Chapter 235: This Feels Way Too Real…
Sitting beside Mary, Johnny Kitagawa naturally understood what she meant.
After decades as siblings, how could he not grasp her thoughts, even if she only spoke half a sentence?
"Sigh… Sister, you're still not looking far enough ahead."
Johnny shook his head inwardly.
At the end of the day, Mary Kitagawa's vision was still somewhat limited. She was more than capable of maintaining Johnny & Associates as it was, but expecting her to push the company to new heights or to analyze the industry from a broader perspective was simply asking too much.
A film like Super 8 (Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers)—its success could never be measured by box office numbers alone.
Even if Shinji Matou lost money on Super 8, he would still have established a new technological benchmark for the Japanese and even global film industries.
Even if Super 8 only showcased a fraction of its groundbreaking technology, for a long time to come, whenever people talked about VFX-driven films, Super 8 would be an unavoidable reference point.
Subconsciously, the world would start to associate the best visual effects movies with Japan, and the best VFX films from Japan with Shinji Matou's Type-Moon Studios.
Once this idea took root among both audiences and filmmakers, and once the world entered an era of CGI-driven cinema, Shinji Matou could easily recoup any financial losses from Super 8 by providing VFX outsourcing services—earning back multiple times what he invested.
This was the advantage of technological monopoly—
"I have it, you don't. So if you want it, you have to buy it from me."
And Super 8 wasn't just about the money.
If the movie caused a global sensation, Shinji Matou's position in Japan's film industry would be further cemented, while his influence in global cinema would also significantly increase.
At that point, Shinji Matou wouldn't just be a director anymore—he'd be an industry heavyweight.
In the film industry, capital and technology were hard power, while reputation and influence were soft power.
If someone possessed both, they would soar to the top.
Johnny Kitagawa understood this deeply—because it was exactly how he had climbed from a baseball-playing youth to the pinnacle of Japan's entertainment industry.
Now, he was witnessing the rapid rise of a junior just like him—only this time, Shinji was ascending at a speed and scale far beyond what he had ever achieved.
"Truly, the younger generation is frightening…"
Johnny let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with resignation.
Shinji Matou's ambition was immense—that much was obvious from the ongoing dispute between Type-Moon and Johnny & Associates over their collaborative boy band project.
That project had originally been a prerequisite for the Super 8 collaboration.
But now, even with the film already in theaters, the two companies were still locked in negotiations.
'Should we take a step back?'
As he recalled the overwhelming spectacle of Super 8, Johnny Kitagawa suddenly found himself contemplating a strategic retreat.
Originally, Johnny Kitagawa had zero interest in foreign markets.
He knew that the Japanese idol system would never truly work overseas. At best, it could create short-lived waves, but it would never sustain long-term popularity.
That's why Johnny & Associates had always focused solely on dominating the Japanese market.
But now, after witnessing Super 8, for the first time, Johnny felt a flicker of curiosity—what if they tried to break into the global stage?
Shinji Matou's ambition was a mystery, but his technical prowess was undeniable.
That fact was especially clear to the two representatives from Toho Studios.
Matsuoka Hiroyasu had originally believed that Toho's Godzilla film was already pushing the limits of Japanese VFX.
After all, Godzilla had earned solid scores even among casual audiences, largely because of its cutting-edge special effects, which were considered top-tier within the current film industry.
Judging purely from the final product, its VFX quality was on par with Shinji Matou's previous works, Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Zero.
The action scenes are lacking— But who the hell watches Godzilla for Martial Arts?
Matsuoka Hiroyasu had been feeling pretty smug.
Sure, Godzilla's design might not have been the best, but at least its visual effects were top-tier.
And then—
That breathtaking rain-soaked battle had just washed away all his pride, just like the rainwater in the scene itself.
Yet, as he watched, a different thought surfaced in his mind.
'With what Shinji Matou is doing, the future of cinema is definitely heading towards large-scale VFX blockbusters.'
'In that sense, my push for Godzilla wasn't wrong… I just picked the wrong opponent.'
Matsuoka Hiroyasu was well aware that the box office results of this film battle were still uncertain.
But when it came to visual effects, Godzilla had already lost.
If Toho had managed to release Godzilla late last year, it might have enjoyed a moment in the spotlight.
But unfortunately, its long production cycle forced it into a direct clash with Super 8—and now, it was completely overshadowed.
'I heard Super 8 was actually finished a while ago, and it was only delayed to match the rollout of the new projection tech… Just how the hell does Shinji Matou make movies? How is he this efficient?!'
During the time it took Toho to complete Godzilla, Shinji Matou had developed new technology, shot an entire film, produced two TV series, and rolled out 3D projection equipment—all at once.
At this point, Matsuoka wasn't even questioning speed anymore.
He was questioning whether Shinji Matou was even human.
In truth, Shinji wasn't an alien. He was simply… a magus.
Of course, Matsuoka was right about one thing—
Shinji was absolutely using cheats.
For him, the existence of Servants was the ultimate life hack.
With them around, his workload became significantly lighter.
Though, from the perspective of the Servants themselves, they found Shinji's endless stream of weird and exhausting ideas to be a major pain.
Sometimes, they genuinely wondered what kind of brain their Master had— How did he constantly come up with so many evil ways to make their lives difficult?
Take the rainy battle scene, for example.
The rain effects were actually being controlled in real-time by Medea through magecraft.
During filming, every time they took a break, Medea could be seen looking flushed, breathing heavily, eyes closed, and softly groaning in exhaustion—as if she had just gone through some harrowing ordeal.
Of course, it wasn't because Shinji was doing anything inappropriate on set.
It was because Medea had to maintain an extreme level of magical precision for a prolonged period, which completely drained her mentally.
To properly convey the enormous size of Mebius and Muruchi, the raindrops needed to be exquisitely small—which meant that "Rainmaker" Medea had to fine-tune the amount of water with absolute precision.
How precise?
Imagine trying to pee into the opening of a Coke bottle while standing—without spilling a single drop.
Yeah. That precise.
And way harder than just holding it in.
It wasn't even something a master oil pourer could brush off with a casual, "No trick, just skill."
Because, after all—
Controlling your hands and controlling your bladder are two completely different things.
Naturally, Medea was completely done after filming that scene.
To vent her frustrations, she personally launched a Mana Burst and obliterated the entire port-side film set—turning it into a smoldering wreck.
As for Shinji?
He had been enthusiastically explaining the Coke bottle pee analogy to the crew, only to get mercilessly blasted into the infirmary by an embarrassed Medea.
"Tch—"
As Shinji recalled that terrifying moment, he instinctively rubbed his forehead, right where he'd been hit.
"God, that was terrifying. Even the gentlest housewife can turn into a monster when she snaps… Let alone her, one of the most infamous 'Evil Wives' in history."
"Master, I heard that."
Suddenly, Arturia flashed him a sweet but ominous smile.
"If you don't want me to tell that Caster about what you just said… Then you better bribe me with bluefin tuna sushi."
"Would you dare tell her?"
Shinji smirked mockingly.
"Aren't you afraid you might not be able to leave Medea's room for an entire day?"
"..."
Arturia's face stiffened.
She had been so focused on extorting him that she had completely forgotten about that.
It was an unspoken truth among the Servants—
Medea was obsessed with her.
Though never publicly acknowledged, everyone knew it.
Thanks to her position as the film set's prop master and her crafting skills, Medea had created a massive collection of Arturia-themed merchandise.
Most of it?
For her private collection.
A small portion, however, had been sold to a select few within the production team.
As for who bought them and what they were using them for…
Arturia didn't know.
And didn't dare think about it.
But every time she saw Medea drooling and calling her name over and over—
"Saber~ Saber~"
She shuddered.
And because Shinji knew exactly how terrified she was, he had no fear at all.
"Damn you, Master— you're the worst!"
Arturia pouted angrily.
'This girl… When she's not in her 'foodie mode' and when she is… it's like two completely different people.'
Shinji pictured it in his mind—
The majestic King of Knights, wrapped up in her famous futon, looking grumpy and menacing…
And then, the adorable little glutton sitting in front of him now.
Unable to resist, he reached out and lightly pinched her ear.
"Alright, alright. I give up. How about I treat you to ramen next time?"
"Really?!"
Arturia's face, which had been on the verge of sulking, lit up instantly.
"Of course."
Seeing how easily she was bribed, Shinji's fond smile gradually shifted into something…
More mischievous.
Treating her to a meal? That was easy.
What happened after the meal was what really mattered…
Meanwhile, on the big screen, Super 8's story continued.
However, compared to the intense action sequence from before, the narrative now took on a much slower pace.
The audience wasn't watching Mebius travel through dimensions, defeating enemies left and right.
Instead, they were watching…
A regular office worker's ordinary life.
Waking up late, skipping breakfast to rush to work, getting nagged by his boss, dealing with annoying coworkers, and getting hassled by difficult clients…
This was the daily reality of the film's protagonist—
Daigo Madoka.
'Damn… this is too real…'
Watching Daigo force a polite smile while handling demanding foreign tourists, Li Ri'ang felt a deep connection to the scene.
Because this was his exact work experience.
'It's like a perfect mirror of my life… no, wait—'
Li Ri'ang's lips twisted into a bitter grin.
'There is one difference…'
'I don't have a girlfriend, dammit!'
<+>
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