ebonymovies Chapter 152 Returning Home in Glory! A New Year's Greeting Across the Internet!
Chapter 152 Returning Home in Glory! A New Year's Greeting Across the Internet!
For the core team at Light Chaser Animation Studios, this year has been a dream year.
From a makeshift team of college students crammed into a dilapidated warehouse, unable to even afford a suit, to the one and only true god in the tokusatsu world, sweeping the entire internet and repeatedly breaking viewership records.
Their fates underwent a dramatic change.
Now, it's time to return home in glory.
……
The next morning, at Jinghai International Airport.
As the Spring Festival approaches, the airport terminal is packed with people, with travelers dragging suitcases and hurrying home.
Su Zhe was wearing a black baseball cap, large black-rimmed sunglasses, and a black face mask, covering himself up completely.
He deliberately kept his body low as he weaved through the crowd, preparing to head to the VIP waiting room.
"Phew... As long as I keep a low profile, no one should be able to recognize me."
Su Zhe muttered to himself.
Although Gu Nan had previously offered to arrange a private car to take him home, Su Zhe refused.
He was already very grateful to Director Gu, and he didn't want to owe him any more favors.
Since the huge success of "Ultraman Tiga", his face, as the actor who played the male lead "Daigo", has become a household name.
Especially in the hearts of the younger generation and children, he is simply the embodiment of "light," a true national idol.
Everything was going smoothly until he accidentally bumped into a little boy carrying a backpack before going through security.
"Ouch!"
The little boy plopped down on the ground, and the toy in his hand fell to the side.
"I'm so sorry, little one, are you alright?"
Su Zhe instinctively squatted down, reached out to help the little boy, and picked up the toys from the ground for him.
Just as Su Zhe handed the toy to the little boy and subconsciously pulled down his mask a little to let in some air, the little boy's eyes suddenly changed.
It was an expression of disbelief, shock, and then ecstasy!
The little boy didn't take the toy. Instead, he stared intently at Su Zhe's highly distinctive eyes and voice, then suddenly raised his voice and shouted at a volume loud enough to penetrate the entire terminal:
"Daigo!!! It's Daigo!!!"
That shout was like a depth charge dropped on a calm lake.
The passengers who had been hurrying around stopped instantly and turned to look at them.
"Daigo? What does that mean?"
"Holy crap! It really is Daigo! The one who played Ultraman Tiga!"
"Holy crap! Daigo is alive! He was on the same flight as me!"
"Daigo! Please sign this for me! My whole family loves Ultraman Tiga!"
In less than a minute, before Su Zhe could even put his mask back on properly, crowds surged in from all directions like a tidal wave.
College students dragging their luggage and young parents with their children gradually gathered around excitedly.
Although it wasn't like the kind of massive crowds that would surround a celebrity, the people around Su Zhe still made it difficult for him to move an inch.
"Su Zhe! Can we take a picture together?"
"Daigo, did you bring your Spark Lens? Show us your transformation!"
"Brother Su Zhe, I like you so much! Can you sign my shirt for me?"
Su Zhe looked at the densely packed cell phones and laptops reaching out to him, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
Although he knows he's very popular now, he's never experienced anything like this before.
In the past, when they were on set, they were either filming or memorizing lines. Gu Nan always protected them very well and rarely participated in offline commercial activities.
"Please don't push! Be careful! Don't step on the children!"
While struggling to maintain his balance, Su Zhe shouted loudly and quickly signed his name on several notebooks that were handed to him.
But this was of no use; the crowd grew larger and larger, and even passengers from other check-in counters came over to see what was going on.
Just as Su Zhe felt like he was suffocating and was even worried that causing a disturbance would delay his flight.
"Make way! Make way! Please keep order and don't crowd!"
Accompanied by a loud voice, a team of airport uniformed officers in peaked caps rushed to the scene.
When the police officer in charge saw that it was Su Zhe who was surrounded by the crowd, he was stunned for a moment. Then he immediately directed his team members to hold hands and tear a passage through the frenzied crowd.
"Mr. Su, please come with us. If this continues, there will be a stampede."
The officer wiped his sweat and escorted Su Zhe toward the special passage.
"Thank you so much, officer! You're so kind!"
Su Zhe felt like he had been granted a pardon and quickly squeezed his way out, carrying his suitcase.
Just before entering the passage, Su Zhe stopped, looking at the fans still waving enthusiastically outside. He turned around, took off his hat, bowed deeply to the crowd, and then raised his fist and shouted:
"Everyone hurry and catch your flight! In the new year, let's continue to believe in the light!"
"Ohhhh!!!"
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted in the airport terminal.
Only after sitting down in the VIP waiting room did Su Zhe finally let out a long sigh of relief. Looking at his wrist, which was a little sore from signing autographs, he couldn't help but smile with a proud curve to his lips.
To be loved by so many people, to be worshipped as a beacon of light... that feels amazing!
……
It wasn't just them; several of the original creators of Ultraman Tiga, and even the current main force of Ultraman Dyna, became the focus of family gatherings and legends among the neighbors when they returned home.
There was even an event where Zhang Zhao was invited back to his hometown for a comic convention. When he put on the Ultraman Tiga suit, it immediately ignited a frenzy of screams from fans and cosplayers.
They felt the glory of being special effects actors and suit performers. All of this stemmed from their choice to follow Gu Nan in filming special effects dramas.
While the team members were enjoying the joy of returning home in triumph, Gu Nan, the creator of all this, did not choose to go home.
He arrived alone at the headquarters of Bilibili (Bilibili.com) in Shanghai.
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve. While major TV stations are hosting traditional Spring Festival galas, in the online world of young people, Bilibili's "New Year's Greeting Festival" is their true celebration.
Because of the phenomenal popularity of "Ultraman Tiga" and "Dyna" on Bilibili, Gu Nan was invited by the official authorities with the highest honors to participate in tonight's New Year's Festival live broadcast as a special guest.
At 8 PM, Bilibili's New Year's Festival started on time.
Top 100 content creators from various sections took turns appearing, making for a variety of exciting programs.
When the host announced the appearance of special guest Gu Nan, the popularity of the entire live broadcast room surged.
The comments section was completely dominated by tokusatsu fans.
On the screen, a dense barrage of comments instantly covered the entire image, making it impossible to even see faces.
[You old scoundrel Gu! You've finally dared to show your face!]
[Hurry up and hand over Dyna's drafts! Don't hide them during the Lunar New Year!]
Happy New Year, Director Gu! Thank you for bringing light to us!
[I don't care, if there's no new plot tonight, I'm just staying on Bilibili!]
Gu Nan sat on the sofa in the live broadcast room, watching the genuine and enthusiastic reactions on the screen, a smile playing on his lips.
He took the microphone from the host and waved to the camera: "Happy Chinese New Year to all my friends on Bilibili. I'm Gu Nan."
"I just saw a lot of people in the comments urging for more episodes of 'Dyna,' so please be patient. The story of 'Dyna Season 1' is about to enter the final battle chapter. Asuka Shin, Ryo, Captain Gosuke Kibi, Koda, Kaneshima, Mai, Kariya, and the entire Super GUTS team will face an unprecedented challenge."
As soon as Gu Nan finished speaking, the comments section quieted down slightly.
[Is the final battle about to begin? So soon?]
[Old Gu, take it easy! Don't throw any more trolls, I'm begging you, it's the New Year!]
Gu Nan smiled slightly, not revealing too much of the plot, and continued, "In the past year, I have witnessed Xin Feiniao's growth as a newcomer."
"On behalf of Light Chaser Animation, I would like to thank every viewer who has supported us. It is you who have breathed new life into tokusatsu in this era."
"In the new year, we will not only bring Dyna Season 1 to a perfect close..."
Watching the rapidly scrolling barrage of comments, and listening to the faint sounds of firecrackers outside the window on New Year's Eve, Gu Nan felt a surge of pride.
His emotions gradually intensified, and he addressed the entire online audience:
To all the friends who have journeyed with me:
This year, we have witnessed many miracles and shared countless touching moments. At this time of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new, all of us at Light Chaser Animation have no fancy words or clichés; we simply want to express our sincerest gratitude to each and every one of you who has been with us in front of the screen.
May the New Year's bells dispel all the chill and weariness. Wherever you are right now, on which journey home you've embarked; no matter how many regrets and resentments the past year may have brought, may the New Year bring light in your eyes, warmth in your heart, and all your wishes fulfilled.
Happy New Year, friends!
Countless netizens who had just watched the live stream were remarkably in sync at this moment. Tens of thousands of comments flooded the screen, uniformly converging into the simplest and warmest four words:
【Happy New Year!】