Chapter 29

"Frankly, I hate the naive idea of mistaking the protagonist of a novel for the author, and the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist for those of the author." Shen Zhenghui blinked, "How can you expect others to create literature like this?" He spread his hands.

"What was that phrase again?" Fukuda Miharu looked at Liu Xin, "Don't explain, because explaining is..."

"Explaining is covering up, and covering up means there's something to hide." Liu Xin continued.

"Yes, and who hasn't experienced such a vague love in their youth?" Fukuda Miharu nodded, "It's not a stain on your character to admit it."

"In the face of such malicious questioning, you must firmly deny it."

"Is denying it useful?" Fukuda Miharu narrowed her eyes, "There's only one truth!"

"Hey, have you had enough? I still have to shoot a scene this afternoon! My emotions are all messed up." Shen Zhenghui held his forehead, "While I'm focused on shooting, you guys handle the other stuff."

"Focused on shooting? Are you going to shoot at night too?" Fukuda Miharu was dissatisfied, "There's so much to do, and we still need to communicate a lot with the Chinese side."

"Talk to the lady next to you, and hand all these things over to her." Shen Zhenghui pointed at Liu Xin.

Fukuda Miharu glanced at Liu Xin, who was gritting her teeth, "You really hand everything over to... women!"

"Women can hold up half the sky," Shen Zhenghui replied, "Of course, you Japanese have a harder time understanding that."

Fukuda Miharu's face darkened, and she sneered, "So who should write the cooperation plan for cultural exchange between China and Japan to be presented to Prime Minister Obuchi?"

"Huh? Isn't his visit to China not until next year? Why the rush?"

Fukuda Miharu was almost angry, "It's your own plan, don't you know? How many times does the final version of the plan need to be discussed? Can you submit it just before the Prime Minister's visit? It's already very late, and I still need to get Obuchi Yoko to coordinate. Do you even care about your work? What have you been doing at night?"

Liu Xin watched the exchange between the two partners with surprise.

Shen Zhenghui looked embarrassed, "We've been working out at the gym these past few nights. I need to show my chest and abs in this film, and I also have to do the nunchucks."

"So you're saying that shooting the film is your top priority now?"

"Right, didn't you agree to let me play the lead role? Now you're turning on me, women are really... I don't know what to say." Shen Zhenghui sighed, "Alright, I'll find time to write it." He sighed again, "I wonder if your side can keep up. Can 'Battle Angel Yuki' come out in 1999?"

"Pay more attention to it after you finish shooting." Fukuda Miharu pouted.

Shen Zhenghui turned to Liu Xin.

Liu Xin waved her hands, "I can't do it."

"You need to communicate more with President Murahama," Shen Zhenghui looked at Fukuda Miharu again, "You need to pay more attention to this."

"I'm a woman too!" Fukuda Miharu rolled her eyes, "And I'm Japanese."

"Alright, fine." Shen Zhenghui sighed, "I'm destined for hard work." He looked around, "Where's Oze? Didn't she come with you?"

"She started school..."

"What? She's still a student?" Shen Zhenghui widened his eyes, "Can't you find a full-time secretary?"

Fukuda Miharu said nothing.

"Recruit someone! We're about to experience a major leap in development." He sighed again, "Aren't you planning to sign Director Shimizu?"

"It's difficult," Fukuda Miharu said, "You know what these directors are like. Even before they become famous, they all believe they will achieve great things one day, let alone Director Shimizu, who has already shown great potential."

"Alright, let's recruit some graduates and set up the framework." Shen Zhenghui said. Fukuda Miharu's lips twitched, and Liu Xin was a bit confused.

"Are you discussing setting up a film company?"

"Aren't we already doing it? Look, we've already started shooting a film."

"I thought it was just for fun," Liu Xin exclaimed, "So the focus is no longer on anime?"

Shen Zhenghui felt powerless, "Who said that? It's just a need for industrial development. The group needs a film production department, even if it's just for commercials in the future." He pursed his lips, "I wanted such a department when I was in China..."

"We have an advertising company," Liu Xin said, "But it's small, and we kind of let it fend for itself." She felt a bit embarrassed, "I never paid attention to it."

Shen Zhenghui saw that the director had already started calling, so he turned and said, "Alright, we're about to start shooting. I have a scene, so you guys go back early." He waved and ran toward the camera, where Aizawa Tomoaki came to meet him. The two started walking and discussing the scene.

Fukuda Miharu and Liu Xin watched the two men's backs, not sure what they were feeling.

"Making a film might actually be quite interesting," Liu Xin said.

"Um-hmm," Fukuda Miharu nodded thoughtfully, "If you're really interested, we can try it."

"Eh?"

"What do you think about a live-action version of 'Sailor Moon'?" Fukuda Miharu turned and pulled Liu Xin's hand, starting to leave.

Liu Xin walked while turning back to look at Shen Zhenghui's back, and couldn't help but exclaim after hearing Fukuda Miharu's words.

"Or a live-action version of 'EVA'."

"Ah! Is that really possible?"

...

The film written by Shen Zhenghui is a simple story. A boy named Miyazaki Makoto transfers to a terrible high school where the teachers are brutal and the students have no interest in studying. Miyazaki Makoto is the only student who hopes to study well and get into university. He meets and becomes friends with the school's leader, Okagawa Kōichi (played by Nakajima Masahiro). Both of them fall in love with a female classmate, Aizawa Tomoaki, but Miyazaki Makoto's personality makes him repeatedly hold back in expressing his feelings. In the end, he has to watch his best friend and the girl he loves get together. Soon after, Okagawa Kōichi is defeated and humiliated in a school fight and drops out, and Aizawa Tomoaki also disappears. In this oppressive environment, Miyazaki Makoto practices Jeet Kune Do and eventually defeats the gang of bullies in the school.

The structure and content of the story are similar to the Korean film "A Violent Teacher," but that film has its unique historical background and is seen as a metaphor for the patriarchal violence of the military regime. To transplant the story into the Japanese historical context, significant adjustments to form and content were necessary. Shen Zhenghui, not being Japanese, conceived the story based on Chinese ideas, so his script underwent a process of Japanese adaptation under Director Shimizu. The two also had long discussions about the approach, deciding to abandon the natural lack of expressiveness and exaggerated expressiveness typical of Japanese films, and instead use a realistic and brutal approach to shooting. This helped Shen Zhenghui choose between a performance style and a more realistic approach in the action scenes.

It must be said that although Shimizu would later become a master of horror, he was not without talent in other genres. In the two aspects of a school film—beauty and cruelty—he did an excellent job. Aizawa Tomoaki's beauty, the youth and vitality of the young people, the vague and beautiful romance, the oppressive, cruel, and dark atmosphere of the school—all these elements intertwined to create a very appealing style.

From Shen Zhenghui's limited understanding of Japanese films and TV shows, Japanese performances tend to have two extremes: one is an exaggerated stage-like style, where the entire film is overly dramatic and unrealistic, making it clear that it's just acting; the other is a lack of expressiveness, where the attempt to show grandeur and power fails, making the characters seem shallow. These two extremes combined make Japanese films lack a sense of power, which is probably related to the national character and history of Japan. Those who can truly convey a sense of power become masters—like Kurosawa and Kitano.

The Japanese film that shocked Shen Zhenghui in his previous life was "Battle Royale 1," which had a straightforward and powerful style, free from exaggeration. This style was clearly reflected in Shimizu's work, where the sweet and bitter aspects of school romance were expressed through bright or oppressive images, with emphasis on expressions and actions rather than exaggerated dialogue. On the other hand, the cruelty of the school was also depicted realistically, with the bullying by school bullies being actual physical violence, direct and unflinching. In the moments of being beaten and beating others, Shen Zhenghui almost had an epiphany about the aesthetics of violence—this was not a philosophy of performance, but a form of expression, using the display of power to sharply convey the content of the story.

This collaboration with Shimizu was very beneficial for Shen Zhenghui, giving him a glimpse into the world of filmmaking.

On the other hand, Shimizu also gained a lot from Shen Zhenghui's performance. Initially, he was working on the film to secure funding for "Ju-on," thinking it was just a rich kid's whim and that he only needed to be the executive director. However, after interacting with this investor, screenwriter, and lead actor, many of his ideas were challenged. Sometimes, the words of an outsider can be a wake-up call for an insider, especially when the outsider has a say. How to powerfully express a simple story was the core of this film, and it might be the core of all films in the future.

Shen Zhenghui's various requirements were realized through Shimizu's professional methods. When Shen Zhenghui saw the style he had requested and designed gradually take shape on the monitor and master tape, his excitement was no less than Shen Zhenghui's. Shimizu clearly recognized his talent and potential in horror films, but he also realized that a director who only makes horror films cannot be great, as the market for horror films is too small. He was still focused on making a name in this genre, but the completion of this youth school film allowed him to accumulate a lot of experience in advance.

The film, titled "The Cruel History of North High School," was completed in just two months of shooting. In the final part, Shen Zhenghui had a scene where he fought eight people, which was a release of all the protagonist's pent-up emotions. Of course, it was also a painful shoot, as they sought a realistic combat style and consulted many Jeet Kune Do and karate experts. After countless takes, they finally managed to create a somewhat satisfactory action scene.

Shen Zhenghui's two months of fitness and martial arts training were not in vain, even though he was covered in blood by the end of the shoot.

This was almost the last scene. When it was finally completed, Shen Zhenghui was almost exhausted, his energy completely drained. The other actors and crew could rest, but he and the director still had to edit and do post-production. Nakajima Masahiro had already finished his scenes and was busy with other work, but he still came to the wrap party, recognizing that this film might be very impressive.