A Shocking Opening! / Matou Shinji Is So Crafty
[I just hope this movie can shatter that kid's myth.]
Hirotaka Matsuoka stared expressionlessly at the enormous IMAX screen.
Suddenly, the overhead lights in the theater went out, plunging the theater into darkness.
The anime series "Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers" has officially begun airing.
PS: I had a fever yesterday. I got up early and went to the hospital for a long time. I had to get a nucleic acid test and a virus test for a cold. I also had to get an IV drip.
I went straight to sleep and rest after returning in the afternoon. I wrote this chapter after getting up in the evening.
So the update is late, please forgive me. _(:з"∠)_
Chapter 233: Shocking Opening!
"Whoosh--whoosh--! Ultraman!!"
"Tiga!! My Superman!!"
"Hey, let me tell you, Gaia is super powerful! His SV form is way stronger than Tiga Shining Type!"
"I prefer Ultraman Leo, hohoho--"
Inside the movie theater, listening to the noisy chatter of the children around him, Li Ri'ang painfully rubbed his temples with his fingers.
Honestly, he regretted agreeing to his cousin's request to bring her son to the movies just to see them sooner.
In order to make a name for itself in the Super Eight market as soon as possible, Shinji made great efforts to finally hold several preview screenings in China on the day of its global premiere.
Preview screenings, being small-scale events, have a special nature. Although the number of screenings that can be arranged is limited, they can be shown earlier than the regular release schedule.
Some special films can even be shown in mainland China through preview screenings. For example, the very famous [banned film] <The Dark Knight> was previewed in China several times under the guise of film festivals, but tickets were always hard to come by.
In fact, if it weren't for the fact that he simply couldn't adapt to Nolan's film style, Shinji really wanted to work on "The Dark Knight" and see if it could pass censorship in China.
It's worth noting that when the film failed to pass censorship back then, the most rumored reason was that it featured a certain genius cinematographer, a role model for our generation, who truly possessed special shooting skills—Master Chen (or Master Guan).
Because it was during the height of the [beep--!] incident, the entire internet was discussing it, and the impact was extremely negative.
Even though Mr. Chen's screen time was less than the time he spent hanging up at the end of the Joker movie, he still faced various criticisms.
If given the chance, Shinji really wants to see if the Dark Knight, with some sensitive elements removed but the main plot retained, can be officially introduced to China.
After all, the online rights to "The Dark Knight" were not restricted, indicating that the film as a whole still meets the standards for imported films.
It is our duty as time Transmigrator to uncover these historical secrets.
However, it cannot be denied that China's censorship mechanism is sometimes truly a mystery.
Fortunately, Shinji's submission for review, "Super Eight," was spotless from beginning to end. It had sound values, accessible content, and exciting action scenes.
Of course, no matter how harmless a movie is, it can't have nationwide previews a month before its official release.
The main reason we were able to secure this early screening a month in advance was Shinji tactics.
By allowing domestic filmmakers to fully experience the latest global film technologies in advance and to see how domestic audiences react to these technologies, we can facilitate better communication at the film festival in June.
Moreover, after the first batch of viewers have seen the preview screenings, and after a month of build-up, the hype surrounding <Super Eight> can reach its peak.
Although the higher-ups didn't quite believe Second Master's rhetoric, they ultimately agreed to Shinji's somewhat rule-breaking request, considering that Shinji and his Type-Moon Company had always followed the rules since entering the Chinese market.
As an ordinary otaku Li Ri'ang naturally wouldn't understand the power struggles between these big shots. All he knew was that for this preview screening a month in advance, apart from people in the film industry and entertainment media, ordinary viewers could only decide whether they could attend through a lottery.
Li Ri'ang, of course, did not win the draw.
Unfortunately, there's only one IMAX theater in the entire city, and there's only one preview screening.
With so many people actively applying, it's normal not to be selected.
As for why Li Ri'ang, who wasn't selected in the lottery, was also able to attend this preview screening...
"Damn European dogs!"
Li Ri'ang glanced at his nephew, who was chatting and bragging with other children not far away.
This kid really loves Ultraman. After hearing from his classmates that there was Ultraman Best Actress, he kept asking to watch it.
Driven to her wits' end by her son, the older cousin reluctantly participated in the children's group lottery and won the official family ticket package— Shinji had specially prepared a batch of tickets for them in order to promote the movie among children.
"Although I should thank this kid, because my cousin hadn't had to deal with something urgent at work, I wouldn't have been able to see this movie right away. But... it's so noisy!"
Those who won parent-child tickets were grouped together, and kids who love Ultraman are never ones to stay still!
In just a few minutes, the area became as lively as the scene in the movie "Havoc in Heaven".
"It's so noisy, I can't enjoy the movie at all." Li Ri'ang sighed helplessly. "I should have waited until the movie officially started and taken a weekday off to watch it; that way it would be much quieter."
"Uncle!"
Li Ri'ang's little nephew ran over from the other side carrying a pirated Ultraman doll.
"I want to drink juice!"
The young man reached out to Li Ri'ang, asking for it.
[Not only is it noisy, but we also have to serve this tyrant; he shows no sign of resting.]
Li Ri'ang rolled his eyes at the brat, then took out a bottle of mineral water from his bag.
"Where did you get juice from? Just drink water. Juice is bad for your health!"
"Tch~ Stingy uncle."
The little guy wasn't spoiled at all; he took the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and gulped down almost half of it.
"Heave-ho!"
The boy, clutching the remaining half-bottle of water, plopped down next to Li Ri'ang.
"Finally done going crazy?"
Li Ri'ang leaned back in his chair and joked.
"The movie is about to start!" The kid shook his legs, looking at the big screen with excitement. "This movie screen is huge! It's taller than my house!"
This era was completely different from the later era when 3D technology was ubiquitous and various special screens were as common as dogs.
In 2006, IMAX movies were still a relatively new concept worldwide, let alone in China, where the film market was still in its infancy.
Therefore, aside from the children who genuinely came to see Ultraman, the media and filmmakers were more curious about the film's technology at this preview screening.
Even for a tokusatsu enthusiast like Li Ri'ang, even though he had already experienced the charm of IMAX screenings (test screening clips), this tokusatsu otaku still found IMAX screens quite daunting.
"Yes, it really is huge. But because it's so big, you can see your favorite Ultraman more clearly."
That would be perfect.
The little boy, munching on his fingers, said with longing, "Tiga is so cool!"
Upon hearing this, Li Ri'ang shook his head slightly. He was a typical Showa-era supporter and had a lukewarm attitude towards Heisei Ultraman.
Although I don't derisively call Tiga a chameleon like some online trolls do, I still find it annoying that those newbies who think of Tiga whenever Ultraman is mentioned.
Why keep focusing on the Heisei Ultraman Trilogy Heroes when there are so many excellent works from the Showa era?
"Is this the advantage of the new version?"
The thought that Tiga was only introduced in the last two years and is currently in a period of high viewership due to constant reruns makes Li Ri'ang feel sorry for his childhood hero.
"If I could, I would love to chase after that figure flying in the sky once more..."
The brat cast a very disdainful look at his uncle's pointless whining.
"Uncle, that's a childish thing to say. No wonder my mom always says you're a failure as an adult and tells me not to be like you."
"You brat, mind your own business! Besides, how could my sister possibly say such a thing!"
Li Ri'ang angrily ruffled his nephew's hair.
But behind his deliberately quirky behavior lies a sense of helplessness towards real life.
I'm good at nothing and clumsy at everything. I've been struggling in the workforce for several years now, and I'm just a low-level employee in an ordinary company.
Every day, I'm either being scolded by my boss or driven to the brink of collapse by unreasonable demands from clients.
This sense of confusion and immense pressure left Li Ri'ang at a loss for what to do.
"Uncle, stop it. The movie has started!"
Hearing his nephew say this, Li Ri'ang realized that the lights in the cinema were already off.
"Oh, now that the movie has started, sit still! Don't disturb others."
Despite having no hope, Li Ri'ang still gave this instruction.
Fortunately, the IMAX theater is large enough and the sound system is powerful enough that even if the kids are making a ruckus, as long as they don't scream hysterically, they won't disturb other people.
Unlike other cinemas that start showing the movie immediately after the lights are turned off, the biggest feature of IMAX theaters is naturally the countdown timer before the movie begins.
It's also jokingly referred to by movie fans as the scene with the best IMAX 3D effect in the entire film.
That statement is absolutely biased. This opening animation is a hallmark of IMAX, so naturally it needs to be meticulously crafted.
Furthermore, the opening sequence hasn't been modified for decades, so it's only fair to improve it.
The audience members sitting in the theater didn't have so many ulterior motives at that moment; they were all amazed by IMAX's title, "Watching a movie, or entering a movie."
Even after the movie had actually started playing, the audience was still not recovered from the shock they had just experienced.
But it doesn't matter. They'll be shocked more than once tonight. They'll get used to it eventually.
On the screen, as the sun sets, three children are rushing home carrying insect nets; they are Daigo, Asuka Shin, and Gamu.
The three people burst into the house, turned on the TV, and sat down to watch Ultraman.
"This is the first episode of Ultraman!"
Many parents exclaimed in surprise, saying they never expected to see such wonderful moments from their own childhood in the movie they brought to see with their children.
Unlike the original Super Eight, Shinji did not add narration to the Ultraman TV clips.
Because the narration directly mentions by name that "Hayata becomes Ultraman".
This can be considered a common problem with Tsuburaya Productions' lack of rigor in its settings. You can't say that Tsuburaya is unethical, but they always handle the details very poorly.
Shinji didn't make many changes to the opening scene of the movie; besides cutting a lot of Yokohama port footage, he only fixed these minor bugs.
The storyline of Daigo, his two friends, and a girl in red shoes meeting and making a promise after watching Ultraman is similar to the original movie.
However, after the wish was made and various Ultraman clips appeared one after another, Shinji made some modifications.
Instead of immediately shifting the camera to Daigo and his two friends growing up, he moved on to the world of Ultraman Mebius.
On a dark, rainy day, Ultraman Mebius is battling the giant fish monster Muruchi at a seaside harbor.
A dazzling bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the appearance of two enormous figures.
Their fierce fight caused the sea to surge and towering waves to rise, sweeping a giant crane off the coast of the port into the sea.
Boom!
After Ultraman Mebius executed a stylish throwing move, a cruise ship docked in the harbor was instantly overturned by Muruchi's massive body.
The audience watching this intense fight scene on screen seemed to be frozen in place, sitting in their seats.
They stared in disbelief, mouths agape, at the screen.
The battle that took place in the port was so spectacular that it left everyone in the screening room in awe.
PS1: The giant fish monster Muruchi first appeared in <The Monster Tamer and the Boy>.
As one of the Three Problematic Works of Showa, this episode is of excellent quality, and its portrayal of human nature is very accurate, whether it is the good or the evil side.
If you're interested in tokusatsu (special effects) shows, you absolutely can't miss this episode, but be prepared to get stabbed in the back! ╮(╯ ▽╰)╭
Chapter 234 Shinji Matou incredibly cunning!
Shinji included this scene, which wasn't in the original film, to bring forward the first action scene.
If it were the original standard tokusatsu movie, this arrangement of scenes would be fine, since the original "Super Eight" was just a nostalgia project.