Alright, let's try doing the showdown scene with Benkei at the Gojo Bridge again!

Okay!
Are you ready, Emu...?

Ready when you are!
I'm gonna dodge all of your attacks!

Big words!
Then, I'm going to throw everything I have at you!

Hiyah!

(Here he comes!)

(He goes diagonally first, so I need to dodge by squatting... And then I need to jump backwards!)

...!

(Next, he's gonna start jabbing at me really fast, so I need to twist to my right and...)

Stop there!

*Nod*
You two are doing great.
You've basically got that sequence down pat.

Which brings me to the finer details...
Tenma, you need to wield your naginata using your feet more instead of just your arms!

Got it! I'll try improving my footwork.

What else is there...?

How are things going?

Oh, Mr. Kijima!
You guys came too, Nene, Rui...?

We were practicing over there when we got called over. It's apparently time to show the results of today's practice.

Are you two ready, Otori?

They should be.
They've already been able to memorize the entire fight.

Really?! That's great!
In that case, please begin once you're ready.

Oh, then... Can I start us off?
I wanna go while everything's still fresh in my head.

Okay! Break a leg, Nene!

“Over eight hundred years ago, following the defeat of Minamoto no Yoshimoto at the hands of Taira no Kiyomori, the children of Yoshimoto found themselves in mortal danger.”

(Nene's playing Ushiwakamaru's mother, Tokiwa Gozen!)

(She bravely protects her children by fighting off the agents of the Taira clan who keep pursuing them.)

“Huff... Huff... Huff...
The Taira clan's henchmen are already here.”

“These children must live on...
They are to carry the Minamoto clan forward. The line must not be extinguished...”

“There they are! After them!”

“I'm left with no choice...!”

“I was born into a family of warriors. If I must wield a blade to defend these children, then I shall...!”

“Hiyah!”

“Your determination is admirable!
Unfortunately, the Minamoto clan must end here! Prepare yourself!”

“Hiyah!”

He's so light on his feet...!
He really feels like Kurama Tengu. He's captured how powerful Ushiwakamaru's teacher is.

That isn't how I was taught to wield a sword. But I guess a tengu wouldn't use one the same way a human would...

This is so cool! Rui looks like he's flying!

“No, he's too strong...
R-Retreat! Retreeeat!”

“Foolish humans...
Such is your punishment for desecrating these mountains with your filthy footprints...”

Thank you.

Nice work! Now, last but not least...

Right! Me and Tsukasa!

We'll be doing the scene where Ushiwakamaru and Benkei face off at the Gojo Bridge!

Ah, the climax of this play.
Alright, start once you both feel ready...!

(Don't worry! You've got a good idea of what Ushiwakamaru's like...!)

(The Ushiwakamaru from this story loves to have fun, so it's easy for him to forget about what he was doing whenever he finds something that really excites him...)

(All that's left is for me to really immerse myself...!)

“Time would then pass... By the time Ushiwakamaru had turned fifteen, he'd become a warrior in his own right. However, he would also have to choose his path moving forward...”

“Meanwhile, in Kyoto, word of a crazed monk attacking people night after night and robbing them of their swords would begin spreading.”

“And on this fateful night, he would wait at his usual bridge to run into none other than...”

(So it begins.
I'm looking forward to seeing how they move during this scene.)

(From what I remember, Ushiwakamaru has to keep dodging Benkei's attacks...)

(Which leaves such a big impression on Benkei that he feels he can't win and decides to pledge his services to Ushiwakamaru...)

(They can't just recite their lines.
They have to also move in a way that makes their characters feel true to life.)

“One last sword to complete my collection of a thousand! Tonight, my vow comes to fruition...!”

“Drop your katana and leave this place!
Only then shall I spare your life!”

“Oh, have you no manners?
Put away that dreadful thing and look up to the sky.”

“See how beautiful the moon is tonight?”

“What nonsense do you speak?!
If you refuse to surrender, then it is my naginata you shall face...!”

*Roar*

“Hey, now.”

(Th-That was amazing...
Tsukasa's one thing, but Emu too... She flew so high while jumping backwards...)

Hey, they're pretty good!

Yeah, they are...

(But...)

“Quit fooling around!
You are a mere child... But if you are going to call yourself a warrior, then unsheathe your katana and fight me!”

“Saying that only makes me want to take you even less seriously. Oh, missed me... Missed again...”

“You insolent little...!”

(She jumped straight over Tsukasa...!)

“What?!”

“Hup... There.”

(Ushiwakamaru slips behind Benkei, takes out his fan and forces his opponent to his knees in shock... The decisive moment.)

(It's supposed to be an epic duel, but to think that they were able to polish it into something so spectacular in such a short amount of time...)

(I'm glad I chose Emu to be our Ushiwakamaru. She's captured his free-spirited nature marvelously.)

(That being said...)

(Something feels a bit off for some reason...)

That's it!
Thank you all very much!

(Yes...!
That felt like our best attempt of the day!)

(I even nailed that big jump I spent so much time practicing!)

(I bet Mr. Kijima and the others are gonna be so...)

Alright, good performance...!

I wasn't expecting to see such a high-quality first attempt. Naturally, there are things I'd like to teach you moving forward, but you've shown me plenty today...!

I was particularly impressed by the showdown between Ushiwakamaru and Benkei in the end there. Your acrobatics were stunning, Otori!

Really...?!
Hehe. Thank you very much!

However, well...

It felt a bit bland.

Huh?

W-Wait, do you mean we need to improve the way we move during our sword fight?

No, that's not what I'm talking about...
Obviously, it's important to put on a compelling sword fight. That can be achieved through practice.

What I'm trying to say is that there's something missing from your acting...

There's something missing...?

Yeah...

It might be easier to just show you an example.