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Chapter 172. Cow Dung Head Neglects Duty and Harasses Innocent Office Workers
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Yes, while some details differ, the essence remains.
Josuke Higashikata, that cow dung head, dragging his group of companions like Kishibe Rohan to trouble these hard-working office workers is, indeed, a case of a cow dung head neglecting his duties and harassing innocent office workers.
Especially considering that before this, Pucci had already roped Kira Yoshikage, a fellow resident of Araki's Manor, into the production crew.
The roles line up perfectly now, making it incredibly immersive!
"So, this arduous task falls on you, Kira."
Pucci clapped Kira Yoshikage on the shoulder, focusing everyone's attention on Kira, who had been diligently trying to live an ordinary life. With Kira looking utterly bewildered, Pucci spoke in a heartfelt tone, "After all, among us, you're the one who most resembles a typical office worker."
"Huh?!"
Kira Yoshikage was stunned.
Despite trying his best to avoid notice, he couldn't understand why he still attracted attention. He made the same confused sound Pucci had made earlier.
Wait, what?
Were we even talking about this topic before?!
Or had he lowered his presence so much that his memory of the conversation also dimmed?!
Clearly, only he seemed to find something wrong with the situation. Everyone else carried on the conversation as if nothing were amiss: "I get it! Director Pucci means that he wants them to play their roles as naturally as possible, right?"
"If it's about playing their roles naturally, then sure, among the people the president has gathered, we do have individuals from various fields, but..."
"But no one likes a bland story, and among these actors playing their natural roles, there aren't any jobs that particularly stand out, right?"
Pucci voiced the staff member's concern.
He continued, "Normally, that's true. But what if I told you that Part 4 of JoJo isn't like "Stardust Crusaders", a road movie, nor is it a hot-blooded adventure story like "Phantom Blood" or "Battle Tendency", but rather, a situational comedy?"
High school students, bikers, milk delivery men, guitarists, chefs, beauticians, comic artists...
If we view these newly hired actors through the lens of traditional performers, it's only natural that people would question the odd professions they come from.
And they'd probably arrive at the conclusion, "What the heck is all this?"
Even if we're aiming for authenticity, having these eccentric actors playing roles that reflect their actual professions still requires a plot that makes their jobs relevant.
Otherwise, what's the difference between casting any random person for an unimportant role and hiring a professional?
No one would notice them anyway.
But what if this were a situational comedy?
A show set within a single city, where people live their lives, encounter each other, and experience various stories?
Then these actors, playing their natural roles, wouldn't just be background extras.
They'd become key characters, triggering one storyline after another!
Having them play themselves would be perfect!
In fact, if they weren't playing themselves, they wouldn't be able to capture that feeling at all!
But since this is already Part 4 of "JoJo", surely this Part 4 will inherit the Ripple techniques from earlier works or the Stand system from the previous part.
Imagine a group of Ripple warriors or Stand users starring in a situational comedy set in a small town...
It's like martial arts experts abandoning their duty to fight evil and save the world, instead quietly collecting rent from other martial arts experts... It might seem like they're filming "72 Tenants" rather than "Kung Fu".
"This obviously isn't an ordinary sitcom," Pucci said.
So of course, the Axe Gang or something like that would still be necessary.
But the Axe Gang is a bit extreme.
They could tone it down, maybe to something more... gentle.
"Have any of you seen any emotionally heavy works?" Pucci asked.
"I've seen a few..."
Though they didn't understand why Pucci was suddenly switching topics, many staff members raised their hands to respond.
"So, when you watch these emotional works without knowing their genre, don't you often find the story rather heartwarming at first?" Pucci asked.
"Kind of... I guess...?"
The staff members answered uncertainly.
"What do you mean, 'kind of'? Of course it's heartwarming!" Pucci said, dissatisfied with their vague answers. "If the story doesn't start out warm and fuzzy, how do you think it's going to trick you into feeling safe before the inevitable tragedy hits?!"
In this area, Pucci, with his memories of a past life, was quite experienced.
Take "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" for example, a classic that established the 'Three-Episode Rule'.
In its first three episodes, wasn't it portrayed as a sweet magical girl story?
Before knowing who the writer was, who could've imagined how devastating it would get later on?!
"Conversely, when you're watching a work full of daily life scenes, could you ever imagine it turning out to be a suspenseful detective story?"
"Or to take it further, imagine you're living your ordinary life with family and friends, believing everything is normal, while in the next room over, a murder is taking place silently. The victim is desperately crying out for help, but no sound escapes… How would that make you feel?"
"Huh?!"
The same "huh," but with a different meaning.
Where they had once found Pucci's words incomprehensible, and Cujoh Jolyne's plans meaningless, now it was like a match had been struck on oil, setting their thoughts ablaze in a single explosive moment.
"Director Pucci, are you suggesting..."
"My name is Kira Yoshikage. I'm 25 years old. I live in the northeast part of Morioh, in a villa district, and I'm unmarried. I work at the Green Dolphin Studio, and I make sure to return home no later than 8 PM. I don't smoke, and I only drink in moderation."
Ignoring the staff's reactions, Pucci continued, his voice calm and indifferent: "At night, I make sure to get eight hours of sleep. Before bed, I drink a warm glass of milk and do 20 minutes of stretching, which helps me sleep soundly until morning."
"Like a baby, I wake up completely refreshed without any stress or fatigue. This is how I start my day."
"That… is all I know about Kira Yoshikage."