Chapter 67 Storm

Most people are probably most familiar with the name Yuko Tanaka, who played the role of Empress Dowager Cixi in her later years. However, for Su Yun, a TV drama kid who loves to binge old dramas, the heroine, the gentle and resolute young man Ashin in "Oshin's Story", is the most profound film and television impression she has.

Upon learning that Yuko Tanaka was a professional, Akira Kurosawa instructed the staff to give her a note with a short snippet of the plot.

Probably, those who can leave traces in time are not ordinary people. Based on the analysis of such a short plot, Yuko Tanaka has already come very close to the true core of the role of "Hatsumo" that she auditioned for.

In the complete plot setting, Hatsumomo is the top courtesan in the geisha house. Because she is the original candidate for the heir, she has experienced all the prosperity and debauchery at a young age.

What is needed is to appear solemn and aloof, yet reveal a natural wild and seductive side.

Without anyone of sufficient weight to compete with her, she lived a comfortable life like a frog in warm water, gradually developing a stern and stubborn character, forgetting the proper etiquette and professional ethics of a geisha. Even though the old owner of the geisha house, Mrs. Wada, advised and even warned her many times, she still did her own thing, thinking that she was now the economic pillar of the entire geisha house and had enough capital to compete with Mrs. Wada.

So Mrs. Wada started looking for a new heir to train.

In her audition performance, Yuko Tanaka displayed these characteristics of Hatsumomo very well - she had a pure, sweet, gentle look with thin eyebrows and eyes, but after she started the performance, her temperament was completely contrary to the innocence of her appearance. With a slight smile with her head slightly tilted and her chin raised, her eyebrows and eyes seemed to tell the story of a gorgeous and decadent old dream of romance.

This kind of self-confidence, which made her feel like she was the best, seemed to be mixed with a hint of fear when she looked down and saw something - Su Yun went straight down and stood beside her.

It takes such a close distance to fully see her nonchalant yet secretly fearful look, a mixture of confidence and disbelief.

When a good actor is immersed in the scene, what he needs to express is the atmosphere and tension; as for those subtle details that were difficult to capture with the naked eye in the past, the camera lens will record all of them honestly and meticulously.

Although his acting skills still have some of the immaturity of a newcomer and he doesn't pay enough attention to his positioning, it is this contradiction between his immaturity that is in line with the character's age and his extremely high talent that is so rare and precious.

Su Yun, who had been a spectator all along, came on stage to help as a tool in the play. Although she just stood aside and didn't say a word, it was enough to prove her satisfaction with Tanaka Yuko.

Therefore, in response to the tension between the two, Kurosawa Akira nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand, signaling Su Yun to come back.

After seeing off Yuko Tanaka, who felt she had a good chance of getting the audition and couldn't hide her joy, the group looked at a dozen kids who came to audition for the role of "Little Pumpkin", a senior sister of Chiyo at the same time as her... The more they auditioned, the more disappointed they became.

It’s not that their quality is so bad, they look okay, but as soon as Su Yun stands in front of them, even if she deliberately restrains herself a lot, these kids who come for the audition are still overshadowed by her, and their appearance instantly turns from pearls to fish eyes.

The character of Little Pumpkin when he grows up seizes the opportunity when Yuriko is depressed, and is deliberately chosen by Hatsumomo, who has lost her qualification as an heir, to be trained as a puppet to compete with Yuriko for the succession. This kind of main supporting character can be regarded as both an enemy and a friend of the protagonist. If the difference between this character and the protagonist Su Yun is too great, this character will be seriously overshadowed and fail to achieve the effect it should have.

Kurosawa Akira and others are well aware of the reason for this gap: a child with such talent as Su Yun is rare to come by, and she is no longer a newcomer, but a small winner who has experienced the baptism of the markets in both places.

Even though he is also Japanese, Kurosawa Akira understands that the Japanese are subconsciously bullying the weak and fearing the strong. So no matter how much a successful person like Su Yun restrains her confident and high-spirited aura, once she approaches, she will still overwhelm those who are less experienced than her.

Just like the ancient Chinese nation of the past, even if it has temporarily fallen from the altar, it still has its innate and inviolable dignity.

Unless she meets a kid who is as young as her but already has a strong opinion, or even better, a newcomer outside the circle who has not really realized how terrifying Su Yun is, this can greatly offset the gap caused by the suppression of external conditions such as mentality and qualifications.

"Is it gone?" Su Yun tried a round but didn't see the name she recommended appear. She looked outside and found that there was no one there, so she couldn't help but ask.

"I did ask someone to notify Kyushu, but I haven't received a response yet." Iwasaki Mineko answered Su Yun's words, and then said, "Everyone has worked hard today. I have asked someone to prepare a dinner. Let's stop here for today."

At the dinner, the Japanese teacher prepared by Iwasaki Mineko for Su Yun and Zhuang Long also came, and was arranged in the hotel room next to theirs so that they could study and exercise anytime and anywhere.

From then on, Su Yun and Zhuang Long had one more thing to do.

In the blink of an eye, the one-week large-scale audition has come to the last day. Su Yun looked at the name "Kumachi Fuko" which was still marked as vacant on the form and sighed helplessly.

For the role of Little Pumpkin, two children who performed better than others in the audition have been shortlisted for the role - this rare indecision shows that Kurosawa Akira is also looking forward to something, or is planning something.

Perhaps he was waiting for a long-awaited "outsider", or perhaps he planned to wait until the crew was officially established to conduct another round of training and screening through filming and acting together before finally deciding who would play the role of Little Pumpkin.

Su Yun and Zhuang Long came to Japan on the 12th of this month. During this period, they spent a total of 8 days resting, adjusting, and auditioning.

As the crew has not yet been officially formed and has not yet headed to the scheduled filming location in Ginzan Shinhata, Obanazawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, the two decided to meet with Gunpei Yokoi tomorrow morning, the 21st, and then return to Hong Kong to celebrate New Year's Eve and the Lunar New Year, and then rush back here on the fourth day of the New Year to continue their studies.

On the other hand, in a large office in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Kamachi Tsutomu, who had finally finished his work, breathed a long sigh of relief and prepared to pack up and go home.

"Hi, Pu Chi! I didn't expect that your daughter Fazhi sings so well!" Suddenly, a colleague called him cheerfully.

"What?" Pu Chizi looked confused.

"My daughter told me last night that when she grows up, she wants to become an idol singer like Sister Fuzi - that's why I know that your sister Fuzi secretly participated in some idol singer selection competition, and ranked quite well..." This colleague was openly laughing, but the weird and exaggerated tone of his voice was obviously ironic.

Most of these civil servants who work for the country do not want their children to enter the entertainment industry.

Apparently Pu Chizi was thinking the same thing. He forced a smile and said a few perfunctory words to his colleague before leaving. Then he hurried back home.

Before entering the door, I could already hear the eldest son Mitsuhisa and the youngest daughter Fuzi arguing.

After listening carefully, Puchizi immediately knew the reason for the quarrel between the two: some time ago, his daughter Fuko lied that she was going to Fukuoka to watch Kawasaki Mayo's performance, so his wife Puchi Ichiko was deceived by her and took her to Fukuoka.

When she saw her daughter change from a spectator to a contestant on stage, Kazuko Kamachi consoled herself: since she won't be selected anyway, this is a good opportunity to let her give up on this idea...

Unexpectedly, Fazi won the first place in the preliminaries in one fell swoop.

At this point, Kazuko Kamachi was immediately panicked: she was the one who brought her daughter to Fukuoka, so she had responsibilities. How would she explain this to her husband and son when she got home?

So when the two of them took the first place trophy, medal and bouquet home, they had originally planned to hide the things secretly and tell their family the next day, but they happened to run into their eldest son Mitsuhisa who had ended his outdoor activities early because of the rain and went home...

Like his father, Kamachi Tsutomu, Kamachi Mitsuhisa believed that the entertainment industry was dangerous and therefore had never supported Kamachi Fuzi's dream of singing. Unexpectedly, he encountered his sister who was pretending to obey his orders but actually deceived their mother into helping him, so he was naturally furious on the spot.

"This is no joke. What on earth are you thinking about?" After learning the cause and effect of the quarrel between the two, Pu Chizi couldn't help but speak out with his usual opposition.

Puchi Fuzi pursed her lips in grievance and was about to say something when there was a sudden knock on the door.

Since there were guests, they had to take a temporary break. The family tidied up a little, then hurried over to open the door and welcomed the guests into the house.

"Hello, my name is Imaka, and I'm an assistant supervisor at a Sony firm." The young lady who came in took out her business card and introduced herself, then got straight to the point and said, "Our country's famous geisha, Ms. Iwasaki, is currently planning to make a movie about geisha culture with director Akira Kurosawa, and I saw on the TV broadcast that your child's image is very suitable for one of the roles..."

In addition to inviting Kamachi Houko to film a movie, Imaka also added that the agency believed she had great potential for development, so they planned to train her to become an idol singer after she became famous through the movie.

This invitation was undoubtedly opposed by Puchi Tsutomu and Puchi Mitsuhisa.

Seeing that both men in her family were seriously opposed to her pursuit of her dreams, Fumiaki quickly pulled her mother, who was forced to stand on the same side with her due to an accident: "Mom!"

Two against two, it's like a tug-of-war within the family.

Since Jin Zhong had received instructions from his superiors, he would not give up easily and would wait at the door every day to visit.

Such persistence and earnest advice only aroused the opposition of Puchizi and Puchi Guangjiu.

"I work so hard just because I hope that you can get into a good university when you grow up. After graduation, you can stay at home and learn traditional culture such as tea ceremony and flower arrangement. Then, you can find a good man who can continue to protect you for me, marry him, and become a gentle and virtuous housewife..." Pu Chizi earnestly advised Pu Chi Fuzi, who bit his lower lip with a look of rebellion on his face.

Listening to her father and brother's repeated exhortations, Fumihiko couldn't help crying out: "Dad, I know you must be very disappointed in me..."

"That's not true. You have always been the pride of our family!" The other three waved their hands quickly.

Thinking that Fumiaki had listened to their advice, the three were about to say something when Fumiaki spoke again: "Dad, brother, you are worried that even if I become an idol, I may not be successful. But, with such a rare opportunity in front of me, how can I give it up?"

"I absolutely don't want to give up! Please let me go!" Puchizi has always been the person in charge of the family, so Puchifazi's tearful plea was obviously directed to his father.

Pu Chizi, who knew that the greater his hope, the greater his disappointment, was so angry that he trembled all over when he heard this.

When a person gets angry, he tends to lose his mind. For some reason, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped Kamachi Fuko in the face, shouting, "If you want to be a so-called 'idol', then get out of this house immediately!"

Hearing the commotion in Kamachi's house from outside, Jinzhong hurriedly raised his hand and knocked on the door.

After a long time, the crying and chaotic sounds inside gradually subsided.

Puchizi, with a complicated expression and looking extremely tired, opened the door. When he saw that the person who came was Jinzhong who caused his family quarrel to escalate, his lips moved a few times, and finally he took a step back and bowed: "Please... don't disturb our family again!"

"The entertainment industry is too complicated. Our family doesn't want Fazi to become an idol. We just want her to be safe and happy..."

Jin Zhong quickly returned the bow, pinched the bag in his hand with an embarrassed look, thought for a while, and finally took out a small piece of information and stuffed it into Pu Chizi's arms: "I'm sorry... but Mr. Pu Chi, your daughter really has the potential to be an idol, please consider it!"

Pu Chizi watched Jin Zhong running away, his hand holding the document loosened and tightened, and finally he let out a long sigh, covered his face and took the document back home.