Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 206: Knowing People by Playing Cards
Gu Ming couldn't read Japanese kanji, but he was very familiar with Chinese characters. The rules for going to the bathroom were written in Chinese characters directly on the door of the trailer. If you couldn't read them, you were not allowed to go in.

Although someone has to be arranged to deal with the black water tank after using the toilet in the trailer, it is still better than the crew defecating in the open air, and it is much more civilized.

During the filming, Gu Ming also got to know the other people in the crew. Except for one group shooting on location and another group shooting extras, their group was the main group, and almost all the leading actors were here.

Most of the time, the main actors such as Masaaki Sakai and Toshiyuki Nishida revolve around Masako Natsume, as if she were really the Tang Monk in the plot.

Sometimes, a few people would get together to play cards.

Gu Ming observed and found that they were playing Hanafuda cards, which was different from the cards they were familiar with in China.

Hanafuda is a Japanese card game that is said to have been invented as early as the Azuchi-Momoyama period, and has a history of four hundred years. Nintendo made its fortune by making Hanafuda cards.

In Naruto, the combination of Pig, Deer, and Chou is a type of card in Hanafuda playing cards.

Of course Gu Ming doesn’t know how to fight, but he can learn.

He asked around among the office members he brought with him and found a young man who knew a lot about Hanafuda cards.

……

……

Masaaki Sakai plays a monkey in the plot, but in real life he is also a comedian from a comedy family and has a lively personality.

It was getting late, and after work, Masaaki Sakai ran to find Toshiyuki Nishida, and the two of them exchanged glances.

Do you want that?

Nishida Toshiyuki nodded.

let's play!

Masaaki Sakai, Toshiyuki Nishida, and Shiro Kishibe would usually get together to play cards, but they couldn't let Masako Natsume see them.

In fact, these three people all had a good impression of Natsume Masako. They would try to please her whenever they had time. But when they heard that Natsume Masako didn't like playing cards, they had to bear the pain and give up on her.

In the end, Masako Natsume chose no one. It's really a sad story.

Hanafuda has a variety of rules and can be played by three or two people.

In a blink of an eye, the three of them gathered in Sakai Masaaki's tent.

Just as he was about to play, he heard someone outside calling out hello. Sakai Masaaki cautiously stuck his head out to look, looking like a guilty thief.

Seeing Gu Ming's face clearly, Sakai Masaaki finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Gugu-kun! Oh, I was scared to death, I thought it was..."

"Who did you think it was? Natsume-san?" Gu Ming smiled and spread his hands in a gesture of invitation: "Is it convenient for you to come in to discuss tomorrow's design?"

"It's so convenient! It's just like taking a shower with your underwear open!"

Seeing Tani Ming's expressionless face, Sakai Masaaki couldn't help but scratch his comical face.

"It's a joke. It's not funny, but I made it. Please come in!"

Originally, the three of them had planned to play cards together, but now that Gu Ming had joined them, it felt awkward to ask him to sit aside. Sakai Masaaki simply called out, "Gu Gu, do you know how to play cards? If so, come sit down and play with us! Don't worry, we're not gambling, and it's not costing any money. We just enjoy playing."

Gu Ming came here just for this, and he immediately declined, saying that he didn't want to play. How could a killing array master like me play cards? Alas, why didn't my body obey me? So he just sat down!
After more than ten minutes, everyone was already busy.

Chess, cards, beauties, politics, these are the eternal themes that men brag about after drinking.

This is certainly no exception now.

After getting to know each other, they quickly started chatting.

Gu Ming slightly guided the topic.

"Speaking of which, I never thought that one day we would actually be collaborating with Zhou Guo on a production. I heard they also contributed to this production, I wonder how they did it."

Sakai Masaaki spread his hands. Although he was only in his thirties, he held a high position and knew a lot of information.

"They provided some of the exterior scenes and designs. I heard that the Zhou people were short on funds and equipment to film this kind of production. Plus, they seemed to have signed some kind of agreement beforehand, so they decided to let us collaborate on this production."

Nishida Toshiyuki said, "It is said that some scenes will be filmed there, so we should go there as well."

Gu Ming, holding a set of Pig, Deer and Butterfly in his hand, hesitated and said casually, "Then I won't go. I heard it's very far away. I'm afraid even a trailer can't deliver it. I really have to use the toilet in the wild, and I might even have a gun pointed at my head."

Sakai Masaaki played a set of cards, but upon hearing what Gu Ming said, he slumped his hands. "Don't be so pessimistic, Furuya-kun. After all, they're partners, and they're very sincere."

Nishida Toshiyuki folded his cards and responded, "Kuroya-kun seems a bit biased. You haven't even been to that country."

Shiro Kishibe smiled and said, "I think so. I heard from Zhen Xialong that when he went to the toilet last week, a tank drove past him. It was very scary. I don't want to be pointed at the head by the Zhou people."

Gu Ming's eyes drooped slightly, as if he was staring at the cards, but he already had a rough idea in his mind.

Judging from his attitude alone, Masaaki Sakai has no particular preference, as long as he can shoot the work, that's enough.

Toshiyuki Nishida was more straightforward, so it's no wonder that he later made pro-China remarks.

Shiro Kishibe couldn't be said to have any particular inclination, but like most people of his generation, he neither liked nor hated the country next door, and kept his distance from it.

"Nishida Toshiyuki is a target for communication, and Sakai Masaaki is someone who can be won over. As for Kishibe Shiro, it's hard to say. We'll have to wait and see what he really thinks."

Gu Ming thought about it and quickly changed the subject.

"Let's put that aside for now. After all, filming hasn't even finished here. Speaking of which, the first episode has already aired, right? I wonder how the ratings are."

When this was mentioned, the three people in front of him became melancholy.

Yes.

I don’t know what the ratings are like!
After all, it is a big production with a budget of 40 million yen. It is impossible to expect to make a profit from the ratings. In fact, shooting such a work will definitely result in a loss. The only thing is that the influence of the participants will be greatly enhanced, which can be regarded as a kind of invisible income.

Although Masaaki Sakai is a comedian, he also wants to try his hand at a serious role occasionally.

Although his performance of Sun Wukong was indeed not very realistic.

……

……

What are the ratings of the Japanese version of Journey to the West?

The answer is average.

Several TV stations aired the series on Friday, but the first episode only received 12% viewership.

This is not surprising. Although Journey to the West is a classic IP, it is only influential in the Asian cultural circle. Compared with Journey to the West, the Japanese love Romance of the Three Kingdoms more.

Although the New Three Kingdoms has a bad rating, it is known as the "largest investment Taiga drama" in Japan.

So much so that when people overseas mentioned the image of Sun Wukong, the first thing they thought of was actually Kakarot and Dragon Ball.

Therefore, although Journey to the West is a well-known work in China, it is somewhat lukewarm in Japan.

In contrast, it is NHK that pays the most attention to this work.

Journey to the West and Taiga dramas are produced in conflict.

Currently, NHK is producing and broadcasting a work called "Golden Days", which tells the story of the rise of Sakai Port merchant "Naya Sukezaemon".

This character once appeared in Koei's famous game, Taiko Risshiden, as one of the optional protagonists.

(End of this chapter)