Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 297, page 295: Asia's First Love

While Wang Sheng was simultaneously handling the wrap-up of "My Sassy Girl" and the sale of "Lurking" in China, across the sea in Japan, a cultural ripple he indirectly triggered was rapidly expanding into a surging wave.

May 5, 2000, Tokyo, Japan.

This day is Children's Day in Japan, falling within the "Golden Week" long holiday, which is the peak season for entertainment and consumption.

In a Shochiku cinema located in Shibuya, a bustling area of ​​Tokyo, the largest screening room was packed to capacity.

On the giant screen, "First Love" is being played, with meticulous Japanese dubbing and Japanese subtitles.

As the lights dimmed, only the interplay of light and shadow on the screen illuminated the faces of the attentive Japanese viewers.

As the plot unfolds, the ordinary girl "Xiao Shui" (played by Gao Yuanyuan) works hard to transform herself for the sake of her crush, the senior "A Liang" (played by Huang Xiaoming), gradually blossoming from an ugly duckling into a radiant figure... The theater was filled with knowing laughter and soft sobs at times.

When the film ends, and Xiaoshui, now an excellent designer, and Aliang reunite after many years, letting go of each other and passing by, as the theme song's melody gently plays, many young audience members, especially women, have tears of emotion glistening in their eyes.

The subtitles lit up, the lights came back on, and after a brief silence, there was enthusiastic and sustained applause.

……

Compared to the South Korean film market, which gradually opened up after the Asian financial crisis and had a strong sense of local protectionism, Chinese films did have some "inherent advantages" when entering the Japanese market in 2000.

First, there's the historical context and market inertia. Japan has a long tradition of importing foreign films, and for excellent works from Asia, as long as they meet market expectations, the import process is relatively mature.

Shochiku, Toho, and Toei, these three long-established film companies, all have well-established systems for selecting, importing, and distributing overseas films.

In particular, Songzhu Pictures' previous successful experience in operating "Postmen in the Mountains" has helped it accumulate channels and credibility for operating Chinese art films and even commercial films.

For Sungchu, importing a youth romance film that had already been market-tested in neighboring South Korea was a natural business decision, without needing "adventurers" like Jung Tae-won to break the ice as was the case in South Korea.

Secondly, there are subtle differences in cultural acceptance.

Despite belonging to the East Asian cultural sphere, Japanese society has an almost obsessive preference for the "pure love" (pure love) genre, forming a stable market for this type of film.

From the early "The Dancing Girl of Izu" to the later "Love Letter" and "Crying Out Love in the Center of the World," the pure, slightly sentimental, and growth-oriented stories of youthful love easily resonate with Japanese audiences.

The core essence of "A Little Thing Called First Love" precisely embeds this aesthetic tradition, and its themes of "unrequited love" and "transformation" are almost a classic model of the "pure love" genre.

This is slightly different from the situation in South Korea, where it needs to rely on a top singer's theme song to break into the mainstream and emphasize the thrill of "comeback". In Japan, its "pure love" attribute is its most prominent label.

Furthermore, there was the groundwork laid for the key character. Huang Xiaoming had already garnered immense popularity among Japanese moviegoers and some media outlets thanks to his portrayal of the simple, resilient, and clear-eyed rural postman in "Postmen in the Mountains."

The Japan Post system even issues commemorative stamps featuring its characters, demonstrating its significant influence.

His character, "Ah Liang," is sunny, handsome, and has a touch of melancholy typical of art students. He is almost like an ideal male protagonist straight out of a Japanese shoujo manga, and his existing fan base provided the film with initial attention and trust.

Furthermore, at the turn of the century, Japan was still gripped by a sense of loss following the bursting of its economic bubble, and society yearned for warm, innocent, and comforting cultural products.

The story of "First Love," which tells the tale of an "ugly duckling" transforming for love and focuses on the bittersweet experience of unrequited love and personal growth, perfectly resonated with the emotional needs of young Japanese viewers, especially female viewers, at the time.

Finally, there was the maturity of its operating model. As an industry giant, Shochiku Pictures' marketing and distribution capabilities were unmatched by South Korea's Taewon Entertainment at the time.

Instead of large-scale disruptive hype, they adopted a more stable and precise strategy: relying on the reputation accumulated by "Postmen in the Mountains" and Huang Xiaoming's popularity, they conducted pre-release promotion among core movie fans and women's magazines; they emphasized the film's market achievement of "moving five million people in South Korea"; and they highlighted its positioning as a "new classic of pure love in Asia".

The publicity style maintained the restraint and sophistication typical of Japanese media, yet its coverage and penetration were extremely strong.

Therefore, the release of "First Love" in Japan can be described as "starting at a high level." Shochiku Pictures directly provided a considerable number of screens for the opening, covering theaters in major cities across the country, which was rare among Asian films imported at the time.

As expected, the results were even better than Shochiku's most optimistic estimate.

In its opening weekend, "First Love" attracted over 40 viewers and grossed 3.2 million yen over two days, despite limited competition. This success was largely due to its precise marketing and the anticipation generated through television and magazines. The film easily secured third place at the box office, behind only two Hollywood blockbusters that had been released for several weeks.

This achievement ignited the enthusiasm of the Japanese media.

The Yomiuri Shimbun ran a front-page story in its entertainment section titled "Chinese Pure Love Storm Sweeps Across the Islands, 'Small Love Stories' Evoke Huge Resonance," praising the film for "abandoning grand narratives and depicting the vast ocean of unrequited love in a young girl's heart with extremely delicate strokes; the authenticity and purity of its emotions transcend national boundaries."

……

In its opening week, "First Love" immediately topped the box office charts, becoming the most eye-catching Asian film on the list.

The attendance rate is extremely high, especially for evening and weekend shows, which are almost always sold out.

"After watching the movie, it felt like I was back in high school, secretly liking my senior." — This is what a female university student in Tokyo said in an interview after watching the film. Her comments were published in the entertainment section of the Asahi Shimbun.

"Huang Xiaoming's smile is so healing! He has a completely different vibe from his role in 'Postmen in the Mountains,' but he's just as charming!" — Fans' comments on the movie's official website quickly exceeded 10,000.

"Gao Yuanyuan, who plays Xiaoshui, has such a clear and transparent quality, and her clumsy yet hardworking demeanor makes you want to cheer her on. She is a true 'beautiful girl'!" — Renowned film critic Junichi Watanabe praised her generously in his column.

……

The one who truly sparked a phenomenal discussion was the female protagonist, Gao Yuanyuan.

Her unadorned, naturally pure and slightly shy face, along with her clean and pure aura throughout the series—from her "rustic" early episodes to her "transformation" later—instantly resonated with the mainstream Japanese aesthetic's pursuit of "healing" and "transparency."

A film critic from the Asahi Shimbun wrote: "Huang Xiaoming's sunny charm remains, but what truly captivated people this time was Gao Yuanyuan, who played 'Xiao Shui.' She wasn't stunning at first glance, but she possessed a transparent and pure quality that seemed to have washed away all artifice."

From his initial awkwardness and inferiority complex to his later confident blossoming, his transformation was natural and smooth. The longing in his eyes, the stubbornness when he worked hard, and the sadness when he was disappointed all precisely touched the hearts of the audience.

This new Chinese actress, with her gentle and sweet demeanor and vivid acting skills, has become the best representative of 'Asia's first love' in the hearts of Japanese movie fans this spring.

The magazine *FRaU* dedicated two full pages to her, with the headline—"Asia's First Love: Gao Yuanyuan." The article stated, "Her beauty isn't aggressive; rather, it's like the dew of a summer morning—clear, fragile, yet brimming with vitality. Watching her strive for love is like seeing the purest form of youth. She has defined a new era of 'Asia's First Love Face'."

The title "Asia's First Love" (アジアの初恋) quickly spread throughout the Japanese archipelago, accompanied by reports from entertainment news on major television stations and features in fashion magazines.

Gao Yuanyuan's signature "transformation" looks in the film—a simple white dress, a ponytail, and clean makeup—were quickly dissected and analyzed by fashion magazines, becoming a style template that Japanese girls eagerly imitated. Her posters and stickers appeared in various trendy shops in Shibuya and Harajuku.

The movie merchandise that Songzhu Pictures had prepared, such as postcards and keychains printed with stills of Gao Yuanyuan and Huang Xiaoming, sold out in theaters much faster than expected, forcing them to rush production overnight.

……

When the news reached China, it first caused quite a stir within the industry.

A low-budget youth romance film has not only achieved great success in China and broken records in South Korea, but has now also landed in Japan, which is considered an "entertainment capital," and achieved such a sensational start. This is a remarkable achievement in the entire Chinese film industry.

The China Film News published a front-page feature article titled "First Love Goes East, Stirring Up a 'Pure Love' Storm," which analyzed in detail the reasons for the film's success in Japan and praised Wang Sheng and his team for their accurate market insight and outstanding cross-cultural operational capabilities.

The title of "Asia's First Love" also spread throughout China, and Gao Yuanyuan's international fame skyrocketed.

Fan Xiaopang is dying of jealousy!
After that night's encounter, their close friendship had become strained, and with this latest incident, Fan Xiaopang and Gao Yuanyuan were once again just "plastic" friends...

(End of this chapter)