Chapter 246: "Super 8" Was Absolutely Thrilling!
Tn: The ending song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJfqnFOBjdk
I tried to listen to it just for the fun of it, and it turned out it's pretty good.
. . . . . . . .
"At this moment, gaze upon the distant stars with your eyes~~"
The gentle melody echoed through the theater—it was the song Super Nova - Mion Yano, prepared by Shinji for Super 8.
Originally, this song was Zeta's character theme, though it was often used in Tiga's stage plays.
But because the lyrics include the phrase "the last letter of the alphabet," clearly referencing Zeta, they usually only played the second half when using it for Tiga.
Shinji had always thought the song was beautiful, so this time, during the production of Super 8, he directly modified the lyrics and used it as the ending theme.
"So good~ I still love these slightly melancholic tunes the most,"
Shinji leaned back in his chair, the corners of his lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"So, Master… Who was that little girl, really?"
Seeing that the film never gave a clear explanation, Arturia, sitting beside him, asked curiously.
"In the earliest version, she was the personification of Yokohama City. But I felt that was too narrow in scope, so I made her the embodiment of the world's consciousness instead."
As he spoke, Shinji's expression darkened slightly. "And then I regretted it."
"The world…? Master, are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Realizing something, Arturia gave Shinji a sympathetic look.
After all, the Type-Moon universe wasn't like those strictly materialist worlds—it actually had gods.
If it were just an ordinary person, it'd be one thing. But Shinji, a magus constantly entangled with mysteries, surely knew about the Counter Force, right?
Shinji sighed and said helplessly, "To avoid your boss—or EMIYA's boss—getting any weird ideas, I decided to blur it out in the final version."
There really wasn't much else he could do. Whether the setup was malicious or not wasn't up to him to decide—it depended on whether those two thought it was malicious.
"It should be fine… I think."
Arturia let out a dry laugh at Shinji's gambler mentality.
"Master, you totally deserve to be broke."
"Shut up."
Shinji realized that his earlier good mood had almost completely disappeared.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
But just because Shinji was unhappy didn't mean the other viewers of Super 8 were.
As the song Super Nova played, the two-and-a-half-hour-long film finally came to an end.
Since the glasses-free 3D was achieved using magical technology, it didn't have the same issues as traditional 3D films that required wearing glasses—like viewers feeling uncomfortable if the movie was too long.
Sure, anyone staring at a screen for two and a half hours straight would feel at least a little eye fatigue, but overall, the glasses-free 3D gave the audience a very comfortable viewing experience.
On top of that, the movie featured nearly one full hour of IMAX 3D footage—an absolute killer feature in this day and age.
"This movie was insane!"
"The Ultraman action was incredible!"
"If I didn't know this was a movie, I'd think a kaiju might actually appear!"
. . . . . . . . .
As the screening ended, Director Feng and Director Zhang walked out of the theater with the crowd.
Listening to the excited chatter of the fans around them, Director Feng turned to Director Zhang and asked,
"So, what's your take after watching it?"
"Is there even a need to ask? Just look at their reactions."
Director Zhang glanced at the animated, wide-eyed audience around them and shook his head slightly.
Although many directors in China still looked down on the commercial elements of cinema—insisting that film was ultimately an art form—the cultural climate meant they weren't necessarily averse to big budgets, large-scale productions, and high-concept spectacles. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been that triple punch of The Promise, The Banquet, and Curse of the Golden Flower.
Old Zhang gave Old Feng a firm pat on the shoulder and said, "If I could, I'd like to try out this 3D technology."
"I'd love to, too,"
Old Feng grinned, his buck teeth showing, eyes gleaming with longing.
No matter how a director feels about plot and storytelling, there's no way anyone could watch a spectacle like Super 8 and not want to try it themselves.
They didn't get much further in their conversation, though, because the moment they stepped out of the theater, reporters were already waiting to intercept them.
As two of the top-tier directors in the Chinese film scene, it was inevitable that the press had pegged them as key voices to interview even before the screening started.
"Directors!"
The reporters dove right in: "Can you share your thoughts on the film? The public's been very curious about it."
After all, it had been hyped for quite a while now, and the special preview event was a massive spectacle. Of course people were curious.
"The story's simple, but the scale is huge,"
Old Feng thought for a moment, then responded, "The visual effects were just outstanding—on a level we simply can't match here."
"The production budget put into this... even The Banquet pales in comparison. It's not even close. No matter what aspect is being compared to, it would lose."
The way he said it revealed a touch of competitive pride.
Director Feng didn't think his films were worse in storytelling, but when it came to special effects—well, there was just no competition. That kind of technical gap? He has no choice but to admit it, even if it stung.
Still, he wasn't ready to throw in the towel. His comment served as a subtle preemptive strike, setting the stage for his own movie scheduled to release in August.
The reporters took his words seriously. One of them nodded while scribbling notes, then turned to Director Zhang.
"What about you, Director Zhang?"
Compared to Director Feng, Director Zhang was a bit more diplomatic.
He had no choice—Director Zhang had his sights set on a full sweep of international awards, and offending foreign filmmakers was not on the agenda.
Just because Matou Shinji wasn't particularly known for award-winning work didn't mean he lacked influence overseas.
If Director Zhang shot his mouth off and Shinji took offense, who's to say the man wouldn't hold a grudge and work against him down the line?
So, playing it safe, Director Zhang kept it concise:
"That Japanese director, Matou Shinji, made full use of all the visual tools at his disposal to deliver a truly spectacular display of special effects."
"In terms of technical execution, this film is flawless."
With that, the two directors walked off without looking back.
After watching Super 8, they knew: this film was real competition. They'd need to rework their own promotional plans—every second counted now.
The reporters outside weren't just interviewing industry veterans, either. Regular moviegoers were also part of their coverage.
"Daigo was so cool!"
That was the most common reaction from the kids.
"The movie was thrilling, very exciting. My kid loved it. I'll definitely bring them again next time."
It was obvious—that parent wasn't really into Ultraman.
"It was so intense! Seeing the hero of my childhood on the big screen… it was genuinely emotional."
That summed up how long-time Ultra fans felt about the movie.
"It was an absolute thrill. The 3D effects were incredible! Totally worth spending money on this kind of film! Domestic productions these days are a mess—I had no desire to watch them at all."
That echoed the thoughts of most ordinary moviegoers.
With ticket prices for domestic and imported films being about the same now, many felt their money was better spent on something like Super 8.
. . . . . . . .
After leaving the theater, Li Ri'ang dropped his little nephew off at home, then took a cab back by himself.
It was already late by the time he got home, but he wasn't sleepy at all.
His mind was still buzzing with the visuals of Ultraman battling kaiju and the smiling faces of his childhood heroes.
"If only Ultraman could show up in the real world…"
He let out a long sigh as he looked up at the ceiling. With no intention of going to bed, he booted up his computer to share his excitement with his friends online.
[Brothers, I just got back from the movie!]
It didn't take long for someone to respond.
[How was it? Any disappointments?]
Li Ri'ang recognized the username—it was a fellow tokusatsu fan like himself.
But unlike Li Ri'ang, who was more open-minded, this guy was a hardcore Showa-era purist.
He was the first one in the group to nickname Tiga the "chameleon Ultraman," and in his eyes, Ultramen who relied on form-changing instead of spiritual training were basically heretics.
So when he heard the movie featured Heisei-era Ultras, he flat-out swore he wouldn't watch it.
[Nah, it was awesome—no disappointments at all!]
Li Ri'ang quickly organized his thoughts and typed out his feelings before the guy could jump in with a rebuttal.
[Forget everything else—the visual effects alone were amazing! The 3D was way better than any theme park 3D roller coaster. It's not even in the same league! The city destruction scenes? Looked exactly like the real thing.]
The other guy seemed stunned. After a pause, he finally replied:
[Even if the effects are great, is that still really Ultraman?]
Li Ri'ang fired back immediately:
[Why wouldn't it be? They even used the original dubbed voices from the old Shanghai Film Studio—just like when we were kids!]
[Seriously?]
[Of course. I really think you should give the Heisei Ultras a chance. The Showa days are behind us, man.]
[The new Ultramen just don't feel like the originals!]
Li Ri'ang figured the guy was just being stubborn…
Then again, maybe he really believed that. Either way, Li Ri'ang had already made up his mind—he was going to watch the movie again once it officially released.
[I'm going to see this movie a second time. I hope you guys do too. And make sure to watch it in IMAX 3D—it's better than [BLEEP]!]
Someone immediately roasted him:
[Please. You damn virgin. What do you know about [BLEEP]?]
[I may not have done it, but I've used my hand. Don't act like you haven't.]
[Brother Li, you win.]
Li Ri'ang smirked proudly at his screen.
"Haha. That's what I call: 'If I'm shameless enough, the only one left awkward is you.'"
<+>
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