Chapter 41: 041, AKB48: The predecessor to Nogizaka46

In later generations, there were many girl groups, and many of them lacked singing and dancing abilities.

However, as long as they possessed certain "sparkling points," they could be accepted by the audience.

Compared to the meticulously crafted, perfect "royal road idols" of the Showa era, these girl groups with certain flaws actually provided a sense of "authenticity."

When the members of a girl group have enough sparkling points to overshadow their lack of performance skills, the possibility of a successful idol group takes shape.

The fact that the artists from STARLIGHT were selected for a photo shoot at least proved that their figures and looks were on point. They already had one highlight; with a little more cultivation, forming a true girl group would be no problem.

As for whether the Japanese audience could accept it?

The later AKB48 and Nogizaka46 had already proven it thoroughly.

"Otomo-san, why don't you consider turning your artists into a girl group?"

"A girl group? A female ensemble?" Yoshimura Otomo's face turned bright red, and he spoke with a slight stutter. "Like Hanano Sannin Musume or Pink Lady?"

"No," Nagayama Naoki said helplessly. "Otomo-san, if they had the level of idols in those two groups, would you still be sitting here drinking your sorrows away?"

"True. Then, what is a girl group?"

"As the name implies, it's a group of girls, but with a larger number of members—five or more," Nagayama Naoki explained slowly.

"No single person is a perfect idol; everyone has their own flaws and sparkling points. But when those little bits of light converge into a whole, what people see is the 'starlight' of the idol group."

"Then something like 'Starlight'..." Yoshimura Otomo laughed, looking exactly like a lecherous middle-aged man. "It must be beautiful~"

Then, with a loud thud, he collapsed onto the counter of the izakaya, dead drunk.

"What the... how dare he call me out for drinks when his tolerance is this low?!" Nagayama Naoki hadn't realized that he had let the man drink himself into such a stupor.

"Damn it! Do I even have to pay for the alcohol?!"

"Shit! After paying, do I have to take this old man home?! I don't even know where the hell he lives!"

"So, you brought him to the studio?" Ichido Shuichi looked at Yoshimura Otomo lying on the lounge chair in the office.

"Sumimasen, I really had no idea where he lived."

"Sending him back to the agency would make Otomo-san lose face, wouldn't it?"

"If I sent him to a hotel, a young, handsome guy like me escorting a drunk middle-aged man to a hotel would cause misunderstandings."

"If I just left him on the roadside, something bad might happen."

"After thinking it over, Shuichi-san, you are our mutual friend, and there's enough space here to find a place for him to sleep, so I brought him here."

Ichido Shuichi felt a headache coming on. "You could have let him sleep in your car."

Nagayama Naoki replied righteously, "It's my new sports car, I can't bear to!"

The reason was quite sufficient.

It had been many days since Nagayama Naoki had visited Ichido Shuichi, so the studio was surprisingly idle.

"Shuichi-san, is the commercial shoot finished?"

"Not yet!"

Nagayama Naoki found it strange. "It's been almost a week. Is it still not over?"

It was just a commercial; if things went quickly, it could be finished in a single day.

"The male and female leads are struggling to get into character during their scenes together, and since they both have other schedules, it's hard to coordinate the timing..."

"Haha, Shuichi-san, didn't you tell them to go on a date?" Nagayama Naoki recalled his previous experience.

"If Johnny's found out I was instigating their idols to date, the Yakuza would be knocking on my door!" Ichido Shuichi joked about the "dark side" of Johnny & Associates.

"Hahaha!" Nagayama Naoki laughed as well. Seeing that the set was already prepared, he asked, "So, are you shooting today?"

"Yes. We finally have some free time this afternoon, so I hope we can finish today."

Nagayama Naoki didn't have much to do himself, and he planned to continue discussing the girl group once Yoshimura Otomo woke up, so he decided to stay and watch the commotion.

Ichido Shuichi didn't mind, so he watched as Nagayama went to greet the staff.

The actual filming didn't begin until the leads arrived. At this point, Nagayama Naoki naturally didn't disturb the set but stood far back behind the scenes.

Ichido Shuichi was having another NG (No Good), and Kondo Masahiko was complaining again. He didn't know the female lead well, but she looked quite cute.

Watching a reality-style shoot from the outside was indeed very interesting.

An hour or two later, Yoshimura Otomo had sobered up and was wondering why he was in a studio.

"Otomo-san, you're finally awake~" Nagayama Naoki poured him a glass of water. "Do you remember what we were talking about earlier?"

"I've been very rude, Naoki-san, calling you out on a whim." Yoshimura Otomo seemed to have regained his senses. "But what we were saying was a bit vague. It seemed to be something about starlight..."

"Ha, as expected, you forgot."

"I was talking about a girl group! A girl group!"

"Uh, a female ensemble? Like Hanano Sannin Musume or Pink Lady?"

Even the words were the same; it seemed Yoshimura Otomo was truly a fan of those two groups.

Nagayama Naoki explained once more: "No, it's not about having members who are all high-caliber idols like that. It's an idol group of five or more people. The members can have flaws, but they must also have their own attractive sparkling points. The combination of the members' individual lights forms the 'starlight' of the entire group~"

"You mean you want the artists from STARLIGHT Agency to form an idol group?" Yoshimura Otomo was astonished. "Will that actually attract people?"

"The image of a 'girl idol' is just too perfect, isn't it? It's not a bad thing to have an idol group that is occasionally imperfect. Even if the artists from STARLIGHT don't each possess the charisma of a solo idol, a group of young girls with good looks and great figures won't be disliked, no matter what."

Yoshimura Otomo nodded. Nagayama Naoki continued

"Despite various shortcomings, those flaws will actually make their sparkling points even more attractive by contrast."

"Naoki-san, with a girl group like that, won't there be resistance? There will likely be a lot of criticism from the media," Yoshimura Otomo said with some concern.

"Yes, in an era where orthodox idols are popular, such a group might not be widely accepted. However, Otomo-san, your agency doesn't have much fame to begin with. Even if there is criticism, that's just 'engagement' and publicity."

*Even haters are fans, I suppose...*

Hearing this, Yoshimura Otomo couldn't help but let out a bitter smile. "Naoki-san, you really hit the nail on the head!"

Nagayama Naoki added, "Once the hype builds up, whether it's taking the opportunity to release records or producing reality shows, there are many directions for continued development."

"It's not like we're doing anything wrong. It's just a group of cute girls; surely not everyone will strongly oppose it~"

*This move is exactly what I'd expect from Naoki-san.*

Yoshimura Otomo thought about it for a while and felt that it was indeed feasible.

"Also, Otomo-san, the advantage of a girl group is that the members can be constantly rotated. You could even create an 'original' group and use a contract system for members, periodically injecting new blood to keep the group vibrant, even turning it into a legacy."

"An original group?"

Yoshimura Otomo decided to give it a try.

During a break, Kondo Masahiko said to Matsuzawa Masanori, "What is that guy doing here? Standing over there making fun of us again?"

"He's probably here for something with Ichido Shuichi," Matsuzawa Masanori said uncertainly.

"Annoying guy."

"Masahiko-san, why do you dislike Nagayama Naoki so much?" From Matsuzawa Masanori's perspective, this was only the second time he had seen Nagayama, and their first encounter hadn't been much of an interaction, nor had he been rude to them.

"That guy always acts like he's so great, looking down on everyone. It's just irritating to watch."

Matsuzawa Masanori seemed to understand.

*Is it jealousy?*