r18novel Page 136
Page 136
Two days later, Machida Sonoko sent the encrypted file package to his email address.
Yuto took a deep breath and opened the folder titled "Candidate List of Voice Actors for 'Farming King'".
He quickly scanned the page, familiar and unfamiliar names flashing before his eyes.
Most of them are either well-known figures in the industry or newcomers with considerable strength.
His fingers scrolled the mouse wheel, but his heart was racing uncontrollably.
Then, his gaze froze.
【Aoyama Seven Seas】
Agency: Comet Studio (Newcomer Division)
Audition clips: General lines A, B, C
It's her.
Yuto clicked on the audition clip.
A clear, slightly nervous girl's voice came through the headphones.
She tried hard to imitate standard Mandarin, but some word endings would still unconsciously take on the soft tone of the Kansai dialect.
The voice was exactly the same as he remembered.
However, the real-life recording sounds more immature and naive than the one in the simulated world, and also... lacks confidence.
He could hear the solid foundation in her skills, as well as the few minor mistakes she made due to nervousness.
This audition, placed among a large number of recordings by professional voice actors, was not outstanding; in fact, it could easily have been eliminated.
Yuto closed her eyes, and the image of her dragging her sick body on stage, shouting her lines with all her might, appeared in her mind in the simulated world.
That burning light of the soul is something that's not in this recording.
What she needs is perhaps just an opportunity, an opportunity that can truly ignite her passion.
Yuto opened the reply email, carefully considering the wording.
He can't recommend it directly; that would be too deliberate and would arouse unnecessary suspicion.
He put Aoyama Nanami's information together with that of another experienced voice actor, and then wrote:
"Regarding the role of head maid Anna, I have two points of view. Option one is to choose voice actress B (who is experienced). Her skills are superb and she can reliably portray the character. This is the safest option."
"Option two, we can consider voice actress C (Nanami Aoyama). Although her audition footage has flaws, her voice has a unique 'simplicity' and 'resilience,' which fits Anna's character perfectly—a commoner who is resilient at heart."
"Her voice tells a story. If she can be given the right guidance, it might create an unexpected chemistry. I suggest giving her a second round of auditions to audition for the character's lines."
He didn't insist, but simply offered a "high-risk, high-reward" alternative, leaving the final decision to the production team.
But he knew that his analysis of the character's core was enough to make professional producers re-examine that unremarkable audition clip.
After finishing all this, Yuto turned off the computer and looked out the window.
He didn't know if his small effort could change the course of fate.
……
Meanwhile, in a small rented room in Tokyo.
Aoyama Nanami was facing the mirror, practicing tongue twisters over and over again.
Beside her lay a somewhat worn tiger-shaped body pillow named "Torajiro".
"No, the pronunciation here is still wrong..." She scratched her ponytail in frustration.
Ever since summer vacation, she has been having a vague dream.
In her dream, she seemed to have become a very talented voice actress, dubbing a hit show and standing on a dazzling stage.
In my dreams, I am confident, composed, and radiant.
What's even stranger is that behind that dream, there always seems to be a blurry, faceless shadow silently helping her, clearing obstacles for her, and creating opportunities for her.
Whenever she woke up from her dream, the harsh reality always made her feel a sense of loss.
She was just a newcomer who had just arrived in Tokyo from Osaka, working part-time at a convenience store while studying at a voice actor training school.
Forget about the main character, even a minor character with a name is out of reach.
"Ding-dong." My phone rang; it was an email from my agent.
Nanami opened it somewhat nervously.
Usually, these emails are notifications of which auditions were rejected.
However, the contents of the email made her eyes widen.
[Subject: Audition Notice for the Anime "I Am the Strongest Farmer in Another World"]
[Ms. Aoyama Nanami: Congratulations! You have passed the initial screening for the minor role 'Village Girl B' in "Farming King". Please come to A-1 Pictures headquarters next Wednesday at 2 PM for the second round of live auditions.]
Village girl B...
Although she was just a minor character without even a name, this was... her first time passing the initial audition for a commercial animation!
And it's that famous "Farming King"!
Overwhelmed with joy, Nanami almost jumped for joy.
She hugged Torajiro tightly in her arms, rubbing her cheek against him.
"Great! Torajiro! I did it! I finally... have a chance!"
After the initial joy, a sense of confusion welled up inside me.
She recalled her audition recording, which clearly contained several mistakes, and should have been eliminated in the first round.
Why was...selected?
It felt like being gently pulled out of the list of those who were rejected by an invisible hand.
This feeling... is like that dream.
She shook her head, dismissing these unrealistic thoughts.
Whatever the reason, an opportunity is an opportunity!
She must seize the opportunity!
In the girl's eyes, the flame of hope was rekindled.
She picked up the script on the table and began a new round of practice, her voice more resolute than ever before.
……
The positive effects of Yuto Itsuka's "Director's Notes" far exceeded his expectations.
It not only successfully reversed public opinion, but also made "Echoes" a significant work in the history of Toyonosaki Academy.
There are even rumors that the school is considering screening it as a model work for new students.
Eriri became a true star of the art club, attracting many younger students who came to her hoping to receive guidance from "Master Eriri," which greatly satisfied her little vanity.
Kasumigaoka Utaha's "Love Metronome" became popular again as a result. Many students who saw the movie rushed to bookstores to see the writing of this genius senior, which led to an emergency reprint of the novel, making the editors of Shinazugawa Bunko extremely happy.
Life seems to be back on track, but for some, new challenges are just beginning.
On Saturday afternoon, Eriri was summoned to a high-end art studio in Shibuya by a phone call.
The owner of the art studio was none other than Akane Akasaka.
This is the private studio of this industry leader, with the walls covered with her sketches from different periods, from her early, naive style to her mid-period, ornate style, and finally to her current return to simplicity. It is a living history of the evolution of Japanese commercial art.
However, Eriri had no interest in sightseeing at all.
She sat upright, and on the drawing board in front of her was a three-view drawing of the female protagonist's character design from "Farming King".
Akane Akane stood behind her, like a stern examiner.
"The lines are too hesitant." Akane Akasaka's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.
“Look at the outline of the arm you drew. There are three unnecessary tremors. You are drawing a living person, not a willow branch swaying in the wind.”
“Animators need stable, clear, and reproducible lines. Your kind of ‘spirited’ drawing style will only result in a hundred different heroines being drawn by a hundred different animators.”
Eriri bit her lip, picked up the eraser, and carefully erased the line.
"And expressions too." Akane Kousaka pointed to a set of expressions next to her.
"Joy, anger, sorrow, happiness... your painting is very expressive, but it's too 'full'."
"Commercial animation needs to leave blank spaces for character expressions, giving voice actors room to perform. What you're doing now is like using the visuals to steal the spotlight from the voice actors."
“Redraw these expressions using the simplest lines, while preserving the essence of the characters.”
"But...wouldn't that mean I'd lose the unique characteristics of my art style?" Eriri couldn't help but retort softly.
This is essentially the same requirement as the previous betting game.
“Special features?” Akane Akasaka chuckled. “Sawamura-kun, you need to understand one thing: you are no longer the doujinshi artist ‘Eri Kashiwagi,’ but the original character designer for the anime ‘Farming King.’”
"Your job is to lay the most solid foundation for an industrial product that costs hundreds of millions of yen, not to display your personal art."
"With that gamble, you only proved that 'soul' and 'skill' can coexist, but you haven't yet learned how to perfectly integrate them and serve a vast industrial system."
She paused, her tone softening slightly: "I'm not asking you to kill your 'soul,' but rather to learn to control it, to make it the sharpest weapon in your hand, not a wild horse that has broken free. Do you understand?"
These words left Eriri speechless.
Looking at her own artwork, she realized for the first time that becoming a true professional artist was a path fraught with thorns.
The next few hours were pure torture for Eriri.
Akane Akasaka's requirements were so detailed that they included the grouping of hair strands, the direction of clothing folds, and even the way shadows were divided into blocks.
Every detail must take into account the convenience of subsequent animation production.
This is a completely new way of thinking, entirely different from her previous creative logic.
When she dragged her tired body out of the studio, it was already dark.
She sat on the tram on her way home, watching the street scenes rushing past the window, her heart filled with frustration and confusion.
As soon as I stepped out of the station, a familiar figure appeared before me.
"Hey, great painter, finished your training?" Itsuka Yuto leaned against a street lamp, carrying a convenience store bag in his hand.
"You... how did you get here?" Eriri asked, somewhat surprised.
“Auntie Lily called me and said you were taken away by the ‘female demon’ for special training, and asked me to come pick you up.” Yuto shook the bag in his hand. “I also brought you some gifts: hot milk and red bean buns.”
Eriri looked at him, and all the grievances and exhaustion she had felt during the day seemed to find an outlet in an instant; her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Yuto was startled by her sudden reaction. "Were you bullied badly?"
"That woman... she's a devil!" Eriri complained, her voice trembling with tears.
"She complained that my lines were shaky, that my expressions were too exaggerated, and that I didn't consider the animators' well-being at all when I drew... In short, she couldn't stand anything I drew! I felt like I had no idea how to draw anymore!"
Yuto listened quietly to her accusations without interrupting.
After she had finished complaining, he handed her the warm milk.
"She's right, isn't she?"
"Huh?" Eriri was stunned.
"What she said—about the standards of animation industrialization, about the stability of lines, about giving voice actors room to perform…—is all correct, right?" Yuto's tone was calm.
Eriri lowered her head and reluctantly hummed in agreement.
"That's fine then." Yuto smiled and reached out to rub her head. "Akane Kousaka isn't denying you; she's teaching you."
"She is using the most rigorous methods to force you to transform 'Kashiwagi Eri's' talent into 'Sawamura Spencer Eriri's' professional skills."
"This path is difficult, but once you walk it, you will no longer be just a genius fan artist."
Looking at the girl's still aggrieved face, he added, "And even if you're so discouraged that you can't draw anymore, it's okay."
"why?"
“Because I will help you find it again.” Yuto’s eyes were serious. “Just like last time, no matter how many times you break down, I will be there for you until you pick up your paintbrush again.”
The warm milk, the gentle words, and the warmth of the hand on her head were like a warm current, instantly dispelling all the gloom in Eriri's heart.