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Chapter 168. What's Done is Done
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The audition process at Green Dolphin Studios was incredibly fast.
In fact, Cujoh Jolyne had no intention of seriously filming; her plan was to stir things up.
How could she possibly take the time to carefully select the actors?
Of course, it had to be as fast as possible, before anyone could react.
She just wanted to get it over with and pick out these "useless" actors!
So, after the latest episode of "Stardust Crusaders" aired, and Josuke Higashikata, fired up again by the cool revenge declarations of Kakyoin and Polnareff, decided to come here, he was shocked to discover how simple the process was!
No scams like "I, Qin Shi Huang, need money," and no endless auditions where more challenges awaited at every turn.
As soon as he received the document approving his audition, it meant he was officially selected and had become a contracted actor for Green Dolphin Studios' next production?!
It was a bit...
"Disappointing."
"...Eh?"
A sudden voice startled Josuke, and he turned to see where it came from.
A stylish young man, seemingly another successful auditionee like him, handed his documents to the staff and made a comment about the surroundings:
"Although the reason I came here was because of Stands and to understand what kind of power a Stand truly is, as a mangaka, it's a professional habit to always think about every possible situation, like 'What would the protagonist of a manga do in this situation?'"
"In other words, it's only by interacting with all kinds of people and experiences that you can find refreshing answers through different perspectives, rather than getting stuck in your own head..."
Just like in a manga, there's not only the protagonist but also the supporting characters.
There are stories about young, inexperienced protagonists fighting their way to defeat the Demon King and save the world, and there are stories about seasoned protagonists who've already been through the grind.
Some tales follow the classic hero's journey, while others focus on bizarre adventures, like evaluating exotic species of women.
As a mangaka, Kishibe Rohan saw nothing wrong with Cujoh Jolyne's peculiar casting choices.
Setting aside the obvious factors, the long-standing success of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" proved that Green Dolphin Studios had a keen eye for casting, far ahead of the industry!
After all, aside from the amateur series, there weren't many production teams that consistently cast newcomers.
And yet, these newcomers were so impressive, it was as if fate had selected them to be movie stars.
Nobody in the industry could doubt Green Dolphin Studios' judgment anymore.
However!
"But that doesn't mean we won't choose protagonists who instantly captivate the audience, instead of those who, just based on appearance, fail to spark any interest~~"
The moment Kishibe Rohan walked in, he observed everyone and everything, analyzing the scene like a mangaka with a professional instinct.
Years of creating manga panels and layouts had given Rohan the ability to organize complex scenes and effortlessly memorize details as if he were reading a manga.
Coupled with his extensive knowledge, honed in the search for new story material, and his talent for analyzing people, he quickly noticed the variety of backgrounds among the actors present: students, bikers, milk deliverymen, guitarists, chefs, beauticians, and even a mangaka like himself—all non-professionals.
Their appearances were just as varied: short, tall, thin, fat, ugly, beautiful...
It was a mix of everything, utterly incomprehensible.
"But, isn't the unexpected what makes things fun?"
With that, Kishibe Rohan confidently and leisurely walked past Josuke, even though he seemed more confused than anyone else.
"No matter what the elements are, the greatest manga has one defining trait—it's fun. Things like friendship and passion are just accessories to make the story more enjoyable."
"..."
"...This guy seems weird, but he's surprisingly cool."
Watching Kishibe Rohan walk away, Josuke recalled the rambling he had overheard earlier.
He thought Rohan had been insulting his hair, but it turned out the man actually found his hairstyle unique and interesting!? (P.S. Actually, he didn't.)
Even though Josuke felt the same way, society always carries its biases, doesn't it?
This was why Josuke had been wavering between excitement and disinterest about passing the audition.
If becoming an actor for "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" meant shaving his hair, he'd rather not take the role!
But now he realized—was he the one with the bias all along?
There were people in this world who truly understood him~~!
With this thought, Josuke stood tall and confidently followed Rohan inside.
…
"The Fourth Part?!"
"But President Cujoh, you might be unaware, but I'm sure you know that the script for "Stardust Crusaders" alone is as long as "Phantom Blood" and "Battle Tendency" combined!"
Pucci, who had just learned that the audition for "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4" was already over and the successful candidates were now part of their team, looked at Cujoh Jolyne in disbelief.
He couldn't understand why she was doing this:
"Putting aside whether we should even start shooting Part 4, I haven't even finished the script yet!"