I am a literary giant in Japan

Chapter 150: The Essence of Mono no Awareness Literature: Casting of No Longer Human
"Summer had just passed, and the hot mist filled the sky. The setting sun seemed even bigger. When the bottom of the sun fell on the hill, it quickly shrank and deformed, turning into a solidified crimson blood mass."

Mengzi held the manuscript and read word by word the "Paradise Lost" written by Hide Kitagawa. Her first reaction was that Hideki's writing had taken on a whole new style.

It is different from the "Kitagawa Hidefu" in "Youth Trilogy", the rogue style in "No Longer Human", the realistic style in "I Am a Cat", and the absurd and exaggerated style in "Agara".

This kind of descriptive text was rarely seen in his books before. Occasionally, there were descriptions of scenery, but they were all mentioned in simple and concise sentences.

This time, in "Paradise Lost", there are several paragraphs of description in a similar style in the first chapter "Sunset" alone, which gave her an unprecedented new experience.

Gorgeous, beautiful, yet with a hint of sadness.

".The coastal road, illuminated by street lamps and car lights, winds its way to Cape Odo, and Enoshima, which juts out into the sea, looks like a warship in the reflection of the bright lights on the beach.

The lighthouse on the top of the mountain in the center radiates light in the dark night, illuminating the hills where the sun has set and the dark sea.

As Mengzi read aloud, she closed her eyes involuntarily and imagined the beautiful scenery of "Sunset over Enoshima" described in the book.

Enoshima is located in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture. When the tide is low, a sand spit leading from the opposite Shonan Coast to this island will appear in the sea. When the tide is high, the island will stand alone in the middle of the sea.

Legend has it that during the Heian period when demons were rampant, there lived a five-headed evil dragon on Enoshima. It enjoyed stirring up storms, overturning passing ships, and flooding nearby villages.

Later, a beautiful fairy came down from the sky and the evil dragon fell in love with her at first sight. They got married. After the marriage, the evil dragon gradually got rid of many of his bad habits and finally became a water god who brought blessings to the area.

Since then, Enoshima has become a must-visit destination for young couples to find love. It is said that if you watch the sunset there, two people will be together happily forever.

Mengzi had never been to Enoshima, but after reading Kitagawa Hide's words, she felt as if she was there. As soon as she closed her eyes, she seemed to be able to see the red sunset, the distant horizon, and the sad beauty of the island under the bright lights.

"So beautiful." She murmured softly, then handed the manuscript back to Kitagawa Hide.

"How is it?" Kitagawa Hide was a little uneasy. After all, it was the first time he tried to make some changes based on the original work, so he couldn't help but worry about losing the charm of the original work.

But without taking this step, he will never be able to truly walk on the path to becoming the best in the world.

"It feels great. Whether it's the plot or the text, it's a brand new experience, very fresh and..."

Mengzi tilted his head, thought for a long time, and then said solemnly,

"And from this chapter, I seem to be able to understand the essence of the 'mono no aware literature' that Xiujun mentioned before."

"Really? That's good. It is indeed my first work to try to promote 'mono no aware literature' to the general public." Kitagawa Hide finally let go of his worries.

Although Yumeko is his girlfriend and a die-hard fan of his books, her own literary accomplishment and aesthetic ability are still very strong. When Oshima Hikaru wrote "Memories of Tokyo 1973", she was able to keenly perceive the many shortcomings of the novel.

After finishing the first chapter, Kitagawa Hide planned to write the second chapter "Autumn" in the next few days.

The entire book of Paradise Lost is about 30 words, with a total of twelve chapters, each chapter is about 2.5 words.

Because the story is about the male and female protagonists' death from an immoral "extramarital affair", the plot rhythm is very tight and suitable for high-frequency serialization, so this time Kitagawa Hide plans to use his advantage as a freelance writer to serialize it in a newspaper -

Most newspapers are daily publications, and the frequency of serialization can be adjusted according to the writer's wishes. It is not like pure literary magazines that are monthly publications, where readers have to wait a month to see the next issue.

It so happens that the recent issues of "Wenyi" are about to usher in the finales of the new books of Mayumi Aso and the other three. Kitagawa Hide, the cheap teacher, will not snatch the traffic from his disciples, allowing them to also make a little appearance in the literary world.

"I also think that this story is more suitable for high-frequency serialization." After listening to Kitagawa Hide's idea, Mengzi nodded repeatedly. In the end, all she had to do was let Kawaide Shobo publish "Paradise Lost".

After the discussion, Kitagawa Hide immediately drove to the new headquarters of Kawaide Shobo to inform Saito Rena, and to check on the progress of the book signing event for "Border" and the filming plan for "No Longer Human".

At this time, Rena Saito, who was drinking coffee and reviewing materials in the office, was worrying about the casting issue of "No Longer Human". When she heard the knock on the door, she thought it was an assistant, so she said "Come in", and continued to look at the actor's information sheet handed over by the agency.

"Saito, have you been sleeping in the company again these days?" Kitagawa Hide glanced at the sleeping bag that had not been zipped up yet, with various toiletries and pajamas inside, and looked at her speechlessly.

To some extent, Rena Saito is simply the "female version" of Kitagawa Hide, a complete workaholic. Apart from taking care of her two younger sisters at home, she has almost no personal time. She can be called a "model pacesetter" at the model worker level.

He could understand Saito Rena's feelings. She had finally managed to escape from the corrupt Kodansha and made the class leap from an ordinary editor to editor-in-chief in just half a year. Now, it seemed that Kawaide Shizuko obviously intended to continue training her to move towards a senior position.

In a Japanese society that is already tending towards class stratification, if she can seize such a good opportunity, she may be able to go against the trend and become a solid first-generation rich. This will benefit more than three generations, and she will never let it go.

But even though he understood, Kitagawa Hide didn't want to see his good partner being hung on the wall one day due to death from overwork.

In the past, it was always Saito Reina who advised him not to work too hard, but now it was he who advised her.

When Saito Reina heard his voice, she looked up in surprise, with a hint of a smile on her swollen face: "Kitagawa, you're here. Why did you suddenly come out of your little house?"

"I've finished writing the first chapter of my new book. I just happened to be thinking about No Longer Human and Border, so I came to see you."

Beichuan Xiu handed her the manuscript and said directly,

"Because of the content, I plan to find a newspaper to serialize it this time, but I still have to ask you to publish the physical book."

The two of them had a very good relationship, so there was no need to hide such things. However, when she heard that he was planning to change his serialization company this time, Saito Rena's heart still tightened slightly.

She knew that as her fame grew and demands increased, Wen Yi Magazine would one day be unable to meet all of Kitagawa Hide's requirements. He had initially insisted on a freelance writer contract because he had expected this day to come.

But she didn't expect this day to come so soon, and she suddenly felt sad.

However, Rena Saito was also very glad that Hide Kitagawa persuaded Shizuko Kawaide from the beginning. If they had signed a writer's contract with Kawaide Shobo at that time, facing the temptation of a large amount of money, would the relationship between the three of them still be so stable?
Reina Saito was not 100% sure that everyone could part ways amicably.

"Okay, I'll help you look at the manuscript first." She nodded, and decided to wait until she finished reading the manuscript before saying anything else in her mind.

The title of the book is "Paradise Lost", which is very unique and sounds like a science fiction novel.

Because it only had 2.5 words, she finished reading it quickly. When she saw that the male and female protagonists were named Muramatsu Tomomi and Matsubara Rinko, Saito Rena's heart was inexplicably moved.

As a former subordinate, she also received the news of Muramatsu and his death, but because of her status, she did not attend the memorial service. She just sent a letter of condolence and a large wreath.

Muramatsu Tomoshige is completely confused as to how the two died and why they committed suicide. Some in the industry say that it was caused by a dark conspiracy within Kodansha, while others say that the affair was discovered by the ex-spouse and the two chose to commit suicide because they could not bear the pressure.

Reading Kitagawa Hide's novel now, it seems to be different from what the rumors say.

After reading the manuscript, Saito Reina let out a long sigh and then asked, "It feels like an extramarital affair similar to "Border", but the writing style is completely different, with an indescribable sense of beauty. Do you want to serialize it in the newspaper because of the frequency of serialization?"

"Yes. The specific plot of the story is..." Kitagawa Hide nodded, thinking that he would have to talk about this with his big boss Kawaide Shizuko later, so he had to give a convincing reason. However, he had just started when he was interrupted by Saito Rena waving her hand.

"Since you plan to serialize it in other publications, the subsequent content should be kept confidential." Saito Rena has always been very professional. She knows that Kitagawa Hide trusts her, so she should keep the side of her that is worthy of his trust intact.

After saying this, she handed the manuscript back to Kitagawa Hide, and winked playfully, "Let me be a reader who has not been spoiled for once, Mr. Kitagawa~"

"Haha, I see. I hope the following content won't disappoint you." Beichuan Xiu smiled and stuffed the manuscript back into his backpack. "By the way, how is the progress of "Border" and "No Longer Human"? "

"The book signing event is tentatively scheduled for three days later. I was thinking that if you continued your retreat, I would ask the PR department to move it back. Now it seems that it is okay?" Saito Reina took out a document and handed it to him. "The specific arrangements are roughly like this. If you have any opinions, just come to me directly."

"Okay." Kitagawa Hide took it and glanced at it. The densely packed schedule made his scalp tingle.

No wonder I used to hear people say that Japanese writers have a very high social status, and that a book signing event is often arranged more grandly than a celebrity fan meeting.

Not only was the autograph session arranged at the famous Tokyo Imperial Hotel, but they also invited a female singer to perform as a warm-up, and many celebrities came to watch the event. It was obvious that a lot of money was spent. The big boss is really extravagant and inhumane.

"The film project of No Longer Human is having a headache over who will play the male lead, Ohba Yozo." Saito Reina sighed and pointed to the pile of actor data sheets on the table. "Because I'm the editor-in-chief of this novel, I'm the second hurdle in casting. After we finish the screening, you still have to make the final decision."

"The male lead?" This time, Kitagawa Hide directly sold the film and television rights of "No Longer Human" to Kawaide Shobo, with a total copyright fee of 2.5 million yen, and he also enjoyed a certain percentage of the box office dividends (which was given to him by Kawaide Shizuko).

Because he knew that "No Longer Human" would not flop like "Youth Trilogy", he gave it to Kawaide Shobo with confidence. In fact, if he wanted to maximize the profits, he could use Kitagawa Entertainment Co., Ltd. to make another movie.

However, the makeshift team that had assembled for "Agaragi" has disbanded, and "No Longer Human" is not like "Agaragi". It is a big-budget art film with high requirements for cost, actors, and technology. Kitagawa Hide is not yet able to independently produce such a blockbuster.

He thought that as long as he put himself on the list of chief screenwriter, he could just go to the crew to express his condolences during filming and make money without doing anything.

Looking back now, I don’t know whether it’s because Kawaide Shizuko respects him too much, or because Kawaide Shobo doesn’t have a good foundation for film adaptation, but it seems that he has to get involved in this matter too!
"There are indeed few actors who can express the temperament of Ōba Yozo. If you can't find a good actor due to budget issues, you can deduct some subsidies from my dividends to give to the actors as remuneration."

Kitagawa Hide thought about all the adaptations of No Longer Human.

TV series, movies, anime, comics, and audio dramas are all popular.

After all, in the original history, this book sold more than 600 million copies, and it is almost a household name. With such a huge fan base, your adaptation will not fail unless it is too outrageous.

This is a good IP that can continue to make money. Kitagawa Hide doesn't mind taking less box office dividends to improve the quality of the movie. As the first adaptation of the novel, making it popular is the key.

You have to make money slowly and steadily.

The 90s was the most difficult era for the Japanese entertainment industry. Stars had to run around for extremely low pay. Not only were they at the bottom of the contempt chain and were looked down upon by all kinds of people, but even if the film became popular, it was difficult for them to get the biggest credit. They were nothing more than tools.

Not to mention the original author Hide Kitagawa, even the supervisor, deputy supervisor, screenwriter and others in the crew can manipulate the leading actors at will.

The situation did not improve until after 97, when the Asian financial crisis once again brought down Japan. The subsequent rise of the Internet era saw the idol economy and its benefits become staggering, and these stars finally no longer had to be so weak in the knees.

Kitagawa Hide is willing to share the money with the leading actors as their remuneration. If this gets out, the leading actors will probably come over and kowtow to thank him, and then he will ask reporters from entertainment newspapers and magazines to write about it and publicize it as a good story.

"Eh? The president has given us a generous budget." Saito Reina smiled, realizing that Kitagawa Hide had misunderstood her meaning, and quickly explained, "And I heard that it's the movie version of No Longer Human, and many popular stars are willing to reduce their salaries to participate."

"Reducing your own pay?" Kitagawa Hide didn't react for a moment. His understanding of the entertainment industry was basically based on the stereotypes left over from next door: celebrities are high and mighty, and their pay would take up most of the multi-billion-dollar movie budget.

But here, it seems like he is the so-called "star"?
"Yes, you see, these are all popular male stars who are willing to reduce their pay to participate in the film." Saito Rena picked up a large stack of actor information sheets and nodded helplessly.

The first person that caught Kitagawa Hide's eyes was the popular young star, Takuya Kimura.

The current Takuya Kimura is not the uncle Kimura who had a melancholy face when he raised his head. At the age of 24, he looks as good as Kitagawa Hide and is very popular among thousands of girls.

Calculating the time, shouldn't he be filming his first famous work "Long Vacation" now?
You have achieved great success in TV dramas, so why would you want to act in movies?
I would like to recommend a book written by a good friend, which is also a Japanese text.

Above the clouds.

High school students wrote their names one by one on the scroll with a pen.

【Susanoo Mingzun】【Lord of Mount Oe】【Enryu Hachi】…

He was very proud and looked arrogant.

"No!"

A girl came out from behind him and added a finishing touch with a smile.

"Your name is this."

As soon as he finished speaking, the words "Tokyo's Gold Medal Gigolo" appeared on the paper.



(End of this chapter)