locust Room in Neon was very ordinary. He rarely had contact with the Locust Room and basically did not participate in the activities of the Locust Room.

Because of his special rise experience, he belongs to the camp of emerging capitalists in Japan. Unlike other traditional Japanese tycoons, he does not like to take advantage of the "glory" and popularity of the locust room.

So after this incident, even if the Locust Room wanted to award him a medal in the future, he would probably refuse it directly.

(End of this chapter)