On premiere day, managers at every Toho theater obsessively eyed schedules, hunting films to cut for more *Mewtwo Strikes Back* slots. Pre-sales were exhausted; even non-prime seats for the next two days sold out.
In Shochiku's boardroom, ashtrays overflowed. "I should've seen it yesterday—those lines weren't paid plants," a exec rasped, pounding the table. "Useless now! Toho's lines jammed since morning!" another snapped, loosening his tie. "Toei's the same—they're scrambling too." A corner mutter: "They're probably counting cash, no time for us."
At a small leased cinema, the owner mopped sweat, yelling: "Miheko! Popcorn's gone! Cups too—warehouse, now!" Grinning at the packed entrance, he thanked his gamble on Toho-Sega's hype.
Toho HQ finally picked up Shochiku's line. The pleading voice proposed co-distribution. The president sipped tea silently, then drawled: "We'll consider it long-term. My secretary will call—next week, no, the week after—for board availability."
Post-screening, lights up, many lingered, lost in the credits song. Hallways echoed with sobs—mostly kids, but plenty of suited men teared up. "Dad, let's come again next week!" a boy tugged, face streaked but eyes shining. His father knelt, wiping tears, speechless. He'd come to appease the kid; now a lump choked him.
"Didn't expect a kids' film to tackle this," a bespectacled man told his wife. "Human Genome Project—bigwig stuff, but it's right here." "That researcher treating subjects like data—chilling," she shuddered. "Decades ago, who knows what horrors." An elderly man overheard, sighing to his son: "Life ethics belongs in schools. We know too well those bottomless idiots." His son nodded gravely.
Whispers spread, swaying reluctant parents. A businesswoman beelined to a payphone: "Aiko's mom? Take the kids to today's movie—the one plastered everywhere! Trust me—you must!"
Kids thrilled as indifferent parents now pushed for re-watches. Exiting crowds debated; incoming queued anxiously, clogging entrances.
Media pounced. Premiere buzz lingered; next morning's papers and TV felt the quake. At *Asahi Shimbun*, the editor slammed a draft: "Front page—scrap the scandal! Readers want this!" Pointing to premiere coverage: "Photos—lines, teary eyes! Interviews—why parents re-watch!"
A top review show dissected: "Yesterday, one film ignited Japan. Tickets sold out days ahead. Experts?" A veteran critic sneered: "Plot's thin—abrupt shifts, no buildup." A younger countered: "It's no doc—it's a modern fable. Simplified tech to focus on 'why,' not 'how.' Adults crying over logic? Priorities wrong." A sociologist deepened: "Its value: forcing parents to face elite-monopolized life ethics. That inhuman researcher—history's warning. Unbridled science is terror. This crosses ages, sparks resonance."
Airwaves boiled. Fence-sitters, even poster-haters, flipped. Parent committees urged viewings as "vivid life lessons." Magazine covers blared: "*Mewtwo Strikes Back*: Society's Ethics Exam."
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