The literary era since 1979

After being bombarded by reporters, the group traveled by car to the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.

Although the lights are still bright and the neon lights are still flashing, the atmosphere is completely different from before. In the past, the place was crowded with people and cars, and you needed connections to book a banquet hall. Now it is deserted and sparsely populated, with most of the private rooms empty.

Clearly, the economic crisis caused by the bursting of the bubble has only just begun, but its negative impact has already affected all aspects of society.

Take Haruki Kadokawa for example. He used to be a regular at every celebration party, but now he's nowhere to be seen.

"Chairman Kadokawa asked me to apologize on his behalf."

Okuyama explained that both Kadokawa Shoten and Kadokawa Pictures were impacted by the economic crisis, and Kadokawa Haruki was overwhelmed and unable to cope.

"Understood, understood."

Fang Yan smiled. In just the past month or two, the Nikkei 225 index had already fallen by two or three thousand points. How could Kadokawa Haruki, who was obsessed with stock and foreign exchange speculation, possibly still have the mind to pay attention to the film business? The only pity was that he didn't know how much money he had lost.

The more money Kadokawa Tsutohiko loses, the greater his chances of making a triumphant return and regaining control of Kadokawa Shoten.

By then, with the merger of anime and manga brands like Dengeki Bunko into Kadokawa Shoten, Kadokawa could seize the opportunity to take control of one of Japan's top five publishing groups.

Just as he was lost in thought, Okuyama Yu gently tapped his wine glass, indicating that he wanted to give a brief opening speech.

In just a few words, besides celebrating the Golden Bear award won by "Departures," which was invested in by Shochiku, he expressed his deepest gratitude to Fang Yan for creating such a dedicated film script for Shochiku, Kadokawa Pictures, and Japanese cinema, and called on everyone in the audience to applaud him.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa."

The applause was deafening, almost lifting the entire ceiling off the building.

Amidst the cheers and jeers of the crowd, Fang Yan was forced to take the stage and casually give his acceptance speech for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

"Film art has always played a special role in transcending national borders, communicating hearts, and enhancing friendship."

“In the initial scriptwriting, I chose the most prejudiced and misunderstood mysterious profession in Japan, the mortician, because this profession best represents Japan’s culture and ideas about “death.” Of course, in the film, it is not entirely derived from traditional Japanese culture.”

“I also tried to incorporate the views on life and death from Chinese and even East Asian Confucian cultural spheres. So at the time, some judges and media at the film festival commented that this was a Japanese film that was not traditionally Japanese in style, and that statement was absolutely correct!”

"I think that in the future, China and Japan can learn from 'Departures' in terms of film and cultural exchanges."

"........."

Watching him talk on and on, Kurihara Komaki's eyes were filled with complicated emotions and she seemed preoccupied.

Keiko Matsuzaka quietly stayed with her best friend, neither making a sound nor disturbing her, and never mentioning what the three of them had done the night before.

After a while, Fang Yan finished his speech and stepped down from the stage, while soothing and melodious dance music filled the hall.

The men and women of Songzhu Company paired up and danced ballroom dances in the spacious central dance floor.

Kurihara Komaki was at a loss when she saw Fang Yan walking straight toward her.

Keiko Matsuzaka, however, read from his eyes that he meant giving them both some alone time, and a sly glint flashed in her eyes.

"what!"

Kurihara Komaki felt her back being pushed by her best friend, and she almost fell into Fang Yan's arms.

"Want to dance with me?" Fang Yan invited.

Kurihara Komaki blushed and her eyelashes trembled, but she did not refuse and stretched out her hand to let him hold it.

This wasn't the first time the two had danced together; they had been dance partners for a long time during a Sino-Japanese film cultural exchange event.

Fang Yan opened his mouth: "About that day..."

Kurihara Komaki quickly interrupted, "Don't say that, we all drank a bit too much that day." Fang Yan stared at her, "Just too much?"

Kurihara Komaki pursed her lips and remained silent.

Fang Yan said, "But Keiko told me a different answer."

"Keiko!"

Kurihara Komaki jolted awake and abruptly looked up.

"She told me everything, including your feelings."

Fang Yan sighed, "Now I realize that you didn't stick to being single entirely for the sake of your acting career."

Kurihara Komaki trembled, her legs went weak, and although she didn't fall to the ground, she accidentally stepped on his foot in her panic.

"I'm sorry, does it hurt?"

"When did you start having these feelings?"

The dialect is more direct and to the point.

Kurihara Komaki was silent for a moment before finally speaking slowly: "It's in Hokkaido."

"When you were filming 'Love Letter'?" Fang Yan vaguely remembered that Keiko Matsuzaka and Komaki Kurihara were both there.

"When I saw you and Keiko together, I thought, if you two can be together, why can't I?"

Kurihara Komaki sighed softly, "It's just that I was a step behind Keiko."

Fang Yan said, "Are you worried about affecting me and Qingzi?"

Seeing that things were already out in the open, Kurihara Komaki simply and frankly admitted that she was afraid that getting involved would damage the relationship between the three of them.

Fang said, "But you might be mistaken. You're not here to break us up; you're here to join us."

"me……"

Kurihara Komaki was stunned for a moment, and just as she was in a daze, the dance music ended just in time.

Both of them felt a lingering sense of unfinished business. Out of the corner of their eye, they saw Keiko Matsuzaka walking towards them with her hands behind her back and a beaming smile.

"Did I come at the wrong time?"

"No, you came just in time."

If the occasion hadn't prevented it, Fang Yan would have already followed Li Xunhuan's example, holding Sun Xiaohong in his left arm and embracing Jinghong Fairy with his right.

Matsuzaka Keiko looked at him from the left, then at Kurihara Komaki from the right, "Looks like they've had a good talk."

Kurihara Komaki hummed in agreement, then gazed at Fang Yan's profile, a deep, unyielding affection shimmering in her eyes.

Keiko Matsuzaka smiled like an auntie: "That's wonderful! Let's have a drink!"

Fang Yan rolled her eyes in annoyance, "This time, don't do what happened at the party, where you got me drunk and took me back to my room again."

"No way, we'll just drink a little less tonight." Keiko Matsuzaka winked playfully. "Right, Maki-chan?"

Just as the three were reliving their wild and absurd night, Shochiku and Kadokawa Pictures went all out with their media machines, promoting "Departures" almost all over Japan. They even did a special feature on the profession of "departures," so much so that viewers who were originally wary of the profession of "departures" or even the movie title couldn't help but develop a strong interest in the film.

In the midst of an economic downturn, the Japanese film industry, thanks to "Departures," seems to have escaped the harsh winter. (End of Chapter)