Chapter 1165: The Establishment of the Tokyo Film Industry Association

Naoki Nagayama did not realize what his subordinates had done; he waited in his office for the late Shuichi Itō, and then chatted with him about the establishment of the Tokyo Film Industry Association.

"The venue is already prepared."

Shuichi Itō took a large gulp of his cold drink,

"March 20th, the day of the vernal equinox! The Tokyo Film Industry Association Inaugural Meeting and First General Assembly—the first batch of members and the relevant media have all been notified!"

"Hmm~"

Naoki Nagayama nodded. The first batch of members of the Tokyo Film Industry Association, in addition to well-known producers, directors, screenwriters, and actors in the film industry, also included representatives from major film studios, agency representatives, and officials from the Ministry of Education and the Economic Planning Agency, among others.

Without the cooperation of these people, the Tokyo Film Industry Association would be nothing more than an empty shell.

"The election for the first chairman and other standing committee members will also take place on that day!"

Shuichi Itō said,

"The candidate for chairman is me, the vice-chairmen are Ikuo Suō and Atsuko Tōyama, and the secretary-general is Otomo-san~ As for Naoki-san, you will be a standing committee member for the time being..."

These appointments had already been decided in advance; they just needed to go through the motions at the first general assembly.

Generally speaking, the chairman and vice-chairmen are just titular, making proposals before higher-ups, while the secretary-general is the one who handles the daily operations of the industry association.

The establishment of the Tokyo Film Industry Association was strongly supported by Tree Friend, so all three executives held high positions within the association. Moreover, since the Tokyo Film Industry Support Fund, which was already being planned, would be managed by Tree Friend, there would always be a seat for Tree Friend among the standing committee members.

"Hai, then let's proceed this way..."

This charter had been discussed countless times, and Naoki Nagayama had no issues with it,

"The guests coming to observe the ceremony?"

"In addition to social celebrities, we have also invited big names from the foreign film industry..."

In this era, there were still professions like film critics, as well as some former aristocrats who now made a living off their reputations, and some diplomats and the like; they belonged to the so-called social celebrities.

In addition, as the most famous city in Nihon, Tokyo also had many foreign filmmakers.

The two of them went over the establishment process of the Tokyo Film Industry Association in the office, only then feeling relieved, and afterwards began to chat idly:

"Naoki-san, has the cast for 'Departures' been finalized?"

"The male lead has been decided; it's Tomokazu Miura..." Naoki Nagayama said, "However, I'm a bit indecisive about the female lead... There isn't a candidate who can make the final call."

Shuichi Itō said in surprise:

"Couldn't Kanako Higuchi or Mieko Harada from before work?"

"I just feel something is missing... I can't quite put my finger on where."

"Hahaha, why not consider Yuko Tanaka?"

"Yuko-san..."

It wasn't that Naoki Nagayama hadn't considered Yuko Tanaka, but at this time, Yuko Tanaka's romance with Kenji Sawada had been discovered, and the news of Kenji Sawada spending 1.8 billion yen to divorce his original wife was causing quite a stir~

"It's not very convenient for her right now..."

Shuichi Itō also recalled the situation Yuko Tanaka was currently facing:

"That is true indeed... However, Kenji Sawada gave Ito-san 1.8 billion, basically leaving with nothing... This could be considered the highest breakup fee in the entertainment industry... From a certain perspective, Yuko-san's charm is truly great!"

"......" How could it not be~ That is a future Showa beauty famous far and wide!

Yuko Tanaka's looks were not actually too outstanding in the entertainment industry, but her features were very harmonious when combined, and coupled with the charm of her own personality, she could make people remember her firmly just by a special kind of allure.

Such charm is much more attractive in a relationship than mere beauty... It captivated the Nihon rock king Kenji Sawada to the point that he was willing to leave with nothing just to be with her~

"Alright, let's not talk about Yuko-san..."

Naoki Nagayama didn't want to gossip about a friend behind her back,

"Regarding the female lead, does Shuichi-san have any other good suggestions?"

"Ha, I don't have any good solutions for that! Casting is something only you, Naoki-san, can decide..."

Shuichi Itō indicated that he didn't want to get involved in such matters, and then added with a grin,

"But there is one thing I must remind you of..."

"What?"

"Whether it's Kanako-san or Mieko-san..." Shuichi Itō patted Naoki Nagayama on the shoulder, "Naoki-san, these are all actresses you've had scandals with!"

"If you choose them, you'd better be prepared for the scandals to start up again!"

"......"

Naoki Nagayama was stunned for a moment, then irritably swatted away Shuichi Itō's hand,

"Go, go, go!"

"Hahaha~"

The fifth floor of the Tree Friend building was exactly where the animation department was located.

It had been some time since the release of "Slam Dunk," and this anime had received very high praise on TV Tokyo; it could be said that it had steadily taken over the mantle from "Captain Tsubasa."

And with the constant rise in popularity, the production department at this time had become increasingly busy.

Manga volumes, special editions, posters, merchandise, dolls, stationery, and various accompanying promotional illustrations all had to be created by the artists.

As everyone knows, anime works cannot make money relying solely on manuscript fees and television station fees; books, audio-visual products, stationery, toys, games, and other derivative revenues are the bulk of the income.

As a steady stream of income slowly flowed into Tree Friend's pockets, this manga finally began to create more value for Tree Friend~

Gōshō Aoyama and Yoshihiro Togashi had now devoted all their energy to the work "Slam Dunk" and didn't have much mind to pay attention to other matters in the department.

On the same floor, the original Studio Ghibli felt increasingly anxious...

"Miyazaki... has the prototype for the big and small Totoro not been decided yet?!"

Isao Takahata asked somewhat urgently,

"Haven't you already drawn several versions?"

The protagonist characters for the "My Neighbor Totoro" project had all been decided, but the image of the Totoro itself had never been finalized.

"This kind of fantasy creature needs to be simple, lively, cute, and mysterious... It's not that easy to finalize!" Hayao Miyazaki said calmly, "It's not like people, where there can be so many references."

Whether it was adults or children, with so many years of experience in drawing, Hayao Miyazaki could handle it with ease~

"But... Shuichi-san's regular meeting is about to start again, and if there's no progress, we're going to get scolded!"

Isao Takahata had a massive headache... That's the bad thing about working for someone else; the boss will ask you for progress!

Because the progress hadn't been smooth before, making Shuichi Itō dissatisfied, they now had to report progress every week, which had become a headache for the working group...

They were artists and hadn't learned the PPT arts of later generations... It was impossible to brazenly brag without actual progress.

"Let them scold us... It's not like we haven't been scolded before! Back in the days at Toei, we were scolded too~"

Hayao Miyazaki leisurely flipped through the sketches,

"Doing anime films is something that relies on inspiration and sensibility..."

"That's why our studio went bankrupt!"

Toshio Suzuki said something that hit the nail on the head, making the working group suddenly quiet down... Finally, they could focus on their work!

But after being quiet for only a little while...

"Speaking of which, have you guys seen 'Slam Dunk'?" Isao Takahata continued, "It's really booming!"

"Apu, are you envious?"

"Of course!" Isao Takahata said seriously, "I heard there's a special bonus this month! Everyone's salary is going to double!"

Not to mention anything else, what Tree Friend gives is truly a lot! Basic salary plus performance plus year-end bonus, all shared from the project~

In the Nihon manga industry, artists didn't earn much to begin with; Tree Friend's current compensation was already what everyone in the industry aspired to!

"So we can't be so unmotivated either!"

"When the share from 'My Neighbor Totoro' comes out, we might all become rich people!"

"Hahaha~"

While the trio was encouraging each other, Shuichi Itō arrived at the animation department.

After communicating with the "Slam Dunk" working group, which was operating well, he came to the "My Neighbor Totoro" team...

"Minasan... this week, I'm going to preside over the establishment ceremony of the Tokyo Film Industry Association... so I might not have time to hold a regular meeting for you."

Shuichi Itō sat down and said to the three core members,

"So, tell me about the progress now!"

"Ah! This..." Isao Takahata flipped through the sketches somewhat flustered, "The character image for the protagonist of 'My Neighbor Totoro' has been established, and the backgrounds for the major scenes have been drawn..."

Toshio Suzuki added: "The preliminary storyboard draft for the storyline is also in progress, and we expect to provide a first draft by the end of the month!"

Shuichi Itō took the original drawings and looked through them, nodded noncommittally, and then looked at Hayao Miyazaki:

"Then what about the most important Totoro image?"

"Hai, there are results for that too."

Hayao Miyazaki handed over the original drawings of the three Totoros: the huge black Totoro with a white belly, the gray-blue medium Totoro, and the small white Totoro, all lifelike...

Compared to the sketches Naoki Nagayama had given, they were more three-dimensional and detailed, and even the movements had been drawn out.

"Hmm... not bad~"

Shuichi Itō's mind was actually on the Tokyo Film Association right now; he looked at the drawings by Hayao Miyazaki and the others, nodded in approval, and then said seriously to the three:

"In April, Tree Friend will likely launch three film and television projects... By then, Naoki-san and I will be very busy, and we probably won't have much time for the animation side..."

"So I'm putting some pressure on you before that, hoping you can spontaneously accelerate... I feel you've already made progress during this time!"

"Before the end of this year, I hope we can produce the film 'My Neighbor Totoro'! By then, you will also be able to get a generous year-end bonus..."

"Hai!" X3

After being fed a full bowl of chicken soup, the enthusiasm of the Ghibli trio was slightly stirred up.

Toshio Suzuki asked:

"Shuichi-san, the three projects, which three are they?"

"Naoki-san's 'Departures,' isn't the casting very hot recently... and another TV drama, director Tomoyuki Nishimoto's 'Long Vacation'..."

Shuichi Itō said,

"And one more, which is a project in cooperation with Shochiku..."

Tree Friend had developed to its current scale; it was impossible for all films to be produced independently, and cooperation with several old-fashioned film studios had already become quite frequent.

"Counting your 'My Neighbor Totoro,' it should be considered four projects starting at the same time!"

"With so many projects at once... Tree Friend's manpower..."

Toshio Suzuki was a bit worried; like their previous Tokuma Shoten, they could only produce one project a year at most, not just because of manpower, but also because the budget and everything else wasn't enough.

"Haha, do you think our Tree Friend is some small company..."

Shuichi Itō laughed, and then realized,

"Ah... you haven't been to the shooting base in Ota Ward... most of our production teams are actually over there!"

"I see..."

Speaking of Tree Friend's current form, Shuichi Itō was somewhat high-spirited. Seeing that the three newcomers who had just arrived at Tree Friend didn't seem to have enough identification with the company, a thought suddenly came to his mind:

"Speaking of which, you guys don't seem to have any real sense of Tree Friend's status in the entertainment industry!"

"How about this, the Tokyo Film Industry Association Inaugural Meeting on March 20th, you guys come and participate too!"

Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, and Isao Takahata were all surprised: "Us?"

"Hmm, you all come!"

Shuichi Itō smiled,

"Come and see the influence our Tree Friend has in the entertainment industry today!"

The three looked at each other, and they were indeed interested in Shuichi Itō's statement.

"Uh... Hai!"

In the evening, Tomokazu Miura returned to his home in Kunitachi City.

"I'm home!"

Momoe Yamaguchi had almost finished dinner and walked out of the kitchen to welcome her husband upon hearing the sound of the door opening:

"Welcome home... Thank you for your hard work today!"

Then she diligently took his briefcase and handed him his slippers...

To be honest, being welcomed so gently by a former top idol, Tomokazu Miura, as a man, was actually very satisfied... A smile appeared on his face, and he asked:

"Were Yutaro and Takahiro good today?"

"Yutaro was very good at kindergarten and received praise from the teacher!" Momoe Yamaguchi shared the trivial matters of home, "Takahiro didn't cry today either... He can eat by himself!"

"That's very good!"

Tomokazu Miura walked into the living room and chatted with his two sons for a while.

Momoe Yamaguchi brought the finished dinner to the table and called Tomokazu Miura to have dinner... continuing to talk about trivial little things at the dining table.

Everything was so harmonious and beautiful, making Tomokazu Miura somewhat indulge in it... If it weren't for the previous thoughts that had been haunting his heart~

After coaxing both the eldest and second sons to sleep at night, Momoe Yamaguchi asked Tomokazu Miura:

"Anata... what's wrong today? Is work not going well?"

Momoe Yamaguchi, who was clever and sensitive, naturally saw that her husband had something on his mind, but she hadn't brought it up during dinner.

"Was it seen through after all?"

Tomokazu Miura laughed; he had always known that his wife was sensitive.

Pulling Momoe Yamaguchi into the yard, looking at the small courtyard surrounded by high walls, Tomokazu Miura said:

"Momoe... do you feel happy?"

"Of course!" Momoe Yamaguchi answered firmly, "Being able to marry Tomokazu is the happiest thing!"

"Even if you have to spend all day in a yard like this, dealing with complicated housework?"

Tomokazu Miura pointed to the high walls; this was a measure to protect family privacy, and also a restriction that circled Momoe Yamaguchi...

"Tomokazu, what's wrong with you today?"

"...... Nothing....," Tomokazu Miura paused, "I just suddenly remembered how you looked under the spotlight before... like you were glowing... Now it feels like you're being circled within these walls..."

"This is also my choice now! I feel very happy..."

Momoe Yamaguchi leaned on her husband for comfort,

"Did Tomokazu encounter something bad?"

"No... it should be a good thing!" Tomokazu Miura said, "Naoki-san's 'Departures,' I got the role of the male lead!"

"That's wonderful!"

Momoe Yamaguchi straightened her upper body to look at her husband; she knew how big a step forward it was for an actor's career to be the lead in a Naoki Nagayama film,

"We must thank Naoki-san and Akina-chan properly! Why don't we invite them over as guests!"

"That is only right..."

Seeing her husband's lack of interest, Momoe Yamaguchi's mind raced,

"Tomokazu... did Naoki-san make any requests? Is it... related to me?"

"No... it's not..." Tomokazu Miura shook his head, "Naoki-san didn't say anything..."

"It's just that after I got the role, I heard others saying that Momoe Yamaguchi is very suitable for this female lead role... If Momoe Yamaguchi and Tomokazu Miura could play a married couple again, that would be great..."

Tomokazu Miura looked at his wife,

"Momoe... do you have any nostalgia for the past?"

"......"

To say there is no nostalgia would definitely be a lie... The feeling of being the center of attention and praised by everyone is definitely the highest level of respect and self-actualization; according to needs theory, it is a higher-level human need.

Momoe Yamaguchi didn't intend to brush off her husband and said:

"I have had nostalgia... But for me, the peaceful family life now is the best! It's what I chose myself!"

"The achievement and honor of being the center of attention and a plain family life, you can't have your cake and eat it too..."

"......."

Tomokazu Miura was silent for a moment, thinking of Nakamori Akina's current state, and couldn't help but say,

"What if you could have both?!"

He had always believed that it was he who hadn't been a good husband, lacking the ability to protect his wife, which forced Momoe Yamaguchi to retire completely and be trapped at home as a housewife.

"???"

Momoe Yamaguchi looked at Tomokazu Miura in surprise, only to see him a bit agitated:

"If you wish, Momoe, family and career are not impossible to balance..."

"'Departures' is Naoki-san's sincere masterpiece, aimed at international awards... Momoe, you are the most suitable candidate for the female lead... If you want to participate, the role is definitely yours!"

"And based on our relationship with Naoki-san, Tree Friend can also protect you from harassment by other media and entertainment agencies."

"Just like when we were at the Takanawa Building!"

When they rented an apartment at the Takanawa Building, because Naoki Nagayama and Nakamori Akina were also temporarily staying there, the paparazzi who were always there disappeared! It also allowed Momoe Yamaguchi to have a few months of peace...

This is the benefit of having a big backer!

"And the agencies under Tree Friend won't exploit artists..."

"Tomokazu!" Momoe Yamaguchi stopped her husband, "Don't say these things... My life now is very happy!"

"......"

Tomokazu Miura stopped talking... This conversation ended without result~

However, when they went to bed at night, both of them were slow to fall asleep... Momoe Yamaguchi would think of her past experiences in the entertainment industry whenever she closed her eyes...

Although 70-80% were unbearable images, there were also happy memories that were hard to forget...

"A comeback..."

(End of chapter)