fictionpage Chapter 338 Deus Ex machina? This angel is definitely no good!
Chapter 338 Deus Ex machina? This angel is definitely no good!
The day after episode 49 of "Ultraman Gaia" aired, the internet exploded.
It's not the kind of buzz that just pops up a few times on the trending topics list; it's the kind that gets everywhere you open an app and the homepage recommendations are all talking about it.
Needless to say, people in tokusatsu-related sections are asking, "What happened last night with Gaia?" even in some completely unrelated gaming groups.
It did trend on social media, catching up with the popularity of the Tiga and Dyna ending, with several related terms appearing:
#Gaia the Angel Descends# (Breaking News)
#MyDreamFujimiya# (Hot)
#Gaia's Ending Trilogy# (Hot)
Overnight, the audience went from being completely bewildered after watching the show to successfully transitioning to the second stage of intense, agonizing anticipation.
Which side does that winged creature belong to?
On the forum, a post titled "Rational discussion: What exactly is an angel? (Not meant to start a fight, just a question)" received over 10,000 replies within two hours of being posted, and was highlighted and bolded by the moderators and displayed at the very top of the homepage.
The original poster posted the following in the main thread:
"Kids, I feel so bad for the pressure! I'm not trying to criticize Gu Laozei, but I really don't understand this plot. The whole episode was built up with a sense of despair, with demonic insects blotting out the sky, and my dream and Fujimiya being completely crushed, and the timer was flashing like that..."
"And then! An angel fell from the sky, a beam of light, and all three Caesars were wiped out? What's this? If you can't beat them, you call in reinforcements? This script is way too contrived."
The comments below quickly grew into a long thread.
[Seconded. The apocalyptic atmosphere was built up for an entire episode, only to be shattered by a single blue light. My expression at that moment was like an old man looking at his phone on the subway.jpg. What kind of Earth's will is this?]
[This definitely has a Deus Ex vibe. Three Caesars and Deus Exsius, Gaia and Agul couldn't defeat them even if they risked their lives, yet this angel wiped them out without even lifting a finger. Even if this is the will of Earth descending, it doesn't make sense; the power system must be broken!]
[Don't you guys think that angel looks like a fake? Even though I know it's a suit, that smile on his face is just weird! Is it the distortion of the lighting props department, or the depravity of the suit design department?! At first glance, it looks sacred with the music, but I just feel uneasy.]
Oh, and the background music—organ and harpsichord—would be fine in a church, but playing it amidst all the ruins sent chills down my spine.
Those who come with their own background music are definitely not to be underestimated.
The prevailing sentiment in the posts was that the angel's entrance was too much like a deus ex machina, and its combat power was ridiculously absurd.
However, a few people felt the taste was off...
When has Gu Nan ever played by the rules?
That angelic smile doesn't look like that of a good person at all.
In short, there's a consensus: angels who appear at this critical juncture are most likely not good people.
Just as the internet was in an uproar, around noon, Lao Tang, a top content creator in A-B's tokusatsu (special effects) section and known in the community as "Gu Nan's worm in his stomach," finally released a video.
The title, as always, is eye-catching: "Savior or Deus Ex? A Frame-by-Frame Analysis of Gaia Episode 49—What Lies Behind That Hypocritical Smile?"
The video's views skyrocketed as soon as it was released. Countless viewers, driven to madness by the plot, flocked to the video, instantly flooding the comment section.
In the video, Old Tang, sporting dark circles under his eyes, holds a cup of strong tea and begins by sighing.
"Brothers, your prison is back."
He took a sip of tea, his expression a mix of seriousness and excitement. "Today, let's analyze what kind of game Gu Nan played on the eve of the finale."
The comments section immediately started flooded with messages:
Here we go again, Tang Ge is starting to over-interpret time.
[The same big chessboard, the same chess game being played~]
[My jinx: This is a complete disaster; Gu Laozei (the author) couldn't keep writing it.]
Don't rush to pop the champagne; let's hear what Lao Tang has to say.
Old Tang cleared his throat, and the scene shifted to the overwhelming swarm of demonic insects from last night.
"Let's put the angels aside for now and watch the first half of the episode. I have to say, Director Gu really knows how to create an apocalyptic atmosphere. The Destroyer Worms, as the vanguard, are terrifying not only in their numbers."
"Look at the details—the sky is blocked, sunlight is cut off, plants wither, and global temperatures drop. There are also communication outages. For modern humans, being without internet and electricity, facing the unknown darkness, is a psychological blow that is more devastating than physical harm. Psychological warfare plus physical warfare, a double whammy."
Last night, the screen full of bugs triggered my trypophobia.
The scene where it gets dark was so suffocating.
[Losing internet access is more terrifying than the end of the world (just kidding)]
The Zerg, with their massive army, are still too powerful; even Ultraman couldn't defeat them.
"How did the defense force perform in the face of such despair? The combat forces of all countries were wiped out. The XIG fighters took off, but facing the endless swarm of insects, it was like throwing stones into the ocean, not even making a splash. No matter how Captains Wei Weike and Daocheng attacked, the demonic insects continued to surge in like a tide."
"This is the first message this episode wants to convey: humanity's existing conventional powers are completely ineffective in the face of true annihilation."
The scene shifts to a dialogue scene between Wo Meng and Li Muzi in the corridor.
Old Tang lowered his voice a bit: "This dialogue scene is short, but it has a powerful impact. I dreamed of going to fight to the death, and Li Muzi chased after him. She didn't cry and beg him not to go, because she knew she couldn't stop him. She just said, 'You must do your best.'"
"Why such restraint? Because in the face of the apocalypse, personal emotions are compressed to the extreme. This kind of direct expression, without much embellishment, is the most poignant."
[Muzi is so ruthless, she didn't even get a hug.]
Director Gu understands the importance of speed and efficiency; he makes a decisive cut without hesitation.
I went back and watched this part many times, and it became more and more heartbreaking each time I watched it.
The truest feelings don't need a thousand words...
Old Tang's tone suddenly rose: "Alright, the dialogue is done. Next up is the most brutal war of attrition in the whole series."
In the scene, Gaia and Agul fight Caesar Debisi to the death amidst the ruins.
Old Tang banged on the table: "This isn't the fair one-on-one kind we used to see. This is a brutal war of attrition. The demonic insects are sticking to Ultraman like chewing gum, gnawing at him."
"What's the most desperate thing? It's the infinite regeneration mechanism—as long as the little insects in the sky don't all die, this sixty-meter-long behemoth can be synthesized indefinitely."
"Kill one, and two more appear; kill two, and three appear. How can we fight that? Ultraman's energy is limited!"
"Gu Nan is here to push Meng and Fujimiya to the brink of despair. Watching these two heroes struggle on the ground, hearing the timer's frantic alarm, and hearing the cheers from the people in the shelter... brothers, aren't your emotions reaching their peak?"
The live chat exploded:
My palms were sweaty, and I desperately wanted to rush in myself.
[The Destruction Summoning Body has no martial ethics; it's just a pure human wave tactic to overwhelm you.]
[At the pinnacle of despair, with absolutely no chance of turning the tide.]
When the little boy shouted "Stand up!", I almost couldn't hold back; I thought Ultraman Tiga was about to appear again...
[To be honest, Gaia's ending is quite similar to Ultraman Tiga's; one is a demonic insect, and the other is a demonic bird.]
Old Tang took a deep breath and pressed the pause button. The scene froze at the moment when the three Caesars were about to unleash their beams.
"At this point, according to Tiga's script, it should be that humanity cries out to awaken their potential, and everyone turns into light together, or Fujimiya Gamu's belief breaks through, and then the two Ultras unleash their power to turn the tide, right?"
He suddenly laughed and shook his head.
"But clearly, we haven't reached that point yet. How could the grand finale end so quickly? Your Uncle Gu Nan hasn't had enough... oh no, hasn't built up the emotions yet!"
He pressed play.
A blinding blue light tore through the darkness, and a holy angel slowly descended to the melody of an organ. A beam of light, and the three Caesars were reduced to ashes.
"This is what everyone's been arguing about all day."
Old Tang stared intently at the smiling angel on the screen. "Many people guess this is the manifestation of Earth's will, calling it a deus ex machina, saying Gu Nan messed up the story and forced a third party to save the day. But brothers, use your brains and think about it carefully—from Ultraman Tiga to Dyna to Gaia and even Seven OV, when has Gu Nan ever used such a low-level deus ex machina?"
His eyes sharpened.
"You think this angel is a savior? You think that because it annihilated the demonic insects, it's on humanity's side? Let me tell you, the true hunter often appears in the form of its prey. The true demon usually hides behind the wings of an angel."
The comments froze for half a second, then exploded:
[To be honest, if the angels had come to the rescue when Mochian was destroying Earth, I would have considered you a good guy, but this is the finale of Gaia!]
"No way, it just saved Ultraman!"
[It's a conspiracy theory!]
[That doesn't seem likely, does it? It's not like another Kirieloid has appeared, is it?]
[666, So the Kirieloids realized they couldn't beat Tiga, Gatanothor, and Sphia, so they came to the Gaia universe, right?]
Ignoring the doubts in the comments, Lao Tang began to analyze the scene of the angel's descent frame by frame.
"Listen carefully to this background music." The melody of the organ and harpsichord is amplified. "This piece sounds sacred and solemn, often used for church accompaniment, the pinnacle of the highest level. But look at it in conjunction with the visuals—"
He captured a close-up of the angel's smile.
"In the ruins, when humanity was in utter despair, it descended with a smile. Was there compassion in that smile? Was there warmth? No. What I felt was a condescending indifference, a mockery looking down upon ants."
"Is it really here to save people? Or is this just a more cruel disguise?"
A series of rhetorical questions left the audience feeling uneasy.
That smile is really creepy, but isn't this just the costume production team putting in some effort?
[So, the Angel of Sin is making the suit, right?]
[Seriously, how could they possibly fight against an enemy with that kind of fighting power?]
Could this be the final boss of the Destruction Summoning Entity? Disguised as an angel, destroying humanity's faith?
This is so vicious! First they give you hope, then they crush your spirit—it's like killing someone by destroying their will!
Old Tang nodded as he watched the trend of the comments shift.
"It's too early to draw conclusions. Our current perspective, like that of the humans in the show, is not omniscient or omnipotent. The characters in the show might see an angel and think their savior has arrived. But we, the long-time viewers who have been through countless episodes of Gu Nan's drama, should understand that this arrangement is definitely a huge suspense."
"What does the angel's smile really mean? Have the demonic insects truly been eradicated? What will Gamu and Fujimiya face next?"
He took a deep breath.
"All the answers will only be revealed in the later plot. Is Gu Nan just playing the foolish trick of deus ex machina, or is he setting up a grand scheme? We'll find out next Friday at 8 PM."
The video ends, and the screen goes black.
But the audience's emotions were completely ignited.
Those who were initially criticizing Deus Ex and the plot's inconsistency are now lost in thought and anticipation.
If Old Tang's guess is true, if this angel really isn't a good person... then what kind of hellish difficulty level will the 50th episode finale be?