Artoria: Master, Anything But That!

Even in North America, Jidai Group. reluctantly aired "Ultraman Mebius" during non-prime time slots.

In contrast to Tsuburaya Productions' rigid approach, Shinji cleverly had the Jidai Group. censor "Ultraman Mebius" as a teen drama, thus circumventing numerous restrictions regarding violence.

While the target audience might be unclear in terms of advertising, at least the advertisement has been placed.

For Shinji and Tsuburaya Productions, what's more important than how many people watch Ultraman Mebius is ensuring the Ultraman IP regains its place in the Americas.

However, no matter how much promotion there is in North America, it's just a bonus; it's merely helping Shinji promote 3D without glasses.

Shinji still wanted to promote and publicize the area next door, the rabbit market he longed for.

However, unlike other regions that mainly promoted Ultraman Mebius, in this market that the Second Master -command values most, he focused on promoting the Heisei Ultraman Trilogy.

Unfortunately, due to various reasons, the promotion of Ultraman in China has fallen behind other regions by a generation.

While children in other countries and regions were watching the Heisei Ultraman Trilogy on television, the children of Rabbit were just beginning to explore the Showa Seven (from the first to Ultraman 80).

It wasn't until 2004 that the first Heisei series work, Ultraman Tiga, was officially introduced to the rabbit market.

Tsuburaya Productions' initial plan was to first import one series to see the reaction, and if it was popular with audiences, they would then try to import the remaining Heisei Ultraman.

It must be said that Tiga is indeed an outstanding work. Although it is an 8-year-old work, it is still quite excellent even in 2004. Neither the plot nor the special effects can be seen as a work from the last century.

Naturally, Tiga replaced the Showa Ultraman as the new generation of light hero for children on the mainland.

However, just as Tsuburaya Productions was preparing to continue the success of Ultraman Tiga and launch Dyna in mainland China, policy changes directly ruined their plans.

According to the new regulations on the import of TV dramas issued by China in 2005, Japanese animation was directly banned from being imported into the country.

Moreover, it's not just 2D animation that's banned; even tokusatsu works like Ultraman and Kamen Rider have been categorized as animated works.

And then, that was it.

Anyway, Shinji remembers that he didn't learn about the Tiga era works other than Ultraman Tiga until after he finished his college entrance exams and could play on the computer freely.

But by then, even the Monster Graveyard Zero movie "Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend" had already been released.

In this world, Tsuburaya Productions has an advantage that other Parallel world don't have—they have the genius Director Shinji Matou.

Although Shinji film, Fate/Zero, did not win the top spot in the 2004 film box office, it came in third with a gross of 130 million RMB.

However, it's important to know that Fate/Zero is an imported film with only a one-month run. The two films that outperformed it at the box office were both domestic films, and their run times were at least twice as long as Fate/Zero's.

In addition, FSN, which was delayed for almost two years before its release, also achieved a good result of 60 million RMB.

With such achievements as a foundation, Shinji's standing in the eyes of the relevant departments in China has increased considerably.

In fact, FSN's box office performance could have been much higher, but unfortunately most viewers had already seen pirated copies and had no interest in watching it again on the big screen.

This situation also illustrates the necessity of promoting 3D movies in the rabbit market. Because copyright is not strictly enforced, in order to get audiences to buy tickets to go to the cinema, it is necessary to provide them with advantages that cannot be matched by watching movies at home.

Shinji's idea wasn't unreasonable: to ride the wave of the two Fate films' box office success and find a way to get the other two Heisei Ultraman Trilogy films imported smoothly.

Having only one "Tiga" series would be detrimental to the promotion of "Super 8".

Moreover, Shinji was well aware that after the collaboration on this film ended, he and Johnny & Associates's would most likely have a falling out, and the car accident hero Hiroshi Nagano would inevitably become a legend on the Chinese internet.

Take advantage of this final opportunity to introduce Dyna and Gaia, so that Asuka Shin and Gamu can become childhood memories for this generation of children, just like Daigo.

This will make it much easier for Tsuburaya Productions to conduct promotional activities in the future.

After all, Matou Kariya and Takeshi Yoshioka are much easier and cheaper to hire than Daigo.

Especially Uncle Kariya, Tsuburaya might even be able to get him to appear for free.

That being said, Shinji wasn't entirely sure whether he would ultimately be able to bring in Dyna and Gaia.

Even Shinji, who had lived a whole life, couldn't fathom what the important figures above were really thinking.

To prevent the worst-case scenario from occurring, Shinji made a backup plan.

If it's confirmed that Dyna and Gaia cannot be imported, Shinji will have Tsuburaya Productions negotiate directly with local television stations.

Have the local TV station produce a program introducing outstanding foreign Tokusatsu, and then broadcast "Dyna" and "Gaia" under the guise of introductions, bypassing the review process directly.

Of course, this kind of loophole-exploiting behavior will be stopped sooner or later, but by then the first wave of promotion will have already been completed, and the crucial <Super 8> will be released soon, so whether or not Second Master is banned will no longer matter.

As for what happens next, the all-powerful internet will help Shinji solve most of the promotional problems.

In short, Shinji went to great lengths to make the Ultraman IP a hit in the Chinese market, trying every possible method, both compliant and illegitimate.

This is so that the promotional difficulties will be less when <Super 8> is released next year.

After entering August, filming for <Super 8> came to an end.

Shinji led the entire crew into a Western-style bar in Fuyuki City to film the last scene—a group meal between the elderly and the new generation.

The reason this scene is placed last is because it's the scene where the entire cast and crew are present, except for the final battle, making it quite memorable.

Moreover, once the set is set up, it doesn't need to be cleaned up and can be directly transformed into the venue for the crew's wrap party.

"Brother, I don't know if you're the greatest Director in the world, but you're definitely the Director."

Inside the bar, Sakura, who was following Shinji and checking the set design, immediately complained.

"I call this thrift. If you really want to call me stingy, go turn left and find Toei."

Shinji said nonchalantly.

He turned a corner, pointed to the "delicious dishes" being placed on the table by the staff, and said, "If I were really stingy, would I have made these dishes separately?"

Sakura snorted coldly, "It's all fake food, isn't that stingy?"

Shinji rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "The set setup took so long, if we used real food, the colors would be off by now. I did this to make the final product look better on camera."

"But in the end, it's still fake," Sakura said, poking at a plate of "Fried Chicken."

Shinji pinched Sakura's cheek. "You're not Artoria, why are you so greedy?"

However, Shinji added, "Don't rush if you really want to eat. The real food will be served after filming is over."

"I think Artoria will like it."

Sakura spoke with a lie, her gaze already drifting towards the kitchen, as if curious about what delicious food awaited.

Shinji shook his head helplessly, gently patted Sakura's head, and asked, "Sakura, are you interested in a cameo role?"

"A cameo role?"

Sakura raised her eyebrows and asked excitedly, "What kind of cameo? Does it have lines?"

"It's like this." Shinji pointed to the entire bar, "Since this is the last scene, I plan to have everyone in the crew participate in this shot, except for those who are required to participate in the filming."

"Staff from other departments, including props and set design, will all become extras. You're officially listed as an intern on the set, shouldn't you participate in the filming as well?"

Upon hearing Shinji's explanation, Sakura, who had been quite excited, became somewhat unhappy. "So, does that mean I'm just a humanoid prop?"

"Yes."

"No lines, no close-up shots, the kind that blends into a crowd and is completely indistinguishable?"

"I don't think I'd completely fail to recognize you. My dear Yimoduo, you still stand out in a crowd."

As he spoke, Shinji glanced at her from head to toe.

Sakura lowered her head, looked down at her lower body, and said with a hint of distress, "Yeah, I think I've developed too fast."

"You should restrain yourself a little, Sakura," Shinji slightly tactful reminder.

Accumulating all the fat in the chest and buttocks is something only Heroic Spirit like Lancer Artoria can do; Sakura, as an ordinary person, has already reached a certain critical value.

"I was careless." Sakura slapped her face. "I was eating with Artoria and Sister Rider the whole time, and completely forgot that they are Heroic Spirit who can eat as much as they want without gaining weight."

"Brother, do you have any Magecraft that can help you lose weight?" Sakura asked expectantly.

Shinji chopped Sakura on the head. "How could there be something so convenient? You better get back to training!"

"My brother is bullying me!"

After giving Shinji playful punches with her little fists, Sakura pulled Artoria Medusa away from the set, seemingly to go for a run.

"Boss."

Shinji's Little Secretary whispered a reminder, "Isn't there a technique for burning fat using magic? Why didn't you tell Sakura-san?"

"That would defeat the purpose of education," Shinji smile. "As an older brother, I should guide my younger sister to form correct values; this is an expression of a brother's love for his sister."

"Shinji, what are your true feelings?"

Shirou asked in a low voice.

"Of course, it's to tease my little sister who always tries to steal my allowance."

"Sigh... Now I know why Miss Sakura has been eyeing your allowance, boss."

Upon hearing this, the Little Secretary sighed softly behind Shinji's back.

Chapter 137 Artoria: Master, this is the only thing I absolutely cannot do!

Sakura didn't return to the bar until evening. Judging from her panting, she seemed to have run around the area.

Shinji didn't care where his sister went; he just enjoyed watching Sakura's flushed face and panting.

Then, before Sakura could react and lash out, he found an assistant and had him take Sakura to the makeup team.

They then continued walking around the bar with the Little Secretary to check if the set setup was complete.

Because it was the last scene, and the storyline was lighthearted, the entire crew was very relaxed, chatting and laughing as they waited for filming to begin.

The sun went lower and lower until it disappeared below the horizon, and the yellowish sky gradually darkened.

When it was completely dark, the crew members took their seats as Shinji had instructed, surrounding Hiroshi Nagano, Matou Kariya, and Takeshi Yoshioka in the center.

Meanwhile, the handsome older men and beautiful older women of the Showa era walked onto the stage in front of the bar.

The elderly men picked up their favorite instruments for final tuning, while the women put on their Hula dance skirts and stretched their limbs.

The combined age of these people on stage is probably older than the Clock Tower itself; if something were to happen to them, it could really cost them their lives.

Therefore, even when choosing the relatively gentle Hula dance, Shinji repeatedly gave instructions, fearing that something might go wrong.

The lights in the bar where the banquet was being held were all on, creating a stark contrast with the darkness outside.

Everything is ready; we're just waiting for filming to begin.

Although this scene involves many actors, Shinji doesn't need to worry too much.

Firstly, apart from the main Lead Actor, the other crew members only needed to listen to the uncles and aunts singing and pretend to be eating.

Secondly, the uncles and aunts had already rehearsed several times before today's filming and were very familiar with the stage lyrics.

"Props ready!"

"Lights ready!"

"Scene preparation is complete!"

"The Photography Team is ready!"

After all the departments had finished reporting, Shinji, who was sitting in the crowd, made a gesture.

The bartender, who was temporarily acting as the script supervisor, went to the main camera with the script supervisor's sign.

"<Super 8>, final shot... Action!"

The crane arm near the bar's ceiling began to slide, and the main camera hanging above swept across the entire bar from an overhead perspective, finally focusing on the aunties on the stage.

"Aloha~Aloha~Aloha~"

"Wau I a oe~"

"I swear to the drifting clouds, I'll be with you to the ends of the earth."

Against the backdrop of a slightly noisy bar, the uncles and aunts are singing the movie's insert song, "Nagisa no Yakusoku," in front of the camera.

Everyone on set was completely absorbed in the performance of the uncles and aunts, their faces beaming with happiness.

It's not that they're bad at Acting Skills; it's that they genuinely enjoy performing like this.

Many people know that Indians like musicals, and in fact, there are quite a few people in Japan who also like musicals. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that musicals are a genre that sells very well in Japan.

You can tell a thing or two by looking at how often Japanese animation films include song and dance numbers.