Chapter 140. The Bragging Man's Publicly Funded Trip to Fight the Cairo Crime Boss

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Chapter 140. The Bragging Man's Publicly Funded Trip to Fight the Cairo Crime Boss

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As previously mentioned, a significant portion of the audience for "Stardust Crusaders" was drawn in by "Battle Tendency".

Although Jolyne Cujoh originally intended to cut through the confusion quickly, hoping that by having Joseph Joestar, who inherited the Joestar lineage, die or sacrifice himself like his grandfather, she could ignite the audience's dissatisfaction and resentment. This would lead them to boycott "Battle Tendency" and disrupt the premiere of "Stardust Crusaders".

However, due to Joseph's survival at the end of "Battle Tendency", and the pre-filmed content for "Stardust Crusaders" being shot with the assumption that Joseph didn't die, it's easy to imagine the massive plot holes that could emerge. It could even end in a complete disaster!

But all of this depends on the assumption that Joseph truly perished alongside Kars...

Without this assumption, Jolyne's efforts might have actually helped promote "Stardust Crusaders"!?

This is why Pucci, in the Green Dolphin Studio, remarked that Jolyne "shut her eyes and opened her mouth" upon realizing Joseph didn't die.

Similarly, among those who tuned in to watch "Stardust Crusaders" due to the previous misunderstanding of Green Dolphin Studio, how many are genuinely interested in watching "Stardust Crusaders" and not just out of guilt for their previous actions?

Although it's not a good thing to say, the current viewership numbers of "Stardust Crusaders" are inflated. Once the audience's guilt subsides after a week, the viewership could plummet drastically—unless Pucci and his team can turn these false viewers into genuine fans within just one episode!?

"This is impossible... Isn't that what you want to say, Shinbo?"

In Green Dolphin Studio, Pucci addressed Shinbo Akiyuki. Due to the back-to-back airing of "Battle Tendency" and "Stardust Crusaders" today, Pucci and Shinbo, who usually worked separately, were reunited to discuss the filming process.

Faced with the "advantage" that Jolyne Cujoh had "painstakingly" created, Shinbo, who had grown to deeply respect Jolyne, naturally didn't want to waste her efforts and sought to find ways to retain these viewers alongside Pucci.

Unfortunately, Pucci seemed uninterested.

It's not that Pucci didn't want to solidify the viewership, nor did he feel that Shinbo's idea of using behind-the-scenes tactics, such as industry-standard announcements or actor interviews, was not what a true director should do.

Rather, those tactics simply weren't necessary now!

"Indeed, under normal circumstances, this would be impossible," Pucci said. "But Shinbo, what's the essence of the tactics you're suggesting? Take actor interviews, for example. People are curious about our 'Joestar Family,' so they want to learn more about our actors through interviews, thereby promoting the work."

In other words, it's a form of promotion.

If the current viewership and popularity of "Stardust Crusaders" are indeed inflated, then increasing its reach—letting more people know about it or deepening the impression among those who do—could subconsciously prompt them to tune in to the next episode.

Having learned these industry practices, Pucci asked another question after seeing Shinbo fall silent: "By the way, which has more viewership, "Phantom Blood" or "Battle Tendency"?"

"...Huh?"

Shinbo looked at Pucci, confused.

Which had more viewership, "Phantom Blood" or "Battle Tendency"?

If it were any other series, the second part would definitely have fewer viewers than the first. The pros and cons have already been discussed.

But "Battle Tendency" was an exception. Although it was the second part, its plot wasn't heavily tied to the first. Even viewers like Josuke's mother, Tomoko Higashikata, who hadn't watched the first part, could enjoy the second as a standalone story.

Therefore, Shinbo proudly responded, ""Battle Tendency" has slightly more viewers. However, since the styles of "Phantom Blood" and "Battle Tendency" are different, some fans of "Phantom Blood" didn't stick around for "Battle Tendency"..." He added this last part with some regret.

In "Phantom Blood", Ripple's power was highly effective against vampires, so much so that once Jonathan mastered it, most of the strategic elements were showcased by DIO, the antagonist.

This was the opposite of what happened in "Battle Tendency"!

Though Shinbo lamented the loss of some viewers, he still felt confident about the new audience who were drawn in by the fresh approach. In his place, he would have made the same choices Pucci did when writing the script.

"So…"

"This is why DIO's appearance matters!" Pucci said, explaining that as one of the dual protagonists in "Phantom Blood", DIO's appeal shouldn't be underestimated.

For instance, imagine Frieza from "Dragon Ball" crossing into another world as the final boss. As a "Dragon Ball" fan, wouldn't that make you interested in that series?

This explanation stunned Shinbo.

Interested? Of course!

Otherwise, why would fan-made works exist?

At this moment, Shinbo seemed to understand why Pucci was so calm. The return of DIO after a century, Joseph's reappearance, the new Stand system replacing Ripple—all these elements alone could cause a sensation among the audience.

Let alone when they're combined!

No additional promotion is necessary. The viewers Jolyne Cujoh brought in would be enough to spread the word about "Stardust Crusaders" widely and for free!

However...

"Can Jotaro Kujo, the new JoJo, really handle this grand stage?"

Sensing Shinbo's underlying concern, Pucci chuckled and said, "The bragging man's publicly funded trip to fight the Cairo crime boss."

"...What?"

"That's the subtitle of "Stardust Crusaders"," Pucci continued. "Rather than worrying about Jotaro, Shinbo, you should be more concerned about DIO. Pray he doesn't get beaten by JoJo too quickly."