nashuaworldcup Chapter 33: Aiming to rival Ultraman Tiga! "Psychic Overlord"!
Chapter 33: Aiming to rival Ultraman Tiga! "Psychic Overlord"!
Saturday night, Jinghai City, CBD core area.
The lights of the Qiaotianzun Building remained on all night.
Since being dealt a blow by Light Chaser Studio's "59 RMB conscience glow stick" and then being praised by state media for the concept of "Ultraman Tiga", the company's market value has dropped again and again. However, CEO Zhao Rui withstood the pressure from the board of directors and was not ousted.
His project, which he has been developing for two months and is designed to rival Ultraman Tiga, will be launched tomorrow!
As an industry leader, Zhao Rui has a market value of billions, tens of millions or even hundreds of millions in cash flow, and a huge production team of hundreds of people. His efficiency is far beyond what Gu Nan and his team can match.
"Does that brat Gu Nan really think he can turn the world upside down with the support of Bilibili, this second-rate platform, and his shady ideas?"
Zhao Rui stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Let them get one last good night's sleep tonight, and tomorrow we'll show them what the power of capital is, what a real... blockbuster is."
The large screen in front of him was showing a countdown to an extremely long drama series.
That's also a key point in their propaganda!
After two months of preparation and an investment of 9000 million yuan, Qi Ao Tian Zun assembled a top-notch CG team to create "Tokusatsu Killer" - "Superpower Overlord".
……
Sunday, 8 p.m.
This should have been the time for Ultraman Tiga fans to watch it again and again.
But overnight, almost all video platforms and social media splash screens except Bilibili were flooded with the same image, and even subway and bus stations were filled with it.
A colossal giant clad in striking red and gold armor, adorned with dazzling special effects, hovered in mid-air, a massive energy ball gathering in its hand.
The poster features only a few striking words: "A new Ultraman! The official sequel to the Showa era, surpassing all previous Ultraman!"
This blatant provocation instantly ignited the internet.
"Surpass all Ultraman? Including Tiga?"
"Huh? Is this Ultraman too?"
"Is the Celestial Master Qi Ao finally getting anxious?"
"The picture quality... to be honest, it looks a bit like a Hollywood blockbuster."
"All CGI? How much money did that cost?"
"They're going to make it all complicated now? Isn't this blatant plagiarism of Ultraman Tiga?"
Driven by curiosity, sarcasm, or anticipation, countless viewers clicked on the first episode of "Superpower Overlord".
The video begins.
It must be admitted that Zhao Rui is indeed willing to spend money.
The scene immediately opens with a grand interstellar war.
Countless alien warships are burning, and the protagonist known as "Superpower Overlord - Ultraman" descends from the sky.
It's reminiscent of the opening scene of a certain red-faced Ultraman...
His appearance is less like Ultraman and more like a combination of Iron Man and Ultraman.
His entire body was covered in streamlined armor, made of metal and glass, and the timer on his chest was not a light bulb, but a swirling vortex of energy.
The monster isn't a costume either.
It is a giant dragon completely synthesized by computer, with three heads and its entire body emitting fire.
The battle has begun.
The screen is filled with light.
With a casual wave of his hand, the Overlord unleashed a rain of lasers across the sky.
When the monster roars, it unleashes a devastating shockwave.
The city is burning, and buildings are collapsing like building blocks.
There were no wrinkles in the suit, and no mishaps in the model.
To be honest, every frame is as exquisite as a 4K wallpaper.
Among the viewers in the live chat, some who were prepared to watch the show fail actually began to waver.
【Wow, this is seriously something else!】
Ah, something feels a bit strange... isn't there something odd about it...?
What's wrong with this? Don't talk nonsense!
[This is real high-tech! Tiga's is good too, but it's just a suit. This thing looks much cooler!]
To be honest, the fighting was incredibly fluid, completely unrestricted by ergonomics; they could fly however they wanted.
Is this the power of capital? If we disregard plagiarism, this definitely blows Light Chaser Studio out of the water.
Looking at the soaring viewership and return on investment, Zhao Rui finally found a long-lost smile.
"Did you see that?"
Zhao Rui pointed at the screen, his back finally straightening, and said to the board of directors, "I told you, ALL IN CG is the future. Suits? That's just a trick by that brat Gu Nan."
Meanwhile, the forwards had prepared their online supporters in advance and began to take control of the game.
[Is using a costume just a shortcut? I suggest you take a look at what a true CG masterpiece looks like.]
[Tiga? You call that tokusatsu? So rudimentary! Look at Overlord, that's what a sci-fi movie should be like!]
[Chasing Light Studio was just lucky; they'd never seen this type of product before. What good stuff can college students make? Now that the established players have entered the market, the guerrillas should retreat.]
Suddenly, two factions actually emerged online.
"CG fans" believe this is a true feast, representing technological advancement; while "Tiga fans" feel that although this game is visually appealing, something feels off, like watching an extended version of a game's CG.
……
Chasing Light Studio, in the western suburbs of Jinghai.
The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
Chen Bo frowned as he looked at the data for "Superpower Overlord": "Brother Nan, this is coming on strong. It broke five million views in the first hour. Although there was an element of paid advertising, the popularity has definitely overshadowed us."
"and……"
Wang Kai looked at the screen with some concern. "Their special effects are indeed top-notch. Our approach of using miniature models and suits... seems outdated to casual viewers?"
Everyone looked at Gu Nan.
As the backbone of the team, his attitude determines everyone's mindset.
However, Gu Nan simply watched the first episode quietly, then turned off the video and even yawned.
"this one?"
Gu Nan picked up a bottle of cola, scoffed, and said, "Zhao Rui's money is basically wasted."
"Huh? But this scene..."
"The image is the image, and the ground is the ground."
Gu Nan stood up, walked to the newly made Gazort II suit, and patted the rough dents.
"Did you guys see that 'tyrant's' move?"
Gu Nan turned around, his gaze sharp. "It's too light."
"When it flies, it looks like a paper doll. When it hits the monster, there's no sense of impact like a punch hitting flesh; it's just a pretty face."
"Most importantly..."
Gu Nan pointed to his chest. "There's no one inside."
"There's no sweat from the person inside, no feeling of the actor struggling to breathe like they're in the suit. It's just a beautiful 3D model, a piece of code that simply executes a program."
"The audience is now blinded by light pollution."
Gu Nan said confidently, "Once they realize it, they'll find that this thing is just a fast food dish with too much artificial flavoring. It tastes good, but it's not nutritious, and... it looks fake."
Gu Nan's certainty was, of course, for another reason.
After all, there were precedents in the original world.
Back then, in the theatrical version of "Ultraman R/B", the trinity of Ultraman Groob was a fully CG Ultraman produced by Tsuburaya Productions with a huge investment.
However, even Tsuburaya Productions, with decades of experience in tokusatsu production, struggled to replicate the suit's fighting style using this technology, resulting in a very poor reception.
As it turns out, Gu Nan's judgment, which took into account the audience's aesthetic preferences, was frighteningly accurate.
……