Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 446 You Can't Represent Wan Gu

Mangaku Kazuo was not the son of Mangaku Ichi, but the son of Mangaku Ao.

Kazuo Mangaya later succeeded Mangaya and directed many classic works, such as Ultraman Gridman (a tokusatsu version, not an anime version), starting from Ultraman Tiga, and many other works from Ultraman Mebius.

Kazuo Mangaya once won the gold medal in the Setagaya Ward Essay Contest. His essay was titled "My Grandfather, Eiji Mangaya, the President of the Company".

Okay, that's just a joke, but Kazuo Mantani did win the gold prize in the Setagaya Ward Essay Contest for writing about Mantani.

At present, Kazuo Mangaya is just a junior high school student.

In the evening, in the courtyard of the small villa, Mango Kazuo was playing games and chasing each other with his other brothers.

"Don't give up!"

"Who is it? Who is using Ultraman telekinesis to talk to me..."

The two of them were reciting lines from a film they had watched the night before.

Just as they were laughing and joking, a loud noise suddenly came from the door, causing them all to look up.

Wan Gu'ao walked in from outside the door with a gloomy face.

The ratings for the new episode were terrible. Even though Commissioner Mangaku Ao deliberately took a pay cut, the ratings were still awful. Otsuka Pharmaceutical has already subtly indicated—if the next episode is like this, don't bother filming! We'll withdraw our funding after filming the first season! We've lost four million!
Hearing these lines as soon as he got home made Wan Gu'ao's face darken.

"You bastards! You bunch of brats, you don't even read your father's works, but instead go and read other people's! Ichifu! And you! All of you, get over here!"

Wan Gu'ao was so angry that his forehead throbbed, so he grabbed Wan Gu Yifu nearby and gave him a good beating.

Mango Kazuo looked aggrieved, his buttocks were also very sore from the beating, and he finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears.

"But Dad's photos aren't good! Wan Gu's photos are good!"

Wan Gu'ao's eyes widened instantly.

"I am Wan Gu!"

Kazuo Mango shouted, "Dad isn't Mango!"

"You! I..."

Wan Gu'ao raised his hand high, but ultimately could not bring it down.

Looking at the small villa, the grand mansion, and the new luxury car parked in the garage, Wan Gu'ao suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

Even if he makes so much money, so what?

In the end, they couldn't even save Wan Gu.

Wan Gu'ao gave a self-deprecating laugh, stopped hitting the child, silently shook his head, got into his car, and drove away.

I was planning to go to Ginza to find a place to relax and have some fun, maybe even take a bubble bath.

Passing through Qinghai Street, we found the road blocked off.

Looking at the erected notice board and the metal sheet, Wan Gu'ao couldn't help but curse his bad luck.

I never imagined the road construction would extend this far!

However, with roads under construction and new buildings everywhere in Tokyo, Mango didn't think much of it and simply started the car and turned to another location.

If he had stopped to look inside the metal sheet, he would have discovered that it actually contained photographic equipment.

……

……

Closing roads is not something the Metropolitan Police Department can do alone; it requires coordination from multiple parties, and municipal departments also have a role to play.

However, Gu Ming actually managed to get this done.

The Harumi Street area is slated for renovation. Located between Ginza 4-chome and 5-chome, it's a highly iconic area with towering buildings visible overhead. The renovation is expected to last about two weeks, during which the drainage system will be quickly repaired and the roads will be widened. After discussions, it was decided that if kind-hearted individuals are willing to pay for lost time, the site can be preserved for approximately one or two days.

Walking on the completely enclosed Qinghai Street, Gu Ming looked up at the iconic building not far away and couldn't help but clench his fist secretly.

Great! That's really good!
Although it cost a little money, the effect will definitely be good.

The filming will take place here, mainly focusing on the confrontation between the protagonist and the assassin, as well as the car chase scenes.

It may not be possible to finish filming in one day, but as long as we can capture the important parts and show the distant view of Harumi Street, that will be enough.

"Hey, why is this place called Harumi Street and not Kukai Street?"

Gu Ming still had the mind to crack a joke.

Tanaka thought for a moment and then said tactfully, "Perhaps it's because Master Kukai didn't pass away here."

"So you mean Master Qinghai passed away here?"

"it seems that……"

Tanaka scratched his head.

Wait, that's not right! Who is Master Qinghai? Does such a person even exist?
Perhaps the firm possesses some kind of magic, because even a high-achieving student like him often begins to feel his intelligence being diminished after joining it.

Tanaka thought for a moment and felt a sense of relief.

Fortunately, there were even more incompetent people in the firm, so he could manage and hold on.

"Let's go, let's hurry. Before Qinghai Street is dug up, we still have time to film. How are the actors being arranged?"

Tanaka responded, "Regarding the actress for the younger sister, I conducted a small round of auditions and found some suitable roles. As for the villain assassin, an agency offered me a candidate and was even willing to lower the fee."

Gu Ming laughed: "Even if they lower their fees, we can't use them. Isn't it because they offer these services voluntarily that they can make actors famous? I can do this kind of 'icing on the cake' thing too, but I don't need them to do it for me. Which agency is it?"

"Hoshino Production, the actor's name is 'Keiji Takamine'."

Gu Ming stopped in his tracks.

Hoshino Office, Keiji Takamine.

It's only been three or four years, but it feels like decades have passed.

"Oh, right... his acting skills are excellent."

Even with his eyes slightly closed, Gu Ming could recall the scenes from when he was filming a TV series on TBS.

The two of them have collaborated on quite a few projects and have visited each other several times.

Although Keiji Takamine is from Osaka, we're both from the Kansai region, so it's not unreasonable to call us fellow townsmen.

However, after that, because Keiji Takamine had his own agency and had to cooperate with the agency's work arrangements, there was less contact between them.

I never expected to have the opportunity to work together again.

"Then it's settled. Let him play the main villain, the assassin."

Tanaka advised, "Actually, we found a better role during the audition. The assistant director, Takeshi Kitano, wanted to play the role. He looks fierce enough, so he should be suitable. Besides, he's not expensive."

"It doesn't matter. The assistant director is busy enough. Let him focus on his assistant director duties. I've made the decision on this role. It'll be Keiji Takamine."

Tanaka said no more and silently made a note of it.

Tanaka felt something was off whenever he glanced at Gu Ming.

This doesn't make sense! Shouldn't most people be asking about actresses' affairs? Why is it that Brother Gu is only asking about male actors?

Could it be that the news Wan Gu'ao spread is true?

(End of this chapter)