Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 430 Do you think my watch is pretty?

Two topics have been the hottest topics in Tokyo recently.

the first.

Did Akira Furuya ever have his buttocks used?

second.

How much money did Wan Gu'ao embezzle?

Given that Wan Guoao is not a good person, the first thing seems more like some kind of gossip.

After all, this kind of thing is nothing new. As one anonymous person, Daigo Ryudo, said, "If I hadn't run away quickly, I would have been part of the gossip news too!"

In comparison, the evidence for Wan Gu'ao's case is more conclusive and sufficient.

The matter was thus resolved, and the film's release date was set.

December 12th, Christmas Eve.

Gu Ming had planned to take his family to see a movie, but instead they encountered an uninvited guest.

"Well... how should I put it, this was quite unexpected." The person who jumped out of the Mercedes was none other than Haruki Kadokawa.

“Congratulations, Furuya-kun.” Kadokawa Haruki extended his hand. “Now I have to admit that you are qualified to stand at the top of the food chain and are qualified to be called a ‘predator’. Even though you are still very weak to other predators and could become food for another predator at any time, you are already a qualified predator.”

"Thank you." Gu Ming raised his hand to look at his watch, and said tactfully, "I'm not someone who likes to buy luxury goods. How about you take a look at this watch of mine?"

Haruki Kadokawa actually came over to take a look and then gave a concise evaluation.

"It's not very good. Don't buy it again. These so-called brand-name products, like Citizen... can only fool those ignorant people. Sometime I'll take you to meet a watchmaker. He's an apprentice of a Swiss watchmaking master, and his handmade quartz watches are the best in all of Japan."

Haruki Kadokawa tapped his chest with his other hand: "You know, people like us don't use those so-called designer brands."

Gu Ming: ?
When someone shows you their watch, it doesn't mean they want you to see how nice the watch is.

It's to remind you to pay attention to the time, and then get out of here right now!

Gu Ming had no choice but to be more direct: "Actually, my family and I have already decided to go see a movie later, so I'm really sorry, I may not have time to entertain you."

"Going to the movies? What a coincidence! I want to go too. Come in my car. What movie do you want to see? How about supporting your own production? How about the third installment of The Haunted Scroll? I actually really like it..."

Gu Ming went into a frenzy.

He simply couldn't believe it.

Haruki Kadokawa is so clueless about reading the room!

……

……

1981 was truly a year of fierce competition among many rivals.

This year saw the release of a masterpiece like "Demon Realm Reincarnation," as well as a mid-range production by Gu Ming.

However, this year's box office champion is the American film "The Elephant Man," which earned an astonishing 24.5 billion yen in distribution revenue. That is to say, based on the distribution ratio, its box office revenue is over 50 billion yen.

However, the top-grossing domestic film of the year was "The Combined Fleet," a film with a very special nature, which received a distribution of 19 billion yen.

The film with the second-highest distribution revenue was "Doraemon: Nobita's Space Adventure," with a distribution revenue of 17.5 billion yen.

This also highlights a very special aspect of Japan: it is one of the very few regions in the world where animated films are even better than live-action films.

"I'm not going to be an actor anymore! I'll be reborn in my next life, and I'll be making animated films in Japan! What about Big Fish & Begonia, or Lionheart? I'll disgust all the Japanese people first."

Gu Ming pondered in his mind while his eyes scanned the movie brochures handed out by the theater.

Of course, buying tickets online isn't as easy these days. What movies people watch depends on two things: advance publicity and the flyers, posters, and other materials provided by the cinema. Gu Ming glanced through them, his gaze suddenly landing on one particular film.

The movie title is in Chinese.

"Yangtze".

“I suggest you don’t watch this movie.” Haruki Kadokawa suddenly appeared out of nowhere: “This movie is the kind of thing that outsiders use to entertain themselves. No one in the whole world would watch this kind of thing.”

Gu Ming looked at the flyer over and over again, then asked Kadokawa Haruki, "What's this movie about?"

"As the name suggests, the Yangtze River is the Yangtze River in Zhou State. Masashi Sada, that guy, is like a moron who actually went to Zhou State to make a movie. He not only spent all his money, but also took out a loan and incurred a huge debt. Rumor has it, and I can't be sure—that guy invested a total of 28 billion to make this movie! But as for the rationed income, hmph."

Haruki Kadokawa poked his head into the ticket window and greeted the audience: "Hey, do you even know how much the film's distribution revenue is?"

The ticket seller instinctively tried to push the head out of her sight: "How would I know..."

"Is one thousand yen enough? Ten thousand? Fifty thousand!"

Haruki Kadokawa ruthlessly threw a wad of banknotes at the other person's face: "How much is it?!"

The ticket seller clenched her fists, her face flushed, but in the end, she silently picked up the banknotes and answered the question.

"Currently, it's less than 400 million yen."

Haruki Kadokawa shrugged: "You see, this movie not only won't recoup its costs, it's not even passable. Investing 28 billion and allocating only 4 million, only an amateur would do that."

Gu Ming hesitated, then said, "Isn't it a bit insulting to throw money at him like this?"

"If throwing money at someone is considered an insult, then I hope someone insults me every day. And didn't you see how happy he was picking it up?"

Haruki Kadokawa didn't care at all: "At least I'm throwing money at him, not money. Hey! Give me three 'United Fleet' magazines! And get me popcorn and a drink, lots and lots of popcorn, not a single oz less, or you know what I'm capable of!"

The ticket seller quickly delivered everything.

The location was great, and they indeed gave us a lot of popcorn.

Gu Ming had no choice but to speak.

Haruki Kadokawa's words contain some fallacies.

Actually, he also likes it when people shower him with money.

Upon entering the cinema and watching the film begin, Gu Ming noticed some problems while observing the filming process.

"The Combined Fleet" is, on the surface, an anti-war film about two brothers who die in battle and the end of the war.

But in reality, the core message is against defeat, not against war.

In the film, all the people belonging to the fascicles have a pitiable past and do pitiable things, as if everything they do is justified.

"They harbor malicious intentions, but that's probably a common situation in Japan."

Gu Ming closed his eyes and pondered the matter.

The war in the arts and culture world is fought without gunfire, yet it is far more terrifying. The output of such films, though invisible, is more effective than real swords and guns.

More partners are needed to do this well.

Gu Ming pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Kadokawa Haruki.

"Who was in charge of making that Yangtze River film just now?"

Haruki Kadokawa shrugged, completely unconcerned about the matter.

"Masashi Sada, a singer. That guy's not much of a movie actor, but he's got a knack for singing. If you want to meet him, I can put in a good word for you. It seems your movie still needs a few songs!"

(End of this chapter)