Lin Chuan hadn't expected to come across a review of Balloon while scrolling through Weibo.
Curious, Lin Chuan clicked on it.
"Recently, an animated film called Balloon has taken the internet by storm. Without any active promotion from the production company, it grossed 22.78 million yuan in its first week."
"Despite its impressive box office, audience opinions are sharply divided.
Many people think Balloon is like a fresh plate of brain. Those who like it consider it a delicacy.
Those who don't get goosebumps just looking at it.
How did this film inspire such wildly different reactions, and how did it take the internet by storm in such a short time?
Let me explain."
"First, Balloon boldly positions itself as an animated film for mature audiences,
shedding the cute, childish art style used by most animated films for younger viewers.
It focuses on a niche audience.
It tells a serious, adult-oriented story.
Many viewers are already tired of formulaic, family-friendly animated films.
With its highly realistic art style and masterful atmosphere, Balloon offers audiences an animated film with a distinctive flavor."
"Second, its hopeless worldview.
In Balloon's world, there's no way to deal with the Head Balloons. If you encounter one outside, it will strangle you with its rope.
If you hide at home, you'll gradually run out of food and supplies.
And if you attack a Head Balloon, the person it belongs to will suffer the same fate.
That powerlessness, that feeling of being forced to accept reality, leaves viewers with a deep sense of insecurity.
It naturally chips away at their psychological defenses."
"Third, the director's technique in Balloon is remarkably mature.
Many viewers say the film keeps giving them hope, only to plunge them back into despair.
That's all thanks to the director's command of pacing.
Especially the open ending, which keeps the suspense alive right to the very end.
With his realistic art style and solid directing skills, Lin Chuan created a terrifying world that feels vivid and real.
Many viewers can't help looking up at the sky when they leave the theater,
afraid that a balloon resembling them exactly might drift in from the distance."
"These are the key ingredients behind Balloon's success, and the reason it divides audiences so sharply."
"Although Balloon intimidates many people, audiences have still given it high scores.
It currently has a rating of 8.7 on a certain film review site.
That shows people recognize the quality of Balloon.
As a film critic, I hope more movies like Balloon will be made in the future.
They could breathe new life into domestic animated films.
As an ordinary viewer, though, I hope Director Lin Chuan will make more films like Spoon Killer Demon.
I can't handle watching too many movies like Balloon! My heart can't take it!"
Below the review, netizens left comments one after another:
"Professional!"
"Great analysis!"
"Balloon's art is so meticulous—realistic and terrifying. That comparison to a plate of brain is absolutely perfect!"
"After reading the blogger's analysis, it all clicked. I missed so many details! I'm going to watch it again. Any brave souls want to join me?"
"I'm not watching it twice. I dream about it every night already."
And so on.
Lin Chuan finished reading the whole article, feeling a little moved.
The blogger had indeed analyzed his intentions.
What Lin Chuan hadn't expected was that this professional film critic would claim that watching Balloon too many times could give you heart disease.
And lots of people in the comments agreed with the blogger,
sharing their own experiences.
Was Balloon really a terrifying animated film?
Lin Chuan hadn't thought so.
Among the entertainment works Lin Chuan had seen, Head Balloon definitely wasn't the scariest.
Now that he thought about it, James Wan's Directing Skills combined with Junji Ito's Manga Technique had produced a completely different kind of magic.
After finishing hot pot, the three of them started walking to help their food settle.
Lin Chuan brought up what was troubling him:
"Balloon's box office is pretty good, but I won't get my share until three months from now. I still want to make a movie. Then I won't have to go to class anymore."
Ren Hang offered a suggestion:
"You could sell the rights. The exclusive streaming rights, adaptation rights, and all the other bits and pieces should be enough to make a movie."
Lin Chuan's eyes lit up. It really was good to brainstorm together.
If he'd thought about it longer, he probably would've come up with that himself.
But Ren Hang's suggestion gave him the idea right away.
Xiao Hei remained a pessimist. "If you stop going to class to make movies, what about your studies?"
Ren Hang countered, "Lin Chuan can already make a movie on his own. He doesn't need to study the Director Department curriculum, does he?"
Lin Chuan, meanwhile, fell into thought.
The teachers at Jianghai Film Academy were actually quite capable.
They were good actors and had strong practical skills. They weren't all just talk.
After walking for a while, Lin Chuan replied, "Maybe I can have the teachers teach me while I make movies!"
At that, Ren Hang and Xiao Hei stopped in their tracks.
Come on, everyone already thought it was amazing that you could make a movie as a sophomore.
But now you're planning to make a movie while having your teachers give you lessons.
Even the most amazing people couldn't pull that off.
Seeing the doubt in their eyes, Lin Chuan patted them on the shoulders and grinned.
"You have to dare to dream before you can dare to do. If young people aren't full of themselves, can you even call them young?"
"Right! If you're not full of yourself, can you even call yourself young?"
Ren Hang nodded along.
They wouldn't be sophomores until after summer break, and they were only eighteen or nineteen. They were young men full of fire and energy.
Lin Chuan's words immediately set their blood boiling.
Lin Chuan continued, "Hei, can you make a manga website?"
Xiao Hei thought for a moment before replying, "It's not hard. I can build one for you in a week."
Lin Chuan nodded. Xiao Hei really could do anything.
In the spare moments while he'd been busy with Balloon's release, Lin Chuan had also drawn a lot of classic horror manga from Earth.
The Tomie series, Uzumaki, and a collection of horror manga from Korea called Tales of the Unusual.
Turning them all into movies would take too much time.
But it felt like a waste not to let netizens see them.
This solved the problem. He could use a manga website to show netizens what horror manga was all about.
It could also help them build up a tolerance.
That afternoon, after he got home, Lin Chuan received a call from An Puzhu, head of Bika Net's copyright department.
An Puzhu was interested in buying the exclusive streaming rights to Balloon and invited Lin Chuan to meet at a nearby café.
Lin Chuan agreed.
The next day, Lin Chuan arrived at the café ten minutes early.
While waiting for his coffee, he idly scrolled through his phone.
He happened to come across a Weibo post from Jiang Kui.
It was a cosplay photo.
In the picture, Jiang Kui was hiding beside a table, while outside the window loomed a giant Head Balloon with a face identical to hers.
It was a still from Balloon!
He hadn't expected Wang Dong to choose Jiang Kui as his model this time.
Jiang Kui's styling suited the character perfectly. Huddled beside the table, she looked panicked and uneasy, her mind clearly in turmoil.
The Head Balloon outside the window, meanwhile, radiated an aura of death.
She was as delicate as a porcelain doll, yet evil, cold, sinister, chaotic, and mad.
Maybe he could invite her to star in a live-action adaptation of the Tomie series someday.
That was what Lin Chuan thought.
Just then, a tall figure walked into the café. When he saw Lin Chuan, he greeted him
with a bright smile and sincere eyes:
"Hello, Director Lin. I'm An Puzhu from Bika Net's copyright department. I'm here to discuss the price of Balloon's exclusive streaming rights!"
Before you continue