Anime rating game

"If the audience response is good, we can complete it and include it as a bonus on the 'Shirobako' Blu-ray, which will also benefit sales."

“It’s something we can consider.” Masamune nodded slightly, then added, “However, this isn’t a major issue for the white box. We can discuss it again when it’s being made.”

"Right now, my biggest concern is the story itself. To be honest, I don't really understand the difficulties that Miyamori and the others face in their work. Although I've been observing them for two days, I can't really see anything."

"Sigh... Perhaps it's the obstacle of my position as president. Whenever I appear, they all sit up straight and try to behave very well."

"However, what they say when I'm not around, and how they solve problems when they encounter difficulties, are important questions that I can't observe."

“Leave it to me, senpai!” Imai Midori said with a smile without the slightest hesitation. “Aoi-senpai and I are very close. If it were me, she definitely wouldn’t hide it.”

"Thank you. Well then, I'll leave the investigation to you. Please keep it a secret from Miyamori, otherwise, the script you write might be a bit inaccurate."

“No problem, I won’t tell anyone. Until July, this is a secret between me and my senior.” Imai Midori said with a smile, her right index finger raised to her lips.

Chapter 148 Human Observation Program

"What's wrong, Little Green?"

Miyamori Aoi felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at by Imai Midori.

"nothing."

"That's impossible. You've been following me all day, whether it's during meals or when I go to the bathroom. This can't be normal. So, what's going on?"

Exposed?

No, there's still a chance to struggle a little longer.

Although Aoi-senpai is very perceptive, she is unaware of the inside story, and it's impossible for her to suddenly realize that she would become the female lead of an anime.

Thinking of this, Midori Imai tried to say:

"Senior Aoi, do you know how to become an excellent screenwriter? Collect the stories of everyone around you, organize them into material, and accumulate them."

"It is said that when you have accumulated hundreds of notebooks of materials, you have almost mastered the basics."

That's really difficult.

Miyamori Aoi seemed to be deep in thought, then let out a soft sigh:

"Oh, I see. If you want to know something, you can just ask me directly. It's faster than you trying to figure it out yourself."

"Huh...? Is it really possible?"

"Of course, there's nothing in particular that I want to do. If you do, I'll do my best to help you achieve it."

"Oh...! Is this what 'I don't have my own dreams, but I can help you achieve them' means? Wait a minute, let me write it down."

When did you develop this habit?

"Just today, to be precise, two seconds ago."

Seeing her writing rapidly in her notebook, Miyamori Aoi couldn't help but laugh.

"How about we have dinner together tonight? Not just me, but also to hear what Ema and the others have to say."

"Okay."

Midori Imai unconsciously thought that in her senior's setting, although the five of us were all main characters, our roles were completely different.

Senior Aoi is the protagonist, so there's no need to elaborate.

Shizuka-senpai and Ema-senpai had equally significant screen time and each had their own highlights. My role was also quite substantial, but Misa-senpai had almost no screen time.

……

Dinner time, at Hayase's house.

While they were having their meal, Masamune's cell phone suddenly rang, and the caller ID showed it was Midori Imai.

"Senior, are you busy right now?"

"I'm not busy, I'm eating right now, go ahead."

"I'm about to have dinner with Aoi-senpai and the others. We've already made plans to talk about the difficulties we face at work. I can't possibly take notes right now, so to avoid forgetting, could you please stay on the phone and listen with me?"

"no problem."

"Then it's settled."

Upon discovering that there was no sound on the other end of the phone, Masamune placed the phone, which was still on the call, on the table.

Looking up, I noticed all three family members staring at me curiously. After hesitating for a moment, I explained:

"For one of the animations in the next season, I plan to use our company as the background and the difficulties, joys and sorrows in animation production as the main storyline."

"The main character of the story is Aoi Miyamori, but I don't know much about her, so I asked Midori Imai to help me find out about Miyamori's daily life."

"Good luck, Zong-kun." Hayase Kyūe encouraged him with a smile, and at the same time, picked up a piece of meat for him.

"Am I in the story?" Mashiro asked softly.

"Yes, you and I are both important supporting characters."

Noticing the curiosity in Tomoyo's eyes, Masamune added:

"Considering the integrity of the plot, this will be a 24-episode half-year series. Tomoyo will also appear in the last few episodes, but her role will not be too big."

"What am I like in the story?" Tomoyo asked subconsciously.

"Just like you are now."

"No changes at all?"

"No, the main focus is on authenticity."

"Will anyone watch an animation like this?"

"Most definitely."

After chatting for a while, accompanied by a burst of static, Miyamori Aoi's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Do you think it's difficult? Of course it is."

"Would you like me to explain in detail? Sure, I'll start."

"A couple of days ago... wait...? Should I start from when I first joined the company last year? Okay, let me think..."

It seems that Midori Imai placed her phone very close to Aoi Miyamori, which is why we can only hear Aoi Miyamori speaking.

"Last year, after failing all the interviews at many large companies, I tried to reflect on myself and wondered if I was being too ambitious."

"So I tried sending my resume to Musashino."

"At that time, Musashino was just a small animation company. Even so, the interview was not easy. Unexpectedly, the president was very easy to talk to and I passed the interview right away."

"I only found out later that day was my lucky day. After the president left, the pass rate for the people that Ms. Okitsu interviewed was very low."

"After joining Musashino, I didn't know anything at first because I had no work experience. Thanks to Erika's guidance, I gradually learned more."

"Back then, the company had a small number of employees, and everyone could be called by name, so the work atmosphere was quite relaxed. However, because we relied heavily on outsourced illustrators, we often had to drive back and forth."

"Thanks to this, my driving skills have improved more and more..."

"Sorry, I'm getting off-topic. At the time, Musashino was working on the anime 'Masamune-kun's Revenge.' Due to the tight schedule, I was initially so busy that I was completely disoriented and couldn't remember what I had done. When I came to my senses, it was already the next day."

"The main difficulty at the beginning was the lack of manpower and the difficulty in communicating with outsourced artists. But as the company continued to recruit people, the main difficulty in the second half of the production became how to train new employees to adapt to the work better."

"I'm just a newbie who's only been working for less than a quarter of the year, yet I have to take on the responsibility of teaching others. So, I can only learn as I teach."

Afterwards, Aoi Miyamori went on to explain in detail the difficulties she encountered during her work.

For example, Ryosuke Endo, the animation director for a single episode, claimed that his art style clashed with that of Misato Segawa, finding her original drawings too rigid, and the two refused to communicate.

In addition, he disliked 3D, believing it stifled the soul of the visuals, and had a terrible relationship with Yuichiro Yanagi, who was in charge of 3D supervision.

At the time, it took a long time to reach an agreement between the two parties, and they became friends with a harmonious relationship and common interests.

"Thank you so much for your explanation, Aoi-senpai! Next, could you please tell us about the difficulties you've encountered at work, Ema-senpai?"

"Hmm... Do I really have to say it? It feels like this will take a long time."

"It's okay, there's plenty of time. If we can't finish today, we can continue tomorrow, and if we can't finish tomorrow, we can continue the day after tomorrow."

"Alright. I joined Musashino earlier than Aoi. At the time, I was really surprised that I would be working with Aoi. During our previous dinner, neither of us deliberately talked about work."

After that, the time for Yasuhara Ema gradually began.

Although what they were saying were just complaints that sounded like grumbling during breaks from work, Masamune listened very attentively.

Or rather, it is these trivial little things that constitute the daily life of an animation.

After a quick dinner, Masamune immediately began taking notes.

He collected every word they said, down to the smallest detail, and recorded it in his notebook.

The call didn't end until 9 p.m.

"Senior, how was it? Did you write it down well?"

"No problem, I've written it all down. If you discover any new information while chatting with them later, whether it's boring, interesting, or just everyday trivia, please help me record it."

"Hmm... Besides Aoi-senpai and the others, shouldn't we also carefully observe the other people in the company?"

"Yes."

"I wonder what your selection criteria are? Who are the candidates who will appear in the anime? I'll gather more information tomorrow."

"First, one's position; second, one's image."

"The job titles are easy to understand; two or three people are enough for each position. But what about the image?"

“Those with outstanding looks and temperament are in one category, those with distinctive appearances are in another, and those with distinctive dialects or accents are also included. In addition, young women are given priority.”

"Senior, our company already has a lot of women. If we deliberately select more women, the animation we produce might be perceived as fake by the audience."

"That's certainly possible, but most viewers prefer this kind of thing."

"That's true, I will observe carefully, please rest assured, senior."

Chapter 149 The Most Unpopular Anime Character

In the past, Izumi Masamune had thought about what would happen if his works were adapted into anime more than once.