Anime Production, Starting with Healing the Audience

Fang Zheng's words made Duan Shuiqing even more confused. Didn't "not suitable" mean being eliminated?

Seeing that Duan Shuiqing still didn't understand, Fang Zheng sighed and said, "Esdeath is just one of the roles being auditioned for today, not all of them. Your voice doesn't suit Esdeath, but it's a perfect fit for another character."

As he spoke, Fang Zheng picked up another script from the side and said, "Take a look at this one."

Duan Shuiqing's expression brightened upon hearing Fang Zheng's words, and she quickly stepped forward to take the script he handed over.

[Mine, assassin of Night Raid, has a tsundere personality, but is extremely straightforward and honest on the inside. She has a very cute voice. She appears indifferent to her companions, but deeply values them. She possesses the demeanor of a noble young lady.]

This was Mine's character setting. After reading it, Duan Shuiqing felt as if a voice in her mind told her that this character was tailor-made for her.

Meanwhile, to help Duan Shuiqing better understand Mine's character, Fang Zheng took out the original drawing of Mine that he had created and handed it to her.

Long pink hair tied into twin tails, pink eyes, a pink dress. It was clear that this petite and cute girl seemed to really like the color pink.

Pink perfectly matched the girl's innocent, girlish heart. Mine was the same. This was Duan Shuiqing's most direct feeling after reading it.

"How is it? Do you feel it?" Fang Zheng asked Duan Shuiqing with a smile. When she had auditioned earlier, the moment she opened her mouth, Fang Zheng felt that her voice was practically made for Mine. Their compatibility was almost perfect.

"Please, Chairman Fang, let me try it!"

Duan Shuiqing was too excited to control herself. From the first moment she saw Mine, she fell in love with the character. Although she wasn't as devoted as Yang Li, she was close.

"Chairman Fang, what does this 'tsundere' mean?"

Duan Shuiqing walked back and forth with the script, trying to experience the feeling and capture the spark of inspiration in her mind.

But she felt something was missing. Finally, her gaze landed on the word 'tsundere' in Mine's setting.

A woman's terrifying intuition told her that the problem lay here.

The word "tsundere" had become widely known, and anime was largely responsible for it. However, anime had just begun to emerge in this world, and people didn't have the concept of "tsundere" yet.

Duan Shuiqing was the same. She could understand the two characters separately, but when combined, she felt it was difficult to grasp that feeling.

"Good question!"

Fang Zheng nodded with a smile. He knew Duan Shuiqing would ask this question. Asking it meant she was truly experiencing Mine's feelings and trying her best to immerse herself in the character.

Fang Zheng pondered for a moment and then said to Duan Shuiqing, "Tsundere, in my opinion, is a type of anime attribute. For example, you really like someone and enjoy spending time with them."

Duan Shuiqing and everyone else listened very attentively, as they also wanted to know what "tsundere" represented.

"But to hide your shyness and timidity, you often speak to the person you like in a very proud, assertive, or even sharp tone. This kind of inconsistent personality is tsundere."

After hearing Fang Zheng's explanation, Duan Shuiqing closed her eyes and carefully considered his definition of "tsundere," thinking about what kind of tone she could use to express this "tsundere" feeling.

Seeing Duan Shuiqing like this, no one urged her. Everyone knew she was thinking.

After a long while, Duan Shuiqing opened her eyes, greeted Fang Zheng, and hurried into the recording studio.

Fang Zheng immediately turned on the recording equipment, looking at Duan Shuiqing in the studio with hopeful eyes.

Perhaps success or failure was just a matter of a moment's inspiration, and Duan Shuiqing's eager expression clearly indicated she had seized that moment of inspiration and wanted to express it.

"Still the same, so pathetic~"

"No matter the path, I will only stick to my own way!"

"Only I can save myself!"

"..."

In the first part of the lines, Duan Shuiqing perfectly embodied Fang Zheng's impression of Mine's tsundere personality. It was simply a flawless performance.

"Clap~! Clap~! Clap~!"

Fang Zheng couldn't help but applaud. He looked at Duan Shuiqing as she walked out of the recording studio and nodded with great satisfaction, saying, "The voice acting role for Mine is yours. If you're willing, we can sign the contract now."

"Really, Chairman Fang?!"

"I passed?!"

Duan Shuiqing was so excited she almost jumped. She looked at Fang Zheng in disbelief, her mind a jumble, not even knowing what she was saying, only knowing that she was incredibly happy right now.

"Shuiqing, congratulations~" As the head of the voice acting department, Yang Li was the first to congratulate Duan Shuiqing. The others also gave Duan Shuiqing a warm round of applause for passing.

"Thank you, thank you everyone~"

"Thank you, Chairman Fang, for giving me this opportunity!"

Duan Shuiqing was overwhelmed with emotion. Just moments ago, she thought she had been eliminated and had been wondering if she was destined to be unsuitable for this line of work.

But in the next moment, things took a turn, and Fang Zheng gave her a huge surprise.

"Alright, alright, we'll celebrate later. For now, let's get this contract signed~"

Zhang Siyu walked over from the side, holding a newly printed contract. It clearly stated the responsibilities and obligations of both parties, as well as their compensation and benefits.

Duan Shuiqing took the contract, quickly glanced through it, and then signed her name.

Her previous job wasn't particularly glamorous anyway, and signing with ACG Culture Company felt like a step up to heaven.

Moreover, she would be a voice actor under Fang Zheng, who was popular across the internet, and would be dubbing for the highly anticipated Akame ga Kill!. This job was more than perfect.

"Welcome aboard~"

Fang Zheng briefly shook hands with Duan Shuiqing, and she officially joined his company.

The others couldn't help but envy them; they were really coveting this job.

"These are Mine's next lines. Familiarize yourself with the plot marked above and find the right feel."

Fang Zheng handed Mine's next lines to Duan Shuiqing, telling her to familiarize herself with the plot first. This was because Mine's ending was quite tragic, and the emotional delivery for the voice acting would naturally need to change.

It was precisely for this reason that Fang Zheng had specifically added plot explanations to the script.

Taking the script, Duan Shuiqing read it for a while, then cast a strange glance at Fang Zheng, who was busy auditioning other characters. Her expression was a little blank.

"Do you find it absurd?"

Yang Li walked over to Duan Shuiqing. She knew exactly why Duan Shuiqing was making that face.

She had the exact same reaction when she first learned that Shiru's ending was death.

"Sister Yang, if I remember correctly, this anime... President Fang promoted it as a super exciting battle anime, right~"

Duan Shuiqing looked at the plot explanation on the script, her mind a complete mess.

Where was the excitement? Where was the passion?

Why could she only see heartache and despair? Was it her perception?

Duan Shuiqing felt her worldview crumbling, completely falling apart.

"You'll get used to it. Someone is just walking further and further down the path of self-destruction."

Yang Li turned to look at Fang Zheng, who was sitting by the recording equipment, a strange smile on her lips.

"Before Akame ga Kill! airs, you can act all high and mighty here. Once it airs, I'll see how you turn into a rat scurrying during the holidays."

Those viewers weren't Fang Zheng's employees. They wouldn't hold back for this or that. When they understood the true meaning behind Akame ga Kill!, the scene would probably be no different from the apocalypse.

"Gulp~" Duan Shuiqing looked at the busy Fang Zheng, then turned to Yang Li with a suspicious look. "Sister Yang, should we remind President Fang to buy some personal accident insurance in advance?"

Although she couldn't quite accept Mine's ending, the kind-hearted Duan Shuiqing couldn't bear to see Fang Zheng go down this path to the very end.

What if Fang Zheng was really attacked by angry fans? Then her newly acquired job would be gone, and she'd be unemployed again!

Thinking of this, Duan Shuiqing clenched her fists as she looked at Fang Zheng's back.

"I must remind President Fang to buy insurance, preferably with me as the beneficiary!"

Duan Shuiqing could already imagine how the fans, who had been eagerly awaiting Akame ga Kill!, would react with a resounding "WTF?!" after it aired. Riots might even be possible~

In such a situation, an insurance policy would be most valuable!

Achoo!

On the other side, Fang Zheng rubbed his nose and looked around suspiciously. Seeing no one giving him any ill-intentioned looks, he appeared puzzled.

"Did I catch a cold?"

The audition process wasn't long. Generally, a few lines were enough for each person. Because Fang Zheng was intimately familiar with every character, he knew if a voice was suitable the moment they opened their mouths.

He had to admit, Yang Li's classmates gave him a very impressive feeling. They were truly professionals, their grasp of voice far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Some of them could even change their vocal range like him. Although not as versatile as him, it was still quite astonishing.

However, by the end of the auditions, they still hadn't found a suitable voice actor for Esdeath. Yang Li's classmates had all tried, but none of them matched Fang Zheng's vision for Esdeath.

"Queen... Queen..."

Fang Zheng sat in the recording booth, holding Esdeath's script, muttering to himself.

Seeing this situation, everyone politely refrained from disturbing him.

"President Fang, about the promotional posters I asked you to draw earlier, how are they coming along?"

At this moment, Zhang Siyu, who had left after signing the contract, walked back in. She approached Fang Zheng, who was sitting on the sofa, and asked.

"Posters? What posters?"

Fang Zheng was stunned. He looked up at Zhang Siyu, blinking, not understanding what she was talking about.

"President Fang, did you not read a single word of the promotional plan I sent you the day before yesterday?"

Hearing Fang Zheng's words, Zhang Siyu's originally bright and cheerful face instantly changed, shifting from sunny to cloudy.

Fang Zheng looked at her darkening expression and thought back carefully. He suddenly remembered Zhang Siyu calling him that night, saying she had prepared a promotional plan and asking him to look at it. If he had no objections, they would proceed with the promotion according to the plan.

Because Fang Zheng had been inactive for a long time, the online buzz surrounding the anime had somewhat diminished. Zhang Siyu wanted to reignite the topic and build anticipation for Akame ga Kill!'s release.

But judging by the current situation, it seemed Fang Zheng had completely forgotten about it.

Zhang Siyu gritted her teeth. If she could, she really wished she could pry open Fang Zheng's head and see what was inside. Was it all just mush??!