No! Let me go!
Calm down!
I don't mean you any harm. Please just calm down.
Aqua… how come?
Mem said you went out in the typhoon,
but you wouldn't return, so she's looking around for you.
So I was following the route to the convenience store.
You idiot.
Hey, you two!
That was dangerous earlier!
What are you guys doing?!
Akane Kurokawa's getting roasted.
Well, with that incident, it's no surprise.
Don't you get used to this type of thing once you're a public figure?
More or less.
But it depends on the person, so some people never get used to it.
Even for me,
depending on my mental state, there are days when I think of actually dying too.
The mind of a teenage girl receiving a storm of criticism for the first time
must be something unimaginable for you.
It's enough to make you believe that your life is over.
Reality dating shows are popular in countries all over the world,
but it's produced nearly 50 suicides up to now.
Depending on the country, counseling for the cast is mandatory by law.
If 50 people are dead, then you should think there are ten times more than that
who have thought of committing suicide, but barely escaped death.
Reality shows are a program where you expose your true self.
The one who gets slammed is yourself, not the show.
Of course that's tough.
My brother said, "Lies are also the best way to protect yourself."
That's well put.
It's good if you created a persona to some degree,
but the more you show your true self, the damage is deeper.
Social media makes the slander toward celebrities visible.
By freedom of expression and in the name of justice,
someone is getting lynched every day somewhere.
Everyone thinks of themselves as an exception,
but they are in fact cornering someone.
Your casual remark can kill people.
I wonder if Bro is okay.
Even if you're careful, it's useless.
Like they say, "Everyone has their quirks."
Every person has some kind of flaw.
We all possess fuel to spark controversy.
Yes. That's correct.
What? Is that true?
Yes. I'll be over right away.
Is something wrong, CEO?
Aqua…
seems to be in trouble with the police right now.
What?!
My daughter told me not to watch the program,
and I'm not familiar with the internet.
I never knew she was in such a situation.
Why didn't you tell me?
Because I didn't want to worry you!
When I was called, I prepared myself for the worst.
But good job, Aqua. I'm proud of you.
You look uninterested in others, but you're watching over people.
It's not like that.
People can die easily.
If someone screams for help, you gotta move quickly or it'll be too late.
But I'll charge Akane for the taxi fare later.
You're cheap.
Akane!
You idi…
Why did you make us worry?
Why?! Why didn't you talk to us?!
Sorry…
Akane.
What do you wanna do from here?
What do I wanna do?
I'm saying you have an option to quit the show this way.
But what about the contract and stuff?
This is an issue that questions the supervisory responsibility
of the program that uses minors.
Now that it's reached this point, they wouldn't complain if you wanted to quit.
You're exposing your real name, Akane Kurokawa, on the show.
You decide where to draw the line.
I've been working hard all this time to become more famous as an actress
and to continue acting.
Everyone's helped me out so much too…
But it ended up like this.
Akane…
I'm scared…
I'm really scared…
But I'm gonna continue.
I don't wanna quit like this!
Alright.
You heard her. There's no problems, right?
Of course.
That's what we've been saying from the start.
We'll try to back you up as much as possible too.
You all get along on this set.
Well, this set's entire cast is around the same age.
I'm sure everyone's going to work together
and go through with the show despite what's being said.
But this leaves a bad aftertaste.
The show that fueled the fire and those online who said whatever they wanted…
they all piss me off.
PRESS CLUB
The police station has something called a press club.
Various media journalists stand by 24 hours to pick up the latest news
and they're all waiting eagerly for a scoop.
TEENAGE ACTRESS ATTEMPTS SUICIDE
Now you've gone and done it…
I was a fool for complimenting you.
I hope you know where this is going.
Yeah, although I don't know if it'll go well.
Now this is where the real reality show begins.
The news of Akane's suicide attempt spread,
and it sparked various debates in the community.
Of course there were those who backed off,
but new disputes and slander increased too.
It gained attention, but there's no net positive outcome.
This kind of thing just isn't a good countermeasure against backlash.
In fact, Akane Kurokawa is still on hiatus right now,
and she has no plans of returning yet.
You selfish child.
Can you take responsibility for making this a big issue?
I don't think this is a bad bet.
The amount of attention is the same as the poker chips on the table.
If she folds now, Akane will lose big without having put up a fight.
You can't win if you don't raise.
I still bet even if I have only one ace.
Real life is nothing like poker.
What? You want videos and pictures with everyone in it?
But I don't have that many. Maybe only 100 or less.
You've got a ton.
What do you wanna use it for?
Love For Real is content edited by a pro, right?
So there's an intent there to make Akane the villain to make the show interesting.
If you just cut out parts of a story and patch it together,
even a saint can look like a criminal.
That's what staging does.
I have the filmmaking skills, so if I just have the materials…
I see.
In other words, you want to make a Love For Real in our own perspective.
Whose advice was that? Did you think of it yourself?
Hm? I did.
Really, that's not a bad idea.
This situation now in advertising agency terms is called
"A situation with many active viewers where many impressions can be expected."
Akane's backlash stands out at first glance,
but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
In reality, that's only a small percentage of the viewers.
The sensitive topic of attempted suicide…
Most of the audience are wondering if they should support or criticize.
They're the silent majority.
In other words, many users are looking for an answer.
That's where you provide a highly relatable opinion,
then most people will believe that's what's correct in this market.
We're the focus of attention right now,
so we might be able to completely overwrite public opinion.
And we have the access to upload your video to the official accounts too.
The user flow is secured.
Depending on the video's quality, we can expect it to go super viral.
Once it's finished, gimme the data! I'll upload it!
Well, I could do that much--
Do you know which day and time is best to upload to get the most retweets
and how many characters in a post gives the highest impressions?
No…
I came this far through online marketing and self-promoting, you know?
I may not look it, but I'm a pro at making content go viral.
Hm. Then I'll provide the music.
You can do that?
Well, I am a pro who belongs to a record label, living off music.
I write the songs for my band and offer music to others too.
I just gotta make some teary emotional songs, right?
Piece of cake!
Whoa.
But you know, don't we want that one scene?
Which scene?
You know, the scene where Akane hit me and I kindly hugged her!
Ah! Oh, but the camera wasn't rolling there--
Don't underestimate me.
You think a pro model like me wouldn't take notice of the static camera position?
I put us in a position that'd make us perfectly appear on camera.
So much for a natural reaction…
The staff definitely has the footage. They're hiding it on purpose!
It's so unfair!
Well, yeah, we do have it.
But it's prohibited to carry out video data. I can't lend it to you.
That's true.
If that gets out,
it's like admitting the show set up a cast member to look like a villain.
If that happens while we're attracting this much attention,
Akane's bashing may shift towards the show.
You catch on quick.
What we're doing is a form of entertainment known as a reality show.
Everyone watches the show looking forward to the real drama.
We don't force anything onto Akane.
She makes the decisions,
and we're just staging it so that the audience easily understands.
If she refused the job, we wouldn't have used her either.
Am I wrong?
Akane has a highly responsible personality.
I know, I've been filming her.
Akane is a pro, but we're also doing this as a profession.
A pro, huh…
Director, how old are you?
I'm 35.
Akane's 17.
Whether she's a pro or not,
a 17-year-old is just a damn brat who makes a bunch of mistakes.
If the grown-ups won't protect the kids, then who will?
You got a point there.
Ugh, no, no!
Make that shot long, so it'll look more like an amateur worked on it!
This is where you add my song!
Make it go "Bang!"
Shut up…
The staff gave me this photo!
Awesome! Let's use it!
Um, the composition…
Nice!
Looks real nice!
Come on, Director, it finished encoding. We're gonna post it.
Damn it, that computer has some good specs.
Let me sleep more…
I wonder how many views it'll get.
I hope it hits at least 5,000.
Even that's pretty hard.
The videos you put more effort into don't take off as expected sometimes.
If we can get 100 retweets in the first minute,
it should ultimately become a pretty viral video.
A hundred?
Well, we did all that we could. Now, let's go for the showdown!
You haven't done anything though.
Why are you acting like the leader?
VIEWS 0
VIEWS 50 3 RETWEETS
VIEWS 257 6 RETWEETS
VIEWS 1,282 58 RETWEETS
VIEWS 2,546 92 RETWEETS
This'll work! This'll go viral! Here it comes!
VIEWS 8,576 226 RETWEETS
Alright!
I understand, you just panicked.
Sorry… Your face… And you have a magazine shoot…
Don't worry.
Akane, do you hate me?
I don't hate you.
You're strong and kind, I like you.
Me too. I like you and your hardworking, earnest self.
That's why I won't get mad.
This video received 74,000 retweets 24 hours later.
It revamped Akane Kurokawa's image,
as well as established Love For Real's popularity at the same time.
THE CAST IS CLOSE…
YUKI DOESN'T WANT BASHING…
IT'S TRENDY TO SLAM THE SHOW NOW? LOL
ALL AT ONCE TOO
The backlash had settled to some degree.
Why I word that vaguely is because
there is no complete solution to backlash.
Akane!
I'm sure this matter will continue to be brought up again,
and even a decade later, there will be those who mention it.
But… Yeah, I'll return starting the next shoot.
I'm so glad!
But don't push yourself to go on the show.
Uh, that wasn't meant in a bad way, okay?
Since I want you to go on the show even if you pushed yourself!
I know.
I feel that it's become a difficult world to voice your opinion.
I bet I would've gotten backlash for it if I tweeted that now.
I seriously gotta be careful.
From now on, maybe you should create a bit of a persona?
If you show your true self, it'll hit you harder if you get slammed.
A persona?
That's true…
If you act out some kind of role, that'll become your armor.
If you expose your true self, you just get hurt.
This isn't exactly limited to reality shows either.
It's a vital concept in socializing too.
Since Aqua's a man of many faces too, so…
You can show us more of yourself, you know?
I refuse.
I'm good at acting, so maybe I'll try it.
That's right, you are an actress after all, Akane.
Rather, that's the only strength I have…
But what kind of role should I act out?
Hmm.
Aqua, what kind of girl is your type?
Why me?
Because you're the only guy here.
Tell her what your ideal girl is like.
Ideal…
A girl with a pretty face.
Ugh, that's the worst.
You are the epitome of lookism.
With a bright smile like sunshine.
A perfect performance.
An invincible manner and speech.
Huh?
Natural captivating eyes.
You say some difficult stuff.
That's vague…
Hmm, but maybe it's like her?
Maybe like B Komachi's Ai?
Ai as in the idol who died a long time ago?
Uh-huh.
Am I wrong?
Uh, well, that's about right.
Ah, so you like these types!
You're a sucker for pretty faces!
I'll try acting out Aqua's type of girl then.
Do it!
Make Aqua fall for you!
Yeah!
No one can copy Ai. She's a natural-born star.
I'll do my best.
Aqua worked hard to make that video for me.
He also came to find me in a storm.
That made me happy.
I need to repay him.
I wonder if he'll be happy if I act out his type and showed him.
B Komachi's Ai… I need to gather data.
Her main trait must be those eyes.
Did it come from self-confidence?
NATURAL CAPTIVATING EYES
If so, that means her desire for recognition was being satisfied.
Her social life seems limited.
But I'm sure there was something with the opposite sex…
Was her home environment good?
No, this personality probably developed from a very bad one.
It seems she had some type of bias towards the way she loved others.
Secretive but desired exposure.
A perfectionist despite being reckless.
Careless but overly persistent.
The type to save money.
Rather disinterested in fashion.
Good vision.
Sensitive ears and nose.
Long steps when walking.
Relatively poorly educated.
A crooked way of holding chopsticks.
Signs of developmental disorder.
An unbalance seen in girls who've had intercourse at the adolescent stage.
From around 15 years old, you can see an improvement in her reckless behavior.
I wonder if she met someone nice?
ICHIGO PRODUCTION SAITOU
Akane Kurokawa went through a disaster. Does she seem okay?
Yeah, she recovered somehow.
I see.
Aww, I wish she had just retired.
Hey…
Oh! No, no, that's not what I meant!
As a business rival!
Ugh, a bad choice of words can be scary. That would've blown up if I tweeted that.
Even as a business rival, that doesn't make it sound any better.
Well, as someone who's the same age with the same job as an actress…
she's like an eyesore.
You can understand when you want your rival to fall, right?
It's basically Schadenfreude.
Kana Arima feels that way toward Akane Kurokawa?
Well of course.
Right. You had no interest in theater.
Well, you only act in front of a camera.
Akane Kurokawa of Theater Lalalai
is famous in the theater world for being a genius actress.
Akane will return starting today.
Everyone, I apologize for causing so much trouble.
I'd like to make up for it with my efforts from here.
I kindly ask for your cooperation!
Now then, please stand by for the camera.
Let's go.
Yeah.
Sure, Aqua.
I'm so sleepy! This shoot is too early.
Oh, is the camera rolling already?
Tee-hee!
Subtitle translation by: Kanami Kitabayashi