My daily life with the original diva

Such outstanding achievements are a huge asset for Yuya Fukada's future promotion, not to mention that they have also pleased the people behind the scenes, which is an even bigger plus. That's why Yuya Fukada is so happy.

He naturally knew what Yuya Fukada was thinking. Although he had gained a huge benefit, Hiroshi Kimura was not far behind. After all, the box office revenue was real, so there was no reason for him to be unhappy.

"This is also thanks to Fukada-san's good management. These days I've seen news about 'Triangle' frequently in the media and magazines. Fukada-san has offended so many film critics. Aren't you afraid? If you're not afraid, I am. If they can't find trouble for Fukada-san, they'll definitely find trouble for me," Kimura Hiroshi said jokingly.

Somewhat embarrassed, Fukada Yuya said with a grin, "Publicity stunts always lead to some unexpected results. Kimura-san, please rest assured, this matter was caused by Toho, so Toho will take full responsibility. We will help you eliminate the negative impact afterwards. We have ways to stop these film critics from saying bad things."

"That's good, I can finally relax. By the way, Fukada-san, how's the overseas box office? Triangle should be showing in Europe and America by now, right? I think the most crucial market for how well it does at the box office is still Europe and America, because many of the metaphors in the film can only be understood by European and American audiences." Kimura Hiroshi was more concerned about the overseas box office.

Now that we've entered the 1990s, the overseas box office market is much larger, and the profits will be even greater. Compared to the Japanese yen, Kimura Hiroshi still prefers the US dollar. He won't exchange the profits from the US dollar back into the yen. The yen has now reached a high level, and we're just waiting for the bubble to burst and for it to depreciate.

"As for overseas box office, America was only released the day before yesterday, and we haven't received any feedback on the box office figures yet. The same goes for the European and Southeast Asian markets. However, the attendance rate in America is quite good. Although it only has 10% of the screenings, the attendance rate for each screening is over 70% or 80%. Once the theater owners realize they're making money, I believe they will increase the number of screenings," Yuya Fukada replied.

There's no way around it. Even with a lot of resources invested in promotion and concessions to theater owners, the initial screening share they get is only 10%. Don't underestimate this number of screenings; it's already the maximum effect they've achieved. Wanting more is basically impossible, since domestic films are their foundation.

Of course, it's impossible not to make money. Once they see the potential of the movie and realize it can bring them a lot of box office revenue, they will increase the number of screenings themselves, just like "Léon: The Professional" and "The Chase". Almost every movie has gone through this process.

Therefore, Hiroshi Kimura was quite satisfied with what Yuya Fukada said. He nodded and said, "A 10% screening rate is already very good. Moreover, I have a lot of confidence in my film. Western audiences understand the content of the film better. I believe that in two days, based on the attendance rate, it will definitely get more screenings and reap huge box office rewards."

“Yes, I also believe in Kimura-san. There’s no reason why Westerners wouldn’t like watching such a good movie,” Fukada Yuya said in strong agreement.

After discussing the movie, they chatted for a while and then signed some other cooperation agreements. Fukada Yu wanted Kimura Hiroshi to stay for the opening weekend box office celebration party.

In Japan, socializing is a very common thing. Anything can become a reason to celebrate, and then everyone goes out for drinks together. It seems that this can relieve a lot of work pressure. However, Kimura Hiroshi doesn't have time to stay and attend the celebration party today. He has to go back to his apartment.

Because Akiko's mother was coming over today to talk to them about the wedding preparations, Akina Nakamori, as the future daughter-in-law, wanted to show off her domestic skills, so she called to say that she would cook dinner and invite Akiko's mother to try it.

This naturally piqued Akiko's interest, and she said she could come over for dinner that evening. So, after finishing his work, Kimura Hiroshi had to go back to help Nakamori Akina prepare a sumptuous dinner to entertain Akiko, who was coming over that evening.

Therefore, Hiroshi Kimura declined Yuya Fukada's invitation. He originally wanted to invite Takaaki Matsumoto and the others to participate, but Takaaki Matsumoto also said that he had other things to take care of and did not stay.

So, as many of them came, so many went back. On the way back, Kimura Hiroshi asked, "President Matsumoto, why didn't you stay and attend Toho's celebration banquet? Toho is very generous; there should be a lot of high-end food tonight. Don't you like it?"

"Ah, no, Chairman, Toho's social events are quite good. It's just that this Department Head Fukada likes to make others drink, and he makes them drink a lot. Last time, Chairman, you went home early, and he made us drink. We all drank so much that we couldn't take it anymore. So if you're not going this time, then we definitely won't be going either." Matsumoto Takaaki said with a pained expression, clearly the last social event had left him with a lot of trauma.

I never expected this to happen. It seems that Fukada Yuya took advantage of his absence to bully his employees. Well, Fukada Yuya always treats him with some respect. It's impossible for a department head of such a large company not to feel resentful. If he can't bully him, can't he at least bully his employees?

However, Fukada Yuya didn't go too far and knew how to control himself. In Japan, it's common for subordinates to get their superiors drunk, and you can't really find fault with it. In other words, even if he knew, Matsumoto Takaaki and the others could only accept it.

"That guy really knows how to find opportunities. In the future, try not to attend social events when I'm not around, or at least don't attend Fukada's events, so he won't cause you any more trouble," Kimura Hiroshi said, both amused and annoyed.

It's probably impossible to cause trouble for Yuya Fukada over something so trivial; people will just think you're making a mountain out of a molehill. So, this is the only thing Hiroshi Kimura can do.

Matsumoto Takaaki seemed quite satisfied with this, saying, "Okay, next time I'll definitely go with the president. Thank you for your concern, president. As for Manager Fukada, we'll be careful in the future."

"Well, that's the only way." Kimura Hiroshi ended the topic without continuing, then picked up the newspapers and magazines in the car and started reading them; they were all financial articles, and he didn't know who had bought them.

After reading for a while, Kimura Hiroshi noticed that some financial newspapers were saying that the Japanese Ministry of Finance was about to regulate the interest rates on land and financial loans from banks, which meant raising interest rates in order to control speculative behavior.

With a serious expression, Kimura Hiroshi asked, "Does President Matsumoto know that the Ministry of Finance is going to raise bank loan interest rates? Is it about to be implemented, or will there be a grace period?"

"Ah, well, Chairman, I've been following the news here. It seems there are indeed rumors circulating, but both experts and the public believe the Ministry of Finance will give some buffer time. After all, loan interest rates were so low before, and suddenly they've risen so high, which would be a huge blow to the economy and the market. I think it will probably take some time." Fukada Yuya was taken aback when Kimura Hiroshi suddenly asked about this, and then answered.

"Is that so? Everyone thinks so!" Kimura Hiroshi said thoughtfully. No wonder the bubble burst so quickly, and almost no one escaped. Everyone thought that the Ministry of Finance would give them time to buffer and wouldn't raise interest rates all at once. But they were all wrong. The Ministry of Finance would catch the whole of Japan off guard. Now that the news has spread, it will probably be implemented in a few days. This is what experts in later years call the hard landing of the Japanese bubble.

However, no one expected that the Japanese government, which has always been slow and indecisive in everything, would be so decisive in this matter, directly issuing the bill and completely disrupting the Japanese market. It did not give investors any time to withdraw their funds, trapping them firmly inside. Of course, there were also ordinary Japanese people who had invested the same amount of money.

Chapter 614 When to Register the Marriage

When Kimura Hiroshi had his company driver drop him off near his apartment, it was only a little past 5 p.m. He didn't know if Nakamori Akina had returned yet, so he planned to go upstairs to check first.

If you want to cook, you can only come to his apartment, because Nakamori Akina's apartment doesn't have such complete kitchen utensils, and neither does their new house. Only his place, where she cooks often, has enough kitchen utensils.

Upon reaching the apartment, opening the door, changing his shoes, and entering the living room, Kimura Hiroshi saw Nakamori Akina already busy at work. She was hurriedly taking the groceries she had bought from the living room table into the kitchen. Her makeup was still on, indicating that she had just returned from rehearsals.

In March, Akina Nakamori's tour will begin with three shows in Tokyo. She has already completed two shows, and there is one more to go. The remaining shows will be performed in various cities in Japan, so she is very busy. These past two days, she has been rehearsing for the final show in Tokyo.

Seemingly surprised that Kimura Hiroshi had returned at this time, Nakamori Akina paused for a moment upon seeing him, then immediately broke into a very happy smile and said, "Hiroshi-kun is back! Come quickly, come and help me! I bought too many things, and it's already past five o'clock. I'm afraid I won't be able to finish processing them all."

To present herself as a virtuous daughter-in-law to her future mother-in-law, Akina Nakamori was clearly going all out this time. Just looking at the ingredients on the table, Hiroshi Kimura noticed that there were quite a lot. If all of these ingredients were to be prepared, there would probably be more than a dozen dishes. Could she possibly manage to make them all?

"With so many ingredients and dishes, even if you want to show off your cooking skills, you don't need to make so many dishes. This is really too much. I think we should put some in the refrigerator and save them for later. Making four or five dishes now will be enough."

With so many ingredients, how long would it take to cook them all? He figured he could just make enough for dinner. He knew his mother, Akiko, wouldn't be picky about such things. After all, Akiko's cooking was actually quite average; if they needed anything special, they would usually order directly from a restaurant.

Somewhat hesitant, Nakamori Akina said, "Ah, this is my first time cooking for Aunt Akiko. Am I only going to make a few dishes? Would that be bad? No, I need to make more. If you think I'm working too hard, please help me out so I can leave a good impression on Aunt Akiko, right?"

This was almost a plea, and Kimura Hiroya had no choice but to accept it. He stepped forward and took the ingredients from Nakamori Akina's hands, saying, "Alright then, let's make eight dishes. Four of them are Akina's, and I'll make the remaining four for you. But we need to hurry, it's already past five o'clock, and Mom should be here around seven."

Nakamori Akina was overjoyed to have agreed. She hugged Kimura Hiroshi, stood on tiptoe, and gave him a big kiss, saying, "Hiroshi-kun is so kind. Thank you so much. Let's get started. Let's work together to prepare a sumptuous dinner for Aunt Akiko."

"That's more like it. If you kiss this side, then kiss this side too. I'll be more motivated if we balance it out on both sides." Kimura Hiroshi pointed to his other cheek with the hand holding the groceries, saying rather presumptuously.

Since Nakamori Akina had done him such a big favor, she was naturally very generous and gave Kimura Hiroshi a sweet kiss. Only then did Kimura Hiroshi happily carry the ingredients into the kitchen and begin their dinner cooking journey.

Both of them are skilled cooks, and they don't need to rush, so there won't be a situation like the "separate kitchen" scenario. They just prepare the ingredients first, and then start cooking according to their own ideas. The first thing they need is miso soup, which is something that Japanese people need almost every day.

However, Kimura Hiroshi had peculiar tastes and didn't really like this dish. But it was a must-have if he was making it for his mother, Akiko. Since Kimura Hiroshi didn't like making it, he left it to Nakamori Akina, who was in charge of making the other things.

The two chatted and worked together in the kitchen, which was a challenge for their teamwork. However, they cooperated quite well and laughed and talked. So, although they had to make a lot of dishes, they didn't feel tired at all. On the contrary, they were very happy to see the dishes appear in front of them.

Finally, around seven o'clock, all seven dishes plus miso soup were completed. When all the dishes were placed on the table, Akina Nakamori was filled with a sense of accomplishment, and her smile was exceptionally radiant. She hugged Hiroshi Kimura and said, "This is amazing, Hiro-kun. The two of us actually made so many dishes. It's really amazing. We are simply culinary geniuses. We could even open a restaurant without any problems."

"Yeah, if it were possible, the two of us could open a husband-and-wife shop. I think the food would sell quite well. But could you please stop rubbing your greasy hands on my clothes? You're so happy that even your OCD has disappeared." Kimura Hiro pinched Nakamori Akina's nose. This girl was too happy, rubbing her hands on him without even washing them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I was just too happy and didn't even notice, Hiro-kun, hehe, don't be angry." Nakamori Akina quickly apologized, laughing and joking.

Too lazy to pay attention to her, Kimura Hiroshi said, "It's already seven o'clock. Hurry up and call Mom to see where she is. If she comes too late, the food will get cold and won't taste very good."

"Yes, it's already seven o'clock. I'll call Aunt Akiko right away." After saying that, Nakamori Akina reached for her phone, but then suddenly remembered something, quickly ran to the kitchen, washed her hands, and then took out her phone to make the call.

To please her future mother-in-law, Akina Nakamori bought her a cell phone, making it very convenient to contact her. The call went through quickly, and then ended in less than a minute.

"Aunt Akiko said she's already downstairs at the apartment building and will be coming up soon. Hiro-kun, hurry up and open the door," Nakamori Akina said to Kimura Hiro after hanging up the phone.

So they had arrived downstairs. No wonder the call ended so quickly. Kimura Hiroshi nodded and went to the door. As soon as he opened the door, he saw his mother, Akiko, already there. He quickly waved and called out, "Mom, you're here."

"Hmm, you're not too early, are you? Dinner isn't ready yet?" Mom Akiko asked with a smile. She knew that young people were generally not very reliable when it came to cooking, so she asked this question. If it wasn't ready, they could just eat out.

But Kimura Hiroshi said very calmly, "Mom, Akina called you because dinner is ready, so she wanted to ask where you are. If it wasn't ready, we would definitely still be busy making dinner."

"Really? Well then, you're very good. I'll have a chance to try your cooking." Mom Akiko was pleasantly surprised that the two of them had prepared dinner. After entering the house and changing her shoes, she smelled a faint fragrance, which did indeed smell quite nice.

Walking into the living room, Akina Nakamori was still adjusting the plates. Akiko greeted her and then looked at the eight dishes on the table. She was quite incredulous. She looked at Akina Nakamori and then at Hiroshi Kimura, clapping her hands and saying, "I really didn't expect that you two could make such a sumptuous dinner. It's really great! Akina, you're really amazing. I didn't know you were such a good singer and such a good cook."

Feeling a little embarrassed by the praise, Nakamori Akina glanced at Kimura Hiroshi and said, "It's not as good as you say, Auntie. Hiroshi also deserves credit for making this table of dishes. Look at these dishes, they were all made by Hiroshi. Auntie will try Hiroshi's cooking in a bit and see how he does it."

"Ah, my son can actually cook? He can make dishes?" Akiko, the mother, was clearly incredulous, looking at Hiroshi Kimura with great suspicion. She remembered that her son never did anything at home, so it was a bit unbelievable that he could cook now.

Unable to bear the look in his mother Akiko's eyes, Kimura Hiroshi said with great certainty, "Mom, don't underestimate me. I've been in Tokyo for so long, and I've learned a lot. Cooking is nothing compared to what I'm good at now."

“Yes, Auntie, Hiro is a master chef. I often get to eat his cooking.” Nakamori Akina also chimed in to support Kimura Hiro, confirming that what Kimura Hiro said was true.

Seeing that it was true, Mom Mingzi sighed and said, "Alas, it seems that I don't know many things since my son has been away for so long. But it doesn't matter. In the future, it will be the two of you living together. Seeing that you two can make such a sumptuous dinner together, I know that you will have a good life in the future."

That was a very high level of flattery, praising the unmarried couple to the skies. Nakamori Akina's smile never stopped.

"Okay, thank you for the compliment, Mom. But the most important thing now is to have dinner. Mom, please try the food we made. So, what would you like to drink for dinner? If we're driving back, then a beverage would be fine." Kimura Hiroshi felt it was better to eat quickly, because the temperature wasn't high yet, and it would get cold if left out for too long.

"Orange juice, please. Let's dig in and enjoy this delicious dinner," said Akiko, the mother, with great enthusiasm.

After getting orange juice, the three of them poured themselves a glass, and then, amidst the sounds of "start eating," they began to enjoy their sumptuous dinner. It must be said that Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina have honed their cooking skills to a high level over the years, so when Mom tasted it, she couldn't stop praising it, thinking it was absolutely delicious.

It seemed that their mood improved, and they had a great appetite. The three of them ate almost all of the eight dishes, but their stomachs were bulging, and they felt a little uncomfortable sitting there, so they had to stand for a while.

"It's really delicious! You two are great, but eating so much at night isn't good for your health. Even if it tastes good, you should eat less in the future," said Mingzi, the mother, with a slight complaint. She hadn't eaten this much at night in a long time; this time, she was just too happy and ate a bit too much.

Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori exchanged a glance and smiled. Then Hiroshi Kimura said, "Yes, for the sake of health, we should eat less. So next time, let's make less. That way, even if we want to eat a lot, there won't be that much to eat."

"Yes, that's perfect. By the way, the main reason I came here is to talk to you about the wedding preparations. The wedding planning company and the church have been finalized. Here, this is the wedding schedule for the church. Take a look, and if there are no problems, then it's settled." Mom Mingzi wrote down all the relevant information about the wedding planning company and the church and showed it to the two of them.

Since it concerned their own wedding, Hiroshi Kimura and Akina Nakamori took the documents and looked at them carefully. In fact, the wedding process was pretty much the same for everyone, and there were only so many things to look at. The two of them had attended Seiko Matsuda's wedding before, so they had a general idea of ​​what it was all about.

"No problem, Mom, let's just follow this procedure. We don't have any other ideas." After looking at the documents and confirming that there were no problems, Kimura Hiroshi replied.

Nodding, Mingzi's mother said, "That's good. The wedding process is actually quite similar. The main things to consider are your wedding planning company and the church. The expenses mainly come from these two, because the wedding planning company will decorate the wedding venue with a lot of gorgeous things in order to make the wedding as luxurious as possible. In addition, there is the cost of the church."

"Just give them what they want, as long as nothing unexpected happens at the wedding. Mom doesn't need to argue with them about these expenses." Kimura Hiroshi is rich, and he doesn't want to get bogged down in a long argument over a little money.

Knowing that her son was wealthy, Mingzi didn't say much. But as if she had just remembered something, she suddenly asked, "By the way, the wedding is set for April, which isn't long. When are you two going to register?"

The so-called registration is marriage registration, similar to obtaining a marriage certificate, which legally establishes the marital relationship. However, at this moment, both Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina were a bit confused because neither of them had thought of this matter and had forgotten about it.

Chapter 615 A ​​Qualified President

After being reminded by their mother Akiko, Kimura Hiroshi and Nakamori Akina realized that they had forgotten such an important thing. However, although they had just remembered, it wasn't a big problem. As long as their relationship was stable, it didn't really matter when they registered their marriage.

So the two of them discussed it and decided to register their marriage in April after Akina Nakamori's complete tour. At that time, the registration would be completed and the wedding would be held, so it wouldn't be a waste of time.

The wedding preparations went smoothly, and the release of the new movie was also very successful. In its second week of release, "Triangle" still grossed 2.8 billion yen, thus basically confirming that it was the first annual box office champion in Japan in the 1990s. However, based on this box office trend, it is basically impossible for it to surpass the legendary figure of 10 billion yen.

The film did well at the Japanese box office, but its performance in other parts of Asia was not so good. As box office figures from other global markets gradually came back, Hiroshi Kimura learned about the performance of this film, to which he had devoted a great deal of effort, in other television markets.

Firstly, the Asian market didn't perform well at the box office, even falling short of his predecessor, "The Longest Nite." Unfortunately, Asian audiences at this time weren't particularly interested in films with Western suspense and fantasy elements, nor did they fully understand the many Western metaphors within them, resulting in a less than ideal viewing experience for them.

If this movie hadn't been directed by Hiroshi Kimura, the box office would probably have been even worse. Fortunately, it wasn't that bad; it just didn't meet expectations. Kimura was quite open-minded about this, as he already knew the movie wouldn't be very popular in Asia, except for the thoroughly Westernized Japanese setting.

The film performed poorly at the Asian market, but it was a resounding success at the European and American markets. Toho invested heavily in promotion in Europe and America beforehand, including hiring celebrities, holding preview screenings, and advertising in various magazines, newspapers, and on television. In short, they used every means possible.

Despite this, the initial screening rate was only a pitiful 10%. Although there were no major films being released during this period, even so, this was the amount of screenings that European and American cinemas were willing to give.

However, the initial publicity was very effective, attracting a large audience to the theaters from the very beginning. As word-of-mouth spread, the film's attendance rate began to soar.

"My goodness, it's incredible that Easterners can make a film that contains so many Western mythological metaphors, and its logic is clear and interconnected. The use of the concept of time loops is truly amazing. It's an unimaginable Western film."

It was originally developed for Western audiences, and the metaphors in it are all from Western mythology, such as the story of the wind god, the god of death, and Sisyphus, which only they can understand.

More importantly, this film actually comes from the East. It is quite novel for America's fans that an Eastern director can use Western mythology and fables so skillfully to make a film.

With the media's relentless promotion after receiving payment, the attendance rate was predictably low. This forced theaters to adjust the screening schedule for "Triangle," from 10% to 15%, and finally to 25%, which was basically the limit they could give.

If there's money to be made, it's easy for theater owners in the European and American markets to push their limits. It's conceivable that discrimination and bottom lines are less important to these owners than money. As long as there's money, they don't care about these things at all.

As a result, the box office of "Triangle" skyrocketed. The first week's box office was only $3.7 million, but in the second week, the box office instantly jumped to $16 million. It is estimated that the box office in the third week may exceed $15 million, once again setting a new box office record for Japanese films in America.

The high box office numbers naturally delighted Toho in Japan. Their massive investment had finally paid off, at least giving Yasuko Sawaguchi a significant exposure to Western audiences. Although many Western viewers might not recognize Asian faces, the box office results were at least respectable.

An excited Yuya Fukada called Hiroshi Kimura and said, "Kimura-san, we will give you the full 70% box office share we promised. No matter how high the box office is, we will pay you in advance. We will not wait until the European and American theaters settle the accounts before we pay you."

"That would be wonderful, Fukada-san. I hope the money will be deposited into my account next month." Kimura Hiroshi naturally accepted the offer without hesitation, and even wanted Toho to transfer the money as soon as possible.

Because Japan's Ministry of Finance is truly lacking in sportsmanship, launching a sneak attack and yesterday directly announcing the latest adjustment to bank loan interest rates. Originally, in order to encourage investment, bank loan interest rates were incredibly low. At least when Hiroshi Kimura took out a loan to buy real estate, he only needed to pay 0.5% to 1% interest, which was simply too good to pass up for investors.

However, the Ministry of Finance now requires banks to adjust interest rates to 2.5% to 6%, with a minimum of 2.5%. Most commercial banks have adjusted their interest rates to over 4%. In addition, land loans must be strictly reviewed, meaning that the previous leveraged operations are no longer allowed.