Hollywood:Starting out as an MV director

While thinking about artist management, Ethan suddenly connected this idea to another significant opportunity.

If one were to talk about the most profitable entertainment strategy in Tokyo's future, it would undoubtedly involve a single name: AKB48.

This girl group, formed in 2005, initially started from humble beginnings, with only a small theater and 24 members. These girls couldn't sing or dance well, and they juggled theater performances with school and part-time jobs, leading tough lives.

However, no one could have predicted that just two years later, in 2007, this group would shoot to fame after their album went viral and eventually land a spot on Kōhaku Uta Gassen—the pinnacle of Japanese music shows. From there, they became a money-making juggernaut, pulling in a staggering ten billion dollars annually.

If Ethan could get in ahead of time, this immense wealth machine could become his! It would provide an endless stream of substantial cash flow.

Although the full payoff might not materialize until 2007, there was no way Ethan would let this opportunity slip away.

The mere thought of such immense potential wealth made his fingers tighten instinctively.

However, it wasn't realistic for Ethan to abandon his American company and personally oversee member selection for a girl group in Tokyo. A better approach would be to find the mastermind who created AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, and Nogizaka46—the so-called "godfather of idol groups," Yasushi Akimoto.

Ethan knew that at this point in time, Akimoto was merely a screenwriter and director. Persuading him shouldn't be overly challenging. The real difficulty lay in tracking him down.

With that thought in mind, Ethan turned to look at Horiwai Yoshitaka and Ōtsuka Masaru again.

Well, weren't these two practically ready-made tools for the job?

Ethan smiled and said, "I understand that your original plan was to have your actors appear in a few Hollywood blockbusters and then return to Japan to capitalize on that fame. But I think there's a better path—have them focus on small-budget art films. If they can win any kind of recognition at film festivals, even minor ones, that alone would provide ample material for promotion back home. I'm sure you understand how to leverage this, right?"

In this pre-internet era, people still placed more trust in print media. As such, if an actor's film won some sort of award at a festival, even an obscure one, it could easily be spun into a significant accolade by paid media coverage back in Japan. The resulting buzz would help build their fame.

This kind of strategy—capitalizing on the information gap between countries—was commonplace everywhere.

Ethan continued, "There's no need to formally attend these festivals to claim the awards. A simple photograph of the actor with the trophy will suffice. If fans start questioning the legitimacy later, just pin it on the director or production team. In fact, you could even spin the story to garner sympathy points for the actor."

Ethan wasn't worried about anyone exposing the strategy. In this era of sluggish international communication, it would be nearly impossible to spread the word quickly enough to cause a significant backlash.

After Ethan's explanation, Horiwai Yoshitaka's eyes sparkled with excitement. He could almost see a golden pathway stretching out before him.

As for Quentin, his cooperation or lack thereof no longer mattered.

With a subtle glance from Ethan, Quentin finally agreed to the casting request. The group then proceeded to enjoy the rest of their dinner.

After exchanging business cards and scheduling a detailed discussion for the following day, Ethan and Quentin left the venue and returned to their hotel in the same stretch limo.

Back in the car, with the Suzuki twins providing soothing massages, the two men relaxed as they arrived at the hotel.

"Ethan, I owe you one!" Quentin exclaimed once they stepped into the hotel lobby, visibly relieved.

If not for Ethan, Quentin's ability to film at his desired location might have been jeopardized.

Ōtsuka Masaru, though mostly silent, had exuded a commanding presence throughout dinner—like a looming Damocles sword. Only after Quentin agreed to the audition request did Masaru finally relax and smile.

Unlike the Last Samurai production team, who had declined Ōtsuka's offer without consequence, Quentin lacked the backing of a major studio like Universal Pictures. He'd been forced to learn the hard way that even foreign giants couldn't easily override local authorities.

"It's no big deal, Quentin. I'm part of this crew too," Ethan said with a smile.

Before leaving, Ethan had handed Horiwai Yoshitaka a list of names. Besides Yasushi Akimoto, it included various writers and directors, ranging from well-known to niche—even a few AV directors.

Ostensibly, he'd asked Yoshitaka to help locate and introduce these individuals. But in reality, Ethan only cared about meeting one person: Yasushi Akimoto.

Yoshitaka, eager to demonstrate his network, readily agreed. It wouldn't be long before Ethan learned Akimoto's whereabouts.

Once that meeting was secured, Ethan's trip to Tokyo would yield an even greater surprise!

The next day, Quentin watched in stunned silence as Ethan unleashed a storm of rage on set.

"F**k! Did a dog eat your brain? I've told you THREE TIMES—put the prop HERE. If you can't do your job, go dunk your head in a urinal to drain the water out of your brain!"

"And you—stop assaulting my eyes with that sh**ty yellow color! Bright yellow! B-R-I-G-H-T yellow! What, did your art teacher major in P.E.?"

"Uma! What are you doing? Flailing around like a monkey with a stick! Want to stab me? Then show the stunt coordinator your moves first!"

"Lucy Liu! Stop letting those tiny twitches betray you! Control yourself! The difference between humans and animals is the ability to control emotions and movements. If I catch you blinking three times in one frame, I'll have the props team tape your eyelids open. Like Tom from Tom and Jerry!"

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