Life in Tokyo starting as a child star

Izakaya is the second home for all Japanese men after middle age.

This is absolutely true.

After middle age, facing children's tuition fees, emotional discord with wives and deteriorating health, izakaya has become a place for many men to numb themselves.

This is especially true for Noguchi Okada.

This year, he is 40 years old and in middle age. He is a director by profession, and now he is just making a living at Sakura TV.

He is called a director, but in fact, he has filmed two or three TV series - those late-night TV series with more than 20 minutes per episode and no future.

Even one of the TV series was made a target by a group of drama critics because of the thunder point of the plot, the unsatisfactory acting skills of the male and female protagonists, etc.

He was evaluated as a "bad drama director".

When he was still young, he was still dissatisfied.

After all, Sakura TV did not give him any generous budget to shoot good dramas.

With a production budget of 7 million to 8 million yen per episode, the crew is so poor that they can't even afford props. How can they make a good drama under such circumstances?

Even a good cook cannot cook without rice.

Therefore, Noguchi Okashi is quite confident.

As long as Sakura TV dares to approve the funding for him.

What "bad drama director"?

He must give a good slap to the faces of these media people who are not careful with their mouths.

Noguchi Okashi just waited with a breath.

Waiting for Sakura TV to approve the funding for him.

But the waiting time is a bit too long.

More than ten years have passed.

He has been waiting from a young director full of vigor and vitality to a sloppy middle-aged man in his 40s.

It was not until then that he suddenly realized.

Sakura TV does not lack the ability to produce large-scale TV dramas, but the production rights of these large-scale TV dramas are basically given to directors and producers who have factional relations with the TV station.

A director like him who has no factional connections can never get big production funds - it's good enough that you are not asked to shoot commercials, why are you still thinking about big productions?

After realizing this.

Noguchi Okashi gave up on himself instantly and started to play badly.

Who cares?

Anyway, no matter how hard he tried, the executive committee and the TV station's executives were only concerned with their own factional disputes, and they would fight for good jobs for producers and directors under their own factions.

A grassroots director like him who was lucky enough to enter Sakura TV would never be able to really get close to the core circle.

TV series that cost 10 or 20 million per episode, or even hundreds of millions per episode, would never be given to someone like him to produce.

He did a lot of dirty and tiring work.

I don't know how many low-budget, low-cost "bad movies" he shot.

As for the breath he was holding back?

It was released as early as the third year after he started holding it back.

In this way, Noguchi Okashi has been shooting what people call bad movies, and he has spent his days in a daze.

Over the past ten years.

Although it was an accident, he also managed to form his own filming crew at Sakura TV Station - basically, they were all his acquaintances, and they were half friends.

This was the case until recently.

Noguchi Okashi received his latest task - the TV adaptation of "She and Him".

However.

"The budget is 7 million yen per episode, and it's in the garbage time slot after the morning slot, and we are required to achieve a rating of 2.5%. What on earth are those people in the executive committee thinking!"

With a clang.

The wine glass was put down.

The young man sitting opposite Noguchi Okashi was trying hard to vent his dissatisfaction.

"Hey, calm down, Nishijima, haven't you been in my filming crew for two years? Haven't we been through this for the past two years?"

Compared to Nishijima's anger, Noguchi Okashi seemed very calm. After drinking a sip of shochu, he smiled and spoke.

"But director, aren't you angry? Including the spring season, this is the second time this year that our crew has been given such a thankless job."

Unlike his own director, Nishijima really couldn't swallow this breath.

It's too bullying.

Low-cost and low-budget TV series are like a pile of shit, which makes people feel sick when they touch it.

This year has just started.

They have already "eaten two piles".

This is simply too much!

It's obvious that they have taken advantage of their crew's gentle temper like Shiba Inu.

"There's nothing we can do about it."

Taking a bite of the crab roe roll, Noguchi Okashi sighed.

Should he ask if he has any objection?

Of course he has.

It's not like he's a masochist. Who likes to always shoot some bad movies and be scolded by others?

But the problem is that if you don't take this job.

Then you can only shoot commercials in the end.

You should know that Sakura TV still has many directors to be trained.

It's just right to free up the program for them to practice.

Therefore, even if these low-budget TV series are quite disgusting to shoot.

They can only take this job.

".I understand, Director Noguchi."

The young man named Nishijima also sighed lightly. He actually just felt that Noguchi Okada was not worth it.

The other party has been shooting TV series for more than ten years. It can be said that he is quite experienced and has a solid foundation.

Most of the time, he can complete the difficulties of the group of people on the executive committee.

It's no wonder that the Japanese television industry has gradually become a sunset industry because capable directors like this are huddled in the corner and cannot be reused. Instead, guys who have been fighting among factions can get the budget.

"Nishijima, I know what you are thinking."

Although Noguchi Okashi has looked away, Nishijima is still a young man after all.

Considering the other party's mentality, he still comforted him.

"Don't worry, keep enduring, our abilities are more than this, and there is still hope - what if the TV series we film becomes popular this time?

".Hope."

Nishijima is no longer a child, so he can naturally hear the comfort in Noguchi Okashi's words.

Mainly because of the meager budget of 7 million yen, plus the garbage time period after the morning slot, he really couldn't imagine why it would become a big hit.

Under such harsh conditions, rather than expecting the TV series to be successful and popular.

On the contrary, Nishijima believes that it is more likely that the sun will rise from the west tomorrow.

He was not so ignorant as to say these words to Noguchi Okashi. Instead, he picked up the small white porcelain wine glass next to him and drank with Noguchi Okashi.

But he only had two drinks here.

The phone suddenly rang.

Nishijima looked at it subconsciously, and then showed a strange expression.

The caller was the producer Kawashita who was responsible for "Her and Him" ​​this time.

What does the other party want from me, the director's assistant?

Without thinking about it, Nishijima raised his head and asked Noguchi Okashi. After getting permission from the other party to connect the phone, he connected the phone.

"Hello? Kawashita-san? What's the matter?"

"Listen to me! Nishijima! I have great news for you! Kitami Minoru is coming to star in "Her and Him"! Now you hand the phone to Director Noguchi, I have something else to say to him."

"Why?"

At this moment, Nishijima could no longer hear what producer Kawashita said.

Mainly because of the content of the other party's first words, it had already set off a storm in his heart.

Kitazumi?

Is it that Kitazumi Minoru?

The phone slipped out of my hand unconsciously.

The movement falling on the table attracted Noguchi Oka's attention.

"What's wrong? West Island?"

Looking at Nishijima's astonished expression, Noguchi Okaashi looked over with some strangeness.

"Uh, that Director Noguchi"

Hearing the voice of his director, Nishijima came back to his senses a little, but his expression was still blank, and he opened his mouth subconsciously.

"Tomorrow, it seems that the sun will really come out from the west."

"What?"

Noguchi Okashi was amused by his rambling words: "Are you drunk? Nishijima?"

"No. Director Noguchi. Producer Kawashita told me on the phone just now that Minoru Kitami seems to be joining our filming crew to star in "Her and Him."

"Nishijima, is this joke a little too much? Are you talking about the number one soldier in the industry at the AR soldier training center?"

Noguchi Okashi couldn't help laughing.

Kitami Minoru came to their filming team?

This is impossible from any angle.

A national-level actor like Kitami Minoru has his own ratings.

As soon as the summer season starts, every TV station will go crazy vying for him.

Just like Nishijima said.

It is estimated that this kind of thing will only happen when the sun rises from the west.

Even Noguchi Oka himself knows that this year's summer production invested by Sakura TV is tailor-made for Kitami Minori.

If Minoru Kitumi really joins their filming crew, wouldn't they have robbed a key actor of their own TV station's big production?

What kind of plot against Tiangang?

If it really comes to that, the gang of faction contenders above will have to hate their filming crew for the rest of their lives?

Besides, let’s talk about the most intuitive and realistic question——

"Even if a prostitute like Kitumi Minoru comes over, our filming team won't be able to pay the salary."

Noguchi Okashi is kind of funny.

The salary of a sub-boy is not cheap to begin with, let alone a sub-boy like Kitami Minoru.

1.5 million yen per episode is probably too low for the other party.

How could a poor filming crew like them, who only have 7 million yen per episode to produce, come from?

Noguchi Okashi thought that Nishijima was a little drunk and wanted to make fun of him, so he raised his head and stared at him.

However.

As he looked at it, Noguchi Oka felt that something was wrong.

Because apart from being a little disappointed, Nishida looked quite sober and not drunk at all.

Is it possible?

"Are you telling the truth? Nishijima?"

"Of course it's true. Director Noguchi and Producer Kawashita haven't hung up the phone yet."

Nishijima gave a wry smile and handed over the phone.

"hiss"

The other party's sincere and no-joking attitude made Noguchi Okashi take a breath.

Seriously?

Is Kitazumi really going to give up the big productions of 40 to 50 million yen per episode from Japan's five major private TV stations and join their poor filming crew? Shooting a low-budget movie?

Is it possible that the sun is really coming out from the west?

I don’t know why my bronchitis has been a bit serious these past two days, but luckily I’ve finished writing.

Good night everyone!