Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 1 1976, in Tokyo

Shinjuku, Tokyo, 1976.

Gu Ming stood on the street, wearing a bear doll costume, sweating profusely.

Gu Ming was surrounded by children, all of whom were curious about his big bear statue.

"Uncle Bear! Please, one more!"

Gu Ming raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his face, but he couldn't reach his head through the puppet costume, so Daxiong raised his hand awkwardly.

The slightly funny action made the people around laugh even louder.

Gu Ming took a deep breath and made up his mind.

"Okay, let's have another one, but you have to go in and buy something after you finish watching it!"

Gu Ming asked the children around him to move aside and took a deep breath.

Take your clothes!
neglect!

Gu Ming, wearing the bear puppet costume, performed a backflip on the spot.

Amidst the loud applause, Gu Ming wiped his sweat and did five or six backhand flips in a row. His movements were graceful, beautiful and extremely neat, which drew another round of cheers from the people around him.

Gu Ming was not surprised at all.

After all, he was once a mainstay of the Peking Opera Troupe and had worked as a stunt double for several years, so he was very familiar with things like somersaults.

Although the bear doll costume was heavy, Gu Ming was able to hold on.

After the performance, Gu Ming comforted the children a few more times and finally coaxed them into the store to buy things.

When the children came out again, their hands were full of various snacks and pastries. They seemed to be still reluctant to leave. Some of them even raised their hands to greet Gu Ming and say goodbye to Uncle Xiong.

Gu Ming waved and greeted them one by one.

Taking advantage of the fact that most people had left, Gu Ming sat on a bench nearby to rest, drinking water through a straw.

One end of the straw was connected to the bottle, and the other end was inserted into the observation hole of the doll's eye and pointed at Gu Ming's mouth.

Fortunately, there are not many people around now, otherwise this scene would be somewhat funny.

Looking at these children, Gu Ming felt that some of the gaps really could not be described in words.

In 1976, where he came from, a kid who had a few cents to buy a drink could definitely be considered rich.

"But it will be soon. In another forty years, maybe, our children will be able to buy snacks whenever they want."

Things change! Forty years from now, Japanese children will all be running to Okubo Park to ask for pocket money.

Seeing that another crowd was gathering, Gu Ming put down his drink, supported his waist and stood up to continue the puppet show.

One somersault after another was met with continuous applause and a surge of people into the store.

On Gu Ming's side, this street forms a kind of strange partition. People passing by will be attracted by the wonderful puppet show and then persuaded to go into the shop to buy things.

Even those who don’t buy anything will stay and look for a while.

The job of playing a puppet is very hard and tiring. If he had a choice, Gu Ming would not want to do this.

But, there is no way.

Gu Ming is working illegally in Tokyo, and he cannot do things that require identity. Only this kind of part-time job that does not require identity is better.

As for why Gu Ming ended up in Tokyo in 1976, it's really like a child without a mother. It's a long story.

Gu Ming is from Zhou country and studied Peking Opera. He was originally a martial artist. After the decline of classical drama, he became a stuntman for action scenes. Because his fighting moves are handsome, beautiful and neat, he is quite famous in the circle and has served as a stuntman for many important figures.

About half a month ago, Gu Ming, who had just finished filming, came into this world inexplicably.

No identity, no place to live, nothing.

Although Gu Ming has some knowledge of Japanese due to his overseas work experience, the lack of identity is a big problem.

Fortunately, the store was harassed by "Yakuza" at that time, and Gu Ming was also threatened. He had no choice but to fight off those Yakuza. Only then did he get help from the store manager and got a temporary job as a puppet.

In order to get by, Gu Ming also made up an identity, calling himself "Gu Gu Ming", who had just come to Tokyo from another place.

Combined with his self-taught Kansai accent Japanese, it doesn't really distract from the role.

Afterwards, Gu Ming tried to find out more and found out that there was someone in the local area who could help him get an identity, and it was not a fake ID, but a formal one.

But, it requires money.

Without money, it is impossible to do it.

Well... if he worked part-time and didn't eat or drink, Gu Ming thought that he would be able to save up enough money in a few hundred years.

Although Gu Ming has read a lot of entertainment works, his confusion about this era makes it difficult for him to even become a plagiarist.

During this time, Gu Ming had no choice but to work temporary jobs while trying to adapt to life in this world as quickly as possible, and then try to develop a writing career. As the evening approached, the part-time job ended, the crowd dispersed, and Gu Ming, exhausted, walked into the store and went to the dressing room to change out of his sweaty puppet costume.

The half-removed puppet costume clung tightly to his body, leaving Gu Ming in no mood to move.

"Gugu-kun, is it convenient now?"

The sudden voice finally made Gu Ming look up.

The store manager, Otobe Sakoto, was leaning against the door to the dressing room. Gu Ming stood up and replied, "Yes, what's wrong?"

"This is Gu Gujun's reward for today." She said, handing three bills to Gu Ming.

Gu Ming took a look and saw five thousand yen.

Well, 1976 yen in was indeed a lot.

All in all, he is one step closer to being able to buy an identity. If he works for a few hundred years, he will be able to get rid of his illegal status. This is really cause for celebration.

Gu Ming held the banknotes and looked at the store manager Shaqin.

"Why is there more this time than before?"

"Because Furuya-kun works really hard, so, this is what Furuya-kun deserves." Shaqin gathered her hair and smiled apologetically.

In fact, judging from Gu Ming's performance, 5,000 yen is not enough to pay his salary.

But it was a small business, so she couldn't afford to spend much.

Of course Gu Ming wouldn't be polite.

Every somersault is not in vain.

After paying the salary, the store manager did not leave. Gu Ming could not help but look up at Shaqin with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Ah...that's it." Shaqin gathered her hair and looked a little embarrassed.

"I'm currently studying to get my bar license," Shaqin said. "I'd like someone to help me memorize some legal texts. Could you trouble Furuya-kun?"

Gu Ming laughed, but shook his head firmly.

"Sorry, I have a part-time job to do in the evening, so it may not be convenient."

Shaqin made a sound, which could not be described as disappointment or any other emotion. She just bowed to Gu Ming, said sorry, and left.

Watching Shaqin leave, Gu Ming held his forehead and sighed in his heart.

He could see what the other party meant, and actually wanted to agree. However, he had his own reasons.

Gu Ming quickly changed out of his doll costume, washed up, put on his night patrol clothes, and left the shop.

This is Gu Ming’s second job, looking after the warehouse.

Gu Bai plays the role of a bear puppet during the day and patrols the warehouse at night, and he also has a place to stay.

One person does two jobs.

After changing his clothes and putting on a baseball cap, Gu Ming left the convenience store.

Time waits for no one, and he still has a lot to do.

After taking a few steps, someone suddenly stopped him.

Gu Ming took a quick glance at the man. He was thin, had dark skin and was not tall.

Judging from his temperament, he doesn't look like a police officer.

But Gu Ming didn't want to pay attention to the stranger, so he just bowed slightly and walked around to the other side.

Unexpectedly, the person in front of him took a few steps again and stopped Gu Ming.

"I'm terribly sorry, but could you please stop and listen to me for a few words?"

Gu Ming was silent for a while, then forced a smile.

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Narita Toru, and I'm currently the 'Art Director' at Mango Co., Ltd."

Narita Heng looked at Gu Ming with a look that made Gu Ming feel a little sick. He always felt that the little guy in front of him had some bad intentions.

Gu Ming took a step back, his attitude somewhat alert.

"Mr. Narita, is there something wrong?"

Narita Heng paused and decisively extended his invitation.

"Sir, do you want to be an actor?"

(End of this chapter)