Tokyo: The evil god doesn't want to be the top star

Chapter 32 The True Way of the Sword

"Tsk tsk, Xia Jun is actually a genuine 'handsome guy with a bun'. His looks are so resistant to criticism that it's really beyond my expectation."

When the close-up shot finally fell on the handsome Xia Fan, director Nakano couldn't help but sigh.

In the entertainment industry, although the "moon-shaped hair" often appears in period dramas, it is called the "handsome guy's nightmare" because of its appearance that is not much different from the "Mediterranean" hair.

After countless male artists known for their "good looks" had their acting careers ruined by the "bangs", today's popular young actors with slightly average looks would rather have unkempt hair than try this hairstyle rashly.

There is even a special term called "hairstyle handsome guy" which is used to describe male artists who can withstand the devastating blow of "hairstyle" because they not only have outstanding looks, but also have an indomitable samurai spirit.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you..."

"This is Xia Jun, who has experience as an advertising model."

"The three of you here are Tanaka Sou, Tanaka Hachiro, and Tanaka Kansuke. They are the three masters of the Kagami Shinkei-ryu Kendo School and true kendo masters."

During the break of the makeup shooting, Nakano introduced the few people to each other.

"Director Nakano, the three of us are here to use your company's advertisement to promote the ancient charm of kendo and show off the style of Kagami Shinkei-ryu, not to compare our appearance superficially with others."

"That's right. Isn't the role we're auditioning for a warrior who fights for his life? This pretty boy probably can't even hold a sword."

"Don't worry. SUN, a company famous for its creativity and production standards, will never shoot a vulgar advertisement that relies on beautiful women and handsome men to attract attention."

Glancing unhappily at Xia Fan who had stolen most of the shots, the three "warriors" crossed their arms and started teasing each other.

"Well, next, I will formally explain the rules of this audition..."

"Because this ad shooting content, in addition to fighting scenes, also includes emotional scenes between the male and female protagonists, so we will comprehensively consider factors such as appearance, acting skills and skills, and select one person from several people to play the protagonist, and the remaining three will be responsible for playing the 'miscellaneous soldiers'."

Pretending not to hear the protests, Director Nakano began to announce the audition rules.

"What, there's a heroine? How are the feelings, the emotions, the plays, the clothes?"

"Hey, you two, as the contemporary master of Kagami Shinkei-ryu, I'm going to take on this role as the protagonist!"

"Although you are a master, you still have to follow the rules of the audition. You have to compete fairly and show your true qualities as a warrior."

"Asshole, you actually want to defeat the powerful for a mere beauty..."

The audition has not officially begun yet, but cracks have quietly appeared in the unbreakable relationship between the three teachers of Jingxin Mingzhi School.

"Director, the materials for the makeup audition are all ready."

After taking a few pictures of the four dazzling "boiled eggs", the photographer, sweating profusely, gave Nakano a thumbs up.

"In terms of appearance, we will score based on how photogenic you are. Next, we will start the action audition part."

The prop master brought a few long swords for the four people, and moved out a few wooden men commonly used in fighting practice and placed them in the center of the studio.

"It's so hot, finally it's our strong point..."

"Hey, this sword is so light."

"This plastic thing is not worthy of being called a sword. It is not even as good as the bamboo sword used for practice."

The three Tanaka brothers pulled at their stuffy wigs, drew out the long swords from their waists, and waved them casually, revealing a look of disdain.

The director team prepared a prop sword made of resin, with a realistic metal coating on the surface. It not only makes it easier for the actors to perform various movements, but also has a better glossiness during filming than ordinary swords.

"Is this the prop sword that often appears in movies? If you look closely, you can see a lot of flaws."

On the other hand, Xia Fan was just standing there, staring at the sword and doing nothing, but he exuded the unique sad aura of the male protagonist in Japanese gay comics.

"Um, Xia Jun, did you ever join a kendo club or something like that during your school years?"

Director Nakano looked at Xia Fan expectantly.

Although it was shot for an amateur advertisement, the showbiz rule of "appearance is justice" still applies.

Xia Fan, who is much better in appearance, would be a perfect candidate for the protagonist if he could have a certain foundation in swordsmanship. "I have never participated in the kendo club, but I have had some experience in sword dancing, which is a bit similar to WOTA..."

Xia Fan nodded uncertainly.

"Hmph, a fancy, slow sword dance for show?"

"WOTA art, that kind of wimpy behavior of cheering for others and swinging little glowing sticks?"

"Never mind. Next, we will show you what the real sword art is."

These words naturally caused the three Tanaka teachers to chuckle in disdain.

"The Kagami-shin Akechi-ryu, the master, Tanaka, left and right, see you."

The first person to try out the moves was Tanaka Zuo, whose hair was already thick enough to resemble a bald fringe and who almost saved the crew a bald wig.

"Okay..."

Tanaka Zuosuo's face became serious, he bent his knees and squatted on the ground, slowly grasping the hilt of the sword at his waist.

A commanding aura rose from him.

"Iai!"

Amid the solemn roars from Tanaka and his left and right, the long sword emerged from its scabbard like a dragon, passing across the wooden man's neck with an afterimage.

Then, he let out a light breath, slowly sheathed his sword and put it away.

"Is this the end?"

"Please gesture a few more times. There are too few movements and it is impossible to estimate the shooting effect."

Director Nakano made the request.

"If it was a real sword duel between real people, the opponent would have been dead, so why bother with this? Besides, this 'fake' can't withstand a second blow from me..."

Tanaka shook his head calmly, put down his prop sword, and walked aside with his hands behind his back.

"Director, the prop sword is damaged! It's custom-made and it takes a lot of time to repair it..."

The staff member in charge of props complained with a distressed look on his face.

The wooden man was fine, with only a white mark on his neck, but the blade of the exquisite prop sword was bent after being cut.

"Forget it, forget it, next one. Be careful to take care of your props when you swing. If you damage them too badly, you will have to pay for them!"

Nakano didn't dare to provoke Tanaka Zuo again and quickly started the audition of the next person.

"Kagami Shinkei Ryu, Teacher, Tanaka Hachiro, see you!"

"...Tang Zhu, left horizontal, right horizontal, thrust!"

"Kagami Shinkei Ryu, Master of the School, Tanaka Kansuke, see you!"

"... Against the wind, right cut, cassock slash, reverse cassock!"

"Okay, that's enough, that's enough. All these prop swords are broken. I won't be able to start the machine in a few days."

The next two people to audition were the other two Tanaka Shihan, who were obviously genuine professionals who had practiced kendo for many years.

Under the distressed eyes of the director team, they demonstrated exquisite, coherent, and flexible sword skills, which also caused considerable damage to the filming props budget.

"Amazing! Is it really this hard to audition for a role in an amateur advertisement?"

Xia Fan, who was waiting in the backstage, was like a spectator watching a kendo match. He cheered and clapped in amazement, and had long forgotten that it was his turn next.

(End of this chapter)