Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 599 Why is Hell So Cruel?
The new Dragon Boys is similar to the original storyline. Keanu Reeves plays Ralph, a freshman who, for various reasons, gains the favor of the cheerleader but is also envied by her suitors, leading to conflict and revealing the hellish training of former Marine 'Old John'.

Mr. Miyagi, the gardener, clashed with the other party, and even became dissatisfied with John's philosophy, which ultimately led to the second half of the plot. Ralph underwent special training and eventually defeated John's various disciples, symbolizing the victory of the karate philosophy. This was a victory for martial arts.

For Ralph, this event marked a turning point in his life, earning him the admiration of the cheerleader and marking a turning point in his adolescence.

Sigh! At first glance, it's quite excellent. People say that Americans always have to add a gimmick when making teen movies.

But upon closer inspection, it's actually the same old thing. Martial arts and dance are not much different. Saying that Ralph danced better than his opponent by practicing Latin dance and won the favor of the goddess at the ball is the same thing.

It was only because this film satisfied Western countries' curiosity about Asia, and it coincided with Japan's golden age, that it became famous overnight. It was later remade many times, and its plot was used extensively in other films.

Gu Ming's role in this film wasn't even a leading one; his main purpose was to lead the project and try to gain access to overseas markets.

"...Oh! Busy, huh?"

Gu Ming didn't even need to look up; he knew who it was just by hearing the voice.

Haruki Kadokawa swaggered in, his eyes lighting up when he saw the pack of cigarettes on the table.

"You've been smoking?"

"It's not mine, it was confiscated." Gu Ming casually threw the cigarette pack into the trash can.

"I heard you brought a young guy from America to make a movie. Should I congratulate you on your upcoming trip to America?" Kadokawa Haruki leaned closer and teased, "Why didn't you bring a woman? I heard there are actresses."

Gu Ming clicked his tongue, his mood instantly souring.

"Anyway, you're here to give out tasks, so let's not talk about male and female actors and get down to business."

"I need to borrow people: Little Pills, Erjiaben, and your videotape director. Are you coming or not?"

Gu Minggang was about to say no, but after thinking for a moment, he changed his mind and said, "Maybe. I have a lot of free time with this project, so I should be able to find the time."

"Such a busy person, yet you still find time to come," Kadokawa Haruki teased, casually stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray.

The ashtray was quite clean, and Gu Ming didn't usually use it, but quite a few of the visiting guests did smoke.

“Whether you act in it or not is another matter. Remember that sailor uniform movie from last time? Didn’t you guys send Little Pill to Hong Kong before? I’m planning to make a sequel based on that, with her as the main character.” Kadokawa Haruki spread his hands and gestured: “Niyamoto has been with you the longest, so he knows how to design a lot of things. Kitano-kun is quite good at this, and most importantly, he’s not expensive. If you want to act in it, the script can be slightly modified.”

"Do you have a script?" Gu Ming crossed his arms, pondering the matter. "Do you want to win awards, or do you want to make money at the box office?"

Haruki Kadokawa shrugged.

"Can't I have it all?"

"No, winning awards and box office success are conflicting. To win awards, you need to add a lot of humanistic reflection, humanistic concern, and artistic portrayal, such as the recent film 'Autumn Mountain Ballad.' But if you want to win at the box office, you have to discard the superfluous elements."

Kadokawa Haruki appeared to be pondering, but he had already made up his mind. Suddenly, he brought his face close to Tani Akira's.

"What if I said that the film I want is one that contains some humanity, but is essentially a commercial film?"

Gu Ming understood.

Oh.

That makes things easy!

Adding human elements to blockbuster movies has always been a fundamental reason for their popularity. People who watch action-packed movies aren't just watching for pure enjoyment; sometimes they also hope that the movies they watch are different from others.

Take the "Fast & Furious" series for example. It's a standard commercial blockbuster. It doesn't need humanistic care, it doesn't need any kind of humanistic reflection. It doesn't need anything. All it needs is car chases, explosions, gunfights, and an endless stream of grandmothers.

However, starting with the fourth installment, the Fast & Furious series gradually introduced a concept: Family!
Yes, even though we race cars, fight, kill, and commit arson, we are a family! We are a family! We can do anything for our family!

The original protagonist, Paul Walker, was marginalized, while Vin Diesel rose to prominence and reversed his status through investment. A petty car thief who used to steal cars actually drove them to outer space.

In addition to the basic elements of a blockbuster commercial film, a key element centered on family is added, giving this commercial blockbuster a touch of warmth.

in other words……

Haruki Kadokawa really just wanted to make a commercial blockbuster. It would be even better if he could win one or two insignificant awards. As for whether he would win Best Picture?
Winning Best Picture every year doesn't necessarily mean a movie is the biggest box office hit!
"See, I told you Furuya-kun understands me best." Kadokawa Haruki leaned back in his chair, trying to find a comfortable position.

"I haven't come up with a script yet, but we can find someone to write one now. If you think it's not suitable to make a sequel, we can use the same character settings, still one male and one female, one big and one small."

Gu Ming thought about it for a long time.

Believe it or not, there is actually a movie that fits the Japanese style.

He mainly thought of Takeshi Kitano, and then he thought of someone else.

"I have an idea, you can listen to it."

Gu Mingqing cleared his throat and began to speak.

"There was a gang leader who cherished his daughter very much. His daughter's dream was to make movies."

Gu Ming paused for a moment, then continued, "To make this film, he didn't hesitate to cease hostilities with another gang. In the end, innocent bystanders, enemies, and even himself were all drawn into the behind-the-scenes conflicts for the sake of this film dream. When everyone fell one after another, the film finally came to an end."

"Why Hell Is So Terrible", or translated as "Why Is Hell So Terrible", etc.

This is a film by Japanese director Sion Sono. At first glance, it sounds like he is James Wan's brother, but the two are actually completely unrelated.

Like Takeshi Kitano, this person enjoys making niche, gory films, the kind where arms and legs fly everywhere.

Of course, Hell Is Terrible itself didn't do very well at the box office, only making a few million dollars. This was also related to its positioning at the time, as it was essentially a video film rather than a theatrical film, so it was pulled from theaters shortly after its release and didn't receive any large-scale promotion.

However, if the film's positioning is changed to a theatrical release, downplaying the exploration of the emotional relationships between different characters and the female lead, and simply highlighting action elements, the absurdity of gangland feuds beneath the surface of the film, gunfights, the female lead, etc., emphasizing commercial elements while downplaying the exploration of humanity, it might not be a box office hit. At least it could achieve what Haruki Koyama envisioned: a commercial blockbuster with humanistic concerns.

"I knew you were useful!"

Kadokawa Haruki suddenly pulled out his checkbook, quickly wrote a few lines, and pushed it in front of Gu Ming.

Gu Ming glanced at it and saw a check with five million yen written on it.

Japanese actors' salaries have always been very low, which is quite different from that in China.

Even at his peak, Takuya Kimura only earned 2.7 to 2.8 million yen per episode of a TV series and 3 to 4 million yen per movie. His income mainly came from advertising endorsements and other derivative income.

Of course, all public figures in Japan, such as entertainers, writers, and manga artists, enjoy a special privilege.

The operating funds of a fan club are essentially donations from fans to the public figure, so the public figure can use them at will without bearing any legal responsibility, even if the money is used for firework or other entertainment.

That's why Noriko Sakai later directly asked her fans to donate money to her in Japan, because this kind of thing is very common in Japan. In fact, it can be said that as long as a public figure has a fan club, they will definitely have this kind of money.

Five million yen is naturally a compound pricing.

Salary, script, etc...

Gu Ming carefully folded the checks.

He took a picture, bro!
(End of this chapter)