HPDBC Chapter 206 The NHK Debate, the Arrogant Yoshioka
Chapter 206 The NHK Debate, the Arrogant Yoshioka
Chapter 206 The NHK Debate, the Arrogant Yoshioka
Matsu Takako returned home. After washing up, she went downstairs to the living room, reported her plans for tomorrow to her parents, and explained that she would set aside time each week to do a thorough cleaning of Kitahara Shin's house.
Upon hearing this, the father, Matsumoto Koshiro, paused for a moment. The mother, Fujima Noriko, was startled and nervously grabbed her daughter's hand.
"Ryuko, what happened?"
Matsu Takako found it strange and frankly recounted the bet she made with Kitahara Shin on set.
After hearing the whole story, the two elders were both amused and exasperated.
Matsumoto Koshiro pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, fine. You've made a bet, so go ahead."
Matsu Takako hummed in agreement, then turned and went upstairs to prepare for bed.
The living room fell silent.
Noriko Fujima: "Honey, do you think this is appropriate? Takako is only sixteen this year, almost seventeen. Kitahara Shin is already twenty-seven or twenty-eight."
Matsumoto Koshiro shook his head.
"Age isn't a big problem. Kitahara Shin is a reliable person, but he's definitely too much of a womanizer."
No secret can stay hidden forever. Although the magazine "Bunshun" provided cover, allowing Kitahara Shin to openly interact with his female confidantes, the veterans who had been in the entertainment industry for many years were not blind; they had long since seen through the shady dealings between him and those four actresses.
Nobody dared to expose him. Kitahara Shin was currently riding high, his acting career was booming, his own entertainment company was expanding rapidly, and he had even mentored many successful newcomers. Anyone with a sound mind wouldn't intentionally offend such a money-making machine; it would be a complete loss.
However, Matsu Takako's parents were not afraid of Kitahara Shin. Matsumoto Koshiro was a national treasure-level master in the Kabuki world, with an extremely high status, completely outside the mainstream entertainment industry's capital system.
Noriko Fujima couldn't help but laugh.
"I never imagined that we would reach the point where we have to worry about things like our daughter."
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Matsumoto Koshiro: "Forget it, don't think about it so much. Kitahara Nobu is a man of his word. If he weren't, he wouldn't have gotten to where he is today."
Despite their words, the couple still greatly admired Kitahara Shin. In their eyes, Kitahara Shin's current social standing and position in the entertainment industry were already comparable to that of national superstars like Takakura Ken.
A young man from an ordinary background accomplished all of this in less than ten years.
In the boudoir on the second floor.
Matsu Takako had no idea what her parents were worried about. She was hunched over her desk, biting her pen, seriously considering how to do a thorough cleaning of the house tomorrow. She was always meticulous and never willing to be perfunctory; she had even made a detailed list of the brands of cleaning agents and types of rags she needed to buy at the supermarket the next day.
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If Kitahara Shin knew about Matsu Takako's parents' concerns, he would probably find it both laughable and absurd.
He currently has no shortage of women; his four close female confidantes each possess their own unique charm. As for Rie Miyazawa and Nanako Matsushima, he had already made plans to take them on when the time was right. Now, in a good mood, he had no need to have any other thoughts about the underage Takako Matsu.
He simply wanted to elevate this actress, who was incredibly popular in his previous life, to a higher position in this world, creating a prestigious brand for his company.
The following morning.
Kitahara Shin traveled by car to NHK television station to participate in a relatively serious current affairs interview program.
In Japan, NHK's prestige and national recognition are unparalleled. Marginal actors can only work on local TV stations during late-night slots; ordinary actors can appear on commercial TV stations during prime time; and truly top-tier actors must meet two hard criteria: extremely high viewership ratings and appearances on NHK's flagship programs.
Today's NHK program is quite interesting. The program team directly brought the currently popular Kitahara Shin and the controversial lawyer Yoshioka, who just won a case for a capitalist and is now facing off against ordinary citizens, to the same table for a debate.
Kitahara Shin gladly accepted the invitation.
He felt no tension or fear whatsoever. He had memorized all the legal provisions and practiced countless case studies. More importantly, during the period of major reshuffling in the company's legal department, he personally reviewed numerous commercial contracts with trusted external lawyers, thoroughly understanding the underlying logic of business and the bargaining power involved.
With the enhanced mental abilities granted by his purple attire, he could now easily handle working at a law firm. Possessing absolute competence and having never done anything wrong, he has nothing to fear from anyone.
Before recording the program.
Kitahara Shin walked down the long corridor backstage at NHK. Staff members along the way bowed respectfully to greet him, and he responded to each one with a smile.
As he turned the corner of the lounge, he bumped into Attorney Yoshioka.
Their eyes met.
Kitahara Shin maintained his composure, smiling and nodding at him.
Yoshioka, however, showed no respect whatsoever. He snorted coldly, making no attempt to hide the disdain in his eyes, and turned his head away.
Yoshioka certainly has the right to be arrogant. He has a large number of capitalist clients, and a celebrity in the entertainment industry is nothing to him.
Even if he showed a bad attitude to his face, Kitahara Shin couldn't do anything about it.
In the event that Kitahara's office encounters a commercial dispute in the future, Yoshioka could accept the opponent's request and make Kitahara Shin suffer in court.
That's why he's so fearless.
However, the main reason why Yoshioka was so unhappy today was that he felt that Kitahara Shin's "Legal High" was riding on the coattails of his social news.
Using social events to generate buzz is common, but Yoshioka is an extremely petty person. He can't stand it when others take advantage of him, and Kitahara Shin's success in raking in ratings with his lawyer drama made him feel like his money had been stolen.
Because of his narrow-mindedness and vengeful nature, Yoshioka is not only capable in the legal profession, but also notoriously difficult to work with, and many of his colleagues dislike him.
The recording of the program has officially begun.
NHK's director cut to a recent high-profile social news story: a long-established machine parts OEM factory in Tokyo's downtown area is facing bankruptcy liquidation due to a large upstream conglomerate's malicious default on final payments, causing a break in its cash flow. The factory manager's private residence is also about to be forcibly auctioned off by the bank.
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The host guided the two guests to share their perspectives from their respective professional viewpoints.
Kitahara Shin spoke first. His response was very appropriate; after expressing sympathy for those working at the bottom of society, he directly offered his practical intention to provide assistance.
"For the factory owner's family who are facing such real difficulties, I am personally willing to contribute funds to establish a special assistance fund to help them overcome their current difficulties and support their subsequent rights protection efforts."
Upon hearing this, all the staff present looked at him with new respect. In this sensitive era of bursting economic bubbles and widespread anxiety, public figures are extremely rare, willing to proactively offer substantial financial assistance to strangers. Simply daring to say such a thing on television naturally garners positive impressions from the public.
Attorney Yoshioka snorted and began to disagree.
"Mr. Kitahara, compared to this kind of charity-like financial assistance, these two people in the news clearly need legal aid more. Oh, right, I seem to remember, you mentioned on the program before that you wanted to take the National Judicial Examination?"
Kitahara Shin smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I've finished the exam and am now waiting for the results to be released."
Yoshioka burst out laughing and shook his head. Then, he inexplicably began boasting in front of the live stream camera about his experience preparing for the exam back then.
"Back when I was preparing for this exam, I only slept four hours a day and memorized two entire bookshelves full of legal codes before I barely passed with an excellent score. Young people these days think national-level certifications are too easy."
This shameless self-praise left the director and staff behind the camera incredibly embarrassed. They'd seen shameless people before, but never anyone this shameless. This was probably the source of his arrogant confidence.
Kitahara Shin was extremely patient. He sat quietly on the sofa, displaying gentlemanly manners, without interrupting the other party, and just waited for Yoshioka to finish his boasting.
After boasting to his heart's content, Yoshioka changed the subject and launched a direct attack.
"Since Mr. Kitahara has also passed the bar exam, why don't you analyze it for us? Regarding this factory bankruptcy case, what kind of legal aid would be most appropriate for them? Now that you've passed the exam, you should have your own understanding of the case and the law, right?"
Kitahara Shin nodded, maintaining his smile.
"Indeed, as Attorney Yoshioka said, I have some personal views on this matter from a legal perspective."
Yoshioka had expected Kitahara Shin to panic. It's common knowledge that the scripts for interview segments are pre-written by the scriptwriters.
However, when it comes to analyzing such specific real-life cases, screenwriters simply can't write anything substantial; at most, they can only come up with a few lines of dialogue to fit the atmosphere. Yoshioka knew this and deliberately asked a difficult question.
Today's program is being broadcast live, with only a few minutes of margin for error; there's simply no room for re-recording. The on-site director immediately tensed up, fearing that Kitahara Shin might misjudge the situation and cause a broadcast mishap.
The camera zoomed in, giving Kitahara Shin a close-up of his profile.
Redness is good for health.
Through long-term training and the subtle enhancements of the system's equipment, Kitahara Shin's facial features have become increasingly rugged over the past few years, giving him a genuine and undeniably masculine handsomeness. With his sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, he is extremely well-suited for the big screen.
Facing the camera, Kitahara Shin pondered for about three minutes.
In fact, within a second of hearing the case, he had already come up with a perfect litigation plan in his mind. But he deliberately paused to organize his thoughts, so as not to blurt it out and make it seem like he had a script in his hand.
Three minutes later, Kitahara Shin spoke.
"Firstly, regarding the conglomerate's default on payments, the contract manufacturer can fully invoke the 'Act on the Prevention of Delayed Payments'."
Filing a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission is more efficient than pursuing a conventional civil breach of contract lawsuit. Secondly, regarding the bank's forced auction of the private residence, the factory owner can apply for a "personal regeneration" procedure before bankruptcy proceedings begin. As long as they can prove they have a stable expectation of future income, the court has a very high probability of preserving their core residential asset. Finally, regarding legal aid, they need a bankruptcy administrator skilled in corporate restructuring, not a regular civil lawyer.
The entire audience was stunned.
Attorney Yoshioka was also stunned.
Kitahara Shin's analysis was extremely detailed and well-organized, delivered in the style of a rigorous official document. He clearly outlined all aspects, including what kind of assistance was needed and under what conditions a lawsuit could be won.
What's even more remarkable is his exceptional fluency and steady pace. He explained what would otherwise be dry and boring legal knowledge in a way that was both profound and easy to understand.
The audience can naturally immerse themselves in these seemingly trivial facts without feeling bored or sleepy.
After smoothly finishing his explanation, Kitahara Shin turned to look at Attorney Yoshioka and asked with a smile.
"How was it, Attorney Yoshioka? Are you satisfied with my answer?"
Yoshioka's face turned red, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.
He was completely dumbfounded.
He never dreamed that Kitahara Shin would actually possess such formidable skills.
Although Yoshioka is petty, he rarely gets truly angry when it comes to his professional field.
In this industry, the most taboo thing is to make mistakes in professional knowledge.
In addition, his work with capitalists is extremely disliked, and countless colleagues are watching him closely. If he were to nitpick Kitahara Shin now just to save face, and say even the slightest mistake, he would be relentlessly attacked by numerous colleagues after the show, severely impacting his future business.
After weighing the pros and cons, Yoshioka remained completely silent during the subsequent recording of the program, as if his mouth had been glued shut.
The show's producers originally intended to have the two guests argue in a debate format to increase the drama. However, in the latter half, it turned into a one-man legal education performance by Kitahara Shin.
The live stream has ended.
Many staff members on site, as well as countless ordinary viewers watching the program, had a completely different impression of Kitahara Shin.
After the program aired, the audience's reaction was overwhelmingly negative.
As a public figure who entertains the masses, the bottom line that the audience values most is often the character he displays. In this respect, Kitahara Shin can be said to have scored full marks. He not only showed compassion for the underprivileged, but also publicly pledged to use real money to help ordinary people in dire straits. In comparison, he directly made Yoshioka, that selfish, cold-blooded, money-grubbing elite lawyer, look utterly pathetic.
Imagine how proud your idol would be if they were good-looking, had excellent acting skills, and also possessed extensive knowledge.
In Japan, where the entertainment industry is highly developed, if you tell others that your idol is just a pure idol actor, people will politely agree on the surface, but deep down they will mostly feel that the level is just so-so. After all, he is just an actor. Besides being good-looking and able to recite lines to make the audience cry, what substantial content does he have?
But "cultured actors" exist on a completely different level.
In the East Asian cultural sphere, China, Japan, and South Korea all place great importance on education. Especially during Japan's economic boom and the subsequent bubble economy, the entire society's environment for college entrance exams reached an appalling level. Families desperately tried to cram their children into cram schools, firmly believing in the one-way formula of "getting into a good university, getting a high-paying job at a big company, and reaching the pinnacle of life."
In 1990s Japan, an era that placed extreme emphasis on academic qualifications remained. This was in stark contrast to the low-desire culture that emerged decades later, advocating "relaxed education" and rife with aimless and dissolute individuals. Even now, with the bursting of the bubble economy, this ingrained worship of higher education has not changed in the slightest.
This is why many traditional viewers and conservatives looked down on Kitahara Shin, who only had a high school education. In their eyes, only actors who had formally attended prestigious universities were considered true idols.
But everything changed after this NHK live broadcast.
Kitahara Shin's profound knowledge and absolute professionalism on camera rendered a popular lawyer, who was known for his sharp arguments in court, speechless. The public's perception of him instantly changed dramatically. He successfully transformed from a "purely popular actor" into a "scholarly artist with profound cultural knowledge."
Of course, this debate won't substantially change his social class. And certainly, no real business tycoon would be so foolish as to consult an actor about legal issues related to corporate bankruptcy.
But for the hundreds of millions of viewers in front of their televisions, this reshaping of their image is extremely shocking and profound.
Kitahara Shin successfully cemented a brand new, highly valuable label onto his existing persona. In the entertainment industry, the more labels an artist has and the richer their memorable aspects, the longer their career will last. This is because it means that the person has substance and many shining qualities worthy of in-depth exploration and discussion.
He is no longer just a superficial screen image, but a core figure with profound knowledge and the ability to dominate the entertainment industry for a long time.