mesbooks Chapter 302: Prelude to the Broadcast
Chapter 302: Prelude to the Broadcast
Chapter 302: Prelude to the Broadcast
Despite having the system's incredible "absolute set domain" that maximizes the atmosphere and the actors' charm, "Boys Over Flowers" is still, at its core, a shoujo manga adaptation filled with old-fashioned Mary Sue vibes and incredibly cringeworthy dialogue.
After the initial excitement of the first few days, as filming progressed, a somewhat comical "side effect" emerged in the crew: the lead actors would often feel an overwhelming urge to burst out laughing when faced with overly cheesy lines.
At this moment, the filming location of Eitoku Academy had just finished shooting a major scene.
In the scene, Shin Kitahara, playing Tsukasa Domyouji, has cornered Kou Shibasaki, playing Tsukushi Makino, against a wall. With one hand braced against the wall, Kitahara utters the iconic line, "If it pleases me, I'll buy you the Eiffel Tower! So, be my woman!"
The moment the director yelled "Cut," the blush-inducing pink atmosphere that had filled the corridor instantly dissipated.
In the nearby rest area, Yosuke Eguchi, holding a cup of iced coffee, finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing, his shoulders shaking violently.
"I can't take it anymore—" Yosuke Eguchi wiped tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes as he turned to Takuya Kimura and Yutaka Takenouchi sitting next to him, and began to complain wildly, "Do you think Shin is secretly trying to create some kind of aloof and invincible persona for himself? How did he manage to recite those lines without batting an eye? I was so shocked I almost wore my toes through the soles of my custom-made leather shoes!"
Sitting in a folding chair with a script in his hand, Takuya Kimura listened to Yosuke Eguchi's sarcastic remarks. Although he didn't dare to laugh as unrestrainedly as this veteran actor, the corners of his mouth still turned up in a wild smile.
In fact, Takuya Kimura, Japan's number one idol, has acted in sweet romance dramas before, but a script like "Boys Over Flowers" that directly shows "I'm rich, I'm domineering, I'm the best in the world" still opened his eyes.
"Eguchi-senpai, please keep your voice down—" Kimura Takuya said in a low voice, glancing around cautiously. "To be honest, during that scene just now, when I was just standing in the background, I almost burst out laughing several times. But every time I looked up and saw President Kitahara's serious eyes, completely immersed in his role and without a single distracting thought, I had to pinch my thigh to suppress my laughter. The president's aura—is just too strong."
"Exactly!" Yosuke Eguchi scoffed and sighed. "The more seriously he acts, the more nervous we get. We're all afraid to relax, lest we burst out laughing and be instantly killed by his disdainful look. I'm really fed up with him. Doesn't this guy have any shame?"
Takenouchi Yutaka nodded in deep agreement, just about to chime in with a few words.
Just then, a deep, slightly mocking voice rang out from behind the three of them without warning.
"Eguchi, you're talking bad about me behind my back again, aren't you?"
The familiar voice was like a thunderclap, startling the three top male gods in the rest area. They turned around in unison and saw that Kitahara Shin had taken off his extravagant high-end school uniform jacket, wearing a fitted white shirt, arms crossed, looking at them with a half-smile.
The atmosphere instantly became extremely awkward. Kimura Takuya and Takenouchi Yutaka stood up abruptly, like delinquent students caught by the headmaster, their movements perfectly synchronized.
Yosuke Eguchi blushed slightly, but being thick-skinned, he coughed twice and immediately put on a grinning expression. He stepped forward and patted Shin Kitahara on the shoulder: "Oh, Shin-kun! Just teasing you, just kidding! We were just praising you, saying you're so dedicated! Your unwavering acting made it hard for us to relax, afraid of falling behind!"
Seeing Yosuke Eguchi's frantic attempts to salvage the situation, Shin Kitahara shook his head helplessly.
He walked over to a chair, sat down, picked up a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed it, shrugged, and said, "What's there to be nervous about? If you think it's funny, laugh if you want. It's not a big deal. After the director yells 'Cut,' this is the rest area. Just don't mess things up when we start filming."
"But seriously, Shin-kun, when you were reciting those lines, didn't you really feel even a little bit embarrassed?" Yosuke Eguchi leaned closer and asked curiously.
Kitahara Shin took a sip of water and replied calmly, "What's so embarrassing about that? It's just that my threshold for avoiding embarrassment is much higher than yours."
This was Kitahara Shin's honest opinion. Although in this life he was a high-ranking tycoon and a film and television mogul standing on a pedestal, in his previous life he had worked as a lowly extra in Hengdian for several years.
During that period, he witnessed far too many bizarre things that shattered his worldview on film sets. Those so-called "idol idols" heavily promoted by capital had acting skills that were appallingly bad; their lines sounded like they were reciting a textbook, or they simply recited "1234567." What hadn't Kitahara Shin seen—those utterly nonsensical, illogical, poorly made period dramas, those cringeworthy attempts at looking cool that made you want to gouge your eyes out?
Having been immersed in that environment for so long, his ability to withstand awkwardness had long been forged into something as indestructible as steel. In contrast, while "Boys Over Flowers" may be a Mary Sue story, at least its logic is consistent and its emotions are genuine. For Kitahara Shin, who had experienced the baptism of terrible films in Hengdian, playing a domineering young master was as easy and natural as drinking water.
After dismissing the three male stars who were still marveling at their lines, Kitahara Shin's gaze unconsciously fell on a petite figure in the corner of the set.
Kou Shibasaki was sitting alone on a simple plastic stool.
Unlike the other three male stars who were relaxed and even joking with each other during breaks, this sixteen-year-old girl had maintained a tense, taut state since the first day of filming.
On her lap lay a well-worn script, its edges frayed from repeated readings, densely covered with annotations and character biographies in red and blue markers. At that moment, she was tightly pursing her lips, her brows slightly furrowed, silently reciting her lines for the next scene. Even during her break, her cool, expressionless face betrayed no hint of a smile; she exuded an aura of relentless, "Don't bother me" dedication.
Looking at this little wildcat that seemed to be desperately trying to prove itself after being injured, Kitahara Shin's eyes flashed with admiration, and at the same time he found it extremely interesting.
He could clearly sense the immense pressure this girl was under on set. As an outsider with no connections, she was thrust into the lead role in Kitahara Productions for her very first project, co-starring with four of Japan's top male idols. An ordinary girl might have been overwhelmed by the huge psychological gap and the doubts from the outside world.
But Kou Shibasaki didn't. She didn't complain, nor did she try to please anyone. She simply pushed herself in an almost cruel way, striving not to hold anyone back, and even giving it her all, wanting to use her acting skills to live up to the name "Makino Tsukushi".
Kitahara Shin put down the water bottle, stood up, and walked slowly to her side with steady steps.
Feeling a shadow loom over her, Shibasaki Kou abruptly looked up. When she saw Kitahara Shin standing in front of her, the lines she had been silently reciting vanished instantly. Like a startled rabbit, she sprang up from the plastic stool, her back ramrod straight.
"President---" Shibasaki Kou's voice carried a hint of barely concealed panic.
At that moment, her mind uncontrollably replayed the afternoon she auditioned for the Kitahara Group. Back then, she was fearless and bold, pointing her finger at this most terrifying man in all of Japan and giving him a good scolding, even calling him a "money-grubbing egomaniac."
Later, she learned that it was all a test deliberately arranged by Kitahara Shin to probe her. Thinking back to her own reckless behavior and comparing it to Kitahara Shin's current kindness and support, Shibasaki Kou felt so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground. During her time on set, aside from normal interactions during filming, she didn't dare to approach Kitahara Shin at all.
Seeing the girl's flustered appearance, even with her ears turning slightly red, Kitahara Shin didn't put on airs like a boss.
He asked in a gentle tone, "How are you feeling? Is it stressful acting alongside us old guys? Is your body handling it?"
Hearing this sincere and concerned greeting, Kou Shibasaki paused slightly, her nervousness easing a little. She quickly shook her head and replied very earnestly, "No—it's nothing, I'm fine. There's nothing wrong. All the seniors have taken great care of me; being able to learn in this production team is the greatest fortune of my life."
"Actually, you don't need to push yourself so hard." Kitahara Shin looked at the well-worn script in her hand, smiled, and said, "Don't overthink it, and don't always have such a serious face. Just act like you normally do. You performed quite well in the previous scenes, didn't you see? The director and the camera crew gave you very positive feedback behind the scenes. You've brought Makino Tsukushi's tenacious, resilient spirit to life."
Upon receiving personal praise from Kitahara Shin, an absolute authority in the film and television industry, Shibasaki Kou's eyes suddenly reddened slightly.
The heavy weight that had been pressing on her heart seemed to be quietly lifted in that moment. She bit her lip hard, trying her best not to let the tears fall.
"President—thank you." Shibasaki Kou took a deep breath, raised her head, and her slightly upturned eyes shone with a determination far beyond her years. "Actually—my family has always been very poor since I was a child. My mother's health has always been poor, and she needs a lot of money for medical treatment. Before I was discovered by a talent scout, my biggest dream was to be able to go out and work as soon as possible, earn more money, so that others wouldn't look down on my family, and so that my mother wouldn't have to work so hard."
Although Shibasaki Kou's voice wasn't loud, it carried a moving power. This was the first time she had revealed the most vulnerable yet also the most resilient corner of her heart to a stranger, and a high-ranking boss at that.
"That day in your office, I wasn't acting," Kou Shibasaki said candidly, looking into Shin Kitahara's eyes. "I genuinely felt that even if we were poor, even if I were just a weed, I absolutely couldn't tolerate anyone trampling on my dignity. That's why I dared to yell at you like that."
She paused, her eyes burning with fervor: "President, you've given me this life-changing opportunity, allowing me to stand on such a dazzling stage. I don't know if I have the talent, but I can assure you, I will absolutely not let you down. I will give it my all to play this role well, and I will use my first paycheck to treat my mother's illness. I will let all those who once looked down on us know that Kou Shibasaki is not some trash that can be easily discarded!"
Within the frail body of this sixteen-year-old girl, Kitahara Shin clearly saw a flame burning fiercely. It was a flame of ambition ignited for survival, for dignity, and for changing one's destiny.
With this underlying tragic reality and a strong sense of purpose, it's no wonder that the anger and defiance she displayed on screen were so powerfully moving. She wasn't just acting as Makino Tsukushi; she *is* the most authentic Makino Tsukushi in the real world.
"Well said." Kitahara Shin's smile faded, a hint of seriousness and approval in his eyes. He reached out and patted Shibasaki Kou's shoulder twice. "Remember what you said today. In this industry, beautiful women are as numerous as hairs on a cow, but only those like you, who have dignity and goals etched into their very bones, can truly go the distance. Go, go and prove it to all of Asia."
After this profound conversation, Kou Shibasaki seemed to have completely unlocked her potential. In the following filming, she not only maintained that wild vitality, but also became more natural and fluid in her emotional interactions with Shin Kitahara and others.
Time flies by in the busy life of the film crew.
Autumn goes and winter comes.
With the terrifying efficiency of the "Absolute Set Domain" system and the unreserved financial support of the Kitahara Group, the filming of "Boys Over Flowers" progressed at lightning speed. In just a few months, this super idol drama, which carries the ultimate fantasy of women all over Asia, finally wrapped up filming in Tokyo.
When Kitahara Shin, representing the crew, presented Shibasaki Kou with a bouquet of flowers to mark the end of filming, this strong girl finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears on set. It was a feeling of relief and gratitude after shedding all her burdens.
With the completion of filming for "Boys Over Flowers," the wheels of time quietly rolled past the New Year's bells, officially ushering in 1998.
This was also a year in which the Japanese economy appeared particularly sluggish and uncertain under the impact of the Asian financial crisis. But for the Kitahara Group, this was the starting point for their impending all-out bombardment of the entire Asian market with an entertainment nuclear bomb.
The post-production editing and soundtrack work proceeded exceptionally smoothly thanks to Kitahara Productions' well-established industrial system. In less than half a month, the final cut of "Boys Over Flowers" was perfectly sealed in the master tape.
Kitahara Shin personally contacted Fuji Television, with whom he had a long-standing and pleasant working relationship.
Faced with this phenomenal production that brought together four top stars, including Shin Kitahara and Takuya Kimura, and which had already generated unprecedented buzz and discussion across Asia before its release, Fuji Television executives did not hesitate to offer an exorbitant buyout fee and generously allocated their most popular and prestigious "Getsu-9" slot (Monday night 9 PM primetime) as the exclusive premiere venue for "Boys Over Flowers".
A massive publicity campaign swept through the streets and alleys of Japan like a whirlwind. Subway stations, bus stops, and television screens were filled with the breathtakingly glamorous figures of F4 and Kou Shibasaki's beautiful, defiant face. Women all over Asia were eagerly anticipating this visual feast of the century.
It was a Monday evening at the end of January 1998.
With only ten minutes left until the premiere of the first episode of "Boys Over Flowers" on Fuji TV, the streets of Japan were almost deserted as countless young girls eagerly awaited their turn to watch television.
Kitahara Shin sat in his luxurious office overlooking the entire Tokyo night view, a glass of red wine in his hand, calmly awaiting the upcoming ratings frenzy.
Just then, the top-secret red telephone on his desk, which connected directly to the overseas headquarters, suddenly rang urgently.
An overseas call made at this critical juncture could not possibly be for reporting some trivial matter.
Kitahara Shin put down his glass and picked up the receiver.
On the other end of the phone came Zosam's voice, which was somewhat hoarse from extreme excitement.
"President! We just received news from the special effects rendering farm in Silicon Valley—the final special effects test sequence for the underground hive has been completed ahead of schedule! Also, Mr. Steve Jobs has sent us an urgent invitation through the board of directors!"
Regarding Steve Jobs' invitation, Zosam's tone on the phone sounded somewhat helpless, yet also cautious.
"President, Mr. Steve Jobs sent the invitation through private channels, and the wording was very—sharp. He didn't talk about the $3.5 million investment in the letter, but instead expressed great interest in the rendering farm we're building in Chiba Prefecture."
At this time, Apple was going through a painful period following Steve Jobs' return. He drastically cut countless redundant product lines, determined to turn the tide with a groundbreaking product.
Kitahara's "technological fanaticism" during the post-production of Resident Evil clearly piqued the curiosity of this Silicon Valley giant. Kitahara not only bought thousands of high-end Apple computers, but also had his own technical team offer a host of highly technical and jarring suggestions for improving Apple's existing graphics processing system.
The invitation was very simple, even sarcastic: "To Mr. Kitahara:
I've heard that in Japan in the Far East, there's a madman trying to assemble a digital factory for the future using a bunch of silicon chips with barely adequate computing power. Now that you're a partner at Apple, I'd like to invite you to Cupertino to see the truly perfect work of art I'm preparing to use to change the world.
Also, I watched the Resident Evil special effects demo you sent me. To be honest, those computer-generated monsters had such rough lighting and textures that they looked like unpolished, cheap plastic. But undeniably, the sheer ambition you crammed into the visual direction piqued my interest.
Perhaps we can sit down and talk about the true meaning of "Think Different".
Steve Jobs
After listening to Sasaki's recitation, Kitahara Shin was not angry at all; instead, he couldn't help but chuckle.
This blunt and incisive communication style is indeed very "Steve Jobs." If someone else had criticized the special effects of Resident Evil in this way, Kitahara Shin might have thought they were arrogant. But since it was Jobs saying it, Kitahara Shin felt it was perfectly justified.
After all, this guy is the head of Pixar. His Toy Story, which he spearheaded a few years ago, completely revolutionized the global animation industry. In the realm of computer graphics and visual arts, Steve Jobs is a true master at the very top.
Steve Jobs was using his unique method to observe and probe Kitahara Shin's work, a process of mutual assessment and probing among "kin." He keenly realized that Kitahara Shin's vast film and television empire and his pursuit of ultimate visuals were precisely the best application scenario and showcase for Apple hardware.
"Please tell Mr. Steve Jobs that I'm really looking forward to this meeting," Kitahara Shin said into the phone, his tone less casual and more respectful and serious, befitting a top-tier expert. "I've always admired his exploration of digital imaging at Pixar. Tell him I'll fly to California immediately after the 'Boys Over Flowers' premiere celebration. I'm eager to witness firsthand how he'll change the world after his return to Apple."
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