Aoko: Isn't This Just Like the Movie? / Shinji: What Do You Mean, an International Hit? *Leans Back Tactically

"What?"

Enkidu hear Iskandar's words clearly because the television was making a loud noise.

It turns out that when Rin was investigating the barrier, Lancer suddenly appeared, and Archer and Lancer had a fierce battle at the school.

The rest of the plot is basically the same as the movie version: Shirou, who becomes a witness, is killed by Lancer, and Rin saves him with magic.

However, Lancer had no intention of letting Shirou, who had escaped death, go straight to Emiya Residence.

With nowhere else to turn Shirou accidentally summons Saber, becoming her final Master.

"Tch, is that all?"

Seeing himself forced to leave the Emiya Residence by Saber, Cú Chulainn smacked his lips in regret.

While everyone else wore expressions that said, "This guy's time to shine is finally over," Cú Chulainn wished his fight scenes could be extended by another half hour.

Cú Chulainn knew very well that after the prologue, his role was limited to the later part where he allied with the protagonist.

You could say he's a tragic supporting character whose screen time diminishes with every second he's on screen.

For Cú Chulainn, could anything be more tragic?

Of course.

Even with such a limited amount of screen time, Unlimited Blade Works (UBW) still features the most screen time for Cú Chulainn among the three FSN versions.

"Master, when can you let me be the main character for once?!"

Today is another day where Cú Chulainn is not the main character.

Chapter 102 Aoko: Isn't this just like the movie version?

Shinji adopted the standard quarterly drama format for UBW, with each episode lasting 45 minutes and each season consisting of 12 episodes.

However, Shinji did not simply combine the plot of the anime version of UBW into one episode of the TV series.

The reason is simple: usually, excluding commercials and opening/closing credits, an animated episode is 20-25 minutes long, while a live-action TV series is around 45 minutes.

However, if you summarize the amount of plot in animation and live-action TV series, you will find that the difference between the two is not that big. Just because a TV series is twice the length of an animation does not mean that the TV series has twice the amount of plot.

This difference in style stems from two different production and creative methods; neither is inherently superior or inferior.

Although TV dramas are slower-paced than animation, they offer live-action performances that animation cannot replicate.

After all, even the most sophisticated 2D animation cannot capture the subtle micro-expressions of an actor and allow the audience to empathize with the character.

Of course, if the actors are all expressionless and just pretty faces, reciting their lines like "12345," then post-production dubbing would be necessary, which is a different story.

In this respect, 3D animation can be more realistic than 2D animation, but unless it's a Pixar 3D animated film after 2010, it still falls short of live-action performances.

However, this does not mean that animated series have no advantages. Animation, which does not need to give actors time to perform, achieves a fast-paced narrative.

This is why, even though both are 20-minute episodes, tokusatsu (special effects) episodes feel much faster than animated ones. In fact, tokusatsu often uses very abrupt transitions due to time constraints, which can negatively impact the viewing experience.

As a seasoned film connoisseur, Shinji is well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of live-action compared to animation.

In fact, the reason why Shinji was able to cram so much plot into his two previous live-action films was because he deliberately reduced the amount of dialogue.

This was not only to save time, but also to cover up the actors' shortcomings in Acting Skills.

This UBW and HF drama series also marks the first time that the Second Master has seriously crafted dramatic scenes.

Viewers who haven't studied these technical details can't clearly spot the changes, but they can definitely sense that UBW's pacing is slower than Shinji's previous two films.

However, this slow pace is relative to Shinji's previous works; compared to other Japanese Drama, UBW's pacing is still quite fast.

More importantly, Japan audiences haven't seen a TV series with this level of special effects and action scenes for a very, very long time.

In particular, the fight between Lancer and Archer was a huge success, thanks to Shinji's use of the crotch-view perspective from Zeta. Countless viewers were stunned when they first saw this fight.

In fact, it's not just Japan audiences; even Western audiences rarely see a TV series that puts so much effort into its action scenes.

No, if we use this world as the standard, we should say that it doesn't exist at all!

Even viewers who grew up watching martial arts films and old TV adaptations of the Four Great Classical Novels were amazed by a show like UBW.

The actors in the action scenes were quite good, but the camerawork was really bad. Apart from die-hard fans of martial arts films, most viewers would think that the action scenes in UBW were more impressive.

However, only a small portion of online users can currently access UBW; the vast majority of Fate fans still remember the movie version.

Smack

In the Kuzunoha residence, Azu, having finished watching the first episode, turned off the television with satisfaction.

"As expected, the TV series is so much longer than the movie, so they can tell the story in much more detail," Azu. Yuzu nodded and said. "I didn't expect Shirou Emiya to use his first Command Spell in the very first episode. It seems this will change the entire story's development."

Even during the promotion of the TV series, Shinji emphasized that the TV Series FSN was not a rehash of the movie version, but a completely new story based on the same character settings.

In Azu's view, the difference in the ending is precisely the manifestation of this difference.

However, Aoko, whose fanbase isn't very dedicated, clearly has a different perspective.

"Even with all the added plot, this is still a remake of the movie!" Aoko pouted. "What's the difference?"

"Of course there are many differences!"

Azu grabbed Aoko's face with both hands, bringing her within 2 centimeters of her, and said very seriously, "We've added dialogue between Rin and Archer, enriching their character development. We've added childhood memories of Shirou Emiya, recounting his journey to his ideals. We've added a fight between Lancer and Archer, and..."

"Who would understand this? The plot is still the same!"

Aoko, a typical fan, clearly couldn't understand why Azu, a seasoned fan, was so excited, and was full of questions about what her friend was saying.

Yes, Aoko admits that the TV drama version of FSN was well-made, but that can't hide the fact that it has the same plot as the movie version!

"Very good, Aoko. I understand."

Seeing that Aoko remained stubborn and unyielding, Azu's lips curled up slightly.

What are you going to do?

Aoko instinctively shrank her neck.

"Tonight, I'll show you the difference between the movie version and the TV series version!"

Azu took out her treasured FSN extended edition DVD, as well as a VHS tape of the first episode of the TV series that she had just manually recorded.

"Come on, Aoko. Let's begin Fate Night."

Azu smiled happily, but in Aoko's eyes, it looked like the smile of a demon.

It's important to know that due to the prevalence of overtime work culture, prime time in Japan is two hours later than in other places.

Aoko glanced at the clock on the wall, which had already passed 10 o'clock, and a bead of cold sweat trickled down her temple.

If I really let Yuju watch all that Fate Night to my Azu's content, then I won't be able to sleep until 2 a. m. tonight.

Then, driven by her survival instincts, Aoko cried out from the bottom of her heart, "Azu, no!"

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Aoko wasn't the only viewer who felt the plot of the TV Series FSN was repetitive.

In fact, apart from seasoned fans like Azu, most viewers who saw the movie felt that the first episode of UBW was very strange.

To say that this TV series is bad is to lie with your eyes closed. Even if you remove the battle between Lancer and Archer and judge it solely from the perspective of the plot, UBW is a well-made TV series.

It's worth noting that many works have been adapted into both movies and TV series, but Fate clearly belongs to the category of rehashing old material with a fresh twist, making it one of the more conscientious ones.

However, if the first episode were to receive very high praise, most viewers would feel that it would be an overstatement.

The current audience feels like Marvel fans who watched the first episode of <What If...>. You can't say the show is poorly made, but rehashing old material does feel awkward.

Viewers' attitudes were directly reflected in the ratings; the ratings for the second episode of the drama immediately dropped from 40% to 35%.

Since the main plot of the second episode is still not much different from the movie version, Shirou still goes to church with Rin and encounters Illya on the way back.

The difference between the second episode of the TV series and the movie version is still in the ending, where Shirou refuses Rin's invitation to cooperate, leading to a fight between the two at school after school the next day.

Core fans certainly enjoyed it, as they could feel the plot gradually deviating from the movie's storyline.

However, there are still more ordinary fans in the world who feel that there is no difference between the TV series and the movie version.

Thankfully, UBW is broadcast for free, otherwise they would definitely be yelling, "RNM, refund us!"

In fact, a 35% viewership rating would be a cause for celebration for other TV dramas, but it's still quite a bit lower than the 40% rating for the first episode.

After the results for episode 2 came out, the TBS executives immediately approached Shinji, hoping he could come up with a solution.

"What can I do?! The TV series is already finished!"

Second Master completely disregarded the TV station's plea for help.

Even before the drama aired, Shinji had already predicted that UBW's early ratings would decline.

Unfortunately, the movie and TV series versions were too similar in the early plot.

This is why Shinji requires viewers to buy DVDs to watch HF – HBO is a pay-TV channel, and you have to pay to watch it.

Because only fans who have spent money will seriously watch HF, instead of getting hung up on why the beginning is the same.

Humans are amazing creatures. If HF were shown for free, they would wonder why they would watch the beginning of FSN a third time.

They might even choose to provoke a firestorm, blowing Shinji's head off.

But if they spend money, they don't complain as much; they just compare the differences between HF and the other two versions, and then tell others that they made a profit.

As for the TBS executive, Shinji calmly replied, "As long as we continue airing, the ratings will naturally rise. Persistence is key to victory!"

The production and editing of UBW are already complete, Shinji has no intention of making any changes.

When producing UBW, Shinji edited the film according to the standards of a standard feature film. Making hasty modifications would disrupt the story's rhythm and affect the viewer's experience.

Shinji decided to finish the TV series before airing it because he was afraid that audience feedback would affect the production of his subsequent series.

Reworking a TV series after it has already aired is like changing generals on the eve of battle, a cardinal sin in military strategy.

Of course, what the Second Master said wasn't just empty talk; he believed that as the story of UBW unfolded, viewers would definitely come back to watch the drama series.

The Fate IP still has influence; otherwise, the premiere viewership rating wouldn't have reached 40%.

If the story takes a wrong turn, curious viewers will naturally start watching the series again.

Because the biggest plot twist in UBW happens in the middle section— Red A's true identity is Shirou.

Shinji believes that once Red A's real name is revealed, it will definitely spark countless discussions among fans.

When that time comes, Shinji can create a buzz through various media outlets, and those viewers who abandoned the show will definitely come back to watch it.

Chapter 103 Shinji: What do you mean by "internationally popular TV series"? (Leans back tactically)

Emiya Residence, Living Room.

Shirou flipped through the entertainment section of the latest newspaper, a faint look of melancholy on his face.

"The ratings dropped to 35% for the second episode, and now the third episode is down to 28%... This can't go on," Shirou sighed.

The third episode of UBW, which aired yesterday, covered everything from Shirou and Rin's after-school battle to Saber's attack on Ryuudou Temple that night.

If you're looking for differences between the movie and the TV series, you can find many in the third episode. However, if you briefly summarize the plot, you'll find that it's not much different from the movie version.

Given this, it's not surprising that UBW's ratings have dropped again.

Several fans left comments online after watching the episode, such as, "If this small change is what they call a completely different story, then Shinji Matou has really disappointed me!"

While the internet has made communication more convenient, it has also made it easier to set trends and influence public opinion.

In the past, when someone needed to stir up controversy, they would release announcements on various platforms and media outlets, and then gradually create hype.

But online, as long as there's traffic, a trend can be started. You don't even need to start with a picture and make up the rest; just a few words are enough to create a buzz.

Undoubtedly, the hype surrounding UBW has been stirred up. Although the Shinji Matou fan group, Azu, has been constantly refuting it, voices predicting the downfall of UBW continue to emerge.

In the Japan entertainment industry, unless it's a movie that grosses over 10 billion yen, a hit TV drama usually has a greater impact.

As UBW's ratings continued to decline, Shirou began to feel anxious.

Although Shirou has no interest in this field and no plans to pursue a career in entertainment, the failure of his work is also an outcome he doesn't want to see.

"Shinji said that as long as the movie reaches the latter half, it will rebound, but at this rate of decline, there's probably no room for a rebound."

Shirou opened another newspaper, which was still filled with negative news about UBW.

Since the second episode's ratings dropped, the Japan media has been in an uproar.