ryethenovel Chapter 188: The Stage Play Begins, Giants Resurrected from Ancient Times
Chapter 188: The Stage Play Begins, Giants Resurrected from Ancient Times
Jinghai International Convention and Exhibition Center.
As the morning sun pierced through the thin mist, a long queue had already formed outside the venue. Two hours before the official opening, fans from all over the country had packed the open-air plaza to capacity.
Inside the exhibition hall, Gu Nan was leading his core team on a final inspection.
"Brother Nan, the lighting and sound effects in all exhibition areas have been tested and adjusted, and the security glass has been reinforced again."
Chen Bo ran over with a walkie-talkie.
Gu Nan glanced at the several-meter-tall bust of Desfasa, inwardly marveling, and after confirming there were no blind spots, asked, "What about the official sales area?"
"Your direct-to-consumer pricing strategy is brilliant! Scalpers are jumping up and down in frustration. We have plenty of stock: bone carvings, soft vinyl toys, glow sticks, flash swords, and even adult-sized Victory Team uniforms that we're rushing to make—our warehouse is completely full!"
"Well done."
Gu Nan patted him on the shoulder, "Come on, let's go check out the backstage area next door."
Backstage at the Grand Theatre, the original cast and crew of the stage play are in a state of high alert. Unlike film and television dramas where retakes are possible, stage plays are live performances with zero room for error.
Su Zhe adjusted his breathing in front of the mirror.
Zhang Zhao, a suit actor, repeatedly stretched his joints on the side—wearing a specially made suit for real combat is a huge test of physical strength.
Gu Nan pushed open the door and entered. Seeing the tense expressions on everyone's faces, he clapped his hands: "Relax. The sweat you shed during this month of intensive closed training will not have been in vain. The audience sitting below the stage today are there to see you travel from afar. Treat this place as a battlefield and bring them true light."
Everyone took a deep breath, their eyes gradually hardening.
……
At 10:00 AM, the large-scale Ultraman-themed exhibition officially opened.
The gates opened, and a flood of people poured in. Lao Tang, a content creator specializing in tokusatsu (special effects) content, had specially canceled all his work today and, hand in hand with his girlfriend, followed the flow of people into the convention center.
As soon as Old Tang stepped into Area A, "Origin of Light," his eyes widened instantly.
"1:1 scale replicas of the original Ultraman, Seven, Jack, Ace, Taro, and Leo! All in their classic fighting poses!"
"My God, those are the original Beta Wand and Ultra Glasses from back then!" Old Tang pointed at the bulletproof glass case, his voice trembling. "Director Gu has dug up all of Tsuburaya Productions' old assets!"
My girlfriend isn't a hardcore tokusatsu fan, but she was still amazed by the realistic sets: "These miniature models are so detailed! Even the reflections in the building windows and the traffic lights are so lifelike!"
After passing through area A, the two arrived at area B, "The Era of Chasing Light".
Upon seeing the miniature version of Crimos Island, which had been razed to the ground by Desfasa, the ruins of the underground city, and the mobile fortress Kurak call sign, Lao Tang immediately pulled out his DSLR camera and started snapping away.
The monster zone was a scene of utter chaos.
The giant Golza, the eerie Gazort, the adorable Sylphagon, and many others attracted countless people to stop and take photos.
That round and adorable Hanaijiro plush toy instantly captured the heart of Lao Tang's girlfriend.
"Old Tang! I want to buy this!"
"Buy, buy, buy! Everything's cheap today, let's snag a great deal!"
The two stormed into the official direct sales area.
Without saying a word, Lao Tang bought the 1:1 scale glow stick and flash sword he had been longing for, and also bought his girlfriend a Super Victory Team jersey.
"Snap!"
Old Tang pressed the folding button on the flash sword, listening to the crisp mechanical sound, his face full of rapture. "This trip is practically a buying spree!"
……
After visiting the exhibition, at 2 PM, Lao Tang and his girlfriend entered the Jinghai Grand Theater on time after having their tickets checked.
All 12,000 seats in the stadium were filled.
As the lights dimmed and rousing music began, the stage play "The Giants Who Resurrected in Ancient Times" officially commenced.
On stage, holographic projections are combined with real-life set construction, transporting the audience back to an ancient era.
The story is set in the ancient era, where people lived in tribes.
The village has flat land, neat houses, farmers, hunters and guards, and is like a pastoral scene.
The village is steeped in legend of the Giant of Light.
The boy Amui firmly believed this and always wanted to find traces of the giant.
The priestess Yusa Lei sensed an ominous sign through her ritual.
As the plot unfolds, light and shadow intertwine.
Winged from the future—the son of Daigo and Rena—is a trainee with the Super GUTS team. He accidentally travels through a time rift in his fighter jet and crashes into this era, attracting dinosaur monsters.
The female wanderer Mahoropa hunted a dragon and obtained the Dark Sword. Guided by the Bronze Magic Rod, she arrived at the village.
When she entered the stage wielding a hidden sword, her heroic and dashing action scenes drew cheers from the audience.
Dark mage Daedara and minotaur Oroch led dinosaur monsters to wreak havoc on the village.
The guards used catapults, bows and arrows, and even traps to fight off the monster.
The raw, primitive feel of people battling giant beasts, combined with the explosive sound effects, captivated the audience.
Seeing that the village was about to be destroyed, Yuanyi picked up the fallen bronze magic wand.
"I am Daigo's son, and I too can become light!"
Accompanied by dazzling light, Ultraman Tiga made his appearance amidst screams from the audience.
However, to the audience's surprise, Tiga, who transformed into a winged form, was not only smaller than the original, but also his chest timer started flashing red lights frantically after only a few moves in the battle.
Under the monster's counterattack, this smaller version of Tiga quickly ran out of energy and was defeated.
His girlfriend leaned close to Tang's ear, puzzled, and asked, "Why is Tiga, the form Daigo's son conjured, so weak?"
Old Tang stared at the stage and explained in a low voice, "Daigo always resisted existing as a god. Yuanyi inherited his father's DNA, and also this confusion and resistance. It's not that he can't change, it's that he hasn't fully accepted this power."
On stage, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
The dark god Deguf descended with a holographic projection of dark clouds that blotted out the sky, and the overwhelming darkness brought the atmosphere in the room to a freezing point.
Roundwing has completely lost its ability to fight.
At the most desperate moment, Amui, a boy who had always believed in the legend of light, stepped forward.
He accepted the protective relic handed to him by You Sha Lei.
"The true inheritors of the Will of Light are the youth of this era!"
Yu Sha Lei's lines echoed throughout the Grand Theater.
Amui raised the bronze magic staff high, and a powerful resonance instantly erupted across the ancient land!
The true giant of light awakens fully on the battlefield in its most dazzling form!
Zhang Zhao, dressed in a modified Ultraman Tiga suit, showcased solid and powerful fighting moves on stage.
Every punch and every over-the-shoulder throw was accompanied by heavy bass and precise spotlights, creating a powerful and impactful experience.
"Drink!"
In the final battle against the dark demon god Degus, Tiga delivered a powerful flying kick, followed by crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"It's a powerful type!"
Countless audience members below the stage cheered excitedly.
With unstoppable momentum, the red Tiga completely overwhelmed Degus!
Finally, a move featuring Dillahum's Light Stream!
Although there were no special effects, the dazzling laser beams sweeping across the stage created an effect that truly resembled a light bombardment.
"boom--!"
The demon shattered in the light, and the light once again bathed the ancient village.
When all the actors walked to the front of the stage during the end credits and bowed deeply to the audience in farewell, the entire venue erupted in thunderous applause that lasted for a long time.
Back at the hotel that night, Lao Tang edited the footage he shot that day into a vlog and uploaded it to Bilibili.
As soon as the video was released, netizens flooded the screen with comments.
"Brothers! I really went on a pilgrimage today! I saw the official Ultraman Tiga stage show live. The visual impact and the atmosphere of the whole audience chanting Ultraman Tiga together are something you can't experience through a screen!" Old Tang was so excited in the video that he was gesturing wildly.
"The stage play was indeed well-produced. The visual effects of the holographic projection and the real set construction were stunning. The fighting moves of the costumed actors were also solid and powerful, showing that they had put in a lot of effort in the rehearsals. The audience was very interactive, and the children screamed with joy."
In the video, Lao Tang included snapshots from the stage play: "The plot is quite interesting. Yuan Yi is unable to exert his full strength due to inner confusion, while the ancient boy Amui awakens the true giant through pure faith. Although some of the plot logic could be re-examined, as a stage play for a live audience, the overall experience definitely exceeded expectations."
The comments section was scrolling wildly at this moment:
[The analysis is quite fair, and watching it live was indeed exhilarating; the fight scenes were very powerful.]
The holographic projection effect was amazing; De Guref's entrance was incredibly imposing.
I was there at the time, and the kids were all going crazy, chanting "Tiga!" all together.
Although the plot was a bit rushed in some parts, it's already quite good for a performance that's only an hour long.
Seeing the screen full of comments, Lao Tang changed his tone in the second half of the video, and his expression became excited.
"But guys, what kept me up all night tonight wasn't just this stage play, but also the official trailer for episode 35 of Ultraman Dyna from yesterday!"
Old Tang pasted a screenshot of the trailer onto the screen, pointing to the fleeting images, his voice slightly trembling with excitement: "Everyone, look closely at these shots! Although next week's episode is titled 'The Destructive Smile,' which sounds like Sphia is about to pull off something big again, open your eyes wide and look at these faces!"
On the screen, in the enlarged screenshot, the faces of Munakata, Horii, and Shinjo were clearly visible!
"It's the commander! It's Horii! It's Shinjo!"
Old Tang roared, "They're members of the former GUTS team! They've returned wearing TPC's new uniforms!"
"Since Captain Megumi's brief appearance in the online movie, this is the first time the veteran members have made a collective appearance in a TV drama! The whole team is back, brothers!"
The live stream chat exploded at that moment:
[Holy crap, Munakata is in command! Horii! Shinjo! I'm not seeing things, am I?!]
Are the two generations of the GUTS team finally going to share the stage?!
[Has Horii gained weight again, haha? But seeing him is so heartwarming.]
Is the new plane still flying? Please, please, don't crash it this time!
[Great! The GUTS team is about to show us their old god-like power!]
Looking at the screen filled with celebratory comments, Old Tang laughed heartily: "Who cares what happens in next week's plot! As long as these veterans are here, even if the sky falls, I'll feel safe! Brothers, let's all look forward to next week's 'Ultraman Dyna'!"
The video slowly ended amidst a screen full of comments. And this grand celebration for tokusatsu fans has only just begun in this early spring season.