The next day, Kato Yusuke did not call so many people, but just brought Megumi to the recording studio to continue selecting voice actors.
In fact, he originally planned to come alone, but Hui offered to accompany him, so that was it.
If everyone came here on the first day because they wanted to see the voice actors, then after yesterday, the freshness in their hearts had long been wiped out by the repetitive work.
At this point, Kato Yusuke admired Megumi's temperament of being able to sit still.
In fact, if it was for the sake of ease and trouble, he could have left the remaining voice actor candidates to "Cube", but it was a pity that he couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart.
Either don't do some things or do your best.
Especially since this studio is also related to the future of the girls, he cannot condone his laziness in the process and hopes to create a good life for everyone.
Such an idea may be one-sided and materialistic, but money is the basis of all romanticism. If he can't even give bread to those important people, what qualifications does he have to talk about love?
Influenced by his past life experiences, Kato Yusuke's attitude in this regard is quite stubborn.
He is fine by himself, but now so many people have entrusted their lives to him, he must shoulder the responsibility for this.
The audition proceeds in an orderly manner.
Shio Okazaki (Fantasy World),
Robot (Fantasy World),
Mr. and Mrs. Furukawa,
Haruhara Hinata,
Haruhara Meiyi,
Sagara Misae,
Mr. Ibuki,
Yoshino Yusuke,
Okazaki Naoyuki,
Toshio Yukimura,
Hiiragi Katsuhira.
…
Kato Yusuke listened carefully to the dubbing, and from time to time made some requests to the voice actors, or briefly explained the character's personality.
Even though the person he was dubbing today was not the main character, he still did it meticulously. This was not only a responsibility for his own work, but also a respect for the voice actors who came to audition.
It’s lunch break.
He and Megumi found a Japanese restaurant downstairs at "Cube Company" for dinner.
Seeing Hui gently massaging his neck, he tried to persuade him to go back, but the girl just shook her head, smiled tenderly at him, and said, "I'll stay with you."
So Kato Yusuke didn't say anything more.
After the meal, the two returned to "Cube Company" together.
He bought two cans of coffee from the vending machine in the corridor. On the way, he saw many voice actors gnawing bread and reading scripts. It seemed that they had just finished lunch.
The profession of voice actor may seem glamorous, but in fact, the living environment is quite abnormal.
Don't look at those well-known voice actors who frequently hold book signings and concerts, and live like idols, but that's really just an exception.
This industry is somewhat similar to live streaming.
It is always the small group of people at the top who are really popular. Most people can barely make ends meet, and some people can't even afford to eat.
Especially those who are new to the industry often rely on working multiple jobs to pursue their dreams.
If there are no outstanding works to increase their popularity, many people will have difficulty getting ahead throughout their lives, and will end up in despair when their enthusiasm is exhausted.
"It's not easy..."
Kato Yusuke sighed while returning to the control room.
Hearing his casual words, Hui looked up from her phone.
"Huh? Yusuke, what are you talking about?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I just think the voice actors outside are quite good at it. Here, here's your coffee."
"Yeah, thanks. Yusuke, why did you say that suddenly?"
"Is this..."
Yusuke Kato pulled the tab of the can, drank a few sips of coffee, and briefly talked about the living conditions of voice actors.
Hui listened patiently and nodded in understanding, "So that's it... Well, that's really hard work."
"Right? In fact, there are many ways to make money nowadays, such as virtual anchors or YouTubers. There is no need to hang yourself from a tree."
The sound monitor who entered the room happened to hear what he said and smiled and agreed.
"Brother Kato is right. My daughter is a YouTuber, and the advertising income on it is surprisingly large. She recently used the money to buy a new guitar, and she is very happy~"
""Mr. Goto.""
Kato Yusuke and Megumi greeted each other, and the other party greeted him back politely.
"Thank you for your hard work~ You two came back very early. Have you had lunch already?"
"Yes, we have already eaten." Hui nodded slightly and asked, "What about you, Mr. Goto?"
"Haha, thank you for your concern. I ate the lunch that my wife helped prepare." The sound supervisor said happily and sat down at his own table.
"Um~~ Mr. Goto already has a daughter? What a surprise, you look very young."
"Eh~ Is that so? Thank you Kato-san for the compliment. Don't look at me like this, but I'm actually the father of two daughters, right?"
"Hey~~I see. By the way, is Mr. Goto's daughter a YouTuber? It sounds awesome."
"Yeah~ My eldest daughter is a music YouTuber and also plays in a band."
Goto nodded proudly and explained:
"Having said that, she was actually just uploading guitar cover works on the website out of interest at first. When the number of people watching gradually increased, we opened an advertisement for her."
"Wow~ We are indeed a family. Is Mr. Goto's daughter also playing in a band because of your influence?"
"Ahaha, have you noticed it? Yes, yes, my eldest daughter has indeed inherited my musical talent.
By the way, the guitar she used in the beginning was also the one I used when I played in a band, right?"
"……Right?"
Kato Yusuke and Megumi looked at each other and realized at the same time that this sound supervisor was definitely a daughter slave.
"Then, just like Brother Kato said. The current environment in the voice actor industry is indeed not very good. There are also some people who have switched careers to become YouTubers or other professions, but..."
Goto changed his words and said with a smile:
"There are actually many people who are willing to stay for their dreams, and there are many new people entering the industry every year. The so-called voice actors and music are the things that can bring happiness to people."
‘…Another romantic who is willing to die for his dreams and die on the high platform of his ideals.’ Yusuke Kato thought indifferently without making any comments.
The three of them chatted for a while, and the others returned to work one after another and continued to work.
After taking a break at noon, everyone became energetic again.
It took more than an hour to finalize all the voice actors for the supporting roles, and the audition session officially came to an end.
The voice actors who came for the interview left "Cube Company" one after another, and then they went back to wait for notification.
Of course, those who were not chosen need not mention anything more.
Even the selected voice actors will have to wait until "Cube" determines the necessary matters before notifying their office and conveying the follow-up work arrangements.
The voice actors have left, but Yusuke Kato cannot leave yet.
His work is far from over.
Character dubbing is only a part of the game. There are also theme songs, BGM, and sound effects that need to be confirmed.
What we will discuss next is this aspect.
Everyone decided to rest for ten minutes before starting to work.
During this period, Hui suddenly asked about his criteria for selecting voice actors.
It is really curious to say that some voice actors are obviously very good and their voices are very recognizable, but he refuses without mercy, even when facing those well-known voice actors.
Kato Yusuke thought for a moment and then gave an answer.
"Actually, there's nothing special about this. What I mainly value is whether the voice actor can capture the characteristics of the character."
"Characteristics of the character...?"
"For example, what is your impression of the character Haruhara Hinata?"
Hui tilted his head slightly and said with some uncertainty:
"Well... I remember that he is the protagonist's best friend. My impression of him is that he is a bit stupid at times, but very reliable at critical times, right?"
"Well, you're right. So his voice needs to sound stupid, passionate, and a little bit like a bad boy."
"Is this...ah?"
"The same example is the Furukawa couple."
Kato Yusuke continued:
"Although these two characters usually stage all kinds of dumbfounding dramas about chasing their wives because the bread made by their wives tastes bad, they show a mature and steady side when it comes to family matters."
"Therefore, the voice actors dubbing these two characters cannot just focus on being funny, but must master the contrast and balance. This is my judgment standard."
Hui muttered "Hmm--" for a while, then thought thoughtfully and said:
"In that case... Is the character Ibuki Fuuko similar? She has a childish side and a side that runs around asking for help for her sister."
"Well, that's right."
"That's right~ So Yusuke, is this the reason why you arranged the audition for the tongue twister of "Keke" yesterday?"
"Well...well, there is indeed a reason for that, but...don't you find it interesting?"
"Eh?"
Kato Yusuke smiled and said, "I mean, don't you think it's interesting when Fuko imitates a chicken crow? I personally think it's very interesting."
"……that."
Hui tilted his head in confusion for a while, then returned to the right angle and looked at him helplessly.
"...To put it simply, Yusuke, you are just trying to satisfy your own evil taste, right? Isn't this really mean-spirited?"
"Pfft~"
The sound monitor on the side slapped his thigh and laughed.
"Is that really true? To be honest, I've been feeling this way since yesterday. Brother Kato, you look serious, but you're actually a bit boring.
Just like the characters you designed, this is also a kind of contrasting cuteness, right? Hahahahaha."
Kato Yusuke shrugged and refused to argue.
Goto smiled for a while and then expressed a little admiration:
“But then again, this is the first time I have seen such a special group portrait work.
Each character has its own highlights and depth, which is completely different from those works where characters are overused for convenience. It’s amazing.”
He raised a big toe as he spoke, while Kato Yusuke nodded slightly in greeting.
The small talk is over and work begins.
Combined with the original paintings they provided, the sound monitor allowed the sound mixer to demonstrate some commonly used sound effects in the game.
For example, the sound of talking, footsteps, opening and closing doors, and the chirping of sparrows.
There's not much to say in this aspect, they are basically the same, and you can make adjustments later if necessary.
The difficult part is the theme song and interlude.
The mixer played the 42 music demos he had prepared.
Kato Yusuke listened completely and expressed his opinions without expression.
"——I'm sorry, I don't think these tracks are good."
"Uh, not all of them...?"
The sound mixer in front of the console rubbed the back of his head, showing a troubled expression.
The female audio producer in office attire quickly checked the case information, raised her hand to push up her glasses on the bridge of her nose, and raised questions in a neither humble nor overbearing tone.
"I'm sorry, we should have created the work according to the information you provided and closely matched the theme of the work, the character's personality, the scene and other factors.
May I ask what you think is wrong?
Is it the emotion of the music? Style? Rhythm? Melody? Or is it something else that doesn’t work? I hope you can give me some advice.”
She asked questions urgently and quickly, like a barrage of questions, exuding a sense of insistence on her opinion.
No wonder she had such a reaction.
You know, what was just played was a full 42 songs!
Although they are still just some unfinished music demos, they are still the result of a lot of time and effort they spent.
It is naturally unacceptable to be denied by a simple "no".
Feeling that the atmosphere was getting a little tense, the sound supervisor quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.
"Well, don't be so anxious now. If you have any problems, we can talk about it slowly."
He scratched his cheek and looked at Kato Yusuke in embarrassment.
"In short, Brother Kato, can you explain specifically what makes you feel uncomfortable? That way we can better understand your needs."
"It's okay if the music needs to be modified, but if you deny it completely, it's a bit... we can't explain it to our superiors without a legitimate reason. I hope you can understand."
It is completely normal for the work designed by the producer to fail to meet the requirements of the partner.
This kind of thing inherently requires both parties to communicate repeatedly, make constant revisions, and finally work together to complete the work.
In fact, the sound supervisors are not afraid of modifications, but they are afraid of encountering a situation where amateurs are blindly directing.
As the audio production said, if the partner has specific requirements, then anything can be said...
But there are often just some people!
If you ask him what he needs, he won't be able to tell you what Chou Yinmao is, he will just throw it at you -
"I don't know what's wrong, but it just doesn't feel right, so I can't do it."
——There is simply no way to handle a case like this!
It is no exaggeration to say that this kind of cooperation is almost every creator’s nightmare, the kind that makes them want to slap their face with their slippers.
Kato Yusuke calmly watched everyone's reactions, took Megumi's hand that was stiff due to nervousness, and pondered.
To be honest, the music demos made by the "Cube" family are actually quite good. Although they are not amazing, they are still passable.
Both the happy and sad aspects of the song have been taken into consideration, and you can feel that you are doing something seriously rather than just doing an errand.
But--
It just lacks the original flavor.
In other words, those music lacked the emotion that Yusuke Kato was pursuing.