After setting the controller down resignedly, Shu pulled open the drawer containing the movie discs.
Clatter—
With a slip of his hand, a cascade of discs scattered onto the floor. Shu stared down at them, paused for a moment, then sighed and plopped down cross-legged right where he was.
Might as well, he thought. Saves digging through them one by one.
"Let's see what we've got here..." He propped his chin on one hand and picked up the nearest disc with the other.
We Still Don't Know the Name of the Homu We Saw That Day
Shu: "..."
An eyelid twitched. Shu no longer had the energy to complain about Homu being the iPhone of mascots.
He picked up another: Your Lie in Homu. Shu closed his eyes in resignation and blindly grabbed a disc from the scattered pile around him.
Homu Slayer
"Ah~" Shu gave up. The dining car was empty anyway. He carelessly threw himself backward, landing sprawled out on the floor.
The girls swept and mopped daily, and everyone wore slippers on the train unless they were heading out for a mission. Running around barefoot was pretty common.
He tried to fall asleep on the floor, but the cool surface only made him feel more awake. Besides, having grown accustomed to a soft bed, suddenly sleeping on the hard floor felt uncomfortable.
A few minutes later, Shu silently lifted his hand, picked up the disc beside him, and held it up to look.
Homu Brave Fights the Evil Dragon
Still Homu. This cursed rabbit was seriously everywhere. Could it be that AIs like Ethics and Science actually liked this yellow sack-rabbit thing too?
...
Should he ask Ethics what it thought of this sack-rabbit sometime?
Or maybe ask Quinn first?
Regardless of whether AIs liked the yellow rabbit or not, Shu decided he was going to watch this disc now.
He really wanted to see what kind of charm this Homu character possessed to be so pervasive.
He quickly turned on the display, connected the retro disc player, put on his headphones, and sat cross-legged in front of the screen, waiting for the animation to start.
The screen flickered to life with heavy visual noise, then slowly revealed a black and white picture.
What is this? Am I playing an even older film reel using a retro DVD player in the next generation?
Confused, Shu picked up the disc case and glanced at it.
[Film Date: 1912]
Ah, so he'd unearthed a real antique.
Since it wasn't the usual "Isotope" stuff he was familiar with, Shu finally felt a flicker of interest, ready to actually watch this film from over a century ago.
After an opening sequence that looked entirely hand-drawn, a classic rubber hose style Homu appeared.
[Legend tells—in the far north, beyond the lands covered in snow, lies the Great Homu Kingdom, the mushroom houses of the candy sprites, the mystical realm of the fairies...
Countless species live harmoniously in that untamed land, unbound by the wars of the world, untouched by hunger and cold, free from worries of sickness and death. The abundant resources there allow every Homu to become the Homu of Homus.
And the hero of our story was born in the Great Homu Kingdom. His father, Father Homu, and his mother, Mother Homu, gave him a great name—Homu.
In this prosperous family, Homu grew safely to the age of ten. He was warm-hearted, kind, and well-liked by neighbors and friends.
But these good days soon came to an end. One day, the peaceful Great Homu Kingdom was suddenly attacked!
"Flee!" were the only words the Great Homu King managed to utter before vanishing from the sight of his subjects.
Quickly find the weakness of the evil dragon Homusilla!!]
Shu: "..."
He silently pressed the pause button, took a deep breath, and covered his eyes with his hand, trying hard to calm himself down.
It was an incredibly cliché story, yet every beat somehow managed to hit Shu like a critical strike.
He had to admit, his interest was piqued. He just needed a moment to recover before continuing.
Mentally prepared, Shu resumed watching the disc.
[With the Great Homu King lost, the Great Homu Kingdom fell into chaos. At this critical moment, the kingdom's princess, Homu-mi, stepped forward, becoming the Great Homu Queen to lead the kingdom onwards.
Homu-mi proved even more capable than the Great Homu King. Many previously unsolved problems were resolved under her guidance, and the Great Homu Kingdom rose once more.
But the evil dragon Homusilla returned! Seeing the Great Homu Kingdom still prosperous, it flew into a rage. This time, Homusilla kidnapped Queen Homu-mi and sent the old Great Homu King back.
The returned Great Homu King couldn't manage the improved kingdom that Homu-mi had built. Thus, the old king could only post a notice, seeking a hero from across the land to vanquish the evil dragon Homusilla.
And Homusilla's master—the Demon Lord Collapse!
Our protagonist, Homu, was one who answered the call. He vowed to rescue Queen Homu-mi from the clutches of the evil dragon Homusilla and Demon Lord Collapse! To make the Great Homu Kingdom great again, even greater!
He bid farewell to Father Homu and Mother Homu, shouldered his father's sword, donned his mother's armor, mounted the pony gifted by his neighbor, and arrived at the royal palace.
King Homu saw potential in Homu at first glance and decided he would journey to the lair of the evil dragon Homusilla and defeat it.
The old king repeatedly warned him not to disturb Demon Lord Collapse. If Collapse were to awaken, the entire world would fall under its rule once more, and everyone would suffer.
Homu solemnly promised. And so, the next day, Homu raised his sword high, clad in armor, riding his pony, and set off!
He must cross the perilous Bomb Village, pass through the hidden Mushroom Beach, gain the aid of fairies in the mysterious Fairy Kingdom, and finally draw the Sun-Moon Reversing Homu Holy Sword from the Sun-Moon Reversing Lake to slay the evil dragon Silla.]
Shu silently pressed pause again. This time, he simply placed the remote aside and vigorously rubbed his face with both hands.
The rubber hose art style definitely wasn't ugly; it had its own unique charm.
However, most rubber hose animations focused on exaggerated movements and transformations. This film was different. While the rubber hose style had some exaggeration, it was mostly played straight.
For example, the city in the Great Homu Kingdom wasn't depicted with lazy curved backgrounds. It was genuinely drawn as a bustling capital, detailed down to tiny figures moving in and out of shops.
This was despite the fact that the figures and shops combined were only about the size of an egg on the massive screen in front of Shu.