wavenovel Chapters 1246 and 1255: "Departures" Officially Released!
Chapters 1246 and 1255: "Departures" Officially Released!
Chapters 1246 and 1255: "Departures" Officially Released!
Not long after July, the days grew hotter and hotter, and it seemed that the entertainment industry was also becoming restless, just like the weather.
The recent live-streamed wedding of a former male idol caused a stir in the entertainment industry, prompting many less popular veteran entertainers to consider using their weddings to gain a boost in online traffic.
TV stations are launching their summer campaigns, and the elements of beaches, sunglasses, and bikinis are getting everyone excited!
In the final episodes of "Long Vacation," the male and female leads each found their other half, and the tug-of-war between them became increasingly agonizing. Viewers were all complaining that the two, who clearly had feelings for each other, couldn't be honest with each other.
The anime adaptation of "Slam Dunk" went on hiatus, leaving many teenagers who used to watch TV with one less reason to go home early on Fridays, and instead having to play around in small groups.
At this very moment, "Departures" was officially released!
"I did consider the decision to release the film during the summer season!"
Naoki Nagayama said in an interview,
"This is the time when students are about to have their holidays, and the students with free time will go to the cinema."
Do you think students would enjoy watching a film with such depth as "Departures"?
"This is the first time I've interviewed Naoki Nagayama," a young reporter asked.
"I firmly believe that good movies transcend age."
Naoki Nagayama said earnestly,
"When you're young, you might not fully understand a profound movie you watched, but later in life, when you encounter similar situations, it might trigger a sudden realization, making you think, 'Ah, so that's how it is,' or 'So that's what the movie was talking about.'"
"Moreover, the profession of mortician is a niche one with a great deal of mystery. Even adults don't know much about it, and young people find it fascinating."
"Under these circumstances, many people will want to go to the cinema to watch it."
There's actually one more thing I haven't mentioned: at the peak of her career, Momoe Yamaguchi's influence covered a wide range of people, from those in their 80s to those as young as 8. Students who are currently in school may have been her fans back then.
Was director Nagayama's original intention in making this film to help people better understand morticians?
"The main reason I made this film is to raise awareness about death, so that people can cherish the present moment."
"Arigato."
After asking a few more questions, the interview came to an end.
This was the last promotional interview before the release of "Departures," and the premiere news of "Departures" was broadcast along with this interview.
After the interview ended and the reporter left, Naoki Nagayama returned to his office and went over the preparations for the film's release with the rest of the company.
Public Relations Director Yoshihiko Sugiyama submitted a document:
"Naoki-san, all the cinemas are ready and can show movies at the same time!"
Naoki Nagayama took it, opened it, and flipped through it:
"Wu Shuyou Cinemas now has its own cinemas in major cities, huh?"
"These collaborations were all gradually negotiated and reached over the past few years."
Sugiyama Yoshihiko said that since he took over the distribution, Shuyu has been slowly building its own cinema chain. Of course, it's not about opening a movie theater from scratch, but about investing in and even taking control of it.
With its strong financial resources and influence in the entertainment industry, Tree Friends Cinema Chain has grown into a considerable enterprise, with at least one cinema in major cities.
"Well"
Naoki Nagayama flipped through the documents, muttering to himself,
"With the increasing volume of domestic cinema distribution, plus distribution in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and the growing business in European and American cinemas that we plan to expand in the future, I think the distribution business can be spun off into a separate subsidiary."
He looked at Yoshimura Hirotomo beside him and asked.
"Otomo-san, what do you think?"
“That’s definitely feasible,” Yoshimura Otomo nodded. “I’ll include this in next year’s plans.”
"Hmm~"
We had already discussed this before. If the Tree Friends Group needs to expand again, then its structure will need to be adjusted again. Establishing a new subsidiary will also help to better develop the business.
Meanwhile, Sugiyama Yoshihiko, standing to the side, showed surprise in his eyes.
If Shuyou is spinning off a subsidiary, it will naturally create a lot more positions, especially for the branch manager. Moreover, this subsidiary, primarily engaged in distribution, has very close business ties with the group, making it essentially a powerful regional governor!
Within the entire Shuyou Group, who else could be qualified to serve as this regional governor besides Sugiyama Yoshihiko, who is in charge of publicity and distribution?!
Should I become a regular department head at the head office or a branch office president?
Do we really need to choose?
Not to mention the saying "better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond," the branch office is truly your own kingdom!
It happened to be the weekend, and Kinoshita Yoshito was enjoying a holiday with his girlfriend, chatting and laughing on the streets of Shinjuku.
His girlfriend, Runo Noguchi, was especially happy because she had bought a lot of things today, which made Kinoshita Yoshito realize what gentleness truly meant.
"Huh? The movie theater!"
Just as she was about to leave the mall, Runo Noguchi looked at the movie theater she had just passed and was very happy.
Let's go see a movie!
"Eh? Now?"
Kinoshita Yoshito looked at the bag in his hand and hesitated.
"You're carrying so many things!"
"Just put it in the locker for now~"
Runo Noguchi said nonchalantly that the mall had had locker services for a long time, but in the early days they still required manual operation.
".All right"
The two quickly put away their shopping bags and then ran to the movie theater entrance:
What good movies are showing today?
Kinoshita Yoshito immediately spotted the premiere poster for "Departures" and was instantly captivated by Momoe Yamaguchi's image.
It's Momoe Yamaguchi's comeback movie! And it premieres today?! My desire to see it is growing stronger. But...
He glanced at his girlfriend who was choosing a boyfriend. Noguchi Runo definitely didn't want to go see a female idol by herself!
We need to think of another idea!
"Runo-chan"
Kinoshita Yoshito spoke first.
"Let's come see this movie!"
"Ok?"
As Noguchi Runo looked at the posters for a movie called "Yoshiwara Enjo" on the wall, her gaze towards her boyfriend began to turn dangerous.
"Kinoshita Yoshito, do you want to die?!"
Her reaction stemmed from the fact that *Yoshiwara Enjo* is a geisha film starring actresses such as Yuko Natori and Rino Katase, depicting geisha culture. It's considered one of the earliest geisha memoirs.
When it comes to geishas, they are naturally associated with sexiness, beauty, and allure.
Even the posters feature very daring and revealing images of geisha, with sexy geisha wearing kimonos and their breasts partially exposed.
"."
Kinoshita Yoshito used this method to try and achieve his goal indirectly, but he didn't expect it to go a bit too far. When he met Noguchi Runo's gaze, he felt as if a tigress was eyeing him, looking at which part of his body he could bite.
"Ahem, I just wanted to experience something different with Runo-chan."
"Oh? Do you want me to go back and dress up as a geisha in a kimono and dance for you?!"
"That's not entirely impossible."
Kinoshita Yoshito was really smitten!
Meanwhile, Noguchi Runo's eyes were practically spitting fire:
"Kinoshita Yoshito, think carefully about your next words. I don't want to drag a corpse home!"
Japanese girls of this era are actually quite tough.
"Oh, then let's watch this one, 'Departures.' It sounds like a very serious movie, right?!"
Kinoshita Yoshito quickly changed the subject, revealing his true objective.
"And the lead actor is Tomokazu Miura, right? Runo-chan seems to like him a lot too?!"
"Humph!"
Runo Noguchi then managed to suppress her anger slightly and looked at the poster for "Departures".
"It's that Naoki Nagayama movie that was all the rage a few days ago, 'Departures.' The title alone sounds great. It'll be perfect for you, Yoshito, to experience what it's like to be a corpse!"
"."
"Okay, let's go buy the tickets. We'll see this one!"
Kinoshita Yoshito's eyes were almost wet with tears. He had gone through so much trouble just to watch Yamaguchi Momoe's movie!
However, couples like this are few and far between. Most viewers had already learned about the reviews of the movie "Departures" from newspapers and media. Various media outlets and critics gave it high praise, which made "Departures" have a very good reputation from the beginning.
Then there are the viewers who are drawn to the director. Some people, upon hearing the name Naoki Nagayama, assume that the film's quality is guaranteed and therefore go directly to the cinema to watch it.
There were also nostalgic fans who were particularly drawn to the film featuring Tomokazu Miura and Momoe Yamaguchi. They were overjoyed to see Momoe Yamaguchi's comeback and the former golden couple returning to the screen.
In addition, cinemas have generously offered various promotional activities, further motivating people to go to the movies.
The film "Departures" was a huge hit on its opening day, with every screening sold out!
After entering the screening room, Kinoshita Yoshito, holding popcorn, waited with Noguchi Runo for the movie to start.
As the lights gradually dimmed, the large screen in the screening room began to light up.
The Departures have finally begun!
When the audience sees Miura Tomokazu, a middle-aged man who is unemployed and has accomplished nothing.
"Huh?" "The band disbanded?" "That guy's so useless!"
When everyone saw that his wife was Momoe Yamaguchi and that she was willing to support her husband unconditionally.
"How can a guy like that have such a good wife?" "So gentle~" "How could you, Tomokazu Miura, lie to her?!" "Momoe-san, leave him, I'll protect you!" "."
When the plot reached the point where Tomokazu Miura happened to get a job as an "underground mortician" and was then forced to act in an advertisement, the audience started laughing.
"Haha, forced to play a corpse?" "Miura Tomokazu's physique is not bad."
Later, during the passionate scene with Momoe Yamaguchi, some people even made moaning sounds. By the time the scene ended, the audience was completely immersed in the story.
Watching the male protagonist bid farewell to the deceased, he finally found the meaning of his life and decided to become a mortician.
Then came the lack of understanding from family and friends, and even his usually supportive wife cried out, "Don't touch me, you're not clean!"
Under these circumstances, the male protagonist finally found the meaning of his job.
Begin to understand and respect death.
The film's narrative unfolds gently, interspersed with glimpses of daily life, drawing the viewer in effortlessly. When the protagonist finally bids farewell to his biological father, a wave of emotion washes over the viewer like a well-filled pool overflowing with tears.
It makes your eyes well up with tears.
The audience in the screening room fell silent from the second half onwards, all watching the images on the screen quietly.
At the very end, you can even hear occasional sobs!
The two-hour broadcast seemed to fly by, leaving viewers so engrossed in the story that they didn't even notice the passage of time.
When the lights in the screening room came back on, the audience felt as if they had experienced the career of an embalmer alongside the protagonist of the film.
Finally, applause rang out continuously.
"Naoki Nagayama's directing skills have reached a new level!"
"Yes, that's how you subtly draw people into the movie!"
"The acting of Tomokazu Miura and Momoe Yamaguchi is so natural, they're just like a real couple!"
"Baka! They're a real couple!"
"."
As the audience left the theater, they were all discussing the film "Departures," with the vast majority giving it high praise.
Of course, there are also some psychologically immature people who cannot appreciate the subtle emotions and feelings in the movie story, saying things like "there's nothing to see", "it's just a blank page", and "it's nothing special".
If there were a movie rating system at this time, with a total score of 10, then "Departures" would definitely score above 8.5.
However, this is a drama film, which has the potential to remain popular for a long time.
As the film spreads and more people see it, the rating will gradually rise until it reaches 9 points or higher!
Yoshito Kinoshita and Runo Noguchi also came out of the movie theater.
Kinoshita Yoshito originally went to see the movie because of Yamaguchi Momoe, but he didn't expect to be so engrossed in it that he didn't even have the thought of cheering for Yamaguchi Momoe.
By the end of the movie, I felt that the performances of the male and female leads were just right, making the whole movie flow very smoothly.
"Runo-chan, how are you? Are you still sad?"
In the movie theater, Runo Noguchi cried at the very end.
In the film, she seemed to recall the passing of someone important to her; people with this kind of experience are most easily moved by the film.
"Stupid tape!"
Runo Noguchi rubbed her eyes.
"I was just a little moved. The mortician is indeed very important when bidding farewell to the deceased!"
"Yes, who knew that morticians were so important? I never paid attention to that before!"
Kinoshita Yoshito has never experienced the death of a loved one and has little concept of death.
"I don't think I've ever seen any companies or phone numbers for morticians, and I haven't heard of anyone around me who works as a mortician."
In fact, morticians are almost a necessity; even a small county with a population of over a thousand needs at least one. Every region certainly has its own mortician, and with the increasing aging population, the demand will only increase.
But strangely enough, although you don't usually notice it, as long as someone passes away, you can always contact the local mortician.
Runo Noguchi shook her head:
"You only really notice the profession of mortician when you're facing death yourself."
"That's true. It's a profession associated with death!"
Kinoshita Yoshito nodded.
"Okay, let's stop thinking about that, Runo-chan. Let's continue shopping."
"No, I'm not interested anymore."
Noguchi Runo, however, had lost interest at this point.
"Let's go back. I need to call my parents."
"Um...okay~"
(End of this chapter)