However, it was still too early. Shinji planned to use this guy as a promotional hook once the film had achieved some success.
Compared to the troublesome Gilgamesh, Artoria put Shinji much more at ease.
Though she'd acted serious throughout, they could always pass it off as a new actor being too nervous.
As for Shinji himself, when reporters asked him questions about the film, he mostly fobbed them off with stock phrases like "I have complete confidence in the film," "All the actors gave outstanding performances," and "Artoria is my favorite actor."
Second Master had very little he could brag about in front of reporters. They'd have to wait until the film came out before they could let it speak for itself.
With the interview over, the screening date set by Bandai was drawing ever closer.
Keeping a close eye on things, Shinji finally spotted news and advertisements for FSN in the media.
He was keeping a close eye on it because FSN's promotional campaign wasn't exactly impressive. The film trailer aired late at night; the newspapers running its ads were all third-rate; the interviews with the actors appeared in magazines with mediocre circulation; and even at the screening cinemas, the posters were tucked away in obscure spots where no one was likely to notice them...
Shinji wasn't at all satisfied with Bandai's timid distribution strategy. Even Udagawa Nao was unhappy with how overly cautious the company was being.
Unfortunately, she wasn't the one making the distribution plan. That was her superior, Kazunori Ueno.
For Kazunori Ueno, who was about to be promoted to president of Bandai, FSN's success would be a nice bonus, but failure would be an absolute disaster and deal a serious blow to his authority.
At this critical juncture, Ueno was willing to make money more slowly if it meant securing his own future. He intended to keep promotional costs as low as possible.
In practice, this "do nothing wrong, and you can't be blamed" approach meant that even though test audiences had loved the film, only thirty copies were being made for the first round of screenings.
Fortunately, Shinji's earlier promotional suggestions had still made a difference. Bandai's campaign focused more on young viewers aged fifteen to thirty than on the over-thirty audience favored by the traditional approach in this world.
Udagawa Nao, who was in charge of carrying out the plan, didn't know how effective this strategy would be, but she felt they were probably on the right track.
"Heh. So that film's finally coming out."
In an office in Tokyo, film critic Kouichi Ippei gave a derisive chuckle as he read the newspaper.
"Which film?"
His assistant promptly asked in a fawning tone.
"That one I went to see a month ago."
Kouichi Ippei tossed the newspaper aside, picked up his teacup, and sneered.
"Hmph. A vulgar film with nothing but explosions and flashes of light. What a waste of my time."
His words were filled with scorn and disgust, as if FSN had sullied his eyes.
"What was Toho thinking, planning to distribute a film like that...? Honestly, the taste of Japanese film companies has really gone downhill. Why can't they be more artistic, like Europe?!"
Kouichi Ippei lamented the sad state of Japanese cinema, as if he were deeply troubled by its moral decline and the corruption of society.
"Mr. Kawauchi, don't let it get to you~" his assistant said with a wry smile. "A third-rate film like that won't get much support. That's why it only got such a small spot in the paper. I'd say it'll probably be out of theaters in a week."
"Hmph. Good!"
Kouichi Ippei replied coldly.
Though he said that, he felt that even a week in theaters would be an insult to him.
He'd already denounced the film so thoroughly, and Bandai still dared to distribute it. Did they even have any respect for him?!
Kouichi Ippei ordered his assistant, "Put Bandai on the blacklist. From now on, turn down anything to do with their films."
"Understood."
The assistant nodded. He didn't care what his boss asked him to do. Bandai's films were either animation or tokusatsu, which were far from Kouichi Ippei's tastes. They'd never been on the same page, so ending their relationship wouldn't cost them anything.
"Any new work offers today?"
After running Bandai down, Kouichi Ippei finally turned his attention to work.
The assistant hurriedly picked up an envelope from his desk. "No new offers, but Shochiku sent a thank-you letter."
"Let's see..."
Kouichi Ippei picked up the envelope and opened it. It was for a film he'd reviewed at the beginning of the year.
The film, about a criminal's path to redemption, had been right up Kouichi Ippei's alley, so he'd praised it extensively in his newspaper column.
The film had now earned one billion yen at the box office and was still playing to packed theaters. Shochiku Pictures was very grateful for Kouichi Ippei's favorable review and had sent him a writing fee of 1.5 million yen.
Kouichi Ippei slipped the check from the envelope into his pocket without a second thought. "Shochiku knows how to show its appreciation. Much better than certain third-rate film companies."
The assistant rubbed his hands together as he replied, "Of course. Shochiku understands that this film's huge success was all thanks to your support, Mr. Kawauchi."
"Hahaha, exactly! The prosperity of Japanese cinema is all thanks to us film critics! Hahahaha!"
Kouichi Ippei's hearty laughter filled the office, and he forgot all about that awful film.
FSN? What was that? Did it deserve to be remembered by the great Kouichi Ippei?
That thing he'd found so painful to look at would have no audience and no box-office earnings. Its ultimate fate was to rot away in some corner.
Kouichi Ippei didn't know that, while most movie fans and audiences had indeed never heard that FSN was about to come out, one group had been waiting so long for the film that they'd nearly given up hope.
On April 14, 2003, an ordinary Monday, FSN quietly entered the Japanese market with limited screenings at twenty-five cinemas.
There was no premiere, no media event, not even a large-scale announcement. FSN simply opened without a sound.
But Kuonji Azu, who'd been keeping an eye out for news about the film, arrived at the cinema at the very first opportunity.
Last time, Aoko kept chattering beside me, and I missed a lot of details. This time, I'll definitely...
Azu clenched her fists and gave herself a pep talk, her eyes brimming with determination.
Thankfully, FSN had opened on a weekday. The cinema wasn't very crowded, which made Azu, who didn't like being around people, very happy.
She checked her watch and saw that the screening was about to begin, so she stood up and headed for the theater.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out beside her, sounding surprised.
"Huh? Azu, what are you doing here?"
Azu turned around and saw that the speaker was her close friend, Aozaki Aoko.
"Aoko... What a coincidence."
Though a hint of panic stirred in her, Azu still greeted her as if nothing were wrong.
Aoko awkwardly scratched her head and smiled. "Yeah... What a coincidence."
A coincidence? Not at all. There were only twenty-five cinemas in the entire country, and Tokyo had only three theaters showing the film.
"..."
"..."
While Azu and Aoko stood frozen at the entrance, staring awkwardly at each other, someone else joined them.
"Well, if it isn't the young lady of the Aozaki Family?"
"You are...?"
The face of the short-haired young man before her looked somewhat familiar to Aoko, but she couldn't remember his name.
"I'm from the Shibamatsu Family," he introduced himself. "Miss Aozaki, are you here to see this film too?"
"You?"
Only then did Aoko notice the five or six people following the fellow from the Shibamatsu Family.
She couldn't put names to their faces, but she knew they all came from Mage Families.
"My grandfather thought it'd be embarrassing to go see a film at his age, so he sent me in his place," Shibamatsu said with a wry smile. "It's the same for these guys, so we decided to come together."
"I... I see."
Aoko didn't know how to respond, so she gave him an awkward but polite smile.
But that wasn't all. After Aoko and Azu entered the theater, several more groups of young men and women filed in. Without exception, they were all young people from Mage Families.
By the end, Aoko realized that there were hardly any ordinary people in the theater. Most of the audience belonged to the Mage world.
"What the hell is going on? Is this a gathering of the second generation of Tokyo's mages?!"
Aoko, who'd been planning to watch FSN for the second time, was completely bewildered.
A Lucky Accident: The Mages' Celebration
As the film ended, slightly melancholic music played and the credits slowly rolled.
Shibamatsu glanced at the most prominent line at the top of the credits: a film by Director Matou Shinji.
"He really is amazing."
Shibamatsu turned to his companions. "The film he made was simply..."
The film had left such a deep impression on him, stirring up so many feelings, that he couldn't find the right words to praise it.
In the end, he managed only, "If he makes another film, I'll definitely go see it in theaters. He's changed the way I think about movies. I always thought that, apart from actresses taking their clothes off, there was nothing worth going to the cinema for."
"Me too."
One of Shibamatsu's female companions, a mage, nodded. Her eyes were shining as she chimed in, "That blue-haired young master in the film was Master Shinji himself, wasn't he? He's so handsome and talented. Now I understand why so many people at the Clock Tower are drawn to him."
"Exactly. That really was a great film..."
As he spoke, Shibamatsu stood up to leave the theater. But he hadn't gone two steps before he stopped, his face twisting in dismay.
"Um... tell me... did any of you write down the Magecraft formulas from the film?"
Shibamatsu had finally remembered the task his family elders had given him. His face clearly said, I'm screwed.
"Uh..."
The young mage who'd just been admiring Master Shinji's work quickly changed her expression too. She'd been so absorbed in the film that she'd forgotten about it as well.
"I only wrote down the beginning. After that, I..."
Another companion raised a hand weakly and answered awkwardly.
"How much did you write? Let me see... Jeez."
Shibamatsu had been full of hope, but when he saw that the other person had written less than half a page, his face fell at once.
Shibamatsu's group weren't the only ones in the theater who'd run into this problem. The other young mages had found themselves in much the same situation.
They'd been so caught up in the film that it wasn't until the end that they remembered their elders' instructions. One by one, they wore the same expression as students on the last day of summer vacation who hadn't done a single bit of homework.
"Did anyone write anything down?"
"If you took notes, please let me copy them!"
"I'm from the Takiaki Family. Could someone lend me their notes to copy? I'd be so grateful!"
Watching the chaos in the theater, Aoko couldn't help but giggle.
"Hey, Azu." Aoko gently nudged her friend with her elbow. "What do you think these people came here for?"
"How ridiculous."
Azu pressed her lips together, looking as though she were holding back a laugh. Then she snapped her notebook shut.
"A bunch of idiots," Azu commented. "Why don't they just watch the film again?"
Shibamatsu and his group, who were standing nearby, froze when they heard Azu's words. Then they nodded as realization dawned.
"There's still plenty of time. Let's watch it again."
Before his companions could agree, Shibamatsu made the decision for all of them.
"Hold on to my things. I'll go buy the tickets."
With that, Shibamatsu rushed out of the theater without looking back.
In the cinema corridor, a Bandai employee holding a film survey was waiting.
When he saw Shibamatsu come out, he hurried over.
"Excuse me, sir. I'm..."
"Out of the way!"
Shibamatsu had no time for him. He shoved past and rushed toward the ticket counter.
"What happened?"
Before you continue