Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 640 Yes, "Dragon Among Men" is my final work.
By this time, TBS's internal structure had undergone a complete reshuffling, and the people involved were no longer the same as before.

The person currently serving as the head of the TBS broadcasting department is an old acquaintance, Kinoshita Danjiro.

Those who were just employees back then are now part of the TBS organization with some status.

At this very moment, Kinoshita Danjiro and Tani Akira are sitting together in this screening room.

He really wanted to joke with Gu Ming like his senior, but Kinoshita Danjiro was well aware of the difference in their status, so he adopted a very humble attitude at this moment.

"Then, let's start watching the movie."

He pressed the remote control and began watching the first episode of "Yakuza".

As soon as the story begins, Kinoshita Danjiro reveals a sincere expression.

You can tell from the very first shot that this show cost a lot of money.

In 1992, a time of economic downturn and nascent growth, such a big-budget TV series was nothing short of a shot in the arm, proving to everyone that we were still making an effort to enjoy our entertainment.

The decadent and extravagant atmosphere can be seen from the clothing of the characters in the background.

The camera gradually zoomed in, eventually focusing on a wine glass.

Through the reflection of two faces in the ice in the wine glass, the two people talking to each other reveal their identities.

It turns out they were two key members of the same organization, the 'Tojo Clan': Kazuma Kiryu and Akira Nishikiyama.

"It's that Hiroshi Abe..."

Kinoshita Danjiro recognized the character instantly.

He glanced at Gu Ming, a question he particularly wanted to ask.

Why don't you act it yourself!
Gu Ming remained silent, simply leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, watching the projector screen.

After the two exchanged a few words, a drunkard came over and caused trouble. Kiryu Kazuma suddenly stood up and grabbed the man.

The sudden, powerful throwing motion, and the human-shaped object that was thrown out, made Kinoshita Danjiro's eyes widen instantly.

I rely on!

So cool!
"It's just a bit of a pity!" Kinoshita Danjiro shook his head: "Why didn't Furuya-kun perform it himself? I feel that this action would have been more concise if you had done it yourself."

Although he couldn't see the steel cable, he could tell that the move was achieved through a shift change, rather than a real takedown.

The action of pulling a person with a steel cable is different from the action of free fall where the person is thrown out directly, and this is easy to distinguish.

Gu Ming smiled but simply shook his head.

He obviously couldn't answer that question.

Kinoshita Danjiro knew this was a kind of predicament; the higher one's status, the less likely one was to play certain roles, so he didn't ask any more questions and continued to close the door.

The drunkard who was thrown away quickly ran away, and after chatting for a few words, the two lost their interest in drinking and packed their things to leave the bar.

There was no one outside, and Jinshan Zhang smiled jokingly.

"I can't make movies anymore. Look, the movie theater is empty on Sundays!"

As soon as Kiryu Kazuma laughed, he reflexively looked towards the street.

Figures flashed by in the alley.

More and more people emerged from the boxes, carrying baseball bats, batons, and other self-defense weapons commonly found in Japan.

A massive battle ensued.

Kinoshita Danjiro was overwhelmed by what he saw.

Unlike past action films, this time, these yakuza members are not displaying fixed moves, but rather a form of mixed martial arts.

The fight included not only throwing techniques from Japanese judo, but also fierce elbows and knees from Muay Thai, as well as various sweeping kicks and short-range strikes used in military and police techniques. The battle ended with an extremely exaggerated back throw, after which the two finished off all their enemies and drove away separately.

Among them, Kazuma Kiryu's moves mainly consist of throws, grappling, and long-range strikes. Akira Nishikiyama, on the other hand, uses joint locks, short-range strikes, and low attacks more often.

It can be said that the two people's moves can roughly reflect their styles. When Kiryu Kazuma fights, he focuses on destroying the fighting force, rather than killing or maiming people.

While Akira Nishikiyama uses joint locks and tries his best not to kill, those who are defeated by him are basically crippled for life.

Their fighting styles alone reveal their personalities.

The first episode ends with the two meeting the leader of the East City Gang the next day, and preparing to carry out a mission under the leader's arrangement.

Kinoshita Danjiro pondered for a moment, carefully choosing his words, and said, "Mr. Furuya must have spent a considerable amount of money investing in this drama series."

"It's alright." Gu Ming said casually, "We'll make movies if we have the money. What else is there to do if we don't make movies?"

"That's true."

Kinoshita Danjiro said, "However, you are well aware of TBS's current situation. TBS is not the same TBS it used to be, and I'm afraid they can't offer such a high price..."

Gu Ming didn't want to hear what he was going to say next: "Let's stop haggling here. Fifteen million yen. This drama can effectively fill the gap in TBS's recent lack of works. In these days, people don't have much money. Even going to the movies is expensive. What else can we do if we don't stay home and watch TV dramas? TBS will definitely make a fortune in ratings and advertising revenue. If you want to keep pushing the price down, let's put this on speakerphone. I'm going to go find TV Asahi right now."

Kinoshita Danjiro was shocked.

Don’t!!
"Furuya-kun, that's an exaggeration. We're not at that level yet. Fifteen million? TBS has no problem!"

Fifteen million yen per episode is clearly a loss for this series, but Kinoshita Danjiro knows that Tani Akira will definitely not lose money.

—The suit was custom-made and advertised for sale; Kiryu Kazuma's watch was a Citizen, with the logo clearly visible.

The two people's car prominently displayed the Toyota logo.

These are all advertising investments! Gu Ming directly approached the investors through his personal channels, so although the purchase price of the drama was definitely a loss, the drama itself won't lose money.

Rather.

In an era of economic downturn and difficulty in investing in large-scale productions, to actually acquire a TV series worth 15 million yen is truly a huge win!

The cooperation was thus concluded, and the two bowed to each other.

"Furuya-kun, speaking of which, it's been a while since we've seen any of your work, apart from that Taiga drama. You're not planning on having any new projects released anytime soon, are you?"

Gu Ming shrugged.

Yes, that's it. His Japanese entertainment career has come to an end.

There's no need to associate my subsequent experiences overseas with the Japanese entertainment industry.

Therefore, Gu Ming can say it without hesitation.

Yakuza was the last work he personally participated in; any other works he created had nothing to do with Gu Ming.

Kinoshita Danjiro pursed his lips, his expression a complex mix of emotions.

Having watched his work for over a decade, Taniguchi had almost become a part of his memories. Now, suddenly not seeing his face on screen, Kinoshita Danjiro truly felt as if he had lost something.

Perhaps it symbolizes that his naive and immature days from twenty years ago have completely passed.

"Well then, let's wish this work great success. I hope that Furuya-kun can create miracles as he has in the past, and that this work will once again create miracles in this declining era in Japan!"

Kinoshita Danjiro opened the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of liquor.

Knowing that Gu Ming didn't drink alcohol, he poured him a glass of water.

Gu Ming clinked glasses with him.

"Like a tennis ball bouncing back up after hitting bottom. To celebrate victory... Cheers!"

(End of this chapter)