"Welcome to all those who've made it through the preliminaries~ Although this is just the initial round, making it here from thousands of scripts means you can proudly say to yourself, 'I did great!'"
"After all, standing here means you've already beaten out hundreds of competitors..."
With a smile on her face, the host, Kana, spoke confidently from the stage.
Down in the audience, Akifumi couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
He couldn't help but think—this Kana seemed eerily familiar, like someone he knew...
'Ah, yes! She looked just like Hanazawa Kana from my previous life!'
But that smile of hers was too enchanting—he could almost hear the dangerous charm in her voice.
While Akifumi was lost in thought, Kana had finished her opening speech.
Then, she smoothly transitioned to the next part.
"Now, let's welcome the three judges of this competition with a round of applause!"
Kana's fingers pointed towards a corner of the stage.
The spotlight instantly focused, and the red curtain slowly parted to reveal three figures.
Two men and a woman stepped into view.
Akifumi didn't know much about the films or TV series in this world.
So, he had no idea who these three were.
But Kana's introduction was quite helpful.
"I'm sure everyone here is familiar with our three judges, but as the host, it's my duty to introduce them. Please bear with me for a moment!"
Kana winked and playfully gave the crowd a cute look.
"This is Shinji Nojima-sensei, the creator of many famous works such as 101 Proposals, Under the Same Roof, and No Longer Human!"
As a veteran and popular screenwriter, Nojima's name was well-known to anyone in the industry!
The three works Kana mentioned were just a few of his classics, each with viewership ratings above 40%!
He had countless other famous works under his belt.
Nojima stepped forward, a faint smile on his face.
The crowd erupted into enthusiastic applause, and Akifumi could even hear whispers around him.
"They actually invited Nojima-sensei this time! Incredible!!"
"Nojima-sensei is my idol! I can't believe I'm seeing him here!!"
"And the other two judges are just as amazing as him!"
"Eriko Kitagawa!! I absolutely love Beautiful Life and Long Vacation!!"
"I prefer Kazuhiko Yukawa's Classroom of the Queen and The Witch's Condition!!"
"I can't believe the organizers managed to bring in these legends!"
Though Akifumi was totally clueless about television dramas, he could tell from the audience's reactions that these judges were important figures in the industry.
Kana continued with her introductions, presenting the other two judges:
Eriko Kitagawa and Kazuhiko Yukawa.
Every time she introduced one, the crowd cheered enthusiastically.
Akifumi used this opportunity to search for more information about the three.
To his surprise, their status in the world of screenwriting was legendary!
The works mentioned by the others were clearly nostalgic for a generation—undeniable classics.
"No wonder the organizers were willing to go all out to bring these guys in!"
Kana smiled as she addressed the crowd again.
"I'm sure you've all recognized these incredible judges by now. Next, I'll be explaining the competition schedule and rules."
"Starting now, we'll have rounds for 128, 64, 32, 16, and then the final championship!"
"Every match is crucial for you!"
"The results of each round will determine your chance to advance. If you make it to the final, your previous rankings will contribute to your final score!"
"Each first-place win will earn you 5 extra points, including in the preliminaries!"
"So give it your best effort!"
The crowd listened intently.
While competition rules didn't change much from event to event, small adjustments were often made.
After all, not everyone remembers the rules clearly each time a new competition happens.
It was important to stay focused.
"Now, let's go over the competition details."
"First, in the upcoming rounds, except for the final, the scores will be based on two parts: one from the public voting and the other from the judges' scores."
"Your total score for each round will be the sum of both. The higher your score, the better your chances of advancing."
"And for the final, in addition to these two parts, your rankings in the previous rounds will also be added to your score!"
"So don't just aim to make it through—be proactive in aiming for high scores!"
"Second, as always, there are no restrictions on the genre of the works, as long as they meet the requirements of each round's theme!"
"Third, creating a full script is a complex process, and since you'll need to complete a task in a limited amount of time, we don't expect anyone to create a complete script."
"However, we do hope your stories will be as complete as possible, as the more complete the story, the higher the potential score!"
"If you can enhance your story with other elements, such as key scenes, pivotal dialogue, or even storyboards... those small details could improve your final score!"
"Lastly, there are some absolute no-go areas. Please be mindful of them while creating your stories!"
"Now, let's welcome Nojima-sensei to announce the first challenge, from 128 to 64 competitors! Please welcome, Nojima-sensei!!"
Amid applause, Nojima Shinji walked to the front of the stage.
A staff member approached him with a tray, holding a scroll-like document.
Without much fanfare, Nojima took the scroll and unrolled it.
His face showed a hint of surprise as he quietly muttered to himself.
"This topic really is interesting..."