Children born in Meteor City don't have official records; they are essentially undocumented.
They can die without anyone noticing, so there are many cases of child trafficking and murder here.
Especially recently, some criminals consider these undocumented people to be less than human.
No matter what they do, they won't face any consequences.
As a result, Meteor City has been quite turbulent lately.
This has been Father Lisores's constant worry.
However, Luke and Chrollo, whom Father Lisores has high hopes for to change all of this, are currently busily leading the young actors in the filming process.
The Hundred Beasts Squad is based in a sacred mountain area, so there are more outdoor scenes.
This actually benefits the filming, as it can be done in the forests around Meteor City.
For scenes like mountain peaks or villain bases, they can use the built-in background images of the Easy Special Effects Video Camera.
For special environments, Luke also brought out the 3D Projector.
It's a device with two connected spherical projectors, using a fisheye lens to achieve 360-degree projection.
Invention: 3D Projector
Origin: Doraemon World — Future Tech Company
Function: Projects stereoscopic images with sound, letting people enjoy the feeling of traveling indoors. However, since the room doesn't actually expand, walking around while the 3D projection is on could cause you to bump into invisible walls or furniture.
In short, it replaces the background of the room with 3D images, but it's still your actual room.
It's worth mentioning that this particular gadget has been successfully created in his previous world.
The Fourth Dimension Pocket Project is launched by Japan's Fuji Xerox and various small enterprises, aiming to recreate Doraemon's gadgets in reality.
(T/N: orihalcon. co. jp/news/fujixerox-4d-pocket-project/
Nobunaga's house is fine for living in, but it's not suitable as a filming location.
So, everyone went to Chrollo's secret base.
An abandoned, dilapidated warehouse.
According to the original storyline, after Shalnark and others joined Chrollo's voice dubbing team, they would gather here to brainstorm and choose their roles for voice dubbing.
It was here that the initial concept for the group first took shape.
After the filming location was chosen, the crucial matter of costumes naturally followed.
"It has to look even better than the Clean-Up Rangers uniforms!"
During lunchtime, Sarasa, holding a black coconut in her arms, ate it while daydreaming.
Of course, Luke, in charge of logistics, had taken care of lunch.
This time, unlike before when everyone could choose their own food, he provided a standard meal: two steamed buns and a bowl of stew.
There was plenty of stew and buns, and refills were available; the focus was on ensuring everyone was well-fed.
Everyone held a steamed bun in one hand and a bowl in the other, slurping happily.
Especially Shalnark and Franklin, who rarely ate such fine white flour buns or richly flavored stews, they kept their heads down and ate silently.
At least, Franklin was being cooperative, rarely arguing with Uvogin.
After all, they were eating food provided by others, so they should be grateful.
The others had no complaints either. This food was so much better than what they had eaten before.
"As for the costumes, I've already designed the basic styles for our uniforms."
Chrollo said while taking a bite of a large, white steamed bun.
It truly smelled of wheat!
For everyday and casual wear, outside of combat, there didn't need to be much change.
In Meteor City, their clothing was already quite suitable for a place like a remote, forested area.
But for the battle uniforms…
"I think we can modify them like this."
With Luke's good suggestions, Chrollo made revisions until they resembled the original Power Rangers Beast Squadron costumes.
And now, it was time to use…
"Dress-Up Camera!"
Luke pulled out another new invention.
A square camera with a lens in the center and strange patterns around it.
Invention: Dress-Up Camera
Origin: Doraemon World — Future Tech Company
Function: It looks like a regular camera. After inserting a picture of clothing, taking a photo of someone will instantly make them wear the clothes shown in the picture. If no picture is inserted, the person will appear naked.
"Just insert the picture like this…"
Luke inserted the paper with the outfit design created by Chrollo into the camera, aimed it at Chrollo, and gently pressed the shutter.
Click.
Boom!
Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared, and Chrollo was instantly wearing a very stylish and cool red battle suit!
"Wow, it's so beautiful!"
The group of people who had been lounging around after eating and drinking saw Chrollo in his new outfit and immediately surrounded him.
"Is this our battle suit?! It's amazing!"
"Wow, wearing this will make us look so cool!"
"The material of this outfit is amazing! I've never seen such high-quality fabric before!"
"It can even create clothes out of thin air?! That's incredible!"
"How does this thing work?!"
The group was both fascinated by the flashy uniform on Chrollo and amazed by the transformation.
Just by using a photo of clothing, could it really make them change into such beautiful outfits?!
They had never heard of anything like this before!
But Luke had done it so easily.
He was like a magical genie granting wishes; it seemed he could do anything!
Uvogin secretly gave him a thumbs-up.
Luke did indeed have a unique way of working; he only helped after being begged.
"With this, the costumes are perfect!"
Chrollo, wearing the costume, experienced it firsthand.
Whether it was jumping, running, or simply sitting or lying down, the suit felt so smooth and comfortable.
And most importantly…
It looked incredibly cool and stylish!
"I'm becoming more and more confident about this shoot!"
Chrollo smiled at Luke, his voice unusually excited and full of admiration: "With these costumes and preparations, we'll definitely make an excellent film!"
"It's even better than I expected!"
"Thank you so much for all the props and logistical support, Luke!"
The others nodded in agreement.
From the delicious food to the stylish and comfortable clothing, and even the 3D Projector they could use as a background, everything Luke provided was impressive.
Even Franklin and Sheila, the more mature and kind-hearted ones, felt that Luke had done everything perfectly.
Meanwhile, they have been enjoying Luke's hospitality without giving anything in return… It made them feel a little guilty.
"Nothing, it's just for the filming, right?"
Luke looked Chrollo up and down, then exclaimed: "In that case, the Beast King Red role is officially decided!"
Well, Luke didn't plan to change the initial lineup for the team.
Red represented the lion, yellow represented the eagle, blue represented the shark, white represented the white tiger, and black represented the bull.
Then, depending on the filming situation, they could add the silver wolf or other animals.
As for making Chrollo the main character, the Red Lion…
Once the show becomes popular, Chrollo will be in the spotlight, attracting more attention, and he could quietly stay behind the scenes.
In a team, there are those who work behind the scenes and those who are in the spotlight.
Chrollo would be the one to represent the team and maintain its image.
If this project really becomes a hit, there might be other issues.
With Chrollo's intelligence and ability, handling such matters and dealing with various people would be something he excels at.
Later, even outsiders would probably think that Chrollo was the core leader of the team.
And he, the real big boss, could comfortably stay in the background.
Within the team, there's no need to say much; Luke is already above Chrollo in terms of position.
Whether it's age, demeanor, contributions, or the amazingness of his various inventions…
Just the fact that he can provide everyone with good food is enough to guarantee his unshakeable position.
Not to mention that Luke would continue to use his inventions to further solidify his position.
His inventor role might not be prominent in the script, but the inventions he creates would greatly enhance his overall standing.
After Chrollo finished testing, others also started vying for roles.
Nobunaga took the yellow eagle, Franklin got the black bull, Shalnark got the blue shark, and Pakunoda got the white tiger.
The initial five members were thus decided. "Wow, that's so cool! I wish I could wear a costume like that too…"
Sarasa, standing beside them, looked utterly envious.
Well, she was the youngest and shortest of everyone present, even shorter than Feitan.
She hadn't fully grown yet, unlike Feitan.
Because of her height, there weren't many suitable roles for her in the team.
The voice dubbing was fine, but acting…
"I can only play the guide on sacred mountains, right?"
Sarasa sighed while looking at the script.
In the sacred mountain, there was a holy maiden who guided the members of the Hundred Beasts Squad to become true heroes, and she also notified the team members when the sacred mountain was attacked.
It wasn't a big role, but it was a positive character.
"Be grateful, at least you're getting a role."
Franklin, somewhat surprised that he could get a positive role with his appearance, comforted her.
He usually picked the roles that no one else wanted.
Originally, he always ended up voicing unwanted roles like the great villain, King Dark Demon.
Now he had another black-themed role, but this time he was a hero!
"We thought Machi would be more suitable for this kind of holy maiden role…"
"I don't want to!"
Machi vehemently refused, which was rare for her.
"Why? It's the holy maiden role! Everyone dreams of that…"
"Then you go! If I have to act, I want to be a villain!"
Machi complained.
"If you want to be a villain, I'd gladly give it to you…"
Feitan chimed in, his gaze turning piercingly deep.
Then he stared straight at Phinks, who had his hands in his pockets, whistling at the sky as if nothing had happened.
"You bastard, why the hell are you dragging me along to be a villain with you?!"
Chapter 53: He Wanted To Be A Good Guy, But This Idiot Dragged Him Down!
"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.