Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 95: Mutual Humility
At the end of June, Gu Ming returned to his loyal Tokyo, accompanied by a motorcycle and Shotaro Ishimori.

Shotaro Ishimori's residence is an apartment.

Unlike single-family houses, in Japan, generally wealthy people choose to live in apartments.

Gu Ming took a quick glance and was a little surprised, but that was all. He didn't show any further emotion.

Gu Ming wouldn't believe that someone who could ride a heavy motorcycle and go racing these days would say his family had no money.

"Come up and sit down." Ishimori Shotaro cordially invited Gu Ming, "This is also to thank you for your help this time."

"It's just a trivial matter."

Gu Ming did not refuse anymore. Since the other party had spoken, he stopped the motorcycle and followed him into the apartment.

The interior space of the apartment building is not too big, but it is amazingly designed with two floors, similar to a duplex.

Shotaro Ishimori greeted his wife a few times, but she was not at home. It seemed that she had gone out to do some shopping or something.

At this moment, only Shotaro Ishimori's two sons were at home.

The eldest son is Onodera Jo, and the second son is Onodera Akira.

The first thing Gu Ming saw when he walked into the room was a little fat boy curled up on the sofa in the living room watching TV.

"This is my son, Onodera-jo," Ishimori Shotaro said, urging, "Come quickly and say hello to this Uncle Furuya."

Onodera raised his head reluctantly and greeted Gu Ming.

"Hello, uncle."

Gu Ming corrected: "Brother."

Onodera nodded: "Okay, uncle."

Gu Ming clenched his fists, wanting to punch the little fat boy.

Onodera Jo, the eldest son of Shotaro Ishimori, later became an actor and played many roles. The most familiar one is Team Member Nakajima in Ultraman Dyna.

——There is a picture at the end of the article.

After entering the entertainment industry, Onodera Joe did not see much improvement, so he eventually retired from the entertainment industry and turned to performing "Rakugo".

Rakugo is the Japanese version of stand-up comedy.

However, Team Member Nakajima was only a supporting role, and Onodera Takeshi was no longer as plump as he was later, so Gu Ming did not recognize him.

The reception room, which is also a study, is located on the second floor. Shotaro Ishinomori limped upstairs with Gu Ming, and then he remembered that there was no one at home, let alone anyone to make tea.

After calling out to Onodera Jō several times without receiving any response, Shotaro Ishimori suddenly became a little annoyed.

"This brat is getting more and more outrageous! Sorry, wait a moment, I'll go make some tea."

After saying that, he limped downstairs again without waiting for Gu Ming to refuse.

Although Gu Ming felt a little helpless, he did not refuse anymore and sat in the study waiting.

Shotaro Ishinomori limped downstairs again and saw Onodera Takeshi still watching TV with his back to him. He was furious.

This poor kid watches TV every day and sits there without any exercise. He’s about to turn into a fat pig!
"All you do is watch TV every day! Do something meaningful once in a while!"

Ishimori Shotaro raised his hand and gave Onodera a stab: "Go make some tea!"

Onodera Jō felt aggrieved, but he finally turned around and went to make tea.

Shotaro Ishinomori looked at the TV with some anger.

There was a video playing on TV. Shotaro Ishinomori watched it for a few seconds and then frowned.

A chivalrous drama.

This is a type of TV show he really hates.

Shotaro Ishimori was born in Miyagi Prefecture, where the economy is not very developed and the Yakuza are rampant.

He knew from a young age how hateful the Yakuza were.

I didn't expect that when he was not at home, the children would actually watch this kind of chivalrous drama.

After watching it for a while with a critical attitude, the expression on Shotaro Ishinomori's face gradually changed from disgust to some doubt, and then to astonishment.

Although he looked down on the chivalrous drama, the style displayed in this drama was completely different.

The characters in it are animated!
It's hard to describe this in words. If I had to say something, it would be that the characters are not fighting in a rigid manner, and the overall picture is dynamic.

Although Shotaro Ishimori is just a cartoonist, cartoonists also have very high requirements for the continuity of actions.

——The well-known cartoonist Akira Toriyama is a master of action. The characters he draws have a strong impact that seems to break through the paper.

Shotaro Ishimori crossed his arms and watched for a long time until Onodera Jō urged him to come back to his senses.

"Hmm? What? The tea is ready."

Ishimori Shotaro didn't take the tray; of course, Onodera Jō would carry it himself. The television screen suddenly changed, showing a fight between the two killers.

Even Shotaro Ishimori couldn't help but exclaim that it was so exciting when he saw this scene.

This fight was so smooth that it almost looked like the two sides were really fighting.

"Speaking of which, that person..."

The actor with blood all over his face in the picture always looks familiar.

Shotaro Ishimori thought about it, picked up the remote control, adjusted the time to the end, looked at the cast list, and found the actor who played the role as promised.

"Turtle Island, played by Akira Furuya."

"The killing battle... Furuya Akira!"

Shotaro Ishimori immediately looked upstairs.

Good on you!
He actually lied to me and said he was just an ordinary actor!
This is not ordinary!

Onodera was holding the tea tray, and his hands felt sore: "Dad, I can't do it anymore! My hands are so sore!"

Shotaro Ishimori suddenly felt a little disappointed.

This unlucky kid, it's obvious he can't be an actor!
After a few stern reprimands, Shotaro Ishimori personally carried the tea tray upstairs.

……

……

In the study, Gu Ming couldn't sit still, but he didn't want to just rummage through other people's things, so he had to find something to do to kill time.

As his eyes wandered, Gu Ming saw several glass boxes placed in a light-proof corner.

When he moved closer and half squatted down, Gu Ming was surprised to find that there were actually domesticated beetles inside.

— Shotaro Ishimori’s teacher was Osamu Tezuka, whose name comes from an insect. Tezuka himself was an insect enthusiast.

Gu Ming couldn't recognize the names of these beetles. As someone who wasn't a professional researcher, he could only tell that they were some kind of beetles.

"What are you doing, raising so many beetles?"

Gu Ming did not randomly flip through Shotaro Ishimori's things, but there was a manuscript spread out on the desk in the study, so Gu Ming couldn't help but take a few glances at it.

It would have been better if he hadn't looked at it. Upon closer inspection, Gu Ming couldn't help but take a sip of his iced black tea.

It was a completed sketch, and the image was of a skeleton wearing a cloak.

This work is called Skeleton Man, a short comic drawn by Shotaro Ishimori in 1970. The comic style is Shotaro Ishimori's favorite, dark, lonely, and anti-heroic.

This is related to Shotaro Ishimori's unhappy childhood experience.

Shotaro Ishimori did not have a good relationship with his family, and his comics career did not receive support from his family.

Only his sister Onodera Yue supported his career and gave him a lot of help, but Onodera Yue was ill and in poor health.

So later, Shotaro Ishimori joined Tokiwaso and worked as an assistant to Osamu Tezuka, and brought his sister to Tokyo for treatment.

Unfortunately, even Tokyo's medical technology could not cure Onodera Yue, and she died of illness in 1958.

Since then, Shotaro Ishimori's comic style has gradually moved towards darkness and loneliness.

This also influenced Shotaro Ishimori's design style for Kamen Rider.

The manga artist who later drew Devilman, Nagai Go, was an assistant to Ishimori Shotaro. Devilman is also the spiritual sequel to Ishimori's work.

Coincidentally, Gu Ming has read this comic.

There are other equally messy, unfinished drafts on the desk. They are all images designed by Shotaro Ishimori for Kamen Rider, but because he was not satisfied with them, he eventually discarded them all.

That image was not similar to the later Kamen Rider, but more like some kind of strange burning fireman.

——Initially, Kamen Rider did not implement the design of combining beetles and monsters. It was only after Shotaro Ishimori collected materials that he got inspiration and came up with the design concept of the beetle.

Even so, Gu Ming still saw the signature on the draft.

Shotaro Ishimori.

Gu Ming couldn't help but sigh.

Well, Shotaro Ishimori was not wrong.

He really didn't have much talent, he just drew a couple of cartoons.

——It actually refers to the person who calls himself Wan Painter and has created many classic works.

He did serve as an assistant to others.

——Actually, he was an assistant to Osamu Tezuka.

(End of this chapter)