Tokyo: My Best Actor Gear List

Chapter 195 Summer Melody, Barbecue Party

Chapter 195 Summer Melody, Barbecue Party

Filming for Kikujiro's Summer has basically wrapped up, and the crew has moved back to Tokyo for final reshoots and editing.

Although the filming is complete, one critical issue remains unresolved: the soundtrack.

In the editing room.

Takeshi Kitano stared at the "Masao" running in the field on the screen, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

"I feel like something's missing."

He stroked his chin, a rare look of confusion crossing his usually expressionless face: "The visuals are fine, the pacing is fine. But why does it look like this?"

"Because it lacks a soul."

Kitahara Shin leaned back in his chair, holding a can of oolong tea: "This is a road movie. Road movies have loose plots, and people's attention can easily wander. If it weren't for the kind of music that can grab your attention and connect all the fragmented scenes—the audience might fall asleep."

"really."

Takeshi Kitano nodded, but then gave a wry smile: "But who should we ask? You know my reputation. Box office poison, bad temper, and I offended quite a few people when I was a comedian. Even serious classical musicians avoid me."

"It's alright, I'll figure something out."

Kitahara Shin stood up and patted him on the shoulder: "You get the editing done first. Leave the music to me."

In fact, Kitahara Shinichi already had someone in mind.

Or rather, for the film "Kikujiro's Summer," no one but that person could do it.

Joe Hisaishi.

The man who created the masterpiece "Summer". Without this piece, "Kikujiro" would not be the complete "Kikujiro".

However, it was not easy to go directly to Joe Hisaishi. Although this master had not yet reached the "divine" status he would later attain, he was quite aloof in character.

Kitahara Shin thought of one person—Hayao Miyazaki.

He formed a good relationship with Hayao Miyazaki because of his voice acting for "Porco Rosso".

When the call was made, Miyazaki Hayao, upon hearing that it was Kitahara Shin who wanted to collaborate with Joe Hisaishi, immediately provided his contact information and even personally greeted him.

This is the power of connections.

Two days later.

A recording studio in Tokyo.

Kitahara Shin met Hisaishi Joe.

At this time, Joe Hisaishi looked quite young, wearing his signature round glasses and a simple sweater, resembling a gentle university professor.

"Kitahara-san, I've long admired your name."

As Joe Hisaishi poured tea, he curiously sized up the young, rising star: "Mr. Miyazaki has been praising you to the skies. To be honest, I'm quite surprised. I didn't expect you to come to me for film scores. After all, my style—is more inclined towards animation and classical—is quite different from the commercial films that are popular nowadays."

"That's why I came to find you."

Kitahara Shin sat up straight and said sincerely, "Although 'Kikujiro's Summer' is a live-action film, its core is actually very much like a fairy tale. It's absurd, innocent, and tinged with a touch of melancholy. I feel that only your music can express this feeling."

Joe Hisaishi raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued: "That sounds interesting. Do you have any specific ideas about the soundtrack? Or what style are you looking for?"

He glanced at Kitahara Shin, then suddenly smiled: "I heard you play a musical instrument? You played the harmonica on TV before?"

"I know a little bit."

"Since you know how, why don't you play it for me?"

Joe Hisaishi pointed to the grand piano next to him: "Words are inadequate. Express your feelings about this film through the keys. Even just a few notes will do."

This serves as both a test and a way for artists to communicate.

Kitahara Shin paused for a moment.

He looked at the piano, then at the master before him, whose eyes held both encouragement and scrutiny.

He could have simply said, "I want that summery feeling," and let Joe Hisaishi create it. But he didn't dare gamble. What if the Joe Hisaishi of this world, due to the butterfly effect, didn't write that classic "Summer," or what if the feeling he wrote wasn't right?

That is the soul of this film; it cannot be lost.

"Okay, then I'll make a fool of myself."

Kitahara Shin took a deep breath and walked to the piano to sit down.

He didn't pretend to be emotional; instead, he placed his hands directly on the piano keys.

Close your eyes.

The familiar melody from my past life floated into my mind. That simple, light, yet captivating main melody, like a summer breeze.

The finger fell.

"Ding-dong-ding"

There are no complicated virtuoso techniques, no grand chords.

Only crisp, leaping single notes.

The rhythm was peculiar. It was like the sound of splashing in puddles in sandals as a child, or the chirping of cicadas in the treetops. Light and playful, yet subtly tinged with an indescribable nostalgia.

Joe Hisaishi, sitting on the sofa, had initially only intended to listen and see what happened.

But the moment the first section came out, his eyes lit up.

As the melody progresses, the imagery of summer almost leaps out at you: green rice paddies, azure sea, running children, and that clumsy uncle.

Isn't this just a fairy tale?

One minute later.

Kitahara Shin stopped playing. He only played the core part of the main melody, and did not play the whole piece (after all, that would be too monstrous).

"That's roughly the feeling."

He turned around, smiled a little embarrassedly, and said, "I was just playing randomly; I was just having those summer scenes on my mind—"

"No."

Joe Hisaishi jumped to his feet, strode to the piano, his eyes filled with shock and excitement: "This is absolutely not random playing! This melody is simply—fantastic!"

He looked at Kitahara Shin as if he were a monster: "Concise, brisk, yet incredibly emotionally rich. Especially the way the notes jumped—it was a stroke of genius!"

"Kitahara-san, I really didn't expect you to be so talented in music."

Joe Hisaishi adjusted his glasses and remarked, "I used to watch your variety show, 'Kitahara Shin Can Do Anything,' quite a few times. Back then, I thought it was just for the show, but now it seems—you really can do anything."

"Why?"

Kitahara Shin was embarrassed. He hadn't expected that this master was actually a fan of his own variety show.

"Why haven't you updated lately? It's become once every two weeks?" Joe Hisaishi hadn't forgotten to urge him to update.

"Uh—I've been busy filming lately, and—"

Kitahara Shin scratched his head awkwardly: "Mainly because we don't have any new material. We can't keep performing the chest-breaking slab act every day."

The main problem is that I'm out of equipment. I haven't been able to craft the broken practice wooden sword (white) that I found before, and I don't have anything else suitable for showing off on variety shows.

"Haha, just kidding."

Joe Hisaishi was in high spirits. He took a ticket out of his pocket and handed it to Shin Kitahara: "This is a ticket to my solo concert next month. Come and listen if you have time."

"I'll definitely go."

Kitahara Shin took the ticket and pressed his advantage: "About the soundtrack—"

"Leave it to me."

Joe Hisaishi sat back down at the table, took out a sheet of musical notation, and the pen was already twirling between his fingers: "Your melody just now has given me a lot of inspiration. You could even say that—the tone of the entire film has been set."

"I will take that melody as the core and expand it into a complete symphony. Believe me, this will be a piece that people can listen to for a lifetime."

Watching the master write furiously, Kitahara Shin breathed a sigh of relief.

now it's right.

With this song "Summer," "Kikujiro's Summer" truly gained its soul.

Having solved the biggest challenge of composing the music, Kitahara Shin was in high spirits.

To celebrate the upcoming post-production of "Kikujiro's Summer" and to reward the employees and artists who had worked hard for half a year, he generously rented an entire venue in an open-air park near Odaiba, Tokyo, and held a team-building event called "Kitahara Family Summer Ultimate BBQ".

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

A gentle sea breeze blows, and the charcoal fire burns brightly.

The scene was very lively.

Aside from Ota Shoichi leading his group of corporate employees carrying beer, the most eye-catching figures were naturally the celebrities who are rarely seen on ordinary days.

Not only was there Rie Miyazawa, who had just finished filming "Strange Food Journey," but also the "rising stars" who had just been picked up after class—

For example, there's Matsu Takako, who comes from a Kabuki family and is a bit shy, and Hirosue Ryoko, who has short hair and runs around like a tomboy.

Even Masato Sakai (a newly recruited actor with a mysterious smile) was helping to start the fire. Although his eyes were watering from the smoke, he still had that signature smile on his face.

What excited the new employees the most was the arrival of the two "unofficial staff members".

ZARD's Izumi Sakai and songstress Akina Nakamori.

Although they are not signed artists with Kitahara Agency, everyone knows that they have an extremely close relationship with their president. Basically, these two are never absent from any Kitahara event.

"Come on, come on! Top-grade Wagyu beef! Don't be shy!"

Kitahara Shin did not sit in the main seat like a president, waiting to be served.

Instead, he took off his suit, rolled up his sleeves, tied on an apron with the word "Chef" printed on it, and stood in front of the largest grill, holding tongs and skillfully turning the slices of meat on the charcoal fire.

Sizzle—

The oil drips down, releasing a fragrant aroma.

"Wow! The company president is grilling the meat himself!"

Several newly signed trainees blushed with excitement at the sight. In the rigidly hierarchical Japanese workplace, where else could one see a multi-billion dollar boss personally grilling meat for his employees?

"Eat more, it's the time when you're growing."

Kitahara Shin smiled and handed a plate of freshly grilled diaphragm meat to Matsu Takako and Hirosue Ryoko: "You must be working hard during training. If you want to debut, you need to keep up with your stamina."

"Thank you, President!"

Ryoko Hirosue casually accepted the food and started eating, while Takako Matsu bowed slightly, seemingly flattered.

Seeing Kitahara Shin's approachable demeanor, wiping his sweat as he chatted casually with the employees, everyone present felt a long-lost warmth.

This is what we call "human touch".

To find a boss in this cold Tokyo who treats artists like family is a blessing beyond measure.

the other side.

Izumi and Akina were sitting at a long table, surrounded by juniors who came to offer them drinks (or toasts).

"Izumi-nee, I really love your song 'I Can't Bear It'! Could you sign it for me?"

"Akina-nee, your typhoon was absolutely amazing!"

Although the two have different personalities—one is gentle and introverted, and the other is outgoing and lazy—they both treat these younger people with great kindness.

The atmosphere in the entire venue was so harmonious that it didn't feel like a place for fame and fortune, but rather like a real family gathering.

however.

In this joyful and harmonious atmosphere.

A figure broke the balance.

Nanako Matsushima had been playing badminton with several female employees, and now she was wiping her sweat and walking back home, tired from the game.

She spotted Kitahara Shin immediately.

"teacher!"

She called out and quickly walked over.

Seeing Kitahara Shin covered in sweat and with an empty plate in front of him, she frowned, and her instinct to "protect her master" instantly kicked in.

"Why are you only grilling for others and not eating any yourself?"

Nanako muttered something with a hint of heartache.

Then, in full view of everyone.

She walked over very naturally, picked up a pair of clean chopsticks, and took a perfectly grilled, sizzling piece of short rib from the plate. She then carefully blew on it until it was at the right temperature.

Then, she held the meat to Kitahara Shin's lips, slightly parted her red lips, and said as if coaxing a child, "Ah—"

"————"

For an instant.

The once noisy barbecue area suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

Akina Nakamori, who was drinking beer, stopped mid-air with her glass in her hand.

As Izumi Sakai was signing autographs for fans, the tip of her pen paused on the paper, leaving a single ink dot.

Rie Miyazawa, who was eating a salad, had a cherry tomato fall back into her bowl with a "plop" from her fork.

Even Matsu Takako and Sakai Masato, who were standing next to them, seemed to have been put on pause, staring wide-eyed at the scene, not daring to breathe.

Is this the prelude to the legendary "battlefield"?

However, the person involved was not aware of this.

Kitahara Shin was flipping the meat, both hands occupied. When he saw the meat offered to his mouth, he blinked subconsciously, then very naturally opened his mouth, bit it, and ate it.

"Mmm, it tastes good. The cooking time is just right."

He mumbled between chews, "Don't worry about me, just go and eat. There's seafood over there."

"That won't work."

Nanako shook her head confidently, then picked up another peeled shrimp and handed it over again: "What if you go hungry? I'm your personal assistant, so of course I have to feed you. Here, open your mouth, this shrimp is very sweet."

Looking at Nanako, who had a "I'm doing this for your own good" look on her face and completely ignored the frozen air around her.

The other artists present, especially those with a little bit of sense, all lowered their heads.

Some started frantically shoveling food into their mouths, some started pretending to admire the scenery, and some started chatting with the air next to them.

"Ah, the moon is so round tonight."

"Yes, yes, this charcoal is burning really well."

too frightening.

What's with this feeling of being the empress—no, this feeling of being a "favored concubine"? And Nanako-san, didn't you see that Akina-nee and Rie-nee's eyes over there have become very amused?

""

At this time.

Sitting not far away, Rie Miyazawa was poking at the cherry tomatoes in her bowl with a fork, her eyes fixed on Nanako Matsushima, who was happily feeding Shin Kitahara.

"This guy—"

Rie silently wondered to herself, "Is she genuinely stupid—or is she just too clever for her own good?"

You might think she's scheming, but her eyes are as clear as a husky's, full of pure concern.

But you might call her foolish. Her smooth and skillful actions directly asserted her dominance in public, and no one could find fault with it—after all, she was the rightful "life assistant" and "apprentice."

Looking at Nanako, who was smiling brightly amidst the everyday hustle and bustle, completely unaware of the shocking things she was doing.

Rie sighed and stuffed the mashed cherry tomato into her mouth.

This game, or many games to come.

It seems that this "natural airhead" won.

After all, this kind of straightforward, reckless, and even somewhat clumsy expression of love is quite something.

Even the seemingly shrewd Kitahara Shin would probably be no match for him.