Cú Chulainn: Don't Send Me to Tokyo!

Let's get back to the TV series <Magical Girl Prisma Illya> itself.

In terms of its positioning, <Magical Girl Prisma Illya> is a special work that falls somewhere between attracting new fans and catering to existing fans.

This kind of vague positioning is a major taboo for most works, because it can easily lead to pleasing neither side due to an unclear target audience.

But <Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya> is different because its plot is very simple and its initial setting is not much different from ordinary Magical Girl works, so there is almost no barrier to entry for complete beginners.

Add to that the two adorable little girls, Illya and Akiha, and the two beautiful girls, Rin and Luviya, whose personalities are perfect regardless of their appearance, and it's practically a must-watch moe anime for tough guys.

For Fate fans, the most surprising thing about this work is the cameo appearances by the veteran Fate actors.

From Rider at the very beginning to Caster, and now Saber who has just appeared, the cast of <Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya> is considered by longtime fans to be luxurious, not inferior to those big-name TV series.

Moreover, because the overall style is comedic, it offers a unique flavor for fans.

The show not only pays homage to famous scenes from the Fate series in various ways, but its story also takes a comedic turn, unlike the serious plot of the main series.

This is somewhat like how films like "Ashes of Time" and "The Eagle Shooting Heroes," made with the same cast, have vastly different styles, yet are both so interesting.

Of course, as a Tokusatsu, <Magical Girl Prisma Illya> also boasts impressive fight scenes; high-quality fight scenes have always been the secret to the Fate series' ability to gain a loyal fanbase.

But what's interesting is that viewers who were drawn in by the action scenes felt that even without the spectacular fights, Fate would still have been successful after watching the series.

Perhaps this is the charm of the Fate story itself.

Putting aside the fans' love for the series, the popularity of "Magical Girl Prisma Illya" did give Shinji the idea to create "Carnival Phantasm" later.

However, Shinji is not planning to do this in the near future, as most Fate fans are viewers who prefer serious dramas.

They might enjoy these kinds of comedies occasionally, but if there are too many, it will only lead to viewer fatigue.

Therefore, Shinji plans to temporarily put aside his Fate comedy works and turn to another genre—horror films.

That's right, the project for the "Kara no Kyoukai" film series, Lead Actor Ryougi Shiki's assistant, Shinji Shiki, has finally been launched.

Chapter 291 Cú Chulainn: Don't send me to Tokyo!

Filming "Kara no Kyoukai" is a very simple matter. With Nasu's storyline and Ryougi Shiki's good looks as a foundation, as long as the Director doesn't mess things up, breaking even won't be a problem, and making money will be even easier.

Shinji is struggling with how big the "Kara no Kyoukai" project should be: should it only be a hit in Japan, or should it become a global phenomenon?

The first small goal is so difficult that it's practically impossible to achieve it with your bare hands, and the second big goal is also so difficult that it's practically impossible to achieve it with your bare hands.

Making "Kara no Kyoukai" popular worldwide is not easy; the best adaptation of "Kara no Kyoukai's" supernatural story is the Japanese horror film.

However, this type of film is not popular in Europe and America. European and American audiences prefer the visual stimulation of a screen full of tomato sauce to the bizarre atmosphere of horror.

The difference is clear when you look at the Japanese and American versions of "The Ring" and "Ju-on".

A purely Japanese horror film is bound to affect its popularity in Europe and America.

Making this kind of movie popular in Europe and America is quite simple: just go for the blockbuster formula and focus on action and special effects.

However, Shinji felt that if the adaptation of "Kara no Kyoukai" was made too Kara no Kyoukai -like, it would lose its essence.

As a Type-Moon fan, Shinji has always tried his best to avoid such a situation.

"We need to plan this out carefully, especially which story to choose for our first film..."

Shinji rode his hoverboard, weaving through the roads of the Fuyuki City film set.

The film set built by Einzbern is quite large, showing Shinji in the most direct way what a nouveau riche landlord looks like.

This place is so big, it would be too tiring to walk around, especially Shinji, unlike his Servants, is physically strong like an ox.

In the words of the Second Master himself: I am not good at running.

Moreover, there are quite a few ordinary people like Shinji on set, and it's not very convenient for them to drive a car or ride a bicycle.

Therefore, riding a self-balancing scooter around town becomes the most economical and cost-effective option.

Moreover, pulling a balance bike with one hand and smoking a cigar with the other doesn't just look tacky; it actually looks incredibly cool and stylish, giving it a unique charm.

Unfortunately Shinji is too old to smoke, so he can only do a mini version of the Godfather cosplay with a toothpick in his mouth.

Upon arriving at the office building entrance, Shinji jumped off his Segway, dismissively flicked the toothpick into the trash can.

"Tsk tsk, my aim isn't bad at all~"

Perhaps disapproving of Shinji attitude, his Little Secretary Ophelia, came out of the office and directly reminded him, "Boss, you'll be arrested and jailed in New Zealand for doing this. They just passed a bill to completely ban citizens from buying cigarettes."

Shinji shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't worry, I'll never go to New Zealand to film 'The Lord of the Rings' in my lifetime."

Ophelia squinted her one eye and retorted, "I thought you were going to answer that you'd never smoke."

"That's hard to say. Who knows, maybe I'll end up making cigars into formal attire like Waver did? It's probably best not to set such a flag."

Shinji took a bottle of mineral water from the side and handed it to him, asking, "How did the talks with the Jidai Group go?"

The Little Secretary unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and then said, "The Jidai Group has accepted the 'Kara no Kyoukai' project and provided a total budget of $50 million."

"Your terms as a personal producer are also settled: a base salary of $5 million, plus a 15% cap on box office revenue, and 3.5% on merchandise sales."

The contract terms seem average, but Shinji was only a producer and screenwriter on the "Kara no Kyoukai" set, it was already quite good.

Furthermore, the profit distribution for Type-Moon Company is calculated separately.

Shinji was very satisfied with this treatment, even though he had never saved any money because of those two little girls with Counter Force.

But just because it can't be saved doesn't mean it's not his money.

Since the money is going through the hands of others and then being spent anyway, Shinji naturally wants as much money as possible to pass through his hands, so that the money he spends will have more value.

"Type-Moon asked about the release date of * Kara no Kyoukai *," the Little Secretary added. "They want to know the approximate time it will take you to finish."

Shinji thought for a moment, "If everything goes smoothly, it should be able to make it into next year's summer season."

The two did not enter the office, but instead walked towards the photography studio on the right side of the office while talking.

This is the set of Filming for <Ultraseven X>. The film has now completed most of its production and is undergoing final wrap-up.

Don't associate reshoots with bad movies. Reshoots are an essential part of making a movie perfect.

After all, not all Director can have a perfect vision of a film's visuals before production, like Shinji.

It's common to discover problems with transitions between shots or that some details weren't filmed properly during the editing stage.

These flaws naturally need to be corrected through reshoots.

"Hello, Shinji."

Suddenly, a tall woman walked towards him and greeted Shinji coldly.

Shinji didn't seem to care about her attitude and nodded in response, "Hello, Rider."

Medusa narrowed her eyes slightly behind her glasses, then quickly walked past her Master.

Because Shinji summoned his sister to torment her, Rider has been a little temperamental towards Second Master lately.

Shinji didn't care at all; after all, he had seen Rider being patted on the head, rubbed on the face, and touched affectionately in front of an older sister who was at least three sizes younger than her.

After enjoying a CG scene where an older loli "tortures" a younger mature woman, it's understandable that the actress Lead Actor the role would dislike it.

Rider appeared on the set of Ultraseven X because she played the second female lead, Agent S.

With Rider's figure and dashing demeanor, she would be perfectly suited to play a capable female agent.

When Shinji and Ophelia arrived on set, the Lead Actor actors were already there.

Compared to the temperamental Rider, the Big Doggy Cú Chulainn was much more enthusiastic.

"Oh, Master. Hello, Miss Secretary."

The Doggy, with one hand in his pocket, greeted them with a cocky air.

Shinji asked directly, "How's the work progressing?"

"It went smoothly, I guess."

Cú Chulainn's expression turned a little more serious as he replied, "The reshoots are almost done, and the final cut should be available by the end of this month."

"That Director is very capable; he arranged everything very well."

Shinji wasn't surprised that Cú Chulainn would praise Director Denis Villeneuve.

Aside from his overly artistic films, this Director has almost no flaws.

Moreover, unlike other art Director who particularly enjoy spending money, Denis Villeneuve is always very careful with the budget for his film crew.

If it weren't for the fact that the cost of his science fiction and art films was so high that they often resulted in losses, his fame would definitely have reached even greater heights.

Keep in mind that he only spent $160 million to produce a film with the visual spectacle of Dune.

In comparison, Netflix's "Red Notice," Lead Actor Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds, cost a whopping $200 million.

Given this comparison, it's no wonder that rumors have been circulating that Netflix used this movie to launder money.

However, Shinji personally believes that given Netflix's current situation, it's unlikely to be money laundering. Besides giving money to the three Lead Actor, the main reason for such high costs is the prolonged shutdown of the production due to the pandemic.

Even so, the difference between the two production teams is still evident.

It can only be said that there are different levels of Director when it comes to spending money. Director like Michael Bay and James Wan, who can make one dollar have the effect of two dollars, are always the darlings of production companies.

While Denis Villeneuve from Ultraseven X wasn't quite at their level, he was at least a player who got what he paid for.

Judging from Shinji's eye for film, <Ultraseven X> will definitely become a benchmark for cyberpunk works.

Cú Chulainn was also very satisfied with his performance; he felt it was the most perfect performance he had given since being summoned to the mortal world.

That's obvious; those commercially successful Fate works are fundamentally different from Ultraseven X.

But Big Doggy didn't see it that way. He asked with concern, "Master, do you think we have a chance to win the award this time?"

Shinji didn't answer immediately, but looked at him.

Cú Chulainn scratched his head and said, "Master, I did a great job this time! I maintained that sour face you wanted the whole time..."

Shinji raised his hand, interrupting him. "Cú Chulainn, I know you're working hard, but I hope you won't slack off during these final days."

"Especially for the scenes we've been reshooting these past two days, you better get into the right mindset! If you mess this up, I'll send you to Tokyo Hot to be the male lead!"

Cú Chulainn, of course, knew what Shinji was referring to, but he still said nonchalantly, "Master, if you're really going to Tokyo to Filming, you'll have to make sure I can get out of there first."

Shinji stared directly into Cú Chulainn's eyes, and that calm gaze made the Doggy feel a little uneasy.

"M... Master, you're not going to let us leave Fuyuki City, are you?"

Shinji raised an eyebrow and said teasingly, "We're researching it now, and we're just about to use you as a guinea pig."

Cú Chulainn's expression immediately turned extremely serious. "Master, I absolutely will not ruin this movie! Don't worry!"

"Relax, don't be so tense."

Shinji chuckled and patted the Doggy on the shoulder, "Your Master isn't some kind of demon~"

[With that terrifying smile, you still say you're not a demon!]

Cú Chulainn dared not gamble Shinji whether Shinji's words were a joke or not.

After all, he had heard Shinji joke more than once in casual conversation that the industry was desperately short of male actors, especially handsome, fit, and incredibly capable ones like himself.

"Cú Chulainn, it seems you've misunderstood me a bit."

Shinji and smiled, "I was just saying, if that technology succeeds, you'll come to Venice with me. Because I'm going to nominate you for Best Actor."

This is no joke. If Cú Chulainn really leaves Fuyuki City, then Shinji will definitely try to get him the Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival.

But if the day of departure arrives and Cú Chulainn's spirit can only be bound locally, then all that can be said is sorry.

There are actors who have won Best Actor awards without attending film festivals, but none of them are like this Blue Doggy in front of you.

That honor belongs only to actors who have performed exceptionally well and have very good reasons for not being eligible to participate in the selection.

Otherwise, the mere fact that he wouldn't attend the ceremony to show his contempt for the award would be enough for most judges to give him a zero.

Because of the treatment FSN received at the Cannes Film Festival, Shinji has a multifaceted, physiological and psychological aversion to giving money to film festivals.

Therefore, if Cú Chulainn cannot attend film festivals, Shinji would definitely not bother arranging award publicity for him.

As for the so-called "Hot Tokyo Male Actor," that was just Shinji giving this easily smug Doggy a stern talking-to.

Second Master heard that this Blue Doggy went crazy yesterday and got blasted into the ceiling by Luviya.

Qiu Lin guessed why Shinji had reminded him and didn't dare to say anything more.

However, Ophelia, the Little Secretary standing behind the Second Master, showed no signs of global desertification on her face—she was simply radiant with life.