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Chapter 152. I am the Hokage! (Just Kidding)
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"President Cujoh, what did you call me for?"
Hearing Cujoh Jolyne's summons, Pucci hurried over and asked nervously.
He couldn't help it.
Pucci knew his own situation well and realized that his recent requests for funding had been a bit too frequent.
Forget about other people; even Pucci himself would suspect embezzlement if someone else asked for funding this often, probably thinking they were planning to take the money and run.
In fact, Jolyne summoning him only now, and even never stopping the flow of funds before this, was already surprising enough for Pucci.
Though he had been requesting funding a bit too excessively lately...
He had his reasons!
Think about how much time they spent previously for the filming of "Stardust Crusaders" and to allow Kujo Jotaro and the other actors to adapt to the power of Stands so they could use them effectively in the scripted world.
The sheer amount of practice time alone showed that this technology wasn't just "plug and play."
At the very least, an actor would need to have a level of talent akin to being "chosen by the heavens" to wield a Stand effectively and make this new technology work.
So, to ensure smooth filming in the future; to make the Stand concept, which would continue throughout the "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" series, slightly more accessible so they could widen the recruitment pool of actors; and to monetize this new technology by licensing it to recoup the initial investment…
They were constantly collecting data from Kujo Jotaro and the others during filming, using that data to optimize the system. Naturally, expenses kept piling up.
With these thoughts, Pucci reached into his pocket and found that the receipt book documenting every cent he had spent, detailing the funding sources, was still there. He hadn't left it behind or lost it.
With this small boost of confidence, Pucci continued, "If you're here to talk about funding, President Cujoh, I would like to—"
"Oh, Pucci, you're here!"
Interrupting him, Cujoh Jolyne waved a small notebook in her hand and said, "You came just in time. Take a look at these filming points I just organized!"
"?"
Filming points?
Wasn't this about funding?
Feeling that he might have misunderstood something, Pucci asked, "President Cujoh, is there a problem with our filming?"
That shouldn't be the case.
"That's where you're wrong, Director Pucci. As the director of "Stardust Crusaders", how can you be so negligent?" Cujoh Jolyne said with an expression of disappointment.
"Huh?"
"Fortunately, it's not too late to fix things," Jolyne continued. "Based on the feedback I found from "Stardust Crusaders" viewers online, I've been inspired to suggest several points to prevent similar issues from happening again!"
So that's it; it's the feedback from the internet.
Hearing this explanation, Pucci roughly understood what was happening.
After all, he was also aware of online feedback.
The poor performance of the first episode of "Stardust Crusaders" even prompted Akiyuki Shinbo to personally ask if Pucci was facing some difficulties.
With this in mind, Pucci apologized, "President Cujoh, I did indeed fail to consider some things."
He didn't mention how the success of the second episode had already neutralized viewers' dissatisfaction with the first episode, nor how the contrast between the two episodes elevated the story of "Stardust Crusaders"—those were just excuses.
The problem wasn't simply that the first episode of "Stardust Crusaders" was bad.
The real issue was that, as someone who was exposed to "JoJo's" memes everywhere online in his previous life and who only watched "Stardust Crusaders" after being encouraged by friends, Pucci didn't think much about it when he saw the storyline.
He didn't even consider Kujo Jotaro losing to Avdol as a problem.
So when he recreated this storyline in this world, Pucci naturally found it hard to understand why the scene, which he had watched numerous times in the past without issue, was suddenly problematic.
If it weren't for the clues about DIO that kept hooking viewers from start to finish and for the fact that Joseph Joestar, a previous protagonist, brought enormous popularity to "Stardust Crusaders", there might not have been many viewers willing to stick around for the second episode to experience Jotaro's charm as the true protagonist.
This sort of discrepancy from different perspectives had already happened more than once!
It was just that each time, they were lucky enough not to cause too much damage.
But could that luck last forever?
Pucci wasn't sure.
But now, everything was different!
If he could have a "viewer" who differed from him, someone willing and daring to give feedback, he could effectively prevent these issues from recurring!
Somewhat thinking along the same lines as Jolyne, Pucci straightened up and said, "So, President Cujoh, what are these suggestions you've summarized...?"
Huh?
He's so agreeable?
Cujoh Jolyne, who had prepared several lines of argument and even considered using her authority as President to force Pucci to accept her suggestions, was dumbfounded by his response.
Shouldn't Pucci use the "laypeople can't command experts" excuse to sternly reject her?
Could it be that what she read online was wrong?
Does the industry actually welcome investors like her to interfere with filming?
If so, that's my brilliant genius!
I knew I didn't misjudge him!
Although she couldn't quite figure it out, Jolyne, in high spirits, began to discuss the suggestions she had summarized: "First, we need to reduce Jotaro's screen time!"