Just like the Round of 16, the Quarter-Finals were a single-match knockout format where the winner took all.
However, there were key differences. While the judges had assigned songs in the Round of 16, starting from the Quarter-Finals, the contestants had to perform their own original songs. Another change was the addition of an audience evaluation system.
Furthermore, due to that previous interview, the showdown between KAT-TUN and Enfants Terribles had become the definitive rivalry of this season's ASAYAN. Many were eagerly awaiting this specific clash.
Hooligans versus model students, golden boys from a massive agency versus an independent band of paupers—the narrative even succeeded in reminding the older generation of the legendary rivalries of the past. The match was no longer being treated as a simple audition stage; it was being framed as a proxy war for the generational and class conflicts simmering within Japanese society.
Quite literally, their battle had become a main event for the entire Japanese archipelago.
"Hide!!! You went and caused another scene, didn't you?! Tell me you didn't!! ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!"
"Caused a scene? I just told them exactly how things are."
Contrary to the media's hysteria and the public's fuss, the members of Enfants Terribles remained perfectly calm.
'The media is the same here as it was in my past life.'
The blonde-haired young man recalled the 'Britpop War' between Blur and Oasis that took place in England during his previous life. He remembered the media frenzy and that flashy yet hollow war manufactured solely to revive the domestic music industry.
The media and the Japanese music industry were likely attempting to manufacture a similar rivalry. They wanted to pit traditional Japanese music against the unprecedented style emerging through Enfants Terribles to generate global interest.
This conflict had nothing to do with musicality. To begin with, they held no personal grudge against KAT-TUN. That was why Enfants Terribles remained indifferent to the social uproar.
"Ai, all this noise doesn't really matter."
"Eh? Even though everyone is making such a big deal out of it? ( ´△｀)"
Ai was still young, after all. But a child like her didn't need to know about the underworld of adults, tangled in various interests and hidden agendas. She would find out eventually as she navigated this industry, but I always hoped she would only have to see the bright side of things.
"A rivalry only works if the participants are on the same level."
"Ah, you're so cocky.... (ꐦ°᷄▿°᷅)"
"The boss is right. We have no intention of playing at being rivals."
"Damn right! Being compared to those types is insulting enough as it is!!!"
The muscular drummer and the bald bassist voiced their agreement.
Do you know how the actual Britpop War ended? Oasis eventually released a killer album, creating such an insurmountable musical gap between them and Blur that the war simply ceased to exist.
This war would be the same. It was a conflict that would end once we delivered a performance so brilliant that comparisons became meaningless.
The PD of ASAYAN smiled as he looked over the Quarter-Final set. This year's ASAYAN was a literal jackpot.
"It would be perfect if KAT-TUN won here."
This wasn't out of personal bias. It was because the high-ranking network executives were beginning to feel uncomfortable with Enfants Terribles' behavior, and that was exactly what they wanted.
Even if the band were to be eliminated now, the result wouldn't be bad. Enfants Terribles had already played their part as kindling—and then some.
They had created an unprecedented rivalry in the history of ASAYAN, and thanks to that, the show was currently enjoying an immense amount of attention from the entire country like never before.
'Ah, maybe if I create a program specifically for discovering bands, the ratings will be pretty good?'
While the PD was lost in thought, the Host stepped out into the center of the stage.
"This is the showdown you've all been waiting for!!! The protagonists of this match are KAT-TUN and Enfants Terribles!!!!!!"
The moment the Host opened his mouth, the venue erupted in cheers and applause. The passion of the audience was so overwhelming that for a moment, the temperature in the hall seemed to rise physically.
"Let the battle begin!!!!"
The war that the entire Japanese archipelago was watching had fired its opening salvo.
"Leader? What are we calling this song?"
"How about 'Viva la Vida'?"
They said those KAT-TUN guys were good with synthesizers. But it's not like we don't know how to handle synths ourselves.
How do you crush them through music?
It's simpler than you'd think. You just use their own specialty to create an absolutely insane piece of music.
Since it's come to this, we're going head-to-head.