NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 133: Chapter 135: Ultraman is Back!
With Medea's help, the IMAX camera was no longer as fragile as it used to be.
Although it still couldn't handle extreme filming conditions as casually as a regular camera, at least it wouldn't break down from minor bumps.
Shinji couldn't help but call himself an idiot for not thinking of using reinforcement magic on the camera earlier.
To be fair, Shinji hadn't completely forgotten about it, but the IMAX camera was so delicate that improperly reinforcing it could have destroyed the entire machine.
Even Medea herself didn't dare mess with the precise internal components; she only strengthened the outer casing and a few support structures, making the camera appear more durable.
Despite the difficulties the IMAX camera caused, Shinji couldn't help but sing its praises in a later interview.
"I absolutely love using IMAX cameras to film movies," he said, speaking with the same sincerity as Gagula saying, "I won't help you anymore, Kei."
"IMAX allows for larger, wider images than a normal screen, maximizing the aspect ratio of the film. When I watched IMAX-filmed documentaries in the past, I was already amazed by its power. Through this project, I've been exploring and refining ways to fully utilize IMAX's potential, aiming to create a truly breathtaking experience for everyone."
Since Ultra 8 was the only commercial film at the time to heavily use IMAX cameras, Shinji naturally promoted it as a key selling point.
As for the film's other major draw—glasses-free 3D—he planned to hold off on that until more 3D-capable screens became widespread.
After all, the experience of 3D visuals couldn't be explained; it had to be felt.
Besides, this interview was arranged by IMAX, and bringing up glasses-free 3D could make it seem like he was picking a fight with them.
"In terms of both visuals and sound, IMAX provides an immersive viewing experience. Its unique format offers unparalleled clarity, giving the audience a sense of being physically present in the scene. Combined with high-fidelity surround sound, it's like stepping into the movie itself."
Shinji ended the interview with confidence: "Trust me, watching Ultra Brothers 8 in IMAX will be something you won't regret."
But the moment the reporter left, Shinji immediately started complaining. "Using IMAX is such a grind. I feel like a chef meticulously stuffing shredded meat into bean sprouts, spending hours perfecting it, only for the customer to finish it all in one bite."
"Master, isn't food made to be eaten?" Arturia asked, while munching on potato chips.
Seeing his Servant lounging around without a care, Shinji ruffled her neatly combed hair in frustration. "I just think some shallow audience members might not appreciate the effort, like you—little glutton."
"Master, taking your frustrations out on the innocent isn't right," Arturia replied, exasperated at his childish behavior. "And besides, according to those so-called 'art critics,' what you're making can't exactly be called art. So why are you looking down on the audience?"
"Action films have their own kind of violent beauty," Shinji retorted, waving his finger theatrically. "Besides, Japan has this concept called 'mono no aware.' Destroying something beautiful through violence is a form of beauty in itself."
"Utter nonsense," Arturia scoffed.
She might not fully grasp "mono no aware," but she definitely knew her Master was spouting nonsense now.
Seeing that Arturia wasn't taking the bait, Shinji shrugged in disappointment.
If given the chance, he'd really love to depict Japan's unique aesthetic of melancholy on screen—though not in the way the Tokyo Olympics did, but more like the poignant moments seen in Ultraman Tiga, such as the episode Flower.
Unfortunately, while Shinji had a decent eye for aesthetics, his execution was still lacking.
Even if he tried copying a successful formula, it was difficult to recreate that specific atmosphere.
Knowing his strengths and weaknesses, Shinji saw no point in stubbornly pursuing something he wasn't good at.
His strength lay in crafting meticulously detailed action sequences, grand set pieces, and improving filming techniques to give the audience a fully immersive experience.
That was what he excelled at.
As Shinji continued with his demanding filming schedule, the Type-Moon Company ramped up its promotion of Ultra 8.
Despite the film's experimental nature, they needed as much audience feedback as possible to evaluate the new technologies.
"After 25 years, Ultraman is back!"
Fans of the Ultraman series, who had been closely monitoring the internet, soon spotted several press releases from GUYS on Tsuburaya's official website and other major entertainment outlets.
"This morning, the monster codenamed 'Dinozaur' attacked Earth after destroying the GUYS space station satellite V7T7 and wiping out the GUYS defense squad's fighter jets," one news piece reported. "The monster caused massive destruction in the city, but fortunately, a new Ultraman appeared on Earth for the first time in 25 years, defeating the monster. Once again, the giant of light who once saved us has returned as humanity's guardian!"
The article also featured a statement from GUYS' new captain, Shingo Sakomizu.
〔It is with a heavy heart that I inform everyone of the sacrifice of most of the GUYS team members. Each of them was a true hero. In the face of the monster, they did not retreat but bravely fought on. We must remember their sacrifice and never forget their contribution.〕
〔I, Shingo Sakomizu, the new captain of GUYS, will inherit the will of these fallen comrades and vow to defend our Earth at all costs. With the resurgence of monster activity, my team and I will give everything we have to fight.〕
〔Fortunately, we humans are not fighting alone this time. A new hero from the Land of Light will stand with us to protect the Earth!〕
〔Ladies and gentlemen, Ultraman is back!〕
This speech was accompanied by a short video showing scenes of a city being destroyed and Mebius fighting Dinozaur.
Along with the video came another announcement:
〔After discussions at the GUYS headquarters, the newly arrived Ultraman has been officially named "Ultraman Mebius." Let's all cheer for our new hero.〕
Undoubtedly, this was part of Shinji's viral marketing campaign.
Although Mebius wasn't the main character in Ultra 8, fans still needed to know of his existence to avoid confusion when he made his future appearances.
As for viral marketing, it was a highly effective, low-cost promotional method that Shinji wasn't about to waste.
For this campaign, Shinji simply had a few articles written, got the actors to record a short video, and spliced together footage from Ultra 8 and Mebius.
To stir up more discussion, he deliberately left out certain scenes, like the one where Mebius uses a building as a shield against the monster or the infamous scene of Ryu Aihara's verbal outburst.
This created the impression that the government was intentionally omitting those moments for PR purposes.
As expected, in the subsequent discussions about Mebius, the topics Shinji had left for the fans were brought up again and again.
He was sure that in the future, these moments would become iconic scenes in the Ultraman series—after all, Shinji had already seen the future.
Of course, Shinji's involvement with Mebius didn't stop at marketing.
As his first—and possibly last—Ultraman production as a supervisor, he was highly invested in the show's success.
He constantly gave feedback to the production team, urging Tsuburaya to incorporate more action and commercial elements into the series.
Tsuburaya was no longer strapped for cash, so adding more fan-favorite fight scenes was sure to boost the show's popularity.
Shinji also taught Tsuburaya how to sell toys within the show without making it awkward.
In his previous life, the new generation of Tsuburaya had stumbled a lot in their commercialization efforts, even hitting dead ends for several years.
If there was anything praiseworthy about the new Tsuburaya, it was their strong ability to course-correct.
For instance, after Ultraman R/B was criticized for its lengthy transformation sequences, Ultraman Taiga deliberately shortened the transformation time.
Similarly, after Taiga suffered from an overcrowded Ultraman lineup, Ultraman Z focused more on character development by incorporating the Zett riser.
Still, Tsuburaya's tendency to get overconfident after a single success hadn't changed.
After the huge success of Z, Tsuburaya immediately churned out low-quality content for Trigger, thinking they were invincible.
But that's a story for another time.
While guiding Tsuburaya on commercialization strategies, Shinji also got involved in managing the script for Mebius.
He didn't just tweak certain plot issues but outright removed episodes that were overly convoluted or unnecessary, such as the infamous "The Monster Tamer's Legacy."
To be fair, that episode wasn't objectively terrible, but as a sequel to a beloved episode, it completely failed to live up to expectations.
The original The Monster Tamer and the Boy was a masterpiece, and this follow-up felt like an insult to it.
The writers at Tsuburaya clearly didn't have the skills to continue such a classic story but insisted on cashing in on its fame, resulting in a subpar episode.
These writers didn't just let down the fans who were eagerly awaiting a worthy sequel; they also failed the legendary writer Shozo Uehara, who had put his heart and soul into the original despite stepping down as the lead writer.
In Shinji's eyes, these writers were the real parasites within Tsuburaya.
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