Fate/Apocrypha, the signature work by the remarkable Higashide, was also meant to be the next project following Super 8 according to Shinji's plans.
Of course, as Shinji figures it, his own production of Fate/Apocrypha will bear little resemblance to Higashide's FA besides the name and general outline.
There's no helping it—FA was written during one of Higashide's more "eccentric" periods.
Whether in the light novel or anime adaptations, the story hasn't exactly received glowing reviews.
As a literary creator himself, Shinji somewhat understands the struggles that Yūichirō Higashide faced.
The idea of a Holy Grail War with the Red and Blue teams sounds exciting, but it also means that there would be 14 teams, or 28 main characters, in the work. And this doesn't even include various supporting characters, who would need screen time, too.
If FA had stuck to its original concept as a game, the Fate Online Project, it might have worked.
After all, in games, players easily spend tens or hundreds of hours, so there'd be plenty of content for them to engage with a vast cast.
But as a novel or anime, this red vs. blue team concept creates problems due to the sheer volume of characters, making it difficult to balance screen time for all of them.
Even though Higashide took a shortcut by killing off a group of Masters early on, there were still over 20 characters left to write about.
Given these constraints, even if Nasu himself were writing it, limited to a maximum of 10 light novels, it would still be hard to make it truly exceptional.
After all, Nasu tends to be a verbose author.
If he were to write FA with no restrictions, he could easily fill a 20-novel series with that content.
This isn't Shinji trying to defend Higashide's writing; in Shinji's eyes, Type-Moon probably shouldn't have revived this scrapped project in the first place.
Shinji can guess what Type-Moon was thinking at the time: they simply wanted to expand the Fate IP beyond FSN, but Higashide didn't manage to fulfill this mission very well.
The reason Shinji understands this perspective is because he has a similar thought.
To expand the Fate IP and the Type-Moon cinematic universe's worldbuilding, they have to step out of Fuyuki City, at least temporarily.
Another reason Shinji wants to adapt FA is that he hopes to use a big-budget effects film to promote his 3D film technology.
Super 8 can only be considered an appetizer for this technology, a technical experiment; Shinji needs a film that could ignite a global viewing frenzy.
While Higashide's FA script isn't great, its characters are still crucial.
Mordred, Jeanne, Astolfo... these are characters that could shine in future Fate series, and Shinji needs a work to introduce them.
Of course, as mentioned, Shinji would be using only FA's outline, planning to personally handle the story details himself.
The same story can have drastically different effects depending on who tells it; just look at the difference between the director's cut of Justice League and the theatrical version.
To handle the issue of the excessive character count in FA, Shinji plans to go even further than Higashide.
While Higashide started by eliminating a team of Masters, Shinji intends to simply eliminate any irrelevant characters aside from the film's main cast—out of sight, out of mind.
As for FA's storyline, Shinji decided to go with a model inspired by the Marvel Avengers style, where the distinct main characters join together through a series of events to form a group and fight the main villain (Amakusa).
In short, Shinji's version of FA would be a straightforward, action-packed blockbuster.
"A popcorn flick is definitely better than watching Higashide's mess," Shinji proclaimed, casting a defiant look around. "I'm finished—who agrees? Who objects?"
""""...""""
Everyone around remained silently sipping tea, not acknowledging Shinji at all.
Unsurprising, as none of them had any idea who Higashide was or the "Who agrees, who objects?" line from Tony Leung Ka-fai.
"Meh, self-entertainment is no fun," grumbled Shinji, disappointed at the lack of response.
Despite having settled on the content of his next film, Shinji isn't jumping straight into production.
The post-production for Super 8 isn't finished, and while the HF series has wrapped, it still requires significant promotion.
Not to mention, FA's script is still just a rough outline and far from finished.
And, perhaps most importantly, it's already December, with New Year's celebrations approaching—a crucial time filled with social gatherings and events.
So even for preliminary work, the FA project would have to wait until after New Year's.
Just as Shinji was preparing to squeeze in some last-minute post-production work on Super 8, he received a video call from his uncle in China.
"Shinji, I've basically negotiated your request."
Kariya appeared weary and exhausted on the screen—it was clear he hadn't had the best time recently.
Shinji wasn't interested in his uncle's premature aging; he was only interested in what his uncle had to say.
"What did they say?"
Shinji hoped to personally attend the Super 8 premiere in China to promote the film.
Ideally, he wanted the main cast to join him, assuming they were physically able. However, China had strict rules regarding foreign public figures participating in promotional events, so Shinji wasn't overly confident.
"They've agreed to your conditions in principle, but they want you to bring Super 8 to next year's Shanghai Film Festival in June."
Upon hearing this, Shinji smirked. "So that's what they're after—hoping I'd help draw a crowd."
Next year, specifically 2006, would mark the ninth Shanghai Film Festival, which would be a historic milestone.
Whether in terms of the number of film submissions or the renowned domestic and international filmmakers attending, this Shanghai Film Festival promises unprecedented growth. Shinji might be one of the internationally recognized filmmakers invited by the organizers. He had thought this world might be a little different, but the Shanghai Film Festival doesn't seem to have changed much at all.
"Shinji, you're quite famous here," Kariya remarked with a hint of frustration, "I've seen countless Fate movie DVDs on the streets—"
Anticipating where Kariya was going with this, Shinji cut him off. "Take it easy. The market needs cultivation; we can't rush it."
"Fine, it's up to you," Kariya said with a resigned sigh. Then, after checking his laptop, he continued, "There's one more condition—they need you to send over the completed screening version of the film by mid-April at the latest, so they can…"
"Review it? Got it," Shinji nodded.
Every market worldwide requires pre-release screenings for review, though the approaches may vary. And while North America's MPAA rating system is technically voluntary, no reputable theater would screen a film that hasn't been through the MPAA review process.
"My film will definitely be ready before March," Shinji assured him. "By then, I'll send it over."
Super 8 was scheduled to release in Japan and North America in May, so even if post-production wrapped up in April, it would still be on time. As for any concerns over censorship, Shinji wasn't worried at all.
Aside from the HF series, all of his works had easily passed international review standards without even approaching any controversial boundaries—although he had only released two films in theaters so far.
With Super 8, which still followed the standard Ultraman narrative structure, there should be no issue at all.
What does a standard Ultraman story involve? Clear morals, a strong sense of right and wrong, justice prevailing in the end—nothing even close to a controversial line.
"Alright, got it," Kariya noted, typing something on his laptop.
Then, hesitantly, he asked, "Shinji, my work here is almost wrapped up—will I be able to come back for New Year?"
Shinji retorted, "Of course! If you are going to spend New Year abroad, Grandpa would kill me."
"That's a relief," Kariya sighed deeply.
Too bad, Shinji's next words left him momentarily paralyzed.
"After New Year, you can return to China on another work trip."
"Shi↑nji↓!!" Kariya yelled.
"Well then, Uncle—see you at New Year," Shinji ended the call before Kariya could protest.
Too bad, Shinji forgot one vital rule: what goes around, comes around.
Sending his uncle on that trip meant that, when he got home, Grandpa Matou had another work trip planned for him.
"Hey, kid," Matou Zouken's voice left no room for negotiation, "Tomorrow's year-end magus' banquet—you're coming with me. You're one of the most prominent young talents in Japan's magic scene; it wouldn't hurt to show your face occasionally, would it?"
"Tomorrow? It's only early December!" Shinji protested, not surprised at being asked to attend the banquet, just annoyed by the timing.
"It's your fault!" Zouken huffed. "You set the HF release for mid-month, so those guys moved up the banquet to catch it as soon as it came out."
Shinji sighed, rubbing his temples in exasperation. "Can't these magus just focus on their magecraft? What good is obsessing over films all day?"
"Listen to you!" Zouken chuckled. "If it weren't for all the magical lore and mysteries you've woven into those films, would they be this obsessed? Thanks to you, the quality of magecraft research papers has improved significantly. You've opened their eyes...all thanks to you, kid."
Shinji's face contorted into an awkward grimace. "So...it's actually happening right in front of me: cultivator watching Journey to the West to learn cultivation..."
<+>
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