Chapter 247: Master, Are You Trying to Freeload?
[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]!]
Seeing Li Ri'ang's comment on screen, many of his online friends suddenly became very interested in Super 8.
Most of them hadn't gotten the chance to attend the special screening—some didn't win the lottery, others didn't have access to IMAX theaters in their city.
But what they did share was a deep love for the Ultraman series.
After hearing Li Ri'ang hype the movie up like that, their expectations shot through the roof.
This current generation of fans was just like the Transformers fans back in an alternate version of 2007—seeing the heroes of their childhood appear on the big screen in a more epic and badass form stirred up a huge wave of nostalgia and pride.
And unlike Michael Bay—who seemed hellbent on ruining childhoods—Matou Shinji was built different.
Even though the slime-suit material upgrades meant that the Ultraman designs in Super 8 looked a bit different from Tsuburaya's originals, that difference actually made the Ultramen and kaiju look more realistic.
Tsuburaya's own suits, with their rounded and smooth shapes, often came off as too cartoonish in comparison.
If anything, Shinji's designs were actually closer to the original concept art by the creators.
So in all aspects, Shinji's Super 8 managed to respectfully upgrade the Ultraman franchise while staying true to its roots.
And Chinese fans ate that up.
Big scenes? Awesome effects? That's all it takes to pull in casual moviegoers.
As for longtime fans, the nostalgia hit just right.
And this was only the test screening!
Major film sites in China had already plastered Dyna and Tiga all over their homepages, putting them in the most prominent positions.
In the comments section on the Super 8 page, things were absolutely exploding.
Outside of little kids who didn't have internet access, and parents who didn't really care, hundreds of fans had already flooded the review section with their thoughts:
"This movie is freakin' insane—it melted all my logical thinking while I watched!"
"The Ultraman vibes were so strong. I was chill at first, but the moment Tiga transformed, I completely lost it!"
"The movie can only be described as visually stunning. When each Ultraman did their signature battle cry, I literally couldn't breathe. This is my childhood!"
"Forget anything else—I'll just say this: I f**king LOVE this Ultraman movie."
After hyping it up with his friends, Li Ri'ang couldn't stop grinning as he browsed all the excited online comments.
He replied to many of them, gave likes to fans who were praising the film, and let the memories of his own childhood wash over him.
Back when he was just a kid running wild with the other neighborhood kids…
Back when they'd play Ultraman vs. monsters in stairwells, all taking turns being the hero or the kaiju…
Back when everyone fought to be Ultraman and beat the "monster" into the ground…
For those born in the late '80s and early '90s, Ultraman wasn't just a show—it was a core emotional bond that connected an entire generation.
Thanks to reruns on national TV, Ultraman had a fan base among the '80s and '90s kids that completely overshadowed other tokusatsu heroes, even Kamen Rider.
Even though there weren't many people who were still obsessed over Ultraman after growing up, in China, there were still active fan clubs, dedicated Ultraman forums, fan groups on Tieba, and even occasional offline events.
In the original timeline, the Ultraman fanbase gradually dwindled and was eventually overtaken by Kamen Rider. This was mostly because after entering the 21st century, Tsuburaya simply couldn't keep up—especially with several weak entries in the early New Generation series, they essentially handed over the throne.
But in this world, things were going to turn out very differently.
Thanks to Shinji's involvement, the Ultraman franchise had made a massive comeback through the film Super 8, re-entering the public spotlight in a big way. All those dormant Ultraman fans, along with kids newly obsessed with Tiga, became the movie's core audience.
As the clock passed midnight, more and more people who had attended the early screenings made it home.
And online, the hype just kept building.
On forums like Tieba, a user named "Big Bro Flamehead" left a comment:
"Saying this movie is going to be a hit is way too understated. You can't just call it a 'hit'—you gotta say it's a f**king explosion!"
On QQ, someone messaged a friend:
"Two and a half hours is kinda long, but I LOVED it! Daigo was sooo handsome! Even more handsome than Ultraman himself!!"
No one knew if it was a simp-y teenage girl or just a dude crushing hard on the human host.
Across the internet, there was no shortage of posts raving about the visual effects:
"3D movies are insane! When will we finally be able to make something like this? (Ｔ▽Ｔ)"
"One word: awesome!"
"Super mega ultra badass and explosive fun! No movie has ever made me almost pee myself in my seat like this one!"
"Bro above me, are you sure it's not a prostate problem?"
"I'd totally pay double the price of a regular ticket to see a movie of this caliber. Now this is what a big-budget movie should be! What the hell was last year's The Promise? Where'd all that money even go? Did one Chen just pass film reels to another Chen on set?"
"No idea. But hey, that Chen guy did take some pretty nice pics. I, uh, enjoyed them. In every sense of the word."
"Bro, lend me that DVD real quick."
…
Of course, not all these glowing reviews were purely from genuine moviegoers—a solid chunk were paid shills hired by Type-Moon's marketing team.
Let's be real—China's movie market at the time wasn't even in its infancy.
So with Shinji's aggressive tactics? He was basically playing on easy mode.
Especially with how cheap film critics were in China back then.
For just a few hundred yuan, "professional" critics were more than happy to sing Super 8's praises in the newspaper.
Compare that to someone like Milo Johnson, a PR manager from Shinji's own Time Group.
He spent tens of thousands of dollars just handling PR for Super 8—and that wasn't just for writing reviews. There were contracts, partnerships, a whole ecosystem to support.
Even with all that spending, though, promoting the movie in China was shockingly cheap—so much so that Shinji started thinking he might actually make a profit in China.
And that's huge, considering he originally assumed he'd lose money there just to build the 3D film market and grow an audience.
But with dirt-cheap marketing costs, Shinji could actually see a return.
That said—not everyone was on the Ultraman hype train.
On a certain film review site mostly populated by artsy hipster types (Dou●, let's say), quite a few users were already voicing their disapproval of Super 8.
Although there were a few positive remarks about the film on that platform, the overwhelming majority were negative reviews.
Many users went as far as calling for a boycott of the movie, labeling Super 8 as a "loud, boring, and soulless film."
Some even accused it of being nothing more than a glorified toy commercial:
"If you don't want to end up buying a pile of toys for your kid, then don't take them to see this film. Its only purpose is to waste your money and murder your time."
There was no doubt—these folks were not Shinji's target audience.
Fortunately, mainstream fans like Li Ri'ang, who were the intended viewers, had long since learned to treat reviews from platforms like Dou● as nothing more than a joke.
"If you want real opinions," they'd say, "go to the Tieba threads run by the high-level fans."
"Ahh… I really want to watch it again already."
Li Ri'ang glanced once more at the official release date for Super 8 in China and sighed deeply.
"There's still a whole month to go… how am I supposed to survive until then?"
He knew that even when the full release did arrive, getting to see Super 8 wouldn't necessarily be easy.
Not because tickets would be sold out—but because IMAX tickets would be near impossible to snag.
There was only one IMAX screen in the entire city, serving thousands of potential viewers.
And after having already seen the IMAX version once?
There was no going back. Watching a normal version now would feel like a downgrade he just couldn't tolerate.
"When the time comes, I'm definitely going alone. Watching it with a bunch of noisy kids again would drive me nuts."
Grumbling to himself, Li Ri'ang continued browsing the Super 8 official website.
Suddenly, something at the bottom of the page caught his eye.
"Interested in becoming one of us...?"
"Wait, what? Is this a Tsuburaya recruitment ad? Why is it tucked away in a corner like this?"
Driven by curiosity, he clicked the link.
And just like that—the door to a whole new world opened for him.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
Late night, Fuyuki City – Saizeriya Restaurant.
By the time Shinji arrived at the restaurant, Arturia and Mordred had already picked out their seats.
Not only that—they'd ordered steak and, in a rather "extravagant" gesture, a bottle of red wine.
Ordering wine at a mid-range place like Saizeriya was definitely considered a luxury move.
Judging by the look on Arturia's face, she wasn't too happy.
She seemed ticked off that Shinji had upgraded their usual post-event ramen to a restaurant dinner, then shown up late on top of it.
Shinji didn't mind her attitude. He walked straight over, pulled out a chair, sat down, and gave Mordred a glance.
"You came."
"I came."
Mordred nodded nonchalantly.
"You shouldn't have come."
"But I still came."
"…"
Shinji's mouth twitched.
Afraid the conversation was about to derail into some Gu Long-style martial arts drama, he quickly changed the topic.
"So… did you guys order anything for me?"
Arturia smirked coldly:
"Ha! Master, if you want food, go order it yourself. How should I know when you were planning to show up?"
"I got held up after the premiere," Shinji sighed. "That old man Kitagawa wouldn't let me go… seriously, he—"
As he reached into his pocket for a tissue, Shinji suddenly froze.
His expression changed.
Then, in a sheepish tone, he muttered,
"Arturia… did you bring your wallet?"
Arturia slammed her wineglass down with a sharp clink, glaring at him.
"Oh wow, Master! You invite us out for a midnight snack, change the location, and then show up without your wallet?! Are you seriously trying to mooch off me right now?!"
<+>
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