Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 791 Big fish eats small fish

December seventeenth.

Sunday.

Located in Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, in the Okura Tokyo Hotel, which is known as one of the "Three Great Hotels in Tokyo" along with the Imperial Hotel Tokyo and the New Otani Hotel.

A grand year-end reception was being held in the Japanese-style banquet hall.

As evening approached, there was a steady stream of invited guests arriving at the hotel entrance.

It can be seen that among the guests holding invitations and entering the banquet hall, in addition to upper-class dignitaries, corporate executives, wealthy businessmen, most of them are actually people related to the Japanese entertainment industry.

Popular singers, big-name actors, front- and back-stage staff with high status in the industry, and so on.

Even the person who was wearing a white evening dress and playing and singing at the piano in a corner of the banquet hall was not an ordinary performer, but the popular idol singer Kawai Nahoko.

In today's Japan, there are only a handful of people in the entire entertainment industry who can hold such a grand reception at the end of the year.

The most crucial thing is that in today's Japan, when the financial market suddenly collapsed and the negative impact began to spread from the financial sector to the entire industry and everyone was in a panic, who still had the mood and energy to hold a reception of this scale?

It seems that there is only a name left.

A long time ago, when peers all thought that the Japanese market was huge and the wealth was inexhaustible, Yunshang Entertainment chose to invest years of profits like a fool and spared no cost to expand the overseas market.

At this time, Japan's economy was in turmoil.

When the impact of the stock market crash gradually spread, causing the circulation of funds to shrink, the entire industry began to run out of money to spend, a large number of budgets for film, television, music and TV programs were cut, and everyone began to live a tight life.

Who is the wise man? Who is the fool?

It's clear at a glance.

Supported by the huge overseas market, Yunshang Entertainment's revenue hit a new high, as if it was not affected at all by the turmoil in Japan over the past half month.

It can be said that the outside world is in dire straits.

But the scenery of Yunshang Entertainment is unique.

This is why, when Yunshang Entertainment announced the reception, it attracted so many guests to attend.

At this time, even the slowest person would be shocked to see the gloomy scene of the Neon Stock Market plummeting.

After seeing some people jumping off the Tokyo Tower and seeing an increasing number of people jumping into the sea in Tokyo Bay.

They have also realized that an unprecedented economic winter is about to come.

Although this cold winter started in the stock market, it has already affected the entertainment industry.

At times like this, the first instinctive thought in everyone's mind is to find a strong support and hold on to someone who can support them through the crisis.

Cloud Entertainment has already established a firm foothold overseas and has a huge market. It has also completed the layout of the entire industrial chain in Neon and has sufficient funds, and can provide a large number of cooperation opportunities.

It became the best choice in the Japanese entertainment industry.

At the deepest part of the banquet hall, standing behind a screen, Hirohashi Asako looked at the lively scene in front of her and suddenly sighed with mixed feelings.

Next to him, Hideki Hanyu, who came specially to attend the reception, asked curiously after hearing Hirohashi Asako's sigh.

"Are you still not satisfied with today's situation, Qianzi-san?

If we only look at the surface, our cloud entertainment may not be as good as Sony which acquired Columbia.

But in terms of our strength in Japan and Asia, we are already the absolute number one in the industry.

I think the Japanese media will definitely call Asako-san the 'Queen' of the Asian entertainment media industry when reporting on her in the future."

When Hanyu Hideki described her as an 'empress', Hirohashi Asako, who had just sighed, immediately smiled helplessly, "Hanyu-san, stop joking."

As she said this, she changed the subject and said, "But what Hanyu-san said is true. I really have nothing to be dissatisfied with the current Yunshang Entertainment.

When I started my business in Shinjuku, I could never have imagined that we would reach our current heights in such a short time, just planning to shoot commercials and music videos for Warner Pioneer.

Hanyu Hideki counted on his fingers and said, "It's been almost nine years, which is not a short time."

Hirohashi Asako murmured, "Has it been so many years without me noticing?"

Hanyu Hideki recalled, "When I was a dance teacher, Saori-chan was only three years old, but now she is already in middle school.

Even Warner Pioneer, which we once worked with, no longer exists.”

What Hideki Hanyu was referring to was certainly not the bankruptcy of Warner Records.

Instead, Warner Pioneer, which was established by Warner Records and Japanese local enterprises, announced its dissolution a few months ago.

Yunshang Music also took advantage of the turmoil caused by the breakup of Warner Pioneer to acquire the other half that had parted ways with Warner, and successfully regained all the music copyrights during the period of cooperation between Yunshang Music and Warner Pioneer, including the copyrights of the songs of the retired Xiaopangcai.

After thinking about this, Hanyu Hideki asked again.

"So, since Qianzi-san is very satisfied with the current Yunshang Entertainment, why were you sighing just now?"

Upon hearing this, Hirohashi Asako looked back at all the guests in the banquet hall who were toasting each other, drinking and chatting happily, seemingly enthusiastic but actually just pretending.

She said softly, "Such scenes always give me the illusion that the tragedy caused by the stock market does not exist and everything is still the same as before."

Hanyu Hideki pretended to understand, "So Asako-san is worried about the country and the people. However, the stock market has fallen badly in the past two weeks. The Nikkei index seems to be falling below 37,000 points."

"I heard from my mother that many relatives in my hometown have been affected, and the situation in other parts of Neon is even worse than in Tokyo."

Hirohashi Asako seemed to have thought of something when she said this, and immediately asked Hanyu Hideki, "How are those listed companies of Hanyu-san? It seems that the stock price situation is not very ideal."

Hanyu Hideki said in a relaxed manner, "Asako-san just needs to focus on managing Yunshang Entertainment. Don't worry about my affairs. Everything is under control."

Hirohashi Asako is not a fussy or indecisive person. Seeing that Hanyu Hideki is so confident, she no longer worries.

After all, Hideki Hanyu was able to write a book like "I Am a Cat" and expressed his speculation about the current situation a long time ago, so he must have made full preparations.

So she changed the subject and started talking about the news from Hollywood.

"The new movie from Cloud Pictures is about to be released. It grossed $140 million. It looks like we have been successful again."

Hanyu Hideki said, “Asako-san was talking about Leaping Over Innocence, and the box office was indeed very good.

However, this month during the Christmas season, Yunshang Pictures will release a new movie adapted from a stage play, and I guess the box office should not be too bad.”

The new Christmas movie that Hideki Hanyu mentioned is naturally the classic "Driving Miss Daisy", the movie in which he inserted the big white Australian girl as a supporting role.

In another time and space, this movie earned 130 million at the North American box office. Now that it is produced by the original team and released in the same period, I think the box office will not be too different even if there are some differences.

Hirohashi Asako said with emotion, "If that's the case, in terms of box office revenue alone, Yunshang Pictures has completely surpassed its parent company's domestic box office figures."

Hanyu Hideki said, "It seems that Yunshang Pictures is developing quite well, but we make a lot of money, and Sony Columbia, as the distributor, also makes a lot of money from us."

Hirohashi Asako said dissatisfiedly, "The movies produced by Sony Columbia in the second half of the year are basically all losses. If it weren't for Yunshang Pictures, Sony would have suffered huge losses in the first year of its acquisition of Columbia."

Hanyu Hideki patiently explained, "The better the performance of Cloud Pictures in Hollywood, the more we need to keep a low profile. After all, we have no say in the MPAA rating agency, so we can only use Sony as a shield for now."

Hirohashi Asako asked unwillingly, "What about the acquisition of MCA Global? As long as we can successfully complete the acquisition, we don't need to share the profits with others."

Hanyu-san shook his head. “Even if we buy MCA Universal, we still need to share profits with others. But it is true that in Hollywood we don’t need to look at other people’s faces.”

Hideki Hanyu has made it to this point, but he knows very well that eating alone will not last long, whether in Japan or overseas.

Hirohashi Asako asked, "Neon's stock market is in a bad state, and Panasonic's stock price performance is not optimistic. Do we need to take advantage of this opportunity to increase our offer and acquire MCA Global?"

Hanyu Hideki shook his finger and said, "I came to the reception today specifically to meet Asako-san, just to tell her that the MCA Global matter is not urgent."

"What?" Hirohashi Asako looked puzzled.

At a time like this, shouldn't we take advantage of Panasonic's illness and win the acquisition competition in one fell swoop?

As soon as Hanyu Hideki saw Hirohashi Asako's expression, he knew what Hirohashi Asako was thinking.

He smiled as if everything was under control.

“I know what Asako-san is thinking, and I know that Asako-san is very anxious about MCA Global, but Asako-san, please don’t be anxious.

The funds in Yunshang Entertainment's hands now have a more important purpose." Guangqiao Qianzi asked puzzledly, "Is there anything more important than acquiring MCA Global?
I remember everything that Hanyu-san told me about the benefits of acquiring MCA Global.

As long as we own MCA Universal, it will not only help us gain the right to speak in Hollywood and North American distribution channels, but also allow us to enter the North American television market with the help of Universal Television Network.

By acquiring Universal Music, Cloud Entertainment can make up for its biggest shortcoming and gain a foothold in the world’s most important European and American music markets.”

I saw Guangqiao Qianzi bringing up everything he had said before.

Hanyu Hideki quickly explained, "MCA Global is of course important, but Asako-san, don't forget that Japan is the foundation of Yunshang Entertainment.

As the saying goes, opportunities are born in chaos. Now that Japan's economy is facing problems due to the impact of the stock market, we cannot miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I'm already prepared to close down Crescent Cinema Line and Cloud Satellite TV. Please cooperate with me to get them back first, Qianzi-san.

And even though the current Neon stock market is terrible, it is just the beginning. For a long time to come, Neon’s economy will only get worse.

The most important thing now is that when everyone else is struggling to survive and protect themselves, we have a lot of money in our hands, so naturally we should take the opportunity to expand our strength.

As the saying goes, big fish eat small fish. We cannot miss out on talents, content resources, and high-quality companies with potential. Qianzi-san can't be polite at this time.

As for MCA Universal, Asako-san, don’t worry. The negotiation team will continue to maintain contact, and I promise that it will be ours in the end.”

"Okay, then I'll listen to Hanyu-san."

Hirohashi Asako's expression relaxed, as if she remembered something to say.

"In fact, I already have a goal in mind. After I take back Crescent Cinema and Cloud Satellite TV, I will go talk to the investors of those firms."

"Don't worry, Qianzi-san. I've already said that this crisis that broke out from the stock market will not end in a short time. You and I must be patient."

Hideki Hanyu really couldn't explain it in detail. According to the experience of another time and space, after the bubble of the Japanese stock market was burst, the first wave of overall crazy decline lasted for half a year.

During this period, the Nikkei index broke in half.

Although there was a slight increase afterwards, with the collapse of the real estate market the following year, the stock market began to plummet again.

Simply put, for a long time to come, Yunshang Entertainment will be able to buy at the bottom at will and there is no need to be anxious.

Thinking of this, in order to make Hirohashi Asako a little more patient, Hanyu Hideki revealed a piece of news to Hirohashi Asako.

"Qianzi-san, I am currently working with a friend to plan a move against a target that you are sure to be interested in."

Hirohashi Asako asked curiously, "What is the target I'm interested in?"

Hanyu Hideki smiled quietly and uttered a name in a low voice.

"Neon Broadcast."

The moment Hirohashi Asako heard the name, her eyes widened unconsciously and she showed an expression of disbelief.

As a veteran in the industry, how could she not know what Neon Broadcasting stands for.

The Sankei Shimbun, one of Japan's five major media groups, and Fuji TV, which currently has the largest market share among commercial television stations.

So even though "Neon Broadcasting" itself is inconspicuous, the media power it influences is actually stronger than the current Cloud Entertainment.

"Haha, I knew Asako-san would be surprised."

Hirohashi Asako smiled bitterly and said, "That's Fuji Sankei Group and Fuji Television. How could I not be surprised?"

After that, she hurriedly asked, "Do you need Yunshang Entertainment's help with this matter?"

“Don’t do that. I am working with others to plan this matter. Yunshang Entertainment is not suitable to get involved. It will easily alert the enemy.

Moreover, Yunshang Entertainment is now strong enough, and our opponents and Neon's upper echelons will never allow Yunshang to swallow up Neon Broadcasting, because that will inevitably disrupt the existing media structure and balance of power."

Hideki Hanyu's words are definitely not alarmist.

After so many years of development, the media power of the Yunshang system itself has become very strong.

In addition, we have a fully-fledged cloud satellite TV which is the largest in Japan and even in Asia with the highest market share.

In this case, if the Yunshang Group swallows up Fuji TV and Sankei Shimbun media, it will become a media giant in Japan that other competitors cannot balance.

This is something that other competitors and Neon officials do not want to see.

Therefore, at least on the surface, Hideki Hanyu cannot allow Neon Broadcasting and Cloud Entertainment to have any connection.

This is also the reason why he agreed to cooperate with Haruko Naito.

"Okay, I understand." Hirohashi Asako understood what Hanyu Hideki meant, so she decisively gave up the idea in her mind.

Seeing this, Hanyu Hideki smiled and comforted him.

"Qianzi-san, don't be discouraged. Just because it doesn't work now doesn't mean it won't work in the future.

Believe me, sooner or later, the strength of Yunshang will make you disdain Fuji TV and Sankei Shimbun."

Hirohashi Asako still couldn't understand what Hanyu Hideki said.

Because Hirohashi Asako couldn't imagine why Yunshang Entertainment would disdain Japan's number one commercial TV station and the five major media groups.

Hideki Hanyu had no way to explain this.

Just as he also knew that although he could quickly improve his strength with the help of the bursting of the bubble economy, he would still be unable to overthrow the deep-rooted forces in Japan.

For example, Japan's giant conglomerates, even if they will suffer losses in this bubble economic collapse, their fundamental influence on Japan will not change.

In fact, these financial groups, like him, are also taking advantage of the economic turmoil to squeeze the blood of ordinary people, expand their strength, and consolidate their monopoly position.

If he wants to shake these deeply rooted things, Hideki Hanyu needs to accumulate strength in this bubble-bursting crisis and make himself qualified to have a seat at the table for dinner.

Then wait for a technological revolution that Guangqiao Qianzi cannot imagine and those traditional old forces cannot imagine either.

Just when Hideki Hanyu was secretly thinking about the future.

Two figures suddenly rushed in from outside the screen.

The little girl with twin ponytails is Hirohashi Saori, the daughter of Hirohashi Asako.

The other little girl with a bun on her head is Rie Miyazawa, who is raised by Hirohashi Asako.

(Photo by Miyazawa Rie)

The two girls originally came to look for Hirohashi Asako.

But after breaking into the screen, the girls' eyes all fell on Hideki Hanyu, who was dressed in white.

Immediately afterwards, Hirohashi Saori stepped forward and grabbed Hanyu Hideki's arm and shook him.

"Uncle Hanyu is coming back today, why didn't you inform Saori? And his white hair looks really special."

In contrast, Miyazawa Rie, who has grown into a grown-up girl, stood there a little reservedly, silently adjusting her skirt and hair.

The girl's beautiful eyes looked at Hanyu Hideki with full gaze.

"Hanyu-san, I'm really glad to see you."

"Haha, Rie-chan has really grown up and become more and more beautiful."

Facing the reserved Rie Miyazawa, Hideki Hanyu smiled brightly, walked up to and gently rubbed the little girl's bun, showing a family-like intimacy.

But when Miyazawa Rie felt this kind of family-like emotion, it made the little girl's mood dim.

However, Hanyu Hideki, who had turned around to talk to Hirohashi Asako, did not notice the little girl's mood changes.

"Qianzi-san, the guests are almost all here, and it's time for us to leave."

"It's rare for Hanyu-san to show up at a reception, so I think it will surprise many people."

"Really? Asako-san is getting impatient now."

"You'll find out soon, Hanyu-san. Saori-chan, Rie-chan, follow me tonight, and I'll introduce you to some of the elders."

(End of this chapter)