Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 481 Project, *The Eight Kenkenden of Satomi*

Evening dinner in Ginza.

Someone like Shigeru Okada wouldn't choose a place like 'Chicken's True Flavor' to entertain guests just because the name is funny, like Akira Tani did.

"Nigiri sushi?"

Gu Ming looked up and saw a blonde, wavy-haired waitress walking over with a tray.

"Waiter or foreigner?"

"Yes, welcome! We love having you here, muah!"

With her blonde hair wavy down, she nearly knocked Gu Ming flying with the ball.

Gu Ming was shocked.

She can also speak Japanese!
Okada Shigeru took the service here for granted.

Some people prefer traditional dishes, such as 'Sushi Master' handmade food.

He is different.

He just likes expensive things.

A customized meal at Sushi Master is so affordable!

He doesn't like it!

As a high-end area in Tokyo, this place not only has a complete set of sushi-making equipment specially introduced into the commercial building, but also has professionally trained waiters, all of whom are good-looking Western men who are courteous and provide excellent emotional value.

Most importantly, a meal is expensive.

It would be such a shame not to come to such an expensive place!

Since it was a reconciliation, there was naturally nothing more to say. Everyone ate and drank well, and soon got down to business.

"I haven't yet congratulated Mr. Furuya and Mr. Kadokawa on this matter."

"Oh, not at all, I haven't even thanked Toei for their help with the distribution..."

"Isn't that obvious? You should have congratulated me long ago. Remember to congratulate me on becoming the host of the next Academy Awards."

It seems that just by talking, one can tell who said what.

Okada Shigeru suddenly changed the subject: "Speaking of which, Toei has various film and television projects all year round. I have thought of a film that requires a high level of personal coordination skills from the actors. I wonder if Furuya-kun would be interested in participating in it."

Gu Ming countered, "What movie?"

"It's like this, they say there's a custom in the mountains where elderly people are sent up into the mountains to fend for themselves."

After Okada Shigeru explained a few words, Tani Akira understood.

"The Ballad of Narayama" is a well-known Japanese film that greatly helps to reflect social realities. It is the kind of film that was made for awards rather than box office success from the very beginning.

Of course, the box office was also decent, with revenue approaching 500 million yen. The original lead actor was Ken Ogata, another very famous Japanese movie star whose status was no less than, and even greater than, that of Ken Takakura. If you were to rank Japanese male actors, Ken Ogata and Ken Takakura would definitely occupy a place.

To be honest, Gu Ming said the movie was a good movie, but he didn't want to act in it.

The values ​​and plot conveyed in this movie are chilling.

Given Gu Ming's screen image to date, if he were to star in this kind of film, it would be no less than Jackie Chan starring in "The Lover" and then showing half of his buttocks to the French.

Regardless of whether it's sexy or not, Jackie Chan simply can't show half his butt in front of the French.

Gu Ming didn't want to either.

He was about to refuse when Kadokawa Haruki let out a soft sigh.

"The idea sounds good, and it should be able to secure awards. But if I may be so bold, Okada-kun and Furuya-kun's personal development plans are clearly not compatible with this film. Why don't you go find Ken Takakura or Ken Ogata to act in it? They're all Toei's own people anyway."

After Kadokawa Haruki finished speaking, he paused and continued, "Listen to me instead. I have a suitable idea on hand, but I have to get Toei to cooperate with it."

Gu Ming suddenly looked up.

Does Haruki Kadokawa have doujinshi?
While Gu Ming was still pondering, Kadokawa Haruki had already begun to recount the story's outline.

It is said that hundreds of years ago, there was a family called the "Mata family" in Japan. The head of the family acted tyrannically, just like Sony, which angered the people. In the end, the family was destroyed by the Satomi family, and the princess of the Satomi family was also killed as a result.

At the moment of death, eight precious stones manifested from the body…

Gu Ming sat up straight instantly.

"Satomi Hakkenden" was planned entirely by Haruki Kadokawa and filmed by Toei Animation. The main cast included Hiroko Yakushimaru, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shinichi Chiba, and Keiko Matsuzaka.

The film was a great success at the time, and was very popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan. In Japan, it earned 2.3 billion yen in revenue.

However, this movie has a big problem.

Although it appears to be a female-led film, Hiroko Yakushimaru actually plays more of a connecting role.

Of course, this is understandable, because the Japanese market dictates that male-dominated films will dominate, and unless it's a special film, they won't really make films with female leads.

Second.

Haruki Kadokawa made extensive revisions to the original script while directing this film. The script was adapted from the Japanese legendary novel "Nansō Satomi Hakkenden," but after the revisions, it became virtually unrelated to the original work.

While this is understandable, it raises another issue.

Haruki Kadokawa used a lot of English when making this traditional film with a Japanese theme.

English singers, English voice actors, English promotional materials...

Moreover, it ultimately failed to penetrate overseas markets outside of Asia.

Overall, the investment was huge, but the results were minimal.

Gu Ming thought to himself that nothing else needed to be changed; just some adjustments to the script would be enough to achieve a good result.

After all, the movie was already a success; it just needed to be even more successful.

At this moment, Haruki Kadokawa and Shigeru Okada looked at each other, as if they both had something to say.

"It sounds like a movie that requires a large investment. It won't work without enough top-tier actors to support it." "As long as Toei is willing to participate in the production and invest a little more money, I can find enough top-tier actors."

"As long as Kadokawa can find actors of a sufficient caliber, Toei can participate in the production and invest another sum of money."

"Reasonable/Appropriate!"

The two spoke in unison and raised their hands to clink glasses.

Gu Ming took a sip of wine.

These two are practically half-brothers!
Haruki Kadokawa suddenly spoke up: "Princess Satomi, I think 'Hiroko Yakushimaru' could play the role. She is the right age, has a good reputation, and has recently performed overseas, making her very popular with audiences."

Shigeru Okada said, "Yes, but it's not enough."

Both pairs of eyes turned to Gu Ming.

If Hiroko Yakushimaru isn't enough, then who is? It's so hard to think of!
Gu Ming coughed twice: "Um, do I have any reason to refuse?"

The two continued their conversation: "It's a pity he's not the lead actor."

"Although it can't be considered part of the bet, I can decide to remove this filming time from the bet."

"Extreme Action Studio is the best action production studio in Japan right now! It would be best if Extreme Action Studio were involved in the production."

"This part can also give Furuya a considerable degree of autonomy."

"Furuya-kun, you wouldn't want Hiroko to star in a bad movie, would you?"

The two Kadokawas exchanged a glance and then raised their hands to clink glasses again.

Reasonable!

appropriate!

Gu Ming clicked his tongue.

So, you agree?
Gu Ming used both hands to slap down the thighs of the two men.

Then agree! Why would he need to refuse?
……

……

In the evening, Gu Ming left the dinner party with his arms around the people around him, practically exchanging name cards and calling each other half-brothers.

Despite being the president, Okada Shigeru reacted extremely quickly. As long as it didn't affect Toei's stock price, he didn't care about being overly courteous to subordinates.

Only on this basis can we try our best to understand the corresponding actors.

Of course, Gu Ming is an exception...

You can't fight this guy, because you can't beat him. These underhanded tactics are ineffective against him.

Once outside, Shigeru Okada casually asked, "Furuya-kun, are you planning to drive back?"

"No, I'm not taking a car." Gu Ming explained, "I drank today, so I'm not driving."

He pointed to his chest with his other hand.

"The wine is in my car, but I'm not in the car!"

"I'm inside the car, but the wine isn't in mine!"

"I won't drive after drinking, because I value my life!"

After drinking, Gu Ming even started speaking his hometown dialect.

Shigeru Okada understood.

It seems that Gu Ming is the kind of person who will abide by the rules when conditions permit.

That makes things easier; what he fears are people who don't play by the rules.

—For example, Kadokawa Haruki next door right now. People like him don't follow the rules when they do things, and you can't judge them by common sense.

Shigeru Okada looked into the distance and raised his hand. At that moment, a car received the signal and slowly drove up in front of the two of them. The car was brand new, the paint was clean, and even the heat insulation film on the windows had not been removed.

The driver rolled down the window, revealing a professional smile.

"Does Furuya-kun like cars? This car is a new model from Mercedes-Benz in Germany."

Gu Ming said, "Maybach?"

Shigeru Okada blushed.

Where did this Maybach come from! He doesn't even drive a Maybach.

In Japan, only members of the Toyokawa family are qualified to drive a Maybach!
Only Maybach is worthy of the Toyokawa family's darkness!
Gu Ming wasn't actually that drunk; he was just joking.

Once he calmed down and examined the situation carefully, Gu Ming understood everything.

I don't know much about cars, but it's definitely a good car, an imported one.

The phenomenon of blindly admiring foreign things is not unique; the Japanese also like foreign things.

Japanese cars are good, but as the old saying goes...

Germany's technology is number one in the world!

Even a homebody manga artist like Hirohiko Araki knows that German cars are better than Japanese cars.

Haruki Kadokawa came over with his hands behind his back, looked around the car, and nodded solemnly.

"Yes, it's a great car! But why don't you support domestically produced cars? Are our Toyotas and Hondas inferior to Mercedes-Benz?"

Gu Ming: ?
what do you say!
Instead, find evidence worldwide that Toyota and Honda can rival Mercedes!
While modern society may not dare to say so, Gu Ming dares to say that, as a time-tested manufacturer, Mercedes-Benz's prestige has already been proven by the German Zoo series of tanks.

It's definitely better than the Japanese Bean Tank!
Gu Ming raised his hand and touched the paint on the car door, clicking his tongue in amazement.

What a nice car!
Then, please accept it!

(End of this chapter)