Chapter 30: Director Iwata's "New Work"

Chapter 30: Director Iwata’s "New Work"

He slept soundly, sweetly, and deeply—so much so that he didn't even bother going home, crashing right there at the Iwata Group headquarters.

In truth, Takeshi Iwata had plenty of reasons to suffer from insomnia. He had survived an ambush, won a gang fight, seen his film succeed with critical acclaim, secured screenings at Iwanami Hall, and obtained distribution through Toho. He had consolidated his power and dealt with traitors with a smile.

But to make Takeshi Iwata sleep like this, a single reason was enough: he was exhausted. He had truly been through too much, and he desperately needed the rest. Whether he had dreamed or not, he couldn't remember, but now, as he woke, a wave of reflection washed over him.

The matter of the mole had to be dealt with, one way or another. By Yakuza custom, Yamashita cutting off two of his own fingers wasn't enough to atone for his betrayal. Looking back at the sequence of events, it seemed the original Takeshi Iwata had ignored the final wishes of his predecessor and continued to run wild on the Yakuza path, which was why Yamashita had turned. Of course, no reason was sufficient; being a mole was the ultimate taboo in the Yakuza world.

Takeshi Iwata had essentially taken the fall for the original owner of the body—a common enough occurrence for a transmigrator, though he had no prior experience with the phenomenon. Still, murder was absolutely out of the question. After all, he wasn't a real Yakuza boss; he was thinking about how to clean up his act. So, he let Yamashita keep his life in exchange for two fingers, considering that he was a veteran servant of two generations.

Let it be.

After Takeshi handled it this way, the old man Shimazu was moved to tears, praising his young master for his benevolence, calling him a dragon among men, wise and heroic. It made "Demon Takeshi" feel like he was trapped in a period drama, as if he were about to raise a banner and conquer the world.

And, in a way, it did have a similar effect. Kenichi Matsushige, Kenichi Endo, and Teruyuki Kagawa seemed to be vying to become his vassals, wanting to join the Iwata Group. It seemed these three were sharp enough to recognize who was the strong one. In this era, the Yakuza were quite active in the Japanese entertainment industry, and many talent agencies had Yakuza backgrounds. Since they had no solid foundation—rejected by small theaters, looked down upon by agencies, or abandoned by their own families—why not follow him?

Fine. Takeshi Iwata would show some mercy and take them in. On the surface, he acted as steady as a boss, but inside, he was grinning slyly. And just like that, while the Iwata Group lost old man Yamashita, it gained three... oh, ugly men.

Was the aesthetic level of the Iwata Studio in the Japanese entertainment scene a bit low? Was it... perhaps the lowest? Damn it! Was it handsomeness they lacked? It seemed they really did. But there was good news: Takeshi Iwata was fierce but had a touch of charm, making him the visual anchor of the group.

Ah, so this was it—the best way to look good was to surround oneself with people uglier than oneself? A master plan.

Forget it, don't think about it. Nature calls.

...

"Boss, you're awake?"
"Yeah."
"The boss is up!"
"Hey, what are you shouting for?"

After finishing his morning routine, Takeshi saw Qing. Had this guy been standing there all night?
"Boss! Any orders?"

Unexpectedly, as soon as the blonde-haired Qing shouted, Matsushige, Endo, and Kagawa—not to mention the guys nicknamed Fish and Cat—all came running. What was going on?

"You guys..."
"Osu!"

Such a sense of ritual, like something out of a period drama... What on earth did he say before falling asleep last night? But at this moment, Takeshi had to maintain his authority.

"You guys need to get this straight. We are the Iwata Studio! We are a legitimate entertainment company!"
"Hai!"
"Don't act like Yakuza!"
"Hai!"
"We are here to make movies and earn money! We are artists!"
"Hai!"

Forget it. No matter what he said, these guys acted exactly like his street thugs. What could he do?

"The most important thing right now is the distribution of the movie *Violent Man*." Takeshi looked at them with the aura of a boss. They looked like they wanted to say "Hai" again, but that would be too ridiculous.

"We discussed it yesterday. By the rules, our film wouldn't normally qualify for a revenue-sharing deal with Toho. Do you understand? But now, thanks to Mr. Jissoji’s reputation and the quality of our film, we have this opportunity. So, what do you think we should do?"

What should they do? How would they know? The three grim-faced, ugly men exchanged glances with Cat and Fish. Takeshi knew this would be the result.

"Idiots, you guys really are unreliable." His tone wasn't harsh—in Yakuza terms, it wasn't even an insult—but he suddenly projected an intense air of authority. "Get out, all of you! Don't disturb me while I'm planning!"
"Hai!"

Seeing the room quiet again, Takeshi couldn't help but wonder if he had said something weird before sleeping. Ah, business was more important now.

...

The three ugly men and Cat and Fish were oddly evenly matched.
"What's wrong with the boss?"
"Don't know."
"Wasn't the boss super imposing last night?"
"Yeah, I still remember what he said: 'Follow me, and you'll have plenty of girls in the entertainment industry!'"
"That's not what he said. I heard him say: 'You'll have plenty of handsome men and beautiful women!'"
"You must have misheard. We're all men; why would we want handsome men?"
"Maybe it's a comprehensive consideration."
"Ah..."
"You shallow people! The boss clearly said: 'What is money? Follow me, and you'll have plenty later!'"
"Money is important, but! I remember the boss is a man who values loyalty. He kept mentioning the name Shinobu."
"That's so... but isn't Shinobu too young? Though, the law says you can marry at sixteen."
"You ugly guy! What are you thinking? The boss said: 'I'm sorry to that girl!' I can hear the bond of brotherhood in that."
"Oh, is it weird for a man and a woman to talk about brotherhood?"
"What do you know! That is the romance of the Yakuza!"

These guys were chirping away, quite lively.

...

Takeshi Iwata had forgotten one reason he slept so soundly: he was drunk.

But that was a minor detail. The most important thing was, as he said, distribution. *Violent Man* had cleared the first hurdle. As planned, he had successfully secured a screening at Iwanami Hall and caught the eye of Toho. But what next?

A giant company like Toho preferred to buy films outright because it saved them "trouble." The subsequent communication and business procedures with the original production company were all costs to a major firm. Small companies usually preferred being bought out, too. Not just for convenience, but for "stability."

The film industry was high-risk; the 80/20 rule was everywhere—two films make money, eight lose it. By all logic, Takeshi should have chosen a buyout. But because of Mr. Jissoji’s introduction and the atmosphere at the time, Shigeaki Tanitani had offered another option. Takeshi immediately realized that if he chose a buyout, what would Mr. Jissoji think of him? His reputation would likely drop.

Therefore, Takeshi had only one choice: revenue sharing. And this choice meant... the higher the risk, the higher the return. So, how could he realize high returns? Getting a screening at Iwanami Hall was a talking point, but it wasn't enough. Takeshi was a newcomer, and he had no media presence. The others were all potential stars, but they were only potential for now.

In other words, to succeed in revenue sharing, he had to make a splash!

Takeshi was a filmmaker before he transmigrated; he understood the tricks of film distribution. Going to film festivals—winning an award was best, but even if not, it created buzz and acted as a layer of gold, providing exposure. Japan had been playing this game for a long time; just look at Akira Kurosawa. His samurai films like *Yojimbo* and *Sanjuro* followed this path. Later, many directors in his home country followed suit, like Zhang Yimou, a fan of Kurosawa.

The details didn't matter; the strategy was mature. So, in that case, Takeshi would...

Damn it! The Tokyo International Film Festival was held every two years, and it had just been held in '87. Could a newcomer like him go abroad to a film festival? Wait a minute! He was a newcomer, but what about Toho? That was a big company! Winning an award abroad wasn't guaranteed, but could he at least get it in?

As Takeshi thought this, many things flashed through his mind: the ending of *Violent Man*, the mole in the Iwata Group, and...

He hurriedly pulled out paper and a pen. The sound of scratching filled the room, as if he were afraid his ideas would escape. Soon, a scruffy, fierce-looking Yakuza emerged on the paper, but his heart remembered one thing:

I am a cop!

(Japan had filmed a local version of *Infernal Affairs*, and Kagawa played a significant role. This time, I’ll be doing some original work. I hope everyone likes it. I will work hard, thank you all. Please support it, I sincerely ask.)