dhibooks Chapter 124 The Truth That Becomes Clearer Through Debate: The Silence and Reflection of the Neon Ci
Chapter 124 The Truth That Becomes Clearer Through Debate: The Silence and Reflection of the Neon Ci
The impact of Lao Tang's in-depth analysis far exceeded everyone's expectations.
If it were within 48 hours of the airing of the final episode of "Ultraman Seven: Project Origin" titled "I Am an Earthling".
The audience's emotions were still largely focused on sympathizing with Seven's tragic fate and being shocked by the premise that "humans are the invaders."
As Lao Tang's video spread, public opinion began to undergo a subtle yet profound shift.
Not only on Bilibili, but also on Zhihu, Weibo, and even some professional film and television review forums, the discussion about "Seven" has increased exponentially.
The top trending topic on Zhihu is: "How would you evaluate director Gu Nan's political metaphors and reflections on human nature in 'Ultraman Seven'?"
The number of answers to the topic exceeded five thousand overnight.
Among them, a user named "Lanqian" wrote a highly praised answer of over 10,000 words, which was regarded as a golden rule by countless netizens:
"I see many people are still struggling with why Seven was exiled in the end, and are still debating whether humanity is good or evil. In fact, what director Gu Nan wanted to express has long transcended the simple binary opposition of good and evil."
Let's recall the details from the plot. Staff Officer He Zhi kept claiming to be acting for the sake of Earth, but his so-called "Friendship Plan" was essentially a preemptive strike against other planets.
How is this different from the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" proposed by some countries back then? Using the banner of peace to carry out aggression—that's the first layer of irony.
The second layer is the attitude towards history.
When Captain Bai Yong tried to investigate the Nongmarte incident, he discovered that even Captain Tongshan's information had been deleted.
"Kiriyama is not a person, and there is no Security Department in the Earth Defense Force."
This passage sent chills down my spine. Isn't this just a real-life version of "covering mouths," "burning books," and "revising textbooks"?
The evidence that was burned and the Omega archives that were sealed away are actually evidence of crimes that some countries are trying to erase.
But what moved me most was not Gu Nan's courage to film these things, but the solution he provided.
Why is this episode titled "I am an Earthling"?
Why did Seven choose to stand here?
Please note that by this point he already knew that humans were descendants of invaders. Yet he still chose to protect them.
What kind of love is this? It is a compassion that is "doing what is impossible."
He doesn't love the 'human ancestor' who committed the crime, but rather the 'modern humans' who are flesh and blood, who can cry and laugh, who are imperfect but still trying to live.
More importantly, not all of humanity are evil.
Despite the pressure, Captain Bai Yong publicly released the Omega Files, admitting that "human ancestors committed unforgivable crimes."
This is what Gu Nan really wanted to say: We cannot change the past, because it is the sin of our ancestors; but we can choose to face the past, because it is the responsibility of future generations.
Only a warrior like Captain Bai Yong, who dares to face the bloodshed head-on, deserves Seven's sacrifice.
In contrast, some neighbors in reality still worship at the "sacred toilet" that enshrines war criminals, and still change "aggression" to "entry and exit" in textbooks.
Gu Nan is using tokusatsu (special effects) dramas to teach them how to be real people.
[Edited on xx/xx/xx]
The comments section below this answer was also full of praise.
"Well said! Seven's greatness lies in the fact that even after seeing the ugliness of humanity, he still chose to love it."
"I used to think that the words 'I am an Earthling' represented a sense of identity, but now I see them as a 'get-out-of-jail-free card' that Seven gave to humanity, as well as a weighty expectation. He hoped that humanity could live up to this title."
"Director Gu really made money while maintaining his integrity, and also slapped some people in the face."
On Weibo, related terms also became trending topics.
#UltramanSevenOmegaFiles#
#I am an Earthling and a Historical Nihilist#
#Gu Nan uses a play to satirize the present#
Countless netizens are forwarding Lao Tang's videos and screenshots from the show.
In particular, the screenshot of Staff Officer He Zhi's distorted face and angry roar, along with the dialogue, and the screenshot of Captain Bai Yong's righteous shout of "Only by facing history can humanity have a future," when spliced together, created an extremely strong visual impact.
This heated discussion inevitably spilled over into the boundaries of the Xia Kingdom's internet.
……
As the birthplace of tokusatsu (special effects) and the second largest market for Ultraman, the conclusion of "Ultraman Seven: Project Origin" caused a stir on the Japanese internet.
As early as when the series was halfway through its run, the discussion thread about "Gu Nan" and "Seven's re-creation" on 2ch, a famous anonymous forum in Japan, had already reached hundreds of posts.
When the Japanese version of episode eleven, "I Am an Earthling," was released, the entire tokusatsu (special effects) genre exploded.
Initially, it was a group of far-right netizens who reacted most strongly.
Tragically, many people don't deny that history; rather, most don't even know what that history is...
However, this does not prevent certain characters from providing them with some ulterior motives through "science popularization".
Like cats whose tails have been stepped on, they jumped out and attacked wildly.
"Baka! What is this Chinese director implying?!"
"To portray humans as invaders? That's slander! That's a desecration of the spirit of Ultraman!"
"What 'Friendship Project'? What 'Omega Archive'? This is clearly a veiled attack on us! It's utterly absurd anti-Neon propaganda!"
"Boycott! We must boycott Gu Nan's works! He doesn't deserve to direct tokusatsu!"
These comments filled the page, filled with emotional outbursts.
They keenly captured the "glaring" elements in the show—covered-up massacres, falsified files, and glorified aggression.
For them, who have long been educated in right-wing history, this is practically an insult pointed at their noses.
However, the rule in the online world is often that truth becomes clearer through debate.
As time went on, more and more ordinary Japanese viewers, as well as a group of progressive individuals who remained clear-headed, watched the entire series and also saw various analytical videos that had been uploaded to Japan.
Public opinion began to undergo a dramatic reversal on the Japanese internet.
On Japanese social media, Mr. Keiji Takamine, who once played Ace, posted ten tweets in a row:
"I just finished watching 'I Am an Earthling' and Xia Guo's explanation. My hands are still shaking."
Those who are criticizing director Gu Nan, please put away your ridiculous pride and take a good look at the core of this work.
Is this really a smear campaign against us?
No, I think Director Gu Nan understands tokusatsu better than we do, and he also understands what the true spirit of "Bushido" is.
In the drama, Advisor He Zhi, in order to cover up the crime of humans massacring the Nongmalt people 15,000 years ago, established the Omega Archives and even tried to kill Seven to silence him.
His reason was grand and noble: "To protect the glory of mankind."
Isn't this a reflection of our current situation? Some of us are desperately trying to cover up the war 80 years ago, desperately trying to delete those pages from textbooks, thinking that as long as we don't admit it, the crime doesn't exist.
But look at what Captain Bai Yong did in the show!
We acknowledge that our ancestors committed unforgivable crimes! Only by facing history can humanity have a future!
When I heard those words, as a Japanese person, I felt deeply ashamed, but also greatly shocked.
That's real courage! Admitting mistakes isn't shameful; what's truly shameful is being unrepentant and burying your head in the sand!
Director Gu Nan is not insulting us; he is using Ultraman Seven as a knife to try to cut open the long-festering wound on our nation and let out the poisonous blood inside!
Only by publishing our files and apologizing to the entire universe, like Captain Bai Yong did, can we truly be forgiven and truly achieve what Seven said—"I am an Earthling."
Thanks to Keiji Takamine's fan base, the tweet quickly garnered tens of thousands of retweets and likes.
In the comments section, many young people from Japan left touching messages.
"To be honest, the history taught in school was very vague, and I always thought we were the victims. After watching this episode, I did a lot of research, even though it was from outside the Great Firewall, but I finally understand why our neighboring country hates us so much."
"The image of the 'Omega Archive' being deleted immediately reminded me of news reports about government departments burning documents. It turns out that art really does come from life."
"Seven defied the justice of the universe and was even exiled to protect such humanity. When I saw Seven standing in the sunset and slaying Zabangi, I couldn't stop crying. He was atoning for the sins of us, the descendants of 'sinners'."
"If we continue to engage in historical nihilism, continue to deny history, and deny those atrocities, then we truly do not deserve to be protected by Seven. We are the 'invaders' in the show who must be eliminated."
Even on the 2ch forum, those who clamored for "right-wing" views began to be attacked.
"Stop your incompetent rage. You're just as pathetic as Staff Officer He Zhi in the play."
"Just because you don't like what you hear, you want to suppress all dissenting voices. Isn't that fascism? Gu Nan's assessment is absolutely correct."
"Admit it, this tokusatsu film made by people from China has surpassed many of Tsuburaya Productions' works from back then in terms of its concept. It has elevated tokusatsu from 'fighting movies for kids' to the level of 'a reflection on civilization'."
……
Even more interestingly, a history professor at a Japanese university published an article on his blog entitled "Postwar Responsibility Theory as Seen Through Ultraseven".
The article states: "We have been avoiding the issue of 'postwar responsibility' all along. Politicians use ambiguous language to deflect the issue, while right-wing forces use a 'masochistic view of history' to attack those who reflect on it."
But today, a director from China taught us a lesson using the tokusatsu heroes we are most familiar with.
The humanity in the show faces an ultimate paradox: if they admit to being invaders, they may be abandoned by the universe; if they do not admit it, they will continue to deceive and ultimately head towards self-destruction.
Gu Nan's answer was—"Acknowledge and take responsibility."
Seven killed Zabangi not to cover up humanity's crimes, but because humanity had shown a willingness to repent. His statement, "I am an Earthling," was based on the premise that humanity had already made the Omega Archives public.
This means that only when we face history squarely and stop engaging in historical nihilism will we be qualified to stand with Seven.
Director Gu Nan's slap in the face was resounding, but it also served as a wake-up call for many. This isn't anti-Japanese sentiment; it's true internationalism, a call for justice and conscience.
This article was translated back by netizens in China and posted on Weibo and Bilibili, causing another sensation.
"Holy crap, there are some smart people in Japan too!"
"It seems that Director Gu's cultural export has really succeeded. It has even made Japanese professors reflect on their actions, which is a million times more effective than a simple war of words."
"This is what you call 'winning people over with virtue'... no, it's winning people over with 'light'!"
"Seven: With this ice axe, I not only killed the monster, but also cracked open the mush in some people's brains."
……
Chasing Light Cinema, Office.
Gu Nan sat in his office chair, holding a tablet computer, browsing domestic and international media reports compiled by Chen Bo.
Although, their guidance also played a part in this.
But this time, they represent true axioms.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating his calm face.
"Brother Nan, this time it's really blown up."
Chen Bo stood aside, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement, even a little incoherent, "It's not just in our country, it's causing a huge uproar in Japan too."
I just checked, and several of their trending topics are about Seven.
Gu Nan gently slid his finger across the screen, looking at the confessions and reflections of those Japanese netizens.
"As expected."
Gu Nan put down the tablet, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a sip.
"Truth cannot be hidden. Although the right-wing forces over there are making a lot of noise, the people have their own sense of right and wrong. Especially the young people, they are not unreasonable, they have just been deceived since childhood."
"yes!"
Chen Bo remarked with emotion, "In the past, we always protested and condemned, and they became numb to it after hearing it so many times. I never expected that this time, by making it into a tokusatsu drama, the effect would be so good! I saw a Japanese exchange student say online that he cried all night after watching the drama, and went to the library to look up information the next day."
"This is the power of cultural works."
Gu Nan spoke calmly.
"Some things you can't teach them directly. But if you wrap them in a great story and use their childhood heroes to portray them, the impact is soul-stirring."
In this parallel world, Tsuburaya Productions went bankrupt early on, there were no more Ultraman series, and tokusatsu gradually declined in Japan, becoming a purely children's entertainment.
Gu Nan's appearance not only revived the IP, but also injected it with the depth that the original world had accumulated over decades.
In "Ultraman Seven: Project Origin", he took the script from the original OV "I Am an Earthling" and combined it with the geopolitical landscape of this world, making the metaphors more biting and more relevant to reality.
He made the right bet.
The audience isn't stupid. Whether it's the audience in China or Japan, they resonate with universal values like "justice," "history," and "conscience."
Seven's somber and dark tone truly elevates the theme of tokusatsu dramas to an extremely high level, even to the point of being suffocating.
While the tragic heroism of "bearing infamy for justice" and "willing to fall for the sake of loved ones" is certainly moving, the charm of tokusatsu lies not only in its darkness and brutality.
It also has light.
There is still hope.
There's also that pure, passionate power that can make both children and adults believe in miracles.
Gu Nan stood up and walked to the display cabinet that covered an entire wall in the office.
Inside the cabinet are models of Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman, and Ultraman Seven.
Seven's "I Am an Earthling" is a profound reflection on history and a reckoning with the sins of the past.
So next, it's time to look to the future with hope.
"Let's issue an announcement." Gu Nan turned around, his eyes gleaming with confidence.
"Speaking of which, 'Ultraman Seven: Project Origin' is coming to an end, and we should prepare for a new project."
"The next project..."
Gu Nan paused...
"His name is Dyna."