At the End of the Road, a New Beginning with Conglomerate B / Matou Kariya: I Can't Shake the Feeling Someone's Plotting Against Me

Since Shinji was planning to make this film the first big-budget commercial movie in this parallel world, he was obviously aiming for the masterpieces he had seen in his previous life, not some shoddy piece of garbage.

A film's quality was directly proportional to the care put into its production. Cutting corners and trying to save time and effort would never result in a good movie.

Shinji threw himself into Tsuburaya's studio and focused completely on his work, paying no attention to anything else. He even spent New Year's Day in 2003 at the studio.

Even when Waver contacted Master Shinji from Britain to discuss the North American partners, Shinji deliberately shut him out.

"The movie isn't even finished yet! The hen hasn't even laid the eggs, and you're already rushing to build a chicken coop? None of that matters until the movie is done."

Shinji, who had just jinxed himself, had no idea what kind of "surprise" Waver would have waiting for him down the line.

During post-production on FSN, the post-production staff at Tsuburaya Productions helped Shinji a great deal.

Though their ideas about filmmaking were somewhat outdated, they had plenty of experience and offered Shinji a lot of help and advice.

At last, thanks to the efforts of Shinji and the other post-production staff, the initial post-production work on FSN was completed in early March 2003, after more than two full months.

That meant the preview screening of the film—a crucial step toward FSN's release—was finally about to take place.

Chapter 16: At the End of the Road, a New Beginning with Conglomerate B

The preview screening of Fate/Stay Night was held at a cinema not far from Tsuburaya Productions.

The cinema, tucked away on a street corner, had been around for a while. Its screening rooms were equipped with fairly outdated equipment, and the conditions were far from ideal.

Shinji didn't particularly mind, though. The screening equipment in this world was more or less the same everywhere.

Although Dolby sound, 3D, 4D, IMAX, and various other special screening formats had been invented, they were either still confined to laboratories or only used in museums. Commercialization remained a distant prospect.

Whenever he thought about it, Shinji couldn't help feeling a sense of historical responsibility. He believed it was his duty to let audiences in this world enjoy the ultimate moviegoing experience.

But even a journey of a thousand miles began with a single step. What mattered more to Shinji now was getting FSN distributed in Japan. Only if the film achieved impressive results could it help drive the development of big-budget commercial movies in this world.

On the morning of the preview screening, Shinji accompanied his uncle, Matou Kariya, to the cinema entrance to welcome the attendees from Toho.

At that point, however, Shinji was still a nobody in Japan's film industry and not important enough to attract Toho's attention. Even when shaking his hand, the few Toho employees treated it as little more than a formality.

No one took him seriously, but Shinji wasn't foolish enough to say anything. Without his uncle's introduction, these people probably wouldn't have attended the screening at all.

Although the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City had ended without a conclusion, and the Matou Family had changed considerably, Matou Kariya had still left Fuyuki City after being rejected in love.

But this world's Matou Kariya had it much better than his counterparts in other parallel worlds. With Matou Zouken's help, he had made his entertainment-industry debut as a tokusatsu actor.

After starring in Tsuburaya's tokusatsu series Dyna Ultraman, Matou Kariya's acting career had taken off. He was now a recognizable name in the industry.

As a side note, Shinji would never forget the shock he'd felt as a child when he turned on the TV and saw his uncle playing Asuka Shin. He'd sprayed a mouthful of water right onto little Sakura's face.

To earn Sakura's forgiveness, Shinji had to give up three months' worth of allowance.

"It's been a long time, Kariya."

The leader of the Toho team stepped forward to shake Matou Kariya's hand. From his uncle's conversation with him, Shinji learned that the man was called Hata Kengo. He was the head of Toho's Distribution Department, Second Division, and the most senior member of the Toho team present.

The man in his fifties standing beside Hata Kengo was Kouichi Ippei, a well-known film critic in the industry.

The opinions of these two men would determine how Toho treated FSN.

The size of the screening team alone showed that Toho didn't take FSN seriously.

Shinji wasn't surprised. His uncle was, at best, a fairly well-connected figure in the industry, not someone who could attract excessive attention from Toho's executives.

After exchanging a few brief greetings with the Toho staff, everyone took their seats in the modest screening room and waited for the film to begin.

Shinji deliberately sat in a corner at the back, where he could observe the Toho employees' reactions to the film and gain an advantage in the negotiations afterward.

Hata Kengo, seated in the front row beside Matou Kariya, made small talk with him. He felt more than a little dismissive about the film they were about to watch.

When Matou Kariya's agency had strongly recommended the film a few days earlier, Hata Kengo had sensed that something was off.

Then he'd had someone look into it and found out that the director was Matou Kariya's nephew.

That made everything clear. This young man named Matou Shinji was trying to use his connections to get ahead and enter the entertainment industry through his uncle.

That sort of thing wasn't rare in the film industry, especially in Japan, where children often followed in their parents' footsteps. Still, Hata Kengo didn't think Matou Shinji had much to offer.

The reason was simple: Matou Shinji wanted to be a director, not an actor like his uncle.

Director was an unusual position in the industry. Without growing up immersed in the profession at home or receiving advanced training at a specialized school, a person couldn't become a success.

Hata Kengo actually thought that with Matou Shinji's handsome looks, he should first become an actor like his uncle, then switch to directing after building up his popularity and standing.

What a shame. This young man doesn't know his place. At least he was born lucky and has a good uncle who's an actor.

Although Hata Kengo kept his eyes on the screen, most of his attention was still on Matou Kariya.

At that moment, Hata Kengo was wondering whether he could offer to release the flop on video in exchange for Matou Kariya appearing in a Toho film.

But as soon as the movie began, everything changed.

In less than ten minutes, Hata Kengo's expression had shifted from scorn to surprise, then shock, and finally complete absorption.

"This... this..."

Hata Kengo gaped at the screen, stunned.

As the head of a distribution division, he had seen countless movies, yet never one with such a fast pace or such an intense sense of urgency.

From the moment Red A and Big Dog began fighting on the school grounds, he felt as if his heart had clenched.

The dazzling action and breakneck plot progression brought a rare sense of freshness to the screen for the not-so-young head of the distribution division.

The later scene where Lancer chased the protagonist, Shirou Emiya, was especially striking. The camera rapidly shifted among Shirou, Lancer, and Rin, constantly bringing their expressions and emotions to the screen.

Though Hata Kengo could guess that the protagonist, Shirou Emiya, would ultimately make it through safely, he still couldn't help worrying about Shirou's fate.

Then, at the end of the opening sequence, the heroine Artoria appeared beneath the moonlight, pushing the audience's excitement to its peak.

"She's beautiful..."

"Where did they find that actress? Do you have any information on her?"

"She must be European or American, right?"

"I've never heard of her."

Listening to the staff behind him, Hata Kengo understood exactly how they felt. Even he had been dazzled by the sight of the blonde girl the moment Artoria appeared.

By the light of the screen, Hata Kengo glanced down at his watch.

The film had been running for less than twenty minutes, but he had already completely changed his opinion of FSN. It had far exceeded his highest expectations...

"Too noisy. There's no substance to it."

An out-of-place remark cut through the praise.

Hata Kengo quickly turned his head toward the speaker and saw that it was the film critic, Kouichi Ippei.

Shinji, sitting in the back, had heard Kouichi Ippei's comment too. He also saw the critic's furrowed brows and look of disgust.

This is bad. This is going to be difficult.

Master Shinji's eyes glinted in the darkness.

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Shinji had already guessed that Kouichi Ippei's negative attitude toward FSN would affect Toho's decision, but he hadn't expected the critic to have so much influence.

"Noise without substance. A childish and boring movie."

After the screening, Kouichi Ippei criticized Shinji sternly.

"Mr. Ippei..."

Shinji tried to discuss it with him, but the critic cut him off at once.

"From beginning to end, it's nothing but explosions and fighting. The dramatic scenes are short, and the actors have no acting skills at all. It's nothing but a farce. Director Matou, didn't your teacher teach you the basics of making a movie?!"

As the critic in front of him tore the film apart, Shinji felt his forced smile about to crack.

"Um... Mr. Hata Kengo, what do you think?"

Having dealt extensively with stubborn magi, Shinji knew there was no point trying to reason with someone like this, so he turned to someone else.

Hata Kengo, the one being asked, seemed somewhat torn. He'd just had a wonderful moviegoing experience and felt quite favorably toward FSN.

"Director Matou, about this film..."

Kouichi Ippei grabbed Hata Kengo by the arm. "What, are you actually thinking of signing this movie? Let me tell you, I won't put my name to it! Having my name associated with a film like this would be an insult to my reputation!"

Hata Kengo was left speechless.

He was only a division head, while Kouichi Ippei was a well-known film critic. The company would certainly side with the latter.

Besides, Hata Kengo couldn't be sure that FSN would succeed.

Although he personally liked the film, Kouichi Ippei was an experienced critic whose grasp of the market was far better than his. What if he stubbornly recommended the film to the company, only for it to perform poorly at the box office?

He'd be the one taking the blame for sure.

Film distribution was like buying a lottery ticket. Before the results came in, it was hard to know whether a movie would succeed.

Hata Kengo already had a family and a career. He couldn't risk his professional future over a single film.

But giving up on FSN just like that seemed like a terrible waste, and Hata Kengo was torn.

With Kouichi Ippei's strong opposition, Hata Kengo didn't have enough authority to challenge his decision. All he could do was include his own thoughts about the film in his report and submit it, while doing his best to make a case for it.

"Director Matou, I'm really sorry. I'll submit a request to the department head and see if we can arrange a second screening for this remarkable film."

"Sorry for the trouble, Team Leader Hata."

Shinji exchanged a few polite words with him.

Both Hata Kengo and Shinji could see that another screening was unlikely. Hata Kengo was simply doing everything he could.

As he left the cinema, Hata Kengo looked back reluctantly. He had a vague feeling that he and the company might have just lost out on a very important opportunity.

"Shinji, what do we do now?"

Seeing that things weren't looking good with Toho, Matou Kariya paced around anxiously.

"Uncle, calm down for a minute. You're making my head spin."

Unable to stand it any longer, Shinji patted Matou Kariya on the shoulder.

Matou Kariya stopped and turned to look at his nephew. "Hey, Shinji. Aren't you worried at all?"

"What good would worrying do? Should I drag them back here and force them to sign?" Shinji sighed helplessly. "I miscalculated. I didn't realize film critics had so much more influence than I thought."

When Kouichi Ippei had started ranting, Shinji had actually considered using Suggestion Magic to force the critic to change his mind.

In the end, Master Shinji had given up.

Converting a single film critic wouldn't be enough. Based on his distribution plans for FSN, Shinji would probably have to use Suggestion Magic on all of Toho's executives and the relevant critics.

If Shinji really had that kind of power, he'd already be a Magus.

"What do we do now?" Matou Kariya asked anxiously. "Should we try Toei?"

Compared to Toho, Matou Kariya wasn't nearly as well-connected at Toei. He might have started out as a tokusatsu actor, but he hadn't appeared in a tokusatsu series for several years.

Shinji pinched his chin and said thoughtfully, "Hmm... Or maybe we should release it in Europe and America first? Waver may have found a way in already."

"Excuse me. Are you the director of the FSN movie?"

A young man in a white shirt asked Shinji, who was lost in thought.

"Who are you?"

Shinji recognized him. He'd been sitting in the middle of Shinji's row during the preview screening.

"I work for Bandai Visual." The young man smiled shyly. "May I ask if Director Matou is planning to approach another film distributor?"

At his words, Shinji blurted out, "What... Conglomerate B?"

Chapter 17: Matou Kariya: I Can't Shake the Feeling Someone's Plotting Against Me

Bandai Visual was the film and video distribution division of Bandai.

Anyone with an interest in Japanese anime and tokusatsu would know the company.

As the largest toy manufacturer in Japan and even East Asia, Bandai's name was known to everyone.