thefictionvixens Page 137
Page 137
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she gave a soft "humph" before turning her head away, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily curled upwards.
……
Volume 1: Chapter 135: The Battle of Wits Among Genius Writers in Love, A Battleground (Beginner Level)
Aoyama Nanami felt that her fate had taken a turn for the better.
On Wednesday afternoon, she walked into A-1 Pictures' recording studio with a mix of trepidation and excitement.
She was just there to audition for a nameless "country girl B," but the atmosphere was much more serious than she had imagined.
Outside the recording studio sat several experienced voice actors, each silently reading from their scripts.
When it was her turn, Nanami's palms were sweating with nervousness.
The sound supervisor was a middle-aged man who seemed very strict. He simply had her read a few unimportant, generic lines.
Nanami tried to calm herself down and showcase the results of her countless rehearsals.
Her performance was mediocre, without any major mistakes, but also lacking any highlights.
"Alright, that's enough, next one." The sound supervisor's tone was unreadable.
Nanami bowed and walked out of the recording studio dejectedly.
She knew that she probably had no chance again this time.
However, just as she was about to leave, a staff member called her back.
"Miss Aoyama, please wait a moment."
The staff handed her a new script.
"What is this...?" Nanami looked at him in confusion.
“The sound director and the original author both think your voice has great potential.” The staff member’s words made her incredulous. “They want you to try another role. This is a line from the head maid Anna. You have ten minutes to prepare.”
Head Maid Anna?
That key supporting character who had a significant role in the original work, who appeared weak but was incredibly resilient inside, and who even had a subtle emotional entanglement with the protagonist later on?
Happiness came too suddenly, and Nanami's mind went blank.
She almost trembled as she took the script.
Unbeknownst to her, in the control room separated by a pane of glass, the sound director and animation director Seiichiro Kinoshita were having a quiet conversation.
"Should we really let her try? She's just a newcomer, and Anna is a difficult character to portray."
Director Kinoshita's gaze fell on an email, which contained supplementary comments from Yuto Itsuka.
“We must take the original author’s opinion seriously, so let’s give it a try first,” Director Kinoshita said.
Ten minutes later, Aoyama Nanami stood in front of the microphone again.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
What flashed through my mind was not the words on the script, but the bits and pieces of my journey from Osaka to Tokyo, struggling on my own.
The bitterness of rejection, the nights of hunger, the stubbornness that was not understood by family...
Anna's resilience is a reflection of herself, isn't it?
When she opened her eyes again, her gaze had completely changed.
"Yes, Your Highness, Anna will serve as your sword and shield... without hesitation!"
The simple and sincere vow, in which there was unwavering loyalty, resilience after hardship, and the tenderness unique to a young girl, hidden deep in her heart.
The control room was completely silent.
The sound director and the director of the Kinoshita Hotel exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.
This newcomer... seems to have really brought the character to life.
……
……
Kasumigaoka Utaha has been feeling rather uneasy lately.
The incident began when she overheard Yuto Itsuka making a phone call in the hallway that day.
He spoke very seriously, discussing with the person on the other end of the phone things like "the texture of the voice" and "the soul of the character," and even mentioned a name she had never heard before—"Aoyama Nanami."
With her intelligence, she quickly connected this matter with the voice actor selection for "Farming King".
What concerned her was not Yuto's concern for animation production, but his unusual attention to an unknown newcomer.
During a club activity that day, she casually brought up the topic: "Speaking of which, have the voice actors for 'Farming King' been decided yet? Who will voice the female lead?"
"It's still in the final selection stage," Yuto replied casually while organizing the documents.
"Really?" Shi Yu picked up an original book, covering half of her face, and her voice came from behind her back. "Then do you think it's possible for a complete newcomer with no experience to get an important supporting role?"
Yuto's movements paused for a moment.
He looked up and met Shi Yu's deep eyes, which seemed to see through everything.
"...If you have enough strength, why not?" he replied calmly.
“Strength…” Kasumigaoka Utaha chuckled softly, her laughter carrying a deeper meaning. “I think that sometimes luck and opportunity are more important than strength.”
"Aren't you right, Director Itsuki? You always seem to be very good at creating opportunities for others."
……
……
The final meeting to decide the voice actors for the main characters of "Farming King" was held in a conference room at A-1 Pictures headquarters.
On either side of the long table sat representatives from various parties of the animation production committee, including producer Masato Ando, director Seiichiro Kinoshita, sound director, and Sonoko Machida, representative of Shinazugawa Bunko.
Yuto Itsuka, the original author, sat next to Director Kinoshita.
The meeting proceeded somewhat slowly, but the voice actors for most of the characters were quickly agreed upon, and they were basically voice actors with strength and popularity in the industry.
The controversy focuses on the last two key characters—the female protagonist, Princess Alicia, and the head maid Anna.
"For the role of Princess Alicia, we unanimously recommend Hanazawa-san; her voice and popularity are impeccable," Producer Ando said first.
No one disagrees with this point.
“So, the problem is the role of Anna.” Ando looked at the sound director. “There are three people who auditioned in the end. A is a veteran voice actress with rich experience, B is a strong newcomer in recent years, and C… is that girl named Aoyama Nanami, a complete newcomer.”
The sound supervisor cleared his throat and played three test recordings.
A's performance was technically perfect and impeccable, but it always felt like something was missing.
B's performance was full of energy, but her portrayal of Anna's reserved personality was slightly overly extroverted.
Finally, it was Aoyama Nanami's voice that rang out in the conference room.
"I... just want to protect everything I cherish, and I'm willing to pay any price for it."
The stubbornness and sincerity emanating from her voice silenced everyone present.
"Technically, she is the most inexperienced," the sound supervisor objectively commented, "but her emotional appeal is the strongest. To be honest, it's a difficult choice for me."
“Using newcomers is too risky.” A committee member frowned. “Anna’s role has a lot of screen time later on. If she can’t carry the character, it will affect the quality of the whole production.”
“I agree, it’s safer to use A or B,” another representative chimed in.
Seeing that the wind was about to blow in favor of the "safe" option, Yuto Itsuka, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.
"Everyone."
Everyone's eyes were focused on him.
“I’d like to talk about my understanding of the character Anna,” Yuto said calmly.
"The core charm of Anna's character does not come from her strength, but from her vulnerability."
"She wasn't a born warrior; she was just an ordinary girl from the countryside who was pushed by fate to the side of a princess."
"Her loyalty did not stem from knightly code, but from the most basic heart of protection. Every time she drew her sword, every time she fought, her heart was actually filled with fear and unease."
Yuto's gaze swept over everyone present.
"The first two voice actresses gave excellent performances; they portrayed Anna's strength. But only Ms. Aoyama..." He paused, then said, word by word, "portrayed Anna's bravado."
"The nervousness and naivety in her voice that she couldn't completely hide, the soft accent of her hometown... isn't that exactly what Anna is all about?"
"An ordinary girl who is trying hard to play the role of head maid well, her voice is not playing Anna, she is Anna."
Yuto's words opened up a whole new understanding of this character for everyone.
He didn't argue about the quality of acting, but rather, from a creator's perspective, imbued the character with "naivety" and "imperfection."
The conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Coach Kinoshita looked at Yuto with admiration in his eyes.
He had been somewhat hesitant at first, but now he was completely convinced.
“I agree with Itsuka-sensei’s opinion.” Director Kinoshita broke the silence. “What animation needs is a voice with soul, and I’m willing to take a gamble on this newcomer’s potential.”
Producer Masato Ando pondered for a moment, then finally nodded and made the final decision: "Okay, it's settled then. The voice actress for the head maid Anna will be a newcomer, Nanami Aoyama."
……
"...Really? You mean...I passed? The role of Anna...is mine?"
Inside the rented room, Aoyama Nanami held the phone, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
The agent gave an affirmative answer on the other end of the phone.
Overwhelmed with joy, tears welled up in her eyes without warning.
She covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out loud, but her body trembled violently with emotion.
She succeeded.
She really succeeded!
After hanging up the phone, she grabbed the tiger-shaped pillow next to her, buried her face in it, and finally let out a long-suppressed cry, which turned from a sob into a joyful wail.
She thought of her parents far away in Osaka, the strict teachers at the training center, and every night she worked at the convenience store.
All the hardships and sweat have transformed into the sweetest fruit at this moment.
Unbeknownst to her, somewhere unseen, someone had opened the most crucial door for her.
She felt that her efforts and perseverance had finally paid off.
She wiped away her tears, took out her phone, and solemnly typed a line in the family chat group.
[Dad, Mom, I got a role! It's an important role in a big-budget animated film.]
She could almost see the surprised and awkward expression on her stubborn father's face when he saw the message, the one who had always opposed her dreams.
……
The smooth progress of the animation adaptation filled the club activity room with a joyful atmosphere.
Eriri's drawing skills improved rapidly under Akane Kousaka's grueling training.
Her latest character design draft not only retains the soul of the original work, but also fully meets professional standards in terms of line stability and industrialization, earning unanimous high praise from the production team.
This made her radiate confidence, and even her pigtails stood up higher than usual.
"Hmph, it seems that she-devil isn't entirely without merit after all." She said this while sketching a new concept on her graphics tablet, feigning disdain, but the smile in her eyes was impossible to hide.
As always, Kato Megumi prepared tea and snacks for everyone, quietly sharing in their joy.
For her, seeing her classmates and friends from Wuhe work hard towards a common goal and achieve success is the happiest thing.
However, after the main voice actor list for the "Farming King" anime was officially announced, Kasumigaoka Utaha casually showed the list to everyone in the event room while holding her phone.
"The female lead is Hanazawa-san, she's definitely a big name. Hmm? The voice actress for the head maid Anna is... Aoyama Nanami? I've never heard of that name before."
Eriri leaned over for a look, "Huh? It really is! She's a newcomer, that's amazing, she actually got such an important role."
Her focus was entirely on how amazing the newcomers were.
Kato Megumi blinked and said softly, "To be chosen, one must be a very capable person."