Chapter 54: One Side Hell, One Side Heaven!

One side is hell, the other side is heaven!

Why incorporate Buddhist elements into a gangster film?

Unlike Nagisa Oshima, although Shōhei Imamura was also strongly drawn to the opening of Infernal Affairs, what he really wanted to explore was the movie's title and the giant Buddha tattoo that appeared at the very beginning.

Anyone familiar with Nagisa Oshima would know that this renowned director was not typically known for gangster movies.

Nagisa Oshima's films always revolved around a single theme... sex!

As a veteran of the Shōwa era, his exploration and utilization of sex made his films uniquely distinctive, while also offering a profound critique of social reality.

Yet the opening of this new movie, Infernal Affairs, featured two intensely powerful tattoos, thoroughly maximizing the classic elements of a gangster film.

Would Nagisa Oshima dislike it?

In reality, however, he was contemplating the relationship between these underworld elements and Buddhist imagery.

Soon, a realization dawned upon Nagisa Oshima.

So that was it.

……

That bald-headed boss is none other than Professor Jissōji!

He dies right at the beginning—this cameo is truly a favor among friends.

Kōki Mitani had originally intended to pick faults, and seeing this, he couldn't help but complain inwardly in his mind.

Even so, he was shaken by the impact of those two tattoos.

Mitani had initially assumed that the initial Buddha tattoo belonged to Takeshi Iwata, given that the figure appeared quite tall and imposing.

Yet, Takeshi Iwata turned out to have a Hannya tattoo, and the short blade clenched in its mouth projected an intense sense of vengeance.

One Buddha, one demon.

Could that be why the film was titled Infernal Affairs?

When Takeshi Iwata appeared on the big screen once more—though by now he was Kazuma Kiryu—his expression remained completely impassive, yet his down-and-out state was unmistakably clear.

Why?

It was very simple: while his clothes were still relatively neat and clean, a narrow, cramped alleyway loomed directly behind him, bearing a striking resemblance to the Scorpio alleyways Mitani knew so well.

Yet the sign hanging above it read: Shooting Heaven.

Just what exactly needed to be shot in order to ascend to heaven?

Mitani was holding back his laughter.

Soon, the minor punk whose face had flashed by earlier approached Kazuma Kiryu.

"Brother Kiryu! Stop doing this kind of work! Let's go throw in our lot with another gang!"

It was Kagawa, playing the role of Masayoshi Tanimura in the film, formerly a subordinate of Kazuma Kiryu.

But now...

"Oh my~ Please don't disappear again~"

Kazuma Kiryu remained utterly unmoved. Even after Masayoshi Tanimura reluctantly walked away, he softly hummed those very lyrics.

This is...

Upon hearing this, Mitani froze.

Before Mitani could even process his thoughts, Kazuma Kiryu on the big screen took a heavy punch to the gut.

Shin'ichi Chiba makes his entrance!

Playing Detective Waziro, he beat Kazuma Kiryu directly, and as the brawl dragged into the restroom, the tone of the scene suddenly shifted.

"Detective, my mission is already complete! The Kazama Family has been wiped out! You should honor your promise!"

"Idiot, there is a new mission now!"

"But I don't want to keep doing this! Look at me! Look at me! Do I still look like a police officer?"

A police officer?!

Mitani was instantly stunned by Takeshi Iwata's line!

A fierce-looking man with a Hannya tattooed across his back, charging recklessly through violent brawls, screaming such words at a police officer?

Moments later, Mitani understood.

Kazuma Kiryu was an undercover cop!

This was a massive plot twist, completely invisible from anything shown prior.

Furthermore, in Japan, such situations were practically unheard of; naturally, crime reports would occasionally mention informants and tips, but nothing of this scale.

Kazuma Kiryu was a successful undercover agent, a high-level informant, and he was now requesting to return to the police force.

However, his direct superior, and the only person who knew Kazuma Kiryu's true identity, Waziro, needed his subordinate to undertake one final mission.

Waziro knew that acting this way was wrong, but he was left with no other choice.

"Right now, the Aoyama Family is in complete chaos. Many innocent people are getting dragged into it, and this is also our golden opportunity to wipe them out. Kiryu, I believe justice still resides in your heart."

Mitani had to admit that Takeshi Iwata and Shin'ichi Chiba delivered a masterclass of a confrontation inside that restroom.

Although Takeshi Iwata kept a blank expression, that very stoicism was his ultimate form of resistance!

Even though Shin'ichi Chiba played a police officer, he was acting against his own conscience; thus, while he tried to appear tough, he was deeply guilty and harboring insidious intentions.

Mitani could easily guess that Kazuma Kiryu would accept the new mission and embark on yet another round of undercover work.

Yet, at that moment, Mitani was profoundly shaken!

Infernal Affairs, meaning Avici.

The Avici Hell, the most agonizing of the eight hot hells in Buddhism.

The Path of Avici, one of the four paths in Buddhism, through which liberation may be attained.

In other words, Kazuma Kiryu found himself trapped in precisely that state.

One side is hell, the other side is heaven.

And this... wait a minute!

Mitani suddenly thrust his hands into his hair, scratching his scalp furiously as his pupils dilated.

He recalled that earlier shot.

Shooting Heaven!

Kazuma Kiryu had been standing right at the threshold of that "heaven," perhaps guarding the door, perhaps soliciting clients, yet he merely stood there.

Yes, the crucial point was that he had never stepped foot inside "heaven"!

Such a camera angle, one that initially felt like a dirty joke.

Its subtext actually depicted the protagonist's state of existence.

And it very likely foreshadowed the protagonist's ultimate destiny!

This was astonishing...

Takeshi Iwata, you truly are my lifelong adversary!

At that moment, Mitani felt as though he might never win against him.

……

Akina actually didn't care much for movies.

She loved singing far too much.

Yet, she wasn't entirely opposed to acting in films, especially those directed by Takeshi Iwata.

This man was endlessly fascinating.

To this day, Akina's assessment of Takeshi Iwata remained quite favorable.

As for Infernal Affairs, she was most familiar with the story of Yuna Kazama, the character she played.

Though she knew the plot events leading up to it, she hadn't actually witnessed them being filmed.

Therefore, coming to this screening, she was filled with curiosity.

Were those two tattoos real?

Probably.

If Yutaka Matsushige knew Akina was thinking that way, he would surely burst into tears like a little mushroom.

As the plot progressed, Akina became increasingly captivated.

Could movies really be made this way?

Those shots appeared simple, yet they inexplicably gave rise to a myriad of thoughts in the viewer's mind.

Akina perhaps didn't analyze the "Shooting Heaven" shot to the extent Mitani did, but she was well aware of the final outcome.

Still, seeing a menacing fellow like Takeshi Iwata standing in a place like that...

It was truly hilarious.

Akina didn't seem to realize that every time she encountered Takeshi Iwata, she ended up smiling so frequently.

Right now, Akina's only thought was:

Movies are genuinely remarkable.

The reigning top diva of the era had unexpectedly developed a deep interest in cinema.

What would come of this?

……

The Nakayama sisters sat together, but compared to her older sister, Shinobu was much more excited.

The old man is still the same.

Always wearing that exact same expression.

After the massive success of Violent Cop last time, some classmates had mocked him in private.

Can a paralyzed-face performance really win a Best Actor award?

Of course, Shinobu hadn't joined in on mocking the old man.

In fact, her classmates gossiped about her behind her back as well.

Can a goofy-smile performance really make someone a leading lady?

From that perspective, the two of them were truly a perfect match.

Yet now, watching this Infernal Affairs, Shinobu's personal reaction was simply...

Sugoii!

Miho no longer had the bandwidth to care what her younger sister was thinking.

Having renowned directors like Shōhei Imamura and Nagisa Oshima in attendance to watch the film meant her choice to star in Infernal Affairs had been entirely correct!

Consequently, Miho was eagerly anticipating one specific thing.

Her own entrance!

Making a movie was tricky; actors themselves never knew when their scenes would actually appear on screen, and sometimes painstakingly filmed sequences ended up on the cutting room floor.

Speaking of directors who loved to slash footage, one immediately thought of a certain sunglasses-wearing director from Hong Kong.

Therefore, in Miho's mind, if she could appear on screen earlier than Akina, then...

Before long, Kazuma Kiryu "randomly encountered" Yuna Kazama in a music store.

How could this be?!

……

Yutaka Matsushige, Ken'ichi Endō, and Teruyuki Kagawa had originally lacked the qualifications to attend this private screening.

However, since Shin'ichi Chiba and Hiroyuki Sanada's master-and-apprentice duo had business elsewhere and couldn't make it, and these actors happened to arrive just in time, they tagged along to watch.

The envious look Ken'ichi Yajima had cast earlier was endlessly satisfying to recall.

And when the giant Buddha emerging from the water sequence appeared on screen, Yutaka Matsushige was overcome with excitement.

He had no idea this sequence would serve as the film's opening.

Thus...

Boss Iwata! I swear to follow you unto death!

Yutaka Matsushige was now a steadfast, body-and-soul member of the Iwata faction.

As for Ken'ichi Endō and Teruyuki Kagawa, they were currently consumed by a different question.

What on earth did the Boss and Hiroshi Yamamoto talk about?

Consequently, they kept glancing over at Takeshi Iwata through the dim light of the screening room.

……

In truth, Takeshi Iwata's mind was currently occupied largely by that prior conversation with Hiroshi Yamamoto.

The brawl outside the Iwata Family headquarters had naturally ceased the moment Hiroshi Yamamoto made his appearance.

Following that, Takeshi Iwata climbed into Hiroshi Yamamoto's luxury sedan, a Toyota Century.

Leaving aside the vehicle itself, the real substance lay in the dialogue.

Hiroshi Yamamoto kept things quite concise, circling primarily around a few key terms.

Wakashu, Takenaka, Suō... but above all, making money.

Indeed, Hiroshi Yamamoto made no secret of his appreciation for Takeshi Iwata, because at its core, this leader of the Yamamoto Family operated much more like a businessman.

The money-making momentum Takeshi Iwata had recently exhibited was truly formidable.

Right up until the final moments of their conversation...

"If someone were to nominate you for the position of Wakashu-gashira, what would you do?"

This question was far too heavy, something Takeshi Iwata had never even wanted to confront, as he felt he had nothing to do with the role of a second-in-command.

Yet now... Takeshi Iwata had no choice but to face it and provide an answer.

Before replying, he made a very bold conjecture.

Yet Takeshi Iwata kept his suspicions to himself, offering a reply shrouded in subtlety.

"I only wish to make movies properly, and if possible, I hope the Boss can take the time to watch this new film. As for the person who would nominate me for Wakashu-gashira, they must be a rather strange fellow."

Only wanting to make movies and having no desire to be the second-in-command?

No, things were definitely not that simple!

Takeshi Iwata had described that person as strange.

In that instant, Hiroshi Yamamoto likely grasped the subtext hidden within Takeshi Iwata's words.

He smiled.

Afterward, Takeshi Iwata stepped out of the Toyota Century, and Hiroshi Yamamoto departed with his men.

The two of them had been speaking in riddles, meaning neither could voice the conversation aloud to anyone else.

In truth, Takeshi Iwata wasn't entirely certain whether Hiroshi Yamamoto fully understood the implications of his words.

For the moment, he could only play it this way—maintaining an air of mystery without going overboard.

The big screen did not wait for Takeshi Iwata; the plot of Infernal Affairs pushed steadily forward.

Relying on Masayoshi Tanimura's connections, Kazuma Kiryu joined the Takenobu Family, and with Waziro's assistance, he rapidly accomplished several meritorious deeds, steadily rising in rank.

Meanwhile, Goro Takenobu and Taiga Saejima engaged in a fierce rivalry for the position of Wakashu-gashira within the Aoyama Family.

Before the final decision was reached, all regional factions of the Aoyama Family gathered together at a single hotel.

The fierce-featured Kazuma Kiryu gently tapped his fingers against the windowpane.

Tap, tap-tap...

This book has gotten its first Patron, and I am truly grateful! Thank you all so much for your support!

The author won't say much else, but let's set a milestone: since we have a Patron, the launch day will feature a guaranteed ten chapters—guaranteed, mind you.

If I fail to deliver... cough, enough said, I'll definitely work hard on writing! Also, next week marks the final period for this book's new release phase, and I earnestly ask everyone to continue supporting the author. Please!