Anime rating game

"Now that your dream has come true, then do your best to help me achieve my dream."

"Huh...? What is the president's dream?" Kinoshita Seiichi asked in surprise, snapping out of his daze.

"I hope that one day in the future, countless people online will say: Musashino productions are always top-notch. Even if our company produces a terrible anime, countless people will still praise it."

"...President, I really liked the first half of your sentence, but the second half was just too much!"

"Hahaha...isn't this just an analogy?"

"President, I truly love the first half of your sentence. It's decided! From now on, that first half of your sentence will be our shared dream!"

“And me,” Yasuyuki Takeuchi couldn’t help but interject, “Don’t forget me! My dream is…”

“I’m not interested in old men’s dreams,” Kinoshita Seiichi interrupted him with a smile.

"Even if you don't want to hear it, I'm going to say it! Humph...! My dream is to create animations that are even better than yours, so you can stop gloating in front of me."

"Huh...? Suddenly I've become the target of everyone's pursuit? I feel like I've suddenly risen two levels."

Looking at the three smiling faces, Adagaki Aki couldn't help but think:

I wonder if my company's employees will still be able to laugh after the Konosuba anime airs in a few days?

"Masamune, if the anime fails, what do you think we should do to salvage it? Rely solely on overseas copyrights and music merchandise to recoup costs?"

Masamune looked at her speechlessly and sighed:

"I think I know why you've come. Your first animated film, which you helped produce, is about to air, and you're feeling uneasy and worried about failure, right?"

"Don't worry, the original Konosuba is excellent. As long as you don't mess things up, the production quality of this type of comedy anime will be good."

"Moreover, of the two anime series that our company will be broadcasting in January next year, 'Rose Eyes' is an adaptation of a shoujo manga, which is inherently disadvantageous. Only 'Seitokai Yakuindomo' can compete with your 'Konosuba'."

"But these two animations belong to different genres and ultimately have no direct competitive relationship."

"Among the new anime series starting next January, there are many animated works produced by directors who have crossed over from other fields, and those are the ones we should be most wary of."

Although he said that, in reality, he didn't really care about the others, did he?

Even Adagaki Aki inexplicably sensed a hint in his tone that 'outsiders should just stay out of the way'.

How can someone who has been in the industry for less than a year have such confidence come from?

Do you have any suggestions for our company's next animated film?

"Shouldn't you think about this yourself?"

Masamune rested his chin on his hand, shifting to a more comfortable sitting position.

"I think that whether it's a success or a failure, the experience will become a driving force for progress, and it can't be completely meaningless."

Adagaki Aki rolled her eyes at him and said irritably:

"Hearing such words from someone who has always had a smooth life is not convincing at all."

"I'm sorry, but I personally hate losing, in everything. If I don't have a chance of winning, I'd rather not participate."

"That's the kind of spirit we're aiming for." Masamune smiled slightly. "Now that we're already in the game, let's not worry about gains or losses. Do everything to the best of our ability, and then we just have to wait. Do our best and leave the rest to fate, that's all."

"Too."

Adagaki Aki stood up and said seriously:

"During the period around the New Year, I will focus all my efforts on promoting the current season's anime. Based on the feedback after its broadcast, I will decide on the next anime project."

"We at AL can't do two anime series in one season like Musashino, but we will definitely strive to do our best in terms of quality."

"Look forward to this animation, which was only completed after half a year."

“I will observe carefully.” Masamune nodded slightly, then asked, “What are your company’s plans for the New Year?”

"From December 30th to January 3rd, there will be a normal five-day holiday."

"That's not what I'm asking. As the year draws to a close, are there any year-end celebrations or similar events planned?"

"The animation hasn't even aired yet, so we don't know if it'll be good or bad. Why are we having a celebration party?"

Although I really wanted to refute her, as she just said, what someone who has always had a smooth life says is completely unconvincing.

After a moment's thought, Masamune got straight to the point:

"Our company will be holding an end-of-year summary meeting on the evening of the 29th. Would you like to attend?"

"After all, we borrowed a group of people from you before, and it wouldn't be appropriate to not bring them to the year-end summary meeting."

Adagaki Aki subconsciously did some mental calculations, then looked surprised:

"If I remember correctly, you've had several celebrations at hotels this month, haven't you? Aren't you tired of them yet?"

"Even if you make a lot of money, spending it so extravagantly will quickly lead to poverty."

"Thank you for your suggestion, but some celebrations are essential." Masamune smiled slightly and asked again, "So, are you going? All expenses will be covered by Musashino, as a way of repaying the favor of sending people to assist in the production of 'Your Lie in April'."

"I really don't know where you guys get so many endless celebrations. Okay, I'll have Yoshino inform the company later."

"After the voice actors finished dubbing for the two anime series, we always had to hold a celebration party to reward them and all the staff; many new people joined the company, so we always had to hold a welcome party to help everyone get to know each other better; and then there's Mashiro's birthday..."

Adagaki Aki waved her hand to interrupt him, and said in a deep voice:

"My father said before that he hoped to have time to meet you. Do you have time at the end of the year?"

"Sorry, Mashiro's parents are coming, and I'll be picking them up at the airport in a couple of days. I also have two anime scripts to write during the holiday, so I really don't have much time."

"That's it."

Sure enough, things are completely different when you grow up compared to when you were a child.

At that moment, Adagaki Aki inexplicably felt that the distance between the two of them had become very far, as if they were separated by a mountain.

Am I the one who's so self-righteous? After watching the anime, I mistakenly thought that as long as things were explained clearly, the relationship between the two of us would return to how it was in our childhood.

But in reality, they are just ordinary friends I met in childhood.

Chapter Ninety-Two: Musashino's greatest strength lies in—

This company is truly amazing!

Although it looks very busy, employees are actually given a proper monthly rest period, and even if they can't take a break due to work, they will receive corresponding compensation.

The speed at which they produce animation is unparalleled, making them a legend in the industry, but the quality is exceptionally high. In particular, the sales of "K-On!" are said to have reached seven million copies across all episodes.

The employee benefits are outstanding; even freelancers like voice actors receive a good monthly salary.

Of course, the most impressive thing about this company is that they recruited the most outstanding voice actor of this century—Chitose Karasuma!

Watching the live interview with Karasuma Chitose online, and seeing her various funny faces and expressions, Masamune felt a little regretful.

Arrogant and conceited, they become bloated with even the slightest achievement, and become overjoyed and quickly lose their sense of self-satisfaction after being praised.

She'll cry silently if she gets scolded even slightly, making her the complete opposite of Mashiro.

If I had known she would be so outspoken, I shouldn't have agreed to this promotional interview for "Rose Eyes" in the first place. No matter what, I shouldn't have allowed it to be broadcast live.

The problem is, it's too late to regret it now.

This was a live online broadcast, so it was impossible to call her on the spot to remind her what she couldn't say.

(Does Ms. Karasuma have anything she'd like to say to President Hayase?)

Yes, there are tons of them!

For example, please give me more audition opportunities. Although I am still a high school student, my grades are pretty good, and I don't need to make any concessions in this regard.

Rather, in a few months, I won't be a high school student anymore, and the title of "high school beauty and genius voice actress" will belong to him.

I should take on more work while I'm still a high school student. The combination of "beautiful high school girl" and "genius voice actress" sounds incredibly impressive, doesn't it?

At this point, Karasuma Chitose revealed a wicked smile.

(Where does Ms. Karasuma rank her acting skills among all the voice actors in Musashino Voice Acting Agency?)

[First! It's definitely number one.]

Well... this is just my own assessment. Others may not see it that way, of course, that's just because everyone has different standards of judgment.

People often use fame and performance to judge a person's merits, but in reality, there is no distinction between people.

If we compare ourselves to ourselves, everyone is number one. Because we are definitely better today than we were yesterday.

It seems she's not completely stupid; she occasionally says something sensible.

Although Masamune wanted to close the webpage, he was also worried that she might say something wrong, so he wanted to find a way to remedy the situation in time.

While hesitating, I noticed the time in the lower right corner of the computer screen.

17 points.

There are only three minutes left until it's time to leave work.

Forget it, we'll figure out a solution when something really serious happens.

As I left the office, I saw Miyamori Aoi and the others busy at work.

Masamune walked over and glanced at her, finding her looking at an electronic map with Ema Yasuhara, not working, before speaking:

Are you discussing your holiday travel plans?

"President. Both anime have been packed into white boxes and sent to the TV station. I don't have much work today, so I wanted to discuss our holiday travel plans with Ema."

Miyamori Aoi turned around and quickly explained again, then asked with a smile:

"What are the president's plans for the holiday?"

"I'll spend the first three days perfecting the animation script, and for the next four days I want to go back to Shinshu to visit my grandfather, but I'm not sure if I'll have the time."

"what……?"

Miyamori Aoi's eyes widened in surprise, her face showing obvious astonishment, and she couldn't come to her senses for a long time.

"Is it really necessary to be so surprised?" Masamune looked at her speechlessly.

"Because I thought the president would definitely go to various places with Mashiro during the holidays."

“We can play anytime next year, but Mashiro’s parents have always lived in the UK, and it’s inconvenient for them to travel between the two places. It’s a rare opportunity to go back to Japan, so we definitely want to go with them.”

"I think Mashiro herself definitely doesn't think that way."