Chapter 55: The Renowned Director's Speculation, The Death of Watsuro!

Chapter 55: The Master Director's Conjectures and the Death of Wajiro!

Normally, Kinji Fukasaku tended to carry himself with a rather frivolous air.

Jianghu rumors whispered that his entanglements with several prominent actresses were exceedingly complex.

As for Fukasaku himself... well, that was no rumor at all.

However, when it came to cinema, this silver-haired, frivolous old man was remarkably serious.

Before arriving, this master director had not really held Takeshi Iwata in high regard.

Right now, however, Fukasaku had entered a state of absolute, intense cinematic contemplation.

This led him to take note of that videotape: *Lady Snowblood*.

Why would Kazuma Kiryu choose this particular film for Yuna Kazama?

Was it merely a coincidence?

Every single frame in a film, everything presented, is deliberately arranged by the director for the audience to see.

Even natural occurrences are treated this way, because if something fails to align with the director's vision, that shot gets cut.

Therefore, this was undeniably a deliberate arrangement by Takeshi Iwata.

Yet, what purpose could this copy of *Lady Snowblood* possibly serve?

For a moment, Fukasaku could not quite puzzle it out.

Almost immediately, however, his attention was captured by the action of tapping against the window.

Morse code?

Kazuma Kiryu and Wajiro communicated using this method?

This... why hadn't he ever thought of that before?!

Kinji Fukasaku had directed a vast number of yakuza films, yet his focus had always leaned more toward realism and intense combat.

Morse code was hardly a novel concept, but applied in this context, it gave off a distinctly fresh and innovative vibe.

The master director grew even more focused.

...

Nagisa Oshima, naturally, had also taken note of *Lady Snowblood*.

What had driven that film's massive commercial success was Snowblood's striking beauty combined with her ruthless combat skills.

Where the Asura passes, not a blade of grass grows; when Snowblood appears, rivers of blood flow!

Yet beneath the flashing blades and swirling swords lay a heavily left-wing undertone.

Anyone familiar with Nagisa Oshima’s films would know that apart from sex, the elements that appeared most frequently in this master director's works were the Japanese Communist Party, the Red Army, and the student movements.

Consequently, Oshima quickly formulated a specific hypothesis regarding the function of this videotape.

Could it be that this tape hinted at Kazuma Kiryu possessing an even more covert identity beyond being a mere police officer and a yakuza?

The Japanese Communist Party? Left-wing idealistic crusaders?

Oshima felt as though he had been transported back to that era of inexhaustible creative passion.

Even as he pondered this, Kazuma Kiryu communicated with Wajiro via Morse code.

Once again, it struck a chord with him.

Yet it was not merely the Morse code, but also the framing of this particular sequence.

The yakuza faction represented by Goro Taketori versus the police force represented by Wajiro.

Naturally, the two opposing forces occupied different spaces—one in a hotel, the other at a police precinct.

On the massive screen, the shots of the two sides were continuously, alternately intercut.

One might have expected chaos, yet no such feeling arose whatsoever.

Goro Taketori wearing sunglasses, the wildly arrogant Taiga Saejima, and Kazuma Kiryu standing near the window.

These yakuza shots were extremely minimalist, featuring very little camera movement; the camera essentially remained locked in a fixed position.

They simply showcased the characters as they were.

Over at the police station, however, things were different.

The camera angle shifted primarily from the perspective of Officer Wajiro, panning continuously back and forth across the officers who stood on standby, ready to deploy at a moment's notice.

In fact, Hiroyuki Sanada had already made an appearance earlier.

Nagisa Oshima certainly noticed that Takeshi Iwata had not given this famous actor any close-up shots.

Now, following Officer Wajiro's perspective, Hiroyuki Sanada was gradually brought into sharper focus.

Having known from the start that this was a significant character, the real question was: what role would this policeman named Daigo Dojima play?

Soon enough, the answer arrived!

With the various bosses of the Aoyama Family gathered together in one place, how could everyone possibly let slip such a prime opportunity?

A massive drug deal was about to be finalized.

Kazuma Kiryu had transmitted crucial intelligence to Wajiro via Morse code, prompting Wajiro to issue a decisive command:

All officers, move out, make the arrests!

However, they arrived to find nothing!

The drugs had been destroyed in advance, and the bosses had vanished, leaving behind only a few firearms.

This outcome left Wajiro boiling with rage!

He already realized there was a yakuza mole within the police force.

And that mole...

Daigo Dojima. It was definitively him, but what captured Nagisa Oshima's attention above all else was the method of communication.

It was also Morse code!

How utterly fascinating!

The police and the yakuza mutually planting moles inside each other's organizations—that alone was intriguing enough.

Yet they were actually using the exact same method of communication.

Oshima could not help but slip back into his left-wing interpretive inclinations.

Was this a subtle implication that the police of Japan and the yakuza were cut from the same cloth, colluding in the shadows?

...

Tension!

Such intense cinematic tension!

The mutual planting of moles between the police and the yakuza naturally came as a shock to Koki Mitani.

However, what surprised Mitani even more was Takeshi Iwata's utilization of camera angles and cutting in this sequence.

One side fixed, the other side rotating.

This distinction was executed masterfully, and when interleaved in this manner, it naturally generated immense dramatic pressure.

The yakuza and the police were engaged in a battle of wits and wills; narratively, the two sides had not yet come into actual physical contact, but visually, the cinematic language made it feel as though they were already locked in close-quarters combat.

Added to this was Takeshi Iwata’s signature personal style: simplicity and directness!

The cuts alternated back and forth, yet not a single frame felt dragged out or superfluous.

None of the actors lingered on screen for long; even Kazuma Kiryu, portrayed by Takeshi Iwata himself, merely stood quietly without drawing undue attention.

As for the others, aside from Taketori and Saejima who maintained a constant, arrogant smirk throughout, figures like Wajiro remained intensely grim with very few spoken lines.

Right up until the final outcome was revealed.

The police had chased shadows in vain, and Daigo Dojima's identity as the mole broke the surface.

And the two sides were utilizing the very same means of communication!

Brilliant, simply brilliant!

Meanwhile, Mitani had also noticed *Lady Snowblood*, though he did not let his imagination run as wild as Nagisa Oshima's.

What crossed this fellow's mind instead was: how breathtaking it would be if Akina could embody Lady Snowblood!

It was enough to make someone wish to die by her blade.

...

Kinji Fukasaku, Nagisa Oshima, and Koki Mitani had all independently noticed that videotape: *Lady Snowblood*.

In truth, Ando and Kobayashi had noticed it as well, though they had not engaged in any further flights of fancy.

The appearance of Daigo Dojima, played by Hiroyuki Sanada, delivered an extra layer of pleasant surprise.

The revelation that both sides had mutually planted moles inside each other's ranks.

It was genuinely captivating.

Yet, the two women held an additional expectation.

During his last film, Takeshi Iwata had captured the vast blue ocean, leaving a deeply indelible impression.

It seemed unlikely there would be an ocean in this film.

Yet Takeshi Iwata did not disappoint them.

There was indeed no ocean, but they still had the sky.

"There's a mole within the police force."

"I know."

"I can't help you with this matter."

"Don't be so heartless."

Kazuma Kiryu and Wajiro held a clandestine meeting on a high-rise rooftop, discussing a matter of utmost importance.

At this moment, the camera angle tilted upward.

A vast expanse of blue sky enveloped the two figures.

Iwata Blue made its reappearance!

...

Oshin was excruciatingly nervous; she was entirely captivated by the film, paying no heed to her older sister whatsoever.

Miho, meanwhile, experienced a flicker of internal conflict.

Her scene had arrived.

During the gathering of the Aoyama Family's senior bosses, she appeared at the meeting clad in a traditional kimono as the daughter of the previous patriarch.

Prior to this, naturally, came the sequence depicting the tense confrontation between the factions of Goro Taketori and Taiga Saejima.

And yet... why hadn't her entrance provoked a massive ripple of reaction?

In truth, it wasn't that she lacked beauty; rather, the film had simply gripped the audience too firmly.

...

Akina, naturally, was unaware of Miho's thoughts.

This time, she found herself inexplicably drawn to paying attention to the finer details.

Ah, so that was how that roll of electrical wire was used!

Back during the filming, Akina had indeed seen Takeshi Iwata holding a spool of wire—a high-end product sold in video shops.

As it turned out, it was utilized later on for tapping against the window, transmitting Morse code through the wiring.

A remarkably ingenious design.

What about the other details, then?

When Kazuma Kiryu and Wajiro met, Akina naturally took note of that blue sky.

She was not yet aware that this had already become a trademark of Takeshi Iwata's cinema.

Immediately afterward, the scene shifted to her and Daigo Dojima.

The two were lovers, a fact now neatly revealed.

Yet beneath that sweet exterior, Daigo... was actually tapping out Morse code once again!

What was the meaning of this detail?

Could it be that even while spending time with his girlfriend, he still had to report back to that Goro Taketori?

This sequence had indeed been filmed, but Akina still struggled to comprehend why Daigo would do such a thing.

This time, the answer was delivered.

The camera cut back to the skyscraper rooftop. Kazuma Kiryu and Wajiro finished their discussion and parted ways. Kiryu descended the stairs and left, while Wajiro did not rush off.

Their relationship had to remain strictly confidential; Wajiro could only depart after Kazuma Kiryu had completely cleared the premises, ensuring no suspicions were aroused.

Deciding to wait, he lit a cigarette and leisurely smoked it while facing the blue sky.

Just as the cigarette burned down to its halfway point, the heavy door leading to the rooftop stairwell was pushed open.

"Oh, well, well..." Wajiro turned, offering a faint smile at the sight.

More than a dozen yakuza members clad in black suits poured out from the stairwell, every single one of them armed with weapons.

Wajiro flicked away his cigarette butt, grinding it out beneath the sole of his leather shoe.

"Let's go, then!"

Wajiro assumed a combat stance, his resolute face devoid of fear.

Ah-ah!

The yakuza rushed forward directly, and a chaotic brawl erupted on the spot!

Kazuma Kiryu emerged from the elevator, stepping just outside the building's entrance.

With a deafening crash, a body plummeted from the heights above, smashing heavily onto the roof of the taxi parked right in front of him.