Tokyo Bubble Life

Chapter 856 864, Let the bullets fly for a while! !
When carp streamers begin to flutter on flagpoles, people know that May has arrived.

May 5th is Children's Day, which is also Japan's Dragon Boat Festival. Families with children have already prepared cypress cakes or rice dumplings in advance, as well as calamus leaves for calamus baths.

But before that, a movie came out of nowhere and attracted people's attention.

"Don't Stop the Camera" will be officially released in May!

The movie caused quite a bit of controversy as soon as it was released. The previews were attended by industry insiders and movie enthusiasts, who were demanding of movies but also had a certain appreciation for them. Most of them could see the thought and creativity put into the movie, so the reviews were mostly friendly or neutral.
When it was officially released, the number of viewers increased, and all kinds of opinions came out. After all, Naoki Naoki had received a lot of praise before, so naturally there were a large number of people waiting to see the collapse of the high-rise building~
Seize the opportunity this time!

Some people say that "Don't Stop the Camera" is a complete crap movie, and they left the theater after watching it for more than ten minutes; some people say that the camera is too shaky and it makes people want to vomit; others say that the short film in the first half an hour was edited just to screen the audience. In this case, I also screen the director.
"This kind of film is just for the sake of sensationalism!"

"What does he think the audience is? Just pawns for him to manipulate?!"

"This kind of movie has nothing but showmanship!"

"What is Naoki Nagayama doing? Do you want to give the audience a film lesson?"

Yoshimura Otomo in the office slightly raised the voice of public opinion and said to Nagayama Naoki:

"Naoki-san, these criticisms suddenly emerged en masse. Someone must have been secretly instigating them!"

"Hmm~" Naoki Nagayama was reading a newspaper with great interest, "These little black guys are really good at talking. Such a novel angle. And they are taking a film class. Why don't they say we should hold a meeting for them?!"

"Naoki-san!" Yoshimura Otomo slapped the table, "You should at least have a sense of crisis. Someone is behind you!"

"."

Otomo-san, your statement seems a bit strange.
"Ahem. Otomo-san, didn't we already anticipate this?" Idou Shuichi interrupted, "and we even made a contingency plan."

"But the voice of criticism is really..."

Naoki Nagayama put down the newspaper and comforted his friend: "Otomo-san, you are just focusing on the negative comments and subconsciously collecting more negative news. You have formed an information cocoon."

"In fact, if you broaden your horizons a little, you will see more positive news!"

Yoshimura Otomo looked at the other newspapers that Naoyama Naoki only showed him with a little uncertainty. As expected, they were all praising Naoyama Naoki for his pioneering exploration in the film industry, and that his films were novel and interesting.

"But... we haven't found the mastermind behind this."

"Haha, you can't find it~" Naoki Nagayama waved his hand, "Even if you find it, there's nothing you can do. Others are just trying to disgust you~"

Naoki Nagayama looked at the colorful carp streamers outside the window and said casually:

"Let him be~it won't affect him too much~"

Then he looked at Idou Shuichi and said, "Shuichi-san, let's go to the casting meeting!"

"Hmm~"

After saying that, Naoki Nagayama and Shuichi Idou went to the audition venue specially prepared today.

Yoshimura Otomo, who stayed in the office, hesitated for a moment, but still picked up the phone and started calling. He still wanted to find out who was behind this. Even if he couldn't fight back, he had to know the cause.

"Naoki-san, do you really not know who it is?" asked Shuichi Idou as they walked with Naoki Nagayama.

"No more than a few Toho and Toei." Naoki Naoyama shook his head. "I heard that Toei's "Kinnikuman Strikes Back! The Invisible Superman" is about to be released?"

"You mean Toei?"

"The box office of 'Camera Never Stops' has declined, and whoever can benefit from it will be the one!" said Naoki Nagayama. After all, this kind of smear operation costs money. Who would do it without any personal benefit?
"How can we fix it? Then there is nothing we can do?"

“Ha, no.”

Naoki Nagayama actually had some ideas in mind, but the counterattack measures had to wait for a favorable wind, which was about a week away. Thinking of this, a line from a movie suddenly popped up in his mind, so he turned around and joked,
"Let the bullets fly for a while!"

"??? What are you talking about, Naoki-san?"

"Hahaha, nothing to say!" Naoki Nagayama smiled and pushed open the door of the audition meeting room, and walked in with Shuichi Ido.

In the not-so-small conference room, there was a row of tables on one side, with the entire space in the middle empty. Beside the tables, Kyon Kimura and Muneo Matsuo were sorting out some forms and the like.

"Naoki-san, Shuichi-san!" Matsuo Muneo's eyes became sharper and he saw the two bosses at once.

"Muneo-kun." Naoki Nagayama nodded, "Are you here to help too? Isn't it a holiday?"

"Hi, I'm a bit free now since the filming is over, and I'm not in the mood to rest, so I decided to help with the casting and learn a little bit at the same time."

In fact, Matsuo Muneo didn’t even sleep well these days. "Camera Never Stops" was officially released, and he was the most nervous one.

"Thank you for your hard work~"

Naoki Nagayama didn't say much. He took the seat of the examiner together with Shuichi Ido, and then took over the candidates who would be auditioning today from Kyon Kimura.

"Nanjo Yutaka, Harada Yoshio, Naiki Shiro, Takewaki Muga. Hey, Takewaki-san is here too~" Naoki Nagayama was a little surprised to see the familiar names.

"Hey, they are all popular acting talents~"

Shuichi Idou explained that because the protagonist of "Squid Game" is a middle-aged person, the actors chosen were those with representative works.

"Yeah, not bad, not bad~"

Nanjo Yutaka, Harada Yoshio, Namiki Shiro and others are all actors who have played memorable roles in "The Volleyball Girl", "The Chase" and "Oshin".

Auditions are pretty much the same in any country. The actors arrive, introduce themselves, and then improvise a scene based on the script they are given.

The first to arrive was Nanjo Yutaka, a man with a somewhat unruly temperament.
"Director Ido, Director Nagayama, I am Nanjo Yutaka, I have appeared in "Sea of ​​Eden" and the TV series "Volleyball Girl"."

Facing two famous directors who are now in great demand, Nanjo Yutaka did not show any arrogance like a star, and introduced himself very humbly.

“I have a wealth of experience in playing roles of different identities and expressing the emotions of the characters.”

"Nanjo-san, we have all seen the roles you have played before." Itou Shuichi took the lead in the casting, "You have already understood the role you are auditioning for this time, right?"

"Hey, a helpless man who lost his family and relatives after losing his job and became addicted to gambling." Nanjo Yutaka only got part of the script, but he also thought about the role, "So I kept my hair half long and my beard a little sloppy."

"Oh? You're well prepared!" Ito Shuichi nodded with satisfaction.

“This is an actor’s duty.”

"Then let's give it a try." After chatting for a while, Yitang Xiuyi started to practice, "You know the game of wooden man, right?"

"Hi!"

The improvisational script chosen this time is, The First Game. Statue.

Under the threat of machine guns, and after three calls from the wooden man, the man went from doubt to fear, suspicion, and then quickly calmed down and looked for a way to survive.
"One, two, three, freeze!" Matsuo Munenori became the supporting actor in the game, announcing the pronunciation of the game, "Snap! Snap! Snap!"

In the first wooden man, Nanjo Yutaka, who was originally confused, seemed to be frightened by the gunshot and froze. When the wooden man's voice sounded again, he turned his head and looked back tremblingly. He seemed to be frightened by the blood and corpses and sat on the ground, with extreme fear on his face.
During the second game of Statues, more people continued to be shot, and finally someone realized that in this game of Statues, if you are caught, you will be killed!

The third time, Nanjo Yutaka had turned around. Although his face was still terrified, he started to move towards the robot.
"Cut!" Idou Shuichi called out "cut" after the third time, then nodded, "Thank you very much, Nanjo-san, you performed very well."

"Arigato!" Nanjo Yutaka touched his forehead. He was so nervous that he was sweating.
"Thank you for coming to the audition this time. If there is any progress, we will inform you through the agent!"

The results of the audition naturally would not be announced on the spot. After Shuichi Ido and Yutaka Nanjo said goodbye in a friendly manner, they were ready to call on the next candidate.

The next one is Yoshio Harada, who plays the police chief in "The Chase".
Next, of course, there was another round of audition performances, followed by Shiro Namiki
While filling out the casting assessment form, Idou Shuichi sighed:
"Naoki-san, as expected, these experienced actors all have superb acting skills! It's hard to choose."

"Yes, it is normal in the performing arts industry that there are too many people and too little porridge, so there are so few evergreens," said Naoki Nagayama. "If it is difficult to choose, just start with the character itself. For example, the protagonist Murakami Kisho has a kind of ruffian spirit that only teenagers have. In his heart, he actually has the innocence of a child."

"Among today's actors," Idou Shuichi closed his eyes and thought for a moment, and a figure emerged, "only Nanjo Yutaka has a younger face, not a square one."

This era encourages square-faced people with thick eyebrows and big eyes, such as Ken Takakura and Tomokazu Miura.

At the last moment, Takewaki Muya also came over. As an acquaintance, he naturally greeted Idou Shuichi properly.

Then they secretly decided on the role of the second male lead. After all, he was an acquaintance and had good acting skills. The entertainment industry also values ​​personal connections!
"So, for the male lead, we're still short of a villain role," said Shuichi Ito.

"Well, who should the villain choose instead?"

"Kitano-san? Naoki-san, what do you think?" Idou Shuichi asked back.

"Well, Kitano-san can indeed play a villain, but he doesn't have that kind of pure evil feeling."

In Naoki Nagayama's impression, there is always a sense of story hidden in Kitano Takeshi's eyes. Even when Kitano Takeshi plays a villain, he is the kind of villain with a story and emotional struggle. The villain in "Squid Game" is like the kind of bully that is common in life.

“So who are the candidates?”

"How is Chiba Shinichi?" Idou Shuichi suddenly said.

"Eh?" The first image that came to Naoki Nagayama's mind was still the image of Yuba. "Shinichi-san, he is domineering indeed. If he has to act, he will be a villain or an ordinary bad guy."

"What about Yasuaki Kurata?" Shuichi Ido mentioned another person.

"Who is this?" Naoki Nagayama felt like he had no impression of this.

"Ah, he starred in "The Tale of the Eight Dogs of Satomi" with Chiba Shinichi." Idou Shuichi searched through the information and found this guy's personal information sheet. "In recent years, he has often gone to Hong Kong to develop his career."

"Oh?"

Naoki Nagayama took it and looked at it, "Ha, it turns out to be the Black Dragon Society's head coach Funakoshi Fumio."

"??? Naoki-san, what weird things are you talking about again?!"

"It's okay, it's okay." Naoki Nagayama looked at the photo on the form and said with a smile, "He can remember to shave his head when the time comes! It has to be a very flat buzz cut, hahaha~"

"."

Shuichi Idou looked at his president who suddenly went crazy and didn't know what to say.

After the casting audition, Naoki Nagayama chatted with Yoshimura Otomo and Ido Shuichi in the office for a while and then prepared to go back.

But at this time, the office door was pushed open and Hayano Riko walked in:
"Naoki-san, Xiuyi-san." She held the passport in her hand, "Here are your passports. The tickets to Cannes have been bought~"

"Hi, Arigato~"

As the person in charge of Shuyou Eiga, Shuichi Ido is actually listed as the producer, so he has to go too.

The two took the passports and said to Yoshimura Otomo,
"The Cannes Film Festival will start in a week, so we need to arrive three days in advance. It will take us almost three days to get there, so after tomorrow, Shuyou will trouble Otomo-san!"

"Need I say more?" Yoshimura Otomo rolled his eyes. He was the one who was in charge all along!
"Anyway, after you go there, meet with the vice president of the Producers Association first to learn more about the specific situation."

That guy was a lobbyist that Yoshimura Otomo spent nearly 100 million yen to find. He knows the most about the current judges' movements, and communicating with him in advance can help him learn the latest selection results.

"Well, don't worry!" Naoki Nagayama nodded, "In fact, we are very confident!"

"Be careful in everything."

Yoshimura Otomo continued to give a few more instructions before sending both of them away.

Except for Shuyou's door, Naoki Naoyama said, "Kitano-san, and Yuko-san, we should be on the same flight, right?"

"Of course there are Naoto-kun and his father."

As the main character, Fujiki Naoto will naturally appear, and Tanaka Yuko is the representative of the female characters.
"Well, see you tomorrow then!"

"Hi!"

After watching Idou Shuichi drive away, Naoki Nagayama was still thinking about the counterattack method he had thought of when he saw the negative reports in the morning. When he returns to Neon with the Palme d'Or trophy, with this momentum, all the evil spirits and monsters will be absolutely vulnerable!
This is the east wind he has been waiting for!

Palme d'Or, here I come!

(End of this chapter)