Of course, Jeanne was not convinced by Shinji's decision to portray her as a foodie.
She had fought against the British her whole life, and now she was being turned into a stand-in for one? How could she possibly accept that?
Unfortunately, whether Jeanne liked it or not, the "foodie saint" persona was firmly established under Shinji's direction.
In Fate/stay night, Arturia didn't actually come across as much of a foodie—she seemed more like a glutton with an enormous appetite.
This perception was inevitable because the main story, written by Nasu, was too serious, and the side stories that could have balanced it out were cut by Shinji due to time constraints.
As a result, the only scenes showcasing Arturia's eating habits were those set at the Emiya household dinner table.
Too bad Arturia's acting back then was so bad—she turned what should have been a cute foodie moment into a scene where she devoured food like a ravenous lion, giving people the impression of a reincarnated gluttonous beast.
The moment Arturia's foodie persona was truly cemented in the public eye, however, came with the late-night spinoff drama A Taste of Fuyuki City.
And whether it was fate or just bad luck, by the time Arturia finally perfected her cute, girlish way of eating on camera, it was no longer her role—Jeanne had taken her place.
Arturia pestered Shinji endlessly, hoping to be allowed to wear Jeanne's costume and personally act out the food scenes.
She was, of course, met with Shinji's righteous refusal.
"If I let you on set, you'd keep messing up on purpose just to eat more! No way!"
With that angry outburst, Shinji kicked Arturia out.
"You're so stingy, Master!" Arturia grumbled in protest.
"It's not stinginess—it's called budgeting!" Shinji retorted, landing a karate chop on her head.
Aside from the food budget concerns, Shinji had another reason for rejecting Arturia—he wanted Jeanne to be her own unique kind of foodie.
Sure, riding on Arturia's popularity was tempting, but Shinji had no interest in making Jeanne a carbon copy.
If every version of Arturia's "variants" were the same, what was the point of summoning different Servants? He might as well just use Arturia herself and adjust her form with a slime familiar!
Thus, Jeanne's character needed to be distinct from Arturia's. To capture that difference, Shinji had her try countless types of snacks, all in pursuit of establishing a unique trait for her on screen.
In reality, Jeanne estimated that despite trying 30 to 40 different snacks on camera, only two or three would actually make it into the final film.
If they included all the food scenes, Fate/Apocrypha would end up looking like a European snack documentary.
Finally, after much deliberation, Shinji chose one specific snack to be Jeanne's signature treat in the film—Ferrero Rocher chocolates.
"Cut!"
Shinji, holding a megaphone, directed Jeanne in front of the camera:
"Don't eat it so fast! This scene shows your character eating Ferrero Rocher for the first time in the modern world. Later on, you'll fall in love with it and be seen eating it in all kinds of situations."
"So, for this significant first moment, the most important thing is to show a sense of curiosity."
"At first, you should gently tap the outer shell with the tip of your tongue—slowly, like a shy little animal."
Jeanne glanced at the unwrapped Ferrero Rocher in her hand, her face full of question marks.
"Master, if I lick it little by little, won't it take forever?"
"Who told you to lick it from start to finish?"
"Then how exactly am I supposed to eat it?"
Shinji knocked on his director's clipboard, looking exasperated.
"I thought this would be instinctive, but I guess I need to spell it out for you."
He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.
"First, lightly tap it with your tongue."
"Then, once you think it tastes good, take a bite—just one-third of it—and show a blush of delight from the sweetness."
"When you see the hazelnut inside, act surprised, like you've discovered treasure."
"After that, use your tongue to savor the chocolate hazelnut filling bit by bit, showing a blissful expression."
"Finally, finish the remaining chocolate in one bite and lick the corner of your mouth contentedly."
After hearing this entire process, Jeanne couldn't help but feel something was off.
"Master... where did you even get these ideas? Do girls actually eat like this nowadays?"
"Some girls do, the first time... I remember when I went on a date with Lorelei, she did that with my—uh... cough cough! Forget I said anything."
Shinji coughed loudly, quickly changing the topic.
"Here, take this."
He handed Jeanne the script.
"...What's this?"
Jeanne glanced at it and found a long monologue written inside.
"What— what is this indescribable taste? Sweet, crispy, and fragrant, yet highlighting the nutty richness. The creamy texture of the chocolate filling brings a sense of the forest's natural aroma—"
"Wait, Master! What is with this embarrassing dialogue?!"
"It's your post-production voiceover lines," Shinji said with a deadpan expression.
"These lines will help you get into character during filming."
Jeanne's eyebrows twitched furiously.
"Master... it's just a piece of chocolate! Sure, I like sweets, but isn't this a bit too much?"
Shinji, losing patience, replied, "Just act like a country girl tasting sweets for the first time in her life, and you'll be fine."
"Master... do you want me to hit you?"
If she wasn't worried about knocking him out in one blow, Jeanne might have actually done it.
As for why Shinji chose Ferrero Rocher as Jeanne's signature snack in the movie, why he gave this candy so much screen time, and why Jeanne had to recite such cringe-worthy monologues—
The reason was simple: they paid way too much.
Unlike Shinji's original expectations, the commercial film industry in this world wasn't very developed, but product placement in movies had a well-established business model.
Since the merchandise market wasn't thriving, filmmakers naturally had to explore new ways to make money. Many movies with low box office performance relied entirely on product placement to turn a profit.
The advertisers weren't stupid either. As long as a movie got made, regardless of its box office performance, the rights would be sold multiple times over the years.
So spending some money to secure a product placement spot guaranteed years of advertisement exposure.
Even movies that flopped could attract sponsors, let alone a successful franchise like Fate.
When Shinji announced that he was looking for a snack brand to feature in his film, countless food companies jumped at the opportunity to bid.
After an intense bidding war, Ferrero Rocher emerged victorious, becoming the official snack of the "Holy Maiden."
According to the product placement contract, Jeanne wasn't just required to eat Ferrero Rocher in various poses throughout the movie—she also had to shoot a special promotional ad for the chocolate in collaboration with the film.
This blatant commercialism naturally sparked disdain and frustration from the artistic Jeanne, who looked down on such "vulgar" business practices.
Compared to the product placement "genius" of his past life, Michael Bay, Shinji considered himself quite ethical.
At least he didn't go to the extremes of "Explosion Bay," who would shamelessly have Jeanne read out the product's name in an awkward, forced manner.
Instead, Shinji actually crafted a story and gave Jeanne a legitimate reason to enjoy Ferrero Rocher, making it seem at least somewhat believable.
In Shinji's opinion, even if his product placement wasn't a masterpiece, it was at least on par with the legendary chocolate commercial scene from God of Gamblers that had been copied countless times in fanfics.
Since Ferrero paid good money, Shinji felt it was only right to satisfy their expectations—he wasn't about to embarrass himself with a half-hearted effort like Michael Bay did in Transformers: Age of Extinction.
Back then, a certain tourist attraction in China successfully secured product placement in Transformers 4 and aggressively promoted it before the movie's release, practically treating the film as part of their heritage.
However, when the movie finally premiered, they realized that while scenes had been shot at their location, their name never actually appeared on screen.
In the end, the scenic spot had to resort to a series of complaints, legal threats, and public tantrums to force the production team to awkwardly Photoshop a stone tablet with their name into the DVD release—fulfilling the contract in the most embarrassing way possible.
Who knows what the attraction management was thinking, but to Shinji, that wasn't advertising—it was more like public humiliation.
As a filmmaker with a conscience, Shinji would never pull such stunts. His goal was to comfortably make money while keeping both the audience and the advertisers happy.
How much did Ferrero actually pay?
Shinji wasn't at liberty to disclose that—partly due to commercial confidentiality, but mostly because their deal was based on a tiered bonus structure, depending on the final box office revenue.
If Fate/Apocrypha performed as well as Fate/Zero, Ferrero's final payment would cover more than half of the movie's production costs.
So—
"Business is business—no shame in that."
After all, the story of Fate/Apocrypha takes place in the modern era. A French high school girl possessed by Jeanne d'Arc eating an Italian-brand chocolate in Romania? Nothing strange about that.
There were no glaring logical inconsistencies, and it wasn't an intentional jab at France.
At least Shinji felt that "French Saint loving chocolate" was a far more believable concept than the King Arthur TV series featuring one-third of the Round Table as Black knights, or a Black Guinevere.
What's that?
You're asking why his movie features female versions of Arthur and Mordred?
That's called historical accuracy, you uncultured swine!
Anyway, to integrate Ferrero Rocher seamlessly into the movie, Shinji had put in a lot of effort.
As a result, Jeanne, now the second-generation "foodie," had to taste more high-sugar chocolate than any normal person would, earning jealous glares from the original foodie, Arturia.
Fortunately, Servants don't gain weight—otherwise, Jeanne would probably be worrying about her figure.
If it weren't for the fact that the film's slice-of-life segments were relatively short and wrapped up quickly, Arturia might have already taken matters into her own hands and bitten Shinji's head off like a Ferrero Rocher.
Just as filming on Fate/Apocrypha reached a temporary pause, Shinji finally received the long-awaited news—
Nao Udagawa had arrived in Fuyuki City from Tokyo.
She had decided to leave her previous company and join Type-Moon.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read till the latest posted chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Current Chapter In Patreon: Chapter 263: Handsome, Gentle, and His Eyes Flirt Without Trying—Could This Be the Perfect Spy Boyfriend[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/129588249?collection=31097[3]
https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/129588249?collection=31097
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/129588249?collection=31097
[4] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl