The Rise Of Otaku - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Chapter 32 Little Outdoor Cinema
Translator: Doggotranslation Editor: Doggotranslation

Today was Saturday, the kids, who had been playing in the school for several days, could finally have as much fun as they like. And Zhou Yu’s yard was, of course, the most popular spot. Almost all the kids in the village were there.
Even some kids from the neighboring villages were also invited over to play with the delicate toys by the kids from Luhua village.
It was a shame that it was already early autumn, the temperature had started to drop. So they could not go swimming. But they could still play the war game or catch the thief game in Zhou Yu’s yard.
Just when the kids were playing, they suddenly saw brother Yu move out a big machine. So they all began to surround him curiously.
All the kids had never seen this type of strange machine before. However, it was actually quite understandable. The vintage projector was Zhou Yu’s childhood. It had already become obsolete. Nowadays, people would either watch movies at home or go to the big cinemas, who would watch movies outdoors?
“Brother Yu, what is this? Can I pilot this?” Little Rat was the one, who was the most curious. He quickly approached Zhou Yu and asked while trying to help Zhou Yu move the machine.
This kid’s imagination was truly something else. Perhaps he wanted to pilot those wooden planes so badly for a very long time. Actually, it was not that surprising. After all, he was playing the war of Luhua village recently. He was extremely interested in those planes that were flying in the sky in the game. He even changed his class into an airplane pilot.
It was a shame that Zhou Yu didn’t have the ability to make the wooden airplane fly. Little Rat could only play with the plane toys on the ground.
“No touching! This is a movie projector. I’ll play a movie for you guys.”
It was much more joyful to share the joy than enjoy it alone. Besides, it would be very sad to see someone enjoy the movie alone on such a big screen. Therefore, Zhou Yu planned to show the movie to all the kids.
Watching movies on a big screen wasn’t something new nowadays, unlike Zhou Yu’s childhood. Whenever he heard that someone would be playing movies on the street, he would get excited for the whole day when he was young. There were also multimedia classrooms in every elementary school nowadays, and all the kids would be able to watch some movies a few times a week. However, this was not a school, and it would not be some boring science and education movies. So Zhou Hao was still very happy.
“Brother Yu, what movie? I want to see Kung Fu Panda 3, can you get it?”
‘Get my ass,’ Zhou Yu was speechless. This group of kids was much more difficult to satisfy than him when he was a kid.
When he was young, just the movie Three Monks(1) would be more than enough to make people crowded at the outdoor cinema. But now, those kids even demanded the Hollywood movie!
However, it was just a tier-one movie. Even if there were some special effects added to it, it would not be a top quality movie. So he was not sure if those kids would enjoy it.
What if those kids booed him? Then it would be very embarrassing for him.
While worrying about the viewing experience of the movie, Zhou Yu slowly hung the white projector screen on the branches of the large banyan tree inside his yard.
What Zhou Yu did was also seen by some elderly people of the village. They were overwhelmed with nostalgia. Because it reminded them of the good old days and the war movies they used to see.
Therefore after the dinner, when the kids brought their own chairs to Zhou Yu’s house, some elderly people also followed them behind and prepared to relive the old memories.
Luckily, the yard was big enough to have all the people inside. Under the light, people quickly found their favorite spots. Before the movie was even started, the kids were already having fun with each other. They were constantly laughing and playing. At such a late time, they could still have so many people together. It made some naughty kids even more excited.
However, this was night time after all. There were still some dark areas where light could not reach. Therefore after some kids, who fell over on the ground during chasing, were told off by their grandparents, they finally became quiet.
If it was in the old days, some pedlars would take this opportunity to make those kids ask their parents to buy some snacks for them, and then they would be able to enjoy the snacks while watching movies.
At that time, all the kids were dressing hoodies. After watching the movie and arriving home, many parents would often discover that their kids’ hoodies were like a department store. There were many snack packages inside their pockets. Therefore many kids would often be told off by their parents after the movie again.
Looking at the sky, it was dark enough. So Zhou Yu walked out of the house with the film reels. He switched off the lights in the yard, leaving only the small lamp light open next to the projector. Without the lamplight, it would be very difficult for the projectionist to change the film reels and check the problems with the projector if there was any.
Of course, Zhou Yu didn’t need to do any of those. He just needed to sit next to the projector and pretend that he was doing all the work. But the reality was that it was all done by the shadow demon.
With its great skill, it first adjusted the angle of the projector and then instructed Zhou Yu to place the film reel, that had the part 1 movie, and the empty film reel on the projector.
Zhou Yu’s other job was to make sure that there wasn’t anyone near him. Otherwise, the fact that the projector was showing the movie by itself would be instantly exposed. Of course, in the dark night, it would be very difficult to see what he was doing. Plus he already used his body to block the view, as long as no one walked close to him, no one would not be able to notice anything.
Since everything was ready. It was time to play the movie.
In the machine’s clicking sounds, the projector started running. It followed by pleasant music that came from the speakers next to the screen. The movie – The flaming mountain was formally started.
By just seeing the opening, Zhou Yu immediately understood that the quality of the movie was almost the same as the animation Havoc in Heaven(2). Although its graphics couldn’t be considered as good, the sound effects of the movie could almost compete with a large symphony orchestra. When the classic sound of Peking Opera music appeared, it instantly attracted those elderly people’s attention. However, when they realized that it was an animation, they could only sigh with disappointment. But none of them left. After all, their grandchildren were still here.
But the movies that those kids liked the most were animations. Even if the graphics of the animation were not very good, they still enjoyed the movie a lot.
Even the little Rat, who was worried about the quality of the movie, also clapped his hands and shouted constantly while watching the movie. It seemed like Zhou Yu’s concerns were not necessary.
To be honest, the people, who liked this movie, either understood the importance of this movie towards the Chinese animation industry or probably had some emotional affinity with this style of animation. In terms of the rest of the people who liked this movie, they were probably those kids, who didn’t mind the graphics quality of the animation.
To Zhou Yu, it was an enjoyment to see this style of movie once in a while. However, if he needed to watch it every week, of course, he would not be able to enjoy it.
Therefore the tier-one animation could be abandoned. In terms of the tier-two animation, he would need to check it tomorrow.
The content of the movie did not have anything special, and there was also nothing, in particular, that would make someone want to criticize it. The animation faithfully reproduced the original story. Although the sound effects were spectacular, and the voice-acting of every actor was pretty standard, the animation style was very old fashioned. It was the only pity thing about the animation.
Two hours quickly passed. To those kids, it was already very late. So even if they cried for another movie, Zhou Yu would not play it anymore. Switching off the projector and switching on the light in the yard, he began to send every kid home, while they were still constantly whining.
“Brother Yu, when will you play another movie for us again?”
Little Rat didn’t have any patience, he already started to ask for the time for the next outdoor cinema.
“In the future, as long as I am free, I’ll play a movie every Saturday night. But there is one condition. You must finish your homework first. Whoever didn’t finish their homework, I’ll not allow them to see the movie.”
Because of this, the adults in Luhua village were pleasantly surprised to discover that all their kids started to take the initiative to do their homework near the weekend as if they suddenly became good kids.
Only when they asked their kids did they finally understand that Zhou Hong’s strange kid – Zhou Yu, opened a little outdoor cinema.
And this cinema didn’t take money. It only accepted kids’ homework as the entry tickets. Anyone who didn’t finish their homework, would not be allowed to watch the movie.
This was truly a great idea.
…note…
1. Three Monks (Chinese: 三个和尚; pinyin: San ge he shang), also translated as The Three Buddhist Priests, is a Chinese animated feature film produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. After the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, the film was one of the first animations created as part of the rebirth period. It won the Silver Bear for Best Short Film at the 1982 Berlin International Film Festival. More about three monks Link
2. Havoc in Heaven, also translated as Uproar in Heaven, is a Chinese donghua feature film directed by Wan Laiming and produced by all four of the Wan brothers. The film was created at the height of the Chinese animation industry in the 1960s, and received numerous awards. It earned the brothers domestic and international recognition. The story is an adaptation of the earlier episodes of the Chinese novel Journey to the West. More about Havoc in Heaven Link