Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 443 Is this a suitable place for filming?

"A Violent Man" is a very simple and pure film.

The protagonist is an exceptionally ruthless police officer who believes in results and is skilled at gently stroking other people's cheeks to remind them of the warmth of a mother.

He tracked down a lone drug, got embroiled in gang conflicts, fought against gang assassins... and in the end, he fell before it all came to an end.

The main characters include the protagonist, his mentally challenged sister, the villainous assassin, and the protagonist's partner.

Needless to say, the protagonist is a bit of a mystery, but the mentally challenged younger sister can no longer visit Hiroko Yakushimaru because she has to go to school and doesn't have time.

Gu Ming originally planned to find the villain assassin from the agency, but after carefully checking the schedule, he found that no one had time.

"We don't need to think about the protagonist's partner. This pivotal role should naturally be played by Master Ip, which is also a promise I made to him. But this villainous assassin... we need to find someone decent enough."

As Gu Ming was pondering this matter, he heard someone sit down.

When he looked up, Section Chief Tachibana was already sitting in front of him.

"It seems that Furuya-kun really likes this restaurant, he's eating here again."

"I'm alright." Gu Ming gestured for Tachibana Bunta to sit down.

The meeting place was, of course, still the same Chicken Original Flavor restaurant, and Gu Ming really felt it was quite good.

"So, you still want to film at the Metropolitan Police Department this time? Actually, it's unlikely this time. After all, given what happened last time, the Metropolitan Police Department won't agree."

Gu Ming nodded: "It's alright. The Metropolitan Police Department has a positive image this time. If possible, I hope Chief Tachibana can help me make a connection before we discuss what we need to talk about today."

Tachibana Bunta smiled, casually brushed aside the dishes in front of him, and replied, "So, Furuya-kun has other matters to attend to."

"Yes, do you think it's possible to block off a busy street in Tokyo and then film a car chase and gunfight scene?"

With a start, Tachibana Bunta stood up abruptly, turned around, and left.

Gu Ming quickly stopped him, saying, "Section Chief Ju! Where are you going!"

"Go to hell!" Tachibana Bunta exclaimed angrily, "Furutani-kun, you're not kidding me, are you?! How could I possibly do such a thing! I'm just the head of the investigation division, not a police chief from the Metropolitan Police Department!"

"Help!"

"It's really impossible!"

"A smaller street will do!"

"It really won't work!"

“We can pay you.”

"It's not about the money."

After a moment of stalemate, Tachibana Bunta sighed: "Alright, I can help you make connections and introduce suitable people, but whether it will work or not is up to you to discuss."

Gu Ming was waiting for this.

He secretly took them to the Metropolitan Police Department to film a movie; Tachibana Bunta has really gone to great lengths to do that.

As for blocking off a street, especially a street in Tokyo, it's clear that Bunta Tachibana doesn't have that authority.

—Besides, Gu Ming didn't want an ordinary street, but a very bustling one.

This is different from the original obvious side road. Gu Ming wants a main street, preferably near Ginza.

The two talked for a while before parting ways.

Gu Ming closed his eyes and pondered, his mind on something else.

He had already inquired about the film crew next door. Sinbot himself didn't have that much money; he was just supporting the establishment of the company. However, the investment relied on the past relationship between Fuji Television and Mango Takashi to attract some large and powerful investors.

"I do know people at Takeda Pharmaceutical, but I'm still relatively unfamiliar with them. As for investors... if we can influence their choices, undermine their confidence, and force them to withdraw their investment early, that would be another effective approach."

Gu Ming pondered that the best solution would be to have someone beat up the investor.

However, Gu Ming would never resort to such ruthless methods.

After thinking for a long time, Gu Ming finally looked at Xiao Quan.

"How are your talks with those Yakuza going?"

"It's alright, we're already quite familiar with each other. Although these people call themselves Yakuza, they're actually just like me before, from the lowest rungs of society, fighting over something we don't even know. Last time the fight ended in a draw, and they're looking for another opportunity to fight." Gu Ming nodded: "Do you think it's possible to have them fight around the area around Toho's film studio?"

Gu Ming drew a circle.

Find out when the investors will be visiting, and then lure the Yakuza there to fight during that time.

At the same time, they used the production quality and viewership ratings of competing products to launch another attack, ultimately greatly reducing investors' confidence.

—This piece of junk you guys made has terrible ratings, the quality is worse than others, and the filming location is so dangerous. There's no guarantee it will even be finished. Is it really worth continuing to invest in it? You should just finish filming one season and cut your losses!
Mirror Man is a good story, and it's a complete year-long series with 52 episodes and an average viewership rating of over 10%.

Gu Ming pondered.

Rather than letting Wan Gu'ao continue filming, it would be better for him to bring Wan Gu back to film.

After all, the Mirror Man project was based on Tetsuo Kinjo's manuscript, and now he has the complete Tetsuo Kinjo manuscript.

Koizumi turned his face away.

"Brother Gugu, should we rethink our plan?"

"No need, let's just leave it at that. The more elaborate the plan, the easier it is to fail. Sometimes the simplest things are the most useful."

Gu Ming clasped his hands together and made the decision.

Let Koizumi handle this. Gu Ming plans to do two things during this time: persuade the Metropolitan Police Department and see if they are willing to cooperate with some filming.

After all, the protagonist of "Violent Man" is a policeman. Even if his methods are a bit brutal, his identity will not change, and he will still have some contact with the Metropolitan Police Department.

on the other hand.

Gu Ming wanted to try to close off relatively suitable streets within Tokyo for filming.

Closing off an entire street for filming can not only produce excellent results but also create significant buzz and boost box office revenue.

He could easily find people to block off the streets of Nara, but Nara itself was still too small.

This effect is not very good!

It would be more like Kyoto if it were.

Kyoto may not have such high incomes, but as a landmark area, it holds a very high status. Filming similar scenes in Kyoto would not yield bad results.

……

……

The main sponsor of Mirror Man is 'Otsuka Pharmaceuticals'. Gu Ming didn't know anyone there, so he could only find acquaintances at Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

However, there's a saying that goes something like this.

Your enemy is your friend who knows you best.

After making some inquiries, Gu Ming managed to get the information he wanted from Takeda Pharmaceutical.

"Next Monday, a representative from Otsuka Pharmaceuticals will be visiting the Toho studio to inspect and supervise the filming progress of 'Superhuman.' However, Mr. Furuya, if I may be so bold, if you're planning to plant a bomb to secretly kill them, you'd better not put it on the main road, as it's easy to accidentally injure them."

"Are you kidding me? I'm not a gangster," Gu Ming said. "I'm just doing a little research."

As Gu Ming spoke, he drew a small square on the map.

It's no secret that the superhumans are using Toho Studios, since Toho currently owns nothing but studios and the largest theater chain in Japan.

The only thing Gu Ming couldn't understand was when the investors would conduct an inspection, but now he knows.

"Brother Ao, I didn't want to do this either, but you guys have messed with me so many times, I have to do something! This movie is good, but Taguchi and Honda Ishiro are both terrible. You guys might as well give up and let me find someone to film it!"

First, dismantle their investors. Without investors, it will be very difficult for Sinbot to continue operating in Japan on his own.

After this experience, if the final product isn't of good quality, future investors won't have the confidence to continue filming. After all, the investors invested because Wan Gu'ao is the second son of the Wan family; if this second son doesn't perform well, the investors aren't stupid and certainly won't continue spending money.

With that thought in mind, Gu Ming picked up the phone and called Koizumi.

"Hey, Koizumi? I think next Monday would be a great place for the Yakuza to settle their scores. As for the location, I think Ginza is too crowded. I heard there's a street near Toho Studios that's perfect for a fight. So, make sure you pick the right spot!"

(End of this chapter)