Anime rating game

"Hmm... Absolutely!"

After Taro Takanashi, each production assistant gave a presentation on their progress, which was generally one to one and a half months.

“Today is April 13th. In a month and a half, it will only be early June.” Masamune pondered for a moment, then looked at Yuka Okitsu. “I’m not very familiar with the animation production process. If it finishes in early June, will it be able to be released in July?”

"No problem, if nothing unexpected happens."

Yuka Okitsu breathed a slight sigh of relief, glanced at the schedule in her hand, and then said:

"In that case, the selection of voice actors also needs to be carried out in advance."

"As the original author, does the president have any preferred voice actors? If not, we will announce the information to the public and hold an audition as soon as possible."

Masamune fell into deep thought, thinking that perhaps he could ask the characters themselves to do the voice acting when making other animations in the future.

However, the characters themselves definitely cannot come to this animation.

In this case...

"Let's hold auditions for the female roles. As for the protagonist's voice acting, can I do it?"

"Huh...?" Yuka Okitsu looked surprised. "Is the president going to debut as a voice actor?"

"No, my acting skills are not good enough for a debut, but I want to voice the protagonist of this anime, Masamune Makabe, myself. If I play myself, my acting skills should not be worse than others."

"Indeed, playing oneself is the best outcome. In that case, the president of the company will personally voice the protagonist, Masamune Makabe, and how about the auditions for the female roles be held next week?"

“I have no objection. By the way, could you help me set up a voice actor agency? Just under Musashino’s name.”

"If the president only intends to voice this one character, there's probably no need to set up a voice actor agency, right? Although all voice actors are affiliated with agencies, it's not a mandatory requirement."

“It would be too conspicuous for him to be the president of Musashino Animation Studios, and it would definitely cause a lot of discussion. The anime’s rating might even drop as a result. On the contrary, it wouldn’t have much of an impact if he were to be a newcomer from a small voice acting agency.”

Yuka Okitsu pondered for a few seconds, then asked in confusion:

"Although I don't know what criteria the golden subtitles in the sky are used to score them, popularity shouldn't have much impact on the score, right?"

"Nobody can say for sure, it might have an impact."

"That's true, there's really no need to take that risk. I'll make arrangements as soon as possible."

"Could you please help me find a short-term voice acting training course? It's always good to have some last-minute cramming."

"clear."

......

That afternoon, Yuka Okitsu found a short training course that would last for half a month.

Masamune's main activity location has also shifted from Musashino to the training center.

Even so, since the training courses were mainly held in the evenings and afternoons, he would go to Musashino every morning to attend the routine morning meeting and check on the progress of all parties.

August 4, early morning.

"President, the audition is this afternoon. Would you like to attend?"

"No, I have to attend a voice actor training session this afternoon, so let Director Kinoshita do it. I trust his judgment."

As he spoke, seeing the hesitation on Okitsu Yuka's face, Masamune asked in surprise:

"What's wrong? Just say what you want to say."

"Actually, someone submitted their resume to our firm."

"Then let's have a normal interview."

"No, you misunderstood. The resume was sent to Musashino Voice Actors Agency, not Musashino Animation."

"Huh...? Voice actor agencies don't usually recruit publicly, do they?"

"That's true, but I'm worried that ignoring it completely will have a negative impact."

Also.

Masamune fell into deep thought. Although Musashino Voice Actor Agency was just a shell company run by him alone, it would have a terrible impact if this got out.

Furthermore, when producing other animations later, the existence of an agency is still required in order to sign temporary contracts with the characters themselves.

"Is only one person submitting their resume?"

"Yes."

Yuka Okitsu nodded slightly, then took out a resume and placed it on the table.

“Huh…?”

Looking at the name on the resume, Masamune was somewhat surprised.

"Karasuma Gojo is affiliated with the voice actor agency No.1 Produce. Doesn't he have an agency?"

"Yes, I'm also curious. Voice actors rarely switch jobs."

"In that case, please contact him and see if he can come to Musashino now. Just tell him that I can only wait until noon."

"Would you like to see him?"

"Hmm, I'm a little curious about him."

"Understood, I'll call him over right away."

Chapter Nine: I wonder if someone can be considered a voice actor?

At around 10:50 a.m., a young man, panting heavily, arrived at Masamune's office, led by Yuka Okitsu.

"Hello, my name is Karasuma Gojo, and I am affiliated with No.1 Produce agency. I would like to join Musashino Voice Actor Agency."

Masamune got up and poured him a cup of tea. After his breathing gradually calmed down, he asked curiously:

"Don't you have your own firm? Why are you switching jobs?"

"Thank you."

Karasuma Gojō picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then explained:

“Recently, a large amount of capital has been flowing into the animation industry, and my voice actor agency is no exception.”

"With the new investment, the president is eager to make a big splash and has recruited many new people."

"As someone who doesn't know if I can be considered a voice actor, I'm no longer a newcomer. Due to the long-term lack of work, my livelihood is in danger."

"These problems can be solved by working part-time. If I treat voice acting as a side job, I can still make a living."

"But not long ago, the president told me personally that he hoped I would give up my voice acting job and become a manager instead."

"These past few days, I've been hesitating about whether to give up becoming a voice actress and start working as a manager."

"Because I have been doing voice acting for a long time, I have a good understanding of the work of voice actor agents, so I should be able to carry out the activities smoothly."

"The day before yesterday, I went to see the president again and asked him if he could give me another chance."

"The president told me very seriously that many new people had recently joined the agency, and he had decided to give all the resources to the new people and would no longer give me any audition opportunities."

"I only have two choices: one is to leave the agency, start over as an amateur, and pray to be selected by another agency; the other is to become an agent, sign a contract with an agency, and become a corporate slave."

"I thought about it for a long time. Although I was very unwilling, the reality was right in front of me."

"Yesterday at noon, just when I was hesitating, I discovered that Musashino Animation Studio had added a voice actor agency, so I submitted my resume."

It turned out to be the case.

Masamune seemed to be deep in thought. Was this a last-ditch effort before giving up on his dream, driven by intense resentment?

If the interview goes well, I'll go to the new agency and continue my career as a voice actor.

If I fail the interview, I'll go back to being a broker.

"I understand how you feel, but Musashino Animation Studio might not be what you think."

"We don't have any plans to expand or become stronger here. Hmm... let me explain in detail."

...

...

"Because the protagonist of this anime is based on me, I asked Ms. Okitsu to help me set up an agency under the name of Musashino."

Noticing Karasuma Gojyo's disappointed expression, Masamune added:

"Of course, our agency will not disband after this anime ends, but will continue to exist."

"Simply put, it's a Buddhist-style development approach."

"If you join our firm, you will need to take on roles such as general affairs officer and agent."

? ?

Karasuma Gosho was stunned for several seconds before he came to his senses and asked hesitantly:

"What does 'holding concurrent positions' mean?"

"Musashino Animation can give you an audition opportunity, but for animations from other companies, you'll have to find them yourself. Of course, you can use Musashino's name during the search process."

Masamune paused for a moment, then added:

"Because you don't have the idea of ​​growing and expanding, you need to be your own manager before you become a popular voice actor."

Is it self-financing?

After understanding its meaning, Karasuma Gojō began to ponder it seriously.

Returning to her original agency, she could only become a voice actor manager, and from then on, she never had the opportunity to become a voice actor again.

Joining this organization means you'll have to find voice-over work on your own from now on.

However, with Musashino's support from behind, it wasn't entirely a solo effort.

“I understand. I am willing to join Musashino Animation Studio.”

"Okay, welcome to the team. Next, let's discuss the salary."

Noticing Masamune's gaze, Okitsu Yuka sighed helplessly. She had thought she would persuade him to leave, but unexpectedly, he accepted it.

If I had known this would happen, I would have thrown away my resume yesterday afternoon and there wouldn't have been so much trouble.

"What are the president's plans?"