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Chapter 183. What is Cujoh Jolyne Doing? She's Sleeping
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This is like receiving a pillow when you're drowsy!
Especially when Pucci heard Akiyuki Shinbo say that Cujoh Jolyne's investment in Type-Moon Studio wasn't a small amount.
Not to mention the selection and arrangement of the filming crew.
Even the initial funding for the entire project was provided solely by Cujoh Jolyne herself.
No matter how much Takashi Takeuchi and the others wanted to get something for nothing, their conscience would make them feel uneasy, driving them to pay some price to compensate for Cujoh Jolyne's contribution.
In fact, Takashi Takeuchi and the others, unaware of what kind of success their work might achieve if they encountered a good production company, still couldn't grasp the explosive potential of the collaboration.
For them, being able to get such a large investment from Cujoh Jolyne in exchange for just a small copyright deal felt like they had struck gold!
Likewise, instead of choosing other things to repay their debts, they selected a project that was destined to "lose money" and used the copyright of that work as the exchange condition.
They were just waiting for the project to fail, and when the copyright plummeted in value, Cujoh Jolyne would suffer another loss, making it feel like she had profited twice!
Genius!
The one who came up with this idea was an absolute genius!
It wasn't just her who thought so.
Even Pucci, who had guessed Cujoh Jolyne's intentions and marveled at how she could see the potential of Type-Moon Studio at a glance, thought the same!
After all, if it weren't for the advantage of foresight from being a transmigrator, Pucci might not have recognized Type-Moon's potential either.
Especially when the studio was still relatively down on its luck.
So, if this doesn't make her a genius, then who could possibly be considered one?
As someone who had already signed a contract with Green Dolphin Studio and, after learning about the quirks of chosen actors and interdimensional counterparts, deeply understood that he was unlikely to be a match for the Joestar bloodline, Pucci...
(PS: I know the priest doesn't get defeated by someone with the Joestar bloodline, but he did lose to Emporio, who was influenced by the Joestar bloodline, so in a way, he still lost to the Joestars.)
Upon seeing this, Pucci decisively chose to continue pledging his loyalty to Cujoh Jolyne.
In a corner unbeknownst to Cujoh Jolyne, he assisted Akiyuki Shinbo in flawlessly handling the project.
When it comes to understanding Type-Moon Studio,
It would be an exaggeration to say Pucci knew them better than Takeuchi and Nasu.
However, when it came to how to properly produce Type-Moon's work, Pucci could certainly use his memories from his previous life to explain things clearly to Akiyuki Shinbo.
Only by doing this could he live up to Cujoh Jolyne's trust, right?
But that was all for later.
Or rather, Pucci was currently facing a small problem with "Stardust Crusaders"...
No, it couldn't really be called a small problem.
"Among the remaining Tarot cards, there's still The Fool and The World. Based on the literal meaning or from the audience's perspective, The World sounds more powerful and is more fitting for DIO, right? So then..."
Since the initial inspiration for Stand names came from the Tarot cards,
Both the Stand users in Jotaro's group and DIO's villainous allies chose to name their Stands after Tarot cards, without any duplicates.
As a result, even viewers of "Stardust Crusaders" would instinctively remember which new Stand appeared after each new episode aired, and what its name was.
Then, using a process of elimination that even a primary school student could understand, they could easily figure out the pattern.
They could determine how many Stands had yet to appear and how many episodes of "Stardust Crusaders" were left.
So how could someone not think of this? Sora pondered aloud: "Is the next enemy 'The Fool', representing the card's original meaning?"
"No, maybe it's the [Emperor]. After all, Hol Horse managed to escape, so it wouldn't be surprising if he returns with a new ally to battle the Joestars."
There were many similar guesses.
Even the strange choices listed in the latest job posting from Green Dolphin Studio were taken into account by Sora. Could it be that the studio realized that naming Stands after Tarot cards wasn't rigorous enough?
Or maybe there just weren't enough cards to support the number of Stands needed for the series, so they chose to explore a new naming convention?
Perhaps the latter half of "Stardust Crusaders" was a trial run to get the audience, accustomed to Tarot card names, used to this new Stand-naming convention before Part 4 arrives.
...But that didn't make sense either.
If Green Dolphin Studio had realized the shortcomings of naming Stands after Tarot cards, why didn't they solve the problem before filming began by adopting the new naming convention?
It's not like they didn't think of it.
When Cujoh Jolyne published the recruitment information on Green Dolphin Studio's website, it wasn't done late in the process.
This proves they were aware of the flaw early on and had already thought of a solution!
So, even if the job description did reveal a new Stand-naming convention,
It definitely wouldn't be implemented in Part 3, "Stardust Crusaders."
Likewise, since the naming convention for Stands was about to change, the Stands named after Tarot cards would truly remain one-of-a-kind, with no Stand users sharing the same Tarot card.
In other words...
"Is the storyline about to unfold the final part of 'Stardust Crusaders'? Or, if not the final part, are we near the end?"
Even though Sora had listed so much evidence to support his theory, he still felt unsure, and with some regret, he asked: "Shiro, what do you think?"
Despite feeling a bit bad for Jotaro and his group's journey,
It was precisely because their adventure had been so captivating that Sora's emotions, after guessing and speculating about the ending, were mixed with a small bit of hope.
He hoped his sister Shiro could, like in their games where wins and losses went back and forth, shatter this fantasy!
But unfortunately...
"..."
Facing Sora's hopeful gaze, even Shiro, whose brain was like a supercomputer, could only come to the same conclusion as Sora given the scarce clues. She regretfully shook her head.
"I see, there's nothing we can do about it then," Sora said helplessly. "After all, Jotaro and the others have already reached Egypt, meaning DIO, who had been hiding there, is now right in front of them. In this case, it's only natural for 'Stardust Crusaders' to dive straight into the final showdown..."
As Sora continued speaking, his voice suddenly trailed off.
He stared wide-eyed at the brand-new opening sequence that appeared on the screen, different from the familiar "STAND PROUD" intro.
And then...
"'The Fool' Iggy and 'Geb' N'Doul? ...Wait! Geb!?"
Staring at the new title displayed after the new opening, now showing in the latest episode of "Stardust Crusaders," Sora was shocked!
What was this!?
Sora widened his eyes and turned to Shiro.
She, too, without a doubt, was looking back at him, listening to his whispered mutterings.
"I remember that name..."
…
"So that's how it is! It's not Tarot cards, nor is it the same as choosing Stand names from famous bands or song albums like we do. Instead, they've continued with the Tarot theme, but used the Nine Glory Gods of Egypt as a new naming convention, haven't they?"
Though the audition had been successful.
After all, "Stardust Crusaders" hadn't begun filming yet.
Kishibe Rohan had plenty of free time, which he used to continue watching films, expanding his knowledge of the world and preparing for the upcoming shoot.
In this situation, it was only natural that he would have thoughts similar to Cujoh's and express admiration for "Stardust Crusaders" decision, exclaiming, "I have to say, it's incredibly bold and imaginative!"
Rohan was also aware of the theory that Tarot cards originated from Egypt's Nine Glory Gods.
In fact, as a form of divination with a long history, there are various legends and theories about the origins of Tarot cards.
The theory about the Nine Glory Gods is just one among many.
If all these origins were considered, Green Dolphin Studios certainly wouldn't have to worry about running out of Tarot cards.
But the most important thing is—this is about the Nine Glory Gods!
It's not just that Egyptian mythology has a long history.
After all, for people who aren't Egyptian or haven't studied Egyptian culture, just knowing Ra's Winged Dragon, Obelisk the Tormentor, and Slifer the Sky Dragon is already quite impressive in terms of understanding Egyptian mythology.
But now, the story of Jotaro and the others has brought them to Egypt in "Stardust Crusaders", hasn't it?
Egypt and the Nine Glory Gods—what could be more fitting to replace the previous Tarot card-based naming system for Stands!?
Not to mention, there's even a theory that Tarot cards originate from the Nine Glory Gods.
This almost seems like a perfect way to subtly and quickly shift the audience from the Tarot card Stand naming system!
That's right, perhaps it's because he's a fellow creator.
Kishibe Rohan had a lot of thoughts about the strange option Cujoh Jolyne had specifically marked on the audition application.
And almost anyone with a bit of intelligence could guess that this strange option was likely related to Stands, since the limited number of Tarot cards was already apparent.
...At first, Kishibe Rohan couldn't quite figure out what it was all about.
Even though he guessed that this strange option was likely related to Stands, he couldn't understand why they would expose this hint so early.
Wasn't Green Dolphin Studios worried that the audience wouldn't accept it?
But now, looking at it.
This was probably Cujoh Jolyne's true purpose—
Packaging this information into the audition application, subtly allowing the audience to get used to it beforehand.
Even if they didn't accept it, it didn't matter.
After all, "Stardust Crusaders" hadn't reached that point in the plot yet.
So there was no need to worry about whether they could accept it or not.
And by the time "Stardust Crusaders" plot advanced to the point where Jotaro and the others finally arrived in Egypt—
With the number of Tarot Stand users reduced to just one card, aside from DIO—
The question would be: should the story of "Stardust Crusaders" end there?
Or, after preparing the audience psychologically from the start, should the Stand naming system expand beyond Tarot cards to include something related to Egypt and even the Nine Glory Gods connected to Tarot cards?
For true fans of "Stardust Crusaders", they wouldn't even need to make a choice—they would instinctively know the answer!
And once they've accepted one new Stand naming method beyond Tarot cards,
Whether it's the Nine Glory Gods, which are somewhat related to Tarot, or band names and song albums that have no connection to Tarot, it wouldn't be a problem.
This would allow audiences who were used to Tarot-based naming to more easily accept a new naming convention for Stands in Diamond is Unbreakable!
And for Cujoh Jolyne to come up with such a clever solution to the audience's psychological hurdle—
She really is...
At this moment, countless viewers and even industry professionals who had realized the same thing saw how such a major shift in the setting, which would typically cause significant problems in other works, not only didn't appear in "Stardust Crusaders" but was instead praised by audiences who felt the change in setting was amazing.
Seeing these reactions, they couldn't help but feel a deep sense of admiration for Cujoh Jolyne, who was probably at home, sound asleep, just waiting to be surprised by the impact this change in "Stardust Crusaders" would bring the next day.
"Amazing!!"