Chapter 97

Shen Zhenghui felt that perhaps it was because he was too idle that he was being led around by the nose by Fukuda Ayumi, doing whatever she told him to do. To reverse this trend, he needed to take control of his own career.

Shen Zhenghui deeply reflected on his previous behavior of proposing plans and handing them over to others to execute. Although he had participated in filming and even had the director's name attached, how much had he truly done? Even the script was revised by a few Japanese people.

Because he only talked and didn't put his heart into doing things, he was blocked by Fukuda Ayumi. If he were proficient in practical operations, even if he couldn't be an irreplaceable high-level person, at least he would be familiar with the practical aspects, making it easier to start anew after leaving Japan.

Thus, Shen Zhenghui decided to change his attitude towards life. Fukuda Ayumi's words ultimately had an effect—inducement works, no inducement, no results. Moreover, he was sometimes too whimsical. For example, he felt that martial arts films would decline in the future due to a lack of female action stars, so Fukuda Ayumi signed a taekwondo-trained girl for him. Now, what could he do with her? Make her act in an idol drama? Shen Zhenghui was so anxious that he was pulling his hair, spending days in the office making plans, writing down the movies he remembered on draft paper, constantly thinking about which films could be made ahead of time. He also needed to communicate with Fukuda Ayumi because, with Gongben almost ready to learn from great directors for a year, he needed a new assistant director, preferably one with experience in martial arts films, which was not easy to find. Fukuda Ayumi was helping him search while he was making his own filming plans.

The decline of martial arts films had its reasons. The development of special effects technology made even actors who were just for show appear highly combat-capable. However, in Shen Zhenghui's view, this was not a valid reason. True special effects, like those in "The Matrix," were indeed impressive, but the production costs were extremely high, and only large-scale productions could showcase the effects, which limited the number of such films. "Kung Fu" was not an annual occurrence, let alone "The Matrix."

Moreover, special effects and martial arts sometimes seriously affected the plot. For example, in Yuan Heping's 2009 film "Su Qier," the fighting scenes were impressive, but the plot was terrible, so bad that it was intolerable. Similarly, "Clash of the Titans" had a plot that was a complete mess. Therefore, the core of a film was still the story. Unless the effects were at Cameron's level, even the most dazzling films could still be considered bad.

Shen Zhenghui conceived two films. One was similar to the 2001 Korean film "Volcano High School," set in a school with an exaggerated theme, inspired by the manga "Tenchi Muyou" by Ohtsuki Yumito. Shen Zhenghui was concerned that the exaggerated style of anime would make live-action films seem overly exaggerated and artificial, especially when the plot was compressed, as seen in the Hong Kong film "The Storm Riders."

The other film was inspired by Wu Jing's 2006 film "Black Fist," a realistic topic that had been tested in the Western market. Building an underground black market for boxing was not difficult, and in Japan, it had a good background—various international styles could be brought together for a grand battle. However, controlling this topic was a significant challenge, and the key was to maintain control.

Liu Xin returned from the mainland and discussed work with Shen Zhenghui. Most of what Liu Xin told him was relayed by Wang Anping. The situation was quite good, and after the change of leadership, the central government began to crack down on local forces, with the Zou family being a key target. As a result, the Zou family had become more restrained, and the worst-case scenario did not materialize. However, Liu Xin still advised some of the staff in Pengcheng to move to Yuhang.

Shen Zhenghui's father's cultural company was developing rapidly, and the few TV series they produced had good ratings and positive reviews, especially "Home," a film produced by a group of women in Pengcheng. Due to its grand theme and alignment with the main melody, it was broadcast on CCTV, and Shen Xinguo's reputation soared, far surpassing Shen Zhenghui in the domestic circle.

Liu Xin was most concerned about the next animation project. The completion of the two fortresses had boosted her confidence, and with "World Air Combat Story" entering post-production, Gonzo had enough manpower to start new projects.

Shen Zhenghui felt that getting the company on track would allow them to stand on their own, so he asked, "What project do you want to start?"

Liu Xin, somewhat embarrassed, took out an issue of "Jinhong Comics" and pointed to the cover.

Shen Zhenghui glanced at it— "Shaolin Authentic." He almost rolled his eyes. In Hong Kong, he was still worrying about Stephen Chow's film title, and now he had to worry about the title of an animation.

"Shaolin Authentic" was a comic drawn by Ah Heng, deeply influenced by Hong Kong comics, with a very good creative idea. However, there were significant problems with the setting and layout, and the system often lacked coherence, with many hard-to-fix issues. After the introduction of a review and editing team in "Jinhong Comics," these problems were controlled, and "Shaolin Authentic" improved in both plot and setting. Several authors were brought in to create different storylines for different main characters, and with financial support, "Shaolin Authentic" became the flagship work of "Jinhong Comics."

Liu Xin's choice to adapt this work into the next animation was almost a given.

However, this was not what Shen Zhenghui wanted. If the film were made, it would definitely have an impact, but the abbot of Shaolin Temple could teach you how to behave, and the senators could easily shut it down. Previously, the senators didn't read comics, but now, with an animation, would they let it pass? Have you registered the copyright for the name "Shaolin"?

Shen Zhenghui thought Liu Xin should have a good head on her shoulders, but on this issue, she seemed blind. He had experienced the development of the cultural industry and knew how it worked. At this point, they were just taking advantage of the situation, but when the bureaucrats got involved, they would ensure that you lost everything. The Japanese audience was not a trash can; they wouldn't accept Chinese-themed animations just like that.

Shen Zhenghui casually flipped through the "Jinhong Comics." Although the drawings were good, the topics were overly narrow, stuck in the套路 of Japanese and Hong Kong comics. However, with its localized stories, "Jinhong Comics" enjoyed a circulation of 600,000 copies per issue in the mainland.

Shen Zhenghui tapped his fingers on the table and said in an unyielding tone, "Shaolin Authentic cannot be animated."

"Why?" Liu Xin became somewhat agitated. "This story has a wide audience and will be very popular."

"Has it been approved by Shaolin Temple?"

"Huh? Does it need Shaolin Temple's approval?"

Shen Zhenghui smirked. "Given the background, not only Shaolin Temple, but the government would not accept it."

"They manage this?"

"Can you get it past the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television?"

Liu Xin regained her composure but still opened her mouth, unable to say anything.

"Japan's market is not an option. TV stations won't air this kind of topic, and Shaolin Temple is not Japanese."

"They might..."

"Do you want to talk to the TV stations?" Shen Zhenghui asked.

Liu Xin was silent.

"I haven't paid attention to comics for a long time," Shen Zhenghui handed the magazine back to Liu Xin. "I heard that Li Hong and 'Science Fiction World' used to collaborate. How is their relationship now?"

"They couldn't continue the collaboration, so they came to Pengcheng!" Liu Xin replied, somewhat depressed. "So, how should we choose a new topic?"

"Comic artists sometimes have a narrow perspective. Why don't you have Ah Heng and the others reconnect with 'Science Fiction World'? 'Science Fiction World' has many good stories that can be adapted into comics, whether short or long. Their topics are more diverse."

"What about my new animation?" Liu Xin asked, somewhat impatiently. "We can't just start looking for a new topic now, can we?"

"Don't you have a backup topic?"

"No!" Liu Xin answered confidently. "Give me one!"

Shen Zhenghui pressed his temples. It was still 1999, and following the direction of science fiction he had proposed, Liu Cixin had not yet written "The Wandering Earth," Qian Lifang had not yet written "Heaven's Will," and Xia Jia had not yet entered Peking University. Following this line of thought, there was a classic science fiction novel called "Fly to the Alpha Centauri."

Shen Zhenghui stood up. He only had a vague impression of this work, but the spaceship, universe, and Mars base involved were good topics. Additionally, the hard science fiction descriptions in the novel were impressive.

The author, Mr. Zheng, would pass away in 2003. The New Pioneers often gained status through their pioneering roles, but they also had the strength to establish their positions. This book was a significant novel in the eyes of science fiction fans. Shen Zhenghui had to consider whether it was necessary and whether it could make money.

At this moment, he turned to look at Liu Xin.

Liu Xin's expression was tense and expectant, her eyes full of vitality and a longing for the future. She was passionate about her work and felt a sense of satisfaction and achievement in nurturing it. Her emotions were tied to her work, so she was disappointed by the rejection of "Shaolin Authentic" and somewhat anxious and expectant about choosing a new topic.

"My point is, since you've just completed a military-themed animation, why not choose a similar topic next? You can look at mecha or robot war themes, choose one yourself, and also ask others to help you find a suitable novel with a tight structure and tense plot."

"You don't have a reference for us?"

Shen Zhenghui spread his hands. "I'm not all-knowing. You choose. Listen to Shunbaku Masashi's opinion; he's a professional."

Liu Xin pouted.

"If you really can't find a topic, you can join Shunbaku Masashi's team working on 'Battle Angel Snow Wind.'"

"Forget it. The prequel has already burned through the budget, and he won't start the main series until the prequel recovers the investment." Liu Xin was quite familiar with Gonzo's situation.

"Then start working on 'Full Metal Panic!' The parts of the novel that have been released are enough for one season."

"You mean the one about China splitting into two governments?"

"Have you read it?"

"It's on Gonzo's adaptation list, of course I've read it."

"This animation won't be shown in China, so it doesn't matter."

Liu Xin stood up, somewhat angry. "What about your patriotism?"

Shen Zhenghui raised an eyebrow. "Why don't I write a story about Japan being occupied?"

"Isn't it already occupied?"

...

After finally convincing Liu Xin to leave, Shen Zhenghui fell into deep thought. After a while, he picked up the phone and dialed Professor Song in Beijing. "Hello, Professor Song. I wonder if you are familiar with Mr. Zheng, the author of 'Fly to the Alpha Centauri'?"

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