"Have you received the videotape? Shinichi-kun." Watanabe Manyumi answered the phone and asked.
"Got it..." Iwahashi Shinichi responded and asked her, "Wanyumi-san, I'll see you later, are you free?"
Watanabe Manyumi guessed that she was going to talk about the new lead singer. She looked at today's itinerary and confirmed the current time. She happily agreed, "It's just right. We can also have lunch together. How about chatting while we eat?"
"Well."
Iwahashi Shinichi replied, "Of course it's good to chat while eating, but before that, I'll go to the office to find you. I have something I want to tell you first. Okay?"
The expression "listen and see".
Watanabe Wan Yumi thought for a while and agreed.
Putting down the phone, I was a little curious. I couldn't guess what Iwahashi Shinichi was trying to do. When he first called, he thought he was going to talk about the new lead singer, but if he asked her to watch the audition tape again,
That tone is not the same.
On the contrary, he actually wanted her to see something she had never seen before.
Before waiting for Shinichi Iwahashi to come over, Watanabe Wan Yumi thought about it for a while so that she could be prepared for what he would say next.
…
It took quite a while to get here from Kawasaki's office. When Iwahashi Shinichi arrived, it was almost eleven o'clock. The clerk had already received the order and asked him to see Watanabe Manyumi.
"What do you think of those video tapes?"
The two of them each occupied a sofa in the small living room. Watanabe Manyumi did not ask him the reason for his visit, but asked her own question first.
"I just called you after watching the videotape." Shinichi Iwahashi lived up to her hard work in sending the videotape and expressed his serious opinions on the performance of the girls he had circled.
"...In short, overall, the one with the best performance is undoubtedly Inamura Izumi." Iwahashi Shinichi gave a conclusion, but he hesitated, as if he was considering a certain "but" next.
Watanabe Manyumi also contributed a lot to the selection of the new lead singer, and even called him, an outsider, to the selection meeting to select the person herself. What she said next was undoubtedly a rejection of the previous efforts. Not only that, but also thrown to her
A somewhat troublesome question.
Watanabe Manyumi saw that he had something else to say, so she neither exposed nor asked questions, waiting for him to bring up the topic.
Always say what needs to be said.
Shinichi Iwahashi took his office bag and took out the copied tapes, "Can I borrow your VCR?"
When she saw the tape in his hand, Watanabe Wan Yumi knew that it had nothing to do with the video tape of the selection meeting, so she asked: "Is this what you said you wanted to 'listen to and watch' for me?"
Iwahashi Shin nodded, "Anyway, let's just listen and see."
The clerk came to deliver tea, and Watanabe Manyumi just happened to tell her to bring the video recorder.
Iwahashi Shin inserted the tape into it, played one tape, and then changed another tape. Watanabe Mayumi listened to all three copies. It was a cappella recording, and it sounded like it was recorded in a recording studio. Watanabe Mayumi listened carefully.
listen.
After all three copies were placed, Iwahashi Shinichi asked her: "How was it?"
Watanabe Manyumi thought about it and asked in turn: "Whose recording is this?"
"Didn't I tell you before that Akamatsu brought a pretty good girl here?" Iwahashi Shinichi said.
Watanabe Wan Yumi thought for a while, then as if to confirm, she reminded him tactfully: "I remember she is a model from Xingchen Agency...right?"
Shinichi Iwahashi emphasized Sachiko Kamaike's singing skills, but Watanabe Manyumi directly mentioned her current belonging issue. In a calm manner, the two conveyed their thoughts to each other.
"Yes, that's her." Shinichi Iwahashi said, "Kachi-san's surname is Kamachi and her given name is Sachiko. Kamachi-san signed a three-year contract with Star Office, but now the contract period has just expired.
.”
"..."
Iwahashi Shinichi deliberately explained the contract status of Kamaichi Sachiko to her, which was undoubtedly a statement of his attitude. Even though he knew that she already had an agency, he still did not give up, and he also wanted to bring Kamaichi Sachiko to this side.
However, if you do this, it will involve issues between offices, which is too complicated.
Watanabe Wanyumi looked at him thoughtfully. After thinking about it, she raised her wrist to look at the time, "It's already noon. I've made a reservation at the restaurant, shall we go together?"
"Okay, my stomach is growling just because I'm waiting for your words." Iwahashi Shinichi said, and he didn't mind letting the topic drop for the time being, leaving her some time to think.
In the final analysis, he brought a new option to Watanabe Wan Yumi when she was ready to accept something. This room for thinking must be given to her.
It was these exaggerated words that made Watanabe Manyumi laugh.
The restaurant is near the office, and at noon, the people who come to eat are office workers from nearby. After changing the place, the topic just now did not change, or in other words, the conversation continued in a different place.
"You used to see Annlewis a lot when you were a kid, right?" Shinichi Iwahashi said.
Watanabe Wan Yumi nodded, "Annlewis-san was only fourteen or fifteen years old when he came to Beijing. He lived in my house until he was eighteen years old before moving out."
In the past, artists had low status and low income. In addition, if you want to start performing arts activities, you have to come to Tokyo from all over the country. Needless to say, renting a house in Tokyo is very expensive. If you work hard for a month, you may not even be able to earn the rent.
Especially for minors, guardians are worried if they live alone outside, so there is an industry tradition of the president acting as guardian. On the one hand, the president acts as a parent, and on the other hand, it can save rent money for the artist.
Virtue, Deyunshe?
Of course, there is another reason.
If an artist lives in the president's house and is favored and cared for by the president, then he must be loyal to him and do his best to repay his kindness, just like a Yakuza who recognizes the boss as "おやじ(father)" after drinking a glass of wine.
I would go through fire and water for him.
For example, when Okada Yukiko came to Beijing, she lived in the house of the president of SunMusic and was taken care of by the president.
Because there are such rules, as long as you are not the kind of deceptive company that sells dog meat, you don’t have to worry about or make up any weird plots. The reason why this kind of rule can exist for so long is because it has not been broken.
There are many rules in the entertainment world that are derived from the Yakuza, and the rules of the Yakuza are the "master-apprentice system" passed down from the craftsmen.
In the past, young apprentices lived in the master's house and served the master with tea and water. The master taught the young apprentice skills. If someone bullied the master, the young apprentice would rush to the front. When he could leave the master, he would go to the place recommended by the master.
live.
The ancestors of modern Yakuza in Japan were the families of masters and apprentices who fought for jobs.
If you abandon your master and run away, that's called bullying your master and destroying your ancestors. If you were on the extreme side, you would be hunted down. If you were in the entertainment world, you would be banned.
Of course, it is an old-fashioned rule after all, and there are fewer and fewer such "family-style" companies nowadays.
"When Annlewis-san got married, I attended the wedding on behalf of my father. I remember that Maria Takeuchi sang the song "Linda" (Linda) in person at the wedding."
Annlewis' full name is "annlindalewis". When she and Masahiro Kuwana were getting married, Maria Takeuchi wrote a sweet song "Linda" for her to congratulate her on her wedding.
Although Annlewis and Kuwana Masahiro later divorced, the song has remained as a classic.
"I liked the song "リンダ" very much. I was only eighteen years old at the time, but I thought it would be great if I could have such a unique wedding song when I got married." Watanabe Manyumi talked about old things with a nostalgic smile.
.
"That's it, whoever falls in love is Linda." Shinichi Iwahashi said, "If you think about it this way, as long as a couple loves each other, even the wedding march will be unique."
"You are really good at talking." Watanabe Manyumi teased him.
Shinichi Iwahashi just smiled.
However, talking about Annlewis is not a meaningless chat. Using her as a starting point, Shinichi Iwahashi continued, "Annlewis was born as a child star and also worked as a photo idol. He went through many things before becoming a singer. It was not all smooth sailing.
.”
Watanabe Wan Yumi immediately understood that this was a signal to continue the topic.
Changing from the office to the restaurant and changing the location of the topic was to leave room for thinking. Now, the time was almost here, and all the thoughts that needed to be sorted out were sorted out. After careful consideration, she finally talked to him about Sachiko Kamaiike head-on.
.
"I don't know much about music, and I can't tell you what the advantages of that Kamachi-san's singing are." Watanabe Manyumi told the truth, "As a layman, my most direct thought is 'it sounds good.'"
"Yes, 'sounds nice'." Iwahashi Shin nodded, showing his appreciation for her, "This is very important."
"It's like this. When we make music, we don't make it for experts and people who know music, but for ordinary people. Therefore, the first impression of the sound is very important, and 'good listening' is the most important
of."
"This point is similar to what you emphasized before the selection meeting, 'feeling is the first priority.'" Iwahashi Shinichi said.
When Watanabe Manyumi heard what he said, she could understand why he had to bring Kamai Sachiko's audition tape to her. In other words, it was precisely because he watched the video tapes of the selected candidates that he realized how rare Kamai Sachiko was.
.
If there was no comparison, his determination would not be so firm. Even Watanabe Wan Yumi had to admit in her heart that Kamai Sachiko was better than those selected at the selection meeting.
But even so...
"It's not possible to act based on feelings alone," Watanabe Manyumi said.
"U-miz has just been established, and they have to use Watanabe Productions to poach people from other agencies. Even if they just poach a low-level model, if they do such a thing, they will not be able to gain a foothold in the industry in the future.
"
In the final analysis, this is not a question of the size of the position of the person being poached, but a question of the inability to do the thing itself.
If it is a large firm with full wings, there is still room for maneuver. However, for a small firm that has just been established and has not yet established a firm foothold, instead of working hard to sign people on its own, it must first rely on the strength of the family and reach out to
Go to other offices and poach other artists.
This approach is not only disgraceful, but also touches the minefield of the industry.
If you really do this, you will either be rejected and lose face, or even if you get the person as expected, you will be isolated in the industry because you don't understand the rules. Who wants to deal with such a person?
"And your genzo," Watanabe Manyumi said bluntly, "I risked all my wealth to prepare a work of my own, but ended up poaching an artist from another agency to come back as the lead singer. If this is the first step, what will happen in the future?
It was blocked.”
If a small production company like his with no roots does this, it won't even have a chance of being isolated from the industry.
As long as all parties have a little peace of mind, he can just be the owner of a money-losing company that produces homemade records for underground musicians and sells them live.
Watanabe Manyumi is a little confused. Such a simple truth should not be ignored given Shinichi Iwahashi's meticulousness. Besides, the more he admires Kamai Sachiko, the more he should understand that poaching will destroy her talent.
.
Could it be that Shinichi Iwahashi had just entered the industry and was still confused about the unspoken rules of the industry and the forces between offices, so he made such a mistake. But Watanabe Wan Yumi could not convince herself of this argument.
"Unless we have to wait three years until Kamachi-san's contract ends, and then negotiate another contract with her." Watanabe Manyumi put aside her doubts about him and gave her answer on this matter.
Even though Shinichi Iwahashi admires Sachiko Kamaiike, she also thinks that Sachiko Kamaiike is talented, but u-miz will not extend his hands to other firms no matter what.
"It will take three years." Shinichi Iwahashi smiled bitterly after hearing her words.
In three years, who knows how many changes will happen. The entertainment industry is also a place where time is a priority. No one will wait for three years until everything is ready before taking action.
"So," Watanabe Manyumi calmed down, "Although Taike-san has talent, considering the reality, it is better to give up temporarily. Inamura Izumi should have been the first choice in my heart, but after listening to Taike-san's singing..."
"Alternatively, we can hold a separate vocal audition for Abnormal," Watanabe Wan Yumi said.
Iwahashi Shinichi remained silent, as if he was thinking about something, and Watanabe Wan Yumi also looked at him silently.
Finally, he spoke slowly, "Or..."
"What if instead of poaching people from Star Office, we seek their support and cooperate with them?" Shinichi Iwahashi made a proposal that Watanabe Wanyumi did not expect.
Her mind moved, and she suddenly figured out why Iwahashi Shinichi suddenly became unsophisticated. It wasn't because he was confused or was carried away by Kamai Sachiko, but because he had other plans.
Iwahashi Shinichi himself had already thought clearly about the poaching issues she mentioned. He was not waiting for her to remind him because he was confused, but he asked her to tell her herself the impossibility of such an approach.
Only in this way can he tell what he really thinks.
Wanting to understand this matter, Watanabe Wan Yumi was speechless for a moment.
However, despite being tricked by him, Watanabe Manyumi still thought of the good intentions and caution in his euphemism rather than feeling uncomfortable.
