Chapter 284: Reporter Q&A (×) Hype Generation (√)
Sure, Shinji was the only member of the Super 8 crew to attend the film festival in person, but that didn't mean he—or Type-Moon—was taking the Chinese market lightly.
Far from it.
In fact, Type-Moon's local branch had been pulling out all the stops to promote Super 8.
Yes, it was a film directed by Shinji, the reincarnated modern-day miracle worker, but anyone familiar with Tsuburaya's scripts could tell what was going on here.
Let's be honest: how many films get taken down, re-reviewed, and then put back up with only a few trivial edits—edits so small they felt like someone just picked a fight with some harmless egg yolk in a gourmet dish?
And not just that—no drastic cuts, no reshoots, no massive rewrites.
Just a light polish, and boom, re-release.
You'd be hard-pressed to find another film like it anywhere on the internet.
Add to that the higher ticket prices enabled by the cutting-edge glasses-free 3D tech, plus Shinji's past track record of box office success... And it was no surprise the Chinese authorities gave Super 8 the full greenlight.
In fact, they didn't just give it the greenlight—they actively helped with the promo campaign.
Take this for example: they issued discount movie coupons for primary and secondary school students nationwide, encouraging them to watch Super 8 during the weekend.
The official reason?
Of course—"exposing students to advanced technology" and "broadening their horizons."
All those fancy educational-sounding justifications.
Some schools even organized entire class outings to the theater.
Honestly, no other foreign film had ever been treated this well.
Only in this particular era could something like that even happen.
If you give it a few years, then even domestic films that checked every political box wouldn't get that kind of treatment.
But in the end, it was understandable.
At its core, it was a top-down initiative. The higher-ups had their own goals.
Let's be real—inviting Director Shinji Matou all the way here wasn't just for cultural exchange and "friendly Sino-Japanese film relations."
The real objective was simple:
Maximize Super 8' box office revenue and boost the country's annual ticket sales data in a big, flashy way.
Shinji understood it was a win-win, so naturally, he played along.
He was more than happy to cooperate with the promotional efforts.
Over the next few days of the film festival, news and ads for Super 8 flooded every media outlet in the region.
Audiences, having heard rave reviews from advance screening attendees, couldn't wait to see the 3D magic for themselves.
Tickets were flying off the shelves days in advance.
Then came June 23rd—the Super 8 premiere.
Even before sunset, the plaza in front of the Shanghai Grand Cinema was packed wall-to-wall with excited fans.
Everyone was eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of the legendary director who had conquered the global box office.
Besides fans, a horde of entertainment reporters and film industry insiders also swarmed the venue.
Scenes like this had already played out countless times during the film festival.
Every screening, every red carpet, always drew in waves of celebrities looking to ride the hype—And, naturally, waves of reporters snapping away at them like machine-gun flashes.
Despite being the film's director, Shinji didn't linger too long on the red carpet.
After all, Super 8 wasn't part of the competition section.
It was just being showcased.
There was no need to push hard for publicity.
So Shinji simply made a quick walk through the red carpet zone and finished the segment.
There is no point in keeping the fans waiting.
Even the customary pre-screening speech was brief and formulaic.
He offered some kind words for the film festival, complimented the audience, and gave the usual wishes for a "bright future for Chinese cinema"—Nothing but polite, rehearsed lines.
Because Shinji knew the truth that tor a film like Super 8, no amount of flowery speech could compare to just letting the audience see it with their own eyes.
That's what had worked in every other country around the globe.
And so, the screening began.
Just like everywhere else, the audience in China was instantly captivated—mesmerized by the spectacle of glasses-free 3D and dazzling visual effects.
They might not have understood the techniques behind it.
They didn't need to.
They only knew one thing—
This movie looked absolutely incredible.
"I've never seen a movie this freaking awesome!"
That was the reaction of someone watching Super 8 for the very first time.
"I told you already—it's the best damn film on the planet right now!"
Said another, who had already seen it once and was now back for round two.
"This is the Ultraman movie I've always dreamed of!"
That came from a fan who had been dying to see the film and finally got their wish.
As Daigo and the others finally triumphed over the Black Silhouette and the world returned to peaceful daily life, the film drew to a close.
Thunderous applause erupted inside the theater.
Many audience members even stood up to give a standing ovation.
Now, normally, clapping at the end of a movie wasn't really part of local culture—but with the world-famous director Shinji Matou present at the premiere, the audience was more than happy to show their appreciation.
Of course, it wasn't the first time this happened.
Back during the film festival's opening screening of The White Countess, the audience had applauded too.
Though, let's be honest—that was more because every big-name official in the festival was sitting right there, and not clapping would've been... awkward.
Even though the movie had ended, Shinji didn't immediately leave the venue.
Instead, accompanied by Li Ri'ang, he made his way to the press room next to the theater for the post-screening media interview.
Since he was the only one from the Super 8 team who'd shown up, all questions naturally landed squarely on his shoulders.
"Director Matou, in your opinion, what is the most important element in Super 8?"
Shinji paused for a moment before replying with a composed smile:
"Undoubtedly, it was creating the most impactful visuals possible."
"Ultramen and Kaiju, with their massive, towering designs, are practically made for 3D spectacle! My job was to bring out that advantage to the fullest—to give audiences breathtaking scenes, flawless in every aspect, completely immersive from start to finish."
The host nodded and pointed to another reporter, signaling them to speak.
This next reporter stood up and went straight to the point:
"Director Matou, in the Fate series, you're known for integrating character combat closely with their signature weapons—especially Saber's sword, which sparked a worldwide trend of sword choreography."
"But in Super 8, there's surprisingly little weapon-based action. Why is that?"
Shinji nodded knowingly.
Of course, the real reason was that audiences were starting to feel burned out after so many Fate films with intense, stylized weapon fights. He didn't want to trigger action fatigue.
But he couldn't exactly say that.
Instead, he gave the kind of answer everyone wanted to hear.
"Each movie has its own combat style. After discussions with Tsuburaya Productions, we felt that the heart of Ultraman battles has always been hand-to-hand combat. That's the pure, nostalgic Ultraman we grew up with."
"So, based on the unique traits of Ultraman fight choreography, our production team developed personalized fighting styles for each suit actor, training them extensively to ensure every on-screen moment felt alive and authentic."
That's a lie.
First off—this whole "Ultraman should stick to punching and kicking" thing was pure nonsense.
Shinji had already told Tsuburaya: the new generation of Ultramen needed to be designed with weapons in mind.
Why?
Simple:
It's because the Heroic Spirit actors are far more skilled with weapons, and more importantly—merchandising.
More weapons meant more toys, which meant more revenue.
That was the golden rule of any successful tokusatsu franchise.
As for all that talk about developing fighting styles?
Yeah, no.
There was no way any of the Heroic Spirits would let Shinji micromanage their fight choreography.
His job was to describe what kind of scene he wanted, and then those non-human powerhouses would do the rest—flawlessly, instinctively, with more presence than any human stunt team could ever match.
But facts aside, people didn't always want the truth.
Sometimes, they just wanted something that sounded right.
And Shinji's answer?
It sounded right.
It fit perfectly into the romanticized nostalgia that everyone held for Ultraman.
As the interview went on, a few more reporters stood up to ask questions.
Shinji answered them all with ease and grace.
To be fair, the entertainment reporters here were actually pretty professional.
Especially when dealing with foreign guests, they rarely asked anything sharp or provocative.
Most of the questions were focused on Super 8 and its cinematic elements.
With his level of experience, Shinji handled them effortlessly.
'Looks like this interview is going to go smoothly. Nothing weird so far. Should wrap up cleanly.'
But of course, Murphy's Law had other plans.
Just when Shinji thought things were wrapping up smoothly, the universe tossed him a curveball.
"Director Matou, during the premiere, a reporter asked about the possibility of you working with Chinese actors. You flat-out refused to answer. I'm curious—are you always this cocky when giving interviews?"
"Tch."
Shinji clicked his tongue and forced a smile.
He had just been thinking no one would ask anything sharp, and boom—some genius had to go and open that can of worms.
To be fair, the reporter didn't think he was doing anything wrong.
In fact, he thought he was being helpful.
After all, the clip of Shinji dodging that question at the premiere had already gone viral.
So the guy figured: Wouldn't it be better if Director Matou just said something nice now? Patch it up? Smile and wave? PR 101, right?
What he didn't know was that the man in front of him was Shinji Matou—a textbook example of a guy who, the harder you push, the harder he digs in his heels.
Even if the reporter meant well, Shinji wasn't going to play along.
Why?
Because Shinji didn't just look at the next 10 minutes—he looked at the next 10 years. Heck, even 20.
And he knew from experience: the more sensitive a topic, the less you should say.
Every careless word was a future landmine waiting to blow up in your face.
Still, now that the question had been asked again, he couldn't exactly dodge it twice.
Doing so would just make him look shady.
But Shinji was no amateur.
If the Silent Treatment wasn't going to cut it, then it was time for Plan B.
Straight from the gospel of Jim Hacker himself—The Thirty-Six Stratagems of Dealing with Journalists: Answer the Question You Wish They Asked.
"Why?" Shinji responded seriously, staring straight at the reporter.
"Why would you say I'm cocky?"
"Huh?"
The room fell silent.
No one could quite figure out what the hell he was trying to do now.
Shinji shook his head, looking genuinely aggrieved.
"I just don't get it. Why would you describe me with a cow-related term like 'cocky'?"
He even added air quotes.
"Wait, what?"
A few of the smarter reporters started to sense danger.
"What about tigers? Lions? Don't they deserve some respect?"
He continued with a perfectly straight face.
Reporters: "..."
"I mean, come on. Aren't those animals way more badass than a cow?"
Reporters: "..."
"And if we're talking real top-tier land animals, shouldn't we be saying Tyrannosaurus Rex instead? So shouldn't it be: Tyrannosaurus—bleep—?!"
Host (shouting over him):
"Thank you, Director Matou, for your time! That concludes the press session—!!"
Reporters: "..."
And the next day?
The phrase "Tyrannosaurus—bleep—" hit the trending topics list like a meteor, rocketing straight up the hot search charts.
Because of course it did.
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