#osaka continental

[r1-jw-lover]

Koji Shimazu and the Osaka Continental - A Colour Theory

This is meant to be a continuation of the previous analysis I've done on the colour grading/lighting choices for some of the characters in the John Wick movie series, but I've got to dedicate a separate post for Koji Shimazu himself (and the entire Osaka act in general).

Before I go into it though, I would like to recommend you to first check out @evren-sadwrn's analysis [1, 2] on the Marquis de Gramont, John and Helen Wick as well as @bluelolblue's analysis [1, 2] on Santino and John.

Tagging @thewhumpcaretaker, @tobytheeggo, @babayagaiscomingforya and of course @saengak the number one Koji fan on Wickblr <3.

PART I: BLUE/RED

When you see the opening shots of the Osaka Continental and Koji's scenes before the raid, the entire hotel was lit by blue and red lights. I think this is very important to note because in the post where I talked about Akira and John, Akira was bathed blue lights in her introduction while John was bathed in red lights in his first scene in Osaka. Add on the fact that Koji's outift has both red and blue colours on it, the movie is already subtly telling us that Koji's loyalty lies in both Akira and John.

I think this just adds another layer to the tragedy that is the whole Osaka sequence. The blue/red lights may allude to one thing about Koji's character but may mean different things for Akira and John's character respectively. Plucking out from @evren-sadwrn's tags:

For Akira, the blue represents the normalcy of her life before John Wick's red showed up and began symbolising her delving into the path of vengeance and violence, like John himself. However for John, those blue/red lights are just neon lights to him, the Baba Yaga persona on full display as he was beginning to realise the consequences of his rebellion, something which costed his friend's life and inevitably produced another John Wick in Akira.

PART II: YELLOW

Now, there are two scenes in the Osaka act that's bathed in yellow lights, the first one being Akira telling Koji about the news of the New York Continental being blown up, and the second being Koji confronting Chidi and the Myrmidons, which could only lead us to one conclusion.

I believe the yellow neon, in this context, represents the Marquis de Gramont and the looming threat he posed to the very existence of the Osaka Continental.

And when you mix blue and red respectively with yellow, well, this leads us directly to the next part of this analysis.

PART III: GREEN/ORANGE

The Osaka raid started, and the hotel lights changed to green and orange. (BLUE + YELLOW = GREEN, RED + YELLOW = ORANGE)

I know that people have extrapolated that the green not so subtly symbolises the start of the highly-anticipated action that is expected from a John Wick movie, like how the green light of a traffic light means 'go', but I want to extrapolate more meaning from this choice of lighting.

Green is a distortion of the colour blue, and is the opposite of red based on the colour wheel. Going by what we have established above being Akira=blue and John=red, green could imply Koji's choice distorting Akira's desire to keep the peace of their hotel in favour of protecting John and letting him go off alive.

In a similar way, orange is the distortion of red and the opposite of blue. Orange could possibly mean that Koji's choice (and his death) inevitably turned his daughter closer towards a path of vengeance and violence, the path John Wick had taken that Koji himself chastised him for during their meeting on the rooftop.

PART IV: THE EXCEPTIONS

The locations that didn't turn to green and orange lights in the Osaka Continental is the kitchen and the modern art gallery, both of which stayed blue (and yellow in the case of the kitchen), and that's because none of them featured Koji. Instead, the focus of the these two scenes are given to another character: Caine.

The yellow in the kitchen scene could easily represent Caine being used as the Marquis' weapon during the Osaka siege. For John, we know that neon lights, no matter the color, represent his Baba Yaga side. For Caine, however, what does the colour blue mean to his character in this context, within the Osaka act?

During Caine's introduction, more precisely, in the only scene in the movie where Mia appeared in (except for the post-credit scene), the location where they filmed had a clear blue sky. In trying to protect Mia, Caine was in a way also trying to protect Akira too. This is especially clear with the way Caine tried to convince Koji countless times to surrender John. Unfortunately, Koji cared for Akira and John equally and was willing to sacrifice his life to protect both of them.

And because he killed her father, Caine ironically became the person Akira held so much anger against from this whole event that happened to her. He fulfilled Koji's wish of letting John escape (hence the green colour), and he was the push that drove Akira to seek revenge (hence the orange colour). Caine was even self-aware of this since he told Akira that he would be waiting for her.

This is what makes the Koji vs Caine duel so fucking tragic and the post-credit scene even more heartbreaking.

[shimazu-akira]

Important Announcement

On the night of 1 June 2015, the Osaka Continental was raided by the @vindegramont's forces. My father, the previous Manager Koji Shimazu, was down in a coma. The doctor said his condition is stable at the moment, but I fear for his life with every second that passes.

All hotel guests have been evacuated prior to this incident, but my staff are low in numbers, so we are in need of manpower. We apologise for the inconvenience and wish all loyal customers to keep yourselves safe and sound.

@jw-adjudicator

[theres-a-bea]

bullet train fandom absolutely having a proper giggle at the fucking name they called hiroyuki sanada in jw4

[jw-adjudicator]

Emergency Memo II Re: Osaka Continental Battle

All forces withdraw.

Regards,

The Adjudicator

[shimazu-akira]

Thank you, Mr. Wick.

Announcement for any and all bodyguards in Osaka who are friendly to our cause: Your assignment is to defend the Continental and its manager, @shimazu-akira. The Adjudicator can be expected to launch an attack very soon.

Meanwhile, I am headed to Italy, to face @gianna-da. See you soon, Gianna.

[ohyka]

watching john wick 4 and hello????

Donnie Yen? DONNIE YEN???? BABE???? PLAYING A BADASS BLIND MAN ONCE AGAIN???

... and Hiroyuki Sanada???

WHAT IS HAPPENING?!? I'M NOT GONNA SURVIVE THIS! THIS IS TOO MUCH!

*pterodactyl screech*

[kavalyera]

akira shimazu kisses girls i jst cant prove it yet

[sylvan-king]

Greetings, Mr. King. This is @shimazu-akira from the Osaka Continental. I am not up to date with everything happening on your side because I'm busy, but I hope London is doing well.

Ah, Ms. Shimazu I do hope your side of the world is also doing well. I’ve heard Osaka’s gone through…. A multitude of things from what my staff has been saying nowadays. But yes, there is nothing much going on other than the investigation of Mr. Shikalov earlier this morning.

[shimazu-akira]

Sorry for not replying sooner, Ms. Al-Azwar. I was taking a rest due to my injuries from the previous battle, but now I'm feeling better.

I will come to greet you, and then we can get to work.

UPDATE: Finally made it to Osaka, I can tell the continental was beautiful, and I’ll do whatever it takes to rebuild it. You’re not alone @shimazu-akira . How can I be of aid ?

[sasorikigai]

‘John Wick 4’ Star Hiroyuki Sanada Teases His FX Series ‘Shogun,’ His First as a Lead: ‘I Feel Reborn’

Link to the article (x)

Japan’s Hiroyuki Sanada has become one of Hollywood’s most familiar Asian actors, with action roles in franchises like “Mortal Kombat,” “Avengers: Endgame” and now “John Wick 4,” as well as nuanced character turns in “Minamata” and “The Railway Man.”

“John Wick” star Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski created a role especially for Sanada so that he could join the action-packed universe. But it is the upcoming “Shogun” series for FX and Hulu that has given the Hollywood-based Sanada a new calling.

What do you like most about your part in ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’?

There’s a scene between John Wick and my character Shimazu Koji, up on the roof top where the two old friends are drinking whiskey. Just talking. Talking, not fighting. That’s a very rare thing in this movie. It created atmosphere and established their chemistry.

As an action franchise, “John Wick” is pretty intense. Were you ready for that?

Before he created “John Wick” and at the end of “47 Ronin” [in which Reeves and Sanada co-starred] Keanu told me that his next project was a big action movie with Chad [Stahelski]. I said “good luck” and watched the whole series in the movie theater. Finally, Chad called me and said he’d created a role for me, as an old friend of John Wick. I was so excited, this time I said, “I’ll see you on set.” It was a quick decision. I’d been following all of Keanu’s jobs. And I was really happy to be reunited with Keanu and Chad, the stunt guys and the choreographer. It was like a dream come true.

As a Japanese actor in Hollywood, do you have to audition much?

These days, luckily, I mostly get offered roles. But, of course, for many years before that I had to audition. Lately, I read the script, talk with the director and if we see that we have the same goals, I’ll jump in.

I think I used to be a workaholic, especially when I was living in Japan. No official holidays in the year, working almost every day. I loved it. But when I moved to L.A. in 2005, it was harder for me to get roles. And I had more free time. It had never happened before. But I also realized that I needed that time, because working in the U.S. was much harder than working in Japanese in Japan. I started taking English lessons, then doing auditions and lots of meetings. I had to concentrate. I was tense. So, I needed the relaxing time in between and have now found a good work-life balance. I have an exciting job and a peaceful life. California is perfect for me. It has cities, great restaurants, the ocean and mountains. Plus, there is a big entertainment industry here.

Many of the roles you’ve taken — “Minamata,” “The Railway Man,” “Bullet Train” — speak about Japanese culture — but are not necessarily made by Japanese filmmakers. Do you worry that they are inaccurate or they’re Western-skewed interpretations of Japanese society?

Some themes are considered too sensitive or delicate that Japanese filmmakers will not touch them. In that case, if it is an important theme, having a Western filmmaker do it is welcome. I say, “Thank you for making this movie and bringing the story to the world.” I always take this stance. But if they are getting things culturally incorrect, then I have to say something. I have to fix it. I’ve found directors and producers have always listened respectfully to my suggestions and that has never been awkward on set. In “Minamata” [where the subject is an industrial-scale poisoning] the director [Andrew Levitas] asked me to consult on the set design and the costumes of the extras. I was on set every day, often before the director, checking things. I didn’t have any official title, but they listened to me. Since then, I’ve been doing that for every movie. And, last year, finally, I got the title of the producer of a show.

You are referring to “Shogun” — a series based on another Western-written book about Japan — in which you play feudal Lord Toranaga

Yes. I discussed these things a lot with Justin Marks [co-writer and executive producer] about how to make it work for today’s audiences and still be authentic. But, for the first time I had the right, officially, to say something. We hired Japanese cast and crew, who have a long career in samurai movies. Costumers, wig specialists and set designers. On “Shogun,” I had a team. Before that, I was always just one person struggling with this responsibility on my shoulders. That said, I really enjoyed it. Making better movies is my dream. Now finally, after 20 years [in the U.S.], I’ve got the title and the team. It is a big step for me. First time as a producer, first time as a leading man in a Hollywood show. I feel reborn. And I hope that there will be more occasions when I can be actor or producer, or both.

How is the production of “Shogun” going?

It went well. It was so dramatic and meaningful. Everyone understood that we were taking on a big, big challenge. But it was worth working hard to create the future. It was a great feeling: East meets West without any walls between us.

Although they operate on different scales, are there things that Hollywood can learn from the Japanese film industry?

The styles are a little different. And it is true that Japanese movies have almost no budget. So, we have to calculate and schedule everything very tightly. I don’t know if that is a good thing or not. Having a highly skilled crew certainly is. I’d like to see more mix between East and West. Bigger budgets, protected by unions, but also working to a schedule.

What are your plans going forward?

After finishing the post-production of “Shogun”, I will join my next project in June or July. A movie, but I cannot disclose the title just yet. I won’t be producer on that, but I plan to produce again in the future.

I mean, this is what Sanada truly deserves; being a leading man in Hollywood. he has more than enough experience, gravitas, and talent to do so, and I am stoked and extremely exhilarated (to an almost unparalleled extent) to see how Shogun unfolds. I finished reading the book while ago, and it is an excellent piece of literature, and Lord Toranaga is such a complex, intricate, multifaceted protagonist. 

[jotunvali02]

John and Caine fighting to see who dominates who.

But with their dicks instead of weapons.

[a-passing-storm]

Anyway, in all seriousness, I really loved the set and costumes. I always love the set and costumes in most things, because I did costume design for a while, but I loved the Marquis’ costumes! The fabric looked really thick and rich, which totally suited the character, but it wasn’t too garish. Loved it!

[shimazu-akira]

Pinned post

Konnichiwa. Welcome to the Osaka Continental. This is the new manager Shimazu Akira speaking.

This is a professional and personal account, so while you can expect me to blog both formal and casual things, I at least expect some decency in return if you interact with me.

Please be civil and respectful, or else I will not hesitate to block you.

I will be using #hotel announcements for serious, professional posts and #manager stuff for more personal ones. Other tags to look out for are #osaka continental, #akira shimazu, #john wick rp, #fan account, #rp account, etc.

Alright. Thank you for listening to me and enjoy your stay here.

[thewhumpcaretaker]

GRAH!!!!

i just thought of something bc of ur cavity fic which is vincent kissing chidi’s arrow wound after the osaka scene aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa they’re so silly and deranged<3

Aaaaaaa I really struggled with this one, I think because it's the first time I've written them during the events of the movies and this is a crisis moment for both of them. It made me get stuck on the fact that John is inevitably coming for them :( But I think I offered some amount of hope for a happy ending - it's open to interpretation. Honestly you can ignore like the whole second half if you just don't want to think about that part lmao...

-⚜- Torn Open for You -⚜-

TW: kissing open wounds, discussion of murder

Image Sources: Left (my screenshot) | Right | Kiss

Chidi’s text had come a half hour ago to say that the plane had landed. At such times, he told Vincent his every move, keeping in constant contact just as he would if they were side by side, perpetually on the verge of touching. But it wasn’t enough – Vincent was still pacing with nerves when the door finally opened.

“Chidi!” It was too intimate a tone for a boss, but the past day had worn him down, and he called out the moment they saw each other. He needed to feel safe again. He needed Chidi not just as his bodyguard, but as his husband. And he didn’t realize until that moment that he had been worried almost sick about him. Koji was a formidable foe, and the Osaka Continental was a fortress. Even with all his skills at his disposal and Caine at his side, there had always been a chance…

He was in Chidi’s arms before he could think any more awful things, because Chidi crossed the room immediately and hugged Vincent to his chest. Perhaps he had been equally worried. But all he said was, “Je suis désolé monsieur. [I’m sorry, sir.]”

“Non, vous avez bien fait. [No. You did well.]” He pulled back to look him in the eyes, letting his hands slide down Chidi’s biceps to the wrist. Chidi winced in response, and he looked down to see that there were drops of blood soaking through two layers on his forearm. “Laissez-moi voir. [Let me see.]”

Chidi held it out to let him push the sleeve. Sure enough, there was a wound underneath. It was hastily tied up with a piece of cloth that Vincent untied to reveal a deep cut, mostly stabilized but still trickling.

“Ils t'ont blessé... [[They hurt you…]”

“Une flèche. Ce n’était pas un problème. Je l'ai sorti. [An arrow. It wasn’t a problem. I pulled it out.]”

Vincent sucked in his breath, riding a mixture of lust and protective rage at the image of Chidi ripping an arrow from his arm and continuing the fight as if nothing had happened. He’d seen him like that many times – a force of nature, totally berserk. At moments like that, it was impossible for anyone but Vincent to bring him to heel. Maybe that was true at all times, in fact. His fingers traced the flesh around the wound, feeling the rawness of Chidi’s power, the veins embracing the muscle. “Formidable comme toujours, mon amour. [Formidable as always, my love],” he breathed. “Mais pourquoi n’avez-vous pas reçu de traitement avant de rentrer? [But why didn’t you get treatment before flying back?]”

He shrugged, a little apologetically. “Je pensais qu'il était urgent que je revienne. [I thought it was urgent that I return.]”

It tugged at his heart to imagine Chidi trying to get back to him as quickly as possible. He thought back to moments from their texts: "C'est fini, je reviens immédiatement." "Je serai bientôt avec toi." "Je te verrai avant le coucher du soleil, je le promets." ”Gardez les autres près de vous pendant que vous attendez, s'il vous plaît. C’est dangereux en ce moment.” [“It’s over, I’m coming back immediately.” “I’ll be with you soon.” “I’ll see you before sunset, I promise.” “Keep the others close while you wait, please. It’s dangerous right now.”] Chidi cared so much…

Vincent pulled his forearm upward and planted a kiss right over the bloody mess, slow and tender. Chidi watched him with pure reverence. He licked iron off his lips and pressed them to Chidi’s. Equally slow. Equally tender.

“Je vais vous chercher un médecin tout de suite. [I’ll get you a medic right away.]” His voice came out soft and heady, as it did when they were alone.

“Merci, monsieur.” But they didn’t move away just yet. Vincent cradled that bleeding arm against his heart. For his part, Chidi just caressed Vincent’s cheek, allowing their gazes to hold on each other. It was very, very, unfortunate, Vincent thought, that his phone went off just then.

He dragged himself away from the peace in Chidi’s eyes to glance down at the screen. The horrible pressure of the situation crashed back over him. It was that damn tracker again.

Chidi must have noticed his involuntary snarl. “Quelque chose ne va pas? [Is something wrong?]”

Vincent shoved the phone onto the table a little too hard, without bothering to answer the text. “Cet imbécile exige des augmentations de primes comme des bonbons. Je lui dis non, je reconsidère, je lui dis oui, et il le veut déjà plus haut. [This imbecile has been demanding bounty increases like candy. I tell him no, I reconsider, I tell him yes, and he already wants it higher.]”

Chidi lingered with his mouth open long enough that Vincent gave him permission. “Parler. Vous pensez à quelque chose. [Speak. You’re thinking something.]”

“Monsieur, ça vaut le coup. Dis-lui oui la première fois. Votre vie n'a pas de prix. Peu importe combien il demande. Je veux juste que tu sois en sécurité. [Sir, it’s worth it. Tell him yes the first time. Your life is priceless. It doesn’t matter how much he asks for. I just want you to be safe.]”

Your life is priceless…after a second, Vincent butted his head into his lover’s shoulder to hide the happy blush on his cheeks. “Peut êtreeee... [Mayyyybe…]” he conceded, “Mais il fait ça exprès, il essaie de me ridiculiser. Chaque fois que je lui parle, j’ai l’impression que c’est moi qui me fais poignarder. Il va me faire carrément supplier avant de faire ce qu’on lui dit. J’entends déjà la satisfaction dans sa voix si je dis oui, et il – il apprécie ça, il sait comment je vais et il est… [But he’s doing this on purpose, he’s trying to make a fool out of me. Every time I talk to him, it feels like I’m the one who’s getting stabbed. He’s going to make me outright beg before he’ll do as he’s told. I can already hear the satisfaction in his voice if I say yes, and he’s – he’s fucking enjoying it, he knows how I am and he’s…]”

Chidi tilted his face back up to meet their gazes. Vincent could read anger there. “C’est donc un homme sans valeur. Cela n’a pas d’importance, monsieur. Ce n’est personne. Vous êtes le Marquis de Gramont et vous récupérerez tout ce qu’il vous prendra au dixuple. [He’s a worthless sort of man then. He doesn’t matter, sir. He’s nobody. You’re the Marquis de Gramont and you will get back everything that he takes tenfold.]”

Chidi didn’t talk like this often, didn’t even suggest that the two of them should give in to anyone. Vincent searched his face and found real concern. He was serious, John Wick really scared him.

He couldn’t deny that he felt it too. A terrible dread in the pit of his stomach, like something was coming. Its name was John Wick, and it had to be stamped out.

Vincent considered while Chidi took his hand from off his arm and kissed it. A kiss on the palm. “En plus, c’est un imbécile. Il ne pourra pas profiter de l’argent. [Besides, he’s the fool. He won’t get to enjoy the money.]” A kiss on the knuckles. “Il n’aura même pas l’occasion de se réjouir. Quand ce sera fini, je le tuerai pour avoir joué avec toi dans un moment comme celui-ci. [He won’t even get to gloat. When this is over, I’ll kill him for toying with you at a time like this.]” A kiss on his ring.

Vincent grinned as if his lover had offered to take him out for ice cream. “Est-ce ainsi? [Is that so?]”

“Bien sûr, Marquis. [Of course, Marquis.]”

There were times in his life when he would never have considered debasing himself so much as to say yes to a first offer for a deal, let alone beg to a subordinate. The thought of giving in to this little prick still felt almost physically painful but… the certainty that Chidi would be beside him no matter what made a sliver of a dent in that feeling. “Eh bien. Je vais y penser. [Well then. I’ll think about it.]” For you. If you’ll tear yourself open for me, no matter how much it hurts…well. Maybe I can do the same.

[jw-adjudicator]

Emergency Memo Re: Osaka Continental Battle

It has come to my attention that John Wick is onsite. Please make Wick your primary target.

Regards,

The Adjudicator

[shimazu-akira]

Let me ask you one question, Mr. Wick. Where does the New York Continental Manager Winston stand?

@shimazu-akira I hope you see this as the opportunity that it is: to avenge your father’s death in earnest. The High Table is responsible. Where do you and the Osaka Continental stand?