Shinji: Yeah, This Is Pretty Good

The reporter who leaked the information secretly explained, "I heard that the old man originally wanted to get Shinji Matou to sign Diarmuid, but ended up being sold these three instead."

Upon hearing his explanation, the reporters suddenly understood.

"Shinji Matou is amazing; he actually managed to make Johnny & Associates's Entertainment suffer a setback."

"Speaking of which, where did this Director find so many good-looking actors? In the past two years, the artists under Type-Moon have raised the average appearance level in the entertainment industry by a notch."

"Exactly. I reckon the old man at Johnny & Associates's is bowing down to Shinji Matou because the trainees they've recruited these past two years have all been monkeys."

"Haha, compared to the handsome guys on Shinji Matou's side, aren't the new students at Johnny & Associates's just like monkeys that haven't fully evolved yet?"

Several reporters, taking advantage of the press conference as a "trainee," went on a spree of teasing and joking with Johnny & Associates & Associates Johnny & Associates, showing little respect for the company Johnny Kitagawa.

This is understandable; Johnny & Associates's decades-long dominance has naturally made many journalists dissatisfied.

Sometimes, even when they've already gotten some really big news, Johnny & Associates's will call and tell them not to release it, or they have to wait until Johnny & Associates's has cleaned up the mess before they can release it.

For entertainment journalists, timeliness is paramount when it comes to news and scandals.

As the saying goes, cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents; Johnny & Associates's domineering behavior is no different from that of a murderer to reporters.

Unfortunately, Johnny & Associates was too domineering, causing reporters to constantly remind themselves to "think of their fathers back home" when facing their father's killer.

Aside from a few like Weekly Bunshun, which is known for its stubbornness and powerful backing, almost no Japan media outlet's reporters dare to say "no" to Johnny & Associates's.

Of course, Johnny & Associates's has ways to physically eliminate reporters' dissatisfaction with them, but it can't psychologically make them grateful to them.

The reporters' jokes now reflect their true feelings about Johnny & Associates's Entertainment.

Unfortunately, they only dared to say such things in private. If Johnny Kitagawa were standing in front of them, it wouldn't be surprising if these reporters kowtowed to him.

"To make Johnny & Associates's Entertainment lower itself to cooperate with him, Shinji Matou is truly remarkable."

Looking at the three elegant Knights of the Round Table on the news stage, a reporter couldn't help but sigh.

"It's not entirely because Shinji Matou great. Type-Moon's artists have never had any scandals, and they all have great charisma and good looks. Which agency wouldn't want artists like that?"

"Isn't this at Shinji Matou's level? Can an average person have such keen insight as him?"

"There's nothing we can do about it; he's Shinji Matou."

Who can blame him but Shinji Matou?

Upon hearing this, all the reporters present showed expressions of agreement.

From FSN to now, Shinji Matou has achieved so many things that are considered miraculous within the industry that some people refer to him as "the amazing Shinji Matou".

Of course, this is the name given to the Second Master by Western journalists. On the Japan side, the nickname is "the all-powerful wish-granting machine," a term inherited from their ancestral "chuunibyou" (a Japanese term for Second Master delusions of grandeur) ingrained in their national DNA.

Fortunately, Shinji himself didn't know, otherwise he would have personally shoved those reporters into the Black Mud!

"Tch, Shinji Matou?"

Just as several reporters were discussing the matter, another reporter named Miyata Fuyuki, who was eavesdropping in the back, snorted in annoyance.

Unlike regular journalists, he came from the famous Gossip magazine, Weekly Bunshun, mentioned earlier.

Compared to formal press conferences, Tamiya is more interested in the gossip and scandals of Type-Moon's stars. No wonder colleagues say that even the regular reporters at Weekly Bunshun are just like those sleazy paparazzi.

But Tamiya Fuyuki didn't care what his peers thought of him; he only wanted to get dirt on Type-Moon artists.

In his view, all crows are black, and every celebrity has some scandals.

The claim of being well-behaved and having no scandals is simply because Type-Moon has protected them so well that no one has noticed.

If Type-Moon were to actually release the drum, who knows what kind of injustice would befall them!

Unfortunately, Tamiya Fuyuki and several colleagues have been in Fuyuki City for several months, but they haven't found a single scandal involving those celebrities.

Especially Artoria, the most popular star under Type-Moon. These people actually staked out Her Majesty the King of Knights for an extremely long time, monitoring her daily life for a whole week, and it was the kind of surveillance that was uninterrupted 24 hours a day.

In the end, it was discovered that Artoria's daily routine was incredibly orderly, even more so than that of an elementary school student.

The only thing that's special about Artoria is that she likes to go to all sorts of restaurants and eat out, and she always has to have a big meal there.

But it's a fact that everyone in the world knows that Artoria is a foodie, so it's not a big deal that she spends money on restaurant meals!

Thus, the defeated Tamiya and his team could only reluctantly issue a prediction that fans should be wary of Artoria's sudden weight gain, which was their Issei that week.

However, some setbacks did not break Tamiya Fuyuki; he had already found a better target— the Knights of the Round Table on the stage.

Shinji Matou can manage most of the artists under his management very well, but it's uncertain about these three male idols who went and "colluded" with Johnny & Associates's.

Having been exposed to the "cesspool" of Johnny & Associates, these three will definitely become standard Johnny & Associates's entertainers who are proficient in everything from eating and drinking to gambling and smoking.

Don't blame Tamiya for being prejudiced against Johnny & Associates's; after all, this agency has made up the majority of the male celebrity scandals published by Weekly Bunshun over the years.

The great sage Mencius of the Celestial Empire said it well: it's not easy to learn good things, but it's easy to learn bad things.

Tamiya believes that as long as these three people are handled by Johnny & Associates, they will definitely become a breakthrough point for scandals involving artists under Type-Moon.

Regardless of what other reporters think, Tamiya Fuyuki has made her decision.

"I'm determined to be this paparazzi!"

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

No one could have known that one of the journalists attending this press conference had made a colossal vow, one he would regret for the rest of his life.

The press conference was still ongoing. After introducing the Knights of the Round Table to everyone and having the pre-arranged reporters ask a few perfunctory questions, the three were asked to leave.

Today's meeting was just a formal introduction to announce the formation of the group. Their official debut is still a long way off, and they will need to undergo various forms of artist training in the coming period.

They will only officially debut and enter the entertainment industry once the three idiots meet all the required standards.

Of course, this period of time was not used for the three of them to go into seclusion and cultivate. They would occasionally appear on TV shows, perform in Stage play, or play minor roles in film crews.

On the one hand, it's to maintain the group's popularity, and on the other hand, it's to help the members gradually adapt to life in the entertainment industry so that they can get on track as soon as possible after their official debut.

This operating model is standard practice at Johnny & Associates. For example, the currently popular group KAT-TUN was formed and debuted in 2001, but they didn't officially debut until this year, 2006.

However, it took KAT-TUN five years to officially debut because the members were too young at the time. All three members of Gawain -TUN are adults, and they can make their official debut in about one to two years.

After introducing his first boy band, Shinji then went on to introduce his new projects—Fate/Apocrypha and Kara no Kyoukai.

Compared to previous Ultraseven X and the Knights of the Round Table, the reporters were noticeably more enthusiastic this time.

After all, the new Fate series generates far more buzz than any dark style Ultraman.

During the Q&A session, the most frequent questions from reporters were also about financial advisors.

"Director Matou, could you give us a sneak peek at the general content and theme of the new Fate movie?"

"Director Matou, this Holy Grail War is set in Western Europe. How will you present the differences between it and the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City?"

"Director Matou, the heroine Joan of Arc and Artoria look so alike, are they really not sisters?"

"Director Matou, why did you cast an actress who looks exactly like Artoria instead of continuing to have Ms. Artoria as the Lead Actor?"

Compared to the FA (Features, Explicit Content) that reporters focused on, <Kara no Kyoukai>, which Shinji considered "One more thing," was almost completely ignored.

From the reporters' perspective, they had absolutely no desire to ask questions about a project that was still in the planning stage and had only announced the female lead and basic settings.

Unfortunately, Ryougi Shiki, the Lead Actor in "Kara no Kyoukai," is a complete newcomer with absolutely no public profile.

The Ryougi Family isn't a well-known company or a former aristocratic family in Japan. What does their daughter being an actress have to do with these reporters?

Shinji felt nothing but regret about this.

"You young people don't know how good Sister Shi is, mistaking a village girl for a treasure. Things change. I'll wait and see how enthusiastic you'll be towards Sister Shi in the future!"

"What's wrong with that idiot Master now?"

Seeing Shinji engulfed in flames behind him, the Servants were speechless.

Chapter 294 Shinji: Mmm, it smells so good!

Shortly after the press conference, major media outlets' official websites were among the first to update their websites with related content.

Of course, the official websites only update information from European and American media; Japan media websites only reprint it after newspapers and magazines have already published it.

However, unlike the enthusiasm at the press conference, judging from the content published by various media outlets, most media outlets are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards Shinji's new Fate movie.

After all, in the eyes of the media, Shinji Matou has once again reheated an old dish called Fate.

[Shinji Matou is directing another Fate movie. While it's not surprising that he would choose a film with intense action, given his directing style, is trying Fate again a bit too much?]

--The New York Times

[Instead of rehashing the Fate franchise, which has been overdone countless times, it would be better to start a completely new series. With Shinji Matou's reputation, that would make him more likely to succeed!]

--Yomiuri Daily

Compared to those sarcastic media outlets, Shinji's fans generally expressed their support, sharing their opinions on instant messaging websites.

"If any Director could bring Fate back to its former glory, it would definitely be Shinji!"

"I'm really looking forward to seeing what Shinji's new Fate will be like!"

"With the addition of 3D technology, Shinji Matou will definitely take the visual presentation of Alicization to another level!"

It's not surprising that movie fans and enthusiasts might have opinions that differ from those of the media.

To them, Shinji Matou reheating leftovers, but Second Master cooked them up beautifully!

Shinji has revived the FSN story three times, but which version wasn't full of highlights? Which version didn't tell a completely different story using the same set of characters? Which version didn't leave viewers thoroughly entertained, wishing Shinji Matou would make ten more versions?

Even the currently serialized <Magical Girl Prisma Illya> has still managed to tell a fresh story and develop its own style, hasn't it?

Fans think that instead of worrying about Shinji Matou's poor rehash of old material, they should pay more attention to why the two new actresses playing Mordred and Joan of Arc in the new movie look exactly like Artoria.

According to current official information, Mordred is Artoria's sister, and it's understandable that they look alike. But what's the deal with Joan of Arc d'Arc, who is specifically mentioned as having no relation to Artoria?

Shinji Matou said at the press conference that it was all a coincidence. He said that he decided to cast Jeanne d'Arc as the heroine because he found that Joan of Arc and Artoria looked very similar but were not related by blood.

This is to fill the plot hole in Fate/Zero where the Fleet Admiral mistook Artoria for someone else!

Fans commented. "I understand the logic, but why do they look so alike?! Without their hairstyles, you can't tell them apart!"

Unfortunately, Shinji disappeared immediately after the press conference. He didn't care what opinions the fans and the media might have; he wouldn't change his plans.

For Shinji, FA is a thing of the past. Having already filmed most of the scenes, it's just waiting for Shinji to finish post-production work after the Venice Film Festival.

The progress of setting up the crew for "Kara no Kyoukai" is what Shinji is currently most concerned about.

Shinji himself will serve as producer and screenwriter, Sakura will assist him as an intern production assistant, Old Master Li will be responsible for training actors and setting action routines and filming action scenes, and Red A will remain the crew's cinematographer and prop maker.

As for the cast, both Touko and Ryougi Shiki will play themselves, but Shinji will also provide Ryougi Shiki double.

There's no way around it; no matter how beautiful Shiki's pose is, it'll only look good when a Heroic Spirit is involved in a real fight.

Shinji is currently torn between Musashi and Souji, two female swordsmen, as Shinji is merely a stand-in.

From the perspective of character suitability, Musashi's personal version is definitely a higher priority, but Shinji is afraid that he won't be able to summon that young boy, so he'll summon the old man version of Musashi instead.

The Souji doesn't need to worry about gender issues, but her "sickly" skill makes the Second Master afraid that she won't be able to withstand the intensity of Filming.

What if Souji dies from a hemorrhage before filming is finished and returns to Hall of Heroes? Who will be responsible for the remaining scenes?

Surely we can't let Little Yi Ge appear in women's clothing, can we?

Shinji didn't mind, but he figured Yan Qing would be thinking about how to assassinate him with his fists that night, or maybe she'd dress him up in women's clothing, or perhaps she'd simply remove his genitals and become a girl completely?

Anyway, Shinji has no intention of gambling on that probability.

Of course, compared to a stuntman, Shinji has an even more important position to recruit for—the film's Director.

That's right, even now that the "Kara no Kyoukai" project has been officially greenlit, the Director for the film is still nowhere to be found.

There's no way around it; Shinji's standards for the Director of "Kara no Kyoukai" are too high. In a world where art-house Director are everywhere and commercial Director are practically nonexistent, finding a Director who meets his criteria is like finding a needle in a haystack.

If it's Parallel world before Shinji's time travel, that would be easy; we could just bring James Wan over to Filming.

In this world, Shinji searched through Wen's resume but couldn't find him. He guessed that, like other commercial film Director, he had been taken back by the Root (Nasu).

Denis Villeneuve, who directed Ultraseven X, was actually a good choice. His cinematography is always breathtaking, and he would have been more than capable of directing Kara no Kyoukai. However, his commercial record makes Shinji's performance seem rather silly and awkward.

You can't say Denis Villeneuve has no commercial success, but it seems he only has one film called <Splice>, which is a very serious sci-fi thriller—at first glance, it seems fine, but upon closer inspection, something just feels off.

If Shinji were to make a film that doesn't prioritize box office success, Denis Villeneuve would definitely be the top choice.

The problem is, Shinji needs Kara no Kyoukai to deliver commercial success!