boyutpedia Chapter 299 Boys Over Flowers
Chapter 299 Boys Over Flowers
Chapter 299 Boys Over Flowers
1997 was a special year that will be recorded in history for the whole of Asia and even the world.
Hong Kong is experiencing torrential rain.
As the British flag was slowly lowered and the Chinese national flag was raised, this pearl of the Orient, after a century of wandering, finally officially returned to the embrace of its motherland. This world-renowned reunification ceremony was not only of extraordinary political significance, but also stirred up an unseen storm in the capital markets of Asia.
Long before this historic moment arrived, international financial magnate George Soros, with his vast amount of international speculative capital, had already wreaked havoc in Southeast Asia before setting his sights on Hong Kong, the most lucrative market. The shadow of the financial crisis completely loomed over Victoria Harbour, and the Hang Seng Index fluctuated wildly like a rollercoaster.
What is a terrifying crisis in the eyes of others is a gold mine in the eyes of Kitahara Shin, a time traveler who has the script of the era.
In this fierce battle to defend Hong Kong's financial system, the trading team of Beiyuanxin acted like the most cunning hunters. They did not cross the bottom line at the national level, but instead precisely exploited the violent fluctuations of the Hang Seng Index futures, frantically reaping profits from retail investors and foreign institutions driven by panic by buying low and selling high.
In just the few months before and after Hong Kong's return to China, Kitahara Shin's gains in the Hong Kong stock and futures markets caused his already massive capital pool to experience another explosive growth.
Meanwhile, his pre-established VCD/DVD distribution network in Hong Kong and mainland China also reached its peak thanks to the post-reunification fervor and further opening up of cultural exchanges. Every day, hundreds of millions of genuine DVDs and licensed products bearing the Kitahara Productions logo were transported to every corner of Asia like blood. This stable cash flow was like a tireless money-printing machine, providing the Kitahara Group with a continuous stream of resources.
However, even after accumulating such astonishing wealth, when Kitahara Shin turned his attention back to the Resident Evil production team, he could still feel the terrifying speed at which this groundbreaking, top-tier production was burning through money.
At the beginning of filming, there were actually quite a few doubts in the industry.
The biggest point of contention lies in the casting.
As a phenomenal game set in Europe and America with all the main characters being of European and American descent, the fact that Shin Kitahara and Rie Miyazawa, both pure Asians, are now playing the lead roles of Chris and Jill is seen as a huge incongruity by many fans of the original game and some Western media.
"Having Asians play characters in G.I. Joe? That's so jarring!"
"While Kitahara Shin is very handsome, can he really portray the muscular physique and tactical awareness of a Western tough guy like Chris?"
Faced with these overwhelming doubts, Kitahara Shin didn't even bother to hold a press conference to explain. He simply used a set of promotional posters to instantly silence all the doubts.
With the system's "Absolute Set Domain" enhancement, the aura that Kitahara Shin and Miyazawa Rie exuded in front of the camera underwent a complete transformation.
Rie Miyazawa, with one-quarter Dutch ancestry, possesses features that are inherently more defined and striking than those of traditional Japanese women. Under the system's magical "ambience filter" and the enhancements of a top Hollywood makeup artist, she dons her signature blue, form-fitting tactical suit, wields a heavy shotgun, and her face is smeared with gunpowder and blood. Her cold, resolute, and powerful warrior aura is so convincing, it's as if she stepped directly out of the game's concept art—there's not a trace of incongruity.
Needless to say, Kitahara Shin was even more impressive. Enhanced by the "Ring of Life," his physical attributes and muscle mass had already surpassed the vast majority of Western action stars. Combined with the subconscious tactical movements bestowed upon him by the system, when he was fully armed and his eyes were cold as he raised that "Samurai Blade," the ultimate sense of oppression that transcended racial boundaries was enough to make anyone instinctively recognize him as Chris Redfield at first glance.
After resolving the public opinion crisis surrounding the casting, the subsequent filming process was a visual spectacle called "Money Burning."
This film, *Resident Evil: Origins*, is a true epic of its time. The total budget Kitahara Shin set for it wasn't much lower than Cameron's $200 million *Titanic*.
Where exactly did the money go? Only those on the film crew can truly understand the chilling extravagance and madness of it all.
First, there's the set construction and physical effects.
In pursuit of the most realistic sense of destruction, Kitahara Shin built the Arklay Mansion in an abandoned industrial area of Chiba Prefecture using only genuine hardwood and expensive marble. However, during the filming of the movie, these costly sets were all used for "destruction."
In a scene where zombie dogs break through a window, the crew used dozens of custom-made tempered glass panels to capture the perfect reflection of shattering glass and the dog's vicious attack. And those zombie dogs weren't cheap suits; they were hydraulic bionic dogs created over several months by a master mechanic from a top Hollywood special effects studio. Controlled by joysticks, they could not only run and attack realistically, but even the muscle twitches and the slime dripping from their mouths were incredibly lifelike.
Then comes the massive personnel deployment and logistical management.
Hundreds of zombie actors spend nearly six hours a day on special effects makeup alone. The imported medical-grade silicone necrotic tissue, the specially made cloudy contact lenses, and the Hollywood-made fake blood plasma consumed like tap water every day—every second burns through huge sums of money. Add to that the security, food, lodging, and hefty overtime pay for thousands of extras and crew members, and the operating costs reach hundreds of thousands of dollars every day the crew wakes up, even without filming anything.
This doesn't even include the real firearms and retired helicopters that were scrapped during filming, as well as the massive amounts of special explosives consumed in pursuit of the ultimate explosive effects.
With the system's "group flow boost" and such an insane influx of funding, filming actually progressed quite quickly. Actors and extras almost never had to do retakes due to poor performance. In less than three months, all the live-action filming for *Resident Evil* was completed.
However, for a sci-fi thriller action blockbuster like this, completing the actual filming is just the beginning of burning money.
The real bulk and most time-consuming part is the post-production special effects (CGI).
The massive honeycomb laboratory beneath the mansion, the terrifying monsters mutated through genetic mutation (such as the Hunter and the Tyrant), and the grand scene of the mansion's final explosion all required computer-generated special effects to render frame by frame.
In 1997, computer processing power was still in a relatively rudimentary stage. To achieve the kind of "deceptively realistic" and groundbreaking visual effects that Kitahara Shin requested, ordinary computers would crash even when rendering a single model.
To solve this problem, Kitahara Shin made a decision that shook the entire Japanese T-shirt industry.
Instead of renting servers from a special effects company, he spent a fortune to purchase thousands of the most powerful SGI (Silicon Graphics) graphics workstations and top-of-the-line Apple computers from Silicon Valley, creating what is now the world's largest and most powerful private special effects rendering farm in Japan.
During the process of purchasing this massive batch of Apple computers, Kitahara Shin keenly sensed a once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity.
In late 1997, Apple was experiencing one of the darkest moments in its history. The company's market share was being steadily eroded by Microsoft, its stock price had plummeted, and it even faced bankruptcy at one point. Just recently, Steve Jobs, who had been ousted, had been brought back to lead the company.
At this point in time, even Bill Gates of Microsoft reluctantly injected $150 million into Apple to save the company from antitrust investigations.
Kitahara Shin knew that Apple would grow into a multi-trillion dollar tech giant within the next two years. That bitten apple would completely change the way all of humanity lives.
Originally, Kitahara Shinya had considered seeking out other big names from the internet age, such as that English teacher surnamed Ma in China. However, after carefully reviewing the timeline, he realized it was only the end of 97, Alibaba was barely a thing of the past, and Mr. Ma was probably still struggling in Beijing with China Yellow Pages. Investing now wasn't the right time.
Therefore, Kitahara Shin did not hesitate to target Apple Inc., which is located across the ocean.
He immediately dispatched Sasaki with a professional M&A team to secretly fly to Cupertino, California. Facing Steve Jobs, who was struggling with a lack of research funding, the Kitahara Group offered an irresistible olive branch.
Shin Kitahara quietly acquired approximately 8% of Apple's non-voting shares directly from the secondary market and several institutions eager to cash out, using $350 million in cash.
This share was handled with exceptional finesse. 8% would neither trigger the SEC's poison pill program or stringent antitrust scrutiny, nor would it arouse Steve Jobs's suspicion about the board's power. At the same time, it would ensure that when Apple's market value soared to trillions of dollars in the future, Kitahara Nobu could enjoy a terrifying asset appreciation of hundreds of billions of dollars.
This massive injection of funds was like a timely rain for Apple at the time. For Kitahara Shin, it was simply a transfer of the hot money he had earned from the Asian financial crisis to a safer and more promising pool.
However, even for someone as wealthy as Shin Kitahara, after spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the production of "Resident Evil," purchasing thousands of top-of-the-line workstations, and investing $350 million in Apple, the Kitahara Group's cash flow finally showed a noticeable decline.
As for special effects rendering, due to the physical limitations of hardware computing power in this era, even if Kitahara Shinichi spent a lot of money to build a super rendering farm, with tens of thousands of complex CGI shots running at full capacity day and night, it would still conservatively take a full six months to complete.
In any other film company, if such a massive investment in a movie were tied up for six months or even longer without any return, the bank interest alone and the risk of the financial chain breaking would be enough to force the company into bankruptcy and liquidation. No other film company in the world would dare to risk everything like Kitahara Shin.
Therefore, in order to ensure that the conglomerate's cash flow remains healthy and abundant during the next six months, and more importantly, to consolidate his newly established film and television empire, Kitahara Shin would not allow himself to disappear during this six-month special effects hiatus.
He had to immediately launch a brand new project to continue making a fortune from the market.
This time, Kitahara Shin's ambitions have grown even larger.
Having gained fame through films like "Tokyo Love Story," "Infernal Affairs," and "Haikyuu!!," his reputation and influence have long since transcended the limitations of Japan, radiating outwards and dominating the film and television industry throughout East and Southeast Asia.
Therefore, Kitahara Shin decided to temporarily slow down the big-budget productions that require burning money on special effects, and instead tailor a super hit TV series with the highest return on investment, the fastest results, and that would drive audiences across Asia crazy.
In the luxurious and spacious president's office, Kitahara Shin leaned back in his leather swivel chair, his fingers lightly tapping the table. His mind was like a projector, rapidly flashing through classic dramas that had swept across Asia in his previous life.
Winter Sonata? It's too tragic, and given the unique cultural core of Korean dramas, it might not resonate with the entire Greater China region if it were filmed now.
"Dae Jang Geum"? This is a period drama, and the preparation period for costumes, props, and sets is too long to meet his previous demands for quick money-making and star-making.
So, is there a drama that can perfectly match the aesthetics of audiences across Asia, make the most of the handsome male stars who have already made their mark under Kitahara Studio, and even create a dream collaboration with the European luxury brand that they just acquired at a bargain price?
Kitahara Shin's eyes suddenly lit up, and a confident smile appeared on his lips.
Without a doubt, there's only that one!
The phenomenal idol drama that burst onto the scene in 2001, swept across Asia with overwhelming force, broke countless viewership records, and even sparked a frenzy among countless young girls, was "Meteor Garden"!
Also known as "Boys Over Flowers".
The underlying logic of this drama is simply that of a perfect machine created to harvest the Asian market. It possesses the ultimate satisfying novel core of "Cinderella and the domineering CEO," which is irresistible to all of Asia.
Four incredibly handsome and privileged rich kids from prominent families, a strictly hierarchical elite school, and a resilient, underdog girl from the slums. This kind of plot, which blends class conflict, Mary Sue romance, and flaunting wealth, would be an absolute ratings magnet, no matter the era.
Moreover, from a commercial value perspective, Meteor Garden is an inexhaustible gold mine.
First, its production cost is relatively low, requiring no computer special effects. The biggest expense is simply renting a few luxury villas, sports cars, and purchasing designer clothing. Kitahara Shin could easily use his shares to secure free sponsorship from top brands like Louis Vuitton and Hermès, giving these luxury brands a strong boost across Asia and achieving a perfect, one-sided marketing strategy.
Secondly, this drama is an unparalleled star-making phenomenon. Once the concept of "F4" (Flower4) was introduced, Kitahara Agency could have simply packaged Takeru Satoh, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Yosuke Kuboe, and the newcomers currently in training into the cast. As soon as the drama aired, these four male stars would instantly become the top superstars in all of Asia.
What will follow is countless GG endorsements, a pan-Asian concert tour, and merchandise and soundtrack albums that sell out completely. The profits from this will be ten or even a hundred times greater than the revenue from selling the TV series itself!
"Sasaki!"
Kitahara Shin pressed the internal communicator on his desk, his voice carrying an undeniable decisiveness.
"Immediately notify the screenwriting department to suspend all unimportant projects. I'm giving them three days to completely buy out the rights to the Japanese manga 'Boys Over Flowers.' No matter how much they ask for, I want exclusive film and television adaptation rights for the entire Asian region."
"Also, notify the artist management department to send the files of all the male artists in the company who are over 1.78 meters tall and have the most outstanding looks to my office."
Kitahara Shin stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the bustling city below, his eyes flashing with the sharp light of a hunter spotting his prey.
"While Resident Evil is still simmering in the kitchen, let's serve up a dessert for audiences across Asia!"