dkrc Chapter 110 A New Beginning
Chapter 110 A New Beginning
Chapter 110 A New Beginning
The August bill and box office statistics were delivered to Kitahara Shin's desk.
After a month in theaters, "Ocean Waves" finally achieved a box office figure that surprised the industry.
Although it couldn't beat Hollywood heavy industry behemoths like "Terminator 2" and didn't take the top spot at the box office, it still firmly held onto third place on the monthly chart.
For Toho and Studio Ghibli, this achievement is even more gratifying than winning the championship.
Because it's cheap.
The budget for this film was outrageously low. The director was a newcomer who had only directed TV animation. Apart from Kitahara Shin and Miyazawa Rie, Yoshioka Hidetaka, who played the best friend, received a "friendship discount." The rest of the actors were all cheap laborers that Yoshishita Riki found from the theater troupe, saving a lot on lunch costs.
Looking at the shockingly high return on investment on the financial statements, Toshio Suzuki smiled so hard his eyes narrowed into slits.
This opened a new world for him. He realized that as long as the script was good, he didn't need to spend money on special effects; he could make a lot of money just by selling nostalgia and youth.
At the same time, news about Rie Miyazawa dominated the entertainment sections of major newspapers.
The phrase "family scandals" that used to be so prominently displayed have completely disappeared.
The newspaper prominently featured a candid photo: Rie, dressed in a simple white shirt, was engrossed in reading a script, her eyes revealing a tenacity she had never shown before.
The title reads: "From 'Puppet on a String' to 'Rikako Muto'—Rie Miyazawa's Transformation."
"Thank you so much to all the GG merchants for your kindness. I never dreamed I would receive so many invitations."
She paused, her tone becoming serious, "But that's precisely why I don't dare to take the role. The success of this film is mostly due to the good guidance of the director and senior actors; I was just lucky to land a suitable role. If I rush to cash in now, that luck will quickly run out. I'm still young; I can earn money slowly later, but I want to first make myself worthy of this applause."
On the other side, Kitahara Shin, who had just woken up, put down his newspaper, shook his head, and smiled.
This girl learns pretty quickly.
In this superficial and volatile era, daring to refuse quick money and choose to study is itself the best kind of persona.
Public opinion about her has now completely reversed, and many women's organizations even regard her as a role model of "independent women".
Three days later, at Kichijoji Temple.
Studio Ghibli booked a barbecue restaurant for a celebration banquet.
-
There was no fancy red wine, only cases of beer and sizzling pork belly.
Kitahara Shin had just finished toasting everyone when he felt someone patting him on the shoulder.
Turning around, I saw an old man with gray hair, wearing black-rimmed glasses, a white apron, and a white eyebrow.
Hayao Miyazaki.
This eccentric genius in the animation industry rarely appears in social settings, but today he was in a rare good mood, holding a cup of oolong tea, and looking Kitahara Shin up and down.
"Miyazaki-sensei," Kitahara Shin said politely, putting down his glass.
"Well done."
Hayao Miyazaki speaks very directly and without much formality. "I originally thought the live-action version would receive less feedback, but I didn't expect it to achieve such success. Now that I see you, I think I understand why."
"You're too kind."
"Would you be interested in voice acting?"
Hayao Miyazaki suddenly extended an olive branch, "I'm in the process of preparing for my next film, and there's a role that would be perfect for you. It could be a pig, or a human pilot—anyway, it's not decided yet."
Upon hearing this, everyone around laughed.
"I'm serious."
Hayao Miyazaki pushed up his glasses, his expression serious. "Today's professional voice actors have such perfect skills, they're like mannequins."
I hate that cartoonish voice. I prefer this kind of slightly rough, everyday voice. Your voice is a little hoarse, which is good.
In an era when the voice acting industry was not yet fully industrialized, Miyazaki Hayao's peculiar habit of "abandoning professional voice actors and using film and television actors" was already beginning to emerge.
Kitahara Shin smiled, raised his glass, and clinked it against the old man's.
"As long as you don't mind that I'm not an amateur, I'm available anytime."
After the celebration banquet, Kitahara Shin didn't rush home.
He had the driver take the car to an office building in Shibuya.
Although it was late at night, the lights were still on in the top-floor office.
That was his new territory—"Kitahara Personal Office".
Using the cash flow he earned from shorting the stock market, plus his share of the profits from "Hearing the Waves," he finally got the business up and running.
As for his agent, Kitahara Shin has no plans to change.
Ota – the former president of Ota Agency, is now willingly serving as the "entertainment manager" of Kitahara's personal agency.
After all, although Da Tian was a bit timid, he had been in the industry for so many years that he knew exactly which TV station producers liked what kind of alcohol and which magazine editors were difficult to deal with.
Use what you know, not what you don't. With him in front of you, blocking out those trivial announcements, Kitahara Shin can save a lot of trouble.
As for the most troublesome finance and legal matters, they were directly outsourced to Sasaki's team.
Although Zosam's main business is lending and investing, the group of accountants and lawyers he employs are all elites among elites.
They specialize in handling complex tax issues, as well as helping Kitahara Nobu to create or resolve problems in contracts.
With these people around, those capitalists who want to leech off you won't be able to take a single hair from your head.
As for the remaining security and logistics —
As Kitahara Shin stepped out of the building, a black Toyota Crown silently pulled up in front of him.
The car door opened.
Two young men with buzz cuts, wearing identical black suits, and looking like carbon copies emerged.
These twin brothers, the older one named Da Long and the younger one named Er Hu, were "elites" specially selected by Team Leader Gao Shan.
He is said to be highly skilled in combat, an excellent driver, and most importantly, tight-lipped and absolutely loyal.
It's just that the art style is just too "that".
"Big brother! You've worked hard!"
The two moved in perfect unison, bending at a perfect ninety-degree angle, their voices so loud they echoed in the empty street.
Those deeply ingrained rules of the Yakuza can't be changed no matter what.
Several white-collar workers who had just finished working overtime were startled and quickly slipped away along the wall, their eyes filled with terror, thinking that some gang leader was patrolling the territory.
Kitahara Shin rubbed his temples helplessly.
"How many times have I told you?"
He looked at the two clowns in front of him and said, "Don't bow more than thirty degrees, and don't speak so loudly. I'm a proper actor, not a team leader."
"Yes, brother! We understand!"
The two bowed in perfect unison at a ninety-degree angle, their movements perfectly synchronized as they stood up.
"Kitahara Shin sighed, giving up on the idea of correcting them."
"Get in the car, let's go home."
Da Long immediately opened the back door, his hand carefully protecting the roof frame to prevent Kitahara Shin from hitting his head. Er Hu quickly climbed into the driver's seat, started the engine, and moved with the efficiency of someone on a special mission.
The car drove smoothly into the night.
Kitahara Shin leaned back in the back seat, watching the street scene recede outside the window.
Everything is almost done.
There's no need to worry about "Ocean Waves" anymore, Rie is on the right track, and the firm's framework is finally in place.
As for "The Lies of the Grand Hotel," which is still being heavily criticized by domestic media and has suffered a dismal box office performance—
Kitahara Shin turned his head and glanced at the streetlights flashing by outside the window.
Judging by the time, that old man Itami Juzo should have already landed in Venice with his copy by now.
"Erhu, drive carefully, I'm going to take a nap."
7
"Yes! Big—oh no, boss!"