The Hundred-Man Slash scene from Kill Bill wrapped up three days later.
When Quentin officially announced the end of the scene and Ethan was about to leave, everyone on set, whether actors or crew, collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Over the past few days, Ethan, as one of the assistant directors, perfectly demonstrated what it meant to be a tyrant on set.
That commanding aura and uncompromising attitude gave everyone a sense of dealing with a terrifying overlord. In fact, compared to Quentin, they feared Ethan more—especially under his sharp gaze, where no problem could escape.
Whenever he appeared on set, no one dared to slack off.
For Quentin, however, he felt like he had more downtime. All he needed to do was coordinate separately with the actors and the set team. Ethan's presence ensured that the movie would achieve the desired results without requiring Quentin to intervene.
Having an assistant director like Ethan saved an enormous amount of effort.
When Ethan decided to leave Tokyo, Quentin personally drove him to the airport, reluctant to see him go.
"Ethan, we'll meet back home. Make sure you come to the party!" Quentin wrapped his arm around Ethan's shoulder, giving him a firm pat on the arm.
"Don't worry, Quentin. Just let me know when."
"Oh, by the way! Ethan, if I ever make another movie, you have to come help me!" Quentin still remembered the promise Ethan made during a drunken night.
Ethan chuckled. "Of course, no problem. But later this year, I'm planning to direct my first movie."
"Really? Wow! Ethan, you'll be amazing! I believe in you—your directing skills are honestly better than many directors'!" Quentin had witnessed Ethan's capabilities over the past few days. It wasn't just about his authoritative demeanor; he had a knack for elevating the quality of any scene.
Even the worst shots and setups could be improved under Ethan's guidance. Nothing seemed to stump him.
As a result, Quentin and other crew members privately nicknamed him "Jack of All Trades."
Learning of Ethan's plans, Quentin was excited yet a bit regretful. "But if you become a director, we might not get to collaborate again. That's such a shame!"
"Who knows, Quentin." Ethan smiled as he picked up his luggage. "Take care."
"Bye!"
Quentin waved as he bid Ethan farewell.
As the plane took off from the airport and soared into the light blue sky, Ethan closed his eyes, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest.
This trip to Tokyo had been fruitful, starting with the collaboration he secured with Hori and Ōtsuka.
The two parties would jointly establish a company, with Ethan holding a 30% stake. Hori's side would manage the Tokyo headquarters, while Ethan would oversee the U.S. division.
Actors joining the company would first be screened by Ethan to determine who could go to Hollywood. Ethan had no intention of wasting time on unqualified individuals.
Once the actors arrived in Hollywood, Ethan would provide each one with screen time and Hollywood-style training. They could even train alongside the customer service girls from Angel Declaration.
The costs would be covered by Hori's side, and after a one-year gilding period, Ethan would ensure the actors received a few awards—though winning through their own merit would be preferable.
In the worst-case scenario—if the actors failed to adapt to Hollywood and showed no promise—Ethan would resort to buying awards.
When these artists returned to their home country after their advanced training, Ethan would receive an initial payment, followed by 20% of their earnings for the next ten years.
However, Ethan wasn't particularly interested in these future earnings. His agreement to this collaboration wasn't about the money.
No amount of earnings could rival the profitability of AKB48. Everything he was doing was to pave the way for his future idol management company. Without local support, establishing a foothold in a bustling city like Tokyo would be challenging.
This made his relationship with the upper echelons of the Sumiyoshi-kai crucial. Whether it was dealing with competitors or handling internal betrayals, underworld methods were far more direct and effective than business tactics.
And since Ethan wouldn't always be in Tokyo, any issues that arose wouldn't be linked back to him. If something unpleasant happened, it wouldn't be his doing—right?
Thinking of this, Ethan stopped tapping his fingers and recalled something Hori had mentioned a few days ago.
Among the names Ethan had given, Hori found that two were filming in Kanto, three were abroad, and the rest were in Tokyo.
One of those abroad was Yasushi Akimoto. Hori managed to find Akimoto's phone number, but the calls went unanswered. The only option was to contact one of Akimoto's friends.
Ethan had a phone conversation with this friend, who mentioned that Akimoto seemed to be in the U.S., researching talent agency practices and wouldn't return anytime soon. Beyond that, the friend had no idea where he was.
After more questioning, the friend recounted some of Akimoto's past endeavors.
The Onyanko Club was the first major girl group in Japan's history. The most famous member to emerge from the group was Shizuka Kudo, and its creator was none other than Akimoto.
Since achieving massive success with Onyanko Club in 1985, Akimoto had been obsessed with innovating new girl group formats but repeatedly failed.
Determined to learn from his mistakes, Akimoto decided to study advanced talent agency operations in the U.S., planning to return and launch a new idol girl group.
However, after leaving the country, he lost contact with his friends, and his current whereabouts were unknown.
Ethan felt slightly disappointed upon hearing this but wasn't in a hurry. After all, it was still two years until 2005—plenty of time for Akimoto to return.
After giving this friend some simple instructions, Ethan set the matter aside for now.
His next step was to join the Monster crew. The film's shooting schedule wasn't long, and after it wrapped, the Grammys would be just around the corner.
It had been a while since Ethan last saw Avril. He wondered if the rebellious punk girl still had the same hair color and was still swearing like she used to.
Ethan smirked, recalling their first meeting.
---
A week later, on the set of Monster, Ethan frowned as he observed the director, Patty, at work.
Having witnessed the steadiness of Robert and the genius of Quentin, watching this clumsy, inexperienced director stumble through her scenes made Ethan feel like swearing.
He knew this wasn't his place to intervene, but seeing how the film under Patty's direction exuded a kind of "garbage glow," he couldn't help feeling frustrated.
No wonder this movie hadn't won any production awards at major film festivals—all the accolades went to the lead actress. The problem clearly lay with the director.
Ethan had initially decided to stay out of it until he saw Patty override the cinematographer's brilliant shot design in favor of a close-up of Charlize Theron's face. That was the last straw.
"Patty! Why? Why are you making this change?"
Patty Jenkins froze for a few seconds, looking at Ethan.
Perhaps his determined expression threw her off, as she hesitated before replying, "Uh, isn't this better?"
"Of course not! Patty, don't you see it?" Ethan was incredulous.
But Patty countered, "I'm just trying to highlight Charlize's expressions, so I made some compromises."
Clearly, she didn't think there was anything wrong with her directing.
And that was worse than merely lacking skill—it showed stubborn ignorance.
...
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