Chapter 99: Shinji: I Plan To Make An Ultraman Movie
The management of Tsuburaya Productions instinctively shrank back, feeling that the young man before them, who was probably less than half their age, was terrifying when angry.
Shinji didn't speak immediately. He gestured to Ophelia with his fingers.
Ophelia took out a sheet of paper and calmly walked to the table to read aloud: "As the largest shareholder of Tsuburaya Productions and the de facto owner of the company, I, Shinji Matou, will make the following personnel changes."
With these words, the entire conference room fell into a hushed silence.
High-level managers exchanged uneasy glances, while middle managers bowed their heads, trying to reduce their presence.
The personnel changes Shinji was about to announce were unlikely to be good news for them.
They understood the principle of "a new king brings new courtiers."
Besides, Tsuburaya was currently a mess. Whoever bought it must have their own agenda and certainly wouldn't want to maintain the status quo.
After all, who would willingly take over a failing business without good reason?
The managers had considered resistance, but they had no viable options.
From the situation Kazuo had explained yesterday, Shinji Matou now held 98% of Tsuburaya Productions' shares. For an unlisted company, this meant he had absolute control.
Unless they could somehow kill Shinji, there was nothing they could do.
Because Shinji controlled their lifeline—money.
Ophelia couldn't care less about what these people were thinking. She simply read Shinji's orders in a calm voice.
"Masahiro Tsuburaya, for the heinous crime of sexually harassing female employees, you are hereby banned from Tsuburaya Productions for life."
Shinji didn't impose a heavier punishment on Masahiro Tsuburaya because his case was still under investigation, and Shinji couldn't preempt the court.
However, once the court was done, Shinji planned to ensure Masahiro wouldn't have a single yen for the rest of his life!
"Hideaki Tsuburaya, for unilateral decisions that caused significant losses to the company, you are dismissed from all positions and banned from future employment with the company."
Upon hearing this verdict, Hideaki Tsuburaya slumped in his seat like a lifeless dog, unmoving.
Regardless of his intentions, his decisions had objectively caused irreparable damage to Tsuburaya.
He wasn't surprised by his fate, but it was crushing to realize his dream of surpassing his grandfather would never come true.
"Kazuo Tsuburaya, for shirking responsibility and causing irreparable damage to the company, you are dismissed from the board and reassigned as an advisor."
Kazuo's mouth twitched twice, his feelings a complex mix of emotions.
Though he was removed from power, he could at least still work at the company.
Little did Kazuo know, the only reason Shinji kept him was to pacify the older employees by keeping a familiar figure around.
Otherwise, given the mess Kazuo had created with the copyright disputes, it was a wonder Shinji didn't send him to join his late grandfather and father.
Back when a certain Thai individual tried to extort the overseas rights to the Showa-era Ultraman, it was Kazuo who hurriedly sent a letter of apology, which was then used to spread Ultraman's rights worldwide.
In this parallel world, Kazuo performed slightly better because it was his cousin who fell into TYO's trap.
So, calling Tsuburaya amateurs in business wasn't a joke—they lacked even the most basic sense of caution.
Ophelia continued to read the personnel changes.
"Executive Director Tsuneyuki Morishima, for selling company secrets and causing significant losses, you are dismissed from all positions and will be prosecuted as a commercial spy."
Hearing this, Tsuneyuki Morishima, with his graying hair, trembled with fear, his face a picture of terror.
He could never have imagined that he would be the first non-family member to be named and that he would be facing arrest.
All he wanted was to become the company president! What crime had he committed?
The other senior managers at Tsuburaya Productions glared at Tsuneyuki Morishima with eyes full of venom.
A traitor from within was more detestable than an outsider.
In their eyes, if it weren't for this guy, Tsuburaya Productions wouldn't have been acquired.
Even the usually good-natured Hiroshi Takano let out a heavy snort of disdain.
As the last disciple of the elder master Eiji Tsuburaya, Hiroshi Takano had no sympathy for this power-hungry individual.
Next, Ophelia announced several changes involving mid-level management.
All of Tsuneyuki Morishima's cronies were dismissed, and several individuals who had been embezzling on set were not only fired but also gifted with silver handcuffs. Even the leaders of the N Project faced demotions.
Although Shinji personally liked "Ultraman Nexus," as the company's boss, he had to penalize those responsible for the company's losses.
Ophelia read the changes for a full fifteen minutes before finishing the list.
After hearing Shinji's sweeping changes, everyone felt anxious and uneasy.
Some wanted to oppose the decisions.
But they had no way to salvage Tsuburaya Productions from its dire situation without the key tool—money.
Since last month, the company hasn't even had the funds to pay employee salaries.
Shinji slowly stood up, his eyes sweeping over everyone in the conference room, feeling a rush of excitement. It was as if he could hear a strong rhythmic BGM in his ears.
'Should I give a speech like the Führer, Jiajing, or Kangxi?'
In less than a second, Shinji made his decision.
He threw a pen onto the table forcefully.
"You bunch of trash!!"
Shinji roared angrily, pointing at the dismissed individuals, his emotions at their peak.
"Look at these people, they were all once pillars of the company, Tsuburaya's talents— but they've rotted! Completely rotted!"
Shinji spoke with deep anguish: " Eiji Tsuburaya entrusted the company to you, and this is what you've done to it! I am heartbroken! If I were you, I would be ashamed to face Eiji Tsuburaya! I will fire myself!"
Everyone in Tsuburaya Productions looked at Shinji, performing there, with strange expressions.
'Is there such a good thing?'
Ophelia's eyes were fixed on Shinji; it was the first time she had seen such a commanding Shinji.
"And you lot!"
Shinji's gaze swept over several people from the production team.
Hiroshi Takano, Akio Jissoji, Ai Ota...
As a fan, Shinji would have been polite to them, perhaps even asking for autographs.
But as the company's boss, he found them all displeasing.
Shinji knew very well that none of these people were blameless in Tsuburaya Productions' downfall.
Especially the writers, whom Shinji hated with a passion.
When "Nexus" was cut short, Tsuburaya had a chance to recover.
But these writers selfishly accelerated the company's decline for the sake of their own artistic expression.
Shinji didn't deny the excellence of "Ultraman Max," "Ultraman Mebius," and "Ultraseven X," but Tsuburaya, buried in debt, needed blockbuster hits like the Heisei trilogy!
"Max" and "Mebius" were passable, but Shinji couldn't understand why these people would choose to produce "Ultraseven X" during Tsuburaya's financial crisis.
Shinji didn't believe that these experts in tokusatsu couldn't see the commercial weakness of "Ultraseven X."
He could only understand it as these veterans knew Tsuburaya was going under, so they hoped to use this last chance to convey their own messages.
These people believed their ideas were priceless, worthy of respect and recognition from everyone, yet they showed no respect whatsoever for their own company!
Thinking of this, Shinji's anger surged, and he roared, "In an avalanche, not a single snowflake is innocent! You people are equally responsible for the company's plight!"
"Some of you have done even more harm to the company than those I've just fired!!"
"I advise you all to reflect on your actions and consider if you've ever thought about the company's interests! Do you really think there will always be someone else to clean up your mess?!"
As he finished yelling, Shinji pounded the table with such force that even the nearby thermos bounced.
If not for wanting to save face for Eiji Tsuburaya, Shinji would have loved to drag out the old problematic figures for everyone to see.
The room fell silent; the only sound was Shinji's heavy breathing.
Some people felt ashamed, recognizing the company's struggles and their own helplessness.
Others were indifferent, believing they had done nothing wrong, especially those few writers who clearly didn't hold Shinji, the "businessman," in high regard.
Shinji could roughly guess these people's thoughts, but he didn't plan to continue reprimanding them.
The people who needed to be dealt with were already on their way out, and firing more would just leave Tsuburaya as a husk.
For those who didn't respect him, Shinji had special ways of dealing with them.
Having used the stick, it was time for the carrot.
"I also know that life in Tokyo is expensive and hard."
Shinji drummed his fingers on the table and said, "So I have decided, starting this month, to adjust everyone's salaries. All employees, based on their work, titles, positions, and seniority, will receive a pay raise. The minimum increase will be ten percent."
Ten percent minimum—how much could the maximum be?
Everyone still at Tsuburaya Productions perked up; no one could resist such a windfall.
It had been years since anyone had gotten a raise due to poor business.
While many wanted to resist the tyrant Shinji Matou, his offer was too generous to refuse.
Even the writers who had looked down on Shinji showed smiles.
Bowing to commercialism was vulgar, but an unsolicited raise...
It just showed that everyone had flexible moral boundaries.
Before they could fully enjoy the joy of a raise, Shinji's next words left them all stunned.
"Next year, I plan to produce an Ultraman movie and hope you will all cooperate."
"The profits from the movie will be deposited into the company's account, serving as future operating funds."
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