Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 549 Capital, you've won!
The saying goes well.

A man who is favored is always fearless!

Wan Gu'ao wasn't the favored child, but he wasn't afraid of the consequences this matter might have.

It's just a non-governmental association; it has no legal effect!

If it were an established association like the Screenwriters Association or the Supervisors Association, Wan Gu'ao certainly wouldn't dare to do such a thing. But the Killing Array Masters Association is a newly established non-governmental association, so it doesn't matter.

Even after receiving a lawyer's letter, Wan Gu'ao simply laughed it off.

Withholding wages is normal practice. While keeping half of the wages is a bit excessive, it is still within the realm of understanding.

If one actor withholds half of their salary, the total turnover of the entire cast and crew amounts to millions of dollars. It's not so easy to simply deduct the money from their hands.

Wan Guo'ao even consulted a lawyer, saying that it wouldn't matter if they really had to resort to the law, because such matters are usually difficult to escalate. Even if they have no legal or moral grounds to stand on, the worst outcome would be that the money would be returned to the plaintiff, and others could just laugh it off.

all in all……

It's incredibly profitable, so of course he'd do it.

At Xinbote Film and Television Company, Wan Gu'ao rubbed his temples and closed the accounts in front of him.

The ledgers looked fine, but only he knew there was a big problem.

Currently, the viewership rating for Gridman is stable at around 10%, neither high nor low, but this is on the premise that the production costs have not been reduced.

If he tries to cut production costs even a little, the ratings will immediately drop, because the show itself has very high requirements for special effects.

Without Bishamonten Studio, there is no large-scale film and television special effects studio in Japan, and relying on hand-drawn effects would be extremely costly.

Although each episode can recoup some costs, such as TV station purchases and advertising fees, the total revenue per episode is almost insufficient to cover the investment.

—For example, if an episode generates 10 million in revenue, then the cost will be 9 million. The total profit after tax is less than 1 million yen, which has to be shared by several people. Honda Ishiro is quite old, but he still has to film on set every day. Hearing that Godzilla will not be included in the reboot, the old man is almost furious.

Not long ago, Wangu Ao borrowed money from a bank through personal connections, but it was still not enough.

As for why it's not enough...

Wan Gu'ao tilted his head.

This is just a matter of not being able to control oneself.

Moreover.

If I don't make movies, who's going to pay the mortgage on my big house?
"So you can't blame me for using your salaries. Yen is Yen no matter where it is. It only has the greatest value in my hands. In your hands, it's just used for lavish spending. You can't blame me for that!"

Wan Gu'ao closed the ledger, trying to find a reasonable explanation for his actions.

Just then, Simbote suddenly rushed in from outside.

"Oh! Something's happened!"

"I know, what's the rush?" Wan Gu'ao said. "It's just a few lawyer's letters! Even if it's Chiba Shinichi or Furuya Akira, they can come to me in person and I'll still give them an explanation. Modern society is a society ruled by law, do you think they would dare to hit someone?"

Sinbot scratched the back of his head.

How dare you!
"That's not important! What's important isn't the lawyer's letter. The company that provided us with props last time, 'Zhushi Plastic Jewelry Company,' sent someone to ask when we'd settle the payment. We already owe them over three million yuan in payments, and if we don't pay, they're planning to cut off our supply."

"Gah?"

Wan Gu'ao was taken aback.

There is such a thing!

Damn little company!
"Then let's settle the payment with them first."

Wan Gu'ao felt a bit of a headache.

Fortunately, it's only a little over three million, which isn't too much.

As he was thinking this, Simbot added, "There's one more thing. The plastic processing plant that makes our leather cases said that due to problems with capacity allocation, they can't provide enough rubber for the time being, and they hope we can modify the leather case design."

"Are they crazy? Do they need to research what kind of suits are made of?!"

Wan Guo'ao was furious: "Tell them. Fine, stop!"

Let's just make do with simple clothes for now! The problem is still easy to solve!
Simbot took a deep breath and was about to speak again.

Wan Gu'ao suddenly had a bad feeling: "What's wrong now?"

"Yes, that..."

Sinbot was a little hesitant: "There's some dissatisfaction with me in China right now. When will the recent revenue be transferred back to Thailand?" Sinbot himself didn't have that much money; he had found several investors in Thailand.

Now that investors want money, Xinbo also needs to get money back.

Wan Gu'ao paused slightly.

It's a long story, but to make a long story short...

There's no money in the account!
But he reacted quickly.

"Shinbot, don't worry, the money will definitely come, and the investment will be recouped. But filming is still in progress, and the repayment period hasn't arrived yet. We need to give you a few more days."

Wan Gu'ao spoke up, and Xin Bote pulled out the ledger, glanced at it briefly, and felt reassured for the time being.

At least the ledgers look fine.

“Ao, we’ve been good friends for years, and I’m willing to help you with this. But don’t make things difficult for me. I’ll talk to them over there!” Sinbot said earnestly, “But you have to give me an explanation. I need to show them that I’m making money back before they’ll believe me and continue investing.”

Wan Gu'ao replied, "Don't worry, we'll send them the first batch of 40...20 million yen, is that alright?"

Sinbot thought for a long time before nodding with difficulty.

Twenty million yen is indeed a lot.

After seeing Sinbote off, Wan Gu'ao breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems the only option is to borrow this money.

Wan Guo quickly contacted several old friends and called them to inquire.

"Hey, hey... Is this Nakata-kun? It's Mango Taka! Want to have a meal together? Hmm? Can't you lend me money? No, no, it's not about lending money, it's just a meal."

"Hey, Mr. Lung Yu..."

"Bad reputation? How could that be! My reputation has always been excellent!"

"Unpaid wages? How could that be! That's impossible!"

He made several phone calls, but each time the other party rejected his loan request, for the same reason.

Because of the recent lawyer's letter controversy surrounding the company, its credibility has been somewhat diminished, and I really dare not lend it money.

Wan Gu'ao clenched his fist.

What's wrong with this society? Is there no basic trust between people anymore? Now that he's in trouble, isn't there anyone who can help him?

Capital, you win!
I don't know whose miso ramen, jiro ramen, oni ramen, kinpo ramen, chashu ramen, sukiyaki, and takoyaki he messed with.

Wan Gu'ao thought angrily, he must have been framed by capital! Otherwise, how could so many things have happened all at once?

Now that he can't borrow money anywhere, Wan Gu'ao can only think of those private companies.

The interest rates are higher than those of banks, and the system isn't very formal, but they'll definitely lend you money when you need it.

A friend had previously introduced him to a private financial company that could lend him a starting amount of 40 million yen, but the interest rate was a bit high, so Mango had never planned to borrow money from them.

But now it seems that it has come to the point where we have to borrow money.

"It's alright. As long as the work is completed smoothly and all the copyrights are sold or mortgaged overseas, the problem will be solved! I need to get through this current difficulty first!"

Wan Gu'ao's heart was bleeding.

Not only do they need to borrow money, but they also need to find a way to quell the lawyer's letter issue first! Otherwise, even private companies won't lend them money.

He gripped the phone tightly, muttering to himself.

It wasn't the Killing Array Masters Association that won! It was Wan Gu'ao who didn't want to play anymore!

The phone call on the other end was answered very promptly.

"It would be best if your company could resolve this matter privately. However, even if we don't resort to legal action, there are still some things that need to be done. You must publish an apology in the newspaper, announce the dismissal of the facility's staff, and compensate the plaintiff for the due remuneration."

Wan Gu Ao let out a sigh.

These are all minor matters!
"Don't worry, I'm already investigating this matter thoroughly! That guy was a temporary worker, and I'll fire him immediately!"

It's just a matter of publishing an apology in the newspaper. As long as the money is in hand, it's all a small matter!

(End of this chapter)