dkrc Chapter 282 The Oscar-winning "Departures" and the aftershocks of its box office miracle.
Chapter 282 The Oscar-winning "Departures" and the aftershocks of its box office miracle.
Chapter 282 The Oscar-winning "Departures" and the aftershocks of its billion-dollar box office success
What kind of story is "Departures"?
It tells the story of Daigo, a cellist in the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, who falls into a deep depression after the orchestra disbands and is forced to return to his rural hometown in Yamagata Prefecture with his wife. To make a living, he unexpectedly takes a job at a company called "NK Agency," thinking it's a travel agency, only to discover that NK is the Romanized abbreviation for "coffin"—his new job is as an encoffiner, specializing in cleaning, dressing, and embalming the deceased.
Amidst initial fear, his wife's incomprehension, and societal prejudice, Daigo, following his experienced boss Sasaki, experiences a series of farewells: a mother leaving behind a young daughter, a transgender person passing away with pride, and a grandfather leaving with a smile, his face bearing red marks from a past relationship. Accompanied by the melodious yet deeply sorrowful music of the cello, Daigo gradually finds dignity in life and death within this profession shunned by society, ultimately achieving a reconciliation with his father who abandoned him, a reconciliation that transcends life and death.
Why was this film able to sweep the Japan Academy Film Prize in its previous life and ultimately win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film?
The reason is simple. It touches upon the deepest and most inescapable universal core of humankind: death. But its approach to death is neither the bloody cruelty of Hollywood nor the excessive obscurity of European art films. It uses an incredibly gentle, ritualistic Eastern aesthetic to transform "death" into a door to the next journey.
The vast expanse of snow in Yamagata Prefecture, the cherry blossoms falling in spring, the lonely silhouette of the protagonist playing the cello in the wilderness, coupled with Joe Hisaishi's soul-stirring, divine soundtrack. This quality, which perfectly blends Eastern philosophy with universal emotions, directly broke through the psychological defenses of the discerning judges at the Oscars that year.
For this film, which bears the heavy responsibility of "winning the Oscars," Shin Kitahara's strategy is very clear: Kitahara Office will fully fund and lead the project, firmly controlling the absolute copyright and casting rights.
In the original historical timeline, the male lead Daigo was played by Masahiro Motoki, the boss by veteran actor Tsutomu Yamazaki, and the wife by Ryoko Hirosue.
Kitahara Shin sat at his desk, tapping his fingers lightly on the surface as he considered casting options.
He wasn't limited by the mindset that "you have to star in it to win an award." As a multinational corporation tycoon, his primary task now is to expand the business. He could easily consider having the original cast, namely Masahiro Motoki, audition for the male lead. Motoki himself has an extremely strong foundation; if he were to star, Shin Kitahara could comfortably sit behind the scenes as a producer and screenwriter, enjoying the added boost of the Oscar's prestige.
"I can send an audition invitation to Masahiro Motoki," Shin Kitahara thought to himself. "If his awkwardness and sudden realization in front of the camera can reach or even surpass the level of his previous life, then this role will be his. But if his acting skills are not enough to secure an Oscar, then I'm sorry, for this international award that I must win, I can only personally step in and show him what it means to be outmatched."
As for the role of the wife, Hirosue Ryoko from the previous life is only sixteen years old now, which is obviously too young. Kitahara Shin plans to choose the most suitable one from among the gentle and elegant new generation actresses such as Matsu Takako or Takeuchi Yuko during the audition.
He could already picture the amusing reactions of Masahiro Motoki and veteran actor Tsutomu Yamazaki when they received this phenomenal script and came to audition before him, a mixture of trepidation and profound admiration for the script. The feeling of having the boss personally oversee the audition of former Best Actor winners—the power of life and death over others—was indeed addictive.
While Kitahara Shin was methodically preparing the script for "The Entrance Examiner," the film markets across the ocean and throughout Asia were being completely overturned by "Shinjuku Incident."
After nearly two months of global screenings, "Shinjuku Incident" has finally achieved its glorious box office results.
With Jackie Chan's action foundation and Shin Kitahara's "lower-dimensional attack" combined, this film garnered a staggering total box office of nearly 120 billion yen worldwide!
120 billion yen, if converted to RMB in 1996, would be approximately 8 million RMB!
In the mid-1990s, when a movie ticket cost only a dozen yuan and the total annual box office of mainland Chinese films was negligible, a global box office of 800 million RMB was an astronomical figure that was simply breathtaking! It not only broke many export records for Asian films, but also caused quite a stir in Hollywood.
In this box office frenzy, what audiences talked about most, and which even overshadowed Jackie Chan's death-defying stunts, was actually the villain played by Shin Kitahara.
Critics and audiences around the world have given it rave reviews: "I've never seen such an elegant mob boss! He cornered his opponent without even messing up the creases in his suit."
"The way Kitahara Shin wiped his gold-rimmed glasses elevated the villain's coolness to an entire atmosphere!"
"He is not only an action master who can go toe-to-toe with Jackie Chan, but also a ruthless and cunning man who is hard to hate and full of a sense of destiny."
This villainous character, who possesses top-tier looks, profound acting skills, and agile movements, completely subverted the stereotypical villainous characters in Hong Kong films and Hollywood, leading to an unprecedented surge in Kitahara Shin's international reputation.
This all-encompassing popularity has had a direct chain reaction: the Hong Kong film moguls, who hold vast sums of money and top-tier resources, are now completely uneasy.
That afternoon, Kitahara Shin had just finished writing the first scene storyboard for "Departures" when the overseas phone on his desk rang.
The caller was Andrew Lau, Hong Kong's most popular and commercially astute director. He had just created a sensation in Hong Kong with the "Young and Dangerous" series and currently held several blockbuster projects in his hands.
"Mr. Kitahara! Congratulations! 'Shinjuku Incident' is a huge hit in Hong Kong!" Andrew Lau's enthusiastic voice, thick with a Hong Kong accent, came through the microphone, exuding the straightforwardness of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry). "Your acting skills and fluent Cantonese have completely stunned our Hong Kong colleagues!"
"Director Liu, you're too kind." Kitahara Shin leaned back in his chair, his tone casual yet commanding. "I wonder what brings you here today, Director Liu?"
"I wouldn't call it a favor, I'm asking for a collaboration!" Andrew Lau cut to the chase, throwing out an incredibly tempting offer. "Here's the thing, I recently acquired the adaptation rights to the famous comic 'Storm Riders,' and I'm planning a major production next year: a martial arts epic called 'Storm Riders: The Hero' with extensive computer-generated special effects. I'd like to invite you to play the most domineering and central villain, the leader of the World Society, Xiong Ba! The salary is negotiable, and it will definitely be top-tier in all of Asia!"
Upon hearing the title "The Storm Riders," Kitahara Shin raised an eyebrow slightly. It was indeed a landmark special effects blockbuster in Hong Kong film history.
Before Kitahara Shin could answer, Andrew Lau, seemingly worried he wasn't getting enough leverage, quickly threw out his second trump card: "If you're not interested in period martial arts films, that's fine too! I've recently come up with a concept for a modern police thriller. After seeing your portrayal of a yakuza boss in 'Shinjuku Incident,' I suddenly had a brilliant idea—to write a story about a yakuza undercover agent infiltrating the police station, and a police undercover agent infiltrating the yakuza, with their ultimate showdown on a rooftop! If you're willing to come, I'll immediately get Andy Lau or Tony Leung to co-star with you as the two male leads!"
Upon hearing this, Kitahara Shin's pupils suddenly contracted.
Good heavens, isn't this the prototype of "Infernal Affairs"?! Because of its sudden emergence, Andrew Lau actually conceived this blockbuster film, which was not born until 2002, five years in advance!
In addition, during the golden period of 1997 to 1998, Hong Kong also had Johnnie To's dark masterpiece "The Longest Nite," the pinnacle of gunfight romance "A Hero Never Dies," and later Jingle Ma's "Tokyo Raiders," which happened to be set in Japan.
These timeless classics, cherished by countless film fans, are now like goods on supermarket shelves, lined up waiting for Kitahara Shin to choose them.
On the other end of the phone, Liu Weiqiang was still enthusiastically promoting his idea.
Kitahara Shin did not immediately agree, but instead politely declined the offer with a very calm smile: "Director Liu, a good script needs polishing. Let's not rush this. After my current project wraps up, we can arrange a time to meet in Hong Kong or Tokyo, and then we can discuss in detail what specific roles I want to play."
After hanging up the phone, Kitahara Shin leaned back in his boss's chair, gazing at the Tokyo night view outside the window, a rare look of daze appearing in his eyes.
-
Infernal Affairs.
In his eyes, this was not only a film that saved the market, but also an unsurpassable pinnacle classic in the history of Hong Kong and even Asian police and gangster films. Although the film did not win many awards in Europe and America in later years, and even had to be bought by Hollywood to remake "Infernal Affairs" before winning an Oscar, the charm of the original version cannot be replaced by any remake.
Thinking of this movie, Kitahara Shin naturally pictured Tony Leung's melancholic and deep eyes, Andy Lau's helplessness on the rooftop, and even a young version of Edison Chen who had just debuted and was full of roguish charm and unruliness.
For Kitahara Shin in his previous life, these names were like distant, unattainable stars, legendary figures he could only admire from behind the big screen. But now? Less than ten years have passed, and these once high-and-mighty celebrities...
Yet they had to come with scripts, lining up to wait for his approval. This extreme reversal of identity and perspective gave him a genuine sense of the absurdity and exhilaration of holding the pulse of the times in his hands.
Putting aside these reflections, Kitahara Shin devoted all his energy to the script preparation for "Departures" and the company's operations.
During this period, some interesting changes also occurred within Kitahara's office.
Previously, Takeru Satoh, who was obsessed with acting, followed Shin Kitahara's advice and naturally caused trouble in that late-night boy group reality show, resulting in his elimination. He then went to audition for the drama "Great Teacher Onizuka". With his departure, the ratings of the reality show, which had been supported by his stubbornness, plummeted and it was on the verge of being canceled by the TV station.
But Kitahara Agency's talent scouting department is no pushover. Just when the group was in a state of chaos, the company suddenly brought in a newcomer, Takizawa Hideaki, who was only fourteen years old, with an extremely delicate face and a natural idol aura.
This super genius, destined to dominate the Japanese idol industry and boy band era in later generations, instantly won back all the female viewers he had lost the moment he appeared on a reality show, with his perfect face and extremely approachable stage presence. The show's ratings not only rebounded but even surpassed those during Sato Ken's time, firmly becoming another cash cow for the company.
At this moment, Takeru Satoh and the other young actors had no time to pay attention to any boy bands. They had all heard news that shocked the entire industry: President Kitahara was going to personally write another film script, and this time, it was a massive project where Kitahara Office would handle everything from investment to production!
The moment this news was released, it was like a bomb had been dropped on the entire Japanese entertainment industry.
Everyone was eager to get a piece of the pie from this mysterious new project.
In a high-end apartment in Tokyo, Issei Ishida, the son of actor Shin Kitahara, who had previously worked with him on the TV series "Under One Roof," was watching entertainment news on TV about Kitahara's new film, his face filled with complex emotions and reflections.
When that drama was being filmed, Ishida was under a lot of pressure on set because of his father's scandal and his status as a second-generation star. At that time, it was Kitahara Shin who casually comforted him while they were having dinner together at an izakaya and even helped him fend off some malicious harassment from the media.
Ishida remembered that back then, although Kitahara Shin had already begun to make a name for himself, the two could still sit together like peers, smoking and chatting. But now, that man had grown into a breathtaking behemoth, an ultimate chaebol whose mere stomp could shake the entire Asian entertainment industry. This rocket-like rise filled Ishida with mixed emotions, but also ignited a strong desire within him—to audition, to stand before that man again, and prove to him his growth over the years.
In fact, Ishida Issei is definitely not the only one who has this idea.
In this upcoming audition storm, Kitahara Shin's new script has become the ultimate hot commodity in the eyes of all actors. Even many established and highly skilled veteran actors have proactively sent their agents to Kitahara's agency to submit their resumes.
They weren't entirely after the pay or the script; it was more of a competitive, adrenaline-fueled desire. The industry had always hailed Kitahara Shin's acting as phenomenal, bestowing upon him the absolute title of "Ratings King." These veteran actors, who had spent decades honing their craft in the theater, possessed a certain pride; they desperately wanted to experience Kitahara Shin's acting firsthand in front of a real camera to see if it was as terrifying as the legends suggested.
If Kitahara Shin is truly ridiculously strong, then being able to act opposite such a monster, or even learn a thing or two from him, would be of immeasurable help in breaking through their own acting bottlenecks.
Faced with this magnificent spectacle of thousands of birds paying homage to the phoenix, Kitahara Shin did not make any particularly high-profile response.
He doesn't need to go to major TV stations or film associations and loudly proclaim "I want to change the rules of the industry." All he needs to do is establish the rules of "acting skills above all else" and "absolute fairness" in his own film crew and his own company.
When he has enough resources to decide the fate of countless people, those old forces who are used to using back channels, seniority, and unspoken rules will be forced to abandon their despicable ways and obediently line up in front of Kitahara's office to abide by his rules in order to get a role in his hands.
This is the kind of industry transformation exemplified by Kitahara Shin. Quiet and understated, yet possessing an overwhelming power of assimilation.
Amidst a deluge of audition applications, Kitahara Shin maintained his own pace. Instead of immediately launching a large-scale audition, he had his assistant send secret direct invitations to a few specific actors.
The most important letter was delivered to Masahiro Motoki.
In 1996, Masahiro Motoki, despite having debuted as an idol boy band member and later transitioning to acting in several well-received art films, had achieved a certain level of fame and status in the Japanese entertainment industry. However, he was still far from being a top-tier actor capable of sweeping international awards. He was currently in a period of stagnation where he desperately needed a truly significant work to prove himself.
When the invitation, bearing the official seal of Kitahara's agency, along with the thick draft of the script for "Nyuu-shi," was delivered to Masahiro Motoki's agency, the entire office erupted in excitement.
"Motoki! It's President Kitahara! That President Kitahara personally invited you to play the male lead!" The manager's hands were trembling as he held the script, and his voice cracked with excitement.
Masahiro Motoki stood frozen in place, staring at the script with disbelief on his face.
He swallowed hard, his hands trembling as he turned to the first page of the script. As he read on, the initial shock in his eyes gradually gave way to a profound awe and fervor. This was not just a script; it was a masterpiece of art, a profound exploration of the aesthetics of life and death!
"Kitahara Shin—what kind of monster is he? How could he write something that makes one's soul tremble—"
Masahiro Motoki clutched the script tightly to his chest. He knew this was the biggest opportunity he had ever had in his life, and he was determined to seize it in the upcoming auditions, even if it cost him his life!