MTLNOVEL Chapter 107: Chapter 109: I Love Tiga!
At the press conference, Shinji sat in the center seat with a kind smile on his face, a stark contrast to the "tyrant" persona he had displayed at the UBW gratitude event not long ago.
This was a Tsuburaya Productions press conference, and besides Shinji, other Tsuburaya veterans like Kazuo Tsuburaya, Shinichi Ooka, and Sadahiro Iizuka were also present.
Additionally, Bandai's representative, Udagawa Nao and Kariya Matou attended the press conference.
Bandai had representation because Shinji, as he had done in his previous life, allocated 49% of the shares to Bandai to ensure they would put more effort into developing Tsuburaya toys.
Kariya's attendance was not just to follow the wealthy beauties; he had just been appointed as the executive director of Tsuburaya Productions by Shinji.
Shinji himself would not have much time to manage Tsuburaya's affairs in the future, so he conveniently assigned the role to his second uncle.
As Zouken Matou put it, his son, now grown but still achieving nothing, should manage a company for some training.
Although Shinji dared not let his uncle take over Tsuburaya directly, fearing that his hard work of pulling Tsuburaya out of the mire would be undone by a commercial novice.
Therefore, he only gave his uncle the title of executive director to let him learn how to manage a company.
Although Shinji and Zouken intended to groom Kariya, Kariya himself was not too keen on it.
"This is really troublesome and not interesting at all," Kariya muttered with a frown.
He had attended several press conferences as an actor before, but this was the first time he participated as a company manager.
Although it was just a change of identity, it felt like a monumental shift, and an invisible pressure made him very uncomfortable.
Fortunately, the reporters were not interested in Kariya, a second-rate actor.
The star of this press conference was the holder of the current world box office record and a great commercial director (according to the British media) – Shinji Matou.
Although Shinji attended this press conference as a director, he outshone everyone else present.
"Matou-san, why did you choose to make an Ultraman movie?" one reporter asked, holding a microphone.
The many reporters at the press conference were not there for Tsuburaya but to get more news about the currently hot UBW from Shinji.
However, after the announcement of the new movie, the question "Why make an Ultraman movie?" became the pressing inquiry for all reporters.
For a director whose works grossed over $1 billion worldwide, an Ultraman tokusatsu movie seemed unattractive.
Shinji naturally responded, "Because of childhood memories, because of the heroes of my childhood, and because of my childhood feelings."
He looked at Kazuo Tsuburaya, saying, "I am very grateful to Kazuo Tsuburaya-san for giving me the best opportunity to pay tribute to my childhood."
The scene fell silent as everyone watched Shinji. Kazuo Tsuburaya responded with the same smile, seemingly grateful for Shinji's words.
Two days earlier, Shinji had communicated with Tsuburaya's staff, formulating a promotional strategy centered around nostalgia.
He decided to use Ultraman as a topic to evoke memories and dreams from his childhood.
As for the effectiveness, it would depend on Shinji's performance.
In terms of selling nostalgia, Shinji had seen countless examples in his past life.
After 2010, various nostalgic works emerged, dazzling people.
From Hollywood's "Transformers" series to various "renaissances" in Japanese anime, and even new versions of the four great classical novels in China, regardless of the quality of these nostalgic works, the primary goal was to attract old fans.
Tsuburaya also recognized the value of nostalgia.
Even without Shinji's intervention, they would have used the nostalgia card starting from "Max." However, whether due to issues with the Japanese tokusatsu environment or Tsuburaya's lack of effective use of nostalgia, their promotional efforts relied entirely on word-of-mouth among old fans.
Without fans spreading the word, Tsuburaya's own promotion would remarkably avoid those who were fans of the Ultraman series.
From this perspective, Tsuburaya's promotional strategy was indeed peculiar.
Shinji, however, did not consider playing the nostalgia card pretentious.
He aimed to spread the word about the new Ultraman movie as widely as possible, targeting everyone from middle-aged uncles in their 50s to 10-year-old kids.
The core of the promotion was simple: the new Ultraman movie is a super nostalgic work, and missing it would be a shame!
As an ultimate old IP starting in 1966, older than Shinji's combined two lifetimes, it was part of the childhood of nearly everyone in East Asia.
If this power could be mobilized, Shinji believed countless viewers would be willing to pay for their childhood memories.
Thus, facing hundreds of questioning reporters, Shinji recalled fondly, "I grew up watching Ultraman. To the young me, this series was my eternal companion. The most cherished toy I received as a child was a soft vinyl Ultraman Tiga, my best friend who accompanied me through my growth."
Upon hearing this, many reporters wanted to speak but dared not.
Several had attended the UBW gratitude event a few days ago and saw that Shinji had not finished speaking, so they refrained from interrupting.
'Did I go too far before and scare them?' Shinji touched his nose, maintaining a sorrowful expression, and continued, "But as I grew up, I forgot about this companion. Despite being my best friend growing up, it faced a fate of neglect."
At this point, Shinji looked at Kazuo Tsuburaya again, patting his shoulder with emotion, "So I want to thank Kazuo Tsuburaya-san. Not long ago, he approached me, asking if I had any interest in Ultraman."
"Yes..." Kazuo Tsuburaya smiled very reluctantly.
If time could turn back, he definitely...would still seek out Shinji Matou.
After all, when Tsuburaya was being manipulated by TYO, the options were limited.
In any case, a change of hands was inevitable, and Shinji Matou was at least better than the robbers at TYO, who did not even plan to leave Tsuburaya with a consultant position.
Shinji's emotional speech continued, "I am truly grateful to Kazuo Tsuburaya-san for reminding me that I once had such a childhood companion. The Giant of Light was there, but I abandoned the faith in light." Choking up, Shinji pressed his lips and said with a trembling voice, "And now, I finally have the chance to become light once again."
Shinji's words made the reporters recall their favorite childhood toys, wondering where those toys were now.
This sentiment resonated, turning the atmosphere somber, and several emotional female reporters secretly wiped their tears.
"For me, this Ultraman movie is a farewell party to my childhood companion. I will invite those who starred in the Ultraman series to join this special gathering."
Shinji spoke slowly, yet his words were exceptionally clear and sincere.
Many people forget that Shinji is only in high school now, and his age is barely considered childhood for many people.
"Childhood heroes play an irreplaceable role in all our lives. We once poured all our emotions into them, yet for various reasons, we couldn't say a proper goodbye to them..."
'This guy, he's using magecraft again…'
Kariya suddenly realized that Shinji once again used magecraft at the press conference.
However, unlike last time, this time Shinji was simply conveying his own emotions to the reporters, infecting them with his feelings.
This meant that Shinji's sentiments of sadness and reminiscence were genuine!
'Wow, I thought this kid only cared about money!'
Kariya looked at the reporters who began reminiscing about their childhoods and had to admit that his nephew had a knack for this.
Who didn't have a beloved toy or a childhood hero?
Although many people distanced themselves from their childhood idols during adolescence, dismissing them as "childish" or "boring".
But when we grow up and look back on the past, who doesn't have a little regret?
Reflecting on childhood wasn't unusual, but hearing such words from his nephew, whom Kariya knew so well, felt very...strange.
Kariya's thoughtful behavior caught Udagawa Nao's attention. "What's wrong? Are you sad that your nephew's favorite Ultraman is Tiga, not Dyna?" Utagawa asked quietly.
"No, it's not that." Kariya pouted and whispered, "I'll tell you something: Shinji never bought an Ultraman toy when he was a kid."
"Huh?" Utagawa thought she misheard.
Kariya explained, "He disliked the poor quality of Ultraman toys back then. He said it would be better to buy them after 2010, when the SHF figures were much better than the soft vinyl ones. Buying soft vinyl was a waste of money."
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— Johnny & Associates Building, President's Office —
"How about it?" Mary Fujishima asked her brother.
"What about it?" Johnny Kitagawa looked puzzled.
"Come on, Akira! How can you be more senile than I am?" Mary Fujishima said in exasperation. "Didn't you hear Shinji Matou say he plans to include as many actors who have starred in the Ultraman series in his new movie as possible?"
"And?"
"Nagano Hiroshi!" Mary Fujishima reminded loudly. "Don't forget that Nagano Hiroshi was the lead in 'Tiga,' and Shinji Matou loves Tiga!"
"Ah!" Johnny Kitagawa slapped his thigh and nodded in realization.
Mary Fujishima sneered, "Johnny, just wait. I think Shinji Matou will come to us in a few days."
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