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

"Ok."

Looking at Sakamoto Hide's back with moist eyes, Shirakawa Rika nodded vigorously.

"Cut! All units rest where they are."

The first half of the story came to an end. Director Nakano turned around and looked at Kawasaki Airi in a flattering manner: "Um, Mr. Kawasaki, what do you think of this part just now?"

"The feeling of this section is so restored..."

"It goes without saying that Ms. Shirakawa and Mr. Sakamoto performed very well, but Mr. Xia's performance as Kazama Manye was beyond my expectations!"

"Only as the original author can I fully understand his acting just now!"

Kawasaki Airi had stood next to the monitor at some point, staring at the footage being played back with excitement.

"Manyo Kazama said that he came here to fight Hijikata Toshizo, but in fact, he came here to fulfill his promise to Chiyo that he would 'take her away'. Therefore, he was unable to look Chiyo in the face and talk to her frankly from beginning to end..."

"Especially when Chiyo stood in front of Hijikata Toshizo, the trembling of his sword and the pain in his eyes were all conveyed through micro-expressions and detailed movements!"

"Man'yo Kazama personally sent his beloved woman to Hijikata Toshizo. Seeing that the other party was about to be defeated and killed, he could not help but show up and wanted to take Chiyo away from the vortex of war..."

“What a domineering, affectionate, yet insincere tenderness this is, oooooooooo!”

Kawasaki Airi kept praising Xia Fan's high-fidelity acting skills, and her emotions were overflowing, and tears couldn't stop rolling down her face.

"Since Mr. Kawasaki said so, I must pass this one!"

"Xia-kun and Sakamoto, please reshoot a separate shot before the 'transformation'..."

"Makeup artists, get ready, and take them to prepare for the 'second phase' look as soon as the shots are finished."

Fearing that Kawasaki Airi would make new requests, Director Nakano handed over a few tissues and began to arrange the next shooting in full swing.

Chapter 126 The final showdown

2024-07-13

"However, the real battle will begin from now on. I will not relax my requirements..."

Wiping away her tears, Kawasaki Airi withdrew from the character's emotional substitution and returned to her strict and picky appearance.

"I didn't expect you to be such a good actor. Your acting just now was beyond my expectation."

In the middle of the sea of ​​chrysanthemums, Sakamoto Hide looked at Xia Fan with eyes full of surprise.

He himself is a gifted actor who has learned the art of "self-hypnosis" without any training. Naturally, he can sense similar acting skills from Xia Fan's emotions, micro-expressions and body language.

"Hmph, you should save some of your surprise for the duel later."

Xia Fan glanced at him with disdain, turned around expressionlessly, and walked towards the dressing room.

"Hey, this is such a bad attitude towards your 'senpai'... Wait, this guy, hasn't gotten out of the act yet?"

Sakamoto Hide first widened his eyes in disbelief, then he understood Xia Fan's condition.

"I was too immersed in the play. I am enjoying it now. But when I can't come back, I will feel uncomfortable..."

Rika Shirakawa looked like an experienced person. She waved her sleeves helplessly, and the long sleeves of her gorgeous kimono fluttered like butterfly wings.

……

Half an hour later.

In the middle of the sea of ​​chrysanthemums, Hide Sakamoto stood proudly, and the photographer carried a camera and pointed the lens at him at close range.

At this moment, his originally long black hair was changed to silver-white, and he wore blood-red contact lenses, giving him a morbid and inhuman beauty.

During the brutal war, Hijikata Toshizo was forced to take a potion that could transform him into "Black Rakshasa" in order to survive, which resulted in his current "Black Rakshasa costume".

"Kazama vs. Hijikata, Act 6, second half of scene 2, Hijikata's solo transformation shot!"

“…Chiyo, you have to watch till the end.”

As the script manager hit the clapboard, Hideo Sakamoto handsomely drew out his sword and pointed it forward, the whole action was done in one go.

The cameraman next to him also used steady footsteps instead of the slide rail to complete the "human 360-degree" surround shooting.

"Cut, reverse wrap angle, take another set!"

Director Nakano stared at the monitor and shouted orders.

"... Chiyo, you must watch till the end."

"From left to right, another group!"

“…Chiyo, you have to watch till the end.”

"Let's have a group from a bird's-eye view!"

“…Chiyo, you have to watch till the end.”

"Where are the drones? Here's a set of drone perspectives."

“…Chiyo, you have to watch till the end.”

"let me think again……"

"Director, the photographer's legs didn't weaken, but my hands did!"

"This is one of the few 'Black Rakshasa transformation shots' of Hijikata Toshizo in this drama. It will need special effects processing in the later stage, so of course we have to shoot more to ensure that everything goes well."

The same action and the same lines were repeated for several times. Finally, Sakamoto Hide couldn't hold it anymore and fell down in the chrysanthemum field without any grace.

"Useless guy. Well, let's take a picture. Is Xia Jun's makeup done?"

"Okay, okay, my head feels so heavy..."

When Director Nakano asked loudly, Xia Fan walked out of the temporary dressing room.

"This, this shape..."

"So... so wild..."

Rika Shirakawa and Airi Kawasaki, who were standing under the parasol, looked at Xia Fan and their eyes lit up at the same time.

At this moment, Xia Fan's long hair, which was originally dyed with golden highlights, turned into a "Rakshasa-like" snow-white.

The pair of blood-red eyes were replaced by the golden animal eyes unique to the Rakshasa royal family.

There were even a few hideous ghost horns sticking out from the long hair on his forehead.

A whole, evil villain devil look.

"Come, come, stand here, the tape is on the fork..."

"Okay, remember to say the words when you draw your sword later, we'll add transformation effects later."

"Wait, my contact lens is stuck. It hurts... My head feels heavy, and the left corner feels like it's going to fall off..."

The staff immediately pulled Xia Fan into the chrysanthemum field, and after some adjustments to her outfit, they began a solo close-up shoot.

"Kazama VS Hijikata, Act 6, second half of scene 2, Kazama's solo transformation shot!"

Xia Fan rubbed his face, his expression becoming cold and arrogant.

"…For the sake of loyalty?"

He licked his fangs lightly, and drew out the two swords at his waist, one long and one short. With a sound of breaking through the air, they crossed and formed an "X" trajectory.

"Okay, it feels good. Let's try it from another angle..."

"…For the sake of loyalty?"

"Well, this is not bad either. The light on the side of my face is a little dim. Let's stand at a different angle..."

"…For the sake of loyalty?"

"Okay, let's..."

"Let me repeat myself again, I will kill you."

"How scary! I don't need to use my acting skills on the director, right?"

Soon, Xia Fan, like Sakamoto Hide, completed the boring transformation shot.

Not long after, the two people, who were dressed more and more inhumanly in the "second half", stood in the air in the middle of the sea of ​​chrysanthemums again.

"Hey, it's almost the final showdown... Let me make it clear in advance that my acting will only be for the purpose of recreating the character, and will not be completely based on the script. You have to accept this."

Sakamoto Hide did a set of stretching exercises and re-wrapped the bandage on the hilt of the sword with an extremely serious expression.

"Just come on."

Xia Fan on the opposite side held two swords at his sides, his white hair flying in the wind, and his golden beast eyes emitting silent murderous intent.

"Tsk, even though it's a prop sword, I'm afraid this guy won't get so excited that he'll kill me by mistake..."

Sakamoto Hide subconsciously shrank his neck and stopped provoking Xia Fan who was "already immersed in the role".

"You two guys, act seriously and finish your work early..."

"Do you know how much energy and money I have to spend on post-tanning repair for every extra second I spend in the sun?"

Wearing a gorgeous kimono, Shirakawa Rika stood at the edge of the sea of ​​chrysanthemums with a reluctant look on her face.

Chiyo has very few parts in this scene. Most of the time she is just basking in the sun in the chrysanthemum field, acting as a "background board", calling out from time to time to prove that this character exists and to liven up the atmosphere.

"Kazama vs. Hijikata, Act 6, second half of scene 2, first time, begin!"

"…For the sake of loyalty?"

Drawing out two swords on each side, Xia Fan struck the same pose as in the "single-person close-up shot".

The staff next to him silently turned on the blower, and his white hair "danced in the wind", and the entire sea of ​​chrysanthemums began to tremble slightly.

"You are neither human nor ghost now. What is the faith you are fighting for?!"

"One point of strength used, one point of life lost."

"You crave blood madly in order to survive, and you are destined to wither away."

His golden eyes were intimidating without him being angry, and he slashed with his sword. Suddenly, the broken chrysanthemum petals danced in the sky, and the tiny golden stamens rustled down.

"Life and death are fleeting, like chrysanthemums."

Looking through the falling chrysanthemum stamens, Xia Fan looked at Sakamoto Hide opposite him with a complicated expression, as if he was looking at some unheard-of monster.

"This action doesn't seem to exist in the comics."

Behind the monitor, Kawasaki Airi was slightly stunned.

Chapter 127: A Sword Shatters a Chrysanthemum

2024-07-13

"Sorry, it's not in the script. This is something that Brother Xia Fan improvised. I'll ask him to..."

Director Nakano made a bitter face and was about to say "Cut" immediately.

After all, no matter how hard you work on filming, all your hard work can be in vain with just one sentence: "revoke the authorization."

"No, there's no need to disturb them. Xia Jun's improvisation was really great!"

"This sword shattering the chrysanthemum not only conveys Kazama Manye's determination to kill the 'Black Rakshasa', but also implies his mourning for the fate of the Shinsengumi's demise, and also creates such a poignant and profound duel scene..."

Looking at "Chikage Kazama" and "Hijikata Toshizo" holding knives and confronting each other in the rain of chrysanthemums, Kawasaki Airi, the original author, felt that all the emotions accumulated when she was creating the work were awakened at this moment.

"Okay, if you think it's okay..."

"Please, let me 'improvise' from the beginning, especially with this kind of 'scene-destroying' action. If it gets 'stuck' later, I will have to 'plant chrysanthemums' again before I can shoot..."

Director Nakano, who was caught between the original author and the actors, felt overwhelmed. He clasped his hands together silently, praying that no more trouble would occur.

"It's not that life and death are in a hurry, but the things we need are too numerous to count!"

Chrysanthemums are like raindrops. Sakamoto Hide, with white hair and red eyes, raises his favorite sword named "Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada" in both hands and rushes towards Xia Fan with a roar.

"Hey."

Facing the enemy, Xia Fan's pupils dilated, he grinned and waved the two swords in his hands...

The two swords collided with each other, producing violent sparks.

The props team staff seized the opportunity and pressed a button.