Tokyo: My Best Actor Gear List

Chapter 39 The Infamous Box Office

The air conditioning at the Shinjuku Piccadilly Cinema was blasting, but the air inside the theater felt as if it had frozen, and the hundreds of audience members even deliberately kept their breathing low.

On the giant screen, the climax of "Yakuza Blood" is playing.

A gray curtain of rain enveloped the abandoned factory, and a man in a black fitted suit was dragging a long-handled iron hammer, slowly moving forward through the mud.

There was no thrilling background music, only the nursery rhyme that the man was softly humming:

"Evening yaki is a small yaki and the sun is twilight..."

The voice was as gentle as if soothing a child to sleep, but the iron hammer in his hand slammed mercilessly into the ground with every beat, splashing up mud mixed with blood.

The camera suddenly zoomed in, giving the man a close-up—his hands, gloved in black leather, were slowly taking out a clean white handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiping a non-existent drop of blood from his cheek.

His eyes were vacant, yet a graceful, chilling smile played on his lips.

"madman……"

In the darkened audience seats, someone stammered out those two words.

When the end credits finally rolled and the lights in the theater came on, there was no immediate applause.

The audience remained slumped in their chairs, as if they had just experienced a real baptism of violence and had not yet recovered from the shadow of that "elegant devil".

A few seconds later, the first applause rang out, followed by a second, a third... eventually coalescing into a thunderous wave that could even lift the roof off.

In the summer of 1989, apart from the dramatic reversal of the "Golden Screen Incident," the only topic of discussion among the Japanese public was the man named Kitahara Shin and the character "Mad Dog Sawada" he played on the screen.

……

"Incredible! It's a box office miracle!"

At the celebration banquet at Toei's headquarters, the champagne tower was piled up like a small mountain.

Producer Ishida—the fat man who had been pressured and tried to compromise by cutting Kitahara Nobu's scenes—was now weaving through the crowd with a broad smile, beaming and boasting:

"In just two weeks, the box office has already surpassed 15 billion yen! This is an R15-rated gangster film! Young people these days are absolutely crazy, they're all going to see it because of Sawada! I heard that 'humming in the rain' scene has become the most popular action to imitate among Shibuya delinquents!"

Even Kinema Junpo, usually the most serious film review magazine, gave it extremely high praise in its latest issue:

"...In this film filled with blood and violence, Shin Kitahara delivers the most chilling performance of the first year of the Heisei era. His portrayal of Sawada breaks the stereotype of 'shouting and yelling' in traditional gangster films. His evil is quiet, elegant, and infiltrates the bone like a virus. Watching him, you forget that he is a newcomer, and you might even forget that he is an actor. He is the mad dog that has been released."

In the center of the banquet hall, Kitahara Shin, dressed in a well-tailored dark gray suit, held a glass of champagne and calmly dealt with wave after wave of investors and colleagues who came to toast him.

A month ago, most of these people wouldn't have even given him a second glance.

Now, their eyes are filled with eagerness, ingratiation, and even a hint of barely perceptible awe as they look at him.

After all, this is a ruthless character who not only brought villains to life in movies, but also dared to challenge Johnny & Associates and bring down top idols in real life.

"Congratulations, Kitahara-kun."

A deep voice came from behind.

The crowd parted automatically, and the male protagonist, Ken Matsuda, walked over.

The veteran tough guy from Toei looked at the younger man, who was a generation younger than him, with a complicated expression in his eyes.

In the movie, he is the boss, and Kitahara Shin is the underling.

However, in the audience's opinion, the crazy "young leader" has obviously overshadowed the boss.

"Matsuda-senpai." Kitahara Shin bowed humbly, his posture very upright.

"Don't call me senior anymore, this industry is all about skill." Matsuda Ken sighed, but also smiled with relief, raised his glass and clinked it against Kitahara Shin's. "I don't feel wronged for losing to you. That scene in the rainy night... to be honest, I was really scared of you back then."

"That's because the director taught me well," Kitahara Shin replied with a smile, his tone impeccable.

"Hmph, don't flatter me."

Director Kinji Fukasaku walked over with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Although he was cursing under his breath, his old face was full of undisguised smugness.

He patted Kitahara Shin hard on the back, so hard that the champagne almost spilled.

"Kid, you're famous now. Several producers just came to ask me about your availability, and there are even other companies trying to poach you."

Kinji Fukasaku lowered his voice, his eyes sharpening: "But I have to warn you. The label 'Mad Dog' is too strong, so strong that it might become your shackles. From now on, nine out of ten scripts offered to you will probably put you in the role of a psychopathic killer or a yakuza madman. You need to think carefully about it."

Kitahara Shin nodded: "I understand, Director. Sharpening a knife too much can hurt your hand."

"Good that you understand." Kinji Fukasaku nodded in satisfaction. "But before that... enjoy your victory. You deserve it."

In a corner of the celebration banquet, manager Da Tian was holding a mobile phone, laughing like a 300-pound child.

"Yes, yes, yes! Daiei's ace producer? Oh dear, Kitahara-kun's schedule is a bit tight... What? The fee is negotiable? Starting price of five million? Oh dear, I'm so sorry... Okay, okay, send the script over first!"

After hanging up the phone, Ota, sweating profusely with excitement, rushed to Kitahara Shin's side: "Kitahara! We've struck it rich! We've really struck it rich! That offer was fifty times higher than ours before! Fifty times! And it's for a near-lead role!"

Fifty times the pay.

For Kitahara Shin, who was still struggling to pay rent just a few months ago, this was undoubtedly a huge sum of money.

But this is just the beginning.

He turned his head and looked out at the bustling Tokyo night view through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows of the banquet hall.

Tokyo in 1989 was in the final frenzy before the collapse of the bubble economy.

Neon lights dyed the night sky an ambiguous purplish-red, and the streets were filled with people waving banknotes to hail taxis.

In this city brimming with desire, he finally obtained that admission ticket.

It's not her looks or scandals that matter, but the claws and teeth honed in the darkness that belong to "evil people".

Kitahara Shin pulled the silver Zippo from his pocket; it was a keepsake Akina had left him.

He gently stroked the smooth metal surface, silently chanting in his heart.

The system panel unfolds on the retina.

[Current Professional Reputation: Emerging Powerful Villain]

[Special Title Obtained: National-Level Rabies Dog]

[Scope of influence: The film industry, fringe groups of organized crime, and thrill-seeking young audiences]

"Rabies..."

Kitahara Shin drank the champagne in his glass in one gulp.

Now that this path has been paved, let's keep going crazy!