Tokyo Sound

High-end imitation Rolex watches have fallen out of favor, and have been replaced by the genuine Omega Speedmaster 1861 sealed in a drawer watch box. This was the first gift that the urban elite bought for himself as a reward when he was promoted to department head at Dentsu. It has a special meaning, representing the lost arrogance and edge of a successful man.

"Old friend, please accompany me today." Kashiwa Ippei's palm slowly stroked the cold watch body, whispering softly. It was as if the swordsman who had retired from the world of martial arts received a challenge from fate again and drew out the world-famous sword again.

A meticulous tie, an elite side-slicked hairstyle, and a faint but showy cologne.

Kashiwa Ippei walked out of the apartment door, put one hand in his pocket, and stood in the sunny corridor. The feel of the Omega was so unfamiliar and long-lost. The fully armed man felt the warm morning light on his cheeks. At this moment, the city street scenes came into view. The sky was high and the clouds were vast, as if calling his real name.

The man seemed to have returned to the vigorous days when he first entered society, and smiled innocently. But soon, the smile disappeared, and he returned to his mature and serious demeanor.

His right hand, in his pocket, fumbled restlessly in the bags all over his clothes.

He seemed to have forgotten his keys.

"..."

Kashiwa Ippei couldn't help but look back at the high-quality security door.

No, this is a good sign.

It means that the apartment will be replaced soon.

This is God's will for me to achieve something great.

The agent raised his head and chest and started walking with a firm step. With this spirit, he dialed a number to someone. And after only three rings, the call was connected!

Another good sign, it’s like a dream returning to the honeymoon period when we first met in humble circumstances!

"What's the matter?" Yin Ze's voice came, and in the background there was the sound of water running like after going to the toilet.

"I'm ready. Today is a great day. I'll pay for the travel expenses. I'll take a taxi to your building later, and then we'll go to the premiere together." Kashiwa Ippei said excitedly, "Remember, dress decently, at least wear a tie."

"I'm not going, you can go and see it by yourself." Yin Ze said lazily.

Although a little disappointing, it was also expected. Although it was commissioned in advance, Director Otomo was new to the project after all, and it would be puzzling if he could control the dragon right away.

It must be that I have hands, feet, brains, and strong beast control skills. Anyway, now that the rice has been cooked, it doesn't matter whether this guy goes or not.

"If you're not going, why are you up so early?" Kashiwa Ippei wondered. This doesn't conform to behavioral science.

"The girl upstairs asked me the same thing as you, asking if I wanted to go, but she has the geographical advantage and can knock on the door. So that's it, if you have nothing else to say, please leave, I'm going to sleep." Yin Ze said with a yawn.

Kashiwa Ippei had no choice but to hang up the phone and hail a taxi on the side of the road.

There is no need to worry about the screening schedule of "Ronin Kenshin". With the big IP and the promotion of Warner Japan, it can be said that there was a group of audiences waiting when the filming news was released a long time ago.

Tokyo is the only designated city in Japan, with Toho and Shochiku cinemas everywhere, and in the suburbs and remote areas there are also Aeon cinemas acquired from Warner Japan. In short, such a wonderful start makes the niche art films next door cry with envy.

Kashiwa Ippei, with his professional sense of entertainment, felt that this was a sure thing, and ordered champagne, ready to drink in the evening. He went to Ginza for a stroll, enjoyed himself, and then walked into the cinema for the first screening. There were quite a lot of spectators, all of whom were fans of the original work, and some of them were film critics and film reporters who came to work.

Because there was a small pre-screening event organized by the filming team, the ticket price for this show was relatively expensive. Of course, for the agent, since Nielong didn't show up, it was meaningless to him who didn't chase stars, so he didn't go to the main actors in advance, and was just quietly browsing his phone in the lobby waiting for the show to start.

Originally, I invited Yoshida Tomoki to join us, but the producer was not available, saying that he would make up for it in the next few days. Haha, probably he was unwilling to appreciate this wonderful move with the mastermind, alas, he is still too narrow-minded.

At this time, two girls seemed to be sitting nearby for some quiet time. They had mature makeup, extraordinary temperament, and high-end bags and clothes. Judging from the fact that they were still reading information on a tablet, they should be more senior workplace elites than I am now.

In the Japanese workplace, women have to work harder to be recognized. Even though I am so busy, I still come here to support the box office of the movie in which my subordinates act. It is really very good!

Of course, Kashiwai Ippei didn't think anyone would come to see the movie just for the unknown Little White Dragon, and he wouldn't get any share of the profits from the movie, but that didn't stop him from feeling happy.

Two young girls with student-like looks walked by and stopped to point at the movie posters. One was sharing something energetically while the other was listening calmly.

A few minutes later.

A fat man wearing a pajamas and carrying a schoolbag led the way, followed by a group of people, including college students and high school students, all wearing pajamas of similar styles. They boasted to each other happily and took photos together, exuding a spirit of unity like an excellent corporate culture, and a strong sense of team cohesion.

There are even elderly people who don’t fit in with the younger group.

With silver hair and thick-framed glasses, he looks like a university teacher, full of scholarly air, accompanied by a student-like, unshaved gentleman. The deep expressions of their scrutiny are as if what they hold in their hands are not movie brochures with handsome men and beautiful women, but nominations for the new Akutagawa Prize.

Why is the audience of this comic adaptation so wide?

As time passed, more and more people came, and it became difficult to find those audience members who had a good impression of us just now.

Seeing the official entrance begin, Kashiwai Ippei became excited and went there humming a little tune.

……

Nagaharu Mizuno is a film reporter for the sports newspaper and a member of the "Tokyo Film Press Conference".

He has been in the industry for more than ten years and has always been satisfied with his job. Mizuno, who was born in the countryside, is just an ordinary person who likes to watch movies. Whenever a new movie is released, he will go to see it. Even if the public reviews are not good, he wants to see with his own eyes what is wrong. Gradually, he even enrolled in classes to learn English and French in order to watch authentic foreign language films.

Sometimes, after watching too much, he always wants to write something. Once the idea is put into words, there must be a context. In order to express clearly and to understand his own confusion, he began to understand the historical background of a movie, the development of the film industry, and the resume of a specific director, screenwriter, and actor.

After joining the newspaper and participating in the work, Mizuno's ability to process information has been greatly improved. Gradually, he can easily understand the quality of a film from the perspective of the audience and discover the hidden details.

Because of this, Mizuno Nagaharu was able to be in charge of the film section of the newspaper and also joined the "Tokyo Film Press Conference" to communicate with his peers about the winners of the Japan Blue Ribbon Award every year and discover wonderful films for the public.

"Ronin Kenshin" is another attempt by Warner Japan to make a local film after many years. Perhaps the previous black book made the company discover the potential of comic adaptation, so this time it directly brought a pillar-level comic. After many failures, this seems to be the new direction chosen by Warner Japan after planning. It is also a project that they value, so no matter what, film reporters have to come and see how good this film is.

The combination of Keishi Otomo and Kenji Furugaki also made Nagaharu Mizuno look forward to it.

I recalled the producer’s information in my mind.

The lights in the theater went out and people kept quiet.

Only the screen was shaking.

'boom--'

A cannon shot rang out.

The cold tones, the falling snow, and the dark red blood as the only pure color in the gray battlefield are so eye-catching. Under the dry branches with thin ice crystals, there are piles of corpses, overlapping each other, creating a sea of ​​blood and corpses. The warriors fighting and colliding let out desperate roars, and the black executioner looks like a ghost, constantly harvesting lives.

The scene starts off with a fierce battle, the sound of swords and spears, and the splashing blood, which immediately attracts the audience's attention.

Mizuno Nagaharu's eyes lit up involuntarily. He was amazed by the sense of speed and power, as well as the clean, sharp and smooth action design.

I didn't expect to see such high-quality cold weapon fighting in a Japanese film. Hong Kong movies are popular in Asia, and their signature action scenes are world-renowned and hard to beat, and this scene has that feeling.

The two most difficult aspects of comic adaptation are restoring the characters and replicating the moves.

The swordplay in the original film is so amazing, but it doesn't go beyond reality. If special effects were used to create fancy sword energy and wind, it would be a distraction. Moreover, swordplay films have always focused on momentum rather than moves, so this treatment is a pleasant surprise, and it is also a pleasant viewing experience.

"Victory! Our Satsuma-Cho Army won!"

The anti-shogunate faction stood in the snow and roared, celebrating their victory, while Kenshin Himura, covered in blood, just stood tiredly in the devastation, looking blankly at the people who were either crying or laughing wildly, the blood-stained knife in his hand still dripping scarlet blood.

"Battosai, don't think this is the end." Someone said to him sternly, "One day, we will meet again. We live by the sword and die by the sword. None of us can escape."

Kenshin Himura, who was almost like a walking corpse, just looked back, stuck the sharp knife firmly into the ground and left, silently indicating his choice.

As the protagonist's figure fades away, the title is officially displayed, and we enter the main plot of the original work, "Battosai disappears and returns."

Mizuno Nagaharu discovered that Saito Ichi, who was once a member of the Shinsengumi, had already appeared here. According to the original work, this was an important character who would not appear until the middle part. He knew that this was an adaptation of the script.

The movie is limited in length, so it is definitely not possible to shoot it exactly as written, so we can only make some choices. It’s just that the early story of the original work is weak, and it may not be worthy of the psychological expectations of the audience who bought tickets to the theater. However, if we force the wonderful chapters, it will be difficult to explain the origin of the characters, and non-fans of the original work will definitely be confused.

For people of Mizuno Nagaharu's age, the red-haired swordsman is roughly equivalent to his school days, and there is no plot obstacle. Then he soon discovered that the conflicts and gathering arrangements of the characters were basically original creations of the crew.

The fake Battousai, a subordinate of the villain, committed crimes under the guise of Kamiya-ryu, which led to the first interaction between the heroine Kamiya Kaoru and the protagonist Kenshin. Later, the villain wanted to occupy the dojo but was stopped by Kenshin. Kenshin, whose strength was exposed, was arrested by the police and discovered by the government. A senior official invited him to serve the new era again, and his past as an executioner was naturally explained.

Compared to the protagonists in the comics who often gather together after dozens of chapters, the early rhythm of the movie is relatively compact, and the protagonists are quickly introduced. Their respective demands and grievances are basically aimed at the villains in the bureau, completing the merger.

The group fight in the dojo midway through the film still maintained excellent fighting scenes and was exciting and thrilling.

The authorities hoped that the protagonist could make use of his remaining energy for the new era, but were rejected.

The most core and important part of the character of Kenshin Himura was also shown - as a ruthless assassin, he now uses the reverse blade roll, abandons the killing sword, and becomes a living sword who adheres to the oath of not killing.

The blood-stained, wandering vagrant, thanks to Kamiya Kaoru's gratitude and invitation, stayed at Kamiya Dojo and felt like he had a home for the first time.

When Kenshin, covered in mud, put on his familiar reddish-brown clothes, stood in the woods, felt the caress of the breeze, raised his head slightly, smiled quietly, and breathed. Readers of the original work such as Mizuno Nagaharu who were sitting in the screening room were all moved.

They are all memories of the past.

But after the comfort, there are the yellowed old book pages that turn quickly down.

"Can you help us as an assassin for the sake of the new era—"

A dull line of dialogue brings the timeline back to Kyoto fourteen years ago.

The young man in black kneeling on the tatami lowered his head and looked at the flickering light in the paper cage. He was silent for a long time, then turned his gaze to the cup of tea handed to him by someone else. It was not only tea for the guests, but also an invitation to the bloody road.

"If my sword can bring peace and tranquility..."

The young man in black didn't drink the tea, but just grabbed the scabbard beside him. A deep cloud was gathering in his eyes.

night.

The pink weeping cherry blossoms bloomed like fireworks in the silent night. The cold wind carried the cherry blossoms swaying. The water droplets on the corner of the eaves accumulated deeper and deeper until they finally broke.

The team walked through the deserted and quiet street.

"It's getting late, let's hurry up and get going."

A cold voice, like ripples in a winter lake, seeped into the audience's ears.

The paper lantern was gently lifted, and the flickering candlelight dispelled the darkness and puddles, illuminating the clean white long gown and gray hakama. The soft light climbed gently upwards, like unfolding a scroll, illuminating half of the face.

The warrior in white was thin and stood silently in the center of the screen. Even his residual light in his mysterious eyes was brighter than the stars.

At this time, Mizuno Nagaharu noticed that the two girls in the front row seemed to be somewhat touched, and he lowered his head and said a few words quietly.

This is inevitable.

The reporter nodded slightly.

The actor is indeed handsome and gentle.

Night cherry blossoms, creeks, light rain, cold wind, with these as the backdrop, the white-clad warrior holding the lantern and drawing the sword is itself a perfect shot.

The entire theater was now filled with only natural sounds such as rain and wind, and it suddenly became as spotless as a mirror. The wind was filled with the fragrance of flowers, and at the end of the rain curtain there was only the color of a candle. Although the new moon faded away, its lingering charm was endless, which made people feel the loneliness of a winter night.

This young man in white was extremely pale and thin, yet extremely beautiful. He grabbed everyone's attention as soon as he appeared.

But this deep and mysterious silence was soon broken.

Standing in front of the young man in white was a black assassin covered in blood.

The rain was getting heavier, and sparks of swords and knives were exploding in the rain curtain. One black, one white, one slash, one stab. When the shocking red blood stained the warrior's white robe, a faint bell sounded, as if there was also the cry of birds. Behind the sound of the pattering rain, a song of sorrow gradually rose.

Mizuno Nagaharu straightened up almost reflexively, with obvious astonishment in his eyes.

This is, is this Taku Iwasaki's music?

——InMIMories "KO.TO.WA.RI".

Even after the adaptation, the main melody remains unchanged. The indelible sense of fate hidden inside, which devours everyone like a huge vortex, still comes out through the notes, turning into beast claws that grab people's hearts.

The music is from the 1999 Ronin Kenshin OVA: Memories.

That animation is an excellent OVA, a classic among classics.

This is a perfect pursuit of animation art by the creators with all their heart and soul. It has been praised by the public for many years and is one of the examples included in animation textbooks. There is almost no other film of the same type that can surpass it. The pictures are realistic and rich in historical background, the characters' movements are true to life, the lines are delicate, the plot is solid, and the top performances make it worthy of learning for various animations in the future.

The scene before him was bloody, but the woman with white plum fragrance was not there. There was only the determined black assassin and the white warrior who swung his sword with blood for his promise. The expressions of the two and the swords in their hands were absolutely cold and fierce.

Mizuno Nagaharu has not yet recovered from his surprise.

A scene of transition from extreme decline to extreme rebirth bloomed on the screen.

The young man, who was severely injured and bleeding from the abdomen, stared at the killer who was walking towards him with a knife. His cheeks were covered with rain, and he was colorless and pale as paper. His breathing was hoarse like a broken bellows, and it sounded full of pain. Even so, his pupils were still clear and powerful, with wine and poetry, the fragrance of rural flowers, and the distant love for someone that could not be separated.

The more dilapidated it is, the brighter the light and heat that are revealed are.

This is exactly what makes it even more heartbreaking.

The black assassin approaches, about to raise his blade.

The young warrior showed a ruthless look, suddenly turned over, grabbed his companion's sword, turned around and slashed with the sword!

The whole process was seamless, and was completed in one go. It was so standard that it seemed as if he had practiced it a hundred thousand times. His blade was as thin as a moonlight fiber, and his figure, a blend of pure white and scarlet, was like a blooming blood-stained white plum!

Black and white intertwine for the last time.

Kenshin Himura turned his head hesitantly, and a bloody mark appeared on his cheek. The executioner belatedly reached out to touch the wound.

And hot blood burst out from the side of Qingli Mingliang's neck.

It was a beautiful and fatal line of blood, which merged into the rain, shattered under the feet, and disappeared into the water.

The long sword that had cut the waning moon fell to the ground. This time, the warrior could no longer stand up. The moon-like blow had exhausted all his vitality. What remained in this body was only the echo of death and the still stirring heart.

The young warrior wanted to stand up again, but after stumbling, he could only helplessly lean against the wall beside the path, and slowly slid down to sit on the ground. His bloody handprints were left on the white wall, and were soon washed away by the drizzle. The traces were hideous and lush, like thorns breaking through the ground, as if they were nestled against red spider lilies.

A set of white clothes and sleeves stained with blood.

The weeping cherry tree was still shedding its petals, swirling gently and falling on the young warrior's shoulders.