Magical Girl ☆ Illya, also known as Magical Illya, is a notable example in the Type-Moon universe of fanfiction becoming canon.
Initially created by a manga artist to address the regret that the original Fate/Stay Night game lacked an Illya route, its concept was inspired by the magical girl wand costumes from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia.
Compared to fanworks that go completely off the rails, Magical Illya is relatively proper—not a wholly made-up story.
However, Shinji himself has mixed feelings about Magical Girl Illya.
On the one hand, you could call it a "magical girl genre masterpiece."
On the other hand, you could call it a "magical girl Frankenstein monster."
The early stages echo Cardcaptor Sakura, with collecting lost cards; the mid-story delves into world-hopping akin to Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha; and the climax involves Illya sacrificing herself to save everyone, making it all feel like Madoka Magica—"I am Godoka, after all!"
On top of that, the series constantly features outfit changes à la Pretty Cure, and the main characters' team and color themes align perfectly with Sailor Moon.
Good grief. It borrows from all four pillars of the magical girl genre—how is it not a patchwork creation?
Originally, Shinji had no plans to adapt Magical Illya. The story was a convoluted mix, and the latter half clearly spiraled out of control as the author lost the ability to wrap things up coherently.
As a creator himself, Shinji understands this creative dilemma all too well.
Unless a story includes time-travel elements from the start, introducing such plots—time loops, reversing events, etc.—is almost always a desperate move when the writer runs out of ideas.
Moreover, Magical Illya, born of fanfiction, was far too niche to attract new fans.
So Shinji had already decided to exclude Magical Illya from his Type-Moon project lineup.
Then a "small" problem arose on Tsuburaya's end—they ran out of production capacity.
While Ultraman Mebius was still in production and Tsuburaya was also helping Shinji with Ultraseven X, juggling two major projects proved risky. If not handled properly, they'd end up neglecting both.
This is exactly what happened.
Between producing Mebius for TV and preparing the blockbuster Ultraseven X movie, Tsuburaya completely forgot they needed a new show to follow Mebius.
It wasn't until Mebius was nearing its end and TV station representatives inquired that Tsuburaya realized they hadn't planned a successor.
Panic ensued. When Tsuburaya's head, Eiichi, asked Shinji if he had a backup project ready, Shinji panicked as well.
"What about Ultra Galaxy Fight?" Shinji asked.
Eiichi responded with three confused question marks.
"Matou-san, what's that supposed to be?"
Only then did Shinji realize that his involvement had completely disrupted Tsuburaya's plans for Ultra Galaxy Fight.
With the TV station's submission deadline looming, Shinji had no choice but to use Magical Illya as a placeholder.
While he considered going straight to Ultra Galaxy Fight, Shinji wasn't familiar enough with the series, and producing it would require Tsuburaya's staff.
Since most of their resources were tied up with Ultraseven X—a film aimed at winning major awards—splitting their focus wasn't feasible.
Additionally, Shinji didn't want Tsuburaya to compromise the quality of Ultraseven X by diverting attention to a TV show, as that would be like losing a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.
Skipping Ultra Galaxy Fight and moving directly to the New Generation Ultraman era was also an option. However, Shinji felt it would be a shame to miss out on Zoffy and Belial—two pivotal characters for the franchise's future.
Thus, Shinji decided to use the more familiar Magical Illya as a stopgap until Tsuburaya could focus on long-term planning.
The reason he chose Magical Illya specifically was twofold.
First, it's a relatively standalone story within the Type-Moon universe, a side narrative to Fate/Stay Night that doesn't impact the core FGO storyline.
Second, the content and setting were more suitable for a children's tokusatsu show—provided he toned down the "risqué loli" elements.
Speaking of lolis, the age of the protagonist Illya was another reason Shinji wanted to adapt Magical Illya now.
In this world, Illya isn't an eternal legal loli. If they didn't shoot Magical Illya soon, the little girl would grow up.
At that point, if Shinji still wanted to make Magical Illya, he'd have to wait until Illya had kids.
Of course, Shinji could accelerate the timeline himself, taking matters into his own hands.
But considering Kiritsugu's armory, Shinji figured it was less troublesome to just make Magical Illya now.
As for Rin and Luvia, they were an afterthought.
Even without the Magical Illya project, Shinji would've thrown them onto the Ultra Galaxy Fight set to brawl.
The only difference was that instead of wearing magical girl outfits, they'd be fighting in kaiju suits.
'Actually, that does sound kind of exciting,' Shinji thought, imagining them panting and sweating as they peeled off slimy monster costumes.
Whack!
Lost in thought, Shinji was snapped back to reality by Rin's karate chop.
"Shinji, were you just thinking about something gross?" Rin eyed her childhood friend suspiciously.
"Yeah, I was thinking about how best to sell you off," Shinji half-joked. "Just having you wear a magical girl costume feels like a waste. How about showing some leg?"
"Shinji, you jerk!"
Rin smacked him twice, her face flushed. "Is your brain always filled with... that sort of thing?!"
"Of course not," Shinji replied with a grin. "I'm just thinking about what the audience wants. If they want to see something, I'll give it to them."
"So, if they want legs, I should show legs?" Rin retorted scornfully. "What if they want a mana-transfer scene? Are you planning to perform Heaven's Feel live with that drill-haired girl for all of Japan to see?"
"The networks wouldn't allow that," Shinji shook his head. "Relax. This is a weekend morning kids' tokusatsu show. No matter how wild I get, I'll follow the Non-Explicit Youth Content Act."
"What's that?"
"A law that'll be passed in a few years."
"Huh?"
"Anyway," Shinji interrupted Rin's questioning by clapping her on the shoulder. "Don't forget, Rin—you owe me a lot of money. So, be a good girl and repay your debt with your body!"
"Hey!"
Seeing his childhood friend ready to unleash a flurry of Bajiquan punches on him, Shinji quickly clarified, "I'm not asking you to do anything weird! I just want you to work hard, earn some money, and pay off your debt. What's wrong with that?"
Rin's eye twitched.
"...Fine. If you put it that way, I guess it's not so bad."
Shinji's explanation left Rin feeling awkward, but she knew she had no choice but to agree.
If Shinji handed over her debt ledger to her father, Tokiomi Tohsaka, she'd be doomed.
Being sent back from England without a degree and inexplicably saddled with a mountain of debt?
If Tokiomi found out, at best, his blood pressure would skyrocket. At worst, he'd suffer a heart attack or stroke and collapse.
"So, until I pay off my debt, I have to work for you?"
"Exactly."
Shinji nodded, barely holding back a grin. His smug expression was infuriating.
"Hey! Don't laugh!"
Annoyed, Rin punched him, though she pulled her strength back—worried about adding a medical bill to her debt.
Her half-hearted punch had no real effect, and to an outsider, it might have looked more like playful teasing.
As a result, Shinji's smug grin only deepened.
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Meanwhile, there was another smug grin on someone else's face—Seifer Flora, a stakeholder in the Time Group.
Not only was he a shareholder in Time Group, but he was also the father of Cloris, who happened to be connected to the project.
The HBO premium channel was under Seifer's jurisdiction, and by coincidence, he managed to snag a producer credit for the Heaven's Feel (HF) series.
For Seifer, this was a rare opportunity, especially since he represented Time Group's interests.
Though Time Group wasn't the copyright holder for HF, they were an investor and distributor. This gave Seifer considerable influence over the project—second only to the creator and director, Shinji Matou.
In terms of distribution, Seifer's word even carried more weight than Shinji's.
However, Seifer didn't abuse his authority. Both he and his daughter Cloris surprisingly agreed on this point: leave the decision-making to Shinji, execute his plans faithfully, and just enjoy the profits.
Even so, Seifer couldn't help but feel nervous in the run-up to HF's release.
The entire project reeked of eccentricity.
For one thing, this "repackaged story" was already the third adaptation of the same material by the same audacious director.
Then there was the bizarre decision to release only one episode per month.
In traditional TV dramas, even the shortest series aired weekly. But here came Shinji Matou, boldly releasing episodes monthly.
Granted, each HF episode was two hours long—almost the length of a movie—but it was still a TV series!
"Shinji Matou, you madman! Aren't you afraid the audience will tear you apart?!"
"Just smile," Shinji had said to Seifer with a devil-may-care attitude.
Those words gave Seifer stomachaches. Smiling felt impossible.
But now, Seifer could smile freely.
HF had become a massive hit.
In October, 420,000 new subscribers joined HBO. By November, that number rose to 480,000.
In just two months, the surge in subscriptions was enough to set Seifer's mind at ease.
December wasn't over yet, but by the premiere of HF's third episode, another 260,000 users had already subscribed. The final numbers were bound to be impressive.
Moreover, the show's reception was overwhelmingly positive. Among hardcore Fate fans, it was even considered a high-quality production.
"This is Fate like we've never seen before!"
Many fans left such comments on IMDb forums.
For die-hard fans who had watched the same cast play the same roles for the third time, this was the highest praise imaginable.
"This is the true sequel to Fate/Zero! A pure, dark Fate story!"
That was the feedback from fans of Fate/Zero.
For those who appreciated the dark tone of Fate/Zero, the earlier two Fate/Stay Night adaptations were too straightforward and heroic.
No matter how you looked at it, the passionate support of these Fate fans was what drove HBO's subscription numbers sky-high and brought HF into the spotlight.
Such is the power of a spin-off series.
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Current Chapter In Patreon: Chapter 238: Losing to a Film Like This is Nothing to Be Ashamed Of[2]
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