Premiere of the New Program (Including Family Line)
After giving instructions to Director Hoshino, Nakayama Takuya has spent the last few days focusing his energy on the massive amount of research reports on next-generation consoles.
Weekdays are mentally taxing, weekends are physically taxing.
On Saturday, Nakayama Takuya Koei took on the role of stay-at-home dad, accompanying his ten-month-old son, Nakayama Kazuki.
On the tatami mat in the living room, he had just built a crooked "Tower of Babel" with building blocks. Before he could even feel proud of it, a little chubby hand next to him slapped him mercilessly.
"Splash!"
The building blocks were scattered all over the ground.
"You little monster!" Nakayama Takuya pointed at the perpetrator with a face full of grief and indignation, "This is an architectural marvel that my father poured his heart and soul into! It represents the crystallization of human wisdom!"
Xiao Kazuki completely ignored his father's accusations, grabbed a red building block, and happily stuffed it into his mouth.
"Hey! You can't eat that!" Nakayama Takuya quickly rescued the building block from his son's mouth and replaced it with a teething toy.
Little Kazuki chewed on his teething toy, his big, dark eyes fixed on him, as if to say: Next.
Nakayama Takuya sighed resignedly and started stacking blocks again.
"Don't get too carried away; we have important business to attend to tonight," Nakayama Eri reminded him as she came out of the kitchen carrying a cup of barley tea.
"Serious business?" Nakayama Takuya asked without looking up. "Is there an anniversary today? Wait, your birthday, my birthday, Kazuki's birthday, our wedding anniversary—none of them are here yet."
Eri was amused by his serious expression and placed the teacup beside him. "What are you thinking about? It's your show, the first episode premieres tonight."
"Oh, that?" Nakayama Takuya suddenly realized, then grinned mischievously and pinched his son's chubby cheek. "Did you hear that, son? Tonight, your dad's going to lead all of Japan on a get-rich-quick dream."
Eri sat down beside him, looking at her husband and son with a hint of anticipation and nervousness in her eyes. "Dad called the day before yesterday and said that everyone at the station was both excited and worried, after all, no one has ever done this kind of program before."
"What's there to worry about?" Nakayama Takuya leaned back on the sofa, took a sip of tea, and said casually, "Your father's ' Supermarket Battle ' has been keeping viewers on their toes for two years. They're always watching how others save money and how they carve out a niche for themselves among discounted items. It's time for a change."
He paused, his gaze turning deep as he watched the replay of GG on TV.
"We save money because we don't have money. But the less money we have, the more we crave to get rich overnight. Our program puts this desire of everyone under the spotlight and then puts a price tag of ten million Japanese yen on it."
This project has been shelved for almost three years since his first visit to Eri.
When Eri relayed this idea to her father, Nakagawa Jun Nakagawa Jun, he was shocked, but felt the timing was wrong.
Until two years ago, when the bubble economy burst, Nakayama Takuya asked him to first present "Supermarket Battle" as an "appetizer."
As it turns out, this move was the right one.
"Supermarket Battle" not only helped TV Tokyo achieve record-breaking ratings, but also built a large base of viewers among low-income consumers, allowing sponsors to see the huge potential of the mass market.
Now that the audience's emotions have been built up, it's time to serve up the real main course.
Eri said softly, "Dad told me that the station hired several university professors to prepare the question bank, and it took several months to get it ready. The studio was also completely new, and it cost a lot of money."
"That's a must," Nakayama Takuya laughed. "If you're going to dream, you have to dream big. If it's as down-to-earth as Supermarket Battle, then the ten million yen prize won't mean anything."
As night fell, the family finished their dinner.
Eri carried the drowsy Kazuki back to her room. When she came out again, Nakayama Takuya had already turned off the main light in the living room, leaving only a floor lamp on. Snacks and drinks were laid out in front of the TV, creating a very formal atmosphere.
"So well prepared?" Eri asked with a smile.
"Of course, this is the second hit show we've planned." Nakayama Takuya patted the spot next to him. "Come on, the moment of truth has arrived."
At exactly eight o'clock, a rapid and technologically advanced opening theme blared from the television. Immediately following, a giant question mark made of countless gold banknotes spun and exploded in the center of the screen, revealing the program's official title: <ズ￥>
"Ten-Millionaire" is essentially the title of a search term, referring to the phenomenon of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"
To Nakayama Takuya, who was used to all sorts of cool stages from his previous life, the studio set did indeed have the simplicity and rusticity characteristic of the early 1990s.
The lighting isn't flashy enough, and the screen resolution isn't high enough.
But what he was most satisfied with was that TV Tokyo implemented it without any compromise.
In the very center of the studio, behind the seats of the hosts and contestants, and in almost every corner that could be captured by the camera, the prominent logo of the main sponsor, Kirin Beer, was displayed.
"It's a bit tacky, isn't it?" Nakayama Takuya crossed his legs, looking with satisfaction at the ubiquitous logo on the screen.
"Dad said that after seeing the sample footage, the executives at Kirin were so happy that they immediately offered to increase the sponsorship fee for the next season, and they paid the final payment faster than anyone else." Eri picked up her barley tea, took a sip, and smiled. "But... wasn't that a bit too direct?"
"That's what we want—to be direct," Nakayama Takuya explained. "Supermarket Battle teaches people how to save money; everyone watches it for fun and learns some tricks. But this show is different; it's creating a dream. A millionaire's dream. If the dream itself looks shabby, who would believe it's real? These logos are telling all viewers that a powerful company is backing this dream, so those ten million Japanese yen are real!"
Eri nodded as if she understood, but her gaze was quickly drawn back to the program.
The first contestant was a seemingly ordinary middle-aged office worker. His suit was even a little ill-fitting, and he was so nervous that his forehead was covered in sweat when he sat down in the contestant's seat.
The host was the station's star, very experienced, and his few words eased the contestants' tension considerably.
"First question: What animal is Doraemon, the well-known Japan anime character, most afraid of? A, Lion."
B, rat. C, cockroach. D, snake.
The question caused not only the contestants but also Eri to burst out laughing.
"That's way too easy."
The contestant chose B without hesitation and easily passed the first level.
The following questions were all common knowledge, such as "What is the national flower of Japan?" and "Which is taller, Tokyo Tower or Tokyo Skytree?"