Anime rating game

"Could it not have started yet?"

"It's been drawn and revised repeatedly, but it's still in the very initial stage."

"I see. Well then... let's talk more about it when we get back tonight."

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Have I always underestimated her?

"Good morning, President. Sorry, I overslept last night."

"It's okay, sit down."

Inside the conference hall on the third floor of Musashino, Masamune greeted the late-arriving Aoi Miyamori and then announced the start of the morning meeting.

"President, this is the plan that everyone worked overtime to complete yesterday. Please take a look."

Masamune opened the two documents and glanced at them. The production committee for K-On! still included the same audio company that had worked on the previous season, while the audio company that had worked on Oregairu had changed.

The total investment for K-On! was 4.3 million yen, of which Musashino contributed 1.5 million yen. The total investment for Oregairu was 3.5 million yen, of which Musashino contributed 1.8 million yen.

Why is there such a large difference in the total investment between the two?

"President, because K-On! has a lot of cute elements and the songs are all excellent, it's a good opportunity to release singles and hold concerts. Everyone is optimistic about it."

"Is no one interested in Oregairu?"

"It's not that no one is optimistic about it, but when comparing the two, everyone is more optimistic about K-On!"

"That's it."

Masamune closed the two proposals and immediately said:

"I have no objection to the plan being arranged this way."

"I'll discuss the script with the writer, Mai-jun, and revise and improve it."

"As for the character designs, Ogasawara, you're in charge of K-On!, so just draw them based on the five main characters themselves. You can also ask them for their designs for the supporting characters, or ask them to provide photos."

Having experienced something similar before, Rinko Ogasawara is no longer panicked, even as the anime's main character is about to appear.

"Regarding the character design, I think I still have many shortcomings. Could you please ask Shiina-sensei to take responsibility?"

“Mashiro has to continue her studies and draw manga, so her time is limited each day. She can only provide guidance from the sidelines at most. Therefore, she will serve as the drawing instructor. You can ask her for help if you have any questions later.”

Masamune paused for a moment, then shifted his gaze to another newly appointed character designer and chief animation director, Yumi Iguchi.

"Iguchi, you're in charge of Oregairu. Without real people to reference, are you confident you can draw it well?"

“Absolutely not.” Yumi Iguchi shook her head repeatedly. “This is my first time serving as chief animation director. I have a serious lack of experience in this area, and my drawing skills are not particularly outstanding.”

"How about Mashiro draws the character designs, and you work on that basis?"

"If it's Shiina-sensei's drawing skills, there's definitely no problem. However, I'm a little worried that everyone won't be able to keep up with Shiina-sensei's pace."

"In this regard, we can only rely on experience and time. But we don't need to reach Mashiro's level all at once. As long as we improve on the art style of the previous season, that's a victory."

"Yes, I will try my best!"

“Ms. Okitsu, you will be chairing the next meeting.” Masamune looked at Yuka Okitsu beside him.

"clear."

Yuka Okitsu stood up, opened the document in her hand, and slowly said:

"As of today, two episodes of our previous anime, 'Masamune-kun,' have been broadcast on television and received a good response. Our financial situation is also good."

"Even so, due to the recruitment of many new employees and the fact that we are producing two animations at the same time this period, there are still considerable risks."

...

...

"Now, I'll talk about the vacation options."

"Animation production will officially begin in a few days, and then there will be no time to rest."

"Therefore, those who haven't taken their leave this month, please take it in advance..."

"President, I've finished my report."

“Alright.” Masamune nodded slightly. “Next, I would like the two supervisors to each present their respective plans.”

"Let me go first." Kinoshita Seiichi sat up straight and began to talk about the work arrangements for K-On!

I gave a general overview of everything from storyboarding to voice actor selection.

Subsequently, Yasuyuki Takeuchi's account was largely the same.

The morning meeting lasted for more than forty minutes before it ended.

At 9:50 a.m., while Masamune was revising documents in his office, Karasuma Gojo ran up from downstairs.

"President, the voice actor audition is about to start, and everyone is waiting for you. If you're too busy, would you like to postpone it?"

"Sorry, I was a bit busy and forgot. Let's do it now."

After leaving his office, Masamune went straight to another room on the same floor.

At this moment, Mashiro is drawing character designs for Oregairu, and you can hear their voices from a distance.

"You're pressing the pen too hard; press it down a bit."

"Is that right?"

"Yes, don't let your hand shake, hook diagonally from here, like this."

On the table were several extremely exquisite character designs, each character so perfect that it was hard to look away.

Many artists were gathered around the table, all holding paintbrushes and sketchbooks, listening attentively to the lecture.

Meanwhile, Yumi Iguchi, who was sitting at the table, was being taught step by step by Mashiro.

"Let's take a rest first."

Upon hearing Masamune's voice, Iguchi Yu was still in a daze, his expression slightly agitated:

"President, Shiina-sensei is amazing. She always manages to pinpoint my shortcomings."

"If Shiina-sensei could stay here a little longer, I'm confident that my drawing skills will improve by leaps and bounds."

? ?

Masamune was slightly taken aback. He had thought that Mashiro would have a hard time adapting to this guidance job, but he didn't expect her to be so comfortable with it.

Could it be that I've been underestimating her all along?

"Mashiro, there's an internal voice actor selection competition going on downstairs. Do you want to come with me for a look, or stay here?"

"The work is only halfway done," Mashiro said softly.

“Shiina-sensei, don’t worry about this side.” Yumi Iguchi quickly stood up. “With your character designs, we can just copy them here.”

Masamune nodded slightly and added:

"That's right. It's not too late to come back this afternoon. Instructing in painting is a long-term process, and it can't be rushed."

"Ah."

"Let's go take a look at the second floor and gather some material for your comics."

"I'll do whatever you say."

Seeing this, Masamune smiled, subconsciously grabbed her arm, and slowly walked downstairs.

……

"President, is this your girlfriend?"

"This is Shiina Mashiro, the animation director whom our company hired at a high salary. You should know her, right?"

"It seems like there is such a thing, but the atmosphere makes them seem like lovers."

Karasuma Chitose laughed for a while, then composed himself, straightened his back, and said seriously:

"I'm fully prepared, now it's my turn to shine."

"Then I'll wait and see."

Seeing Karasuma Chitose enter the recording studio with several other women, Masamune turned around and introduced her to Mashiro.

"...Chitose is Gojyo's younger sister. As a newcomer, she hasn't graduated from voice acting training school yet, and has always voiced minor characters."

“Voice actor… Karasuma Chitose.” Mashiro murmured softly to herself.

"Let's go sit over there. Once the competition starts, the sound from the recording studio will be broadcast through the speakers, and everyone will be able to hear it."

"it is good."

Since preparations were still underway in the recording studio, Masamune chatted with Karasuma Gojyo again.

"Aren't you going to participate, Wujing?"

"Today's competition mainly features female characters, mostly supporting roles, and my voice isn't suitable for them."

"Our company produces two anime series. K-On! features mostly female characters, but Oregairu has quite a few outstanding male characters. Are you interested in either of them?"

"I want to try out Hikigaya and Hayama, and I'm preparing for it these days."

"Are you confident? I think the timber base is also a good option."

"These are potential targets, and we have a good chance of getting them... at least a little bit."

Karasuma Gojo smiled confidently. Usually, during auditions, it's impossible to get the complete script, and it's common for lines to be changed on the spot.

Insufficient preparation and too little room for error when only one or two attempts are allowed.

However, since Oregairu is a work produced by their own company, with the script in hand, the practice time can be extended indefinitely, at least a month.

From analyzing the character's personality, I constantly simulated and rehearsed at home, putting myself in Hikigaya's shoes...

With such a significant advantage, if you still fail to compete in a fair audition, it's simply a matter of skill. You can't blame fate or others; the only option is to keep training.

"I rarely see you smile. Good luck, Gojyo. If you can land the role of Hikigaya during the public audition, I'll treat you to a big meal."

"Thank you, President."