Shinji would definitely mess around with FGO, but it's not the right time yet.
A purely commercial project like FGO requires an emotional appeal, otherwise, it risks being seen as too greedy by fans, leading to backlash.
To make emotional appeal translate into purchasing power, it either needs to revive a classic work after many years or continuously release excellent new works to build momentum.
Before Shinji's transmigration, Type-Moon opted for the former approach, but this time Shinji plans to go with the latter.
In either case, time is essential to accumulate value. It can't be rushed out hastily.
So for now, Shirou's wallet narrowly escapes a disaster—or more accurately, it temporarily escapes.
The wallet gets a break, but it won't last forever.
As Shinji puts it: "You fatten it up before slaughtering it."
"The fans' emotions today, stirred by Shirou's heroics, will become my profit tomorrow. This feels amazing! Hahahahaha—!"
Smack
Shinji's head got smacked by Rider.
"I've told you before, Master, don't laugh so disgustingly. Do you want me to throw you into the non-burnable trash bin like Berserker tossed Gilgamesh?"
"Hmph, Rider, you're too naive."
Shinji revealed the Command Seals on his arm, smirking coldly: "I am the man who holds the power to command you~ What do you think I'll do? Maybe I should make you wear a maid outfit and give me shoulder massages every day~ Hehehe~"
Rider and Shinji stared at each other for less than a second before she calmly took off her glasses and petrified him.
Then, without hesitation, she tied him up with chains and dumped him next to the non-burnable trash bin, leaving Shinji to keep Gilgamesh company.
"Did anyone hear something?"
EMIYA glanced at Shinji and Gilgamesh, holding back laughter.
Enkidu chuckled, "I didn't hear anything at all."
"It was probably just the sound of me throwing out the trash," Rider said with zero remorse.
"Oh, I see, throwing out the trash! Hahaha!"
"Yan Qing, what are you laughing at?"
"I just thought of something funny. How about you, Archer?"
"Heh, same here."
…
'These bastards…'
Watching the Servants walk by while deliberately joking and laughing, Shinji vowed they would pay for this.
While Shinji was having another miserable night, the Fate fans were quite satisfied.
With Shirou Emiya's dashing figure and the iconic BGM EMIYA playing, his incredible silhouette
not only won over the hearts of viewers but also etched itself into their memories.
'This story is really well-crafted!'
Aoko thought to herself in admiration.
This was her second time watching this episode of Heaven's Feel, as her grandfather had asked her to take notes for him.
The scene where Kirei Kotomine purified (physically) Zouken Matou left a strong impression on Lord Aozaki.
Of course, what impressed the old man wasn't Kirei's purification technique but the incantation he chanted while performing it.
It was a complete version of the Baptism Rite chant.
As the most important and powerful spiritual exorcism spell of the Church, Lord Aozaki naturally knew its significance.
Although he didn't know how Shinji managed to obtain the full chant and even broadcast it in the show, he considered such an action utterly foolish.
"Such an important thing should have been kept for private research!"
Despite his disdain for Shinji's approach, the old man happily accepted this "gift" from his enemy and prepared to study it thoroughly.
Therefore, the first thing Lord Aozaki did was have the entire chant transcribed.
However, the scene, filled with Zouken's laughter and intense BGM, made it impossible to transcribe in one go.
Lord Aozaki, unwilling to watch "garbage" again himself, tasked his granddaughter and apprentice Aoko with the job.
Aoko didn't mind—after all, it wasn't often she got to watch HF openly at home.
'The visuals in this show are so stunning! Almost movie-level quality! That guy really puts his heart into his work.'
Aoko sighed as she sat on the couch.
Since it wasn't her first time watching, she was already familiar with the plot.
In fact, compared to the previous episode, episode five's story was much simpler—almost entirely action from start to finish.
So even someone like Aoko, who prioritized brawn over brains, had memorized the plot after just one viewing.
Nevertheless, as she watched the fierce wind blow during the battle between Shirou and Berserker, she couldn't help but worry about whether Illya would survive.
She was still amazed by Shirou's determination in the face of despair and mesmerized by the final shot of his towering figure.
'Such an incredible scene, and my sister helped build the set?'
She remembered her sister, Touko, complaining during a phone call that Shinji was extremely demanding about the props for swords and axes.
'As expected of my sister, being able to pull off something like this!'
For a moment, Aoko felt a wave of pride swell in her chest.
After all, they were sisters, sharing honor and disgrace together.
Then Aoko realized that it was actually the immersive power of Shinji's production that made her feel this way.
Even though she was fully aware of the plot of the story, she still cheered for Shirou Emiya's victory.
"That Shinji Matou guy... If I weren't an accomplished magus, I'd almost think he cast some sort of spell on the DVD, making people mistakenly believe the story is better than it really is."
Aoko said with a mixture of admiration and jealousy.
"This episode's atmosphere is fantastic, and the action scenes are so exciting. It should sell even better than the last one, right?"
"Tsk, tsk. Should I find an opportunity to meet that kid? The situation now doesn't seem entirely devoid of chances."
As she looked at the laptop on her knees, Aoko was deep in thought.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
Aoko's prediction wasn't wrong. The popularity of HF Episode 5 far surpassed the previous Episode 4.
People are visual creatures; Episode 5 had more action scenes than Episode 4, so naturally, audiences found it more enjoyable.
At the very least, fans all agreed that Episode 5 was worth it.
After all, people tend to subconsciously associate action scenes with higher production costs compared to dialogue-heavy scenes.
And they wouldn't be entirely wrong—although Shinji's action scenes cost less than those of other crews, it was only by comparison.
Relative to dialogue scenes, they did require more budget.
Especially since the main actors' performances in HF had noticeably improved compared to before, making dramatic scenes less challenging than they used to be.
Another reason fans loved Episode 5 was the portrayal of Shirou Emiya.
[From the lackluster protagonist in the movie adaptation, to the idealistic youth in UBW, and now the man who sacrifices everything for the one he loves in HF.]
[Even though Shirou Emiya's character arcs differ across the three versions, Shinji Matou's storytelling somehow made me feel that these three arcs combine into a complete growth trajectory for Shirou.]
[Plot-wise, this episode is perhaps the least suspenseful in the HF series so far, but that doesn't mean Episode 5 is bad. On the contrary, the atmosphere in this episode is brilliantly crafted.]
Milo Johnson wrote an extensive review for this episode of HF, lavishing praise on Shinji:
[Generally speaking, if a story progresses too traditionally, viewers might predict what happens next, which often makes the story less engaging.]
[But the problem is, even though I predicted the developments, I was still deeply moved by this episode!]
[In the final moments of this episode, Shirou Emiya, who sacrifices everything to protect someone, has never appeared so majestic. He may not be the hero of UBW who wants to save everyone, but his dedication to fighting for a single person feels all the more authentic.]
[The storytelling in this episode was so captivating that I thoroughly enjoyed it and even felt the urge to rewatch it again and again. Such rewatchable shows are something I've only experienced in truly great works, like The Godfather in film or Yes, Minister in television.]
[I don't think Shinji Matou's HF can stand shoulder to shoulder with these masterpieces, but his character-building is undeniably remarkable. At the very least, the Shirou Emiya he developed over three installments will undoubtedly become a classic in film history.]
[I heard Shinji Matou has already started preparing for his next film. It's rare to see a director in today's film industry who is so hardworking, prolific, and passionate about their craft. I wish him joy in his creative process and hope he keeps it up.]
Milo Johnson's comments resonated strongly with Fate fans. Before long, this horror-genre-focused critic began to gain traction beyond his niche audience.
However, as global film enthusiasts stirred up a new wave of interest in HF, Shinji himself had already started shooting Fate/Apocrypha (FA), too preoccupied to pay attention to external reviews.
Contrary to Milo Johnson's assumption of his being "busy," Shinji's life during the filming of FA was rather leisurely.
Although directing FA naturally meant he couldn't completely relax as if on vacation, his workload was not intense. In fact, it was significantly lighter compared to his time on the Mahoyo crew.
Currently, Shinji only worked half-days shooting during the mornings.
In the afternoons, he either enjoyed tea breaks in his office or wandered around the forests in the mountains near Fuyuki City under the pretense of location scouting.
Occasionally, he would check on the post-production progress of Super 8 or fulfill his supervisory duties with the Mahoyo crew.
Even though Miss Cloris, sent by the Era Group to assist as a producer, had some complaints about Shinji's relaxed pace, there was little she could do.
First of all, as the lead producer and director, Shinji was the boss of the crew, and everything about the production was under his control.
Secondly, there were legitimate reasons for the slow progress:
The story of FA was set in a small town in Western Europe, and the outdoor sets in Fuyuki City had yet to be completed. While the scale didn't require constructing an entire city, the required settings were still significant.
Another reason was that the new batch of actors for the Heroic Spirits had only just begun their performance training. They hadn't yet mastered their acting skills.
Thus, the FA crew could only film fragmented indoor scenes—primarily action sequences—to let the actors practice and get comfortable with the process.
But Shinji wasn't worried about the filming schedule at all. On the contrary, he thoroughly enjoyed everything happening on the set.
Because—
"Sister, don't do that..."
"Medusa, look at me! Oh dear, little Medusa has grown up again. How much have you been holding back?"
"Sister! Where are you touching?!"
And—
"Sir Mordred, what are you doing?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing, then why are you so tense?"
"I'm not tense at all!"
"Someone moved my new Hengroen (the motorcycle from Fate/Zero). Do you know anything about it?"
"What? What? Sneaking out for a joyride on my father's motorcycle? That's ridiculous. I would never do that!"
"Well then, Sir Mordred, do you think it's better to punish a thief with Excalibur, Excalibur, or Excalibur?"
"No, Father, please!"
Watching the antics of a pair of sisters and a father-son duo on set, Shinji raised his head proudly and thought to himself:
"A family sitcom? That's my favorite."
<+>
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