Don't Call Me Master, Call Me Director

He wasn't a seasoned film buff, but decades of life had exposed him to plenty of movies. None, however, had ever given him such a powerful jolt as this one.

"This reminds me of my days as a young magus," Risei Kotomine said to Tokiomi Tohsaka beside him. "Right now, I just want to rush out there and fight those vampires for three hundred rounds!"

As he spoke, Risei Kotomine even swung his fist, which was the size of a sandbag.

Tokiomi Tohsaka, however, seemed not to have heard Risei Kotomine. He pinched the beard on his chin, appearing to be deep in serious thought.

At this moment, the scene on the screen gradually transitioned. Saber had become weakened after unleashing her Noble Phantasm at full power. The protagonist, Shirou, while worried about his Servant, was also astonished by Saber's true identity.

This was a deliberate "bathroom break" moment arranged by Shinji, allowing the audience to relax after the tension of the school battle and serving as a buffer and foreshadowing for the upcoming fight with Berserker.

The audience also took advantage of this break to eat popcorn, drink cola, and chat with those around them about their viewing experience.

The most heated discussion naturally revolved around the groundbreaking revelation that Saber's true name was King Arthur.

It couldn't be helped. The people in this world had never seen special effects blockbusters, let alone "gender-bending"—though in the Nasuverse, this probably wasn't considered "gender-bending" but rather uncovering historical truth.

But regardless, in the common understanding of the vast majority, King Arthur was supposed to be a man.

A female King Arthur, the moment this concept appeared, was destined to be discussed.

Even if some audience members hadn't reacted immediately when Saber unleashed her Noble Phantasm, Excalibur, they all realized who she was when they saw the scene in Shirou's dream of Artoria drawing the sword.

The story of the Sword in the Stone was arguably one of Britain's most famous tales; even Disney had made an animated feature film about it.

"Damn, why is Saber King Arthur? I thought it would be Saint Joan of Arc."

This audience member's complaint was quickly echoed by many others, who seemed surprised by Artoria's identity as King Arthur.

"Indeed... I also thought it was Joan, there aren't many female knights in history."

"The Director probably guessed we'd guess that, so he deliberately went the opposite way, right?"

"Isn't that just being contrary for the sake of it?"

"But don't you think it's cool that King Arthur is a girl?"

"And the way she used her holy sword just now was so awesome! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her the Goddess of Victory Athena!"

"It does seem that way~"

"If I were a Briton back then, I would definitely join the Knights of the Round Table! Devote myself to King Arthur!!"

"That's right, that's right! Me too!!"

"King Arthur is the best! Saber forever! Our King lives on eternally!"

Soon, the audience in the theater quickly reached a consensus and began to identify themselves as Knights of the Round Table.

"You're quite popular, aren't you."

Medusa said enviously to the gluttonous king beside her.

Artoria, however, shivered. "If these people were my knights, my kingdom might have fallen even faster."

"Perhaps it would have lasted longer," Medusa teased with a smile. "After all, they're all your devoted fans."

Artoria shook her head vigorously in denial. "How could that be? These people have absolutely nothing in common with Sir Lancelot or Sir Gawain."

"Really nothing?"

Shinji smiled wickedly. He could already foresee a future where the summoned Knights of the Round Table would collectively cheer for their King in the theater alongside these fans.

Chapter 24: Gilgamesh: A Flash of Gold, and This King Makes His Grand Entrance

"Tch, they're all just vulgar people who only look at the surface."

Listening to the other audience members' praise for Saber, Aoko snorted disdainfully.

"Then what are your thoughts?"

Taking advantage of the transition, Azu turned her head and asked.

Aoko gave a thumbs-up. "Of course, it's to have a fight with her!"

"...You're also a vulgar person with muscles for a brain."

Azu never thought fighting was a good thing. What kind of sin had she committed in her past life to know such a friend?

"Hmph, Azu, what are you talking about? How could I be a vulgar person?"

Aoko's skin was famously thick; she didn't care about her friend's teasing at all.

"I just want to know if those Heroic Spirits are as strong as they're portrayed in the movie."

Saying this, Aoko picked up her cola, preparing to take a sip.

But before Aoko could bring the straw to her lips, the movie's BGM suddenly changed. On screen, the male protagonist Shirou, out for a stroll, met Illya in the park.

To emphasize that Illya would be the focus from this point on, Shinji deliberately shot Illya from a low angle, while all shots of Shirou were taken from a high angle.

This made the two characters, who already had a significant height difference, appear as if Illya were slightly taller in the shots.

Although most of the audience, including Aoko, didn't know what camera language was, after seeing the shots switch back and forth between Illya and Shirou multiple times, everyone knew that there would be more drama between these two.

"Is that little girl going to try and fight the male protagonist alone?"

Looking at Illya, who was clearly petite, an audience member muttered, "She's not using her own Servant and is attacking herself? That seems problematic, considering how big the protagonist is."

"Ignorant," Azu retorted in a low voice. "She's a Mage."

The battles between Mages have never been about comparing body size and physique. Even with the severe decline in mystery now, it's still possible to take someone down one-on-one.

But Azu's voice was too quiet, and the audience member who complained didn't hear it at all.

Even if they had heard, it wouldn't have mattered, because the big screen was already showing what battles between Mages were like.

Illya skillfully approached Shirou and greeted him. After saying a few cute things, a red light flashed in her eyes, and then...

Snap.

"What the hell..."

Kiritsugu covered his face for what felt like the umpteenth time. His foolish son was truly embarrassing. Not only did he not learn from his mistakes, but he was also incredibly naive, letting his guard down after just a few words from the enemy.

That was an enemy!

Even if the enemy was the cutest Illya in the world (according to Kiritsugu), she was still an enemy!

And his son's blunders in the movie didn't stop there: challenging a Servant alone with a poster; being told to evacuate quickly but still rushing to the front lines of the Servant battles; being told to use a Command Spell to summon his Servant if there was trouble, but only remembering to call for backup after being thrown out of a building...

Never mind that this was just a movie. After observing his godson, Kiritsugu concluded that if such events were to happen in reality, his son would indeed act in the same way.

"It seems... I'll have to educate Shirou properly from now on."

Feeling publicly humiliated, Kiritsugu let out a long sigh. He thought he could bring his son to work next time, to broaden his horizons.

"Isn't Shirou kind of cute like this?" Irisviel tilted her head and said. "So pure and easy to bully."

"..."

Kiritsugu didn't know whether to remind his wife that their son wasn't a toy.

"But there's one thing I don't understand."

"What is it?"

"How did Illya move Shirou into the mountains?" Irisviel asked, confused. "If she dragged him, with Shirou's height, his legs should have been dragging on the ground, right? Why weren't the cuffs of his pants scuffed?"

"Who knows..."

Kiritsugu found himself unable to keep up with his wife's line of thought.

The general audience didn't realize the issue Irisviel raised. Compared to such trivial details, they were more focused on the main plot.

As the story progressed, the audience learned about Illya's background, understood that she was the daughter of Shirou's adoptive father, and learned about her complex feelings for Shirou.

"I initially thought it was a cliché plot point that this little girl didn't have her Servant instantly kill the protagonist, but there's this other layer to it..."

Seeing this, many audience members felt sympathy for Illya. She wasn't a born demon, but had become deranged due to her family environment.

Her pure white, angelic appearance was just a facade. Seemingly innocent and naive, Illya would turn from an angel into a devil the moment someone defied her.

Especially in several close-up shots, Illya displayed an unusual persistence and madness.

In the eyes of the vast majority of the audience, Illya's character as a villain was far deeper and more sympathetic than the previous villain, Matou Shinji.

"But doesn't this mean all the misfortune comes from Dad?"

Shirou, who didn't yet know his future vacation had been booked, was discussing quietly with Shinji.

"No."

Shinji shrugged. "Uncle Tokiomi is the best scapegoat."

"Huh?"

Shirou was confused by the nonsensical answer. He cautiously glanced around and asked softly, "Shinji... do you dislike the Tohsaka family that much?"

Shinji wagged his finger and chuckled proudly. "Not at all. Isn't shifting the blame to Uncle Tokiomi just the politically correct thing to do in the Nasuverse?"

"Since when did your company have such a correct way of doing things?"

Shirou, unaware of the Nasuverse and TYPE-MOON Film Company, became even more bewildered.

The audience in the theater didn't care whose fault Illya's misfortune was. After several tens of minutes of lengthy drama scenes, the action scene they had been most anticipating finally arrived.

The Saber, King Arthur, who had regained her vigor, and the great hero Heracles from Greece were finally about to clash!

"Amazing--!"

Exclamations echoed through the theater again, followed by thunderous cheers.

Sakura couldn't count how many times this had happened, but she wasn't tired of the cheers at all, because the audience was applauding the people who made this film!

"Older Brother, you succeeded."

A hint of pride appeared on Sakura's slightly flushed face, a pride that belonged solely to her.

Although she had always believed in her Older Brother, Sakura was still incredibly excited at this moment.

"But..."

Sakura's once excited expression turned gloomy.

"Why is my screen time so short?"

"It feels a bit cold, did you turn the air conditioning up too high?"

Shinji, sitting not far away, shivered involuntarily.

Meanwhile, at the Tokyo preview screening.

"That kid from the Matou Family is really outstanding."

Aoko praised as she enjoyed the audiovisual feast the movie provided.

"Compared to other directors, this guy uses a lot of explosions, but they're unparalleled. Watching these explosion scenes is an enjoyment in itself~~"

Due to the nature of Magecraft, Aoko naturally loved all sorts of explosions, and the scenes Shinji designed to show off his skills perfectly suited her taste.

In a recently passed shot, Tohsaka Rin threw a Jewel onto Heracles, and the ice flowers that bloomed were as wild as waves, an explosion that used ice as if it were dynamite!

The sparks produced when weapons collided, the circuit flashes representing Shirou Emiya's magic circuits, the light explosions generated when various Magecraft were used, the strong winds kicked up in the forest by the impact... all of it stimulated the Audience's nerves.

From Shinji's perspective as a seasoned commercial film fan, he felt the finished product of his movie was a bit overdone, that many parts should have been toned down.

But for the majority of "newbie viewers" who didn't even know what special effects movies were, such a wild film was practically a feast prepared just for them!

They cheered, they applauded, and they didn't even care if they got cola and popcorn everywhere; they were completely immersed in the movie.

It was Fate/Stay Night that drove them so crazy, and only Fate/Stay Night could make them crazy!

Fate/Stay Night did not disappoint them. The tense and exciting plot was intricately linked, the fierce battles between Heroic Spirits left them breathless, and the straightforward plot progression was like a speeding sports car. Wasn't such a movie exciting enough?

"This is a film that will break the current movie market landscape! It will bring an unexpected storm!"

Natsuo Takayanagi was an entertainment reporter. As an old hand in the industry, he had already come to a conclusion in his mind, even though the film was far from over.

This was because he had never seen a film that could make the Audience so invested, and this film didn't rely on the physical appeal of beautiful women, but on the fight scenes that film critics usually disdained.

"This is an unconventional film, and also a peculiar film," Natsuo Takayanagi noted. "The film's electrifying rhythm and scenes seem to have no end, with the Director constantly provoking the Audience's most sensitive nerves through the most glamorous, beautiful, exciting, and rapid shots."

FSN was not without flaws. If one were to look for plot holes, Natsuo Takayanagi, with his viewing experience, could easily find several.