The Three Heisei Troublemakers, Beating Up the Five Emperors Beast

This work, <Ultraseven X>, will become a pioneer and founding father of this genre, providing inspiration for countless related works in the future.

Actually, Shinji had already written the script for Ultraseven X while preparing for Super 8.

Furthermore, because he was going to participate in a film festival, Shinji wrote two script outlines: one for the film version that only retained the main storyline, and another for the television drama version that was later expanded into a TV series.

Shinji originally planned to polish the script further, attempting to make this world's first cyberpunk worldview work even more perfect.

However, the current circumstances have led Shinji to decide to accelerate the process and release the work as soon as possible.

To this end, Shinji emailed Chloe, asking her to help select suitable film Director in Europe and America.

There's no way around it; Shinji himself has already blacklisted film critics. Making an award-contending film like this is tantamount to deliberately stepping into the territory of those old guys, and they'll definitely find ways to annoy Second Master.

Shinji is not a masochist, and he himself is really not good at this kind of slow-paced story.

Therefore, <Ultraseven X> can only be handed over to someone else to film, and he can participate in the production as a producer.

After issuing the Director offer for <Ultraseven X>, Shinji temporarily shelved the project, intending to resume work once Director he preferred appeared.

At this time, Shinji focused all his energy on filming <Super 8>.

Shirou had been "gathering inspiration" in Yokohama, finally returned to Fuyuki City. After passing on his memories of Yokohama's architecture to Red A, the two Emiya embarked on a journey to become architectural masters on set.

In addition, Cú Chulainn, Diarmuid, Enkidu, Yan Qing, Master Li, and others also began rehearsing the action scenes for the final battle.

As we all know, before the New Jack, most Ultraman, with the exception of special cases like Thanks Man, did not use weapons much.

Even if they exist, they're either like Crown Prince (Ultraman Taro) who conjures a bucket of water to sober up a drunkard, or like the cool guy (Agul) who uses Lightsaber to show off.

Compared to using weapons, Ultraman prefers close-quarters combat. Even if their beam attacks are incredibly powerful, they are mostly used as finishing moves.

Even Ace, the meatpacking plant manager nicknamed the "King of the Law," was no exception to this situation.

This situation was naturally a compromise made due to the limitations of filming technology and budget at the time.

Tsuburaya Productions always likes to add some justifications to such situations. For example, to make Ace's close-quarters combat seem more reasonable, Tsuburaya even added the setting of a strongman for him.

This is probably why Ace is in Zeta's red power type...

However, Tsuburaya Productions rarely sticks to its established concepts; more often than not, once a concept is set up, it's abandoned.

After all, Tsuburaya Productions is undoubtedly a leader in the industry when it comes to retconning existing content; many settings are simply added to fill in gaps in the overall narrative.

For example, Ace's female human form, Minami Yuko, was given a twist to reconcile the fact that she was actually a lunar person who grew up on Earth. Tsuburaya Productions added that Minami Yuko was sent to Earth after being de-aged and slept there for 10,000 years.

In other words, this woman is actually the same age as Ultraman Leo...

However, this concept didn't last long; it was proposed once and then discarded by Tsuburaya Productions, never to be picked up again.

In any case, just take Tsuburaya's settings with a grain of salt. Shinji will only use settings that are advantageous to him. Following Tsuburaya's settings is an absolute nightmare.

So even though the combat skills of the eight Ultraman are actually quite similar, in order to highlight the characteristics of each Ultraman, Shinji still changed the Ultramen in the movie from all-rounders in their respective TV series to specialized warriors.

Seven clearly possesses a number of beam attacks that rival those of Ace, the King of Beams, but in the movie, he primarily uses only his head crest and the Emerium Beam.

While retaining all of Ace's beam attacks, his dismemberment fighting style was also preserved. However, due to rating restrictions, Second Master's portrayal will not be as violent as in the original series.

In addition, Cú Chulainn was also required to undergo special training, as he served as the actor who wore the suit for Ultraman Jack in the film.

The reason for this arrangement was naturally that the Second Master valued Cú Chulainn's marksmanship and wanted him to showcase his skills with Jack's javelin in the film.

In the original timeline, due to insufficient budget for props, Jack did not use the bracelet in his guest appearance in the TV series of Ultraman Mebius, nor did he use the javelin that the bracelet transformed into.

In Second Master's opinion, this kind of half-hearted homage is unacceptable. Since the decision has been made to appeal to nostalgia, how can the audience buy into it if it's not 1000% genuine?

Designing a unique fighting style for each Ultraman and making extensive use of weapons and light effects would undoubtedly increase the budget.

But Shinji knew very well that action scenes were crucial for a film to be engaging, and realistic action scenes were even more important.

It seems Tsuburaya Productions was once obsessed with CG, as both of the final battles in the Ultraman Mebius movies were produced using CG.

However, given the CG technology and Tsuburaya Productions' budget at the time, the battle scenes were, if not appalling, certainly not good.

If it weren't for Tsuburaya's truly excellent action design and innovative camera work, coupled with Toei Animation's stingy approach to tokusatsu CG repeatedly pushing the boundaries of acceptable production values, those two theatrical releases would undoubtedly have received far more negative reviews for their battle sequences.

Shinji never understood why, given Tsuburaya's consistent style, they should have simply turned the CG effects into a suit after discovering they weren't satisfactory.

In Tiga, after using CG to create several episodes of Ultraman taking off and monsters exploding, Tsuburaya Productions immediately switched to using models because the effect was not ideal.

However, in the case of Ultraman Mebius, CG was used repeatedly, which was quite bizarre.

"I don't know if the budget was too high or too low, or if it's just easier to embezzle within the CG team? It just goes to show that when a nation is on the verge of collapse, monsters abound..."

During a break in filming, a bored Shinji started daydreaming.

This was a secret within Tsuburaya Productions in his previous life, Shinji naturally had no way of knowing it.

Because of his premature intervention, the whole thing was doomed before it even happened, and we'll never know what was going to happen.

Shinji, you really have it easy!

During a break from setting up the scene, Shirou sat down next to Shinji and said irritably, "I almost faced a chastity crisis in Yokohama, and you're so relaxed in Fuyuki City! Why am I always the one who has to work so hard?!"

Shirou's complaints grew louder and louder until he finally shouted them out.

"Shirou, what happened to you?"

Shinji sat up straight and leaned his head closer.

Although the Second Master didn't like being the subject of gossip, his interest in gossiping about others was no less than that of his sister.

"It happened a couple of days ago when I was in Yokohama," Shirou said somewhat embarrassedly, scratching his head as he stammered, "That day I was having dinner at an izakaya, and a girl came up to me and started talking to me... and then..."

Even with countless details omitted, Shinji could guess what had happened to Shirou.

It's not so much good luck in love, it's more like a love tribulation.

"That was terrifying! She actually used her Mystic Eyes to bewitch me," Shirou said, still shaken. "You didn't see how that woman was clinging to me, screaming 'I'm dead!' It was truly frightening."

"Seeking a child through sperm donation~"

Shinji smiled slightly, not particularly concerned.

He and Waver encountered this kind of thing far too many times at the Clock Tower.

It is said that Waver still frequently encounters situations where he lifts the covers and finds a naked female Magecraft lying inside.

"At least Shirou, you're currently the only person in the entire Mage world capable of using Reality Marble," Shinji said, patting his good friend on the shoulder. "Now, there aren't too many Mage Families hoping to have children with your genes."

Shirou retorted, "There's nothing to be happy about in this kind of thing, is there?"

"And then, how good was that female Magecraft's skill?" Shinji grinned mischievously, giving a knowing look to the man.

"What the hell? I escaped after breaking free of the control by using magical energy to disrupt the Magic Circuits." Shirou scoffed. "What if I made a mistake and ended up with an extra child out of nowhere?"

Shinji asked in surprise, "Huh? You didn't know? We can control our bodily fluids by regulating our magic. While we can't guarantee 100% pregnancy, it's absolutely no problem to guarantee 100% non-pregnancy."

This is a magic usage technique that Zouken taught Shinji after he entered puberty, Shinji to prevent the Matou Family from suddenly having a few unorthodox heirs from who-knows-where.

"What is that? I have absolutely no idea!"

Shirou looked completely bewildered.

His father Kiritsugu, was an unorthodox individual, and neither Shirou nor Kiritsugu himself knew the magical techniques required by large families.

"Tsk tsk." Shinji patted his good buddy on the shoulder. "Shirou, you missed out on a fortune!"

Shirou brushed Shinji's hand away impatiently. "Don't look at me with that pitying gaze, you scumbag."

Chapter 134 The Heisei Three Rogues, Specializing in Fighting the Five Emperor Beasts

Shinji Matou's new work, the Ultraman movie begins, behind-the-scenes look at the set!

As summer approached, similar messages began circulating online, reminding movie fans that Shinji's new film had entered the filming stage.

We also received a lot of information from Type-Moon Company, which was proactively disclosed by them, on major websites such as blogs, IMDb, and Yahoo!.

[The story will take place in Yokohama City, Shinji Matou's production team is currently filming at famous locations in the city, including Yokohama Chinatown and Yokohama Mirai 21!]

On the IMDB website, an article that begins with "Based on the latest insider information" vividly describes the filming process in Yokohama and speculates on which locations will appear in the movie.

Subsequently, a photo of Hiroshi Nagano appearing on the set in Fuyuki City was posted on the blog, accompanied by the title "Daigo Reappears".

Although Hiroshi Nagano had already completed more than half of his scenes, the official announcement of his joining the cast was only released now.

[Daigo Hiroshi Nagano, has finally returned to the Ultraman series. The last time this beloved character appeared was in the Tiga movie.]

[In <Super 8>, his apparent identity will be an employee of the Yokohama Tourism Bureau, while his true identity will be the human form of Ultraman, who will save the world!]

All of the above information was released with Shinji's permission, and was a mix of true and false information.

While attracting public attention, it avoids revealing too much and allowing viewers to guess the plot.

There was no other way but to release this news to the reporters; everyone knew that the Great Director Shinji had started filming a new movie, and the film set in Fuyuki City was constantly surrounded by reporters.

To prevent reporters from secretly capturing any crucial information, the production team and the reporters reached an understanding: the production team would release news about the film from time to time, while the reporters would designate the set as a restricted area and forbid them from entering.

Because Shinji is currently filming intense and complex action scenes, he doesn't have time to deal with media reporters, but he also uses various Magecraft during filming, so it's necessary to prohibit ordinary people from appearing on set.

Shinji is currently filming the final aerial combat scene of the movie.

After careful consideration, Shinji decided that the monsters he would face in the final battle would be Hippolito Alien, Jepandon, and the Five Emperor Beasts.

This movie features the Three Giants of the Heisei era, so how could the Five Emperor Beasts not make an appearance?

The aerial battle currently being filmed features the Five Emperor Beasts versus the Heisei Ultraman Trilogy.

And the location where they filmed was indeed in the air.

To showcase the agility of Ultraman and the monsters in the air, Shinji sent out all the flying creatures he had at his disposal.

Some high-speed flight scenes were filmed with actors suspended by Iskandar's oxcarts Medusa's Pegasus.

The scenes of hovering and fighting were performed by the actors standing on a chain-like arena built by Enkidu.

Shinji first recorded these materials with a camera, and then removed the chains in post-production.

The filming of this scene, which appeared thrilling but was actually very dangerous for the actors, involved them leaping and fighting between chains in the sky.

To prevent situations where characters fall due to weakness on the Chains of Heaven, in addition to Enkidu, who can already fly, the Heisei Ultraman Trilogy — Tiga, Dyna, and Gaia —are played by Archer (who lacks divinity Red A), Yan Qing, and Lancelot, respectively.

Shinji actually wanted Iskandar to play Gaia's Supreme form and Dyna's Strong form, but the Great Emperor's divinity made filming on the Chains of Heaven very awkward.

Furthermore, given the limited runtime of the film, having Dyna and Gaia transform would have created a bit of chaos, so Shinji ultimately abandoned that idea.

Therefore, Tiga is the only Ultraman in the entire movie who appears in multiple forms.

Yeah, this must be the legendary treatment the protagonist gets.

"Oh!"

In the aerial filming location, Yan Qing, dressed in Tiga suit, delivers a flying kick to the head of Enkidu, a beast that is flapping its wings and flying.

Shinji, sitting atop the tank, watched intently as the monitor transmitted live footage.

The massive Five Emperor Beasts continuously fired light bullets at the Ultraman, preventing them from getting close.

Whenever Ultraman uses a beam attack, the Five Emperor Beasts will use Eye Q to absorb the beam and then reflect it back.

Finally, with the cooperation of the three Ultraman, each of them located a part of their old rival on the Five Emperor Beast and fired beam attacks at the same time, they managed to knock the guy to the ground.

This action still presents significant challenges and dangers; even Heroic Spirit falling from this height would be severely injured, if not killed.

Furthermore, because they are wearing slime suits, the Heroic Spirit cannot yet materialize into spirit form.

Therefore, from the start to the end of filming, all other Heroic Spirit remained outside the camera's view to prevent any accidents from occurring.

To ensure the smooth filming of the aerial battle, the production team began various preparations well in advance and prepared many contingency plans.

Shinji remained extremely cautious during filming, knowing that even with the highest skill levels of the Heroic Spirit, accidents could still happen, not to mention the presence of Red A, whose Luck E was extremely low.

Therefore, it is still very necessary to prepare protective measures in advance.

Moreover, it's not just about protective measures; the entire air combat sequence also needs careful planning, otherwise the final result will be chaotic.

Therefore, before filming, Shinji specifically asked the animation company to help produce and design the animated preview of this part of the fight scene, as a reference for the Heroic Spirit Actor during filming.

This animation not only helped the actors appearing on screen learn how to fight, but also helped Gilgamesh and Medusa, who provided the special effects, understand when to add what kind of lighting effects to the scene. This greatly helped the team complete their respective tasks more effectively.

In fact, Shinji's preparations did come in handy. During the actual filming, Yan Qing and Red A made a mistake in their positioning and jumped onto the same chain, causing them to lose their balance and fall.

Fortunately, Enkidu managed to pull them both back with his chains. Although the powerful pull dislocated Yan Qing and Red A's shoulders, if they had actually fallen to the ground, they would probably have been half-dead.

These two aren't like Uncle Hai; they only have one life, so they wouldn't dare gamble on having a strong enough Spirit Origin.

Fortunately, after this minor accident, the Heroic Spirit Actor became more attentive to safety during filming, and the filming progress was greatly accelerated. This aerial scene, which was originally planned to be completed in nine days, was actually filmed in just two days.