Chapter 37

"Masahiro Nakai makes a dazzling appearance in 'Cruel History of Kitahigh School,' the film's charm is astounding!"

"**ap group collectively appears at the premiere of 'Cruel History of Kitahigh School,' members gather to support the leader's film."

"The lead actress of 'Cruel History of Kitahigh School' reveals her previous career, once worked as a special female entertainer, her rise is suspected to be related to the male lead/investor."

"..."

The next day's newspapers had various headlines. Whether or not they had discussed it beforehand, they all avoided mentioning the lead actor, Shen Zhenghui, or Shen Yu, and instead praised the film by focusing on Masahiro Nakai and revealing the background of Tomosaburo Aizawa.

"These are all tabloids; you should read the major newspapers." Fukuda Mitsumi handed Shen Zhenghui a copy of Yomiuri Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun. "Both newspapers praised the lead actor's performance."

Shen Zhenghui took them and flipped through. Although the main content was about Masahiro Nakai and Tomosaburo Aizawa, they also mentioned Shen Zhenghui's excellent acting skills as the lead actor, praising his ability to portray the acting skills that Japanese young actors often lack.

"Although the praise for me is a bit short, I can accept it. But why is the lead actor's name Sasaki?" Shen Zhenghui looked at Fukuda Mitsumi with confusion.

"Oh, didn't you know? Foreigners in Japan often take Japanese names for convenience. The reporters had contacted the company to find out your Japanese name. When you watched the movie, didn't you notice that your name was in parentheses, indicating that your Japanese name is Sasaki?"

"Sasaki?" Shen Zhenghui frowned. "How did I not know I was given such a ridiculous name? You didn't even discuss it with me. By the way, isn't Sasaki a surname? Shouldn't I be called Sasaki something?"

"Sasaki is the surname, and Ki is the given name." Fukuda Mitsumi squinted her eyes. "Do you think this name is bad?"

"Uh," Shen Zhenghui raised his eyebrows. "Forget it, after all, a name is just a symbol. But Sasaki is really..." Shen Zhenghui didn't know how to comment. Should I say I'm not a woman?

"Have the box office numbers for yesterday come out?"

"How could they come out so quickly? Plus, it only started showing in the evening, so don't expect it to be very high." Fukuda Mitsumi replied. "However," she raised the newspaper in her hand, "with their promotion, I believe the film's box office will still be good."

"It has to be good, otherwise, our future operations will be affected." Shen Zhenghui took a deep breath.

"Don't worry about that. Let's discuss your new movie instead!"

"New movie?"

"Yes, haven't you been writing a script recently? Is it finished?" Fukuda Mitsumi asked casually. "What about your many scripts?"

"Uh, this one still needs some refinement. After all, I'm not Japanese, so the script needs to be adapted to Japanese culture." Shen Zhenghui blinked.

"Director Shimizu can't help you anymore. He's busy preparing for the film version of 'Ju-on.' Although we invested, we can't force him to use our actors."

"Our actors? Do we have any actors?"

"Isn't Miss Aizawa one of them?"

"Uh, just one."

"Not just one," Fukuda Mitsumi continued. "In this period, queens has signed several actors, mostly models who need further training and fame to appear in TV dramas. After all, our agency is still new in this industry and can't compare to the established ones."

"After this film is released, as an investor and president of the agency, your reputation should rise, making future work easier, right?"

"Maybe not. As a newcomer, being excluded by the old-timers is common. It might be harder to recruit and borrow actors in the future."

"Aren't you on good terms with Johnny's?"

"That's because we clearly focused on female actors, which doesn't conflict with Johnny's." Fukuda Mitsumi spread her hands. "Mr. Kido is not an easy person to work with."

Shen Zhenghui rolled his eyes. "Since it's hard to recruit in Japan, have you considered Taiwan and Hong Kong?"

"Taiwan and Hong Kong?" Fukuda Mitsumi pondered.

"Isn't it difficult to enter the Japanese market? If we want to expand, it will require a lot of money and time."

"We can collaborate with local companies!"

Fukuda Mitsumi narrowed her eyes. "Do you have a plan?"

Shen Zhenghui nodded. "I've been thinking, and I have a good idea."

"Really?" Fukuda Mitsumi turned her head. "Tell me about it."

"Have you heard of the manga and anime 'Boys Over Flowers'?" Shen Zhenghui asked.

"Hmm?" Fukuda Mitsumi raised her head.

"Acquire the rights to adapt it into a TV drama, for all of Asia." Shen Zhenghui said succinctly.

"Are you sure it will be popular?"

"Of course, but the TV drama production in Japan is terrible. Shooting and airing one episode per week is unbearable." Shen Zhenghui snapped his fingers. "We should shoot it in Taiwan. In a sense, that island is your cultural colony!"

Fukuda Mitsumi narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. After a while, she said, "Do you have a collaborator in mind in Taiwan?"

"Have you heard of the chairman of Taiwan's Komirui Zhihui Cultural Communication Co., Ltd., Mr. Chai?"

Fukuda Mitsumi's eyes twitched. "Do you know him?"

"Why would I know a TV production company that specializes in idol dramas for young girls?" Shen Zhenghui countered. "But I think we should try collaborating with them. After all, Mr. Chai is very influential in Taiwan's TV industry and would be our best partner."

"Do you want to go to Taiwan?" Fukuda Mitsumi asked.

"Why would I want to? I'm too busy." Shen Zhenghui spread his hands. "It would be best if you went. After all, you're a woman, and women communicate more easily."

Fukuda Mitsumi tilted her head. "I hope so."

"Um," Shen Zhenghui leaned back in his chair. "I hope 'Boys Over Flowers' becomes our first TV drama collaboration with them. Also, I hope our actress," he paused, "Miss Aizawa, can play the lead role."

"That might be difficult," Fukuda Mitsumi said. "After all, the language barrier is a significant obstacle for acting."

"Aizawa's Mandarin is fine. Taiwanese people should understand her. If we need a Taiwanese accent, we can do post-dubbing."

"Is that so?" Fukuda Mitsumi pursed her lips and muttered to herself, "Learning a language in bed is indeed fast!"

"Plus, our movie is also showing in Taiwan. If it performs well, it will be excellent publicity."

Fukuda Mitsumi remained noncommittal. "I hope so," she said.

...

The box office of 'Cruel History of Kitahigh School' soared with the newspaper reports. Masahiro Nakai, the leader of **ap, a middle-aged idol, and Tomosaburo Aizawa, a former ** information film actor, quickly became the focus of the film. After the film's release, major newspapers even held discussions on the current state of high schools in Japan, comparing it to the film. Since the film's setting was clearly in the 1970s and 1980s, the discussions not only covered the current state of high school education but also reviewed the conditions of high schools in the 1970s and 1980s. That period was a time of intense student movements, leading to discussions about whether the film was a reflection of something deeper.

It can't be denied that the Japanese in the 1990s still retained a certain quality of seriousness. Their analysis of the film far exceeded Shen Zhenghui's initial intention of copying a Korean film and adapting it to Japanese culture by Director Shimizu. This led to countless interpretations, making the film seem even more intriguing and powerful.

The media's hype (whether or not Fukuda Mitsumi paid for it) attracted more and more people to the cinema. The main reason the film attracted middle-aged Japanese people, who were just entering middle age in the 1990s, was nostalgia. The appearance of Bruce Lee at the beginning and Jackie Chan at the end of the film, along with the martial arts scenes, brought back their youth, especially the thrilling times of watching Hong Kong films.

Young people, on the other hand, were attracted by the rebellious spirit of the protagonist, Watanabe Kiri, smashing the school corridor's glass and shouting, "I f*** all Japanese high schools." While young people didn't deeply analyze the film's themes, they admired the rebellious behavior. The campus romance, battles with school bullies, and other elements resonated with them. The heart-to-heart conversation between the protagonist and his father at the end was largely ignored.

On the first night of its release, 'Cruel History of Kitahigh School' only made 5 million yen. The next day, it made 30 million yen, but on the third day, the box office exploded, reaching 100 million yen, surprising the media, which had initially estimated the film's total box office to be around 300 million yen. The box office remained around 100 million yen for the next three days, and by the end of the first week, it had surpassed 500 million yen.

The high box office attracted even more attention. Although the lead actor was Chinese, this was still a purely Japanese film, not comparable to Hollywood blockbusters that often gross over 10 billion yen. However, this was the first film produced by Haruhi Eiga and the first film directed by Director Shimizu. Masahiro Nakai, while popular in TV dramas, had no successful film works. The lead actors, Sasaki (Shen Yu) and Tomosaburo Aizawa, were both newcomers. For a film not entirely made by newcomers to achieve such a box office, with the potential to exceed 1 billion yen and even 2 billion yen, the film became a major topic of discussion.

Meanwhile, the film was released simultaneously in Taiwan and Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, the box office was average. Hong Kong audiences, accustomed to the martial arts films of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li, were not very interested in a campus youth film with a slight tribute to Bruce Lee. The first-week box office was only about 3 million Hong Kong dollars, and the final box office was expected to be no more than 10 million Hong Kong dollars. However, the lead actress, Tomosaburo Aizawa, who had previously worked in ** information films, was particularly noted by Hong Kong gossip tabloids, which also increased the film's fame.

In contrast, the film's reception in Taiwan was very positive. Taiwanese audiences seemed to have a particular fondness for such slightly artistic films. The fact that it was a Japanese film and the lead actress had previously worked in ** information films stimulated the Taiwanese audience's interest. The film's box office in Taiwan soared, establishing Haruhi Eiga's reputation. With the help of various gossip programs, the film's box office in Taiwan exploded, reaching 100 million New Taiwan dollars in the first week. Taiwanese variety shows actively contacted the Japanese queens agency, hoping to invite Tomosaburo Aizawa to participate in their programs, but these requests were all rejected by Fukuda Mitsumi. At the same time, Fukuda Mitsumi flew to Taiwan with Liu Xin to meet the chairman of Taiwan's Komirui Zhihui Cultural Communication Co., Ltd., Chai Zhiyi.