Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 482 Preparing for an Action Tokusatsu Drama

Early in the morning, Koizumi stood at the entrance of the office and casually parked his car on the side of the road leading to the office and the main road. He slowly wiped the car with a small rag and a bucket, and greeted everyone who came by.

"A nice car? No, it's just an ordinary Mercedes."

"What? You knew I owned a Mercedes?"

"It wasn't much money, it was a gift from someone!"

The group of people who had just arrived looked at each other in bewilderment.

Who asked you!

Standing on the second floor, Gu Ming looked out the window and couldn't help but marvel.

It's just a beat-up Mercedes!

Okay, it's actually quite expensive. In Japan's pre-bubble era, when incomes were poised to rise but hadn't yet, this imported car was quite a bargain.

"But actually, I'm the least concerned about wealth. As the old saying goes, money is a bastard, we can earn more after we spend it!"

After Gu Ming finished speaking, he blew on the keychain in his hand and said, "Thank you, it's nothing, just a Mercedes keychain."

The person sitting in front of Gu Ming couldn't help but frown.

Who asked you?!
The person sitting in front of Gu Ming was Yoji Hashimoto, one of the TBS producers he hadn't seen for a while.

I heard he was recently promoted again.

After exchanging congratulations, the two got down to business.

"Furuya-kun, it's like this, Ultraman 80 is about to end, and the department head thinks there should be a film to take over. Although you're currently working with TV Tokyo, we actually have a long-standing cooperative relationship."

This is indeed true.

Gu Ming shrugged and said, "Then you should go find Wan Gu. Why are you looking for me?"

Yoji Hashimoto clicked his tongue.

What else can it do! Everyone knows that Wan Gu has changed its name to Gu Gu.

Finding Wan Guyi and Wan Gujie is possible, but their words are useless!
Although Wan Guyi and the Wan Guyi family still live in the small building behind the Wan Guyi Company, the decision-making power over Wan Guyi's operations is no longer their concern. Apart from Wan Guyi's director's fee, they only receive a fixed annual dividend from Wan Guyi.

Although that dividend wasn't a small amount of money.

Gu Ming was naturally aware of Hashimoto Yoji's purpose in coming.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Ming felt that it was indeed possible.

He's currently having some ideas that could be broadcast.

If Hiroko Yakushimaru were to direct the live-action adaptation of Hakkenden, then Tani Akira's previous idea of ​​making a live-action Sailor Moon movie couldn't be done first. Given this, Tani Akira felt he finally had a hidden gem to unleash.

Thinking it over, Gu Ming picked up the landline on the table and called Tanaka outside.

Before long, Tanaka returned with a file as instructed.

"Hashimoto-kun, take a look at this first."

Yoji Hashimoto opened the file folder.

This is a market feedback report related to Shaolin Temple before and after its release in Japan. This data was collected directly from movie theaters by Toei, and also includes some street interviews conducted by television stations, so it can be said to be quite authentic.

"An action movie? I saw that movie too, it was quite excellent. I heard that Furuya-kun was the distributor."

Gu Ming shrugged: "I only acquired the copyright and then sold it to Toei. I only took a small share; Toei made the lion's share."

This matter is naturally not the main point.

The key point is the buzz generated before and after the Shaolin Temple screening.

Shaolin Temple is an outstanding action movie, and this time, the original action design has been enhanced, resulting in even better effects. This has directly led to an action craze across Asia.

I heard that Jackie Chan is busy filming Project A, which is very encouraging... This is also one of his most popular films.

Gu Ming specifically pointed to the word "action".

"I have experience filming 'Kamen Rider' and have a certain understanding of the articulation of the suits. Therefore, I believe that Ultraman can also incorporate action elements as a tokusatsu film."

Yoji Hashimoto closed the file folder with both hands and pushed it toward Gu Ming.

"In that case, please give your instructions, Mr. Furuya!"

"The specific story can certainly be handled by the Wan Gu Planning Department. We are just discussing the concept: an Ultraman whose main abilities are punching and kicking."

Since Gu Ming met Zhen Xialong in 1976, he has been keeping his work under wraps for nearly seven years, and finally he has the ability to bring his work to the public eye.

Riding the wave of Shaolin Temple's popularity, they launched Ultraman, a boxing-themed character.

That is, Ultraman Leo.

Although there are some parts that fans overhype, this work still has its merits overall and is a work that truly lives up to the sentimental value it evokes.

However, the stylistic shift in the work has a significant impact on audience preferences, which must be addressed. Furthermore, there are some major issues with the characters.

If the production had followed the original script, there wouldn't have been any problems. However, because the actors had gained a certain status, they made incorrect modifications to the script, resulting in a rather abstract scene in the plot.

Gu Ming still vividly remembers one classic scene.

The captain, played by Koji Moritsugu, is blocking the tunnel entrance when he discovers that Ultraman's human form, played by Ryu Manatsu, is chasing after an alien.

He let the alien go, then knocked down Zhenxia Long with his cane and questioned him loudly.

"Fengyuan! Why didn't you go after the aliens! You let the aliens escape!"

Gu Ming didn't know what Zhen Xialong was thinking at the time, but if the actor had something to say, he would definitely curse.

Damn it, I'm almost catching up! Why are you attacking me instead of fighting aliens?! You ask me why I'm not chasing aliens? Tell me why I'm not chasing them!
There are many plot flaws like these. In the end, even the costumes were made with very limited resources. In the final season, they even used silk threads to suspend puppets for filming, and they couldn't even afford to make costumes.

in short.

The work itself is decent, but it has far too many flaws.

After Gu Ming finished speaking, he looked out the window.

The actors are all readily available...

However, the content cannot be the same as the original.

This is too dangerous!
The captain is quick to hit people, and the male protagonist is always the punching bag in the team, either getting beaten up or on his way to get beaten up. The captain also likes to tell riddles, constantly sending team members to their deaths without explaining why.

Gu Ming pondered that children might like simple plots, but they weren't idiots! You can't treat kids like fools and try to fool them; they need to have basic logic.

Most importantly, the style of the work should be consistent throughout.

If you want to be serious, then be serious all the time; if you want to be relaxed, then be relaxed all the time. Such a huge difference is a serious problem.

"Maintaining the fighting and passion theme is fine, but many of the original episodes will have to be cut. It seems the planning department will have to put in a lot of effort."

Seeing Gu Ming stand up, Hashimoto Yoji nodded solemnly: "I will go back and carefully discuss and inquire about this matter. I believe that, just like in the past, good works can create miracles."

After seeing Hashimoto Yoji off, Gu Ming casually took out his landline phone.

"Tanaka, take note of this. I'm making the following arrangements."

Tanaka was speechless for a moment: "Furutani-san, who are you looking for?"

Stop deploying! He simply can't remember!

Gu Ming said, "Please call Masatsu Ryu and Moritsugu Koji in."

(End of this chapter)