Chapter 837: Let the bullets fly for a while!!

When the carp streamers began to flutter on the flagpole, people knew that May had arrived.

May 5th is Children's Day, and it is also Japan's Dragon Boat Festival. Families with children have already prepared Kashiwa-mochi or Zongzi in advance, and have also prepared calamus leaves for calamus baths.

However, before this, the birth of a movie made people's eyes inevitably attracted to it.

*One Cut of the Dead* was officially released in May!

The movie caused quite a bit of controversy as soon as it was released. The previews were all industry insiders and film enthusiasts, who were demanding of the movie, but also had a certain ability to appreciate it, so most of the evaluations were friendly or neutral~

And when it was officially released, as the base of viewers went up, all kinds of voices came out. After all, there were many voices praising Naoki Nagayama before, and naturally there were a large group of people waiting to see the high building collapse~

This time, they seized the opportunity!

Some people said *One Cut of the Dead* was completely a pile of shit, and they couldn't stand it after watching for more than ten minutes and left directly; some said the camera was too shaky, making people want to vomit; others said the short film in the first half hour, this kind of editing was completely to screen the audience, since that's the case, I'll screen the director too......

"This kind of movie is completely grandstanding!"

"What does he think the audience is? Pawns for him to manipulate?!"

"Such a movie, except for showing off skills, has nothing!"

"What is Naoki Nagayama doing? Wanting to give the audience a film class?"

Otomo Yoshimura in the office picked up a little bit of public opinion and said to Naoki Nagayama:

"Naoki-san, these criticisms suddenly appeared collectively, it must be someone secretly inciting them!"

"Hmm hmm~" Naoki Nagayama was reading a newspaper with relish, "These little haters are really good at talking, such a novel angle...... even a film class, why not say he's holding a meeting for them?!"

"Naoki-san!" Otomo Yoshimura patted the table, "You at least have some sense of crisis, someone is messing with you behind your back!"

"......."

Otomo-san, your way of saying this seems a bit strange.....

"Cough cough..... Otomo-san, didn't we anticipate it?" Shuichi Itou interjected, "And we made a contingency plan."

"But.... the critical voices are really....."

Naoki Nagayama put down the newspaper and comforted his friend: "Otomo-san, you are now just focusing your attention on negative evaluations, subconsciously collecting more negative news........ forming an information cocoon."

"In fact, if you broaden your perspective, you will see that there are actually more positive messages!"

Otomo Yoshimura looked at the other newspapers Naoki Nagayama only showed him with some disbelief...... Sure enough, they were all praising Naoki Nagayama for conducting an avant-garde exploration in the film industry, and the movie was novel and interesting, etc.

"But..... if we don't find the black hand behind this......"

"Haha, we can't find it~" Naoki Nagayama waved his hand, "Even if we find it, there won't be any way...... Others are just here to disgust you~"

Naoki Nagayama looked at the colorful carp streamers outside the window and said casually:

"Let him go~ It won't affect much~"

Then he looked at Shuichi Itou: "Itou-san..... let's go, let's participate in the casting meeting!"

"Hmm~"

After saying that, Naoki Nagayama and Shuichi Itou went to the audition venue prepared specially for today.

And Otomo Yoshimura, who stayed in the office, hesitated for a moment, but still picked up the phone and started calling...... He still wanted to find out who was behind it, even if he couldn't fight back, he had to know what was going on.

"Does Naoki-san really not know who it is?" Shuichi Itou asked when walking with Naoki Nagayama.

"It's nothing more than those few...... Toho, Toei......" Naoki Nagayama shook his head, "I heard Toei's *Kinnikuman Strikes Back! Space Invisible Superman* is about to be released?"

"Meaning Toei?"

"The box office of *One Cut of the Dead* slides, whoever can benefit is who!" Naoki Nagayama said. After all, this kind of blackening operation also costs money. Without vested interests, who would do it?

"Kikushou..... then we..... can't do anything?"

"Ha, not really...."

Naoki Nagayama actually already had some ideas in his heart, but all counter-measures had to wait for an east wind, about a week..... Thinking of this, a line from a movie suddenly popped into his head, so he turned his head and joked,

"Let the bullets fly for a while!"

"??? What are you saying, Naoki-san?"

"Hahaha, I didn't say anything!" Naoki Nagayama laughed and pushed open the door of the conference room used for auditions, and walked in with Shuichi Itou.

In the not-so-small conference room, a row of tables was placed on one side, and the middle was all empty space. And beside the table, Hiroshi Kijima and Munao Matsuo were organizing some tables and the like.

"Naoki-san, Itou-san!" Munao Matsuo's eyes were sharper, and he saw the two bosses at once.

"Matsuo-kun." Naoki Nagayama nodded, "Did you come to help too? Aren't you on holiday?"

"Hai, because the filming is finished, it's relatively free, and I'm not in the mood to rest..... so I just came to help with the casting meeting, and learn by the way...."

In fact, Munao Matsuo hadn't slept well for the past few days. *One Cut of the Dead* was officially released, and he was the most nervous one.

"Then thank you for your hard work~"

Naoki Nagayama didn't say much, sat in the position of the reviewer with Shuichi Itou, and then took the candidates who were coming to audition today from Hiroshi Kijima.

"Yutaka Nanjo, Yoshio Harada, Shiro Namiki, Muga Takewaki...... Eh, Takewaki-san is also here~" Seeing the familiar names, Naoki Nagayama was a bit surprised.

"Hai, they are all popular acting schools~"

Shuichi Itou explained on the side. Because the lead in *Squid Game* this time is a middle-aged man, the ones chosen are all actors who have had representative works.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad~"

Yutaka Nanjo, Yoshio Harada, Shiro Namiki, these people are all actors who have played impressive roles in *Volleyball Girls*, *Proof of the Man*, and *Oshin*.

No matter which country, auditions are much the same. When the actors arrive, self-introduction...... and then according to the script given to them, perform an improvisation.

The first to arrive was Yutaka Nanjo, this person with a bit of uninhibited temperament......

"Director Itou, Director Nagayama, I am Yutaka Nanjo, I have appeared in *Sea of Eden*, TV drama *Volleyball Girls*....."

Facing the two famous directors who are currently hot, Yutaka Nanjo had no star arrogance at all, and introduced himself very humbly,

"For playing roles with different identities, how to express the character's emotions, I have rich experience......"

"Nanjo-san, we have all watched the roles you have played before...." Shuichi Itou took the lead in the casting, "Have you understood the role you want to audition for this time?"

"Hai, a helpless person who is addicted to gambling after losing his job and losing his family....." Yutaka Nanjo only got part of the script, but he also had thoughts about the role, "So I grew my hair half-long, and my beard is also a bit sloppy....."

"Oh? You are well prepared!" Shuichi Itou nodded with satisfaction.

"This is the duty of an actor...."

"Then let's try it out...." Shuichi Itou chatted for a while and then started the actual combat, "You know the game of Red Light, Green Light, right?"

"Hai!"

The improvised script chosen this time is the first game...... Red Light, Green Light.

Under the threat of machine guns, in the three calls of Red Light, Green Light, from doubt to fear, suspicion, and then quickly calm down, looking for a way to survive..... such a short-term emotional transformation......

"One two three..... Red Light, Green Light!" Munao Matsuo became a supporting role in the field, broadcasting the pronunciation of the game, "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

And in the first Red Light, Green Light, Yutaka Nanjo, who was originally full of doubt, seemed to be stiffened by the sound of gunfire. It was not until the sound of Red Light, Green Light sounded again that he turned his head to look back tremblingly, seeming to be paralyzed on the ground by blood and corpses, with extreme fear on his face.....

The second Red Light, Green Light, people continued to be shot, and finally someone realized that this game of Red Light, Green Light, as long as you are caught, you will be killed!

By the third time, Yutaka Nanjo had already turned his body. Although he was still terrified, he began to move towards the robot.....

"Cut!" Shuichi Itang shouted cut after the third time, then nodded. "Thank you very much, Nanjo-san, your performance was very spot on."

"Arigato!" Yutaka Nanjo wiped his forehead, he was too nervous, he was really sweating....

"Thank you for participating in the audition this time..... If there is progress later, we will notify you through your agent!"

The result of the audition was naturally not announced on the spot. Shuichi Itou and Yutaka Nanjo said goodbye friendly, and then prepared to call the next candidate.

The next one is Yoshio Harada, who played the police chief in *Proof of the Man*.....

The next is naturally another round of audition performances..... followed by Shiro Namiki......

When filling out the casting evaluation form in the middle, Shuichi Itou sighed:

"Naoki-san, sure enough, these experienced actors have superb acting skills! It's very difficult to choose....."

"Yeah, more monks and less porridge.... is the norm in the acting world, so evergreen trees are so few....." Naoki Nagayama said, "If it's difficult to choose, start from the role itself.... for example, this protagonist Seong Gi-hun...... has a kind of rogue spirit that only teenagers have..... deep down actually has the innocence of a child......"

"Then among today's actors......" Shuichi Itou closed his eyes and thought for a while, a figure emerged, "Only Yutaka Nanjo's face shape is younger, not that kind of square face......"

This era encourages square, thick eyebrows and big eyes...... Ken Takakura, Tomokazu Miura...... are all like this.

By the end, Muga Takewaki also came over...... As an acquaintance, he naturally greeted Shuichi Itou well.

Then he secretly decided on the role of the second male lead..... After all, he is an acquaintance, and his acting is very good. The entertainment industry also pays attention to human feelings!

"Then..... male lead, still missing a villain role....." Shuichi Itou said.

"Hmm.... villain.... who should we choose?"

"How about Takeshi Kitano-san? What does Naoki-san think?" Shuichi Itou asked back.

"Hmm..... Kitano-san can indeed play a villain..... but there is no such pure sense of evil...."

In Naoki Nagayama's impression, Takeshi Kitano's eyes always hide a sense of story. Even if Takeshi Kitano plays a villain, he is the kind of villain with a story and emotional struggle..... The villain in *Squid Game* is like the kind of bully who bullies people often seen in life.

"Then who are the candidates....."

"How about Sonny Chiba?" Shuichi Itou suddenly said.

"Eh?" The first image that popped into Naoki Nagayama's mind was still the image of Xiong Ba..... "If it's Shinichi-san, he is domineering enough..... If he wants to play, he is also a big villain...... ordinary villain...."

"Then.... how about Yasuaki Kurata?" Shuichi Itou mentioned another person.

"Who is this?" Naoki Nagayama felt he had no impression.

"Ah, he participated in *Legend of the Eight Samurai* with Sonny Chiba....." Shuichi Itou searched through the materials and found the personal information form of this guy, "He has been developing in Hong Kong in recent years...."

"Oh?"

Naoki Nagayama took it and looked, "Ha, so it's the Black Dragon Society head instructor Fumio Funakoshi....."

"??? Naoki-san, what strange things are you saying again?!"

"Nothing, nothing...." Naoki Nagayama looked at the photo on the form and smiled, "He can...... remember to shave a crew cut then! Must be a very flat crew cut..... Hahaha~"

"......."

Shuichi Itou looked at his president who suddenly went crazy, and didn't know what to say.

After the casting audition ended, Naoki Nagayama chatted with Otomo Yoshimura and Shuichi Itou in the office for a while, and then prepared to go back.

But at this time, the office door was pushed open, and Riko Hayano walked in:

"Naoki-san.... Itou-san...." She held the passports in her hand, "These are your passports, the tickets to Cannes have been bought~"

"Hai, arigato~"

Shuichi Itou, as the person in charge of Tree Friend Film, actually held the title of producer, so he had to go too.

The two took the passports, and then said to Otomo Yoshimura,

"The Cannes Film Festival starts in a week, and we will arrive three days in advance..... so it will take us about three days to get there, so after tomorrow, Tree Friend will trouble Otomo-san!"

"Does this still need to be said?" Otomo Yoshimura rolled his eyes. It was always him who was in charge, wasn't it!

"In short.... after you go, first meet with the vice president of the Producers Association, and understand the specific situation...."

That guy is a lobbyist that Otomo Yoshimura spent nearly 100 million yen to find. He knows the most about the current movements of the judges, and communicating in advance can understand the latest selection results.

"Hmm, don't worry!" Naoki Nagayama nodded, "In fact, we have a great chance!"

"It's better to be cautious in everything....."

Otomo Yoshimura continued to entrust a few words, and then sent the two away.

Except for the big door of Tree Friend, Naoki Nagayama was still thinking: "Takeshi Kitano-san, and Yuko-san, we should all be on the same flight, right?"

"Of course..... and Naoto-kun and his father....."

As the main roles, Naoto Fujiki naturally has to appear, and Yuko Tanaka is the representative of the female roles....

"Hmm, then see you tomorrow!"

"Hai!"

After watching Shuichi Itou drive away, Naoki Nagayama was still thinking about the counter-attack method he thought of when he saw the negative reports in the morning...... After returning to Japan with the Palme d'Or trophy, carrying this momentum, the monsters and ghosts will definitely be vulnerable!

This is the east wind he is waiting for!

Palme d'Or, here I come! ===== CHAPTER 838 =====