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

"Watch out, diagonally downward!"

While giving the warning, Xia Fan nimbly turned his wrist, drew out another short sword from his waist, and slashed at the opponent's lower abdomen.

"Don't underestimate me... The secret of the Tennen Rishin Style, the Dragon Tail Sword!"

Sakamoto Hide lowered his body and held the sword horizontally, taking the attack with some reluctance, and then swung the sword upward again with his backhand!

"Mr. Kazama, Mr. Hijikata, please stop fighting!"

Not far away, there came a cry of grief from Rika Shirakawa...

If you look in the direction of the voice, you will see that Rika Shirakawa, who made the voice, is wearing a gorgeous pink kimono, with her beautiful long hair tied into a bun with a bow, and is sitting under a giant parasol.

She lay on the beach chair with one hand on her chin, staring at the script in her hand with a bored look on her face. There was a glass of iced orange juice on the low table next to her...

It was as if the touching "peace-keeping speech" before had nothing to do with her at all.

"Come on, one last time..."

The wooden sword in Xia Fan's hand was pointed straight at the other party.

"Let's end this!"

Sakamoto Hide stood facing Xia Fan with his sword hanging at his side.

Then, the two of them suddenly ran towards each other, passing each other at an extremely fast speed...

The wooden swords in their hands collided violently with lightning speed.

The two people who passed each other and went in opposite directions had their steps stopped and their movements frozen.

"Whoosh..."

The dagger belonging to Xia Fan was spinning in the air and piercing straight into the soil.

"Not bad, not bad, Sakamoto-kun. We worked very well together in this rehearsal."

After taking a look at the wooden sword that had been "successfully buried", Xia Fan applauded Sakamoto Xiu.

"There's no such thing as tacit understanding. You're just cooperating with me..."

Sakamoto Hide threw away the wooden sword in his hand, sat on the grass and gasped for breath.

"You monster, are you a music producer or a shogun?!"

He looked at the blisters between his fingers, then looked at Xia Fan opposite him who was breathing steadily and looking relaxed, and muttered to himself.

From the previous filming day to today, he did not sit idle even though he had few scenes to act. Instead, he signed up for the Kendo course at the Gakuen and studied hard on several sets of moves from the "Tennen Rishin-ryu".

But when he was confidently "rehearsing moves" with Xia Fan, he discovered that the other party could not only easily take on his sword moves, but could also cooperate to "round out" some of his out-of-shape movements, perfectly completing the action routines set in the script.

The difference in swordsmanship behind this is enough to make people despair.

"Hey, but today's scene is not as simple as just coordinating the movements. It also depends more on the support of acting skills..."

But when he thought that he was here to be an "actor" rather than a swordsman, confidence returned to Sakamoto Hide's face.

"Only in acting, I will never lose to you."

He picked up the wooden sword and looked at Xia Fan with high spirits.

"Well, I've been looking forward to acting against Sakamoto-kun for a long time."

Xia Fan also looked very interested.

After all, the two are both “burning” artists with similar ages, so the most they have is “healthy competition”.

"It's so sunny and hot... The desire to win between boys is really boring."

Rika Shirakawa sighed under the umbrella.

What we are going to shoot today is the ultimate showdown between Hijikata Toshizo and Kazama Manyo in the final episode. She doesn't have many parts, she just needs to dress up beautifully and be a "background board + yes-man" most of the time.

"Three of you, are the movements, lines, and positioning all pretty much in place?"

Director Nakano walked through the sea of ​​chrysanthemums and came in front of the three people.

"So, everyone, get ready to shoot."

After getting confirmation from the three people, Nakano began to give orders on the intercom.

Soon, the cameras, lights and props were all ready surrounding the golden sea of ​​chrysanthemums.

After finishing their makeup touch-ups, Sakamoto Hide and Shirakawa Rika also stood at the edge of the sea of ​​chrysanthemums.

"There's too much light, the actor's face has turned golden, remove the reflector and fill light..."

"Change the angle of Camera 1. Don't point it at the backlight!"

"Camera 2, pay attention to the depth of field, extending from below the sea of ​​chrysanthemums to the character."

Just as Director Nakano was constantly adjusting the shooting scene, a figure holding a parasol walked along the gravel path of the botanical garden.

"Teacher Kawasaki Airi?"

"I'm so sorry for not welcoming you. How come you have time to come here today..."

Nakano turned around and found that it was Kawasaki Airi, the original author of the manga "The Withered Chrysanthemum and the Sword", and hurriedly trotted forward to greet her.

"It was me who took the initiative to invite Mr. Kawasaki over."

"After all, the audience who managed to persevere and not die from the poison and followed the final episode all wanted to see the final battle between Kazama Manye and Hijikata Toshizo."

“So, I thought that asking Mr. Kawasaki to come to the shooting site in person to observe and guide us would help us shoot more realistic content.”

Rika Shirakawa explained softly and winked at Director Nakano.

"Yes, I didn't think it through. I should have invited Mr. Kawasaki to come and give us some guidance!"

Director Nakano immediately understood what she meant and quickly invited Kawasaki Airi to sit under the parasol.

Instead of sending the finished editing product to the original author for review, it is better to invite the other party to the scene and participate in giving opinions from the beginning of filming, which will increase the chance of getting approval.

Chapter 125 Chrysanthemum, It Suit You Very Well

2024-07-13

"I am an outsider in TV drama production, so I cannot be considered as a guide. I was invited here today just to witness with my own eyes whether the final episode is consistent with the 'original work'."

"If the gap with expectations is too big, it is better to withdraw the authorization as soon as possible to save the crew the cost of post-production."

Kawasaki Airi shook her head modestly, still looking serious.

"Ha, haha, Mr. Kawasaki is really humorous."

"Well then, everyone, take your positions, let's do a test shoot first, a test shoot!"

After wiping the sweat from his forehead, Director Nakano returned to the monitor, emphasized the word "test shoot", and crumpled the script in his hand.

"Kazama vs. Hijikata, Act 6, first half of the second scene, first take, test shot, begin!"

The script supervisor also emphasized the pronunciation of the word "test shoot" and made a perfunctory note.

"Hiss..."

"Hold on, Hijikata-san, we'll be back to Goryokaku soon."

Sakamoto Hide entered the role in a second. He hunched his body, covered his bloody abdomen, and walked slowly forward with the support of Shirakawa Rika.

Gazing at the sea of ​​chrysanthemums that suddenly appeared before their eyes, the two were stunned for a moment.

"Chrysanthemum, it suits you very well."

Sakamoto Hide lowered his eyes and spoke softly.

"Oh, really? I think Hijikata-san is the one who deserves it..."

Shirakawa Rika gave a nostalgic smile.

"On the day we first met in Kyoto, Mr. Hijikata looked like a beautiful chrysanthemum to me."

"Let's watch the chrysanthemums together from now on."

She looked through the depths of the chrysanthemum bush and seemed to see the scene of their first meeting.

"He is worthy of being the mainstay of this drama. His acting skills are stable and he fully restores the personality and image of the comic character..."

Watching the performance of the two through the monitor, Kawasaki Airi had admiration in her eyes.

"Ms. Shirakawa carefully restrains the brilliance of her role, setting off the image of Hijikata Toshizo, brewing the feelings between the two, and paving the way for the upcoming duel and the final choice."

"And Sakamoto Shu, a talented actor who is so into his roles, doesn't need too many lines..."

"The painful but resolute look in his eyes, the laborious but defiant gait, and the hand always near the hilt of the knife, all vividly portray the psychological state and unique tragic temperament of 'Hijikata Toshizo'."

Director Nakano sighed in agreement.

Just like the scene in front of us, it is the outstanding acting skills of these two people that have prevented the show from completely collapsing and has kept it going until now.

"Who?"

Sakamoto Hide suddenly raised his head alertly and looked in a certain direction.

There, Xia Fan, with sharp eyes, shining golden hair and a knife hilt in his hand, walked out silently from the golden chrysanthemums.

"what……"

Sakamoto Hide's pupils shook and he opened his mouth in surprise.

Although he didn't say a word, Xia Fan's momentum at this moment was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, splitting the sea of ​​chrysanthemums in two.

At this moment, the invincible young master of the Rakshasa royal family, Kazama Manye, descended into the three-dimensional world.

"I originally thought he was a novice... Has this guy's acting skills reached the point where he can perfectly portray the character without any lines, just using body language and micro-expressions?"

Sakamoto Hide, who did not participate in the second day's filming, had never seen Xia Fan in this "100% Kazama Manyo" state.

Therefore, his surprise at this moment, in addition to acting according to the script, was also mixed with real emotions.

"The image is very restored... In terms of temperament and demeanor, it is even more in line with my expectations than the image in the comics."

Looking at "Manyo Kazama" in the camera, Kawasaki Airi felt goose bumps running down her spine.

"Still...alive."

Xia Fan murmured softly as he looked straight at the two people who were supporting each other with his bloodshot eyes.

"Kazema..."

Faced with the sudden appearance of "Manyo Kazama" and the other party's calm yet angry gaze, Shirakawa Rika was a little at a loss for a moment.

"It's hard for you to escape to the remote land in the north."

Xia Fan only had Sakamoto Hide in his eyes from beginning to end, and spoke in an indifferent tone.

"I didn't expect you to come to Ezo. If I had died earlier, you would have traveled so far in vain."

Sakamoto Hideo smiled proudly.

"Is Xia Fan's Kazama Manye so domineering? However, my Hijikata Toshizo will definitely not lose in terms of momentum!"

It was the first time that Hide Sakamoto acted opposite "Manyo Kazama" played by Xia Fan. The innate majesty of the other person was so realistic that it made people a little scared.

"Since you took the potion and turned into a black Rakshasa, you must know that this kind of creature cannot be tolerated in this world."

"I'm here to root out the weeds."

Xia Fan drew his sword from its sheath, pointed at Sakamoto Hide...

The sword is like a mirror, reflecting the chrysanthemums, dyed golden.

"Stop, Hijikata is seriously injured now!"

Shirakawa Rika took a step forward, spread out her hands, and nervously protected Sakamoto Hide.

"..."

This action made Xia Fan on the opposite side narrow his eyes slightly, and the tip of his sword trembled.

"Someone has come from afar to challenge me. As a true warrior, how can I refuse?"

But the next second, Sakamoto Hide had already walked past her and took a step forward.

"I will fight for my integrity... Chiyo, you must see me to the end."

Before Shirakawa Rika could say anything, Sakamoto Hide had already managed to hold on and left her completely behind.