"Um… The weather is pretty nice today, isn't it!"
Phinks dodged the question and changed the subject.
It wasn't until Feitan's eyes gradually became sharper and more intense that Phinks finally gave a forced smile.
"Being a villain isn't so bad, look at Uvogin, isn't he having fun?"
Well, that big, goofy guy, Uvogin, was having a blast playing the role of the monster-man.
A biological weapon developed by the evil organization to invade the sacred mountain.
Here, monster-man doesn't refer to just one character.
Every monster-man that appears in each episode is played by Uvogin.
For example, if the tenth episode featured a hippo-like monster-man, Uvogin would then play a platypus-like monster-man in the eleventh episode.
It's just a matter of changing the costume.
Uvogin thoroughly enjoyed this and even insisted that he should play the final, ultimate villain.
He wanted to be the world's greatest villain!
However… This was Uvogin's dream, but not Feitan's.
When Feitan was younger, he had a heart for justice.
In the original story, he was supposed to be the voice actor for one of the main characters' righteous allies, and ended up playing the green sweeper of the Clean-Up Rangers.
This time, he wanted to be part of the main group, like the Blue shark character, which appealed to him.
But this guy, Phinks, dragged him into being a villain.
If it weren't for their good relationship, Feitan would have loved to beat him up.
"Okay, I'll tell you the truth…"
Seeing Feitan's increasingly suspicious expression, Phinks knew he couldn't push it any further and quickly surrendered: "We're playing the high-ranking members of the evil organization that controls the monster-men! We can have complete control over Uvogin!"
Phinks said excitedly.
Like the CEO of a company, their roles were to summon and control the various monster-men, who would appear in every episode as villains opposing the protagonists.
However, this explanation clearly wasn't enough to convince Feitan.
"Okay, I admit it…"
Seeing Feitan looking like he was about to punch him, with a don't try to fool me expression, Phinks could only tell the truth: "I asked Luke before, if I became the villain, could I change my outfit every episode…"
Phinks became even more enthusiastic as he continued: "Especially something like an ancient pharaoh's clothes, I think that would be super cool…"
Well, Phinks' well-known hobby is constantly changing his outfits, especially those that resemble pharaohs.
When the Phantom Troupe first appeared in Yorknew City, Phinks made his debut wearing just such an outfit.
"You really told Luke that?"
"Yeah, otherwise, why would I be a villain? You know, Luke is always happy to grant requests."
That was true.
Luke, who got the Dress-Up Camera from Phinks' request, gave him a thumbs-up.
"So, being a villain means you get to wear more cool outfits, what do you think?"
"I think it's terrible!"
Feitan, full of anger, attacked.
"Aah!"
Phinks screamed and ran away, covering his head.
Feitan chased after him, seething with anger.
He wanted to be a good guy, but this idiot dragged him down.
What made it worse was that the role he wanted ended up going to Shalnark, who wasn't even satisfied with it.
Jokingly, Shalnark even said he preferred Luke's role.
Yes, in the original cast assignments, Shalnark was supposed to voice the genius doctor in Clean-Up Rangers, the one entangled in a love triangle with Sweeper Purple and Sweeper Pink…
From this, it's not hard to see what kind of person Shalnark really is.
"Any role is fine, let's all do our best together."
The gentle and kind Sheila smiled and comforted Sarasa and the others.
She herself didn't have any desire to act.
Even when Chrollo suggested adding another female character to the main cast, such as a peacock representing green, she politely declined with a smile.
According to Sheila, she was comfortable doing voice dubbing, but not so much with acting on screen. Therefore, she took on the role of providing narration and other voice-over work for the series.
After failing to persuade her, Chrollo respected her decision. However, he also noticed Sheila's bright, shining eyes whenever she looked at Luke.
He recognized something familiar in them, a thirst for knowledge. Sheila always carried a book about a great Hunter's adventure called Dino Hunter.
She was full of admiration for the outside world, especially the profession of Hunter mentioned in the book.
Having read the book countless times, Sheila vaguely grasped a deeper meaning.
It seemed that becoming a hunter would make one different from ordinary people.
She couldn't quite pinpoint what that difference was, but she felt she would understand once she roamed the outside world.
But now, after seeing Luke's unique invention, Sheila had a sudden feeling that perhaps she could find the answer she sought in Luke!
In the original story, Sheila appears in the flashback episodes of the Phantom Troupe.
She grew up in Meteor City and was a childhood friend of the founding members of the Phantom Troupe.
However, after the brutal murder of their friend, Sarasa, she parted ways with the group because she disagreed with Chrollo's actions.
From then on, she left Meteor City and explored the outside world.
Later, while exploring a forest, she collapsed from thirst.
Coincidentally, there was a tribe called the Kurta Clan there.
They possessed the Scarlet Eyes, one of the seven most beautiful colors in the world, which made them a target for others.
To escape persecution, the 129 members of the Kurta Clan lived in isolation in a remote forest.
Yes, the forest where Sheila collapsed was the same forest where the Kurta Clan lived.
It was here that one of the protagonists, Kurapika, lived in a warm, harmonious little village.
He had a lively mother, a steady father, and a good friend, Pairo.
Like most children, Kurapika longed for adventure.
He often pestered the tribe leader for permission to leave, but was always refused.
Finally, thanks to Pairo's help and his own cleverness, Kurapika got permission to leave.
Later, this also allowed him to escape the massacre of the Kurta Clan.
Sheila was found in the forest by the young Kurapika and Pairo.
After being rescued, she gave them a book about hunter adventures as a gift.
After promising not to tell anyone, she thanked them and left.
This book inspired Kurapika's interest in adventure.
Incidentally, the main character in this book is a hunter named Dino.
It should be none other than the Journey to the New World, authored by Don Freecss, which recorded the five great calamities of the Dark Continent.
Sheila is the kind of person who walks around reading a book without paying attention to her surroundings, always stumbling and falling.
This was true both in Meteor City and in the forest. However, this clumsy girl had a very determined mindset; she aspired to become a hunter.
But she didn't appear in any subsequent episodes, not even during the Chairman election arc.
This suggests that her journey to becoming a hunter wasn't particularly smooth.
Now, she has set her sights on Luke.
Sheila thinks that Luke might know a lot about the outside world.
And so, the overall tone of the entire work was set.
The costumes, characters, and plot details were all determined during the chase between Feitan and Phinks.
Their chase made the warehouse seem even more lively.
After everything was finalized, they tidied up the old warehouse and used the 3D Projector to project the background image.
With everything ready, filming officially began!
"The Hundred Beasts Squad, scene 1, act 1… Action!"
With a loud declaration from Chrollo, this milestone project, so meaningful to them, finally began filming.
Once they got busy, time seemed to fly by.
When they first started filming, they were all a bit clumsy.
Things like looking at the camera, memorizing lines, and expressing emotions correctly were all challenges.
Getting this group from Meteor City to act like a group of righteous heroes was indeed quite difficult.
Chrollo and Pakunoda managed well, one naturally cunning and talented, the other innately kind-hearted.
Franklin tried many times before finally settling on a simple approach: portraying a stoic, serious character.
The kind of character with no expression but a warm heart, the reliable big brother figure in the team.
Once Franklin understood this, he knew exactly how to portray the character.
It was a perfect fit for him, requiring no effort at all.
Everyone, even Chrollo, praised Franklin for his excellent performance.
Shalnark, observing Franklin's performance, absorbed some tips and tried to embody his own character.
And so, a character who appeared as a cheerful and sunny young man came to life.
Nobunaga, playing the solitary, hawk-like character, already possessed a melancholic aura.
Basically, everyone was playing their own true selves, effortlessly.
Not to mention Sarasa, who played the saint-like character, perfectly embodying her lively nature.
And the villainous duo, Phinks and Feitan.
They took to their roles like fish to water, requiring no acting at all.
They just needed to tone it down a bit.
Uvogin's role as the monster-man who fights against the Hundred Beasts Squad in each episode… it was a perfect fit for him.
After some initial fumbling and amateur mistakes, everyone quickly got into their roles.
And their performances were outstanding.
In just a few days, they flawlessly completed the first episode.
The first episode mainly introduced the story background and the five members of the Hundred Beasts Squad.
After filming, Chrollo did some simple editing.
And so, the first episode was ready.