Chapter 84

In his office, Kō Aka stood.

When Noda Eiko saw herself appear, her tightly clenched fists relaxed.

"To be honest, Noda-san's traditional costume is really impressive!" Yamada Takayuki praised endlessly, and Hori Kitami nodded. Upon hearing this, Noda Eiko's eyes swept over Kō Aka with a look of smug satisfaction.

"Hmm, that's a very good point... The makeup artist did indeed work hard..." Noda Eiko thought Kō Aka had changed his attitude after hearing the first part, but she didn't expect the focus to be on the latter part of his sentence.

Regardless of Kō Aka's opinion, fans on the internet were indeed stunned by Noda Eiko's appearance...

"Wow, Noda-san is so beautiful... I didn't expect this at all..."

"That's true... Although I've seen Noda-san in other dramas and photoshoots... this costume and character really didn't disappoint!"

"Noda-san's acting is also outstanding, especially as the kind and blind girl, Chō. She's truly heart-wrenching..."

"Mr. Kō once said that Noda-san's acting is not inferior to Hori-san's, and I didn't believe it... Now I do. I can guarantee that Noda-san will definitely win this year's Newcomer Award!"

"However, we seem to have overlooked someone... the greatest contributor to this drama... Mr. Kō... He is truly outstanding..." Actually, Kō Aka was praising himself. After he finished, he noticed that Yamada Takayuki, Noda Eiko, and Hori Kitami were looking at him with strange expressions.

"Hori-san... I've learned something today... people can be shameless to this extent..." Noda Eiko nudged Hori Kitami, who was sitting next to her, and looked at Kō Aka with disdain.

Hori Kitami tried hard to suppress her laughter. She also looked at Kō Aka with a strange expression, as if to say she had never seen anyone like him.

Kō Aka didn't care about their gazes and continued to praise himself, claiming he was unparalleled in the world. In the end, Yamada Takayuki couldn't stand it anymore and gave Kō Aka a small reminder, which made him stop his self-praise.

However, although Kō Aka's method was a bit shameless, it was quite effective. For a while, fans on the internet were praising Kō Aka. Even Kō Aka himself felt a bit embarrassed... Even a few celebrities recommended the drama "Meteor Butterfly Sword" on their blogs.

The climax of the night was when Yamada Takayuki assassinated Jin Qiang Li. The meticulous planning and the clean, swift assassination process, without any hesitation, left the audience with a very cold and cool look and a free-spirited back view, making many viewers exclaim in satisfaction!

"I swear I've fallen in love with this drama, really!"

"Me too... I didn't expect a domestically produced drama to be so excellent. It's really great!"

"No, this drama is much better than those from Fuji TV and Tokyo TV... I love the main characters of 'Meteor Butterfly Sword'!"

"Thank you, Mr. Kō and all the excellent actors. You are the best!"

"I hope NHK broadcasts it every night. Three days is too short!"

"Exactly!"

..............................

As soon as the drama ended, the internet was flooded with high praise for "Meteor Butterfly Sword," with overwhelming positive reviews!

The NHK staff were busy, collecting data such as ratings and gathering audience opinions and suggestions from TV and the internet!

It can be said that "Meteor Butterfly Sword" had become a huge hit!

At NHK, Ueno Nakazawa was beaming with joy. He kept refreshing the forum comments all night, and most of them were praises for the drama and NHK's decision. Of course, there were also some sour comments, but Ueno Nakazawa shook his head in disdain.

The most important thing now was the ratings! Although he was confident, he was still a bit nervous!

"Director, the ratings are out!" A staff member, despite being drenched in sweat, couldn't hide his joy and excitement!

When Ueno Nakazawa saw the staff member's expression, he already knew the result. But when he saw the actual ratings, he couldn't help but laugh!

First place, "Meteor Butterfly Sword" on NHK

39%!

Second place, "Demigods and Half-Devils" on Fuji TV 22%!

Third place, ..................

Ueno Nakazawa didn't even look further. He was already too excited. This result was terrifying! It was the highest first-episode rating for a drama in nearly 30 years in the country and the highest for NHK! He could already foresee that this drama would create a craze!

"Everyone, you've worked hard. This month's bonus will be doubled!"

..............................

As Ueno Nakazawa predicted, almost everyone was talking about "Meteor Butterfly Sword" the next day!

"Did you watch 'Meteor Butterfly Sword' last night?" someone asked.

"Of course, how could I not?"

"Strongly recommend everyone to watch 'Meteor Butterfly Sword'!"

Such conversations were heard on the streets, in offices, coffee shops, and on the subway. Those who hadn't watched "Meteor Butterfly Sword" were deeply despised by their colleagues and friends.

At the same time, the search popularity of the main actors, Yamada Takayuki, Noda Eiko, Miyapi Haruma, Matsuzaka Toru, Oguri Shun, and Shinoda Mariko, kept breaking Google records. Even those who hadn't appeared yet, like Ban Yūmi, Kaneko Tōshō, and Hoshino, saw a significant increase in their popularity. Of course, the most attention was on the drama's screenwriter and director, Kō Aka. Unlike a few months ago when he gained attention due to the torture scandal, this time he truly showcased his talent to the entertainment industry!

A large number of otaku girls became Kō Aka's loyal fans! The phones of the two agencies he belonged to were flooded with calls from various media, all with one goal: to interview Kō Aka!