Chapter 62: FSN DvD
Just as Arturia was lost in thought, Gilgamesh and Iskandar had finished their round of kingly discussions.
Gilgamesh expressed his stance as a king and the principle of not allowing others to touch his treasures.
Iskandar, on the other hand, revealed his desire to obtain a physical form, showcasing his dominance and conquest.
According to the script outline, Arturia should have interjected in the middle to question Iskandar about the correctness of "conquest." However, at this moment, Arturia happened to be absent-minded, leaving Iskandar to cover the awkward atmosphere with self-questioning.
After passionately discussing his desire for a physical form, Iskandar finally found an opportunity to throw the topic to Arturia.
"Hey, Saber, you should share your wish too. It can't be just Archer and me having a chat here while you sit like a wooden post, right?"
Iskandar subtly criticized Arturia, expressing his dissatisfaction.
"Well, I..."
Arturia raised her head gracefully, facing the other two kings.
'Since we're just playing who can boast more, let's just do it directly.'
Although Arturia inwardly disliked such self-promotion, she couldn't back down now, especially with Lancelot watching her from outside.
"I want to save my homeland, and I want to change the fate of Britain that will perish after my death."
"You want to change history?" Iskandar asked.
"You mean to "change destiny"? In other words, to overturn history?" Arturia confidently said, "What I want to change is the outcome of my country's demise after my death. I want to start over!"
Fortunately, in the movie version of Fate/Stay Night, Arturia only mentioned saving her country without explicitly stating a desire to reselect a king. This provided Arturia with the space to maneuver.
Honestly, Arturia herself felt that her past self was too naive. Handing Britain over to someone else was a betrayal to the knights who followed her to the end.
So, if there really was a Holy Grail in this world, capable of granting wishes, Arturia hoped for—
"To start over, not for my own desires but for the sake of my country and people, to give them a better outcome!"
Arturia proudly declared.
'Why does this sound like a web novel about rebirth?'
Shinji behind the camera scratched his head, a hint of confusion on his face.
'Could she possibly ask me to film 'My Reincarnation Back Into The Past Lead Britain Into Modernization' in the future? Impossible!'
Shinji shook his head vigorously, discarding his unreliable thoughts.
"King of Knights!! Do you want to deny the history you've created?" Iskandar loudly questioned.
"I just want to protect my country!"
Arturia shouted back with the same volume.
"Conqueror, your belief is in conquest, 'seizing' and 'invading,' right?" Arturia clenched her fist, "My belief is in protection! I want to protect my country and people!"
"Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the country?"
Facing Iskandar's questioning, Arturia smiled with a hint of pride.
"The country and the people chose me to be their king. So, in return, isn't it normal to bring them happiness and peaceful lives?"
'You guys only know how to boast all day long, huh? Well, at least I'm a beloved king, and as long as I use that as my support, I will never lose!'
'Wait a minute! Why do I have such a strong sense of competition? Perhaps, being around Master has influenced me in a bad way?'
Arturia decided to reflect on herself after the filming was over.
Offstage, Shinji, who was being lectured by Arturia, nodded slightly. Despite the filming still portraying Gilgamesh and Iskandar overpowering Arturia, it was a significant improvement compared to the original scene of two big men bullying a young girl. At least, in terms of momentum, Arturia didn't lose to the other two, which was enough for Shinji.
The scene was crucial, but from a storytelling perspective, it was just a transition. As long as the three heroic spirits in front of the camera exchanged their ideologies, the purpose of the scene would be fulfilled. Looking at the subsequent plot development, the meeting did not change the stances and attitudes of the three heroic spirits, and even their interactions remained largely unchanged.
Iskandar continued to appreciate Arturia despite the arguments during the meeting. The only noticeable change might be that Gilgamesh started showing interest in Arturia.
Shinji never believed Gilgamesh had any feelings of love or desire for Arturia's Excalibur. His desire to possess Arturia seemed more like wanting to add her to his collection.
After a long exchange of words and quarrels among the three kings, Shinji called for a cut when he estimated the time was right.
With this, the filming stage of Fate/Zero came to an end. There might be reshoots later to address any issues that arose during post-production, but that was a matter for another time.
As soon as the filming was over, Lancelot rushed to Arturia's side, showering her with praise.
"Indeed, you're a true king! Facing those two bandit kings without showing weakness! I'm truly moved!!"
Little did Lancelot know that his flattery fell flat, and Arturia punched him in the head.
"What do you mean 'without showing weakness'! Where are your eyes?!"
Arturia complained while giving Lancelot a beating.
"Master is really something. Why did he film Fate/Stay Night first and limit me? If I could speak openly, I definitely wouldn't lose to them!"
Unfortunately, by this time, Shinji had already left the set with the filmed material, and Arturia didn't have a chance to talk to him.
With the end of filming, Fate/Zero's promotion entered a new phase. The previous promotion for Fate/Stay Night was rushed, and many aspects were not handled well. However, Fate/Zero, with Fate/Stay Night's success as a foundation and the support of two major promotion companies, Bandai and Time Group, allowed Shinji to play a bigger role in promotion.
Starting from late December, the official Type-Moon released new materials every day, using a "gift" approach that was essentially a way to build momentum. Various media outlets took turns supporting the promotion, creating anticipation for the upcoming release.
On Christmas Eve, December 24th, the extended edition DVD of Fate/Stay Night was officially released online, reaping a harvest from those doing last-minute Christmas shopping.
In the eyes of Fate fans, this extended edition DVD was the most perfect Christmas gift from Type-Moon.
Extended editions due to theatrical release constraints were not uncommon. However, those extended versions typically added some extra character development or clarified certain plot points that were vague in the theatrical version.
The Fate/Stay Night extended edition was different. This version, with nearly half an hour of additional content, devoted 80% of its time to action scenes.
The most crucial part was the one-on-one battle between Saber and The Gatekeeper (Sasaki), as well as the fight between EMIYA and Caster. The former allowed the audience to finally see Assassin, who lived in the theatrical version's dialogue, and explained why Shirou didn't bring Saber when he went to school to find Shinji—he was resting at home due to excessive magical energy consumption.
The latter scene didn't fill in plot gaps like the first one, but it showcased the strength of EMIYA in the castle battle against Caster. It allowed fans to see the real power of this mysterious man, dispelling the notion that he was just a boastful show-off.
As for how many fans EMIYA could attract with this extended edition, Shinji didn't have high hopes. In an era where the internet wasn't as prevalent, such extended editions tended to circulate among fans and wouldn't have a significant impact on EMIYA's personal image.
In addition to the extended version of the film, what excited fans the most was the inclusion of Fate/Zero's first teaser in the extended edition DVD.
The teaser was very simple. Apart from the scene of Emiya Kiritsugu summoning Saber, the other heroic spirits merely flashed by, with nothing particularly noteworthy.
Even so, it was enough to thrill the fans. They had never expected to see the second Fate series film so soon. In their usual understanding, films of this caliber took at least a decade to produce, if not two or three years.
However, Fate/Zero's new film was ready for release in just one year.
In addition to the DVD, Type-Moon also launched the official website for Fate/Zero. The production team actively interacted with fans who logged into the site, answering their questions and introducing themselves to a global audience.
In a world where filmmakers were often seen as solitary "artists," there had never been such an emphasis on active interaction with ordinary viewers during a sneak peek. Only Type-Moon had ventured into this territory, continuously promoting themselves to the fans.
As December 31, 2003 approached, the official website even displayed a countdown to the release of a new trailer, indicating that the latest Fate/Zero movie teaser would be unveiled at midnight on January 1, 2004.
Of course, considering the time zones, this release time was based on Japan, where Type-Moon's headquarters were located.
This news sent all Fate fans into a frenzy. They didn't care about the specific time zone; they just wanted to see the new trailer as soon as possible!
Countless fans flocked to the official website, leaving excited messages on the bulletin board. The board was almost flooded with a variety of enthusiastic messages, with almost every minute seeing a barrage of new comments.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read till the latest posted chapter, please go to my
Current Chapter In Patreon: Chapter 155: Arturia: "So, I was just a backup option?"