Anime rating game

"Now you can imagine how much free time I have, right?"

“On your school days, I practically just sit here waiting to get off work.”

“I can get you a lot of performance opportunities, but almost every one of them requires vetting. With your current level, even if you went, you'd only be disappointed. Sigh…”

"I'm sorry, we'll practice singing more." Hongxia couldn't help but bow her head and apologize.

"Let's go, I'll take you to STARRY."

As he stood up, Matsumoto Chisato chuckled to himself.

These four girls are talented, but perhaps because their opportunities came too easily and they haven't experienced any setbacks, they haven't worked hard enough.

It's not that they're too lazy; after all, they practice singing every day and are quite dedicated.

However, compared to their goals, their efforts are far from enough.

We must find an opportunity to provoke them again.

Chapter 248 A generous reward will surely bring forth brave men

With the established practice of producing three anime series simultaneously each quarter, newcomers have gradually grown up, the number of errors in drawing and other tasks has decreased, teamwork is well-organized, and Musashino's production speed and quality are improving day by day.

That day, during the morning meeting, after hearing about the progress of the three animations, Masamune discovered that the time was more than a week ahead of schedule.

Clannad is expected to air in April next year, so we'll ignore that for now. The other two anime series, barring any unforeseen circumstances, will be completed by December 21st.

Therefore, considering that there was plenty of time, Masamune had a sudden inspiration and, after all the work for the day was arranged, proposed:

"How about we hold an animation music and dance concert this year?"

"Why……?"

Amidst a wave of surprise, Okitsu Yukayo and the others asked:

"What kind of music and dance performance is the president talking about?"

"Let me think about it..."

Masamune reviewed his thoughts in his mind and slowly began to speak:

"Our company has already produced quite a few animations, right? We invite the male and female protagonists or voice actors related to the animations to sing and dance on stage."

"Each anime is limited to one or two songs. In addition to the opening and ending themes, you can also choose insert songs or songs by characters who do not appear in the anime. You can even sing your own new songs."

"Three-quarters of the tickets will be sold to the public, and one-quarter will be given away online as a way to give back to our fans."

"As for the location, let's set it up at Tokyo Dome. Renting it for a day shouldn't cost too much."

"At the same time, we can collaborate with the TV station and publicly name it the 2015 Year-End Animation Gala."

"In addition to the animations produced by our company, other well-known animation companies can also be invited to participate in the event together, which will make it even more lively."

Yuka Okitsu quickly weighed the pros and cons in her mind, as well as the expenses and benefits, and pondered:

"Our Musashino Animation is very popular and has a very loyal fanbase. With the ticket sales plus some light merchandise sold on the day, we should be able to make a profit."

"However, isn't putting it inside the giant dome a bit too much? The martial arts hall is enough."

“No, we’ll choose the Dome.” Masamune shook his head with a smile. “The Budokan can only accommodate a small number of people, and the scale is not big enough. It’s too small-scale.”

“There are some risks involved.” Yuka Okitsu hesitated for a moment. “If the venue isn’t full, there will be many empty seats after the show starts, which could have a negative impact.”

"Don't worry, I'm quite confident about it. As long as we do a good job of promotion, the number of viewers will definitely be high."

"In that case, I'll discuss it with the finance and accounting department later to see how much it will cost."

Seeing that the two had finalized the matter in just a few words, Watanabe Hayato couldn't help but interject:

"President, Ms. Okitsu only considered the financial aspects, but if we really want to hold such a large-scale song and dance party, we should ask the government to take the lead."

"Furthermore, has the president made the necessary mental preparations?"

"What?" Masamune asked instinctively.

"Be prepared to be called arrogant and ignorant."

"Hmm... I can understand being called a nouveau riche, but what's with the arrogance?"

"President, the fact that Musashino is leading the organization of such a large-scale gala means that we are determined to fully establish ourselves as the number one in the industry."

"Isn't that true?"

Watanabe Hayato paused for a moment, then burst into laughter:

"Since the president has made his decision, I will see it through to the end."

Masamune was speechless, then smiled and said:

"Since none of you object, then it's decided. This is the first edition, and if Musashino develops smoothly, we'll hold the second edition next year."

"Watanabe, you are in full charge of this matter."

"Yes, President!" Watanabe Hayato rubbed his hands together, eager to try his hand at the task.

Despite saying so much, he was actually really looking forward to it.

There are actually quite a few song and dance parties featuring many voice actors, but they are usually on a smaller scale.

Since their own company is going to hold the event and plans to rent the Tokyo Dome, the bigger the event, the better.

We can send invitations to all agencies in the industry, inviting voice actors from every popular anime to audition, and then select the best ones.

If this gala is a success, Musashino's reputation as the best in the industry will be firmly established, and anime fans will also view it through a fan lens.

Even if the Musashino anime doesn't perform well in the future, the audience will help make excuses for it.

"President, if our company takes the lead, won't the audience think that Shirobako Anime is too fake? After all, we keep complaining about being poor in the anime." Kinoshita Seiichi couldn't help but ask.

"Where is it fake? Art originates from life but transcends it, so it can't possibly be exactly the same as reality. Besides, didn't the animation say at the beginning that this story is entirely fictional and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental?"

"President, the eyes of the masses are not blind."

"Then blindfold them."

How do you guess?

"Use strong sunlight to blind the audience."

"President, are you trying to use an outstanding performance to make the audience overlook other details? But that's the Tokyo Dome. Voice actors basically have no experience performing in a place like that. Will they be able to perform well on stage?"

This is true.

Masamune fell into deep thought; after all, people with strong hearts are still a minority.

Voice acting is, after all, a behind-the-scenes profession. Many people can sing and dance, but almost all of them do it part-time, and they are no match for professional singers.

Just like the annual Red and White Song Festival, it's almost entirely composed of professional singers.

"On the one hand, we will ensure quality during the review stage, focusing solely on the quality of the singing, rather than the popularity of the animation."

"On the other hand, we have the selected voice actors wear clothes from the anime, which is cosplay, to make up for the lack of vocal talent with visual appeal."

At this point, Masamune realized that this was still not enough.

When a part-time voice actor meets a professional singer, the difference in skill is immediately apparent.

At the end of the year, your own party will inevitably be compared with the Red and White Song Festival, and you could easily humiliate yourself if you're not careful.

This is a deficiency in singing skills; the raw talent is insufficient, and no amount of external tricks will help.

"In that case, we should make it clear to all those who wish to sign up for the performance that after signing up, they will undergo 20 days of intensive singing training."

"The semi-closed special training meant that, apart from going to do voice acting, we had to stay in the training camp to practice singing."

"There's still more than a month until the end of the year, so there should be plenty of time."

Since it's a song and dance party, the voice actors who dare to sign up must all be part-time singers; pure voice actors probably won't come.

First, select the best voice actors and singers, and then give them 20 days of special training, which should make up for some of their shortcomings in singing skills.

The rest can only be supplemented by external factors.

"President, this should significantly reduce the number of people signing up," Watanabe Hayato said as he thought. "However, the overall quality of the party will definitely improve."

"If you pay enough for the performances, you won't have to worry about not having any comers. With a generous reward, there will surely be brave men."

"Understood. I will prepare a detailed plan immediately after the meeting."

"We need to invite more professional musicians to provide guidance and ensure the quality of the gala. It's certain that it can't compare to the Red and White Song Festival, but it can't be too far behind."

“That’s what I think too,” Watanabe Hayato said with a smile. “As the first-ever large-scale animation song and dance gala, the bigger the scale and the higher the quality, the better.”

"That's right, let's go all out!"

Chapter 249 Actually, I'm tone-deaf

"What's this!"

Soubu High School, Student Council Room.

Looking at the latest news on the Musashino Animation website, Mii Haba couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Finding that everyone in the room was looking at him, he felt a little embarrassed and couldn't help but explain:

"I saw on the official website that Musashino will be holding an anime song and dance party this year, which sounds quite interesting."

She has not been able to adapt well since the student council and the service department merged.

Together, there are a dozen or so people.

Half of them were unrelated; their names and faces didn't match up.

To be honest, ever since she moved into the student council room the day before yesterday, she has felt like she and the others were guests who came to help, and didn't really feel like student council members.

However, perhaps due to the large number of people, the work was processed very quickly.

After finishing their student council work, they would sit together with a dozen or so people, reading, playing on their phones, or chatting.

"Let me see..."

Iroha Isshiki leaned behind her, glanced curiously at the screen, and then smiled at Hachiman Hikigaya:

"Senior, don't you have any inside information?"