Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 588 The Impact of Bullet Time

At the end of November, the movie was finally released.

After initial editing and shot compositing, with the assistance of the Bishamonten Studio, the film was finally released.

It was a snowy day, and Hideaki Anno walked into the movie theater through the thin snow and slippery pavement.

With people coming and going, the movie theater had long been covered in black marks from being trampled, and the rolled-up carpet looked particularly unsightly.

However, this did not dampen people's enthusiasm for watching the movie.

Why have money if you don't go to the movies? Are you going to get a head massage?

At least Hideaki Anno despises this kind of behavior.

This is the true nature he developed from a sexually repressed family: although he longs for it and desires it, he will reject and resist it when he actually encounters it.

To put it simply...

Like the manga artist Fujimoto Itsuki next door, Hideaki Anno loves the feeling of being played and manipulated by a woman, losing everything, but in the end, the woman still holds him in her arms and says "I love you".

As the movie officially began, Hideaki Anno calmed his breathing and started watching.

The movie begins with simple scenes of martial arts practice and food preparation.

Gu Ming sat cross-legged on the ground, with a Chinese character painting behind him.

Here, the foreign version simply tells a pun in words, while the Japanese version slightly alters the props.

The character behind Gu Ming is a pseudonym for "return" or "return," and given the setting, it's hard not to think of the possibility of "swallow's return," especially with a knife on Gu Ming's lap.

"The Swallow Return, that does seem somewhat feasible, so this character is actually Sasaki Kojiro?"

Just as Hideaki Anno was thinking this, the camera suddenly shifted.

The spelling has been changed.

Meanwhile, the subtitles provide the actual Chinese characters.

frog.

Hideaki Anno couldn't help himself and immediately responded with an emoji.

it's too cold!
The expressions "返" and "归" are similar, but this word also carries another meaning.

In Japanese, the word that sounds the same as "go home" is "frog". The two words are extremely similar in pronunciation, and if you don't add the Chinese characters and have an accent when you pronounce them, it is almost impossible to tell them apart.

This is why there was a game called "Travel Frog" – it used the Japanese word for frog, which sounds like "go home," so the character traveling was a frog.

And with this scene, a sense of absurdity arises spontaneously.

So much so that Hideaki Anno wasn't surprised when he saw Akira Tani perform Fruit Ninja with his katana.

That's so natural!
As the story unfolds, all sorts of absurd and hilarious situations begin to emerge, and the action never disappoints. In addition to showcasing the different personalities, fighting styles, and combat styles of the two characters at the beginning, the first battle soon occurs: a group of bikers causing chaos in Bay Square. These people may not be real villains, but their habit of speeding in public places still frightens many people, even causing the food delivery dragon to have his face covered in food plates.

The stunt driving performance greatly satisfied everyone's sense of excitement.

As the plot progresses, Hideaki Anno begins to drift off again.

Yes, the fighting is certainly good, but that might not be enough.

"What depth, what about the story's thematic depth? Shouldn't some religious reflections be incorporated?"

He glanced at the bystander, Naruhiro Anno.

Screw you! I came to see an action movie, not your philosophical musings. Go back to making your EVA!
Hideaki Anno felt a little embarrassed by the glance and immediately fell silent to continue watching.

The two-hour storyline gradually came to an end. Although it was not entirely the same as the original design style of Sammo Hung's stunt team, it still left the audience feeling extremely satisfied, as it had everything they could want.

But Hideaki Anno always felt that it was just a little bit off.

Because in the earlier interviews, he clearly remembered that Gu Ming had mentioned such a statement.

The film utilized exceptionally advanced technology, rarely seen anywhere else in the world to date. This shot will deliver a tremendous impact and amazement to the audience, providing an absolutely satisfying viewing experience.

"You're not talking about stunt driving, are you? But this is pretty average!" The stunt driving was alright, but Hideaki Anno thought it wasn't anything special.

This level is not enough!
The story has come to an end. The two fight the Italian Mafia at the winery. Although the Italian has both knives and guns and wields his butterfly knife with great skill, he is ultimately defeated.

Hideaki Anno vaguely remembered the character who wielded the butterfly knife; he had previously acted in "Armor Hero," where he played a deceived summoner in a rather tragic story. He was surprised that the character was so photogenic.

Pulling her thoughts back to the present and focusing on watching, Zhen Zidan, who had been playing with the butterfly knife, also left the stage.

Jean-Claude Van Damme, the villain who relentlessly pursued the enemy in the early stages, has finally begun his one-on-one duel.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Gu Ming took down the two-handed sword hanging on the wall and slashed at Jean-Claude Van Damme with the grace of slicing fruit.

"Um?!!"

Hideaki Anno finally couldn't hold back any longer and stood up instantly.

This shot.

This shot!!
This is the kind of breathtaking scene I mentioned before!

The scene slows down in a peculiar way, as if focusing on the sword, showing the trajectory of the sword cutting through the smoke and dust, outlining that mark, and the traces of smoke and dust scattering as the sword moves are clearly visible.

This is the authentic bullet time, which cannot be crudely imitated by simply shooting in slow motion.

Even though this strike had no special effects, no added fire, frost, or cold, it was still immediately recognizable.

This is the ultimate move!

as predicted.

This sword strike successfully killed Jean-Claude Van Damme.

The people behind it started complaining.

"Sit down!"

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Hideaki Anno hurriedly sat down and bowed.

In the movie, after splitting open the wall, Gu Ming meets up with Cheng Long next door, and the two fight together against the leader of Mafia.

Hideaki Anno grinned, a knowing smile on his face.

He had seen this actor before; he was the actor who played the role in "The Return of Ultraman".

Compared to Armor Hero and Kamen Rider...

I think Hideaki Anno prefers Ultraman.

To be honest.

He simply loves "The Return of Ultraman," for no other reason.

When the two launched a fierce attack on the villain and finally combined their attacks, and bullet time reappeared, a series of broken sounds were heard in the film. The chair suddenly lifted off the person and made a dry, springy sound.

Clearly, at this moment, many people briefly left their seats.

Sure enough, the moment the bullet time ended, the villain was also easily dealt with by the two.

The story ends happily. The two handed over Napoleon's property to France, were received by the French president, and then stayed in Nice to run their food truck.

Hideaki Anno breathed a sigh of relief.

The movie was pretty much as he had imagined: car chases, stunts, and a Mitsubishi-sponsored MPV. The characters' clothing was also remarkably modern and stylish, not at all outdated. Although there were some product placements, they were done quite well.

Especially the final bullet-time shot.

Hideaki Anno loosened his collar, his breathing becoming somewhat heavy.

It's definitely new technology. This lens is amazing.

(End of this chapter)