Chapter 236: The Corporate Drone Life of a Human Host
If Shinji had to evaluate the original Daigo's corporate drone life, he would describe it with just one word—half-baked.
Shinji strongly suspected that Johnny & Associates had interfered in the original Super 8 to maintain their idol's image.
Even though the Heisei trio never fulfilled their childhood dreams, compared to Asuka and Gamu, Daigo's life could be considered pretty great.
Aside from being bombarded with questions by foreign tourists, Daigo's white-collar life was practically perfect.
He got free breakfast from Grandpa Hokuto on his way to work, had great relationships with his colleagues, and even had a beautiful girlfriend.
From every angle, Daigo was just an average Japanese guy living a good life.
If there was any regret, it would be that becoming an astronaut was never a realistic dream for an ordinary person!
There was also a possibility that screenwriter Keiichi Hasegawa believed that for an Ultraman human host, failing to become an astronaut and ending up as a corporate worker was already tragic enough for kids.
But how could Shinji allow Daigo to live such a blissful life?!
As someone who had been a corporate drone before, Shinji Matou was filled with jealousy toward Daigo's so-called "fortunate" working life.
Tch!
No, Shinji believed that children should understand the cruelty of society.
Wait, that's not right either.
Shinji, after expanding Super 8's target audience from children to all age groups, simply wanted to make the story more realistic.
Thus, Shinji focused on portraying the bitterness of Daigo's life in the tourism bureau—endless tasks every day, workplace pressure from all directions, and the exhausting grind that left him drained day after day.
Of course, Shinji wasn't some kind of sadist. His detailed depiction of Daigo's miserable work life wasn't for some strange personal satisfaction.
Beyond laying the groundwork for future plot developments, Daigo's white-collar routine was designed to create a sense of immersion for adult viewers.
Shinji was convinced that among those watching Super 8, there would be many adults who had once been fans of Ultraman.
They had once sat in front of the TV, watching the warriors of the Land of Light fight to protect Earth, making promise after promise with these heroes, and dreaming of becoming warriors of light themselves.
However, as they grew older, those beautiful dreams were gradually buried by the mundane realities of life—crushing academic pressure or overwhelming work burdens stripping away their longing for the light, until they, too, became ordinary people drifting along with society—just like Daigo on the big screen.
Well, maybe that wasn't entirely accurate—after all, most people probably wouldn't have the luck of marrying a beautiful girlfriend like Daigo did.
But Shinji believed that Rena's stunning looks would make up for this shortfall and enhance the immersion.
Don't believe it? Just check online novel reviews—protagonists described as "plain-looking" rarely get attention, but the moment the protagonist is described as "devastatingly handsome," a bunch of readers suddenly find it very immersive.
"Ah-choo!"
Li Ri'ang sniffled, a hint of confusion flashing across his face.
"I just said I don't have a girlfriend, and now I'm sneezing—does that mean some beauty out there is thinking about me?"
Of course, no one was going to respond to Li Ri'ang's comment, which was basically an extension of the Three Great Human Delusions.
Not to mention that in an IMAX theater—designed specifically for an immersive experience—whispering among the audience might not even be heard by those nearby.
Even if someone did hear Li Ri'ang's nonsense, they wouldn't care enough to react—after all, the movie's plot was unfolding, and who had the time to comment on a random guy's "peach-eating" remarks?
There was nothing unusual about progressing the plot at this point. Even though Shinji had more runtime to work with than the original Super 8, that extra time wasn't meant to showcase the drudgery of corporate life—it was reserved for action scenes.
So, after giving a brief glimpse into Daigo's daily routine to help the audience relate to him, the movie quickly transitioned into the main storyline.
The sky over Yokohama displayed a strange mirage, appearing as though the city had been abandoned.
And it wasn't just Yokohama. To emphasize the global scale of the movie, Shinji made sure similar mirages appeared in major cities worldwide.
This—this was what you called scale.
One of the reasons Japanese tokusatsu often feels small in scope is because its scale isn't big enough.
Sure, Japanese tokusatsu frequently deals with "global crises," but in reality, everything always happens within Japan's tiny borders. It lacks the sense of worldwide catastrophe that Hollywood movies deliver.
So this time, Shinji didn't hold back—what originally only happened in Yokohama was now spreading across the entire planet.
After all, the movie's setting explicitly described this as a global crisis.
Shinji also made some changes to Daigo's hallucination scene.
In the original Super 8, which was essentially a sequel to Mebius & Ultra Brothers, Daigo learned about the human host identities of the Showa Four through Mebius & Ultra Brothers.
But since Shinji had scrapped that movie entirely, all related plot points were gone as well.
So, to ensure that Daigo could still learn about the Ultraman human hosts, Shinji modified this part of the story.
Instead of seeing vague visions, Daigo now saw a ruined Yokohama—more specifically, a timeline in which the Black Silhouette had successfully invaded.
In this version of events, the human hosts awakened too late, and the Black Silhouette had already unleashed a wave of monsters that devastated the world.
What Daigo saw was a world where cities lay in ruins, monsters continued their rampage, and Ultraman warriors kept fighting.
As he wandered through the wreckage of the city, Daigo not only saw the four elderly men he knew transforming into Ultraman, but also witnessed the appearance of a different, unfamiliar warrior—Ultraman Tiga.
Unfortunately, since Daigo had not yet awakened his own powers, he had no idea who this warrior was—only that he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
This hallucination didn't last long. Shinji only gave the audience a brief taste—just enough to establish the movie's setting, provide a visually stunning action scene, and then smoothly transition back to reality.
That evening, while dining at Dan Moroboshi's Hawaiian restaurant, Daigo brought up what he had seen to Asuka and Gamu.
The two immediately burst into laughter.
After all, the Ultraman TV series never mentioned the existence of human hosts in their world—Ultraman were simply Ultraman, guardians from the Land of Light who only appeared when humanity was in extreme danger.
However, their amusement didn't last long before reality slapped them in the face.
Because the next day, when the mirages appeared once more, both Asuka and Gamu experienced their own visions—just like Daigo.
But unlike Daigo, who saw the Showa Four transforming, Asuka and Gamu saw themselves becoming Ultraman.
As the three discussed their experiences, the conversation turned to one of Gamu's past lectures—on parallel worlds.
Daigo speculated that maybe what they had seen was real—a glimpse of events occurring in another parallel universe.
Unlike in the original Super 8, where Asuka and Gamu dismissed the idea outright, this time, they weren't so quick to scoff. Instead, they were left in a state of uneasy doubt.
For the three of them, reality was far from ideal. They hadn't achieved their childhood dreams and were now just drifting along in society, working to make a living.
Their monotonous daily lives left them unsatisfied. If they could actually transform into Ultraman and become heroes, they would undoubtedly jump at the chance.
This was one of the more noticeable differences between Shinji's Super 8 and the original version—Shinji's take placed greater emphasis on character psychology and gradual transformation, rather than being as straightforward as the original.
Such detailed writing made the character arcs feel more grounded in reality, making it easier for the audience to relate.
Heroes aren't made overnight. In a well-crafted film, a character's development should flow smoothly, with their mindset shifting gradually over time.
At this stage, the three of them only thought being Ultraman was cool—a way to escape their dull reality. They hadn't yet considered the true meaning of becoming Ultraman.
On the other hand, even though their lives were repetitive and uninspiring, they weren't facing any real survival crises. So, there wasn't an urgent need for them to transform into Ultraman.
It wasn't that the original Super 8 handled its characters poorly—it simply had a different focus. The original story had clear-cut morals and was easy for children to understand.
However, in Shinji's version, because of how personally invested he was in the film, the core themes naturally leaned toward an adult audience.
Fortunately, the special effects in Shinji's version were leagues ahead of the original—far beyond standard tokusatsu, much closer to the Hollywood blockbusters from his past life.
Combined with Shinji's reputation as a director, this would attract a young audience that wouldn't normally watch tokusatsu films, making up for the loss of the original's child audience.
"Man, I really am incredible—bringing in a level of hype that surpasses anything the Ultraman franchise has ever seen."
Admiring his own work, Shinji leaned back in his chair, elegantly crossing his legs. His smirk widened.
If he had a glass of red wine in his hand at that moment, he would have looked exactly like a final boss operating behind the scenes.
"If it were just Tsuburaya handling this, there's no way they could shoot it like I did. The film would be a total flop."
"In that case, they wouldn't even have to wait two more years—they might as well pack up and hand themselves over to TYO right now."
Hearing Shinji's arrogant remark, Kazuo Tsuburaya, who was sitting behind him, quickly interjected, "Shinji, my friend, please don't say such terrifying things. If TYO really took over the company, us Tsuburaya folks would be kicked to the curb for sure!"
Shinji rolled his eyes at Kazuo Tsuburaya.
In the original timeline, you guys were kicked out. And honestly, you had it coming!
Kazuo Tsuburaya felt wronged after being glared at.
He was praising Shinji for being better than TYO—so why did he get the stink eye?
"I just think cleaning up other people's messes is exhausting," Shinji sighed. "Because the ones making the mess never realize just how badly they've screwed up."
"...Let's just get back to watching the movie," Kazuo Tsuburaya chuckled awkwardly and shrank back, feeling the weight of Shinji's disdainful gaze.
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