I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema!

"Ok?"

Then he was stunned.

He envisioned many possibilities.

Perhaps, the young man is making phone calls with great enthusiasm; or perhaps, he is struggling with a pile of complicated reports and budgets.

But he had never expected the scene before him.

The room was very quiet, with only the rustling sound of the pen tip moving across the paper, like spring silkworms tirelessly gnawing on mulberry leaves.

The young man hailed as a 'genius' by everyone was now sitting quietly at the table.

He didn't check the report, didn't make a phone call, and didn't even look up.

He was just painting.

The sunlight slanted in from the window on his side, outlining a soft yet firm outline on his focused profile.

His hands were steady and so fast that they even left afterimages.

The smooth lines, precise composition, and storyboards full of visual impact seemed not to have been created by him, but to have already existed in his mind. All he had to do was write them out.

Next to him was a pile of completed drawings, piled up like a small mountain. The thickness was enough to make any veteran cartoonist ashamed.

"...This!" Kurosawa Eiji's pupils suddenly shrank.

Of course he knew that Hiroshi Nohara was a cartoonist, and he himself had several cartoonist friends.

But he had never seen anyone who could complete this kind of storyboard creation that required tremendous effort with such amazing speed and such a smooth flow.

This is no longer a simple painting.

This is like using a pen to construct a complete, vivid visual world full of light, shadow, sound and color!

"Director Kurosawa."

Sato Kenji's voice sounded respectfully at this time.

He hadn't known when, but he had already handed the storyboard for "Touch of Terror," which he had read countless times, to Kurosawa Eiji as if it were a rare treasure. "Please take a look! This is the drawing that Section Chief Nohara prepared a while ago. I think it's very professional."

"Well, let me see." Kurosawa Eiji withdrew his gaze from the crack in the door and fell on the thin pieces of paper.

Start looking through it.

Then, in an instant, all the calmness and prudence in his eyes were completely replaced by an even stronger emotion of shock!

He saw it!

He saw the close-up of the heroine when she touched the murder weapon for the first time - the camera slowly moved from her fingertips to her eyes, and her pupils shrank sharply in an instant, expressing her inner fear and horror vividly.

He saw the key scene before the truth was revealed - half of the handsome face of the second male lead was always shrouded in an indispellable shadow. It was a textbook-level camera language that used light and shadow to imply the duality of the character.

He even noticed that next to each line, there were concise words indicating the actor's micro-expression at the moment - whether it was "an unconscious twitching of the corners of the mouth" or "a barely perceptible flash of pleasure in the eyes."

This...how can this be called a storyboard?!

This is clearly a photography bible that has been translated into visual language, accurate to every breath!

"Oh my God!" Kurosawa Eiji's hands began to tremble slightly uncontrollably.

He looked up at Yamamoto Takeshi, his weather-beaten face filled with unprecedented shock. "As long as... as long as you shoot according to this, even a beginner who just graduated from school can produce a decent work!"

"More than decent."

A bitter yet incredibly proud smile crossed Yamamoto's face. "Director Kurosawa, to be honest, what we do every day is to do everything we can to recreate Section Chief Nohara's drawings in reality... exactly as they were. We're not creating anything; we're just... a group of reasonably skilled craftsmen, recreating a flawless work of art that had already been designed."

His words made everyone around him nod in agreement.

It is a kind of awe and submission that comes from the heart after witnessing a true genius.

In this almost pilgrimage-like silence, the rustling sound of pens in the room stopped.

Nohara Hiroshi put down the pen in his hand and gently placed the latest completed page of the drawing on the top of the hill.

He stretched out his body, loosened his stiff neck, and made a few crisp sounds with his joints.

"call--"

"Finally finished!"

Nohara Hiroshi let out a long breath.

The memories of his past life were like an inexhaustible treasure trove, allowing him to complete these creations, which others thought required painstaking efforts, in a way that was almost like cheating.

In just a few days, the stories of the first six episodes of the first season had all taken shape under his pen.

As long as the actors are in place, he is confident that he can finish filming them all within a week!

He picked up the tea that had already gone cold on the table and was about to moisten his throat, but when he turned around he was stunned.

There were several figures standing at the door, and in an instant he saw the old man standing in the front, who was looking at him with an extremely complicated expression, a mixture of shock and admiration.

"Director Kurosawa!"

Information about this industry leader instantly flashed through Nohara Hiroshi's mind.

After all, we just met in Ming Ri Hai’s office this morning.

He almost subconsciously put down his teacup, walked over quickly, and made a standard 90-degree bow in front of the old man. His posture was humble, without any arrogance caused by his current success.

"I'm so sorry, Senior! I was so focused that I didn't notice you coming. I apologize!"

In Japan, a country that attaches great importance to etiquette and seniority, his attitude is impeccable.

However, to everyone's surprise, Kurosawa Eiji did not respond as usual, but simply nodded slightly.

He actually stretched out his hands, which were covered with age spots but still strong, and firmly held Nohara Hiroshi's arms, gently lifting up his bent waist.

"Do not."

Kurosawa Eiji looked at the handsome face that seemed too young before him, and at the eyes that remained clear and calm even when facing him, a smile of emotion appeared on his face:

"The one who should be blamed for being rude is me, the old fellow who came uninvited."

He paused, and in his eyes, which had seen countless ups and downs in the world, there flashed an unprecedented light.

Kurosawa Eiji handed the first volume's sketch to Yamamoto Tsuyoshi behind him, then patted Nohara Hiroshi's shoulder heavily. His voice was hoarse, yet it carried a great weight:

"Nohara-kun."

"You really are...young and promising."

Chapter 72 "The Touch of Horror" filming is completed!

This heartfelt praise made everyone present clearly feel how heavy and precious the recognition from an industry leader was.

When Nohara Hiroshi heard this, the humble smile on his face did not change at all.

He simply bowed slightly again, his voice gentle and sincere, "Director Kurosawa, you flatter me. I just happened to be on the cusp of the times, and was lucky enough to catch on to something that young people like."

He was very humble, without any of the arrogance of a young man who had achieved success.

This calmness and clarity made the admiration in Kurosawa Eiji's eyes even stronger.

"No, this isn't a fluke." Kurosawa Eiji waved his hand. His eyes, having seen countless ups and downs in life, now held a loneliness and honesty that even he himself hadn't noticed. "Nohara-kun, to be honest, I did come here for selfish reasons."

He looked around at the familiar yet unfamiliar faces in the office. Those old subordinates who had worked with him in Taiga dramas and had once been influential figures at Kanto TV, now surrounded this young man like retainers who had found a new master, with a long-lost light in their eyes.

"I have spent my entire life photographing warriors and telling stories of loyalty, righteousness and honor."

Kurosawa Eiji's voice carries the stubbornness and pride of a bygone era craftsman, yet also reveals an unconcealable sense of desolation: "But in the end, I discovered that in this era, no one wants to listen to my old-fashioned stories anymore."

He smiled self-deprecatingly, with a hint of bitterness in his smile:

"My last movie was a complete box office failure. At the TV station, the ancient war drama I wanted to film was also shelved indefinitely by the top management because it didn't meet market expectations. That kid Ming Rihai has been repeatedly nagging the board of directors on my behalf about this."

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm really... old and behind the times."

Kurosawa Eiji's gaze fell on Nohara Hiroshi again. That look was no longer the scrutiny of a senior looking at a junior, but the concentration and desire that a pure seeker had when facing a wise man who had mastered new truths.

"So, I wanted to come to your place and see how you young people actually work. I also wanted to truly learn how those so-called 'urban legends' you mentioned...capture people's hearts."

He said this very frankly, without hiding anything.

A legend standing at the top of the industry could so frankly admit his predicament and humbly seek advice from a young man of his grandson's generation.

This broad-mindedness and magnanimity moved all the veterans of the Kanto faction present.

His eyes were even slightly red.

A feeling of sincere respect also welled up in Nohara Hiroshi's heart.

He looked at the old man in front of him. His well-made suit seemed a little loose due to the erosion of time, making him look a little thin. But his straight spine and eyes, although a little cloudy, were still sharp as an eagle, still exuded the unyielding spirit of a top creator.

A thought, like lightning that cuts through the night sky, instantly illuminates Nohara Hiroshi's mind.

"Director Kurosawa." A brilliant smile suddenly broke out on Nohara Hiroshi's face, a smile that held just the right amount of cunning and sincerity. "If you don't mind, I do have a role that might be... perfect for you to 'learn' from."

"Oh?" Kurosawa Eiji raised his eyebrows and became interested.

"Our film, 'Wonderful Stories of the World,' needs a storyteller who will tell the whole story."

Nohara Hiroshi speaks slowly, yet with a captivating charm: "He's a mysterious man in a black suit and sunglasses. He's both an observer and a guide. At the beginning of each story, he uses a detached tone to introduce the audience to a bizarre and wonderful world; and at the end, with a few concluding remarks, he inspires the audience to reflect deeply on human nature."

"He doesn't need much acting. What he needs is the calmness of someone who has seen a lot, a sharp understanding of the world, and... an aura that can make the audience willing to believe the story he is about to tell just by looking at him. It is not a simple aura."

Nohara Hiroshi looked directly at Kurosawa Eiji without any hesitation.

"I think this role belongs to you."

The office fell into dead silence in an instant.

Everyone was completely shocked by Nohara Hiroshi's bold and almost crazy idea.

Letting a national treasure-level first-class director guest-star as the host of a unit drama? !

This... this is simply unheard of!

Even Kurosawa Eiji himself was slightly stunned, and then, on that face that always had a serious look, he couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth, revealing a hint of neither laughter nor tears.

He has been a director all his life, and he really likes to make a cameo appearance in his own movies as a passing passerby or a small-time transparent actor with a few lines.

But this was the first time someone invited him to play a core role throughout the entire play.

And it happened when he was at his lowest point and needed a way out.