I'm Not A Master, I'm A Director (Patreon)

Chapter 118: Just Take It as Being Bitten by a Dog

The plan proposed by Johnny's, of course, benefits them the most. 

Without even needing to train new trainees, they could obtain a large batch of high-quality male stars from Type-Moon. 

Shinji had great confidence in his own Servant actors; with a little training from Johnny's, they would undoubtedly become the brightest stars in the global entertainment industry.

In comparison to Johnny's potential to earn a huge amount of money, the benefits Shinji could gain were minimal, though not non-existent. 

Once "Fuyuki Hollywood" was completed, the money earned by male idols wouldn't even catch his eye. 

Moreover, while the male idols trained by Johnny's might become more adept at looking cool and charming, it wouldn't improve their acting skills at all.

For Shinji, this project essentially meant renting out his actors to Johnny's in exchange for some money.

Shinji tapped his fingers on the table, a habitual gesture when he was deep in thought. 

The people from Johnny's remained silent, waiting patiently for Shinji to make a decision.

‘It seems my actions have led to some misunderstandings on their part.’

Shinji smiled wryly. He guessed that by selling photos of Gilgamesh and Diarmuid, he had given Johnny's the impression that he was interested in entering the idol industry. 

In reality, though Shinji couldn’t deny that he had some interest in idols, he valued the publicity they could generate more than the profits from the idol industry.

If this had been two years ago, Shinji wouldn’t have rejected Johnny’s proposal. 

He might have even been willing to make concessions. 

Back then, neither he nor his Servant actors had much fame, so getting exposure with Johnny’s help would have been a great opportunity. 

Although the Servants couldn't leave Fuyuki City, there were still plenty of promotional methods available via the internet and television.

But now…

With the Fuyuki City film set completed, and Shinji as a director holding the box office record (though Shinji himself found the record unimportant), the Servant actors had already gained fame through Fate. 

As a result, Johnny's proposal now seemed rather unappealing.

The most critical issue was that Shinji's Servants couldn't leave Fuyuki City. 

Although there might be a chance in the future, possibly, maybe, that the Servants could leave Fuyuki City, it wasn't possible at this time. 

A nationwide touring idol group, with core members who couldn’t leave Fuyuki City—wasn’t that a joke? 

They couldn't possibly turn the concerts into 3D projections like Hatsune Miku's, could they?

"This group idea, actually, has many feasible aspects. However, there are also many challenges and points that need further discussion," Shinji finally said after bowing his head in thought for a long time. "How much does Johnny’s care about this project?"

Even though Shinji knew deep down that the project couldn't be realized, he wasn’t in a hurry to reject it. 

It's better to keep the other party wanting something from you—that way, you can name your price. 

Shinji then flashed a sly smile at the two elders. "Since Kitagawa-san has so carefully brought out this proposal, you must have something in mind, right?"

"Big sister, why don't you explain it to Matou-kun?" Kitagawa nodded.

Fujishima Yasuko took a sip of tea and slowly said, "It’s like this, Matou-kun. You know, Johnny's is looking to expand its influence overseas..."

"Every Japanese company places great importance on projects that expand overseas business and influence," Shinji responded leisurely.

Of course, Shinji himself was very skeptical of Japanese companies' approach of aggressively pushing their business models abroad. 

Even KFC and McDonald's adjust their menus to suit local tastes—what makes these Japanese companies think their methods will work globally?

Fujishima Yasuko complimented Shinji with a smile: "Matou-kun, as the top-grossing director in the world, you’ve already opened up the global market. You have no idea how difficult it is for other Japanese entertainment companies to gain recognition in the Western market."

‘Sorry, I really don’t care to know.’

In Shinji’s view, these Japanese companies were downright foolish. 

Instead of expending effort in an unrewarding attempt to penetrate the Western market, why not focus on breaking into the Chinese market? 

As another East Asian country, China has a smaller cultural gap with Japan and is more adaptable to Japanese business models.

Moreover, China’s market was in a phase of rapid development at this time, making it the perfect opportunity for Japanese companies to seize the market. 

However, the prevalence of piracy had led most Japanese cultural enterprises to abandon the Chinese market.

Shinji certainly didn't advocate for piracy, as he believed that a proper copyright environment is crucial for market development. 

However, he couldn’t deny that establishing a copyright-friendly market is a gradual process. 

Before the 1950s, the largest market for pirated goods in the world was the United States, which is now the largest market for copyrighted material. 

Japanese companies' approach of abandoning a market because of piracy was, in his opinion, short-sighted.

Shinji shook his head slightly at this thought. 

Johnny's, which guarded its artists' image rights as fiercely as its life, would never enter the current Chinese market.

Seeing Shinji shake his head, Fujishima Yasuko assumed he was dissatisfied with her plan. 

She quickly said, "Matou-kun, while Johnny's is very strong in managing male idols, there are some areas where we are not as strong as you."

Matou Shinji nodded. 

This was indeed true. 

As the brains behind the Type-Moon company, Shinji’s influence in the international entertainment market was far greater than that of Johnny's. 

Not to mention, his influence over the British media alone was enough to make most Japanese companies bow down.

As long as Shinji agreed, within a week, a significant portion of the British media would begin praising Johnny's Company. 

Even if this publicity didn’t make Western audiences remember Johnny's, just using these reports for a round of promotion in Japan could significantly boost Johnny's revenue and influence. 

Of course, this would be the lowest level of collaboration. 

The high-end collaboration, like the one between Shinji and Bandai, involved brokering connections and channels to directly open up the Western market.

This is why Johnny's placed such importance on Shinji, even enduring repeated offenses from him. 

After all, in Japan, it was becoming increasingly difficult for any company or individual to provide Johnny's with more benefits or influence. 

However, when it came to entering the Western market, there weren’t many forces in Japan that could genuinely offer assistance, especially in the entertainment industry, where such entities were even rarer. 

Every country's entertainment industry tends to protect its own, making it difficult for outsiders to enter.

 Only China welcomed people from all over the world to make money. 

Even so, China had a "domestic film protection period," not to mention other countries and regions. 

Well, North America in this world was another exception. 

However, even in North America, outsiders who wanted to harvest profits had to gain the approval of the local companies.

In the entire Japanese entertainment industry, Shinji truly stood out as a rare and unique force. 

Both Kitagawa and Fujishima Yasuko knew that for their plan to succeed, they needed the support of the young man before them. 

However, Shinji wasn’t optimistic about the plan at all. 

Even if his Servants didn’t have restrictions on their activity areas, the idol group project itself was fraught with issues.

How would the operation be organized? Which company would take the lead? When group members had schedule conflicts, whose activities would take priority? Which company would hold the rights to the records released by the group? If the rights were shared, how would they be divided? How would costs be shared? Would external financing be necessary? How should the revenue from concerts be divided, and should the commission rates for Type-Moon and Johnny's members be standardized? For ease of management, should a new company be established? And, since global promotion was involved, should the Japanese government be involved?

In just a few minutes, Shinji thought of countless issues that could lead to disputes in the future. 

The idea of combining artists from different agencies to form an idol group was inherently difficult to execute. 

The only reason the 48 Group family could see members transferred between different groups was because they had a core producer, Yasushi Akimoto. 

Here, however, both Johnny's and Shinji were too strong-willed to relinquish control.

Shinji ultimately concluded that Johnny's proposal had more drawbacks than benefits. 

After all, Shinji had his ambitions and goals, and he would never allow Johnny's to interfere with his plans. However...

Shinji set the proposal aside and lightly tapped it with his fingers. "This proposal is quite interesting. As a member of Japan's entertainment industry, I feel a responsibility to push forward this great plan." Shinji had long mastered the art of saying what people wanted to hear. 

Although he never considered himself part of Japan’s entertainment industry, that didn’t stop him from using the identity to win favor.

"However... this proposal involves a lot of content, and I think it might be difficult to reach a conclusion in the short term. So..."

Shinji glanced toward Hiroshi Nagano, his intentions clear.

"Of course, this proposal will definitely require time to discuss," Kitagawa nodded with a smile, as if they were of one mind. 

However, his next words revealed his true stance. "But... when it comes to future collaborations, Matou-kun, the payment you give to Nagano should match his market value, don’t you think?"

Although Shinji kept a smile on his face, inwardly he was cursing. What do you mean by ‘matching his market value’? Johnny's is notorious in the industry for inflating payments!

"45 million yen as a fee, with V6 performing the movie’s theme song, and Johnny’s holding all the rights to the song," Shinji finally offered after much thought.

Kitagawa pondered for a moment before countering, "That agreement is acceptable, but the payment should be raised to 80 million yen. How about that?"

You’ve got to be kidding me! Shinji cursed inwardly as he stood up and raised his glass toward the old man. "Then, here’s to a successful partnership."

Despite his frustration, Shinji understood that this was likely Johnny's final offer. 

Negotiating further might lower the price a bit, but it would also make him seem petty. 

Still, having to accept a payment 30 million yen higher than he’d anticipated left him in a foul mood.

"To a successful partnership," Kitagawa echoed, also raising his glass, though his hand was trembling—not from Parkinson’s, but from anger. 

He had made such a large concession on the fee, practically giving a Johnny’s artist away at a bargain price, yet this kid still seemed so dissatisfied! How outrageous!

Ding!

Although the negotiations had been complex, Shinji and the old man clinked glasses, signaling the agreement of their intentions. 

However, neither side had any intention of fully fulfilling their part of the deal.

Just take it as being bitten by a dog, Shinji consoled himself. Once Super 8 was completed, he would find a way to sabotage the partnership.

Just take it as being bitten by a dog, Kitagawa consoled himself. Once the group became a global success, he would find a way to poach the talent to Johnny's and then kick Shinji out of the picture.

It’s just a matter of enduring a little longer; he won’t be on top for long. Both Shinji and Kitagawa thought the same thing almost simultaneously.

Hiroshi Nagano, unaware of the scheming between the old man and the young man beside him, nodded contentedly upon hearing that he could finally participate in the movie production.

"At last, I can become light again," he said.