Chapter 103 – The City of Movies

On the second day of my stay in Los Angeles on the West Coast, I first headed to Hollywood.
Needless to say, it’s “the city of movies.” Since it is the center of American cinema at its peak, you could say it’s the center of world cinema as well.

But my real appointment is tomorrow, and personally, I don’t have much business with Hollywood of this era.
They say the 1930s and 1940s are Hollywood’s golden age, but when it comes to prewar American movies, all that comes to mind are westerns and Chaplin films. And in the 1920s, I’ve basically only ever seen Chaplin’s work.

My history-nerd antenna was never really tuned toward America.
And Chaplin is coming to Japan in 1932; after asking for a bit of research, I found out he’s currently filming City Lights. It would be bad for some brat from the East to get in his way.

So, not “just for now” but rather deliberately, I decided to leave him only a message: if he ever comes to Japan for a fundraising trip, I would very much like to meet him.
After all, in my previous life’s history, around the time of Chaplin’s visit to Japan, an incident occurred that set Japan on a bad path. Now that I’ve noticed it, it can’t hurt to lay some groundwork.

So, what will I do besides that? Simple.

Just like I did with newspaper magnate Hearst, I will pay for publicity and have them promote pro-Japan and anti-communist messages through things like movie advertisements.

In any case, in America, communist activists and their sympathizers are already starting to spread their influence beneath the surface. If you only listen to the ideals of communism, I can understand why it might sound pleasant to the ears of intellectuals and certain wealthy people.

But true communism can only exist if the majority of society is good, diligent, and honest. That’s why it’s just another form of idealism, and unless humanity builds a civilization detached from materialism, it will probably never be realized in the truest sense.

In any case, the fate of my body’s original owner—or rather, the villainess of the game—at the end of her downfall is, in most cases, to be killed in a country created by communists. And even before that, she’s an aristocrat and part of a financial conglomerate. There’s no way the two could ever coexist. I might be able to make some compromises with socialism, but communism is absolutely impossible.

In other words, they are my enemy. In that case, I should oppose them thoroughly and act toward their complete destruction.

As for the pro-Japan propaganda, the problem is that the average American citizen has far too little interest in anything outside of America. The upper classes and intellectuals are somewhat different, but to varying degrees, most still hold racial prejudices.

Putting racial prejudice aside, we first need people to actually know about Japan, otherwise there’s no conversation to be had.

To the average American, “the Orient” and “China” are practically the same thing, and many of them hold fantasies or admiration toward China.

Even here in Hollywood, in 1927, a theater with a Chinese-style exterior—none other than Grauman’s Chinese Theatre—was opened.

When I wondered why, and looked into it briefly, it turns out it wasn’t because Chinese immigrants in America had worked hard to educate or promote themselves. Rather, it seems to have been heavily influenced by the information brought back by missionaries who went to China to spread their religion.

In particular, the influence of Henry Luce, who was born in the home of missionaries in China, may have been significant.

He founded Time Inc. and created the TIME magazine. TIME was America’s first news weekly, and if my history knowledge is correct, by the 1930s it held considerable influence.

And Luce had a deep nostalgia for China, viewing it very favorably. From my perspective now, it’s no exaggeration to say that he later went on to glorify Chiang Kai-shek and mislead Americans into believing that China was the only true democracy in the Orient.

The truth is, Chiang Kai-shek had built a system even more fascist than Japan’s, which makes it all a ridiculous joke. And the fact that America, bewitched by such illusions, would eventually be driven out by a communist China—well, in that regard, I’d love to laugh and say they got what they deserved.

But that’s just one story from the history of my previous life.

Right now, it’s the summer of 1929. TIME magazine was founded in 1923, but it doesn’t seem to be selling all that well yet.

And unlike in my previous life’s history, Chiang Kai-shek lost power before he could carry out the Shanghai coup, so at this point Zhang Zuolin is the ruler of the Republic of China.

Chiang is only considered one of the influential figures in the Republic, nothing more. On top of that, he hasn’t yet managed to marry Soong Mei-ling.

Even so, the existence of Time Inc. is a minus for Japan. And since this stems from Mr. Luce’s own personal feelings and sentiments, barging in to talk to him wouldn’t change anything. If anything, it might even backfire.

In that case, I’ll have to think of another approach. And since I’ve already made an agreement with Mr. Hearst, the king of yellow journalism, it’s probably better to focus on appealing to the masses rather than the intellectuals.

Besides, even without Mr. Hearst, investments for promotional expenses in Hollywood have already begun. Today’s purpose is to offer greetings as someone from the Ootori family.

And here’s where Sebastian, who has only just been granted an audience with me, comes into play. Not only is he an American staff member, but the fact that he’s Jewish can be used as a weapon. After all, many of the people who built America’s film industry were Jewish immigrants.

In Europe, Jews once had very limited job opportunities due to discrimination. In the German-speaking regions, for example, even their surnames were restricted so that they could be recognized at a glance.

In America, at this time, there was already something like “name laundering” going on, but even after escaping persecution in Europe, many could not completely escape it. In that sense, it was only natural that Jews would venture into new industries.

And in this era, the major studios that would continue into the 21st century were being established one after another. This could be called the perfect opportunity to make connections.

“So that’s how it is, Sebastian. I’m counting on you.”

“Leave it to me, Milady.”

“Are you sure this guy’s really up to it?”

“Well, let’s see what he can do.”

Sebastian bows respectfully, but the two burly bodyguards are harsh with him. I suppose this is what you’d call being in “newcomer caution mode.”

Even so, aside from Shizu, everyone is a burly man. Tokita is also fairly tall, but since he’s slim, it doesn’t stand out as much. At the moment, though, Tokita is acting separately from most of the other servants to prepare for the next task.

For now, the state of affairs is still relatively calm. Our “X-Day” is nearly two months away, so we can focus on doing our work while also half-indulging in a vacation in America’s golden age.

And unless we maintain that much mental breathing room, there’s no way our hearts could withstand the historic events that are about to unfold.

With that thought tucked away in a corner of my mind, I arrive in a Hollywood quite different from the scenery I knew in my previous life.

There are some familiar sights, such as Chinese-style buildings, but the streets still strongly give the impression of a city that has yet to fully develop.

With the giant men, the maid Shizu, and several guards and attendants in tow, we parade through the streets, attracting the attention of passersby.

After all, I am wearing a furisode.

I may still be a nine-year-old girl, but whether it’s because a flashy Japanese kimono is a rare sight, or because it’s amusing to see a tiny Asian child dressed in what’s obviously expensive, high-quality silk traditional clothing, accompanied by an English-style maid and men who look like even gangsters would flee from them—well, it’s probably somewhere around there.

Listening closely to the voices around me, I can hear that some people think this must be some kind of movie promotion.

Well, a kid in traditional Asian clothing walking along while a maid holds a parasol over her head is certainly an unusual sight.

In this manner, we visit each movie studio, where Sebastian hands over checks I’ve signed.

He gives a brief request to promote Japan, then uses an easy-to-understand pamphlet to explain how Japan differs from China, and warns them not to slack off since more materials will be sent later.

Really, most Americans of this era have no idea at all about the differences between China and Japan. In the first place, perhaps because so much in America can be done entirely within America itself, they have very little interest in anything outside their own country.

At this time, there’s nothing familiar that would make them think of Japan, so it’s at the point where they can’t even picture it. For now, I suppose the only way is to start with things like Fuji, geisha, ninja, sumo, and samurai.

Well, in this era, it’s the same on the Japanese side too—only a small minority could answer if asked about the differences between Britain, Germany, and France, so it’s mutual.

Still, since there’s a possibility it could influence the future history between Japan and the U.S., there’s no harm in promoting Japan.

It’s not like I came from the 21st century, but Japanese people, past or present, are either too careless or too indifferent when it comes to promoting Japan overseas. I wasn’t one to talk myself, but since I’ve decided to twist the future, I can’t just not do it.

Although I probably won’t have many chances to come directly to America, the Ootori Group plans to keep pouring money and people into campaigns that spread awareness of Japan in America, as well as lobbying efforts aimed at the upper class.

“Guess we’ll have to find someone who can really promote Japan well.”

“Leave it to me. I will most certainly find such a person.”

Sebastian, quick-eared, smoothly responds to my muttered thoughts.

“It might be difficult, but I’m counting on you. If needed, we could even start a magazine or newspaper.”

“In that case, making use of radio or television could be another option.”

“Oh, right. This is America after all.”

“Yes. I do have a few connections, though.”

“Oh, in that case, since I’ve already made some arrangements with Mr. Hearst, I’ll introduce you during this trip.”

“Hearst? The newspaper king? As expected of you, Ojousama.”

Saying that, he bows his head again.

And behind him, the two muscular bodyguards watch with suspicious eyes. Even though they do the same thing themselves, maybe they got in a bad mood because someone copied them. The contrast among the three is a little amusing.

“Well, we’ll talk about that later. More importantly, let’s go for the next one!”

“Yes, Ojousama.”

――――――――――――――――
Chaplin visits Japan in 1932:
In May 1932, he came to Japan and even became a target in the “May 15 Incident.”
Well, I think I’ll be talking more about that later.

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre:
A world-famous theater in Hollywood modeled after Chinese-style temple architecture.
That said, it’s basically Art Deco architecture apart from the exterior.
It’s also famous for having many Hollywood stars’ handprints and footprints on the street in front of the building.
Built in 1927.