NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 93: Chapter 95: Tsuburaya, You're in Trouble
The day after the party, Shinji resumed his nine-to-five job at the studio.
However, Shinji didn't just let the matter with Tsuburaya Corporation slide. With the intention of potentially buying the company, he instructed his secretary, Ophelia, to gather as much detailed information as possible about Tsuburaya Corporation's current situation.
Shinji was never one to act impulsively; he preferred to plan several steps ahead. He wouldn't foolishly intervene in the power struggle between Tsuburaya and TYO.
Ophelia's investigation would take some time, so Shinji quickly put the matter aside and focused on the production of the TV series.
After finishing a segment of studio filming, Shinji took the crew out to the streets to shoot outdoor scenes, in order to save time for the props team to rearrange the set.
Both the UBW and HF production teams didn't have many outdoor scenes in Fuyuki City, and the difficulty wasn't high.
Thanks to the cooperation of Fuyuki City's government, which actively assisted Shinji's filming by closing off streets and providing other conveniences, the production went smoothly. The government even prepared substantial tax refunds for the crew.
The previous fan engagement event organized by Shinji attracted a large number of visitors to Fuyuki City, stimulating local consumption significantly.
The Fuyuki City government was delighted to see this development and began to support Type-Moon Film and Television Company, hoping to turn Fuyuki City into Japan's Cannes.
It's worth noting that without the film festival, Cannes would just be a relatively unknown third-rate tourist town in France.
Shinji was quite surprised by the support from the Fuyuki City government.
He wasn't surprised that the Fuyuki City government would offer policies to assist him, but rather that these government officials had taken action so quickly.
Originally, Shinji thought that the city officials would need at least three years of meetings to reach a conclusion.
The slow efficiency and poor execution of the Japanese government are world-renowned.
Anyone who wants to understand just how incompetent the Japanese government can be can simply watch Anno's "Shin Godzilla."
One could say that Japanese directors naturally excel at this kind of satirical criticism.
It wasn't just Shinji and his Type-Moon Film Company that received preferential treatment from the Fuyuki City government; Time Group also received similar support.
It's well known that American companies have a habit of building large buildings whenever they open branches in a new area.
Movie companies are even more extravagant, often not only building large structures but also creating their own film studios.
The preferential treatment from the Fuyuki City government made it very convenient for Time Group to undertake large-scale construction projects in the city.
The only dilemma for Time Group was that the largest plots of land in Fuyuki City were all occupied by the Einzbern family.
If Time Group wanted to secure a large enough area to build their own film studio, they would have to purchase land in a neighboring city.
That is, provided that Time Group could also secure policy benefits from the neighboring city, as land prices were quite high.
"What a waste. Why don't you just use the Einzbern family's studio? The rent isn't even that expensive," Shinji complained to Cloris while shooting on location in Fuyuki City.
"It's too small," Cloris replied disdainfully. "And renting isn't as convenient as owning."
"You Americans just love everything big," Shinji chuckled as he made the remark and then continued focusing on the filming.
The biggest challenge of filming on location in the city wasn't the shooting itself, but getting the desired shots as quickly as possible.
Road closures are a hassle and a nuisance for any city. Even with permission from the city government, Shinji had to hurry up with the shooting to avoid inconveniencing the local residents.
Fortunately, the lead actor, Gilgamesh, was in good form for this shoot. As long as he could maintain this state, the production schedule would be on track.
And even if Gilgamesh couldn't maintain his form, Shinji had a way to ensure he would. This method was known as "Have Enkidu around."
Though Gilgamesh wouldn't behave like a good kid in front of Enkidu, Enkidu could at least make Gilgamesh follow Shinji's directions for the shoot.
Whenever Gilgamesh acted up, Enkidu would use the Chains of Heaven to bring him in line.
Sometimes, Shinji really couldn't understand why Gilgamesh had summoned Enkidu in the first place. Wasn't he just asking for trouble?
Originally, Gilgamesh had lived a life of luxury in Fuyuki City without needing to care about Shinji's orders as his Master.
But now, with Enkidu around, he had to mind his behavior and actions constantly.
Though Gilgamesh wasn't exactly tame, as soon as Enkidu coughed, he would immediately fall in line.
At this moment, in front of the camera, on an empty street, Gilgamesh was engaged in combat with a series of black ribbons.
Gilgamesh continuously launched attacks at the ribbons, while the opponent deflected all the incoming Noble Phantasms with the black ribbons.
In front of the camera, Gilgamesh was running after the "Black Grail," which had started to flee.
For a long-range combat unit, the speed at which Gilgamesh was currently running was nearly at its limit.
"Cut! That's a wrap. Everyone take a five-minute break."
Behind the camera, Shinji raised his head and called for a stop. "Take five minutes. Assistant, touch up Gilgamesh's makeup."
The tall Gilgamesh leaned against a prop car parked on the side of the road, bending over and panting heavily.
It seemed that this was the limit of this particular Servant's abilities. Shinji couldn't understand how Enkidu could tolerate this man who was prone to exhaustion.
To ensure the Servant actor's condition, Shinji walked over to speak directly to Gilgamesh.
"How are you holding up? Can you keep going?"
In response to Shinji's question, Gilgamesh first let out a cold snort and then pulled out a glass of wine from his treasury.
"Master, you need not worry," Enkidu replied with a smile. "As long as he can drink, there's no problem. Let him run a few more times, and his condition will improve."
"Hey, Enkidu! What do you mean by that?"
Gilgamesh, who was in the middle of drinking, choked on his wine at Enkidu's comment.
"Nothing, running more is good for your health." Enkidu pinched Gilgamesh's belly lightly. "Look, you're getting a bit of a gut."
"I'm a Servant now; how could I possibly get fat!" Gilgamesh roared. "If you want to see me embarrassed, just say so!"
Enkidu continued to smile serenely. "How could I, Gil? We're good friends, aren't we?"
Listening to these two, Shinji could only shake his head in exasperation and then announced an extension of the break to fifteen minutes.
Even though Gilgamesh was known as the "Wise King of Uruk," that only meant he was wise; running wasn't his forte.
In the words of a television script, "Running is not my strong suit."
However, fifteen minutes was the maximum break time Shinji could afford. Although the road wasn't particularly busy, occupying it for too long wasn't ideal.
Shinji stood up and walked to the street corner, looking at the layout of the intersection, pondering ways to make the shot more aesthetically pleasing.
Recently, Shinji had reviewed all the footage he had shot, realizing that his shots were too straightforward and lacked depth.
While he wasn't aiming to create an art film, he hoped that some of his close-up shots would evoke a sense of beauty in the audience.
"Boss."
Ophelia walked over, obediently handing Shinji a bottle of water.
"Ophelia, you should have the assistant do this kind of thing."
Despite his words, Shinji accepted the bottle with a smile.
"You haven't been using the computer to look at those random things again, have you?" Shinji asked, glancing at her as he unscrewed the cap.
Ophelia's blogging activities had eventually been exposed.
There was no helping it. This normally obedient and naive girl suddenly acting out of character was obviously unusual.
With a little bit of coaxing, Ophelia spilled everything.
As a result, she was now prohibited from using the computer for anything other than work.
Ophelia calmly replied, "No, Boss. How could I not follow your instructions?"
"Oh."
Shinji nodded and took a sip of water.
In truth, Shinji was unaware that Ophelia was indeed obediently not using the computer to chat with her online friends because she was now using her flip phone to communicate with them.
Shinji, who had always thought non-smartphones were junk, had overlooked this loophole.
Shinji took another sip of water and then asked, "Have you got the information I asked you to look up?"
Ophelia knew Shinji was referring to the data on Tsuburaya Productions. She nodded and handed over a file folder. "I've asked someone to investigate. Everything is in here."
Shinji opened the folder and skimmed through it.
When he saw Tsuburaya's financial situation over the past two years, his lips twitched.
"This is... getting caught in my own drama."
According to the investigation report, Tsuburaya's need to borrow money was ultimately linked to Shinji.
In the past two years, their key merchandise partner, Bandai, had shown less interest in producing related toys, leading to a significant reduction in Ultraman merchandise, which in turn caused Tsuburaya's cash flow to tighten year by year.
The reason for Bandai's shift was simple: they were busy selling Fate merchandise worldwide, leaving no time for Ultraman.
Sure, Bandai had a soft spot for tokusatsu, but the profits from Fate were just too immense.
Ultraman didn't earn as much as Fate, and it didn't hold the same closeness as Kamen Rider or Super Sentai. Naturally, this neglected stepchild was gradually abandoned by Bandai.
Tsuburaya, you've had it rough.
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