Anime rating game

"Of course, this relates to future planning."

"Since you have specific plans, I won't say any more. However, I don't know much about the work of voice actors."

"It's alright, Watanabe will be in charge of the introductions. As for the specific amount of money and the highest role you can get, you can discuss it yourselves."

When Masamune turned his gaze to him, Watanabe Hayato couldn't help but smile.

This company president might become some very important person in the future.

Since the president himself has no reservations, I have nothing to be embarrassed about either.

Sometimes, being a little thick-skinned is actually better.

"I can indeed help think of some solutions, but this kind of thing can't be put on the table openly. We can't just ask them how much it costs to buy the character. At most, we can only probe them subtly. Please, President and Karasuma, don't have too high expectations."

At this moment, Karasuma Gojō was too embarrassed to look at the people around him.

Yesterday, besides feeling lost about the future, I was driven by a strong sense of unwillingness to accept things as they were, which led me to make a life-changing decision.

Today, he suddenly felt like burying his head in the ground.

Could it be that the reason you couldn't get jobs before and ended up being asked to leave was because you were unwilling to spend money?

Is it really that strange in this industry that you have to pay money to get a job?

Moreover, can this kind of thing be discussed openly and honestly?

Could it be that I've always been too arrogant? To the point that I haven't built good relationships with my seniors and the agency, and thus been excluded from this kind of situation?

"I see."

"I'll leave the Karasuma matter to you and Watanabe, Miss Okitsu," Masamune said with a smile.

“I’ll do my best,” Yuka Okitsu sighed.

That concludes today's morning meeting. Meeting adjourned!

After everyone had gradually left the conference room, Miyamori Aoi walked out in a daze.

In high school, she and four other girls formed a club and produced a very rudimentary animation.

Upon graduation, the five made a pact to work in the animation industry and create an excellent animation together.

Time has passed, and although everyone has come to Tokyo from the countryside, some are already working, some are studying at university, and we often have meals together, we hardly talk about the details of our respective jobs.

My friend Shizuka Sakaki, who aspires to become a popular voice actress and continues to pursue her dream on her voice acting journey, I wonder if she has ever done anything similar?

Could all those terrible rumors about voice actors online be true?

The more she thought about it, the more distressed she became, so Miyamori Aoi simply went directly to Yasuhara Ema.

"Ema, are you free tonight? How about we all have dinner together?"

"It should be fine. Why so suddenly? Did something happen?" Ema Yasuhara asked in a low voice.

"It's nothing serious, it's just... I'm suddenly a little worried about Shizuka."

"What's wrong with Shizuka?"

"It's alright, we can talk about it in detail tonight."

Chapter Eleven: Playing Yourself is the Best Choice

The two-week voice actor training ended quickly, and the dubbing work was about to begin the next day.

The recording location was not in Musashino, but at a cooperating audio company.

Although the recording time was scheduled for 3:30 pm, it's only a little past 1 pm now.

However, wanting to learn about music production, Masamune called on Karasuma Gojo, who provided voice acting for passersby, and planned to go ahead of time.

Incidentally, Kinoshita Seiichi, who was in charge of the company's external business, and Watanabe Hayato, among others, went to the audio equipment company early after their morning meeting.

As I passed by the second-floor corridor, I noticed Miyamori Aoi lingering there, so I stopped and asked:

"What's wrong, Miyamori?"

"Oh my...!" Miyamori Aoi exclaimed in surprise, then quickly came to her senses and apologized, "Sorry, I was lost in thought and didn't notice you."

"It's okay. In fact, I'm the one who should apologize."

Masamune gestured for the others to go first, then said:

"I do have ten minutes of free time. If you encounter any problems, feel free to tell me."

"Um... well, I have a question. If I don't spend any money and rely entirely on my own abilities, is it possible to become a popular voice actor?"

"So that's what you've been worrying about. No wonder you've been so distracted these past few days. To that, I can only say that if you have outstanding abilities, you can stand out even without connections, money, or luck."

"Does it require exceptional ability?"

"Of course. To put it another way, reality is a trash game with the highest difficulty that you can't even load a save file. To beat it, you either have to spend money, have god-level skills, or rely on unparalleled luck."

"What if you don't want to complete the game, but just want to play it a little better?"

"Then spend a little money, or hone your skills a bit, which is what people often call knowledge changing destiny, or have a stroke of luck once or twice."

"I see... Sigh... I suddenly feel like my dreams have been shattered."

Seeing her gloomy expression, Masamune smiled and shook his head:

"Sorry, that's just reality. People who become popular voice actors usually have something special about them."

"Otherwise, even if you get lucky and get a chance to play a supporting or leading role, you will quickly revert to your original state."

Miyamori Aoi sighed softly and muttered unconsciously:

"I suddenly have a new respect for the president who became president at such a young age."

"If you want to admire me, let's wait until the animation achieves results. Right now, I'm relying entirely on my family's support, which is nothing to praise."

Masamune paused, then added with a smile:

"How are you feeling? Are you feeling a little more at ease?"

"Just a little bit. Is the president's voice acting agency really no longer hiring?"

"Well... it's not that we won't recruit at all. If someone has outstanding potential, I'll make an exception."

"Like the Karasuma?"

"That's right, just like Karasuma. Although he's not very popular right now, he's actually quite talented. Given more opportunities, he'll quickly gain momentum. Within two or three years, he'll definitely become a popular voice actor who's inundated with lead roles."

"What makes the president so confident?"

"If I'm wrong, I'll make an animation specifically for him, with him as the lead actor."

That kind of courage!

Miyamori Aoi was extremely shocked. If Karasuma were a woman, she would have thought there was something shady going on.

However, Karasuma is male, and although his face is good-looking, it is still not as good as the president himself.

The fact that he could do this shows that he really thinks highly of Karasuma Gojō.

"Mr. President, may I recommend someone to your voice acting agency?"

"Although she is not very popular at the moment and has not voiced any well-known characters, her ability is really very good and she has great potential."

"She has always insisted on hoping to debut on her own and become a popular voice actress, but I am confident that I can persuade her."

Masamune chuckled, then said:

"Let's talk about it after you've convinced her."

"No, please give me a definite answer. Otherwise, if I convince her to switch jobs, but you don't accept her, I'll be too ashamed to face anyone."

"Alright, I promise you, if she's willing to join Musashino Voice Actors Agency, she'll be on the same terms as Karasuma."

"Please explain in detail so I can persuade her."

"I take on miscellaneous tasks, with a base salary of 200,000 per month. Additional salaries are calculated after I receive a job. The agency takes 30% of the voice-over work, and the agent's commission is also included in this 30%."

"Hmm... How do I find a job?"

"Considering that your friend is a woman, it's not appropriate for her to be the one to handle many things. So, Karasuma and Watanabe, who are working as part-time agents, will handle the negotiations. They will reimburse any expenses incurred. Once she gains popularity and jobs come to her, we will hire a professional agent to assist her."

"Thank you, those are very good terms. If it were me, I probably would have agreed immediately. However, Shizuka is too upright, so I need to persuade her for a while longer."

"It's best to get it done within three months."

"Why?" Miyamori Aoi asked, looking surprised.

"This animation ended in June, and I plan to start producing a new animation in July. The main character may not be suitable, but we can give priority to selecting our own people for the supporting roles."

"I see, I understand, thank you very much!" Miyamori Aoi bowed very earnestly.

Masamune couldn't help but smile, and waved his hand, saying:

"No need to be so formal. You're making me feel a little awkward. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. See you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow, president."

Miyamori Aoi smiled and waved, clearly in a very good mood.

Although it may take a long time to persuade Shizuka, being able to help her is better than anything else.

……

The dubbing set was well-organized. Watanabe Hayato was contacting and coordinating with various parties by phone, while Kinoshita Seiichi was checking the motion graphics that would be used during the dubbing process.

Although the finished animation is not yet complete, the uncolored first draft will be gradually shown on a large screen to enhance the immersion of the voice actors during dubbing.

The audio company employees were busy at their computers, and the sound engineer was doing the final checks.

A work schedule is posted on the door of the dubbing studio.

Noticing Masamune and the other person, Watanabe Hayato, who had just finished his phone call, quickly walked over.

"President, let me introduce you to the person in charge of the audio company. Karasuma, please say hello as well."

"no problem."

When Masamune and Karasuma entered the recording studio, there was still half an hour before the dubbing would begin.

Here, Masamune also met the popular voice actors who voiced the heroine, Aki Adagaki, and Yoshino Koiwai, among others.