Chapter 57: The Karma in "Infernal Affairs" — The Defeat of Shinji Fukazaku!

As soon as the film ended, and the echoes of applause faded, the makeshift jury immediately plunged into a fierce discussion, as if they had been eagerly waiting for this moment.

"Nagisa-san, I would love to hear your thoughts on this film," Oshima Nagisa began.

Though his words carried no explicit hostility, anyone could tell that his sights were firmly set on Kinji Fukasaku.

Naturally, this was precisely what everyone had anticipated, especially Shimatani. Inviting Oshima Nagisa was a strategic move designed specifically to counter Kinji Fukasaku.

The white-haired, sunglasses-wearing veteran director curved the corners of his lips into a smirk, radiating his usual frivolous demeanor as he gave an indifferent reply, "I admit it's a passably decent film, but the overall standard is nothing special. Besides, Director Iwata really knows how to chase trending topics."

Chasing trending topics?

It was blatantly obvious that Kinji Fukasaku was taking a sarcastic swipe at Takeshi Iwata. The ending, where Akina stabbed the scumbag to death, was an unmistakable reflection of real-life events.

Oshima Nagisa chuckled upon hearing this. "When it comes to capitalizing on real-world trends, surely Fukasaku-san is in no position to mock others?"

As soon as these words dropped, the rest of the room nodded in silent agreement.

Indeed! Wasn't Kinji Fukasaku's breakout masterpiece, *Battles Without Honor and Humanity*, filmed precisely in response to the social trends of its time?

The Yamaguchi-gumi and the Yamamura-gumi were waging a violent war in Hiroshima.

How could he possibly have the audacity to point fingers at anyone else?

"Hmph!" Struck right where it hurt, Kinji Fukasaku let out a cold snort. "At least I didn't resort to cheap tricks. But the way this film ends—forcing the female lead to execute a form of 'heavenly punishment'—haha... isn't that just a bit too forced?"

The master director labeled the scene of Yuna Kazama stabbing Daigo Dojima as heavy-handed and unnatural. Before Oshima Nagisa could respond, someone else jumped in to voice his disagreement.

"Fukasaku-sensei," Mitani stood up, pushed up his glasses, and said in a clear voice, "In the film, the groundwork has been laid extensively. How can you possibly call it forced?"

Kinji Fukasaku immediately fired back, "Just because of that VHS tape of *Lady Snowblood*? So she ends up imitating that Snowblood woman to exact her revenge? If that isn't forced, what is?"

In truth, Kinji Fukasaku was simply nitpicking for the sake of finding faults, as the rest of the film seemed remarkably solid, save for its slightly abrupt conclusion.

Mitani, however, was different. Not only was he an ardent fan of Akina, but this film, *Infernal Affairs*, had also shaken him to his core.

"Fukasaku-sensei, it isn't just about *Lady Snowblood*. Surely you didn't miss the diary, did you?"

"The diary?" Fukasaku furrowed his brow.

Mitani continued, "There is a critically important piece of information inside that diary: 'Chairman Kazama knows that I betrayed him.'"

This was indeed the only line of the diary's contents revealed on the grand screen. Naturally, everyone understood that a movie could hardly display the entirety of a diary's pages.

Fukasaku remained unimpressed. "And what is that supposed to prove?"

Hearing this, Mitani laughed out loud. "Fukasaku-sensei, I am certain that with your professional expertise, you couldn't possibly have missed the many subtle details."

"Oh? What details are you referring to?"

"The Buddha head, the Hannya mask, and the title of this movie—*Infernal Affairs*!"

What?!

When Mitani dropped these names, not only Kinji Fukasaku, but everyone present was suddenly gripped by intense curiosity.

What on earth did these elements have to do with the final resolution?

Following the screening of *Infernal Affairs*, Yutaka Matsushige, Kenichi Endo, and Teruyuki Kagawa were utterly ecstatic.

Brilliant!

This movie was simply magnificent!

Perhaps they couldn't immediately articulate the exact reasons for its brilliance, but they just knew the film was good—exceptionally good.

Yet, what was happening right now?

That Kinji Fukasaku was obviously here to stir up trouble, but what on earth was Mitani rambling about?

They couldn't help glancing over at Takeshi Iwata, only to find a smile spreading across his menacing, scarred face.

How terrifying...

***

Even so, they couldn't help wondering why the boss was smiling.

*Mitani is doing a pretty good job,* Takeshi Iwata thought to himself, sensing that Mitani must have deciphered the intricate web he had meticulously laid out.

At the opening of the film, Chairman Kazama instructed Kazuma Kiryu not to seek revenge right before drawing his last breath.

In reality, this was a final entrustment of an orphan.

Kiryu's interactions with Yuna Kazama were actually meant to protect her.

As for the contents of the diary, frankly, Iwata hadn't thought that deeply about it; shooting a movie didn't require showing every single page, so he simply highlighted the pivotal point.

Just how far could someone like Mitani comprehend it?

Mitani pressed on, "Infernal Affairs, or Avici, is a Buddhist term. And what is the core principle of Buddhism?

Karma!

Kazuma Kiryu did indeed betray Chairman Kazama, but who was the one who truly planted this seed of karma?

We all know it was Wajiro. But did Yuna Kazama know that?

No. In her eyes, the culprit was Daigo Dojima!"

At this juncture, Kinji Fukasaku suffered a jolt of shock. He wanted to interrupt, but found himself momentarily lacking any words to cut in.

"In Yuna's perspective, Daigo Dojima was her ultimate enemy.

Furthermore, through subtle cues, we can deduce that Yuna had already discovered the truth of Daigo's betrayal.

Women are exceptionally sensitive when it comes to matters of the heart.

Therefore, from Yuna's standpoint, Daigo Dojima drove her father to his death and betrayed her affection!

It was even possible that this wretch was responsible for killing Kazuma Kiryu as well.

How could she possibly choose not to take revenge against a man like that?"

Beads of sweat formed on Kinji Fukasaku's forehead.

Mitani continued his analysis, "Although there was a misunderstanding in the middle, this very misunderstanding was a 'karma' of Daigo Dojima's own making, born from his excessive greed in stealing the credit meant for Wajiro.

Yet this only aligns even more perfectly with the Buddhist concept of 'cause and effect'—some things are destined by unseen forces!"

Oshima Nagisa burst into laughter at this point. "Young man, well spoken! I imagine that diary probably contained further revelations about Daigo Dojima, but omitting them was an intentional choice.

This use of negative space and artistic restraint is masterfully done."

Mitani bowed respectfully to Oshima Nagisa, then turned his gaze toward Takeshi Iwata. "Director Iwata, you are truly formidable. The narrative architecture of this film is breathtakingly profound.

The Buddha head at the very beginning invokes the cycle of karma; the Hannya mask that appears later underscores the theme of vengeance; and finally, Lady Snowblood's heavenly punishment brings closure to the karmic wheel.

Subarashii!"

Ah...

Every pair of eyes in the room shifted to Takeshi Iwata.

The fierce-looking director was currently thinking to himself:

Everything Mitani said earlier about the cause and effect of Yuna Kazama's revenge checked out, but that bit about the 'Buddha head invoking karma'? That was something tacked on later.

And what about Oshima Nagisa's praise of brilliant artistic restraint?

Really? He hadn't thought about half of that when he was making the movie.

Nevertheless, Takeshi Iwata gave a solemn, heavy nod, which implicitly translated to:

Everything you said is correct.

"Oh! So that was it!"

"Mitani-san's insight is razor-sharp!"

"It mainly comes down to profound scholarship. Without adequate knowledge of Buddhism, it would genuinely be difficult to grasp."

The room erupted into applause for Mitani. Yet, deep down, Mitani was screaming inside:

*Damn it!*

Even after analyzing this much, what did it matter?

It was all entirely within the palm of Takeshi Iwata's control!

Oshima Nagisa added another remark, "Fukasaku-san, this young man was merely speaking the truth. Surely you aren't petty enough to hold it against him?"

Taking a shot at Kinji Fukasaku right then was a warning: *Don't use your status to suppress this talent just because you lost the argument.*

And there was a deeper subtext as well.

Let's not forget, the initial 'cause' of Fukasaku's trip here was precisely to suppress Takeshi Iwata.

This left the veteran director fuming with suppressed rage, though he had to maintain his outward composure and decorum.

True to his status as a master director, however, Kinji Fukasaku quickly pivoted to a new target.

He turned his attention directly to Akina. " Nakamori-san, I just want to hear your personal perspective on this."

What was he implying?

Everyone caught the drift instantly.

Daigo Dojima was transparently an allegory for Masahiko Kondo. Even if Mitani argued that the betrayal wasn't the primary catalyst, how could anyone fail to see the blatant real-life parallels in the film?

This counter-attack by Kinji Fukasaku was viciously sharp!

To everyone's surprise, Akina simply smiled, brushed a lock of hair from her face, and replied, "When I thrust that blade forward, my heart felt inexplicably relieved."

This...

Clap, clap, clap—spontaneous applause broke out!

Whether it was initiated by Mitani, Ando, or Kobayashi, nobody quite knew who started it, but that single knife stroke was deeply cathartic and deeply satisfying to witness!

By this point, Kinji Fukasaku had practically lost what little face he had left.

"Hmph! A picture like this..." He dropped an unfinished sentence, nodded curtly to Shimatani, and stormed out of the room.

Witnessing this scene, Shimatani could barely contain his euphoria. Not only had they secured a resounding victory, but the sheer amount of publicity and future discourse surrounding the film was guaranteed.

Splendid!

Takeshi Iwata, you truly never disappoint me!

Seizing the momentum, Ando and Kobayashi perked up with burning curiosity.

"Director Iwata, why didn't Masayoshi Tanimura reveal Kazuma Kiryu's identity? Was it simply because he represents justice? Or is he actually an undercover cop himself?"

"That can't be right! It must be the bond of brotherhood among the Yakuza! Director Iwata, why did Kiryu fire his gun in that specific manner? Was it merely to carry on the style of *A Violent Cop*?"

"No way! It's clearly because Kazuma Kiryu had pushed past the point of no return... By the way, why did he sing that particular song?"

"It's from *City Hunter*, didn't you get that? Ryo Saeba might look frivolous on the surface, but his heart is overflowing with a sense of justice!"

The two men bombarded Takeshi Iwata with questions while simultaneously arguing animatedly with each other.

The situation threatened to spiral out of control.

How did Takeshi Iwata handle it?

He nodded. Then nodded again.

*Yes, yes, you're both completely right...*