Chapter 65: Name
"Teacher isn't the storyboard for this work a bit... hmm..." Claire hesitated, worried about offending Ren, and carefully said, "Isn't it a bit too conventional?"
Actually, calling it conventional was generous; it was more like lacking any creativity and overly clichéd.
The first episode's storyboard was almost entirely about everyday life. Where was the promised magic of the magical girl?
There was just a tiny bit of magic at the end.
However, Claire didn't dare to say this outright.
"I knew you would say that. This work is going to subvert the magical girl genre. Keep reading, and you'll understand," Ren smiled. "The early storyline of this comic is indeed aimed at younger audiences, and the characters are not well-defined. But the less defined they are now, the more explosive the twist will be later!"
So, the teacher knew?
Seeing Ren's confident expression, Claire couldn't help but feel relieved.
Since the teacher was aware of the simplistic and undefined early parts yet still confident enough to present them, the later parts must indeed be as he said.
With this thought, Jaz continued reading.
The second episode's storyboard was still conventional.
Without Ren's earlier words, Claire might have stopped reading by now.
Reaching the third episode's storyboard, Claire glanced at it. This was the last storyboard provided so far. Since the teacher said there would be a surprise, there must be a significant twist in this episode.
However, as she read the first half, Claire still found it quite boring.
Would this be another narrative of defeating a witch every episode?
Seeing the senior sister defeat the witch, Claire sighed.
As she expected. So where was the twist?
Thinking this, Claire turned to the next page.
Then she saw something she couldn't believe.
The witch she thought was defeated had its head swell, detach from its body, and transform into a human-faced monster.
With its bloody mouth opening wide.
The senior sister's head was gone.
"Holy crap!!"
Seeing this scene, the usually refined Claire finally couldn't help but blurt out a curse.
What the heck was this development?
Was she watching a horror movie?
Wasn't this a magical girl comic? And someone died in such a gruesome way, having their head bitten off?
Was this what the teacher meant by subverting the magical girl genre?
It not only subverted the genre but also her entire perception of it!
Seeing Claire's shock, Ren's face lit up with a smile. "How is it? Exciting, right? Surprising? Thrilling?"
"..." Claire dumbly nodded.
She subconsciously touched her neck.
Too thrilling.
"Teacher, the twist is great, but... if the first two episodes don't grab the audience, the comic might get axed, right?"
"Indeed, that's true for most people." Ren nodded, his head slightly raised with a proud look. "But the company belongs to my wife. If she doesn't want me axed, who can axe me?"
"..." Well, okay.
Claire almost forgot about that.
"Let me see!"
At this moment, Felix and the others, who had been eagerly watching Claire, couldn't wait to take the storyboard from her hands.
They were very interested in Ren's work which was supposed to subvert the magical girl genre.
Especially after seeing Claire's shocked expression, their curiosity grew even more.
Moments later, three voices exclaimed, "Holy crap," in unison.
The others looked at Ren.
To be honest, the plot of the third episode of "Magical Girl Madoka" wasn't exactly gory. The shock came from the stark contrast.
The work's art style, fight scenes, and the first two episodes' plot all suggested a comic for young children.
At first, they thought it was a comic Ren made for his kids.
So, they naturally didn't expect any dark or gory scenes. But the third episode told them that a magical girl story could be drawn like this.
But what would the rest of the series be like?
What other intriguing plots lay ahead?
They were all very curious.
However, they didn't look at the character designs, feeling that it would be like spoiling themselves.
"Teacher, you're amazing!" Felix looked at Ren with admiration.
They were about the same age, but Felix admired Ren more and more.
"Basic skills, nothing special." Ren modestly waved his hand, then casually asked, "What do you think of your 'Ultraman Tiga'?"
"Great!"
Hearing Ren mention his comic, Felix immediately got excited. "Judging by the storyboard, the quality is very high, and the story pace is excellent and fresh!"
Every man has a hero's dream, and Felix was no exception.
Seeing the giant monsters and Daiko turning from a statue into a giant to fight the monsters, Felix thought it was fantastic.
"But, teacher, what does Ultraman mean?" Felix suggested, "It feels powerful but a bit unclear. I think it could be called Salted Egg Superman or, as you mentioned in the work, Giant Super Power Dominator."
"Those names are awful, not as good as Ultraman." The other girls looked disdainful. "At least Ultraman sounds smooth. Your Super Power Dominator just doesn't make anyone want to read it."
"The word 'Tiga' in Indonesian means the sacred number 3, and Ultraman comes from 'Ultraman,' a variation of 'superman,' meaning superhuman."
Given that the universe already had Superman, Ren had no choice but to use Ultraman instead.
"I see!" Hearing this explanation, Felix nodded thoughtfully but then remembered something else. "But teacher, I think this work is more suitable for a live-action series rather than a comic..."
...
Meanwhile, Jada, who had taken her little girl to dance class, returned home.
As she passed the door, she suddenly stopped, then, after a minute, continued walking to her room.
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