abc-du-gratuit Chapter 4: Are Monsters' Lives Also Lives?
Chapter 4: Are Monsters' Lives Also Lives?
Friday, 8 PM.
This is the peak traffic period for Bilibili, and also the most relaxing time for countless "working people" and students.
Following the teaser video a few days ago, the Light Chaser Studio's account has already surpassed 100,000 followers. For a new account that has only posted two videos, this is absolutely phenomenal growth.
Ultraman Tiga Episode 2: The Myth of the Stone.
……
A rented room in Jinghai City.
While eating instant noodles, programmer Xiao Zhao opened the video.
He originally came expecting to watch a "feel-good" movie.
After all, that punch he threw at Golza in the first episode was incredibly effective at relieving stress.
He expected this episode to be a simple one: monsters appear, Ultraman appears, the monsters are defeated, and everyone goes home.
The video begins.
They did not immediately engage in combat.
The scene depicts a gray, gloomy quarry.
Huge excavators roared as workers, wearing safety helmets and covered in dust, moved equipment.
"This lighting..." Xiao Zhao took a sip of noodles, "It's got something special."
This is not a real shot, but a miniature model.
However, the director cleverly used dust effects and low-angle shots to give those tiny puppets and excavator models, which were only a few centimeters tall, a realistic industrial feel.
The plot unfolds.
This is Jiuliang Island, an island on the southwestern coast.
Workers are frantically quarrying stones from the island.
To meet the deadline, the foreman was yelling into the walkie-talkie.
They requested that more explosives be added.
"Add two more sets of explosives! This hill must be leveled by next week!"
"Boss, we're pressed for time!"
"If you won't do it, plenty of others will!"
The down-to-earth lines instantly pulled the audience into reality.
[What a realistic foreman! It made my blood pressure rise.]
This isn't a sci-fi film, it's a documentary!
[Hey you, don't leave yet, if the monster shows up later, don't cry.]
With a loud explosion, an accident occurred.
It wasn't a landslide, but rather... a strange blue beam of light shot out from the blasted-open cave.
The workers who were closest to the scene didn't even have time to scream before they froze instantly, their skin turning ashen and turning into lifelike stone statues.
The background music becomes thrilling and suspenseful.
GUTS (Victory Team) is on the move.
This time, the first episode lacked its initial excitement and instead felt somewhat oppressive.
After investigation, the truth came to light.
The monster Gakuma is an ancient creature that feeds on stones. It originally slumbered underground, but human beings' unrestrained mining stole all its "food," forcing it to emerge.
"Give us back the stone..."
Although the monsters cannot speak, Lin Xuan's script reveals this cruel truth through the lines of Rena, a member of the GUTS team.
In front of the screen, Xiao Zhao slowed down his eating of noodles.
This plot...something's not right.
According to the usual tropes, aren't monsters supposed to be mindless demons that destroy cities? But this Jakuma looks more like a holdout forced into a corner by the demolition team.
The plot has progressed to the middle.
TPC Headquarters Conference Room.
A debate is underway about whether to "kill" or "save".
Gu Nan adapted this part of the plot to suit local tastes, making it more in line with adult logic.
"Director Sawai, Gakuma has no intention of attacking humans; it is simply defending its territory," Lina argued.
However, a high-ranking officer in charge of the police department interrupted her directly, coldly presenting her with a data report:
"Jiuliang Island supplies stone for infrastructure projects in three coastal cities. Stop mining? Do you know how much economic loss that would cause? How many workers would lose their jobs? How many projects would be abandoned?"
"Monsters are also living beings, but any obstacle to human progress must be removed."
"This is reality."
The moment this line was spoken, the tone of the comments section changed.
The comments that were initially flooded with "The monster is so pitiful" instantly split into two camps.
[While it's harsh, the police department is right. Human survival and development inevitably encroach on the space of other species.]
[Get out of here, you sanctimonious saint! Would you do it if your power and internet were cut off and you were relegated to the Stone Age?]
But the monster didn't do anything wrong either. It was sleeping peacefully underground, and you blew up its granary.
Children distinguish between right and wrong; adults only consider pros and cons. We're not children anymore, can you please stop being so childish?
Xiao Zhao's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the comments.
Is this what tokusatsu (special effects) films are like?
The depth of this discussion...
Immediately afterwards, Gakuma appeared.
And there were two of them.
One-corner gakuma and two-corner gakuma.
The leather suits made by Wang Kai exhibit an astonishing texture here. The rock-like skin texture gleams with a cold, hard sheen in the sunlight. They don't wreak havoc; instead, they lie prone on the construction site, gnawing at the quarried stones.
Until the Victory Team's Flying Swallow launched its attack.
In order to protect himself, Gakuma retaliated.
The petrified beam was emitted, and the Flying Swallow made an emergency landing.
Daigo transforms.
With a flash of light, Ultraman Tiga appeared.
This time, however, the background music lacked that exhilarating, passionate feel; instead, it carried a touch of tragic, symphonic color.
The battle has begun.
Zhang Zhao's portrayal of Ultraman Tiga wasn't as sharp in action as in the first episode.
He stood in front of Gakuma, arms outstretched, seemingly trying to dissuade the monster from attacking.
But the enraged Gakuma couldn't understand anything; it only wanted to eliminate the "insects" that were stealing its food.
The petrifying beam struck Tiga's leg.
That was a special effect that Wang Kai worked on all night—Tiga's calves instantly turned into grayish-white stone, with cracks spreading.
[Holy crap! Ultraman can be petrified too?!]
[Don't stand there, Tiga! Fight back!]
This monster is pretty fierce!
Ultraman Tiga knelt on the ground and struggled to stand up.
Its body turns red; it's a powerful type!
This transformation isn't about looking cool, but about breaking free from constraints.
Tiga rushed forward and grabbed Gakuma's horns.
There were no dazzling lights or waves, only the most primal struggle. Heavy thuds, the earth trembling, and flying dirt.
In the end, Tiga chopped off Gakuma's horn with a single chop.
The monster let out a mournful cry and collapsed to the ground, but still struggled to crawl toward the pile of stones.
On the screen, Tiga stood there, the color timer on his chest starting to flash.
"Ding-dong... Ding-dong..."
The urgent alarm sounded like a death countdown.
Ultraman Tiga slowly raised his arms.
He hesitated.
This was Zhang Zhao's shining moment.
That movement that Gu Nan had taught him countless times—his hand paused very slightly as he charged up the Zepelion Ray.
He lowered his head slightly, as if he couldn't bear to look at him.
But in the end, for the sake of humanity behind them, and so that no more workers would be turned into stone statues.
Light shines out.
"boom--"
However, contrary to expectations, the monster's death was not a bloody massacre.
Gakuma turned back into stone in the light, then disintegrated into countless fragments that scattered across the quarry.
The battle is over.
There were no cheers, no applause.
As the sun set, Tiga looked at the rubble scattered on the ground and slowly lowered his hands.
He didn't fly away immediately, but stood there quietly for a few seconds, as if mourning the life that had perished because of human greed.
Then, the enormous body turned into specks of light and vanished.
The camera zooms out.
The quarry returned to calm, and the excavators resumed their work.
Daigo stood on the beach, looking at the Spark Lens in his hand with a bewildered expression.
"Did we...do we do the right thing?"
The screen went black.
The ending theme song, "Brave Love, TIGA," begins to play.
Xiao Zhao sat in front of the computer; the instant noodles had gone cold, but he hadn't eaten a single bite.
He felt a strange tightness in his chest.
That feeling was even more unbearable than watching a tragic movie. Because it wasn't just a simple tragedy, but an irreconcilable conflict.
Discussions also began in the comments section.
This time, it's not just a simple matter of being "awesome" or having "explosive special effects."
The top-rated comment [Office Worker Lao Wang]:
"I thought I was here to watch monster fighting, but the director slapped me in the face. This episode is phenomenal! It didn't portray the monsters as stereotypical villains, nor did it depict humans as innocent victims. It's about the struggle for survival; there's no right or wrong, only perspectives. Tiga's final look (even though the suit doesn't show eyes, I could feel it) was so expressive!"
Second most popular comment: [Environmental Guardian]
"Jakuma: My home is gone, my food is gone, and I'm about to be killed. Is this Ultraman just a human's henchman? [doge]"
Reply to [Rational Gossip]:
"Upstairs, if you were that worker's family member, you wouldn't say that. Resource extraction is necessary for human development. But what's good about this episode is that it doesn't shy away from this 'bloody' accumulation process. Tiga protected humanity, but he also mourned the monsters. That's true divinity."
Third most popular comment [Tokusatsu newbie]:
"To be fair, this filming style, combined with social issues, can indeed produce a synergistic effect..."
Looking at these comments, Xiao Zhao took a deep breath and typed a line:
"I give this episode a perfect score. Not just because of the special effects, but also because it respects the audience's intelligence."
……
at the same time.
Jinghai Drama Academy, rehearsal room.
Gu Nan was holding a rolled-up script and tapping a boy on the head.
"Cut! Cut! Cut!"
Gu Nan roared in exasperation, "Su Zhe! Are your eyes just for venting your anger? I need confusion! I need thinking! Not for you to stand there daydreaming and pretending to be cool!"
Standing in front of Gu Nan was Su Zhe, the actor who played the human form "Daigo".
He is a third-year student majoring in performing arts, and is considered the most handsome guy in the department.
He has such striking features—thick eyebrows, big eyes, and an aura of righteousness—he was practically born to be the male lead in a tokusatsu drama.
When Gu Nan first met him, she only had one sentence to say about his looks:
It has a style reminiscent of Showa-era Kamen Riders.
His temperament is comparable to that of Kotaro Minami!
But its only drawback is that it is too concerned about its idol image and its acting is too wooden.
In this parallel world, traffic stars reign supreme, and Su Zhe has also been influenced by this trend. He always likes to find the best camera angles when acting, and he does whatever makes him look handsome.
"Brother Nan, I think that angle was pretty good just now..." Su Zhe rubbed his head, looking a little aggrieved.
"A 45-degree angle to the side, with the light shining on your face, is absolutely captivating."
"I'm sucking up my fans!"
Gu Nan slammed the script on the table.
"I want Daigo, a human being who can get hurt, hesitate, and suffer! Not a plastic mannequin that only knows how to look cool!"
"Look at Zhang Zhao!"
Gu Nan pointed at Zhang Zhao, who was slumped on the ground like a dog, exhausted. "Even through that thick suit, the audience could feel the emotions. You're showing your face, yet you act like a robot?"
Su Zhe glanced at Zhang Zhao, who was covered in sweat, and lowered his head in shame.
"Come on, let's do it one more time."
Gu Nan took a deep breath to calm himself down. He knew that directing actors was a fundamental skill for a director, especially for a character as pivotal as Daigu.
He walked up to Su Zhe and placed his hands on his shoulders.
"Su Zhe, listen to me. Daigo isn't a superhero, and he never intended to be a savior."
Gu Nan's voice was deep and penetrating, as if guiding Su Zhe into the character's inner world.
"At the end of the second episode, when you look at the dead Gakuma, what you think is not 'I won,' but 'I am guilty.'"
"Your power is meant to protect humanity, but it also deprives another species of its right to exist."
"I want to see that... guilt in your eyes."
Gu Nan stared into Su Zhe's eyes. "Think about when you were a child. If you accidentally stepped on a kitten and killed it, what would your expression be?"
Su Zhe was stunned.
Looking into Gu Nan's eyes, which seemed to see right through people, his previously restless heart gradually calmed down.
Stomp the kitten to death...
That feeling of panic, self-blame, and helplessness.
"Okay, keep this mood."
Gu Nan took a step back and gestured to the cameraman.
"Action!"
In the lens.
Su Zhe slowly raised his head.
This time, he didn't deliberately seek that perfect profile angle. His hair was a little messy, the corners of his mouth were slightly downturned, and his eyes revealed a deep weariness and confusion.
He looked at the magic wand (prop) in his hand as if it were not a magical artifact that gave him power, but a hot potato.
"Light……"
He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse.
That sense of confusion instantly struck the hearts of everyone present.
"Okay! Pass!"
Gu Nan called out, and a smile finally appeared on his face.
now it's right.
Daigo's charm has never come from how handsome or invincible he is. It comes from the fact that he is both light and human.
"Brother Nan, about that last line..." Su Zhe snapped out of his daze and asked uncertainly, "I don't think I made much of an expression, was that okay?"
"That's great."
Lin Xuan gave him a thumbs up, "Congratulations, handsome Su! You finally didn't seem like a pop star anymore, you looked like a real actor."
Su Zhe scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly.
Seeing this scene, Gu Nan felt a huge weight lifted from his heart.
The costume designer (Zhang Zhao), special effects artist (Wang Kai), scriptwriter (Lin Xuan), human actor (Su Zhe), and several other acting students.
Each piece of the puzzle must fit in perfectly.
With the second episode becoming a huge hit, Gu Nan knew that the real challenge had only just begun.
The task is arduous and the road ahead is long.
In Ultraman Tiga, every character is a flesh-and-blood being, and every actor who portrays them must deeply understand the character.
If the first two episodes attracted viewers with their novelty and depth, then the following episodes must build a complete and grand worldview.
"Let's get ready."
Gu Nan picked up the whiteboard eraser, erased "The Myth of the Stone," and wrote a new title.
That was one of the more classic episodes in Ultraman Tiga, foreshadowing later events.
Episode 3: The Devil's Prophecy.
The Kirieloids are coming.