“Good, very good. You all saw it, right? This is the difference between a genius and an ordinary person. While crushing the enemy, he brings huge benefits to himself, truly achieving both fame and fortune. Is there anyone still worried that John will fail now? Worried that he will stumble in business? Such a genius fears no challenge; he has the ability to stand at the pinnacle of the times!” Within the family, Old Guys who had been following John were excited. His methods and cunning left them impeccable.
“John’s methods are indeed very powerful, but he takes too many risks, even secretly fanning the flames himself. It’s too crazy, and this time, it’s not just those superficial guys who have jumped out. If some of Old Guys set their sights on John, I’m afraid he’ll have a hard time handling it. We must prepare in advance!”
“No, no need. A true genius grows through continuous tempering. If an old guy makes a move, let him be John’s whetstone, sharpening his edge. From now on, we will only observe from the shadows, letting John carve out his own world. After all, he is in California, not New York. He is doing real industry now, not finance, and has sufficient cash flow. The Consortium cannot do anything to him, and the Consortium cannot break the rules!”
New York is the domain of the Consortium, but California is not, and Silicon Valley is even less so, at least not yet. Although the power of the Consortium is strong, it cannot cover the sky with one hand. John now also has his own protective charm: a bestselling author, a true genius—this is a force that no one can underestimate!
After resolving the publishing crisis, John traveled to Tokyo, Japan, to have a deep exchange with the cartoonists, to tell them his ideas and thoughts, to accelerate his layout in Japan, and to accelerate the development of his industry in Japan. Now is the best time for the development of the Neon Comics market, and he cannot miss this opportunity!
Although he had many ideas in mind, conditions and environment did not permit. For Japan, whether it was animation, record companies, talent agencies, or even Television Stations, these were all markets John wanted to enter, to form a closed loop in the Japan entertainment market!
John still remembered seeing a loophole in Japan, Tokyo Television on the internet. Although Japan restricts foreign investment in the acquisition of Television Stations, it does not restrict foreign-controlled companies from acquiring Television Stations. In the 1990s, Murdoch’s attempt to acquire TV Asahi was met with strong resistance from all sides in Japan, and the same was true for Fuji Television after 2000!
The earlier one attempts to acquire a Japan, Tokyo Television, the easier it is, and the less resistance one faces. The early 1980s is the best time, as this period is the initial stage of television development and is not highly valued by various forces. John hopes to complete the acquisition of a Television Station in the early 1980s, and the best target is Tokyo Television!
Speaking of Tokyo Television, those familiar with it will smile! Among the six major Television Stations in Japan, it is the poorest Television Station, so poor that its peers cannot stand it and help out! As long as Tokyo Television is still broadcasting animation, nothing major has happened!
It is precisely because Tokyo Television is poor that it is the best acquisition target and the easiest to acquire, without resistance from various aspects of Japan. John has a clear understanding of Japan entertainment; his years as a netizen have accumulated a vast amount of data. Only by owning his own Television Station can comic IP operate quickly. Without his own Television Station, he will inevitably be controlled by others, and this is not a result he is willing to accept.
Media and Television Stations need to be strategically laid out not only in Japan but globally. North America, Europe, and Asia are all top priorities. Currently, he does not have enough capital to complete a global layout and still needs to wait for the right time!
From an overall perspective, the first things to address are the domestic market, Hong Kong, and Japan. The capital required for the domestic market in the United States is too vast, so acquisitions will not be easily initiated before sufficient funds are available. Japan and Hong Kong have become his targets.
Before traveling to Tokyo, Japan, a small talent agency was established in California. This is also a layout for entertainment, but this company is independent of the entertainment group and is directly controlled by John. In the United States, he did not intend for this agency to have significant development in the acting field; it was merely an ancillary thought due to regulatory constraints. His layout is in sports, modeling, and music, with the acting layout outside the United States, and Japan and Hong Kong are key areas for this layout!
Currently, he does not have too much capital to complete the layout of Television Stations, but this does not affect his observation and understanding of the market. Only by making full preparations in advance can he succeed in one fell swoop when the opportunity arises. Completing the layout in media and entertainment is not a small matter; it requires extreme caution.
In his plan, although he already has targets, he cannot make rash decisions before truly understanding them. A hasty move will inevitably bring huge hidden dangers to himself and cause irreversible losses, just like the disastrous acquisitions of Hollywood by Japan’s Sony and Matsushita corporations, which both paid a heavy price!
Only by being fully prepared, understanding the problems he will face after the acquisition, and knowing how to solve them, can an acquisition proceed. Otherwise, it will only waste his time and money and lead his acquisition efforts into a huge disaster! Because he understands all this, he is so eager to go to Japan. Without personally experiencing the general environment of Japan, how could he make the best countermeasures, and how could he perfectly control the company he acquires!
When the plane landed at Tokyo International Airport, John’s eyes were filled with endless fighting spirit, treating Japan as his battlefield, his first battle in the commercial market. This battle must not be lost! 1982 will be his most important year, a year he cannot fail, and a year that will lay the foundation for his career!
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Registering the company’s headquarters in the Cayman Islands is for tax avoidance. The comic and animation companies are not limited to Japan but are to expand globally. If the registration is in Japan, there will be many troubles regarding overseas taxation! Furthermore, the Cayman Islands highly protects the confidentiality of registered companies’ business, including the identity of shareholders, the roster of directors, the proportion of equity ownership, and the company’s earnings. These details are strictly protected by law and are not accessible to the public, nor can trust companies disclose them at will, which is very beneficial for future control of the company and also the best place to hide one’s wealth!
Upon meeting Matsumoto Taro, the head of Neon Comics, John presented his views, his plans for the animation company, and outlines for over a dozen manga he had created, discussing them in detail with the company's cartoonists! His goal is the global animation market, so the scope must naturally be broad, and the comics cannot be confined to the Japan market!
Fist of the North Star, Dragon Ball, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Saint Seiya, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Chibi Maruko-chan, Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailor Moon, City Hunter, Ah! My Goddess, Parasyte, Cowboy Bebop, The Simpsons—John had detailed plans for these dozen or so comics, with no issues in their layout!
Phoenix Animation Company does not belong to Legendary Entertainment but exists independently, with its parent company being Phoenix Group, also registered in the Cayman Islands! Before coming to Japan, John carefully considered the development of Phoenix Animation Company and believed that if Phoenix Animation Company became a subsidiary of Legendary Entertainment, it would be very detrimental to its future development and would have a serious impact. The best choice was for it to exist independently.
Legendary Entertainment is a deep layout for the domestic media and entertainment, and it cannot be mixed with the layout in Asia. In the early stage of his career development, there must be a clear division of labor. Legendary Entertainment is the beginning of localization, while Phoenix Group is the layout for Asia! Only with a clear division of labor can they develop with full strength and grow rapidly. As for whether they will merge in the end, that depends on changes in the larger environment.
Similarly, the game company currently being founded is also registered in the Cayman Islands, also in preparation for future tax avoidance. The layout of the game company is also global, not localized! Tax issues are a very serious matter in the United States, because the United States tax authority has its own armed forces. If preparations are not made in advance, a heavy price will be paid in the future!
The arrangement for Phoenix Animation Company is actually very simple, mainly focusing on manga arrangements, as for animation, it is just beginning, with more time spent on manga. In order to cultivate his own animation talents, he also had to contract the animation transformers to a Japan animation company, taking the opportunity to cultivate talents in the animation company. John did not personally participate in any of these negotiations, but handed them over to Matsumoto Taro!
After completing the layout for Phoenix Animation Company, John did not rush to leave Japan or Tokyo. Instead, he chose to conduct a detailed study of the Japan cultural market, deeply understanding the true situation of the Japan cultural market at this time, and deciding how to accelerate his layout in Japan and which aspect would be best to start from.
Over ten days, utilizing the family's resources and his own research on Japan, he gradually gained a clearer understanding of the Japan cultural entertainment market!
At this time, John realized that he had underestimated the potential of the Japan cultural entertainment market. The current Japan cultural entertainment market is not only seeing rapid development in the comic market, but the animation market is also growing rapidly, and even light literature novels have considerable market potential, not to mention the recording industry and talent agencies. In short, Japan's cultural entertainment industry is continuously expanding. Only by truly coming to Japan and personally experiencing the atmosphere here can one understand the strength of the Japan economy in the 1980s and the swiftness of its development.