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

"Everyone, in order to film the action scenes in the final episode of "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword", we specially chose to film at Kagami-shin Akechi-ryu School, one of the 'Three Great Dojos of Edo'."

“We are honored to have the three Tanakas of the Kagami Shin Akechi-ryu as our special action directors, allowing the actors to present the kendo battle scenes as realistically as possible.”

"At the same time, in order to create a more grand war scene, the students of the Shixueguan will also fully assist us and play the enemy warriors."

"Everyone applauds."

In front of the open space, Director Nakano, wearing a floral shirt and shorts, was giving a speech to the crew in a spirited manner.

Sparse applause broke out.

"It is an honor for us at Jingxin Mingzhi to have the opportunity to participate in the filming of a large-scale historical TV series like "The Broken Chrysanthemum and the Sword"."

"Master Tanaka Kansuke."

"Teacher Tanaka, so and so."

"Teacher's deputy Tanaka Hachiro."

"I will definitely lead a group of useless disciples and go all out!"

Opposite Director Nakano, three Tanakas wore black kimonos, wooden swords at their waists, and squatted in the formal samurai posture.

"Go all out!"

Behind them, a dozen burly young men in uniform were squatting and kneeling, shouting the same slogans.

"Okay, next, the crew members should hurry up and start preparing for the filming."

After the impromptu meeting, a group of staff members immediately started moving costumes, props, lights, cameras and other filming supplies.

"Disciples of the Jingxinming School, start your morning exercises and warm-up as planned. Only those who perform well will have a chance to appear on camera!"

"Yes!"

The young students, under the supervision of three teachers, began one-on-one wooden sword sparring in a small open space covered with weeds.

"This time, I am really grateful to the three teachers. Not only did they provide manpower and venue for free, but they also served as martial arts instructors."

After arranging the work, Director Nakano exchanged greetings with the three Tanaka teachers.

"No way, thanks to Director Nakano's support for the last advertising project, our business at the Bachelor's Hall has finally picked up."

Kansuke Tanaka held Nakano's hand, tears flashing in his eyes.

That’s right, thanks to the popularity of the “Matsumoto Kiyoshi Israel Bi Ni Lai Dead Sea Black and White Mud Mask” advertisement, the sharp sword skills of the three Tanaka Shihan who played supporting roles also attracted the attention of a small number of kendo enthusiasts…

As a result, club members who were determined to participate in the national kendo competition began to come for tryouts, and after finding that the results were good, they introduced many more students to come.

The Bachelor's College, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, finally recruited students after five years.

"It's strange to talk about money. Director Nakano's TV series this time is a historical drama with the Shinsengumi as the protagonist! The Shinsengumi is the 'last bushido', a legend that every swordsman aspires to. It's our honor to be able to participate in it!"

"Yes, I believe that after this large-scale historical TV series is broadcast, more people will understand the charm of 'Kagami Shinkei Ryu'!"

Thinking of the upcoming TV series, the other two Tanaka teachers were full of longing and excitement. They wished they could go back to the end of the shogunate and fight bravely with the heroic Shinsengumi members.

"This Director Nakano seems to have a lot of connections. He was able to find such a 'professional' to serve as the action director and even provide him with a free extra. Moreover, this dilapidated old house does have the flavor of the Edo period..."

"However, most of the swordsmen of the Kagami Shinkei-ryu during the Edo period were members of the Tosa Loyalist Party, and there was also a 'Heavenly Punishment Madman' like Okada Izo, who was clearly the mortal enemy of the Shinsengumi?"

After a while, Hide Sakamoto, who played "Hichikata Toshizo", had finished his makeup and was waiting on the scene.

He was wearing samurai clothes, a blue woven feather, and a long sword at his waist. He looked at the kendo students who were practicing with a bored look on his face.

Although he didn't know much about kendo, he was terrified to see students like Jingxin Mingzhi-ryu who didn't wear any protective gear when practicing. Even though they had bamboo swords in their hands, they hit people directly on the body without mercy.

"Humph, Director Nakano, you're swindling people by using the name of a 'large-scale historical TV series'..."

"If these teachers understood what danmei means and paid attention to the reputation of the first few episodes of "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword", I guess Director Nakano would not be able to walk out of this dojo alive."

Behind Sakamoto Hide, a girl's cold and arrogant snort was heard.

After finishing her makeup, Rika Shirakawa wore a yellow men's kimono with a waist, a ponytail tied up behind her head, a short sword hanging at her waist, and walked over with light steps.

This is the outfit of the heroine "Chiyo" during the war. She looks heroic, yet slim and beautiful. At first glance, you might think it was a beautiful young swordsman from some family.

That’s right, in the gay-oriented “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword”, even the only female protagonist has to act as a “pseudo-male” and interact with male characters sometimes.

"Now that the two leading actors are in place, let's start with the action guidance. Tanaka Shihan, thank you for your help..."

Seeing the two people coming, Director Nakano clapped his hands and signaled to start work.

Chapter 85 Action Scene Practice

2024-07-13

"According to the script sent by the director, we have specially customized several sets of kendo moves. Now let's start to break down the moves for everyone..."

Tanaka Hachiro brought in two "wooden men for practice", while Tanaka Zuoyou drew the bamboo swords from his waist and began to explain.

The filming started on the first day at the "Bachelor's Hall", and the main content of the shoot was "pure action scenes" that did not require any expressions or lines.

The multi-person fights in the war scenes were filmed with the "sword students" acting as extras under the guidance of the staff.

The three leading actors also had to personally shoot fencing moves to serve as supplementary action scenes for their subsequent scenes together.

"What they mean by 'action scenes with personal performances are more likely to conquer the audience' is that the previous director spent all his budget on those voluptuous male models, the broadcast had a bad reputation and failed to attract advertising investment, so he couldn't afford to hire a stunt double with a similar body shape, right?"

Although she complained, Shirakawa Rika walked forward silently with a focused look in her eyes.

In previous filming, the actors would just clumsily perform a few movements on the spot as required, and there had never been any professional personnel to explain things beforehand.

At least on this point, we can see Director Nakano's professionalism.

"For the scenes we're going to shoot today, I'll be demonstrating the moves of Ms. Shirakawa's character Chiyo..."

"This way... this way... and then this way..."

"How about it? I stayed up late to read the classics and collected these simple and light movements that are suitable for female swordsmen!"

Tanaka held the sword in both hands. His seemingly clumsy body unexpectedly swiftly performed a series of sword moves that were as agile as a rabbit, causing the wooden man to shake continuously.

"Not very good... I was moving too fast just now, I couldn't see clearly, please slow down a bit..."

Seeing that this teacher really had the skills, Shirakawa Rika also took out her prop sword and used the wooden man as her imaginary enemy, imitating the movements seriously.

"Mr. Sakamoto, I will be responsible for explaining your character's movements."

"You play the role of Hijikata Toshizo, the last samurai who inherited the Tokugawa shogunate and the spirit of Bushido until the very end. The sword art he practiced was the famous Tennen Rishin-ryu."

"The signature swordplay moves of the Tennen Rishin-ryu are mainly these..."

Hachiro Tanaka performed a samurai salute to Hide Sakamoto and began to introduce himself in a very formal manner.

"Tsk, that sounds difficult."

"By the way, have you forgotten that there is another person..."

"Xia Fan, the guy who plays the big boss, is still in the dressing room. Most of our action scenes in the final episode are against him. If we don't wait for him to come over and learn together, how are we going to shoot later?"

Sakamoto Hide glanced in the direction of the dressing room and asked curiously.

Xia Fan plays the villain "Man'ye Kazama", who takes the longest time to put on makeup because of his inhuman elements such as blonde hair, red eyes, and false teeth, as well as many clothing details and accessories. He hasn't appeared yet.

"Xia Jun?"

"Oh, you don't have to wait for him, it's okay, you can just treat the wooden man and the two teachers as him and practice first."

Director Nakano waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Well, Mr. Xia Fan's role is a fictional character, so there is no need to practice in advance. Just improvise."

"Besides, the two of us are not qualified to guide him."

The two Tanaka teachers also nodded humbly and continued to demonstrate the movements.

"Huh? Even if the director brought him into the group with connections, his favoritism is too obvious."

"My 'Chiyo' is also a fictional character! That Xia Fan, he's obviously a beginner, but he wants to act like a big shot and skip the hard practice on the first day?"

Sakamoto Hide and Shirakawa Rika protested softly, but could only continue practicing under the supervision of Tanaka Shihan.

……

Half an hour later.

"No, I'm going to die, I'm going to be destroyed..."

Sakamoto Hide was completely exhausted and fell to the ground, throwing down the wooden sword as if giving up.

"Hey, can't I just swing a few times? You don't have to reproduce even the sword fighting style's moves one-to-one? Those female audiences will only look at my face and not the movements at all!"

How could he, who had no foundation in swordsmanship, master the most gorgeous sword moves of the Tennen Rishin-ryu in such a short time?

"No, you are carrying the screen image of the late shogunate warrior 'Hichikata Toshizo' who persevered until the last moment."

"How can a character who said 'If I still live, if I am the only one left, if I can live, the banner of sincerity will not be extinguished' easily admit defeat to a few sword moves?"

"Quick, burn your life, and do it again!"

Tanaka Hachiro, who was short but as strong as a wall, picked him up with a serious face.

"I just wanted to sing a theme song, so I went back to my old job. There's no need to burn my life to death!"

The protest was ineffective, and Sakamoto Hide could only continue practicing under the strict requirements of Tanaka Hachiro.

"Chiyo vs. the extra samurai, first scene, 2P action scene, first time, start shooting!"

"what!"

On the other side of the venue, Rika Shirakawa, who had mastered the movements, had officially started filming and was drawing her sword gracefully in front of the camera.

Opposite her, Tanaka Zuo, wearing full body armor and a mask covering his face, coordinated with her by parrying and feeding with his sword...

"Ugh!"

Then he naturally revealed his flaws and fell to the ground and died.

The whole process was done in one go, so smoothly and fluidly that it could be written into a book called “Self-cultivation of a Supporting Warrior”.

"Cut. Very good, I passed this one."

"Ms. Shirakawa learned the moves very quickly and her postures are quite beautiful. It seems that she has a foundation in kendo."

After the filming was over, Tanaka Zuoyou got up from the ground, took off his mask and exclaimed.

"Thank you for the compliment. Tanaka Shihan's 'Moment of Death' is also quite professional. It's obvious that he has practiced it countless times."

"I am different from some lazy 'vase actors with connections'. In order to perform well in the kendo scenes that I may encounter in the future, I took the 'Kendo Professional Third Dan' exam last year."

Shirakawa Rika took the towel handed to her by her assistant, wiped the sweat off her face, and glanced proudly in the direction of the temporary dressing room.

"Sorry, this outfit is too complicated. Have you started shooting yet?"

Just at this moment, Xia Fan, with fluffy blonde hair and bloodshot eyes, walked out of the dressing room and entered her sight.

Xia Fan is currently dressed in the "Half-Rakshasa Battle Uniform" that "Kazama Manye" will wear in the battlefield scene.

He was wearing a fitted black uniform, with a military robe flying behind his shoulders like a cloak. He had two swords, one long and one short, on his waist, and he exuded a cold, arrogant and evil aura.

As he spoke, his evil white fangs would inadvertently appear at the corners of his mouth.

"So handsome..."

When she met his blood-amber eyes, Shirakawa Rika was stunned for a moment.

"Meet Mr. Xia Fan."

"Three Tanaka teachers, it's been a long time."

"After a month, I can see Mr. Xia's skills again. It is really a pleasure in life!"

"I was worried that my skills in 'Death Drop' were not good enough before, but now that I've met someone I know, I'm a little less nervous."

The three Tanaka teachers put away their serious expressions, walked up to him happily, surrounded him and started to greet him.

"Why does Xia Fan look so familiar with the three teachers?"

Sakamoto Hide took the opportunity to "play dead" on the ground to recover his strength, and curiously glanced at Xia Fan who was greeting Tanaka Shihan.

Chapter 86 Fencing, Young Man

2024-07-13