novelraw Chapter 17: Viewership Ratings
Chapter 17: Viewership Ratings
"Ah—!"
Inside the izakaya in Ginza, there was a deathly silence.
One of Iwata Masao's lackeys, who had just picked up a wine glass preparing to drink, was completely frozen in motion. The alcohol flowed out from the tilted rim of the glass, dripping onto the table, yet he remained entirely oblivious.
Everyone widened their eyes and opened their mouths, as if strangled by an invisible hand, unable to speak a single word.
That final, ultimate, massive terror, like a tsunami, instantly smashed all their previous mockery and disdain to pieces!
The animation ended.
...
Inside Takada Toshihide's home, the Deputy Bureau Chief's face was ashen.
The impact of that final scene made even this fifty-something-year-old man, who had seen his fair share of storms, feel a trace of heart palpitations.
He subconsciously reached for the phone, wanting to immediately call Iwata Masao to warn him absolutely not to underestimate the enemy.But the moment his fingers touched the phone, he stopped again.
No.
If he called now, wouldn't it make him look flustered? Wouldn't it be admitting that he was scared by an obscure little production?
This would damage his majesty as a Deputy Bureau Chief.
"Hmph, it's just deliberately mystifying things," Takada Toshihide coldly snorted and turned off the television.
Viewership ratings... everything still depended on viewership ratings to speak for themselves. With such a late time slot and no promotion at all, how many people would watch it? Especially an animation produced so crudely!
He forcefully suppressed the trace of unease in his heart, got up, and walked into the bedroom.
...
And in that izakaya, the dead silence lasted for a full half a minute.
Only when Iwata Masao's most sycophantic confidant let out two dry coughs did the silence finally forcibly break.
"Cough, cough... What... what the hell is this! Deliberately mystifying things!"
He spoke in an exaggerated tone, as if trying to cover up something. "The story is quite scary, but the production is too garbage, right? The colors are filled in a complete mess, and the filming technique is like an elementary schooler's, just a few slideshows flipping back and forth! How could anyone possibly like watching this kind of thing? It simply lowers the standard of our TV Tokyo!"
His words were like a life-saving straw, allowing everyone else to react.
"Right, right, right! Yasuhito-kun is right! This animation is fundamentally garbage!"
"Exactly! It has no artistry to speak of whatsoever! Compared to the exquisite production of our 'Onibo Samurai', it's like the difference between clouds and mud!"
"Section Chief, you don't need to worry at all. The viewership ratings for this kind of thing will definitely be disastrously unbearable to look at!"
Various words of comfort and flattery surrounded Iwata Masao once again.
A smile was also squeezed back onto Iwata Masao's face. He raised his wine glass and laughed heartily, "That's exactly right! With a pile of scrap components, they want to fight with me? Just wait and see, tomorrow, I'll make that old geezer Suzuki Kiyoto come crying and begging me!"
He accepted all the bootlicking with a smile, as if he had recovered his previous complacency.
But beneath that seemingly relaxed smile, a glint of unprecedented solemnity flickered in his eyes.
He raised his glass and downed the wine in one gulp. The spicy liquid slid down his throat, yet it could not dispel the trace of chill that had quietly spread in his heart.
This young man named Nohara Hiroshi...
And the 'Yamishibai' he produced...
Perhaps, they really weren't that simple.
...
Inside the Suzuki Section office, when the two large black characters 'The End' popped onto the television screen, that string stretched to its absolute limit finally snapped with a "smack."
"Phew—"
Suzuki Kiyoto let out a long breath of stale air. His entire person seemed to collapse in exhaustion, limply leaning back against the chair. He looked around and saw young faces filled with fatigue, yet also extreme excitement and tension.
Those few days of hellish rushing had almost drained every person's energy dry.
A warm current surged in his heart. He stood up and spoke in a voice that was still somewhat hoarse: "Everyone, you've worked hard. That's all for today. Go get some good rest! I've already booked rooms for everyone at an apartment hotel nearby. The Section will cover all the expenses!"
"Oh!"
"Long live the Section Chief!"
The young people, who felt like they had survived a disaster, let out cheers. Although physically exhausted, their spirits were unusually hyperactive.
Wearily, they left this battlefield where they had fought hard for a week.
Soon, only Suzuki Kiyoto and Nohara Hiroshi remained in the office.
Under the light, Suzuki Kiyoto looked at this young man before him, who was calm to an excessive degree, and the worries in his heart bubbled up once again.
He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. Amidst the swirling smoke, his voice seemed somewhat faint.
"Nohara-kun, tell me... can we really do this?"
He knew he shouldn't ask this question, as it would shake troop morale.
But he couldn't control it.
That 12:20 AM death slot was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. With no promotion and no warm-up, they were just thrown naked into the vast ocean of late-night television.
Could they make even a small splash? Or would they sink to the bottom without a sound?
Nohara Hiroshi looked at his bloodshot eyes and furrowed brow, and calmly said, "Section Chief, you don't need to worry."
"But..."
"Do you think the story just now was scary?" Nohara Hiroshi interrupted him.
Suzuki Kiyoto blanked for a moment, recalling the final scene where the vengeful spirit occupied the entire screen. Even as a producer, his heart couldn't help but twitch. "...Scary. It's the kind of terror that comes from the bottom of the heart."
"Then that's enough." The corners of Nohara Hiroshi's lips curled up in a confident arc. "Section Chief, this kind of terror is contagious. The people who saw it tonight will not be able to resist discussing it with others tomorrow—in schools, in companies, on trains. 'Hey, did you watch that horror anime on TV Tokyo last night?' As long as one person asks this, the snowball of word-of-mouth will start rolling."
His words carried a certainty and composure unsuited for his age, as if he had already foreseen the future.
Suzuki Kiyoto stared blankly at him. The anxiety in his heart was actually smoothed out considerably by these words. Yes, this young man had been creating miracles from the very beginning. He should believe in him.
"Alright, I believe in you." Suzuki Kiyoto snuffed out his cigarette butt. "You should also go get some rest quickly. Tomorrow morning, everything will become clear."
"Mm." Nohara Hiroshi nodded, turned, and left.
Of course he wasn't worried.
In his past life, during the information explosion era of 2013, "Yamishibai" was able to fight its way out of the tight encirclement to become a phenomenal work with its unique style.
In this 1990s era, where entertainment methods were relatively scarce, its power would only be infinitely magnified!
This was his confidence as a transmigrator!
It was his "golden finger"!
...
Meanwhile, at TV Tokyo, the Broadcasting Department office.
Chief Yamamoto's office was brightly lit. He hadn't gone home, but was anxiously waiting.
As a confidant single-handedly promoted by Deputy Bureau Chief Takada, he knew his duties very well—Deputy Bureau Chief Takada had the habit of browsing through the important work briefs the first thing when he woke up in the morning.
And the premiere viewership rating of this animation, "Yamishibai", which he personally ordered to be scheduled in the death slot, was undoubtedly one of the pieces of intelligence the Deputy Bureau Chief cared about the most.
Time ticked by minute by minute, second by second.
About an hour later, the preliminary data from the Statistics Section was transmitted over the internal network.
Yamamoto immediately clicked open the file. With a gaze like electricity, he rapidly locked onto that crucial number.
"Late-night animation 'Yamishibai', premiere viewership rating: 1.75%."
"Viewership rating level - Poor."