At the end of the day, it was Shinji's greed at play.
Even after achieving the global box office record, he still yearned to go further and create the perfect film.
In some sense, Shinji's magical lineage revealed itself in his inherent greed.
In the past, as long as the actors didn't cause conflicts, he would've just let things slide.
But this time, Shinji tried communicating with the actors, aiming for cinematic perfection.
'When it comes down to it, everyone has that inner leopard head; 'I want it all' is the eternal pursuit.'
Fortunately, Shinji's ability to control his films was far beyond what it used to be.
"First, Kairi. Your character setup doesn't need to change," Shinji said to Kairi Shishigou.
"Your role is the backbone of the protagonist team, the team's spiritual mentor."
As the longest-surviving member of Fate/Apocrypha's protagonist group, Kairi's primary role was to share his life experiences with the others.
In sports terms, Kairi was the team's locker room leader. He might not have been the strongest, but he was the team's soul.
"Because of you, Jeanne didn't collapse after Amakusa's betrayal and instead became more resolute in her path."
"You've done well so far, but you've been a bit too reserved. You need to open up more."
Hearing this, Kairi deliberately spread his legs and pointed a prop gun downward.
"Open up? You mean my legs? Isn't that what the girls do?"
True to his reputation as a legendary mercenary, Kairi had no qualms about cracking dirty jokes on the spot.
However, the pose felt oddly familiar to Shinji.
"Hey, Kairi, there are ladies present," Shinji said, rolling his eyes.
"And I don't want to end up recycling weird costume CGs because of you. If I'm going to, it's only for cute girls."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Kairi didn't understand what Shinji was talking about but begrudgingly pulled his legs back in.
"Sorry."
Even though Kairi realized his mistake, Jeanne was even more annoyed.
'What does he mean by apologizing to Astolfo? I'm the girl here! This is worse than no apology at all.'
Unbeknownst to her, Kairi had noticed her pouting expression and made a mental note.
The mercenary uncle adjusted his sunglasses and gave Shinji a knowing look.
Shinji returned the gesture before continuing, "Kairi, your laid-back personality works better in the film."
"Do I really need to act that carefree?"
Shinji nodded. "Just relax a bit. Your character is the one with the calmest mind when it truly matters, even if you seem carefree on the surface."
"Oh, so I'm like the therapist for these troubled kids?"
"Pretty much," Shinji replied without hesitation.
"After all, everyone else is a Servant, and you're the only human. There's no way your combat abilities can match theirs."
"Uh..."
Kairi looked a bit hurt and shot a slightly resentful glance at Shinji.
"Kairi's set for now. As for Amakusa..."
Shinji turned to look at Amakusa.
"Your character positioning hasn't changed. You're still the male lead and the primary antagonist. But your internal psyche needs more complexity."
"What do you mean?"
Amakusa's face showed curiosity.
It was rare to play the lead in a movie, and even rarer to play himself.
Amakusa originally intended to incorporate his own ideals into the role and promote them to the world.
Although the real Holy Grail couldn't achieve the feats depicted in the script, Amakusa believed spreading his philosophy was the most important goal, at least to find like-minded allies.
Now that Shinji mentioned altering his internal characterization, Amakusa was reluctant to follow the direction.
"When you portray Amakusa Shirou Tokisada again, aside from the requirements I've already set."
"On a deeper level, you need to show Kirei Kotomine's level of ambition. This ambition should gradually surface until it fully emerges in the moment you reveal your stance to Jeanne."
"You need to depict the progression from an innocent child like Shirou to the final grand villain," Shinji explained.
"Hey! Who are you calling an innocent child?!"
Shirou Emiya, passing by, immediately protested.
Shinji waved dismissively. "Not your concern. Go cry in a corner, relic of a bygone era."
Shirou sulked off to a corner to sulk, muttering, "Hmph, when you need me, I'm 'Brother Shirou,' but now I'm just a relic?!"
But no one paid him any mind.
"I want general audiences to see you as an ordinary person dragged into the Holy Grail War in the first half," Shinji continued.
"At the same time, those who think deeply should notice another layer to you, such as your unique perspective on human malice... Can you do that, Amakusa?"
"I'll give it a shot," Amakusa nodded.
Shinji's decision to increase the complexity of Amakusa Shirou Tokisada's performance undoubtedly made things harder for him, but Amakusa saw it as a challenge worth accepting.
To distinguish between outward behavior and inner depth, revealing one's truest self beneath layers of mystery—this was exactly the kind of challenge Amakusa craved.
Moreover, starting with a less innocent Amakusa made the subsequent developments in the story more logical.
Originally, Shinji had designed Amakusa's character arc with a mid-point twist, but the film's runtime constraints made such a sudden reversal feel rushed.
Now that Amakusa was willing to take on this challenge, the biggest turning point in Fate/Apocrypha could become more believable.
"Next up is Mordred..."
Shinji glanced at Mordred, who was feigning death while actually enjoying Jeanne's lap pillow.
"Mordred, just go ahead and pour all your love for Jeanne into your performance."
In Shinji's initial concept, Mordred was merely a straightforward enforcer-type character, akin to one of Thanos' henchmen in Avengers: Infinity War.
But now, he decided to give her more screen time, allowing her to bicker with Jeanne.
Since Amakusa's role adjustments meant he couldn't deliver the lighthearted banter anymore, Mordred was the perfect fit. Her habit of treating Jeanne as a "substitute father" sparked inspiration for Shinji.
"So no matter what, I'm just a stand-in, huh?" Jeanne pouted.
Fine, if she had to be the father, so be it—gaining another "child" wasn't the worst trade-off.
"But how are you planning to adjust my character?" Jeanne asked, curious about what her Master had in mind.
Thankfully, Shinji didn't leave her hanging.
"Compared to the other three, Jeanne, your role is both the easiest and the hardest to portray."
"Why!?" Jeanne was intrigued.
"Because your character requires precise control!"
The director pointed at Amakusa and the others.
"The three of them? One's personality doesn't change throughout the film, another has a reserved nature, and the last is a pure face lover. As long as they hit their key traits, their performances don't need to be overly refined."
"But my character has to constantly evolve?" Jeanne asked.
"Exactly," Shinji confirmed.
"As the movie's sole protagonist, Jeanne's mindset has to shift from immaturity to maturity. At first, she only aims to complete the Holy Grail's mission. By the end, she takes on the responsibility of saving the world."
This transformation wouldn't be easy for Jeanne. As a Servant with a full life's worth of experiences, her character was already complete.
"So I need to act a bit lazy at the start?"
"Not lazy, per se—more like indifferent to the mission."
Shinji explained further, "You're a righteous vill— hero, but not a selfless one. Having sacrificed everything for France, you're now being dragged into a war that has nothing to do with your country. You'll need to grasp that mindset."
He nearly blurted out "villager" but caught himself in time.
"Still sounds weird to me," Jeanne said, rubbing her temples.
"This feels way too complicated for a country girl like me."
"I'll give you a clear example tonight."
Shinji pulled a box from his bag—it was the DVD of Heaven's Feel III: Spring Song.
"Let's watch this tonight. I'll explain with examples, and you'll gain some clarity. Jeanne, you can take notes from Arturia's performance—it might inspire you."
"..." Jeanne was at a loss for words. That woman had already become her psychological nemesis.
'Damn Brit! Just you wait!' Jeanne clenched her fist and let out a cold snort.
'At least I don't have to worry about Master liking me too much because of her face. He's still obsessed with that British tomboy after all~'
This thought was Jeanne's only solace.
If Shinji knew what she was thinking, he'd likely respond, "If I had to pick, I'd go after Bunny Arturia instead!"
In Shinji's eyes, that was Arturia's ultimate form. She had everything Arturia did—and more. What else could one possibly need?
"Alright," Shinji declared, standing up.
"Let's go eat. We'll continue the meeting after dinner."
"Master, Master!"
Astolfo, who hadn't been addressed yet, waved his hand enthusiastically.
"What about me? What about me? What should I do?"
Shinji smiled. "Ah, Astolfo is just Astolfo—no changes needed."
Hearing this, Astolfo burst into laughter. "Oh, I just need to be myself? That's great! Hahaha!"
It wasn't that Shinji didn't want to critique Astolfo, but even if he did, Astolfo wouldn't understand.
As for the idea of tricking him... deceiving someone with an intellectual disability was definitely illegal.
Having given up entirely, Shinji decided Astolfo's cuteness was enough. After all, his role in Fate/Apocrypha was akin to Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy—just be cute, and everything would be fine.
'At least Astolfo's looks make his cuteness endearing,' Shinji sighed.
<+>
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