Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 431 Singer-Songwriter

Masashi Sada was born in Nagasaki, Japan. His father, Masato Sada, was a member of the Manchukuo Colonization Corps. After the outbreak of war, he joined the army and was assigned as an intelligence officer, which meant collecting intelligence in the occupied territories.

In 1943, his father, Masato Sada, was captured by Li Chunhua, a soldier of the New Fourth Army. A museum in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, still has a bicycle, the vehicle Masato Sada rode when he was captured, in its collection.

In 1980, Masashi Sada went on a concert tour to Hyakkyo and Hai City, which was very popular. He and the Gandhara Band were singers who performed in Japan at almost the same time.

It was during this tour that Masashi Sada was invited by CCTV and made up his mind to make a documentary called "Yangtze River".

The final product was of incredibly high quality, but the cost was also incredibly high.

The staggering debt of 28 billion yen was entirely borne by Masashi Sada.

Masashi Sada started paying off this debt in 1981 and didn't finish until 2011.

Over the course of 30 years, Masashi Sada held thousands of concerts, using the proceeds to pay off his debts.

There are many different opinions about this film in China. Some say that Masashi Sada used this opportunity to carry out espionage activities, while others say that Masashi Sada made the film with genuine sincerity.

Regardless of the actual situation, the final product of the film was indeed of very high quality. Some of its scenes were later edited and used in CCTV's promotional videos. The theme song of "Yangtze River", after being rewritten, became another early popular song in China, "Song of the Yangtze River".

……

……

'Chicken's True Flavor' restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo.

After hosting Bunta Tachibana here last time, Tani Akira remembered the name vividly, so he simply became a member and would occasionally come here to entertain people.

Of course, this is a very proper restaurant, mainly serving various chicken-related ingredients, with the classic dish being the Mother and Daughter Rice Bowl.

This time, Gu Ming wanted to meet with Masashi Sada.

"Please come in."

Following the waiter's voice, Gu Ming saw Masashi Sada outside the private room.

He was a very thin man, about the same age as Gu Ming, with a distinctive afro and large-rimmed glasses.

"Akira Furuya... I've heard so much about you." Masashi Sada stepped forward, grasped Furuya's hands with both of them, and complimented him, "You're really tall."

"No matter what, we can't reach the sky, so it's just like that." Gu Ming spread his hands and gestured for him to sit down: "Sada-kun, please have a seat."

After eating and drinking for a while, Masashi Sada finally put down his chopsticks and sighed with satisfaction.

"This is probably the most delicious meal I've had recently."

Gu Mingming asked knowingly, "Sada-kun is a renowned singer, how could he have fallen to this level?"

"There's nothing I can do, my current financial situation is really bad."

Masashi Sada paused, looked up at Akira Tani, and said, "Well, you didn't specifically ask me to come here for drinks and a meal, did you? You must have some work to ask me to do, right? As long as you're willing to pay, work is no problem. Writing songs or singing, it's all fine."

“Write songs, and sing songs too.” Gu Ming took out the outline of the revised “Sailor Suit and Machine Gun” and handed it to Masashi Sada.

Masashi Sada flipped through the pages for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

"Is this the theme song for this movie? I'll take the job. Give me some time, and I'll come up with a satisfactory song. However, regarding the payment..."

Gu Ming said, "I don't know anything about this, so Mr. Sada can name his price as he pleases."

Masashi Sada was stunned.

He carefully observed Gu Ming's expression, but couldn't tell whether Gu Ming was joking or serious.

"Hmm... well then, how about three million yen?"

Gu Ming smiled and said, "Why do you still have a questioning tone? Are you asking me?"

"Uh, then three million yen. Three million yen for songwriting and singing. If you're not satisfied, we can revise it." Gu Ming lowered his hand and slapped his thigh.

"Then it's settled. I don't understand the specific contract terms, but my assistant will come to discuss the contract with you later. We'll agree on three million. Hopefully, Sada-kun can come up with a satisfactory interlude within two weeks."

"of course."

Masashi Sada looked down at his thighs.

Holy crap, some pervert touched my thigh!

The legend was indeed false. Furuya Akira doesn't look like the kind of person who would be manipulated; he seems like the kind of person who knows how to use people!

……

……

Gu Ming saw Sada Masashi off.

Actually, after hearing about this person's deeds, Gu Ming really wanted to offer him a high price, but he quickly restrained himself.

Nobody earns money for free, especially since he still owes Kadokawa Haruki a lot of money.

Gu Ming hadn't forgotten his previous lesson. Regardless of what kind of person the other party was, there was no need for him to pursue her excessively.

Three million yen, that's how we got a preliminary agreement.

Masashi Sada needs money, and Akira Tani needs a great singer-songwriter. This first collaboration could lead to more collaborations in the future, which would be a form of support for Masashi Sada.

Masashi Sada is an outstanding singer-songwriter who can sing and write songs, and his skills are quite remarkable. Momoe Yamaguchi's classic song "Cosmos" was written by Masashi Sada for her.

As for what kind of songs Masashi Sada could come up with, Tani Akira didn't care much.

Anyway, this person is quite skilled; he's definitely better than some random street performer he'd hire.

Masashi Sada was quite efficient, probably because he was indeed short of money.

In less than two weeks, Gu Ming received his song.

"I named this song directly after the movie. The song title is 'Sailor Suit and Machine Gun.' I am good at folk music, and this song is the same. The whole song is from the perspective of the protagonist, Otani, watching the girl's changes."

Masashi Sada explained the song, but Akira Tani listened without understanding a word.

In this situation, Gu Ming had only one assessment.

As long as it sounds good!

Anyway, he thought it sounded pretty good and that it would be fine to use in a movie; maybe it could even sell soundtracks.

"Right? I knew my skill level hadn't declined." Masashi Sada smiled as he sang the song and slipped a ticket to Akira Tani.

Gu Ming was slightly taken aback, and Masashi Sada explained, "They are concert tickets. I have recently booked 32 concerts in the Kanto region, so I probably won't be in Tokyo often. If you have time, you are welcome to come and support me at the concert."

—And could you please send me some money for the tickets? I'm so poor!

Gu Ming chuckled but nodded, "Okay, I'll definitely be there when the concert starts."

It's not just one person going; Gu Ming is bringing several more people. He has a lot of people with him!
Masashi Sada shook hands and left in a hurry.

It's clear he really needs the money.

Gu Ming then took the demo that was delivered to Tanaka's assistant and asked him to make a trip to the editing room when he had time and send the song over.

Gu Ming wants to include this song in the film in December.

(End of this chapter)