I live my life in Tokyo

Chapter 29 Ordinary Success

“My dream is to become a voice actor.”

The young high school girl spoke confidently about her dream in front of the microphone. Despite her parents' opposition, she left her hometown and came to Tokyo alone. While continuing her studies, she worked part-time to earn money for voice actor training classes.

The voice actor industry is similar to that of an actor, but the difficulty of the audition is different.

It is difficult to make a breakthrough in these two industries, and people will fight fiercely for a role as a passerby. But once you have the first pot of gold, the second audition will be easier and you will be more experienced.

Voice actors audition for different voice lines and vocal cord control.

What actors audition for, however, is a person's overall performance, facial voice, character perception, and muscle control.

In general, the difficulty levels vary.

Sakakibara Kaede held the manual of the voice actor training class in her hand, read the requirements and courses one by one, and read the words again at the request of the camera crew.

The filming crew here is following him for outdoor filming, and another filming crew is following Nanami Aoyama in the training class, filming her hard work during training.

Getting started in any industry goes from easy to difficult. Just like some new actors can only master a single character's acting skills, new voice actors can only master one voice - this undoubtedly requires them to spend more time to adapt and expand their acting range and voice.

"Ah... Sorry, Sakakibara-senpai, I kept you waiting."

Nanami Aoyama appeared at the stairs wearing a high school uniform, and it looked like she had run down.

"It didn't take long..."

Sakakibara Kaede closed the introduction booklet, nodded and smiled at Aoyama Nanami, "Junior Aoyama, you lead the way."

Just like the order of tasks arranged by the production team before, the two gathered at the voice actor training class and then went to the next location.

Nanami Aoyama got a chance to audition for a random girl at her workplace. This time, the people auditioning were all new voice actors, so the competition was relatively easy.

This is an opportunity she has fought for herself, so she must hold on to it tightly.

"What kind of role does Qingshan-san want to strive for?"

"She's just a female student with nothing special..." Nanami Aoyama said embarrassedly, as if she had difficulty speaking.

Facing a senior who has rich experience in the industry and is only one year older than her, Nanami Aoyama has nothing but respect in her heart.

“No matter how monotonous the character is, he still has his own characteristics.”

Sakakibara Kaede chuckled and said that he had filmed a lot of passerby roles in the last two periods, especially in the summer period. Most of the time, there was no front face, only a back view and voice.

"Random characters also have attributes," said Sakakibara. "For example, when I play an extra in the sports club, I will exercise until I sweat, and then act out this scene."

"The role I got this time is a passerby girl in the student union. I think she should be quiet and gentle."

Nanami Aoyama and Kaede Sakakibara had surprisingly similar ideas and immediately took the lead in leading the conversation, talking about the attributes of the characters.

"What grade is this passerby girl in?"

"He's in the first year of high school. According to the manuscript given to us, he's one grade younger than the protagonist."

"It should have a bit of vitality, but not too obvious, or it will overshadow the heroine."

While the two were analyzing the characters and the plot, Nanami Aoyama didn't know which anime she was auditioning for. The two could only infer based on the partial manuscript they had and perfect the setting of the passerby character.

The camera crew nodded slightly. After analyzing these paragraphs, they found that they were full of useful information. Mr. Sakakibara was very sincere.

"Ah... this is it."

Nanami Aoyama entered the building with Kaede Sakakibara according to the address on her phone.

There were many girls sitting in the hall outside the studio, all kinds of people.

"These are... the voice actors who came to audition this time." Nanami Aoyama said in a low voice.

"Well, that should be it."

"So many people, competing for one role." Nanami Aoyama bit her lower lip. She had clearly prepared herself mentally before coming here, but so many people looked a little nervous, which made her feel flustered.

To put it bluntly, it’s my first time and I have too many things to worry about.

She was afraid that she would not perform well, that her voice would not meet the requirements, that there would be too many competitors on the scene, and there were things that scared her.

Seeing this scene, Sakakibara Kaede couldn't help but think of her first audition in the true sense.

The shooting of the graduation advertisement was also my first time shooting an advertisement.

That time he got to know many actors in the entertainment industry, and he became friends with some of them.

"Sakakibara-senpai..."

When Nanami Aoyama saw that Kaede Sakakibara, who was wearing a mask, had already occupied a corner of the sofa in a very familiar manner, she couldn't help but complain in a low voice, why did Sakakibara-senpai look so relaxed.

"Relax, the audition is just a test."

As a person who has been through it, Kaede Sakakibara naturally played the role of a guide. This is why the filming crew likes to put him together with others so much, because no matter which group it is, as long as boys are added, it will not feel abrupt.

Sakakibara leaned over the table in the lounge and picked up the chocolate bar subconsciously, but then he remembered that the focus of Nanami Aoyama's audition would be on her voice, and eating chocolate at this time would definitely affect the performance of his voice.

After all, the boy never used his voice as a weapon in the past. Now that he has become a singer, Sakakibara Kaede, who may hold concerts in the future, secretly warned himself that he must develop good habits before singing.

After much thought, I decided to imitate Higuchi Madoka's eating habits. After all, her selling point as an idol is her singing.

Thinking of this, Sakakibara Kaede stood up and left Aoyama Nanami where she was. "Wait here for a moment, I'll be back soon."

I took a mug from the tea room and refilled it with warm water. All actors have this habit - drinking warm water before starting filming. Some scenes require shouting at the top of one's lungs, and only with warm water can one continue. If one's throat is dry, one might end up shouting it to pieces.

Handing the warm water to the bashful Nanami Aoyama, the boy sat down beside her as she whispered her thanks and put a mint candy into his mouth.

"Were you nervous during your first audition, Sakakibara-senpai?"

Nanami Aoyama asked stammeringly.

Sakakibara Kaede pondered for a moment and smiled, "Nervous."

"At that time, I had just become an actor for a short time, and the competition was for the leading role in the commercial. There were many more actors gathered in the lounge at that time than here." Sakakibara recalled with a faint smile on his face, "I was probably the only actor in the venue who had just entered the industry for a few weeks. The others were veteran actors with several years of experience."

"At that time, I felt that there was little chance that I would get the role. Trying with this mindset helped me feel less guilty." The self-deprecating words made Nanami Aoyama smile and shake her head. Indeed, mindset is very important.

He opened his mouth, but didn't know how to use the power of words to help Nanami Aoyama. He was not her, nor was he a voice actor, so any comfort he offered would sound hypocritical.

"Voice actors, like actors, need to get into their roles." After thinking about it, Sakakibara Kaede continued with the same old topic and told Nanami Aoyama the topic he had previously discussed with Chizuru Ichinose.

"After seeing a short sentence, I can imagine the character's personality and way of dealing with things." The boy concluded, "Imagine myself as the character I am playing and put myself into the role. When acting in a play, singing a song, or dubbing a line, you must first move yourself before you can move others."

There was a glittering light in Nanami Aoyama's eyes, and she murmured, "Moving myself, moving others."

"It's just an immature little experience."

Seeing the girl mumbling to herself, Sakakibara Kaede quickly added a sentence. He didn't want Aoyama Nanami to be possessed by this sentence and cause her to fail in this audition.

The boy thought that all he could do now was to remain silent and cheer for Nanami Aoyama in his heart.

"Ah... Senior, I'll be back soon."

As her number was called, Nanami Aoyama forced a smile, stood up and left the table, drinking half of the warm water in the cup.

She had gotten a similar opportunity a year ago, which the girl did not tell Sakakibara Kaede - this was not her first audition, but her second.

In the summer of her second year in high school, she had the same dream and was recommended to audition for the role of a school idol that was popular at the time.

As she stood in front of the recording device, she opened her mouth and found herself without a voice.

The dryness and spasm in her throat made her pinch herself, and after taking a deep breath, she was able to speak normally.

The first audition failed without exception.

Nanami Aoyama walked towards the recording studio. She felt the encouragement from the heart from Sakakibara's words and deeds. If she failed again this time... would her parents continue to support her dream?

The girl shook her head vigorously to drive the chaotic thoughts out of her mind. She took the manuscript, which contained two short sentences.

"Really? I'm already too busy to handle this..."

"Hey, I know. Haha—"

In just two sentences, the image of a lively and outgoing girl comes to life on the page.

Nanami Aoyama suddenly had a sense of déjà vu. She put herself in the position of the passerby girl and looked up at the sky. Why did it look so familiar?

The first sentence was a reproach mixed with a hint of coquettishness, and the second sentence was a strenuous reply to the instructions of a senior.

Seems a bit like myself.

No, maybe Nanami Aoyama is not like this usually. Most of the time in school, she is just an ordinary student. Apart from her good academic performance, she doesn't have any outstanding skills.

But during the time she lived in the Dream Apartment, she felt like she was changing. Living under the same roof with people chasing their dreams, her personality became more cheerful, and she could chat with anyone with a smile.

Unconsciously, she has changed.

Nanami Aoyama bit her lower lip, she opened her mouth slightly, and before she spoke, the corners of her mouth had already naturally curled up.

"what--"

The girl could hardly remember what happened next. She only remembered that she said two sentences with a natural smile on her face, and continued to read two sentences at the supervisor's request, and then left the recording studio with light steps.

She followed the supervisor into another room, asked a few routine questions, wrote down the name of the voice actor training class, and then let her go.

"Sakakibara-senpai!"

Nanami Aoyama waved vigorously at Kaede Sakakibara, who stood up and smiled, "How do you feel?"

"feels good."

The girl let out a "hi" and sat on the sofa. She found that the water in the cup on the table had been cooled by the air conditioner. She quickly stood up to pour water again and also refilled the cup for Sakakibara Kaede.

This busy and hardworking character can also be seen here.

Compared to other new voice actors who seemed uneasy, Nanami Aoyama looked much more relaxed, at least at first glance.

At that time, she kept looking at the screen of her mobile phone to confirm the time, which exposed her inner nervousness.

Half an hour later, when all the voice actors had tried dubbing, the supervisors seemed to have made a decision. They came to the lounge with documents and faced more than fifty girls.

When they saw Sakakibara Kaede and the filming team behind him, they couldn't help but take a second look. The production team had greeted them before, so there was no awkwardness, but rather a welcome. It was also a good gimmick to let the audience see the selection process of voice actors, and their animation production team could also gain a certain amount of popularity.

"Oh, so many... After many rounds of screening, the voice actors for the passerby characters A and B are..."

He didn't keep the audience in suspense and directly revealed the names of the two voice actors.

Nanami Aoyama held her breath and concentrated. When she heard the name of herself, Aoyama, her heart began to pound. There couldn't be another girl with the last name Aoyama in the venue, right? When she heard the name Nanami, the girl's heart was like a joyful yellow oriole, spreading its wings and flying.

For a moment, my eyes were wet.

Sakakibara Kaede was the first to applaud and said with a smile: "Congratulations, Qingshan-san, you're selected!"

The members of the filming crew also smiled with relief. They regarded Nanami Aoyama as a girl next door. Now seeing her taking the first step towards her dream, they all smiled with sympathy.

Nanami Aoyama still looked a little bit unbelievable. She expressed her gratitude to several supervisors in a daze, and the group left the studio and came to the street.

Standing in the sun, her fingers and toes quickly warmed up. The girl wiped a few tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "Sakakibara-senpai, I did it!"

"Congratulations, this is just your first step."

Kaede Sakakibara's smile was as warm and bright as the sun. He felt proud to see that his schoolmate who lived under the same roof had finally taken an important step towards her dream.

"whee."

Nanami Aoyama smiled very happily. She was always reserved when she was outside and seldom showed her true self. But now she felt that the sun was shining, the world was warm, and there was endless energy in her heart, which made her feel that she could do anything.

"The dubbing work will be done next Tuesday. What is the dubbing studio like?"

"Take a few photos and share them in the group chat." Sakakibara Kaede said with a smile.

A group of six people, group name: The middle school students with second syndrome chasing their dreams.

"Ok!"

Nanami Aoyama responded with a bright smile similar to the boy's.

Chapter 30: What to talk about? Work

Boy was he in a good mood this week.

I witnessed with my own eyes that my junior schoolmate who wanted to be a voice actor successfully got her first role, completed Koichiro Yuuki's outsourcing task ahead of schedule, and even played several games with Ken Sano.

The filming went smoothly. More than a month has passed since the reality show started. The six people have gradually mastered each other's living habits and rhythms, and tried not to cause trouble to each other.

Of course, there will be no shortage of tasks every day, and the production team will not give up on pairing up two people and letting them pair up with each other.