Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 444 Representative Otsuka, Don't Go!
Monday was a sunny day with just the right temperature and pleasant weather, which Wan Gu'ao considered a good omen.

Therefore, he made a point of getting up early in the morning, changing his clothes, and wearing a suit to greet the representatives.

Although Otsuka Pharmaceutical is slightly less famous, it is said that in terms of financial and material resources, it is in no way inferior to Takeda Pharmaceutical.

Wan Gu'ao didn't care about these things. All he knew was that Otsuka Pharmaceuticals would provide the money, and with the money, he could make a TV series. And with a TV series, he would have a chance to turn things around!

It was getting late. Wan Gu'ao raised his hand to look at his watch. It was almost noon, and everyone hadn't eaten yet. He specially asked someone to prepare a fine meal to entertain the guests.

"Why aren't they here yet?"

Wan Gu'ao frowned slightly, looking somewhat anxious as he waited.

A breeze blew by, carrying a dark cloud that obscured the sun.

"It's so cool here."

The director beside him sighed.

Wan Gu'ao frowned.

For some reason, I have a feeling this isn't a good omen.

Perhaps to confirm his idea, bad news followed one after another.

"Brother Ao, the representatives from Otsuka Pharmaceuticals have arrived! They're on their way to the film set."

"Brother Ao, there's a group of Yakuza fighting in the back alley of the film set! They look really fierce, should we go and stop them?"

Wan Gu'ao was greatly alarmed.

Is there anything he can do to stop them?
Forget about Yakuza!

Wan Guo'ao reacted quickly: "Go to the alley outside to greet the representatives, don't let them see people fighting outside the film set!"

If you can't be the sole investor, then a significant portion of the investment in a production comes from various investors and the purchase fees from the broadcasting television station.

Maintaining investor confidence is quite simple.

If the viewership is high enough to show investors the effectiveness of the advertising, then their confidence can be stabilized.

Sometimes it doesn't matter if the ratings are a little low. After all, some things are not the fault of the production team. As long as the quality is acceptable, investors can accept it.

However, if the final product is of mediocre quality, has mediocre ratings, and carries the risk of not being completed, then investors' confidence will be greatly reduced.

Mango Tani and Honda Ishiro had agreed to film the movie close to the mark, keeping it at a level that looked a bit bad but still showed some investment. The remaining funds would be split among Mango Tani, Honda Ishiro, and the Sinbot brothers.

The first episode's ratings were actually decent. Although they weren't as high as Wan Gu's previous works, they still achieved a 17% rating, which was a good start.

As long as investors continue to pour money in, Wan Gu'ao can guarantee that he can maintain this viewership rating even if he embezzles a little money.

but now.

If Yakuza fights break out outside the film set at any time, it means that the filming of this project is fraught with risks!

Mango Tani reacted very quickly, immediately leading his men to prepare to go out and greet the representative of Otsuka Pharmaceutical.

However, no matter how fast Mango reacts, he can't outpace Otsuka Pharmaceutical's Mazda.

A Mazda car had already slid into Wan Gu'ao's line of sight.

Wan Gu'ao's eye twitched; he had a feeling that today was indeed not a good omen.

He strode forward, opened the car door, and clasped hands to welcome the delegate.

“Mr. Manya Ao,” Representative Otsuka said bluntly, “Just now, it seemed like there was a fight between Yakuza on that street.”

"It's just a temporary disturbance. This is a Toho film set, so safety is guaranteed!"

"Is that so?" Representative Otsuka nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

As the group continued on their way, Wan Gu'ao, following the previous arrangements, methodically explained the situation on set and various filming techniques.

The Otsuka representative simply nodded, revealing little emotion.

Wan Gu'ao continued his presentation with a heavy heart.

It wasn't until the group arrived at the pre-arranged location on the sand table that Otsuka's representative showed a hint of amazement.

"So that's where that giant scene was filmed? I've heard about it before."

"Yes, filming here was very difficult, but because the people in our company were all former employees of Wan Gu, the filming went relatively smoothly. Everyone was very capable, but the newcomers took control of Wan Gu and fired everyone."

Representative Otsuka nodded slightly, and just as he was about to speak, a suit actor suddenly screamed and rushed in front of them.

"Wan Guo'ao, you bastard! You embezzled 800 million yuan through drinking, gambling, whoring, and you didn't give me a single penny! In this minus 20 degree weather, we don't even have a heating system!"

Wan Guo'ao's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly explained, "No, that's not true. Temperature is also very important during filming. As for embezzlement, that's completely fabricated!"

Then Wan Gu'ao gave an explanation, saying that embezzlement was negligible, and so on.

This caused everyone to burst into laughter.

The Otsuka representative simply smiled and said nothing more.

After touring the area, the Otsuka representative finally departed.

Seeing the somewhat uneasy Mango, the Otsuka representative spoke softly: "Mr. Mango, I am actually quite satisfied with the filming here, and I am personally very willing to invest in this project. However, I also need to consider the interests of Otsuka Pharmaceutical."

Wan Gu'ao's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died.

The Otsuka representative continued, "Currently, our Otsuka Pharmaceutical Group has invested approximately eight million yen per episode. Although the yen has appreciated significantly compared to a few years ago, eight million yen is still a considerable sum. I was hoping to see a more valuable work."

He shook his head slightly: "Let me see the ratings for the next episode. If the ratings are good enough, the investment will remain unchanged; otherwise, Otsuka Pharmaceuticals will have to withdraw its investment to cut its losses and change the investment to four million per episode."

Wan Gu'ao was almost cursing.

Four million can buy a measly eggplant!

Oh no, four million can't even buy a single eggplant!

However, facing the representative of Otsuka in front of him, he could not utter a word of rebuttal. He could only nod silently with tears in his eyes, his heart filled with resentment.

We absolutely have to make this episode a success!
The Otsuka representative rolled up the car window and sped away.

Of course, Wan Gu'ao would not know.

When the Otsuka representative arrived, a boy ran over, knocked on the car window, and handed him a bill.

All of these are evidence of Wan Gu'ao's embezzlement.

If the filming budget plus the cost of purchasing the film is over ten million yen, then at least half of it went into Mango's villa.

That's what's most worrying.

The presence of Yakuza roaming outside the film set indicates a poor environment; the lack of equipment on set suggests that funds were not being used effectively; this, coupled with the evidence of Wan Gu'ao's embezzlement, further supports this.

In reality, the representative of Otsuka Pharmaceuticals had already given up on Mango Takashi.

However, if the viewership ratings for this episode are satisfactory, then the investment can continue.

Otherwise, divestment would be inevitable.

(End of this chapter)