Entertainment: You're asked to make a graduation project, but you're asked to film Ultrama

Chapter 309: Filming Begins in the Sorrowful Swamp! The Sound of History

(I plan to write more in this episode, using two days of updates, but I will skip some sensitive content and focus more on the main theme.)

The earth-shattering battle against the underground monsters in episode 38 of "Ultraman Gaia" has just come to an end.

Gu Nan, the chief director, was not idle.

Because he knew that the most thought-provoking and insightful episode of the entire series was about to arrive!

Let's go back a few months to the pre-production stage of episode 39.

Gu Nan sat alone in his spacious office, a thick stack of new scripts on his desk.

The cover of the script prominently displays five large characters: "The Swamp of Sorrow".

This is the 39th episode of "Ultraman Gaia" that is about to start filming.

Whenever he sees this title, the overwhelming debate about this episode in his past life involuntarily comes to mind.

In Gu Nan's previous life, "The Swamp of Sorrow" was a work that was pushed to the forefront of controversy.

Whenever ideological conflicts arise within the tokusatsu community, or when encountering certain extreme moralists, this episode is always brought up as a representative work of "Ultraman series having a profound anti-war spirit" for debate.

However, at the same time, as the original Japanese version was rewatched online, this episode was criticized by some people and even fell from its pedestal.

This also aligns with the classic mindset of Chinese netizens who both enjoy creating and destroying gods.

Gu Nan recalled the heated arguments that had taken place online.

Some people are scrutinizing every frame with a magnifying glass, trying to prove that this episode is not "anti-war" at all, but a hypocritical "anti-defeat" episode.

They felt that the performance style in the play was full of self-indulgent sentimentality.

In an era when people were accustomed to short videos and fast food, whose emotions were easily swayed, and who lacked the patience to appreciate the logical exposition of an old work, such black-and-white dichotomous rhetoric was rampant.

But Gu Nan knew very well that if you step outside the logic of criticizing for the sake of criticizing, "Sad Swamp" actually perfectly fits the core theme of the entire "Ultraman Gaia" series.

The series Gaia explores the complex relationship between Earth's environment and human activities from beginning to end.

Human beings, driven by greed and the desire for expansion, have continuously exploited resources, discharged waste, and even waged wars without any moral boundaries, ultimately leading to the birth of various monsters.

The underground penetrating bomb is a prime example.

In order to protect themselves, humanity developed this destructive weapon, but the evil consequences of this weapon ultimately backfired on humanity itself.

"The Swamp of Sorrow" and the previous episode, "Tore the Earth's Tooth," are actually an excellent contrast.

The previous episode showcased humanity's arrogance in using force to suppress nature, while this episode shifts the focus back to the abyss of history, exploring the evils committed by humanity in war, and how these evils continue to wreak havoc of sorrow decades later, devouring the innocent.

Gu Nan opened the script to the first page, took out a red pen, and drew a heavy circle on it.

As the creator of the remake in this world, he now faces a major decision.

When this drama was introduced to China in its previous life, it resulted in a very peculiar and far-reaching translation difference.

He clearly remembered that in the original Japanese dialogue, Kondo and Hirano, the two researchers from the old Japanese Empire's military responsible for developing biological weapons, had an extremely positive attitude.

In the original dialogue, Kondo excitedly tells Hirano that bacteria reproduce very quickly, and they firmly believe that as long as they win the war, peace will come, and then they can go home.

They had a clear, fanatical purpose when conducting human experiments and bacterial research, and they even laughed heartily when faced with experimental data.

However, the Mandarin dubbed version released in China at the time made a complete overhaul of this line, which laid the foundation for it to be hailed as a "masterpiece" in China.

In the Chinese translation, Kondo and Hirano are portrayed as helpless scholars who are forced to leave home and are conscripted into the army.

The Chinese translation rewrites their original intention as "being forced to participate in bacterial weapons research, without knowing that they were researching bacterial weapons."

Later, the dialogue also included lines expressing anticipation for returning home, suggesting that he could go home once the research was completed.

In that version, Kondo vehemently opposed the use of these artificial bacteria, believing that they would only cause soldiers to go out of control and turn into monsters. He had no intention of creating such a weapon that violated human ethics.

He was ultimately severely punished for having the courage to rebel and disobey his superiors' orders.

These are two completely different character backgrounds.

Gu Nan quickly wrote down these two lines of reasoning on the paper.

If we follow the original version's setting of Kondo being brainwashed by militarism and fanatical, then Kondo's sudden change of heart and shouting "Using this kind of bacteria is too dangerous, stop the experiment" is actually somewhat illogical.

How could a fanatical warmonger who was cheering for the high bacterial growth rate one second suddenly have a profound realization the next second because of the bacteria going out of control?

However, if we follow the logic of the Mandarin dubbed version, everything makes perfect sense.

Hirano and Kondo were tragic figures swept up by the times from the very beginning.

They had a conscience and knew it was wrong, but they were powerless to resist the massive war machine.

Until the bacterial experiment went out of control, he could no longer tolerate this inhumane evil and finally rebelled, but it was too late, ultimately leading to a tragedy in a swamp in northeastern Xia.

"Since I'm the one directing it, let's use this script, which is more reasonable and more in line with our national values."

Gu Nan decided to completely abandon the ambiguous setting of the original version and directly adopt the modified character motivations from the Chinese translation.

He wanted to portray the two characters, Kondo and Hirano, as tragic embodiments of a clear conscience that was crushed under the iron heel of militarism.

Only in this way, when the monster formed from the fusion of resentment and biochemical bacteria roars in agony in the swamp, can the ruthless indictment of the war of aggression be truly profound.

As long as humanity remains unaware of the mistakes it has made and refuses to acknowledge its historical guilt, the shadow of war will never truly dissipate.

Once the general direction of the script was set, the next step was casting.

Gu Nan directly called Lao Li, the executive director in charge of casting for this episode, to his office.

"I need you to find Japanese actors to play the supporting roles in episode 39, especially the characters Hirano and Kondo."

Gu Nan passed on a separate personal note.

Old Li paused for a moment, took the documents and glanced at them, his brows furrowing slightly: "Director Gu, it's quite normal for our production team to hire foreign actors to play passersby or members of international organizations."

But this character has a military background in the old Japanese Empire and deals with extremely sensitive topics like germ warfare.

Why not just find a domestic actor to do the makeup?

They are all of East Asian descent and look very similar.

Why specifically seek out Japanese actors? Would they even be willing to take on scripts that expose their own historical wounds?

Gu Nan picked up the coffee on the table, took a sip, and said calmly but with an unquestionable tone: "It has to be a Japanese actor."

Only when people from their own country play these roles can the weight of history and the irony be fully realized.

I hope to contact a few Japanese actors who are working in our Xia country and send them the script directly.

Those who want to act, come and audition; those who don't, we absolutely won't force them.

Old Li sensed Gu Nan's determination, and although he was hesitant, he immediately did as he was told.

A few days later, in the audition room.

Sitting in front of Gu Nan was a middle-aged Japanese actor named Sato.

He has worked in the film and television industry in Xia Country for more than ten years and has solid acting skills.

Sato clutched the audition script, which was only a few pages long, tightly in his hand. He had just read it through once, and a fine layer of sweat had already seeped out from his forehead.

Sato took a deep breath, gently placed the script on the table, and habitually bowed slightly, his tone respectful yet restrained: "Director Gu Nan, it's a pleasure to meet you. Actually, I've always been a loyal fan of yours. Your reconstruction of 'Ultraman Gaia,' your use of cinematic language, and the humanistic concern reflected in your work all deeply impress me. I am honored to receive your audition invitation."

Gu Nan nodded slightly and leaned forward: "Mr. Sato, you're too kind. Now that you've read the script, what are your thoughts on the character Kondo? You can speak freely; here we're only discussing art."

Sato looked troubled, clasped his hands in front of him, and carefully chose his words: "Director Gu, although I have been developing in China for many years, I am also well aware that Sino-Japanese relations are currently at a delicate turning point. Both countries are striving to seek some kind of cultural reconciliation and exchange among the people."

Then, the tone shifted:

"However, the script describes... the artificial bacteria experiments conducted in a secret research institute, which led to the mutation of the test subjects. This is clearly a direct reference to that infamous bacteriological warfare unit from back then."

Sato paused, observing Gu Nan's expression, before frankly expressing his doubts: "As a reasonable actor, I don't deny history. But I'm worried that using such a sharp approach in a national-level tokusatsu drama aimed at all ages, especially teenagers, might be too stimulating?"

"Will the audience see this as a mere emotional outburst? Will my compatriots think that this is just Xia Kingdom deliberately creating antagonism? This might not only fail to help long-term cultural exchange between the two countries, but could actually deepen the rift?"

Gu Nan wasn't angry at Sato's reasonable and somewhat probing question. He stood up, went to the water dispenser, filled a glass with warm water, and gently placed it in front of Sato.

"Mr. Sato, ignoring your illness and refusing to seek medical treatment will not bring you true health."

Gu Nan's tone was calm. "If your so-called 'cultural reconciliation' is based on whitewashing the truth and ignoring the festering wounds of history, it's like painting rotten wood. The surface may look good, but the inside will collapse completely sooner or later."

Gu Nan looked directly into Sato's eyes and said earnestly, "Take a closer look at the character of Kondo. I didn't portray him as a stereotypical, hideous demon. On the contrary, I wrote him as a tragic scholar swept up by the tide of militarism. He had a conscience, he suffered, he tried to resist, but was ultimately crushed mercilessly by that evil war machine."

"We are not inciting hatred; we are laying bare the painful history for everyone to see. What we want to criticize is that inhumane militaristic system, and we are sounding the alarm for all those who try to repeat its mistakes."

"This is also to vindicate those ordinary people among your ancestors who truly longed for peace but were powerless to achieve it. True cultural confidence and national reconciliation are built on the foundation of jointly remembering the lessons of history and jointly safeguarding the bottom line of human destiny."

Sato was stunned.

He looked at the steaming water glass in front of him, and the struggle in his eyes gradually turned into a deep tremor.

He picked up the script again, his fingers gently tracing the line—"As long as people are unaware of their mistakes, war will not stop."

"Conscience crushed by militarism..."

Sato murmured to himself, "So that's how it is. You're not only accusing, but also redeeming. I'm sorry, Director Gu, I was narrow-minded. This is a salvation to awaken the world."

Sato abruptly stood up, took a half-step back, and bowed deeply to Gu Nan, his eyes slightly red: "Director Gu, I accept this role! It's an honor to participate in such a great work that confronts history and explores the depths of humanity. Even if some people are unwilling to mention this history, someone must tell them that it cannot be ignored!"

With Sato's involvement, "Sad Swamp" officially entered the preparation stage.

When the complete script was distributed to various departments of the production team, the entire team experienced a significant upheaval.

Not only the production team, but even the production company responsible for reviewing the script was worried when they saw it.

However, considering that China's film and television censorship has always been supportive of works with a mainstream theme and positive energy, the submission process went surprisingly smoothly.

The review department even gave it a very high rating: "Using the shell of science fiction, it sounds a historical alarm; its intellectual depth is commendable, and it is approved for broadcast."

The night they received the approval, several core members of the crew gathered at a late-night food stall after work to eat barbecue skewers.

The actor playing a member of the defense force picked up a piece of meat and said thoughtfully, "What do you think would happen if this episode of ours were to be filmed and one day circulated online in Japan?"

The table fell silent for a moment after those words were spoken.

Old Li exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes deep: "Is that even a question? This is like a thorn piercing the very fabric of Japanese society. They've always tried to downplay that history, but this episode of ours has ripped that fig leaf off brutally."

The art director sighed, somewhat worried: "But whether this thorn will have the effect of acupuncture and acupuncture, awakening their conscience, or merely bring a stinging pain, making those right-wing elements furious and frantically attack us for smuggling in our own agenda, is really hard to say."

"Who cares what they say?"

One of the staff members in the review department said with a smile, "Whether it's a stinging pain or acupuncture depends on whether the person being pricked is reluctant to seek medical help. If it's rotten flesh, they will naturally feel excruciating pain and curse loudly; but if it's a body that can still be saved, this needle can puncture the abscess, forcing them to expel the toxins and face the historical wounds."

As a new generation of cultural and film workers, we have the ability and the responsibility to bear the weight of this history.

Peace is never achieved through compromise and forgetting, but through remembrance and reflection. Just as Gauss represents compassion, Gaia represents the earth's wrath. This monster born from the swamp is the earth's most relentless indictment of that inhumane history!

In the night breeze, everyone in the crew fell silent, but a sense of mission, unlike anything they had ever felt before, burned within each of them.

Tomorrow, "Sad Swamp" will officially premiere.

That swamp shrouded in the shadows of history is about to be completely illuminated by a blinding spotlight.