My daily life with the original diva

Chapter Forty-Seven: Taking on Large-Scale Film Production

Once inside the karaoke bar and after ordering food and drinks, Akina Nakamori transformed into her mischievous self, unleashing her quirky talents. One moment she was imitating Hibari Misora, a big name in the music industry, and the next she was imitating Iwasaki Mihiro, a singer her mother admired. In the end, even Seiko Matsuda couldn't escape her clutches and was learning the Seiko Shake there.

Especially after a few drinks, he became completely out of control, dragging Kimura Hiroshi, Noriko, Michiko, and even their two managers to sing and dance together, doing everything he could to be funny and crazy.

However, Hiroshi Kimura could sense that she wanted to make everyone around her happy, so he played along with her antics and even joined in on her craziness.

They went wild until 11 p.m., but had to leave because they had work the next day. If they had been allowed to play freely, they probably would have played until 2 or 3 a.m.

The next morning, Hiroshi Kimura rushed to the agency with his manager, Yukio Tomioka, to negotiate with Hanami Hyuk. He had been thinking about it until midnight the night before and felt it was necessary to have a serious talk with Hanami Hyuk. It was not a pleasant feeling to always have Johnny's Entertainment causing trouble from within.

Seeing Kimura Hiroshi's serious expression, Hanami Kaku felt the pressure. He really hadn't expected that Kimura Hiroshi, with his dark face, could be so intimidating.

"Kimura-san came to see me, probably because of Akina-san's movie project. It's an arrangement by the agency, and I don't think Kimura-san should interfere too much." Hanami Kakuya wasn't intimidated by Kimura Hiroshi, but rather gave him a very formulaic advice not to interfere, after all, he was just an artist, not a manager at Ken-On.

Kimura Hiroshi didn't bother with Ken-On's affairs. He said indifferently, "President, I'm not interested in Ken-On's business. What I want to say is that the agency should no longer accept any collaborations between me, Akina-san, and Johnny's."

"Huh? Why?" Hanami Kagami was surprised that Kimura Hiroshi would make such a request. What did this mean?

"Is the president pretending to be confused? The smear campaign against me last time was orchestrated by Johnny's. The agency didn't help me at all. Haven't they found out who was behind it yet?" Kimura Hiroshi asked, slightly angrily.

Looking embarrassed, Kenon had investigated this matter for two months but found no useful clues, and in the end, the matter had to be dropped. Hanami He really didn't know who the mastermind was.

"A clearly competitive firm that wants to eliminate me, and my firm is actually thinking of cooperating with them. I simply cannot tolerate this. Does Ken-On think they can just abandon me like this?" This was Kimura Hiroshi's threat.

Since Ken-On thinks he's dispensable, he can leave at any time. It's not a difficult thing for him at all, and there are plenty of agencies willing to take him on.

At this time, Yukio Tomioka also expressed his support for Hiroshi Kimura, saying, "If Mr. Kimura is willing to switch labels, Warner can provide assistance, as long as his record contract is still with Warner."

I never expected this day to come so soon. They've only been working together for less than half a year, and they're already falling out. Hanami Kaku can't accept this situation. He really wants to put on his president's airs and suppress Kimura Hiroshi.

However, he knew that this would not work. Kimura Hiroshi was very confident, and Ken-on did not have the ability to block Kimura Hiroshi. Therefore, in this relationship, Ken-on was in a completely weak position.

After pondering for a long time with a gloomy expression, Hanami Kagami finally spoke, saying with some annoyance, "Alright, I can promise you this. From now on, Kimura-san and Akina-san will not accept any collaborations with Johnny's. I'll call and refuse them later."

Weighing the pros and cons, Hanami He gave in, and Kimura Hiroshi breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't really want to strain his relationship with Ken-On too much. They were still under contract, and a rash job change would be detrimental to him. Not to mention, it was uncertain whether he would get such generous treatment from Ken-On after changing jobs.

So he didn't press the issue further, but instead smiled and said, "Thank you, President. Now let's talk about the movie. I fully support the agency's desire to expand into acting."

But Hanami Kagami was still angry and said with slight displeasure, "Full support? How do I support you, Kimura-san? Johnny's has contacted a complete production team, and it's a youth romance film. Actually, it's also beneficial to Akina-san's career."

Beneficial? Knowing what happened later, Hiroshi Kimura found it somewhat amusing. This youth romance film was Akina Nakamori's first movie, "Love, Trip," which was considered an old-fashioned melodrama. Both the male and female leads had terminal illnesses, and their tragic love story before death was even more outrageous than those Korean films where the female lead is always in a car accident or suffering from a terminal illness.

The plot is bizarre and confusing; you can't understand it if you don't pay close attention. It was released in 1985 when Akina Nakamori's popularity was at its peak and made it into the top ten at the box office. However, it did nothing to help Akina Nakamori's career, and the movies she made afterward just rode on her popularity.

So to say that this movie is beneficial to Akina Nakamori is a huge joke; it has only boosted the popularity of Masahiko Kondo.

"I can provide the script, and I'll show it to the president. As for the director, I can find a production team through my agency. I don't think that's a problem, right?" Hiroshi Kimura said, taking full responsibility.

This move left Hanami He dumbfounded. He asked incredulously, "Are you sure you can do all this? Scripts aren't easy to come by, and newcomers aren't reliable as directors. Are you sure you can find one?"

"I'll write the script myself. As for the director, I'll try to find one. Of course, if the agency thinks investing in such a film is risky, then I'll invest myself. I think I can come up with 100 million yen." Kimura Hiroshi continued to take on all the responsibilities.

He originally didn't want to start making movies so early, but now the situation has changed, and in order to ease his relationship with his agency, he has to make a change.

In addition, he financed the film himself, so the profits will naturally be shared between him and the distributor. With two top idols, him and Akina Nakamori, plus good production and a good storyline, the profits could far exceed expectations. As long as there is money to be made, his principles can change at any time.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Kimura-san? If the release fails, you'll suffer huge losses." Yukio Tomioka, standing beside him, tried to persuade Hiroshi Kimura. After all, he was Warner's cash cow, and Tomioka didn't want him to be delayed in releasing records due to financial reasons.

"Let's make it a decision then. I'll definitely keep my promise to the president. I'm relatively free right now, so I'll focus on preparing for this." Once he made up his mind, Kimura Hiroshi wouldn't change it. It's just making a movie, what's the big deal?

Hanami Kagami had witnessed the boy's audacity. At seventeen, he not only wrote and sang songs, but now he was going to produce a movie. Was the world too crazy?

Chapter 48 The Man He's Looking For: Takeshi Kitano

Making a movie is not an easy task. At least, Hiroshi Kimura wouldn't do it. He can remember the movies he's seen clearly, but he doesn't know how to make them. He needs to find a director so he can make his own requests during filming and then let the director make the film.

Another factor is script selection. Not just any film can be a hit in Japan. They have unique tastes. If you ask them what they love to watch the most, it's definitely adult films.

Of course, it was a legitimate adult film. At that time, adult films were very popular in Hong Kong and Japan, and that's how Jackie Chan became a big star in Japan.

Action combined with romance, preferably with a young girl involved, would probably excite the Japanese audience to no end, and the box office would be phenomenal.

Kimura Hiroshi had two movies in mind that met this requirement. The first was Kick-Ass, which was full of toilet humor, and the second was Hit-Girl, played by the incredibly cute Grace Moretz. The extreme violence displayed in that cuteness was very eye-catching.

"No way, Akina probably can't do her moves as gracefully now, not to mention there aren't any suitable roles for me. If I were to play the goofy Kick-Ass, I'm afraid the fans wouldn't accept it." After thinking it over, Hiroshi Kimura gave up on the Kick-Ass role.

That leaves only another classic film, Léon: The Professional, a story of a hitman and a rebellious girl. A cold-blooded hitman, a rebellious girl, intense gunfights, bloody scenes, and a forbidden love between the two—it's practically tailor-made for him and Akina Nakamori, not to mention the Japanese audience with their particular tastes.

"This is it. It's a great subject matter, but I don't know how it will turn out." Hiroshi Kimura was a little afraid of ruining such a classic film, but the thought of making a fortune when it was released made his guilt so weak that he couldn't even feel it.

With the script finalized, Hiroshi Kimura began writing it in his spare time after get off work, completing it in nine days. Once the script was ready, he had a professional screenwriter polish it. The Ken-On production team also seemed to be preparing. Now, all that was missing was a qualified director. This was a task Kimura himself had taken on, so it was up to him to find one.

Actually, it's not difficult to find directors in Japan, since so many men watch love movies every year. It's just that these directors don't have the ability to make serious films. Hiring them is just asking for trouble, since all they can do is that one segment.

However, Kimura Hiroshi already had an idea for the director he was looking for. The guy he wanted to find was probably planning a vulgar and nonsensical program at Fuji TV. He just didn't know if the guy was interested in being the director. Kimura Hiroshi decided to give it a try.

Finding this guy isn't too difficult; you can just go to the TV station. After all, he's a top idol now, and the TV station will give him some face, so finding someone is no problem.

Three days later, at a sake bar, Hiroshi Kimura and his manager waited for the man to arrive. Yukio Tomioka shook his head as he looked at the man's work experience. "Kimura-san, are you sure this person can direct a movie? At most, he's planned TV programs and acted in two movies. I really can't see how he can be a director."

"Let's give it a try. I'm not entirely sure. We'll only know once he agrees and we start filming." After all, that person won't be directing or starring in his first movie for several years, but his first movie was a huge hit. I don't know if he can direct a movie if it's a few years earlier. After all, many things take time to develop.

They didn't have to wait long before a square-faced man with a fierce look walked over. No one would disagree that he looked like a Yakuza. And this was the person Kimura Hiroshi was looking for: Kitano Takeshi.

A few years later, he directed and starred in his debut film, The Violent Man, which was a great success. He continued to make excellent films afterward and quickly grew into an internationally renowned director.

This guy was a bit unruly and didn't seem like a reserved Japanese person at all. When he saw Kimura Hiroshi and Tomioka Yukio, he walked over casually, sat down in a chair, and looked Kimura Hiroshi up and down.

He nodded firmly and said, "Not bad, kid, you're really handsome. No wonder all those women like you."

Although he was a senior, speaking like that was incredibly impolite. At least Yukio Tomioka found it very uncomfortable. On the other hand, Hiroshi Kimura didn't like the constant politeness and restraint of Japanese people and preferred this casual attitude.

“That’s for sure. But Mr. Kitano looks rather wild. No wonder he doesn’t even get a chance to appear on TV.” Kimura Hiroya said without any reservations.

Takeshi Kitano burst into laughter. "Good lad, I like you this way. Unlike those male idols who pretend to be very polite, but who knows what they're really like behind the scenes. So, what do you want from me? I'm just a nobody, I don't think I'm anything you'd be looking for, right?"

He took out the script and pushed it in front of Takeshi Kitano. This script had been polished by a screenwriter, since he wasn't a professional screenwriter and what he wrote was more like a novel. It wouldn't be suitable for a professional to read.

“This is the script. I would like to ask Mr. Kitano to take a look at it. If Mr. Kitano thinks it is good, we can talk about other things.” Kimura Hiroshi gestured for him to look at the script.

Without any hesitation, Takeshi Kitano picked up the script. When he saw that the scriptwriter at the beginning was Hiroshi Kimura, he immediately showed disdain. What kind of script could a seventeen-year-old boy write? No wonder he would ask an unknown nobody like him to read it. He was probably afraid that someone would leak it and make a fool of himself.

At first glance, the script didn't seem particularly interesting, but the more you read, the more you were drawn in. It's a story of mutual redemption between a traumatized young killer and a rebellious girl, interspersed with elements of gangsters, power struggles, gunfights, and more. It's thrilling yet carries a strange sense of taboo, given that the rebellious girl is set to be fourteen years old.

"Is this really a script you wrote?" Takeshi Kitano asked Hiroshi Kimura after reading it. He couldn't believe that a young man could write such an excellent script, even though some of the scene settings were not perfect.

Without flinching, Kimura Hiroshi said with absolute certainty, "It was indeed written by me, but I'm not a professional screenwriter, so there might be some issues. What do you think of the script, Mr. Kitano?"

"You really wrote this? It's really impressive. It's amazing that young Kimura has such talent. This script is the best I've seen in recent years. I just don't know why Kimura-san asked me to play the assassin or the villainous inspector?" Takeshi Kitano was intrigued. He really wanted to act in this movie. He liked this kind of complex film that mixed violence and darkness.

Shaking his head, Hiroshi Kimura said, "I invited Mr. Kitano here because I want you to supervise this film. As for the assassin, I'd like to play the role myself, and Akina-san will play the girl. What do you think?"

“No, you’re too young. You don’t look like a cold-blooded middle-aged assassin at all.” Takeshi Kitano didn’t care about having him supervise the matter; he just didn’t want Hiroshi Kimura to ruin the movie by starring in it.

"Is that so, Mr. Kitano?" Kimura Hiroshi suddenly darkened his face and said indifferently.

Believe it or not, he has a unique cold and aloof feeling when he darkens his face. If his makeup were a bit more mature, he might actually be able to play the role. Takeshi Kitano was also stunned by his sudden change.

It's certainly passable, but can he really supervise such an excellent film properly? If he ruins it, it will definitely be a great regret in his life.

"Is Mr. Kitano afraid? Or perhaps he's too scared to try? I never expected such a brave and fearless guy to be so timid. This is my first time making a movie, but I dared to approach you. Are you scared off?" Seeing his hesitant look, Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but use reverse psychology.

This move was incredibly effective. Takeshi Kitano immediately stood up and said excitedly, "Who says I wouldn't dare? Let me do it!"

With his goal achieved, Hiroshi Kimura couldn't help but smile.

Chapter 49 He Likes You, Right?

After four weeks of release, sales reached 420,000 copies. In the third and fourth weeks, it dominated the Oricon charts. Nakamori Akina's "Forbidden Zone" was about to reach 700,000 copies in sales. With the popularity of this single, her status as a top idol was completely solidified, second only to Matsuda Seiko among female idols.

However, along with this popularity, Akina Nakamori became increasingly busy, with various programs inviting her to participate, and some even requiring her to travel to other places to record. She was truly running around and had no time to rest.

She returned to Tokyo yesterday and immediately had to participate in the rehearsals for The Top Ten and The Best Ten, which left her feeling a bit overwhelmed. All she wanted to do was stay home, sleep, and watch TV.

Backstage at The Top Ten show, Akina Nakamori, who was wearing makeup, sighed, put down her cosmetics, and told the makeup artists to leave. She was in a state of wanting to slack off.

"Akina-chan, you might be even busier from now on. I heard that Kimura-san's film crew is all set, and you'll be participating in filming in about two weeks. Oh, and the script has been delivered. Akina-chan, take a look at it when you get home tonight." Seeing that Nakamori Akina was trying to slack off, Ms. Noriko couldn't help but remind her that she would be even busier in the future, and it would probably be impossible for her to rest.

But when Nakamori Akina heard this, her eyes lit up. "Making a movie with Kimura-san? I can ask him to slow down the filming so I can have some time to rest."

"Please don't do that, Akina-chan, it's best not to," Noriko said somewhat anxiously.

Her demeanor was clearly off, and Nakamori Akina, noticing this, tilted her head with curiosity and asked her assistant, "Oh, what's wrong, Ms. Noriko? Why are you so agitated? Is there something wrong with the movie?"

Knowing that she might have acted inappropriately, Noriko nervously rubbed her hands together and whispered to Nakamori Akina, "Akina-chan, this is something I overheard from Mr. Akiyuki. I'm telling you, but please don't let Mr. Akiyuki know."

There was a secret, and Nakamori Akina was still eager to hear it. She looked around to make sure no one was in the dressing room, then quickly nodded to indicate that she would definitely not tell anyone.

But the secret she heard next made Nakamori Akina feel uneasy, because this matter was closely related to her. From Noriko's story, she learned that the agency would not be funding the film production, as the agency had no experience in film production and investing rashly could result in a complete loss.

Kimura himself is funding the entire investment for this film, amounting to a staggering 100 million yen. The reason he's willing to spend so much money on the film and even agree to bring along artists from his agency is that he demands the agency sever all ties with Johnny & Associates.

When Mr. Akiyuki was chatting with someone, he said that the biggest reason Kimura-san did this was probably to help her. After all, Kimura-san and Johnny's seemed to have no conflict. On the contrary, she had a falling out with Johnny's because of the scandal and her refusal to cooperate.

Clearly, the previous negotiation between Kimura Hiroshi and Hanami Kagami had embarrassed Hanami Kagami, so he didn't tell Akiyuki Yoshizawa everything, which led to his misjudgment. In fact, the conflict between Kimura Hiroshi and Johnny's was even greater, but Akiyuki Yoshizawa was unaware of it.

Nakamori Akina is now hearing completely incorrect rumors, which makes her very upset. She feels that she is the reason why Kimura-san has caused such a huge problem. One hundred million yen! If the film is not made well, wouldn't Kimura-san lose a lot of money? No wonder Noriko-chan told her not to be lazy.

"Kimura-san likes Akina-chan, right?" Just as Nakamori Akina was lost in her own emotions, Noriko suddenly said to herself.

"Huh?" Nakamori Akina was so startled by her words that she snapped out of her reverie.

Sitting across from Akina Nakamori, Noriko said very seriously, "If it weren't for liking Akina-chan, why would Kimura-san take out 100 million yen to stop the president and prevent Akina-chan from being in a difficult situation? Ah, those men who usually flatter me don't have the courage and money of Kimura-san."

"Does he like me?" Nakamori Akina was a little confused. She could feel Kimura's gentleness and thoughtfulness towards her, but when it came to liking him, she couldn't feel it. The two of them didn't seem to have entered that feeling of being almost lovers. So what did Kimura think?

But whether she liked it or not, this whole thing started because of her, and she didn't want Kimura-san to bear it all alone. Now that the film project was confirmed, it was too late to cancel it, so she decided to let Kimura-san take a share of the burden.

During the evening episode of The Best Ten, aside from her own performance on stage, Akina Nakamori was often lost in thought. She frequently spaced out on the show, which has become a signature of hers. When this happens, it usually means that her mind is elsewhere and she's not really present on the show.

After the show ended, Nakamori Akina didn't attend the dinner party. She hurriedly returned to her apartment with the script, put down her bag and the script, sat down at the phone, and called home.

"Moxi, Moxi, this is the Nakamori family home." The mother's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Ah, Mom, it's me, Akina."

"Akina, you must be very busy lately. You haven't called yet. Take care of yourself and get some rest," came her mother's concerned voice from the other end of the line.

“I know, Mom. I called because I have something important to tell you. How much of my earnings do you still have?” Akina Nakamori asked anxiously.

Normally, aside from spending some money on clothes, Akina Nakamori gives all her other income, including her salary, advertising fees, and record sales bonuses, to her mother to help improve the family's life. She doesn't know how much is left, but she really needs it now, at least to help Kimura-san.

The mother was unusually silent for a moment before asking, "What's wrong? Do you urgently need money?"