The Street Fighter movie was released before the game, timed for Japan's summer blockbuster season.
For Kobayashi Tetsu, watching the movie once was a novelty, but the second time around, the magic had faded.
This year, he had watched it three times.
Not because he particularly enjoyed it, but because he had to accompany three different people to see it, each time as if it were their first viewing.
On opening day, he gave everyone the day off and went with Koyakawa. The next day, he saw it again with Anegasaki Nene.
Today was the third time.
The ticket seller tore their tickets, glanced up at Kobayashi Tetsu, then at the female companion beside him, and her expression turned bewildered.
Sigh.
No!
This wasn't the girl from yesterday!
And not the girl from the day before either!
The ticket seller was intensely envious, but her gaze towards Kobayashi Tetsu also softened with sympathy.
It had to be torture for the projectionist to watch the same movie dozens of times a day, but Kobayashi Tetsu had to pretend to be surprised and delighted three separate times. That was truly a difficult task!
"Here you go."
The ticket seller handed them their drinks and popcorn, barely suppressing her expression.
With a resolute attitude, Kobayashi Tetsu walked into the theater.
After Koyakawa and Nene, this was Kobayashi Tetsu's third time accompanying a girl to the movies alone, and likely his last.
The girl beside him was Takamine Aika, dressed in a summer dress and still wearing that white ribbon as a hair tie. She walked quietly beside Kobayashi Tetsu.
Kobayashi Tetsu visited the hospital over ten times a month to buy vitamins, which he never actually ate—he just bought them. Over time, he'd become quite familiar with the staff.
However, unlike with Koyakawa and Nene, this was Takamine Aika's first time going out alone with a male companion.
Her parents were both doctors, and her upbringing had been strict, with even her curfew strictly enforced. The thrill of sneaking out to watch a movie alone with a boy gave her a sense of wicked pleasure.
The theater hadn't dimmed the lights yet, and Takamine Aika glanced around, surprised.
The hundred-seat venue was nearly full.
"There are so many people," she remarked.
"It's a Jackie Chan movie, after all."
Takamine Aika turned to Kobayashi Tetsu. "Is it good?"
Kobayashi Tetsu paused, thought for a moment, and shook his head with difficulty.
"I don't know. I haven't seen it. But since it's a Jackie Chan film, it should be decent!"
With that, he greeted the crowd, pulled down his cap, and squeezed into the crowd to find a seat.
Only after his buttocks settled into the chair did Kobayashi Tetsu sigh with satisfaction.
"I wonder if watching Street Fighter for the third time will move Jackie Chan to give me a big award."
Although Kobayashi Tetsu had been the one to persuade Bandai and Kadokawa Group to jointly invest in the film, he hadn't been entirely clear about the script's content at first. His cameo appearance had been rushed, and he only learned the plot after the film's release.
The lights dimmed in the theater, and the screen flashed with Golden Harvest's "bang, bang, bang, bang" logo, followed by "Jackie Chan's Weihai Films."
Then came the co-producers: Bandai, Kadokawa, Atlas, Toei—
Mostly Japanese companies had invested.
The film's title appeared:
[ Street Fighter ]
In Hong Kong, it was released as [ Police Story 2: Street Fighter ].
Unexpectedly, Kobayashi Tetsu, who had initially thought he might fall asleep after watching it twice, found himself completely engrossed once again.
The film's pacing was brisk. It told the story of Chan Ka-Kui, who, after solving a case in [ Police Story 1 ], came to Japan for a vacation. A gang of thieves had been operating in Tokyo and were being monitored by the Metropolitan Police Department. As a tourist who didn't speak Japanese, Chan Ka-Kui became their unwitting hiding place. The thieves hid their stolen goods on him, leading to his arrest as an accomplice.
Fortunately, as a Hong Kong police detective, Chan Ka-Kui not only had his identification but also his authority. He quickly cleared his name, dispelled suspicions, and began assisting the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department with the investigation. It turned out the gang had stolen an unreleased game from Atlas and planned to sell it to their rival, Vega Technology. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had been tracking this gang for a long time.
Chan Ka-Kui, alone in an unfamiliar city and not fluent in Japanese—only knowing a few phrases he'd hastily picked up from his colleagues—found it difficult to communicate after spotting the target. He kept his communicator on throughout the pursuit, which coincidentally led him to a Sega-owned arcade.
The rows of flashing arcade machines and the neon lights in the background were truly dizzying. Chan Ka-Kui put his hands on his head and muttered, "No way, how am I supposed to find him in this chaos?"
Looking around, he noticed a young man playing Street Fighter by the entrance. Chan Ka-Kui casually slapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, have you seen a tall guy in a black shirt run by?"
The youth turned, his face blank. "What's up?"
Kobayashi Tetsu suddenly blushed, a rare occurrence.
It took him three tries to realize his acting skills were, well, terrible.
Takamine Aika glanced sideways at Kobayashi Tetsu.
Though his performance was lacking, it was still quite amusing to see Kobayashi Tetsu in a movie.
In the story:
Hearing Kobayashi Tetsu speak Japanese, Chan Ka-Kui realized they couldn't communicate. Fortunately, their walkie-talkie was still on, and a colleague quickly translated. Kobayashi Tetsu casually pointed. "That way."
Chan Ka-Kui bowed his head in thanks, but then noticed his target walking closer. On impulse, he snatched Kobayashi Tetsu's baseball cap.
"Sorry! I'll return it!"
With that, he pulled the cap down to conceal his face and hurried after his target.
Kobayashi Tetsu pressed his forehead against his hand and leaned close to Takamine Aika, whispering, "The point is, Jackie Chan really stole my hat. He lied about returning it—he never did!"
Takamine Aika nodded.
How could Jackie Chan be so awful!
The movie continued. After their plan failed, the gang kidnapped Atlas President Kobayashi Kawa, demanding the Street Fighter game.
Through the gang's dialogue, they highlighted a crucial point:
"Flour? What kind of legitimate business is that! You work your fingers to the bone and barely make a dime. How can that compare to making games?"
"Just one of your Atlas games sold tens of millions of game coins in America!"
"A single Sonic sold over a million copies in the US! We have to get Street Fighter! It'll make hundreds of millions of dollars—faster than robbing a bank!"
"Robbing Atlas is better than robbing a bank!"
Just as the kidnappers were about to kill their hostage, Chan Ka-Kui descended from the heavens, a furious and ferocious figure. He unleashed a torrent of blows, crushing the criminals, and everyone lived happily ever after. The President of Atlas promised to include Chan Ka-Kui in the upcoming Street Fighter game, and Chan Ka-Kui completed his mission, returning safely to Hong Kong. The story seemed to end there.
But the movie wasn't over. After the "The End" credits rolled, a post-credits scene suddenly appeared, forcing the audience, who had already started to leave, to sit back down.
Two figures were playing an arcade game in front of an Street Fighter cabinet.
Jackie Chan sat at the cabinet, frantically mashing buttons as he played Street Fighter. The character he controlled was himself, Chan Ka-Kui.
"This Street Fighter game is so fun!"
Beside him, a young man with streaks of blonde hair in his hair retorted, "How fun is it?"
"It's so fun!"
This drew laughter from the audience.
In reality, Street Fighter was indeed about to be released! And it seemed Chan Ka-Kui was actually in it!
Only then did the movie truly end, and the final credits began to roll.
The lights came on, and the audience began to file out in groups of three and four. Takamine Aika didn't rush out. She rested her chin in her hand, pondered for a moment, and asked Kobayashi Tetsu, "So, Mr. Kobayashi, why didn't you play yourself?"
Kobayashi Tetsu said, "I'm a man who shuns fame and public attention. I just regret that Nishida Toshiyuki wasn't quite right to play me. They should have cast Miura Tomokazu, or even Mifune Toshiro!"
Takamine Aika almost believed him.
Who knows who just goes on TV all the time and gives speeches?
Regardless,
The movie was still very good. All the necessary fight scenes were there. Jackie Chan once again played the heroic Chan Ka-Kui, battling through the neon lights and skyscrapers of Tokyo. You could even see several iconic Tokyo landmarks, with close-ups of the Mitsui Building and Atlas's interior—though the film had renamed the Mitsui Building the Atlas Building.
Kobayashi Tetsu stood up and sighed. "So, Jackie Chan's movies are still entertaining. He was worth the investment. Many people will probably drop coins into the Street Fighter machine just to play as him."
Takamine Aika nodded in agreement at first, then suddenly looked at Kobayashi Tetsu.
"Speaking of which, that part after the credits... that was the first time I'd seen that, right?"
"Pretty much. It's called an Easter egg, originating from Western Easter eggs. It's a special element hidden by the creators, meant to give the audience a knowing smile. People who don't know about it will probably miss it entirely."
Takamine Aika nodded solemnly.
Seeing her serious expression, Kobayashi Tetsu couldn't help but smile. "What's wrong?"
Takamine Aika said, "So, you didn't even stand up just now because you already knew there was a post-credits scene?"
Kobayashi Tetsu: —
For a moment, Kobayashi Tetsu was bewildered.
Why are women always so observant in these situations?
The film had grossed 800 million yen in distribution revenue in Japan within just its first week.
With an estimated theatrical run of about a month, and the first week capturing over 60% of the distribution, the movie was projected to reach around 1.5 billion yen in total revenue. Atlas, Kadokawa, and Bandai would jointly share this 1.5 billion yen. After deducting marketing costs of approximately 700 million yen, the three companies would each see their investment double in profit.
Even though the entire film was practically dripping with GG vibes, it was still a surprisingly sincere effort for a GG film in the 80s!
A writer using the pen name "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" published an article in Kadokawa Game Magazine.
Homages to the Street Fighter Movie! A Love Letter to Gamers!
"At the beginning of the film, someone is playing an arcade game at Tokyo Airport—Pong, the world's first electronic arcade game."
"In the story, the villain has a henchman named Dali. Chan Ka-Kui struggles to defeat him. If you rearrange the hiragana spelling of Dali's name, you get the spelling for Atari. Chan Ka-Kui says, 'Dali, you're finished.' This can be understood as, 'Atari, you're finished.'"
"In the Hong Kong version of the film, Chan Ka-Kui's superior is called Master Yam (Nintendo). The Japanese version doesn't use this name. In Cantonese, it's used to describe a highly respected person."
"Many people have already met the real President of Atlas—it's the young man Chan Ka-Kui asks for directions in the arcade. He made his only screen appearance in the film, despite his awkward and terrible acting."
"The film is filled with references to Atlas and its works. Almost all the data is real."
Many who hadn't yet seen the movie couldn't help but exclaim.
I never expected this movie to be so full of genuine effort!
I absolutely have to watch it now!
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