Flying over the bubble era

Chapter 444
Wanyumi Watanabe came over at about the same time as him.

Mondays are full of busy social people, how full her schedule is today, Yanqiao Shen can guess when she thinks about herself.

Seeing her, Yanqiao Shinichi joked, "I've been hooked by your appetite for a whole day."

Wanyumi Watanabe was unhurried, and joked with him, "Isn't this going to satisfy your appetite right away?" Saying this in the restaurant is a pun.

Iwahashi Shin felt happy for a while, picked up the menu, and said with a smile: "When I went to the recording studio in Shinanomachi this afternoon, Miwa-chan and Nakamura-san just happened to be arguing."

"is it?"

"Today I'm going to make a demo, and Miwa-chan brought a tape of a cappella. After listening to it, Nakamura-san said, 'What kind of strange song is this?!', she became very angry."

Yanqiao Shenyi recalled the smell of gunpowder in the recording studio when he remembered his past, and deeply suspected that Brother Nakamura and Miwachan had also scolded each other for "Bageyalu".

"It sounds like you're gloating." Mayumi Watanabe said to him.

"Where?" Shinichi Iwahashi justified himself, "On the contrary, as soon as I passed by, Nakamura-san threw the tape to me as if relieved."

"Then?" She was a little curious.

Yanqiao Shinichi showed a smiley expression, "While I was listening to the tape, I thought to myself, what kind of strange song is this?"

"Haha!" Watanabe Manyumi couldn't help laughing.

But the fact is that Mihe-chan, who composes music by singing a cappella, can come up with such a tape that she feels good about herself and must make, but people who listen to the tape are confused.

……

The order was delivered, and the two chatted while eating.After talking for a while, the topic finally turned to the matter mentioned on the phone.

Yanqiao Shinichi asked her, "How did you come up with the idea of ​​making a movie? Or adapting a novel." He really didn't understand Wanyumi Watanabe's idea.

A booming industry is fine, but making a film is clearly a bad idea.

The entire Japanese film market, after the golden age of the 60s, began to decline year by year like Wang Xiaoer's Chinese New Year.

Japan, which lifted the country out of poverty in 1955, was already one of the richest countries in the world by the 70s. In society, the saying of "[-] million middle class" is common sense.

However, while rich, fewer and fewer people are willing to go to the cinema.

The impact brought by the popularization of television is an important reason. In addition, because there is more money in the pocket, entertainment methods are becoming more and more abundant with the development of society. Now that you can choose more interesting things, the attractiveness of movies will naturally decline. .

In addition, with the development of society, what kind of movie theme can interest the audience has also become a question that filmmakers need to rethink.

Young people in the bubble era would never understand the pure love plot of the 60s.

In the sluggish film market, in the 60th and [-]s, the big film companies that monopolized the distribution and release of films, sold off their movie theaters and disbanded their studios in order to cope with the increasingly sluggish market.

After staying away from high-risk film production, he used his own huge distribution network to distribute films for film production companies.

In the past, when these old hooligans (crossed out) were producing and distributing together, it was extremely difficult for independent film companies to let their own movies be shown in theaters, so the living space for independent directors was very narrow.

Now, they have changed their strategy. On the one hand, the threshold for film distribution has been greatly lowered, and films that were previously only released on a small scale can also enter their cooperative theaters.

On the other hand, because the threshold is lowered, no matter what kind of people, as long as they can scrape together the money to make a movie, they can enter the theater—including Mayumi Watanabe, who is now planning to make a movie.

Such a low threshold has caused a large number of movies of worrying quality to flood the market. Watching movies is like playing minesweeper, and the movie-watching experience is greatly reduced, so they are reluctant to try new movies.Such a vicious circle makes fewer and fewer people enter the cinema.

Besides, as the times change, there are more or less elements that can represent the culture of young people. Movies that are already discounted in entertainment have lost their cultural competitiveness and are naturally abandoned by young people.

Why the emphasis on being abandoned by young people?It is impossible to expect office workers or housewives to be the main force at the box office.

These problems are not something that is taken out separately, but one after another, the inevitable trend.

Among them are the problems of the structure of the film industry, the problems of the audience, and the problems of the times. In short, the combination of various factors makes it an ironclad fact that the film market is in a downturn.

Even though it is the golden age of the economy, wealthy consortiums are more willing to invest in foreign films than half-dead local films.

In the prosperous era of society, movies are a scene of a twilight industry.Many people in the film industry can only go to TV stations and join the TV industry because they can't eat enough from movies.

In such a big environment, Wanyumi Watanabe is preparing to make a movie, and it is hard for Shinichi Iwahashi not to have doubts about it.Some things can be reversed with the mind, but some things cannot be solved.

……

Yanqiao Shenyi was not optimistic about this matter, Watanabe Manyumi knew it well, and thought it was reasonable.Even if she herself made this plan, there was a little bit of gambling in it.

"It's okay to say it's a whim, but it's not really a whim." She seemed to be saying a tongue twister, "A while ago, a college classmate who is now engaged in the publishing industry told me that there was a novel that was very popular recently. I recommend it. I'll go and have a look too."

"It's a recommendation, and the recommendation is also very interesting."

Wanyumi Watanabe thought about it, "She said that the structure is so loose and lacks themes, and it doesn't look like a traditional novel. However, because it is easy to read, you can read to the end without any obstacles. However, in the process of entry Among them, you will naturally discover the subtleties in it.”

"Sounds impressive." Yanqiao Shinichi frowned.

When it comes to Japanese novels, he can think of Keigo Higashino who, despite his prolific output, is like a minesweeper, and who has stepped on any one of them, and Miyabe, who likes to write three-volume tomes and cheats on manuscript fees. Miyuki, Seicho Matsumoto has a subtle prejudice against Phoenix men.

If it is not enough, add a Haruki Murakami who uses metaphors and rhetoric extremely gorgeously.If he is not always so gorgeous, it is the impression of Shinichi Iwahashi who only read "Norwegian Wood" for this book.

So, what kind of novel is Watanabe Wanyumi talking about?

"I also felt baffled when I heard this kind of recommendation." She also admitted, "But after I actually went to see it, I don't think she was wrong."

At this point, Mayumi Watanabe took the handbag, took out a thin book from it, and put it on the table, "I brought a book here, how about taking a look?"

Yanqiao Shinichi read the title of the book on the cover, ""Kitchen"?"

Thinking of something, I laughed at it, "No wonder you said that it is a very suitable novel for chatting while eating."

"That's what you say." Mayumi Watanabe smiled, "It's not a gourmet novel."

Yanqiao Shen picked up the book, "The author's name is Yoshimoto Banana..." He used his limited reserves of Japanese novelists in his mind, and couldn't remember hearing this name before.

"It's a literary newcomer who has just debuted." Watanabe Wanyumi introduced, ""Kitchen" is her first novel. She won the Haiyan Newcomer Literary Award, and it immediately attracted the attention of the world. Even the novel was printed and became a topical work. He was also nominated for the Izumi Kyunghwa Literary Award. It can be said that he became famous with one book and is now a future star that is highly anticipated by the industry."

After hearing her introduction, Yanqiao Shenyi said, "It's pretty amazing."

It’s sincere to say she’s great—after all, she won awards and sold well when she debuted. This starting point is definitely not low, but on the other hand, because I don’t have much impression of the name itself, I still think in my heart, is this really big, or just a flash in the pan? Newcomer?

"This is a collection of three short stories, "Kitchen", its sequel "Full Moon", and the separate "Moon Shadow". .”

"When I was reading the novel, the image of Izumi Inamura suddenly appeared in my mind, and I tried to bring it in. I felt that the 'unreliable' temperament of Izumi Inamura fit subtly with the heroine in the novel."

Watanabe Wanyumi said, "So, I came up with the idea to take the right to adapt the novel to a movie and make it into a movie."

"unreliable?"

Yanqiao Shenyi didn't open the novel, but put it back on the table, "I'll read it when I go back." He half-jokingly and half-seriously said to her: "When I heard you on the phone saying that you were going to make a movie, was it true? felt 'unreliable'."

"Indeed, it's unreliable." Wanyumi Watanabe admitted frankly.

"However, if it's unreliable, let's just shoot it." Yanqiao Shenyi knew it well.Turning the subject around, "I'll take the novel home and give me my thoughts after reading it, okay?"

"Naturally." Wanyumi Watanabe replied.

"However, if you actually make a movie, it's a good idea to let ZARD sing the theme song of the movie." Iwahashi Shinichi said, "Every time a movie is shown, it's a promotion."

"Before the appearance of television, songs became popular from radio and movie theaters." Said by Mayumi Watanabe, it means that she is fully aware of the bad state of the movie market.

Even so, the movie was going to be made.

Yanqiao Shinichi didn't answer this question, and mentioned another matter, "Speaking of ZARD, I'm going to Karuizawa to take a look tomorrow."

"Really? Thank you for your hard work." Mayumi Watanabe naturally took up the topic and asked about the band.

Let's stop here about the movie just now.

……

A meal is also delicious.After dinner, the two said goodbye and went back to their respective homes.

Yanqiao Shen took back the "Kitchen" given by Wanyumi Watanabe, a thin book, more than enough to read in one night.However, thinking of going to Karuizawa tomorrow, I didn't open it, and planned to save it for killing time on the road tomorrow.

The resort town of Karuizawa is very popular among Tokyoites, and even Locust Room has a vacation palace here.

Where Tokyo people like to go and go diligently, public transportation is well developed.However, for the convenience of movement, the driver drove Iwahashi Shinichi to Karuizawa the next day.

The driver was his clerk in the record company, who also acted as his driver temporarily.

The president of a record company that has just been established and has yet to achieve results, although thanks to the times, the president's car is available as soon as the company is set up, but the current efforts are far from enough to have a full-time driver.

The distance from Tokyo to Karuizawa is not too far, and the length of this "Kitchen" is indeed not as long as Wanyumi Watanabe said.Before arriving in Karuizawa, he had already finished reading it.

The two "Kitchen" are about a girl whose parents died when she was young, and her grandmother was dependent on her for life. During college, her only relative, her grandmother, also passed away.Orphaned, she can only sleep in the kitchen.

One day, a boy who worked in the flower shop that her grandmother frequented came to her and invited her to live in his home, so the girl moved in with the boy and his transgender mother live together.

In getting along day after day, the girl finally got out of loneliness and started a new life—then, in a big turning point, the boy's transgender mother died, and the boy became an orphan.

The girl who was helped by the boy and his mother came to the boy again. After such and such things happened, the two finally decided to get together.

To summarize it simply, it seems so boring.

However, when reading this novel, Iwahashi Shinichi still thinks that this book has its special charm.Not only that, but I also realized that "the heroine has a subtle fit with Izumi Inamura's temperament" said by Manyumi Watanabe.

The heroine in the novel is such a person with an "unreliable" temperament.She pays attention to her heart, but she doesn't care about the things around her. She feels close, but she can't really get close.

Or it should be said that he is a very typical young man of this era.After reading the novel, Iwahashi Shin repeatedly thought about Watanabe Wanyumi's evaluation of Inamura Izumi, and he could understand why this book was so popular.

Every era has its own literature.

However, although the evaluation of this book in my heart is not bad, but when Iwahashi Shinichi summed up the plot in his heart, he first grasped one important point.

That is, although such a novel is easy to read, can it really be made into a movie?
……

This issue should be reserved for discussion with Wanyumi Watanabe after returning to Tokyo.Knowing the content of the novel, Yanqiao Shenyi has the bottom line in his heart, so he can have an in-depth chat with her.

Today is a weekday, and it is not the golden time for vacation. There are no people on the road in Karuizawa.

It was also the first time for Shinichi Iwahashi to return to Karuizawa, and he felt a bit like a tourist.There was a driver driving, and he first leisurely watched the street view outside the window.

The car drove through the silent woods and stopped in front of a Western-style villa.

"Yanqiao-san, we've arrived." The driver told him.

　Inamura Izumi's characters were inspired by Yoshimoto Banana's novel, because I happened to be reading her book when I wrote it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)