Creating Anime In A Fantasy World

Chapter 236: I Reject My Humanity, JoJo!

After showing the film to the frontier soldiers—and promising Captain Brando that equipment would soon be installed in the camp for future screenings—Edward moved swiftly to the next step: recruiting actors.

The charm of movies was simply irresistible. Many soldiers, intrigued by the idea of acting, practically fought for the chance to audition.

Not one to waste time, Edward began auditions the very next morning for his new project: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

By noon, he had already found several excellent candidates. True, these Southern soldiers had no experience on stage, but with the aid of his subtle hinting magic, Edward was confident they would slip into character with surprising ease.

Of course, there were two roles he never opened up for general auditions: the protagonist and the central villain. For those, Edward already had people in mind.

“Eh? Me? You want me to audition?”

Brando nearly jumped when Edward suddenly called his name. He had only come to watch the auditions out of curiosity, never expecting to be dragged in himself.

Nor was he the only one. Edward also turned to Sergeant Jocen, calmly inviting him to test for a part as well.

“Acting, huh?” Jocen’s reaction was far more composed—if anything, it looked like he had secretly been waiting for this chance.

Brando, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with it. Edward had expected as much. Which was why he had already enlisted Daphne beforehand.

When his younger sister pleaded with him directly, Brando hesitated only briefly before giving a reluctant nod.

“Fine. But if I’m not suited for it, then don’t you dare cast me. I have no interest in acting.”

Edward offered no reply, only a faint smile whose meaning was impossible to miss.

And so, the auditions began in earnest.

“First, Sergeant Jocen,” Edward said, suddenly shifting the tone. “Tell me about your background.”

Caught off guard, Jocen blinked, then gave a hesitant reply:

“My background? I was born into a merchant family here in the South. For generations, we’ve traded with the nobility. But I’ve never liked dealing too much with people… so when I came of age, I chose to join the army instead.”

“I see. No wonder you carry yourself with such elegance and refinement,” Edward remarked with a grin.

Jocen laughed modestly. “You flatter me, Director Durin.”

Edward returned the smile and handed him a prepared script.

“Your role will be the film’s protagonist: Jonathan Joestar. His nickname is JoJo. He’s a noble, proud and upright, with the heart of a gentleman. In the beginning, his innocence makes him vulnerable to the bullying of the villain, Dio Brando. But in time, he grows strong and resolute. I’d like you to portray both sides of him—his youthful naïveté, and the maturity he later gains.”

“Two contrasting personalities?” Jocen murmured, studying the lines. After a moment’s pause, he gave a slow nod.

He began to act.

Even with just a few lines, Edward’s eyes lit up, his lips curving in satisfaction.

“Excellent. That will do.”

“Already?” Jocen blinked, startled by how quickly he had been approved.

Brando, watching from the side, felt a surge of complicated emotions. To see his subordinate so easily chosen for the starring role stung his pride.

And so, before he could second-guess himself, he stepped forward.

“Director Durin,” he said firmly, “what role do you want me to audition for?”

“Ah, yes. Of course. Here—this is your script.”

Brando snatched the script from Edward’s hand, flipping through the pages—only to freeze in place after just a few lines.

“Wait… what role is this supposed to be?”

“The villain,” Edward replied casually. “The main antagonist: Dio Brando.”

“The… villain?”

“Mm-hm.”

“And you want me to play him?”

“Correct.”

“The hell!!”

The mighty frontier captain, the Grand Duke’s own son, had just blurted out a raw curse in disbelief.

Edward barely dodged his outburst, quickly raising his voice in reassurance:

“Relax! Yes, he’s the antagonist—but in a way, he’s even more of a protagonist than the protagonist! Trust me, if you can capture Dio’s essence, you’ll win countless fans.”

“R-Really? You’re not just making that up?”

“Of course it’s true! Come on, I’ve directed all these hit films—do you think I’d lie to you?”

“…Fine. I’ll give it a try…”

Seeing Brando wavering, Edward silently praised his own gift of persuasion, then eagerly waited for the performance.

All eyes were on the captain as he steadied himself, took a breath, and launched into the script with grandiose gestures and a booming voice:

“JoJo! Human strength has its limits.”

“And in my short life, I’ve learned one thing…”

“The more cunning a man is, the more easily he is undone by the unexpected—unless he surpasses humanity itself…”

“I reject my humanity, JoJo!”

With a flourish of dramatic expressions and exaggerated poses, Brando delivered Dio’s lines with startling perfection.

In fact, it was too perfect.

Around the room, smiles began to creep onto everyone’s faces.

“Hey—hey! You’re laughing, aren’t you? You’re all laughing at me, aren’t you!?”

His face flushed red as he snapped at them.

Edward immediately turned his head away, struggling to keep from laughing aloud.

Jocen, though trying desperately to remain respectful toward his commanding officer, couldn’t stop the twitch at the corner of his mouth.

And Daphne… Daphne was already doubled over, clutching her stomach.

“I… I never imagined my dear brother could make such faces—so weird! But somehow, the weirdness makes it perfect!”

Brando’s expression twisted with unspeakable complexity at his sister’s words.

It was a good thing this was taking place in a closed rehearsal room. Had he done those moves in front of the entire garrison, he would have wanted to dig a hole and bury himself alive.

And yet—though the shame afterward was overwhelming—while he was performing, Brando hadn’t felt awkward at all. On the contrary, he had genuinely lost himself in the role, as if Dio’s presence had slipped into him…