Chapter 88

'''Press Play! A "Making Of" PSItory''' is the 88th chapter of The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. (Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan) manga series released on the 24th of February 2014.

Characters

 * Saiki Kusuo

Abilities Used

 * Teleportation
 * Psychometry

Short Summary
Kusuo visits the area where a movie he liked was filmed. He finds out nearly all of the crew was extremely inadequate except for a cameraman who was trying to shoot a "making of" segment.

Long Summary
At the Saiki household, Kusuo is finishing watching a movie. A male is leaving on a ship but promises a female they will come back and the credits roll after the scene. Kusuo states it was a great film and he was touched, all with his regular straight face demeanor. He explains the movie is a drama called “And So I Went to Sea” and is about a strong, silent fisherman and his rebellious son that live in a small island. The son, Takashi, wants to escape his restricted lifestyle, but with the love of everyone around him and his father’s death, his whole world changes. He goes on to say it is a heartwarming story, enough to make you cry and he actually did, again with his regular facial expression. He is surprised at how great it was, especially when he had low expectations. He continues by saying that the cover art is bad, but the acting of all the cast, especially the leading child, and the beauty of the island, that gives a feeling of warmth and loneliness, was all captivating. He would love to visit the area and he has a sudden realization.

He teleports to the area, deciding to visit. He is surprised at how it exactly looks like the film and that it is better in person. He believes it was a good idea after all to look around on his way to return the film. He feels like he might cry and notices the rock of a particular scene. He explains that Takashi asks his childhood friend, Youko, to run away from the island with him. The scene feels like it is a rip off from somewhere but shrugs it off. He believes Takashi was conflicted about his admiration of the island and leaving the people he knows behind. He is so sure no child would find anything amusing in this area but quickly finds a shopping area nearby. He is surprised, he sees everyone with a Macbook and a coffee in their hands, and wonders if he is in the wrong place. He realizes they must have filmed to make it look like a depopulated island. The beaches are too nice for people to not visit the area. While drinking a frappuccino, he states he is a little disappointed but impressed since the acting and editing were much better.

Kusuo is certain the actors were really amazing since they were not famous and were really into their roles. He explains the child that played Takashi was really amazing, and remembers a scene where the child says he does not want to be on the island anymore and does want to be like his dad. The child was 9 years old and his acting was powerful and believable. The child says with a smile on wanting to see the cows mating and laughing about what is a smartphone, and with this Kusuo believes the character truly grew up in the countryside. He wonders how the child actor practiced for the role and decides to use psychometry on the rock to find out. Kusuo explains the film has no “making of” footage so he will just find out what happened, himself. He sees the child actor using a smartphone and is surprised by it. He then sees a man messaging the boy and realizes he is the teacher, who was strict and lectured Takashi on wanting to leave. He is surprised the person actually smiles and makes his hand leave the rock, not wanting to see the child actor easily use a Macbook.

He decides to look at another character and decides to see Takashi’s father, the fisherman. Due to his characteristics, he hardly had lines but good acting ability. He sees the actor handing the child a frappuccino. Kusuo is disappointed since he did not want to see him holding that drink. He goes on to be more surprised since the actor also talks a lot too. The actor explains how in a dream a guy in all green came near him, spit out a knife, and attacked him. Kusuo explains none of that was important. A girl comes near the actor and Kusuo realizes the actor gets quiet around girls and it is gross. He is surprised basically all the actors are different from their roles and it is a bit disappointing. He tries to shrug it off by saying they should be praised on playing roles that are different from their true selves. Kusuo walks around and finds the house used for the film. He is amazed how it looks impoverished just like it should, and finds that the poorly built door is automatic. Going inside, he remembers a scene of a parent-teacher meeting, gets curious on how they filmed the scene and decides to use his psychometry on the wall. He sees them filming the scene and finds that the actors mess up their lines. Kusuo thinks that perhaps it was a bad take but the director says it was good, surprising him. The child actor yells at his dad and goes up to the director, saying he is sorry for saying the wrong line. The director says they will fix it in editing and hugs him. Kusuo gets away from the wall, says that the acting is horrible and wonders if it was the director and the staff that were good.

Kusuo goes to where the director was standing and decides to figure out how exactly they made the film and uses his psychometry again. He sees the director fully dedicated to his work, telling the cameramen what to do for the shoot. Right when they start the scene, he has several cameras around his child, and tells the cameramen to not miss anything of him. Kusuo realizes he is just an idiot father and is confused, that is until he sees a cameraman facing another direction. He suspects that perhaps this cameraman might hold the key of the film and goes to where he was.

Again with psychometry, he sees the camera shooting the actor who is Takashi’s teacher and lecturing him. Kusuo is amazed but then questions when the actor continues talking. The conversation is about his salary, wanting more money and talks poorly of the child actor. He notices the camera, telling him to stop and Kusuo realizes he does fit his role after all. Kusuo sees another shot, this time with the fisherman father actor, doing another great scene. Kusuo sees that the guy is talking to a girl and just trying not to look at her. Another shot appears, where the child actor says he is sick of the place they are in. The conversation is actually of him being homesick and the director says they will leave soon. One final shot is a guy asking the cameraman, the assistant director, if he is filming for the “making of” documentary. The person says it is but they think they will not use any of the footage. He continues by joking that they will use it for the final footage of the film and the other guy laughs too. Kusuo realizes what went on, they used that “making of” footage into the film and that is why the acting felt believable.