Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 484 Regret, the timing wasn't quite right.

At present, Gu Ming has two things to do. One is to play an important supporting role in the future "Satomi Hakkenden", and the other is to assist TBS in preparing for "Ultraman Leo".

However, given the current situation, Gu Ming doesn't really need to prepare things personally. The agency has gradually gathered a lot of talent, so Gu Ming only needs to agree to the film contract. The agency's staff will take care of many other things.

Monday, a seemingly ordinary day

Gu Ming got into the free Mercedes and headed to the NHK television station's headquarters for the appointment.

He had a lot of film and television offers before, but none of them were good, except for that Taiga drama, "Tokugawa Ieyasu".

In Japan, a person cannot be considered a true, outstanding actor if they have not acted in a Taiga drama.

If nothing unexpected happens, Moritsugu Koji and others will actually participate in the Taiga drama, including a pivotal role for Hojo Ujimasa.

Halfway there, passing by 'Zhongtiao Street', Gu Ming turned around and frowned.

How can there be delinquents out in broad daylight! So many Yakuza!

Koizumi glanced at the rearview mirror, unsure whether he should say it or not.

Gu Ming was surprised: "What can't be said?"

"Um, it's probably because, Furuya-kun, you look like a yakuza."

Gu Ming instantly clicked his tongue.

You bastard! Looking for a beating?! Believe me or not, I'll kill you!
Koizumi scratched the back of his head and chuckled: "That's how it is. Before, the leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi died, and then the Yamaguchi-gumi had a big problem, and it's still in turmoil."

Gu Ming said "oh," still not understanding.

Of course, this is not an event that is easy for people to understand.

In 1981, Kazuo Tawakazu, the leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi, passed away. This was not a big deal, but just the following year, in 1982, Kenichi Yamamoto, the Yamaguchi-gumi's successor and the candidate for the fourth leader, died of a serious illness in Osaka Prison.

As a result, the Yamaguchi-gumi lost its internal checks and balances, with acting leader Hiroshi Yamamoto and Wakagashira (whose status was equivalent to deputy leader) Masahisa Takenaka each occupying a faction and fighting each other.

Not long after, Masahisa Takenaka was assassinated, which triggered a series of upheavals. At the height of the conflict, even the Metropolitan Police Department dared not intervene.

This is an event in Japanese history, the 'Yamaichi Conflict'. This event directly influenced many later yakuza film plots, Kitano Takeshi's life, and many Japanese games, including Yakuza, and even manga.

The Marineford War in One Piece is based on the Yamaichi War.

Of course, the Yamaichi resistance is not a history worth promoting, so Gu Ming is not very clear about it either.

Before long, the car arrived at its destination. Gu Ming told Xiao Quan to wait outside, while he went in alone.

The person Gu Ming made an appointment with was named Makoto Ohara, one of the directors of the Taiga drama "Tokugawa Ieyasu".

The two met in the pre-arranged meeting room.

After his assistant brought him a cup of tea, he tactfully left. Makoto Ohara bowed slightly, clearly pleased.

"I never expected that Mr. Furuya would come in person for this matter. I originally just sent out an invitation to try it out, but I didn't expect him to come in person."

"Director, you flatter me! This is, after all, an NHK production, and I will take it very seriously."

The two exchanged compliments on their tactics before getting down to business.

"This 'Tokugawa Ieyasu' series is scheduled to air next year and tells the story of Tokugawa Ieyasu's turbulent life. Although I really wanted to invite Mr. Furuya to play Tokugawa Ieyasu in his middle age, I felt it wasn't quite right. If possible, I plan to invite Mr. Furuya to play 'Honda Tadakatsu'."

Gu Ming was shocked: "I heard that Honda Tadakatsu is only 1.4 meters tall!"

Makoto Ohara tilted his head slightly.

This is it.

It can be changed if the plot requires it! After all, Tokugawa Ieyasu wasn't that handsome in history!
"Honda Tadakatsu seems alright."

Gu Ming pondered for a moment, then asked Ohara Makoto, "So, what about the time? What's the specific start-up time?"

Seiji Ohara: "We plan to start filming at the end of November and officially air the film in January next year. There will probably be many scenes in the film during that period."

Gu Ming froze, his smile gradually fading.

That probably won't work. Considering the timing, Satomi Hakkenden will be starting filming around that time.

Gu Ming has two responsibilities: guiding the killing formation and acting as the male lead. Therefore, it's highly unlikely he'll be able to get away.

Upon seeing Tani's expression, Makoto Ohara knew that something might be wrong, and could only give a bitter look.

"It seems that this drama is destined to be unrelated to Furuya-kun."

Gu Ming could only shrug.

What should we do then?

Fortunately, Gu Ming himself was not in a hurry to star in this Taiga drama.

"It's a real shame that we couldn't reach an agreement."

Gu Ming thought for a moment and said, "Actually, if there are other roles that don't have a lot of screen time but involve relatively important historical figures, you can contact me and give it a try."

After Gu Ming finished speaking, he got up and left.

Makoto Ohara scratched his head, pondering repeatedly.

That being said, who was the most important person in Tokugawa Ieyasu's life?

Imagawa Yoshimoto? I heard that Imagawa Yoshimoto surpassed Tokugawa Ieyasu's leather drum.

This matter is also recorded in the biography of Tokugawa Ieyasu's prostitution.

"It couldn't have been the Battle of Mikatagahara, could it? Come to think of it, who was it that sent Tokugawa Ieyasu flying into miso soup during the Battle of Mikatagahara?"

Makoto Ohara couldn't help but scratch his head.

According to unofficial historical records, during the Battle of Mikatagahara, Yamagata Masakage launched a desperate attack that broke through two layers of barricades of the Tokugawa army, so frightening that Tokugawa Ieyasu soiled his pants.

……

……

Gu Ming wasn't too bothered about not having the chance to act in this Taiga drama. In fact, Taiga dramas have always had good ratings over the years, but the Taiga drama with the highest ratings hasn't even started filming yet.

In 1986, with the sponsorship of the Date family descendants in Sendai, "The One-Eyed Dragon Masamune" was broadcast and became the highest-rated Taiga drama in Japan.

Gu Ming pondered, "Tokugawa Ieyasu is so boring. Date Masamune is much more interesting. After all, Date Masamune was born twenty years later. It's said that if he had been born twenty years earlier, he could have competed with Oda Nobunaga."

With the Taiga drama saga now seemingly over, Gu Ming has more pressing matters to attend to.

In June, "Violent Cop" was officially released. This film, which had garnered a lot of attention beforehand, would be quite frustrating if its box office revenue was not high enough.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the time Gu Ming had been waiting for. The movie "The Fierce Man" was officially released.

Gu Ming was naturally very excited, but there was someone who was even more excited about the film's success than Gu Ming.

It was Takeshi Kitano.

Actually, when he saw this film, he had a strange feeling that he was very interested in it.

"Hey Gugu, how's the film going?"

"Brother Gugu, have the box office results come out yet?"

"Gugu..."

Gu Ming rolled up his sleeves.

"If you call me that again, I'll beat you up! It's the first day of release, how would I know how the box office is!"

Takeshi Kitano chuckled sheepishly: "I just wanted the film to be better!"

Kitano Takeshi's repeated changes of mind made Gu Ming a little concerned.

Gu Ming touched the watch face, lost in thought.

Inspired by Takeshi Kitano's antics, he also wanted to go see it!

(End of this chapter)