Tokyo's bubble economy: From literary giants to great entertainers

Rie Miyazawa was stunned.

—It's true she became famous early, but that's not all good. Besides never experiencing the normal school life that most kids have...

Because of her low level of education, she has been labeled by the media as a "low-education idol" and is often associated with topics such as "uncultured, shallow, and a junior high school graduate beauty".

Last year, thanks to her mother's efforts, she barely made it onto a small variety show, only to be publicly ridiculed by the host for "not recognizing all the characters, lacking common sense, and speaking without depth." But even though she felt so wronged, she simply replied with a smile, "When adults talk about profound topics, I can't join in at all, and I especially envy knowledgeable people."

This is not only because she is genuinely insecure, but also because her mother needs such topics for publicity and hype.

Everyone only sees her as a cash cow; no one cares about her feelings or her future.

But now...

Looking at Shuichi Kanbara's profile, her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a word, as the corners of her mouth involuntarily twitched downwards. Just then, the train arrived at the station, and the crowd surged forth.

She was already thin and frail, and was jostled so badly she lost her balance. Just then, a large hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her in front of him.

"Is it really that simple? Are you that easily moved?"

She looked up and saw Shuichi Kambara wink at her with a smile.

At this point, she couldn't hold back anymore, and tears streamed down her face. She quickly lowered her head and mumbled softly, "What's so touching? I...I just got sand in my eyes."

"Oh? You got sand in your eye? That won't do. Girls with sand in their eyes can't go to high school."

"Shuichi-san~~~"

Rie Miyazawa could no longer hold back. Her face flushed red, and she clenched her fists, revealing for the first time the coquettish liveliness that should be present in public at her age.

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. Let's go, the door's open. We'll talk about school in the car."

Shuichi Kambara smiled, shook his head, and turned to walk towards the train.

This time, Rie Miyazawa didn't try to suppress her emotions like she had on the street before. A determined look appeared on her flushed face. She pushed through the crowd to stand next to Shuichi Kanbara and hugged his arm tightly.

Shuichi Kambara was taken aback and looked down at her.

As if afraid of being rejected, Rie Miyazawa's clear eyes trembled slightly, and she quickly muttered in a low voice, "I...I'm afraid of being separated from the group."

"Haha, then hold on tighter, silly girl."

"I'm not stupid!"

Rie Miyazawa muttered softly.

But soon, as she boarded the train, she found that Shuichi Kambara had placed her in the triangular area by the door, shielding her from the crowd with his body. Her large eyes, which had been slightly bright with excitement, gradually calmed down, and an indescribable soft emotion surfaced in her eyes.

Some of these are the shy glances of young girls secretly looking at the people they admire.

But more than that, it's like a small boat that has been adrift for too long finally finding its harbor.

.

Shimokitazawa is very close to Horikoshi High School.

The two chatted for a while on the train about which high school was better. Not long after, as the subway's female voice announced its arrival, Shuichi Kanbara and Rie Miyazawa squeezed out of the train.

It has to be said that the Tokyo subway during the morning rush hour is terrifying.

Especially the Nakano-Sakaue Station.

In Japanese universities, the first week of freshman year is mostly filled with club recruitment and other activities with few classes. This is especially true for art universities like the Japan University of the Arts, where management is very lenient towards students who are already employed.

But it's different for high school students; today is a proper school day.

Nakanosakaue Station is not only close to Horikoshi High School, but also to two other high schools, Hōsen Gakuen and Jōsei Gakuen. All three schools are only about ten minutes away from the station.

Needless to say, when Shuichi Kanbara finally squeezed out of the subway exit, what came into view was a huge crowd of students in high school uniforms, a sea of ​​people that stretched as far as the eye could see.

People were packed together.

Normally, Shuichi Kanbara would be incredibly annoyed, but today was different. His main job at the film set today was auditioning newcomers.

The Japanese film and television industry in the 1990s was different from what it was later.

For example, in the 2018 film "From Today, It's My Turn!!", although the subject matter is a high school comedy, all the actors were around 25 years old when filming, and even Kento Kaku was almost 30, while Kanna Hashimoto was only 19 years old.

But things are different these days.

Japanese audiences these days aren't as picky about acting skills, but they do value atmosphere and realism.

For example, at the beginning of this year, 17-year-old Yuki Uchida starred in the hit school romance comedy "Who Stole My Heart," which featured a cast of active high school students aged 16-18.

Another example is the wildly popular school comedy "High School Three Musketeers" from last year, in which the lead actor, Yuji Oda, was 19 years old, and the other members were all high school students.

Of course, it's not about age alone; the key is whether the appearance and temperament match. Someone with a nationally recognized baby face like Noriko Sakai could play a high school student at 22 and no one would question it.

However, in this era of an explosion of underage idols, it is still too difficult for a twenty-something-year-old like Deng to compete with them.

Moreover, a more realistic point is that the pay for a sixteen or seventeen-year-old newcomer is far lower than that of an established actor in his twenties.

It's important to know that Japanese actors' salaries are not high to begin with.

In his previous life, he had seen many Japanese and Korean celebrities. Whenever they received variety show invitations or film and television contracts from China, they were all stunned when they first saw the salary rates there. They couldn't believe that the remuneration could be so high.

This is actually one of the reasons why Japan's entertainment industry is so powerful.

In the Japanese film and television industry, the majority of the profits naturally go to the investors. But among the remaining shares, the screenwriters of original scripts—that is, those who create purely original scripts that are not adapted from manga or comics—commit to consistently outperforming actors of the same caliber in terms of industry status, influence, and long-term royalties, and even surpassing directors of the same level.

Of course, none of this affects Shuichi Kanbara now.

Leading Rie Miyazawa through the crowded streets, winding their way through the throngs, the two finally arrived at the entrance of the school film set in no time.

Looking from afar, Shuichi Kambara could see Keiko Matsuzaka's iconic silver Mercedes parked by the courtyard wall.

The yakuza beauty who rolled up her sleeves and drank with Honami Suzuki last night is now leaning against the car door, smoking a cigarette with a melancholy and blissful expression. Today she is wearing a black halter dress that shows off her figure, but her face has the dark circles under her eyes that look like she's had a hangover.

Upon seeing this, Shuichi Kanbara almost burst out laughing.

Everyone drank quite a bit last night, but the one who drank the most was Matsuzaka Keiko.

Unfortunately, she had already drunk quite a bit in the first half, and then, unexpectedly, Honami Suzuki arrived halfway through the party.

Enemies meeting are bound to be filled with hatred.

However, Honami Suzuki came with nothing but water, and despite her petite stature, she had an unexpectedly high alcohol tolerance. Together, they managed to outdrink Keiko Matsuzaka.

The image of her leaning on Tokiwa Takako's shoulder last night, her eyes closed, waving her arms as if to play a drinking game, still lingered in his mind. A smile appeared on Kanbara Shuichi's lips, and just then, the other person turned her head to look at him.

"Huh? Here comes that lecherous little devil with terrible taste."

"???"