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Chapter 29. A Bombshell OP
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"KO↗NO↘DIO↗DA↘!!"
"KO↗NO↘DIO↗DA↘!!"
"KO↗NO↘DIO↗DA↘!!"
...
Hatake Kousaku was dumbfounded. Before he could even process what was happening, he was overwhelmed by Dio's captivating voice and his exaggerated facial expressions.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
Despite the dubious nature of Kousaku's current job, he was undoubtedly a pure-hearted warrior. And Dio's actions... Although they couldn't compare to the extreme antics of yellow-haired characters in a certain Takeda Hiromitsu's book, combined with Dio's performance, ordinary lines became deeply imprinted in the souls of everyone who saw and heard them!
The feeling was akin to just having finished a delicious dish only to be hit with a sudden need to use the restroom—bittersweet.
It hurt, it hurt so much!
At that moment, Kousaku forgot about the 100,000 yen commission. From the bottom of his heart, he wanted to criticize Dio and denigrate "Phantom Blood"!
And then...
"-- DIO!!!"
"JOJO, my superman!"
Seeing Dio's face beaten to tears by JoJo, Kousaku had never felt so happy. He sincerely thought, "For Erina, punch Dio with all your might... wait a minute!"
As the "ßTo Be Continued" letters appeared at the end of the episode, accompanied by the ending song pulling him back to reality, Kousaku realized something important.
This show doesn't seem to have any obvious flaws!?
It wasn't the melodramatic love story or the typical wealthy family drama he had expected. The performances of the new actors in "Phantom Blood" were so good that even with the most critical eye, he couldn't find anything wrong. Even the minor characters, who had only appeared briefly, delivered lines like "It's truly admirable, truly desirable" that echoed in his mind and stayed with him.
If there was a flaw, it was probably Dio's early actions to break JoJo's spirit using despicable means, which was infuriating to watch. Especially his forced kiss on Erina, which enraged Kousaku, the pure-hearted warrior, to the point where he felt like he was JoJo himself, wanting to punch Dio out of sheer anger!
...So that's actually a strength, right?
Recalling how "Phantom Blood" had manipulated his emotions and how deeply he identified with the characters, Kousaku could only marvel at its brilliance.
The scriptwriters and directors of "Phantom Blood" had a profound understanding of their audience's psychology!
"...It must be a coincidence!"
Considering the possibility that the 100,000 yen might be slipping further away, Kousaku tried to calm himself, saying, "There's no way the filthy newcomers of the 'Phantom Blood' production team could pull this off."
Unconsciously using Dio's lines, Kousaku shook his head vehemently in denial.
"Right, there's still the second episode!"
"Even though the first episode was unexpectedly good and didn't feel like the work of newcomers or an early release, the newcomer's protection period is probably just one episode. The second episode will surely show its true colors!"
Cheering himself up for the 100,000 yen, Kousaku hurriedly started the long-awaited second episode.
And then...
"DUN↗DUN↘DUN↗DUN↘--"
"DUN↗DUN↘DUN↗DUN↘--"
With this rousing prelude and character images flashing like manga panels, the title "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" and the subtitle "Phantom Blood" were punched out by Jonathan's fist.
Also punched out were familiar scenes and a song echoing in Kousaku's mind—
"Two stars falling from the sky～～"
...
Stunned.
Both the music and the visuals were shockingly high quality, akin to those found only in fully immersive big-budget films. This level of production deeply impressed Kousaku.
Is this content I can watch for free?
Is this content from an advance release?
Without further thought, without analyzing the bombshell OP and its intricate details, Kousaku began to breathe heavily. Finally, as if making a determined decision, he reopened his private message and returned the deposit, saying, "Sorry, I can't do this job..."
At the same time, other content creators who had taken on this job also chose to quit after watching "Phantom Blood".
This was inevitable. As content creators, especially those who reviewed anime, they could tell the quality of a show.
And without a doubt, based on the quality shown in the first episode of "Phantom Blood", unless the production team did something drastically wrong, it was destined to be a great show.
Especially after seeing the OP of "Phantom Blood", the abundant budget was an unmistakable indicator of the production team's grand ambitions!
In such a case, no content creator would risk their career for a mere 100,000 yen, betting on the unlikely collapse of "Phantom Blood".
Impossible!
Thus, after painfully returning the money and quitting the job, Kousaku started a new folder—
"Analysis of Possible Future Plot Points Hidden in the 'Phantom Blood' OP."