booktalesy Chapter 31 The Red Transformation Curtain of Tiga! The Weight of Life!
Chapter 31 The Red Transformation Curtain of Tiga! The Weight of Life!
Friday, 8 PM.
In Jinghai City, countless children and adults who had just purchased the "59 Yuan Popular Version Sparkler" were holding the heavy transformation device in their hands and waiting in front of the screen on time.
With the exciting conclusion of the previous episode, "No Slavery," viewers were still in high spirits.
Everyone is looking forward to seeing what new tricks Light Chaser Studio will come up with in this episode.
Is it going to be another comedic action movie?
Or should we have another monster brawl?
However, the timeline jumps to two days ago~
Inside the screening room, Gu Nan sat behind the monitor, watching the finished episode with an unusually serious expression.
"Brother Nan, isn't this episode... a bit too heavy?"
Chen Bo stared at the screen, forgetting to eat the potato chips in his hand. "Last episode we were just saying humans wouldn't be slaves, and this episode we're treating 'life' as 'prey' right now. This contrast... I hope the audience won't have any complaints?"
"It's a bit risky, but that's exactly what I want—contrast." Gu Nan's voice was deep.
"One of the core themes of our show is anti-war and humanitarianism. If 'No Slavery' is an exploration of resistance and oppression, then this episode is about the most naked defense of the 'right to life'."
"Let's use this version. It's approved."
The timeline is now back to normal.
The viewers' screens dimmed, and the title appeared.
Ultraman Tiga Episode 14: The Exiled Prey.
……
[Video begins]
There is no cheerful background music; the opening is a series of rapid, unsettling breaths.
One evening, an unidentified flying object crashed to Earth.
A huge explosion occurred.
Then, a mysterious woman emerged from the raging flames.
She was dressed in a strange silver-blue bodysuit, with a perfect figure and a beautiful face.
The next day, on the street.
A child's balloon slipped from his hand and flew into the sky.
She leaped into the air, jumping more than ten meters high, caught the balloon, and returned it to the child.
It's easy to see from her skills that she's definitely not from Earth.
[New wife! Hehehe!]
Shut up! This is mine!
Wow, the female characters in Ultraman Tiga are all so unique and charming, unlike those generic, cookie-cutter "internet celebrity" faces.
She looks so good even without filters!
……
The scene changes.
The girl is running as fast as she can.
She was covered in wounds, and her eyes were filled with panic, like a fawn being chased by a wild beast.
Behind her, a green beam of light, like the scythe of death, swept across the ground from time to time in the sky.
Energy exploded around the girl, sending shards of rock flying.
Immediately afterwards, an alien exuding a cold-blooded aura appeared.
—Muzhen Star People.
Regarding this suit, Wang Kai's art team specifically emphasized the biological element of "insects" in the design of the suit, giving it a unique character.
The Muzhen alien has an antenna on its head, two rows of teeth growing vertically, and the antenna on its head can emit light.
It walked at a leisurely pace, as if enjoying the thrill of the hunt.
This opening...it's kind of like a battle royale game!
[Is that girl an alien? Did she just fall from the sky? She's quite pretty, but it's tragic that she got chased right away.]
That monster with the gun walks with such swagger! He doesn't treat that girl like a human being at all!
The plot continues to unfold.
The Wood-Pure Alien was discovered by Daigo, who arrived at the scene and shot it away.
The girl collapsed to the ground and was rescued by Daigo and Rena.
The girl woke up at the medical center.
She couldn't understand Earth's language, and huddled in a corner, wary of anyone who approached her.
Those terrified eyes broke the hearts of viewers watching on screen.
However, the girl was speaking an alien language that no one could understand.
Then, everyone tried to introduce themselves.
"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you."
Daigo tried to communicate using gestures.
Although we may not speak the same language, goodwill is universal.
Everyone pointed to themselves and said their name.
Then, the girl slowly uttered a few syllables...
"Lucia..."
Daigo handed her a glass of warm water, and Rena's gentle gaze gradually made Lucia lower her guard.
However, the metal bracelet on her wrist suddenly emitted a piercing "beep beep" sound.
As the plot unfolds, viewers learn that it was a locator—a marker for the prey.
This is truly a battle royale!
Holy crap! Isn't this just one of those hunting games played by deranged rich people?
[In this monster's eyes, this girl isn't an intelligent life form at all, just a rabbit or a wild boar?]
This is disgusting! Treating killing as entertainment?!
At this point, as the plot progresses, Ye Rui, through analysis, concludes: "Those Muzhen Star people are accustomed to exiling the inhabitants of other planets to desolate planets, and then hunting and killing them as prey for their own amusement."
"Treating intelligent life... as prey?" Captain Megumi's face instantly turned cold.
"That's too cruel!" Lina slammed her hand on the table in anger.
This act of trampling on the dignity of life instantly ignited the anger of all the viewers.
……
Lucia suddenly sensed something.
Her companion, another exiled "prey"—Zara, her brother, is also on Earth.
To save her comrades, Lucia disregarded Daigo's attempts to stop her and rushed out of the base.
"Daigo! Go after them! You must protect them!" Megumi ordered.
What follows is arguably the most heart-wrenching scene in the entire series so far.
Lucia found Zara.
The two met at the quarry, their faces just beginning to show a hint of joy at surviving a disaster.
"boom--!"
A green laser beam struck Zara precisely.
Before the man could even utter a word, he turned to ashes right in front of Lucia.
Lucia was stunned.
She opened her mouth wide, but no sound came out, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Immediately afterwards, the Wood-Piercing Star People appeared on the mountaintop.
The light on its forehead flashed, aiming at the desperate Lucia.
Daigo arrived.
But he was too late.
"Bang!"
Another shot.
Lucia's body slumped down, the bracelet on her wrist hitting the stone with a crisp sound.
Two lives were lost in the "game".
There was no reversal, no miracle.
Then, the screen was filled with question marks:
【? ? ? 】
【…】
[Dead...dead?]
[Screenwriter, you have no heart! Why didn't you save her?!]
[Holy crap! I'm so angry! This monster has to die! It has to die a horrible death!]
The anger in the comments section reached its peak.
Audiences are used to last-second rescues and happy endings.
But this bloody reality struck like a heavy hammer into everyone's heart.
on the screen.
Daigo looked at Lucia lying in a pool of blood, the girl with clear eyes who had just been drinking the water he had given her.
He slowly raised his head and looked at the Wood-Earth alien on the mountaintop who was laughing triumphantly because of his successful hunt.
The Japanese entertainment industry in this world has not produced those classic masterpieces.
Therefore, Gu Nan took some classic lines and "reincarnated" them in appropriate places.
Su Zhe delivered the most explosive performance in the entire series here.
His eyes no longer held their former gentleness, but only a pure, rage-filled fury that wanted to crush the enemy before him.
"What's so fun about this!"
"What's interesting there?!"
"What do you think your life is...?"
Daigo gritted his teeth, squeezing out the sound from deep in his throat.
He suddenly pulled out his magic wand and roared deafeningly at the executioner who called himself a "high-ranking hunter":
"Tiga—!!!"
A burst of light erupted.
But this light was not a warm gold, but a crimson red with the flames of vengeance!
Throughout the entire series, this is the only time a crimson transformation effect was used!
Ultraman Tiga makes his appearance.
There was no hand gesture, and no waiting for the monster to react.
Tiga transformed into his human form mid-air and delivered a flying kick that slammed into the face of the Mujin alien who was about to grow to its giant size!
"Bang!"
The monster was kicked hundreds of meters away, crashing into a mountain and collapsing.
[Beat them! Beat them to death!]
Great punches! Great kicks!
[This line is so powerful! Screw you! Die!]
Daigo is angry! The consequences will be severe!
What followed was a one-sided massacre.
After barely managing to grow to gigantic size, the Muzhen alien attempted to retaliate using its enormous body.
It transformed into an insect-like form, stretching its neck as if to bite Tiga.
But today, Tiga's fighting spirit is even stronger, fueled by anger.
Faced with the monster's attack, Tiga neither dodged nor avoided it, but directly grabbed the long neck of the wooden alien, and then switched forms with one hand.
Powerful type!
Then, his arm muscles bulged red! He started tearing it apart with his bare hands!
"Snap!"
Tiga grabbed the monster's outstretched neck with both hands, and the force he used was so strong that you could feel the pain even through the screen.
Over-the-shoulder throw!
A chop with a hand!
A powerful punch!
Every punch carried Daigo's fury, and every kick was a tribute to the lives lost.
The Wood-Pure Star People were terrified of being beaten.
It was originally the hunter, but now it has become the prey.
It started to back away, trying to escape.
Trying to run? No way!
Tiga charged forward and severed the tentacles on the top of the Wood Spirit's head with a chop to the neck. Then, as the creature screamed in agony, he gathered energy in his hands.
Dirashum Light Stream!
"boom--!!!"
The red light stream passed through the body of the Muzhen alien without any reservation.
The monster exploded in the light, turning into dust that filled the sky.
It vanished along with its filthy hunting games.
……
The battle is over.
As the sun sets, the afterglow is like blood.
Daigo did not deactivate his transformation; Tiga's enormous body stood on the quarry.
He slowly squatted down and stretched out his huge palm.
On the ground, a wisp of light drifted in the breeze—those were the souls of Lucia and Zara.
Tiga carefully picked up the ball of light.
Although he possessed godlike power, he still could not bring back the lives that had already passed. He could only raise his head and send the light in his hand into the starry sky.
"Go home."
The voice-over is Daigo's somber monologue.
"To live freely in a universe where there is no hunting and no escape."
The image freezes on Tiga's somewhat forlorn figure from behind.
The camera zooms out, revealing the broken metal bracelet on the ground, gleaming coldly in the setting sun.
The video ends.
……
There was a momentary vacuum in the Bilibili live stream room.
Gone was the usual joyous celebration of the series ending; only a screen full of white comments remained.
May you rest in peace.
May there be no hunting in Heaven.
This episode could still be considered a masterpiece.
The weight of life is so heavy.
Let's rewind to the film review date.
The studio was completely silent.
Even Chen Bo, who usually loves to joke around, took off his glasses and secretly wiped the corner of his eye.
"Brother Nan..." Chen Bo's voice choked up a little, "This episode, although it's a knife, is really powerful."
"That's right."
The timeline is now back to normal.
Gu Nan looked at the data in the backend, which showed that although the growth had stopped, the interaction rate was frighteningly high.
"I am increasingly convinced that the audience is not just a bunch of overgrown babies who can only read wish-fulfillment stories."
"Only by making them feel pain will they understand why Daigo fights."
"Everyone has the right to protect their life."
"Whether they are Earthlings or aliens."
That night, the discussion about "Ultraman Tiga" was no longer limited to special effects and plot.
Numerous netizens left comments under this episode of Ultraman Tiga:
"I used to think Ultraman was about fighting monsters, but today I realized that Ultraman is teaching us how to be human."
"Daigo's roar resonated with so many people."
"This is the light we should be chasing."