"At the beginning of the year, you warned me to keep an eye on public financial news from Southeast Asia. As soon as I got back, I had my family withdraw all our investments and funds from that region. Looking back now, we truly dodged a bullet." Nakagawa Jun tapped the table forcefully with his finger. "But Nikkei Inc., our major shareholder, and several of the major banks we're closely tied to—they're acting like zombies! They've done absolutely nothing! Not even the most conservative protective hedging!"
As he spoke, Nakagawa Jun couldn't help but raise his voice, his tone laced with the frustration of someone watching a promising talent go to waste.
"The internal bureaucracy is too stifling, too rigid! Soros and his crew are wreaking havoc in Southeast Asia right now. The Baht is on the verge of collapse—it's going to be a bloodbath! Yet these bankers are still dreaming of peace and prosperity, thinking the fire won't reach them. They're in for a rude awakening. The bad debts will be astronomical, and they'll be the ones crying then!"
Takuya Nakayama smiled, his posture relaxed.
"Dad, what they do is their business. You can't step over the line and influence the decisions of those bank executives anyway. You can't stop someone who's hell-bent on their own destruction." Takuya Nakayama set down his teacup, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes. "Instead, we should make the most of the resources we have. Just like that report on the gaming industry last time, we can compile all the publicly available information and produce an in-depth analysis for TV Tokyo's professional financial audience."
"We'll lay it all out—the situation in Southeast Asia, Soros's latest moves, and the potential impact on the Japanese banking sector. This is a golden opportunity to solidify TV Tokyo's prestige as a financial authority. Let the audience see who the truly forward-thinking media outlet is."
Nakagawa Jun listened, nodding thoughtfully as his anger subsided.
"An in-depth special is fine. That's about all our station can do anyway—we'll have fulfilled our duty as a media outlet to warn the public."
Nakagawa Jun leaned back in his chair and gave a wry smile. "But what good will it do the average person when the big banks just play dead? In this environment, no one can escape. They'll just have to watch helplessly as their assets shrink."
"Perhaps we can do more than just report the news," Takuya Nakayama suddenly said, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
"What else?" Nakagawa Jun raised his eyelids, his interest piqued.
He had long learned that his son-in-law often came up with wild yet incredibly effective ideas.
"I don't know if you've heard, but TVB in Hong Kong has a financial drama called The Greed of Men."
Nakagawa Jun paused, shaking his head blankly.
"I've never heard of it. TV Tokyo rarely considers purchasing dramas from other countries or regions for broadcast; it's not a common practice. I'm afraid I haven't paid much attention to this area. What's so special about this show? How does it relate to the current situation?"
Takuya leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Dad, this isn't just any drama. It was TVB's anniversary production in 1992. With the stock market as its central battlefield, it spans the 1960s to the 1990s, depicting the feuds between two families, stock market crashes, insider trading, and the extremely complex games of human nature. In Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, this show is hailed as a textbook for stock trading."
Takuya Nakayama paused, watching his father-in-law's eyes narrow with growing focus, then doubled down.
"There's an antagonist in it named Ting Hai. He's a complete anomaly—constantly spouting righteousness and morality, yet acting with extreme selfishness and madness. The craziest part is his luck: every time he shorts the stock market in the show, the real-market prices inevitably plummet, allowing him to rake in a fortune. In Hong Kong, it's said that whenever the actor who played Ting Hai has a new show, the real-life stock market drops. They call it the 'Ting Hai Effect.'"
"Oh? Really?" Nakagawa Jun raised an eyebrow in surprise, clearly intrigued by this odd phenomenon.
"Exactly," Takuya nodded with a smile. "You should consider buying the broadcasting rights. After dubbing and subtitling, we can air it in the late-night slot. That time frame perfectly aligns with the schedules of business professionals, stock traders, and bank employees. They work late, stay up late, and with the current economic downturn here and the instability in Southeast Asia, a story about the stock market's volatility—of overnight riches and utter ruin—will hit their pain points with pinpoint accuracy!"
"And," Takuya Nakayama added, "the professional content of this drama isn't too dense. It's story-driven, using family feuds to illustrate concepts like stock market fluctuations and speculative greed, so viewers don't need a financial background to understand it. There's no barrier to entry for the general public. For the families of finance professionals, it's a rare opportunity to find common ground with the breadwinners who are constantly on the run. Housewives will watch for the drama and vendettas, while the men will watch for the stock market battles. It's a perfect ratings machine!"
Nakagawa Jun stroked his chin, his mind racing as he calculated the feasibility and return on investment.
"The first-run broadcasting rights shouldn't be too expensive," Takuya Nakayama said, striking while the iron was hot. "With the yen's appreciation in recent years, buying a Hong Kong Island drama from a few years ago will definitely keep the price within the station's budget. The only real challenge might be the translation and dubbing."
"But Sega and Toho have good relations," Takuya Nakayama added, taking charge of the entire plan. "They've imported many Hong Kong films over the years and have extensive experience in translation and localization. I can act as the intermediary for TV Tokyo; this shouldn't be difficult to arrange."
Nakagawa Jun nodded vigorously, his eyes lighting up.
"Our station can handle the voice acting ourselves," Nakagawa Jun chimed in, his mind now racing with ideas. "If we're worried about the budget, we can hire a few experienced, veteran voice actors for the lead roles and fill the supporting cast with newcomers. The anime industry is booming right now, and there's a massive influx of new voice talent—cheap and eager. Plenty of agencies would jump at this job."
Nakagawa Jun picked up his teacup and drained the remaining half in one gulp, his gesture radiating decisiveness.
"Alright!" He slapped his thigh. "I'll head back to the station tomorrow and get someone to request a quote from Hong Kong. We'll also estimate the overall dubbing costs. If the expenses are manageable, I'll give this 'outside expert' strategy a shot."
He stood up and rolled his shoulders, feeling the heavy cloud that had been weighing on his heart finally begin to lift.
"TV Tokyo's drama ratings over the past few years have been... well, a disaster. We've been surviving solely on anime and variety shows. Bringing in a high-quality foreign production to stir the waters—to be the fish that wakes up the pond—can't be a bad thing."
Takuya Nakayama stood up with him and stretched.
"That's one hell of a fish. The final showdown between Ting Hai and Fong Chin-pok—the kind of madness where they bet their entire lives and fortunes on the stock market—will make the investors in Tokyo lose their minds. They won't be able to tear themselves away."
The two men exchanged a knowing smile, their understanding complete without a word.
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