Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 548 You Don't Need to Do Everything Yourself
Of course, Wan Gu'ao wasn't the only one with such audacity.

In fact, wage arrears are not unique to any one country; they can happen wherever there are people. The Japanese are ruthless when it comes to withholding wages, especially when ordinary action actors are already undervalued.

In front of Gu Ming were three different files, each detailing the production status of films that had started production in Japan within the past two weeks.

"No way, is Japan really that small? It's only been half a month, and all three of them have encountered this kind of thing?"

Tanaka subtly stated, "It's not that Japan is small, it's that Tokyo is small. Almost everyone comes to Tokyo, and besides Tokyo, there's only the Kyoto and Osaka area left. But the film and television companies there aren't as developed as those in Tokyo, so there are fewer opportunities to visit."

—Moreover, film and television professionals in the Kansai region haven't had time to join the association yet, so even if this situation exists, outsiders wouldn't know.

Gu Ming nodded slightly, not agreeing at first, but pondering the matter in his heart.

Now that the association has been established and there are plans to make it bigger and stronger, it really needs to get things done.

The money isn't important; what matters is who takes it from.

Many people are still observing the situation. Not all killing formation actors and masters are willing to spend money to join the association, and not all companies care about such a private association.

Gu Ming secretly clenched his fingers.

This matter must be resolved.

As he pondered possible plans, the phone rang, and a gloating voice came from the other end.

"Haha! I heard that the Killing Array Masters Association has only been established for less than two weeks and someone has already come to cause trouble."

Gu Ming sighed, "I had thought this kind of thing might happen, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly."

Haruki Kadokawa on the other end of the phone clicked his tongue in amazement: "So what are you planning to do? You're not going to just go to their door, are you?"

Gu Ming said, "I'm thinking about it."

Before he could finish speaking, a sneer came from the other end.

"I'd laugh at you for saying that. Do you know why I can often go out and do things?"

Gu Ming, of course, had no idea: "Because you're rich?"

Haruki Kadokawa was quite exasperated: "No! It's because I delegate tasks to the people who actually do them. I hire them to get things done, and if they're not going to do anything, they shouldn't be taking my money for nothing! All I need to do is show that I'm giving it my all, and that's enough. Outsiders will say, 'Look! Kadokawa-kun really works hard!'"

Although he hadn't seen him in person, Gu Ming could already imagine his expression.

This time, with just a slight reminder, Gu Ming immediately understood.

To be honest, you can't do everything yourself!

I heard that Zhuge Liang died from exhaustion because he did everything himself!

Gu Ming looked at Tanaka, and although the call hadn't ended, Tanaka was instantly jolted awake.

"Yes, I understand! I'll find a way to handle it!"

A relaxed laugh came from the other end of the phone from Kadokawa Haruki: "Why didn't you do this sooner? Some things should be left to others to do. Don't think you're omnipotent. You should also learn to act from a position of authority as soon as possible!"

……

……

In the office, Tanaka's assistant met Ookahara, a suit actor trained by Toho.

Tanaka poured a cup of tea and gestured for Oogahara to sit down.

"Alright, tell me your story slowly. Don't worry, as the first person to join the association, the association will not ignore your needs!" Dahe Yuanye held the steaming green tea, but he still couldn't calm down, so he forced himself to tell about his recent experiences.

"At first, they said they would give me 80,000 yen per episode, which I thought was a pretty good price, considering I'm not a well-known actor in the industry, so I agreed."

"After filming the first episode, they told me they would hold onto half of my salary until the series was finished, because they were afraid I would run away halfway through. I didn't think I was the kind of person who would break their promise, so of course I wouldn't just run away. I agreed to their request."

"Then they said that the final product was not good, which made post-production very troublesome, so they wanted to deduct 5,000 yen from my performance bonus. I thought about it and accepted it, since I hadn't filmed for a while."

"In the end, they said that because I was late twice and damaged the costume for the performance, they deducted money from my pay again... In the end, I worked hard for a week and only received less than 20,000 yen."

Oohara gets very angry whenever this matter is brought up.

20,000 yen! What can you do with 20,000 yen? It's not even enough for a rich person to take a bus!
Of course, the company's version of events is that there is a deposit of 40,000 yen, and his actual salary is 60,000 yen, with the remaining 20,000 yen being deducted from his wages.

But that's the problem.

He didn't receive the 40,000 yen either.

"And the second week I still only received a little over 30,000 yen. They always find some excuse to deduct money from my pay!"

Tanaka took notes meticulously, then looked up and said, "Explain clearly, who are they?"

Dahe Yuanye said, "They are people from Sinbot Corporation, some managers and the like. I don't know them very well, and I don't know their names."

Tanaka expressed deep sympathy for the matter.

A few years ago, actors in agencies were considered to earn a good income of 30,000 to 40,000 yen a month; later, that figure rose to 100,000 yen.

Even now, ordinary action actors, those who can only do stunt work or close-up shots that only last a few seconds, earn about 10,000 yen a month plus a performance-based 'allocated fee,' which averages out to nearly 200,000 yen a month.

These are the least capable actors in the fighting scenes. Those with better skills can take on a lot of fighting roles and even perform to a certain extent, which would earn them three or four hundred thousand or even more.

Taikohara only earned 20,000 yen per episode, and then had her salary deducted; it was truly miserable.

"We have noted this down. For now, Mr. Okawara, please continue with your work and stay in touch. Rest assured, the association will handle this matter properly!"

After seeing off Daigohara, Tanaka hired a lawyer and immediately sent a lawyer's letter to Simbot Company.

In response to this incident, the Assassin's Guild strongly protested against Simport Entertainment, demanding that Simport Entertainment return the actors' due salaries and cease such practices.

At the same time, three or four more lawyer's letters were sent to these companies that owed them payment.

As for the president or something... other association committee members are also very interested!

"It seems that our chairman also wants to be the president."

Tanaka sighed somewhat.

Although there was a moment when it felt a bit difficult, Tanaka thought it best not to go to Gu Ming again until the matter was resolved.

"So, since Simbot Company doesn't intend to talk to us or accept the corresponding letter, we have to put some pressure on them to come and talk in person!"

Tanaka shook off the microphone and began calling various filming-related suppliers he had met over the years.

His first step was to start here, putting real pressure on the other party's filming and forcing them to have a detailed discussion with him!

Try to resolve this matter before Shinichi Chiba and his team do.

He has to live up to his monthly salary!
(End of this chapter)