Tokyo Sound

"This is also linked to changes in the animation industry. In the past, the time slots for children's programs on TV have given way to various variety shows. Now, apart from the old classics, other works have no chance to occupy the prime time. In the past, voice actors could mostly learn from their predecessors on the set of a production cycle of more than one year, but now it is more of a single quarter cycle. Before the newcomers have learned a few tricks, the animation has been broadcast."

Kashiwa Ippei sighed.

"Anyway, relying on acting alone is too monotonous. Nowadays, everything is about releasing photo albums, selling music CDs, and holding concerts. The environment is like this, the trend is like this, and both agencies and individuals can only adapt to the times."

After listening to the agent's introduction, Yin Ze was quite emotional. "No matter how interesting a job is, once it is put on the table of capital, it is all about helplessness and profit choices."

The two of them sighed in sympathy at the same time.

Everyone stood by the noisy platform, listening to the train called money roaring like a dragon passing by. Some jumped into the carriage when the opportunity arose, while others were crushed into a pulp.

At this time, the half-closed door was gently pushed open, and the visitor said with certainty.

"Although times have changed, as the chosen party, voice actors still need to keep in mind the most important heart."

Wearing a brown shirt and a grey collared sweater, with his hair cut very short, he looks like an ordinary 60-year-old man on the street, but in the recording studio he is the undisputed boss.

The sound director unexpectedly barged in here, looked at the two of them, and spoke in a deep tone.

“If you are lucky enough to meet a character who is as compatible as your own reflection, when the performance, mood and picture merge, a story from another world or dimension will become a reality. That moment is like a miracle, beautiful beyond words.”

Kashiwa Ippei was the first to react and stood up to greet him, "Thank you for your hard work. Is the audition over?"

"There are still some left. Take a break. I just came over to give you a notice." The sound director looked at Yin Ze, "You passed. It seems that you are still making your debut? It's worth commemorating."

"Thank you very much." Yin Ze said immediately.

"It looks like you're going to treat us." Kashiwa Ippei nodded with a smile.

The man subconsciously touched his trouser pocket where his wallet was, and suddenly felt depressed.

"How about Nagasaki-san? How about we have a simple meal together? And you can also help the newcomers solve their problems." Kashiwai Ippei invited the old man.

"You've been bringing this up for the past few days. It's rare to see you so motivated." The sound director curled his lips.

Yin Ze then looked at the music supervisor and the manager who seemed to have a good relationship with each other, hesitated for a long time and said awkwardly, "Kashiwaji-san, did you secretly give me gifts and use your connections... Did you intend to snipe my wallet several days in advance?"

"Hahahaha." The sound director couldn't help laughing when he heard that. "Don't worry, you passed because of your performance, without those little tricks. I also have professional ethics. But your agent and I do know each other, mainly because we deal with each other too much in the workplace. He has been trying to get me out these days, just to help you expand your network."

"A rookie is spending a lot of money to treat a famous sound supervisor to a meal so that he can study. Senior, please satisfy my sincere heart." Kashiwai Ippei quickly followed up the conversation.

"Okay, okay. I miss that restaurant in Harajuku too. Let's go there after we're done with work." The sound director nodded repeatedly.

Without Kashiwa Ippei's push from behind, Yin Ze has already strode forward and expressed his attitude in a reserved and earnest manner, "It is really rude to ask you to take time out of your busy schedule, but I have been fascinated by it for a long time. Please teach me the other side of animation."

"Your performance just now was pretty good, especially the on-the-spot change. I also want to ask you what you were thinking at that time." The sound director smiled and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, newcomer. My name is Nagasaki Yukinu. As you can see, I'm just an ordinary sound effects worker."

Chapter 19: Making the Right Choices and Getting Half the Results

In fact, not ordinary at all.

He has been active in many well-known series, including Dragon Ball, Digimon, One Piece, Detective Conan, Shakugan no Shana, City Hunter, etc., both short masterpieces and long masterpieces.

What shocked Yin Ze the most was...

"You worked in Takaragi Ken's team and participated in the development of the first PlayStation game console?!"

Because I was so excited, the water in the cup spilled out.

"I was transferred to the game department by chance, because Nintendo's FC was very popular at that time, so Sony also wanted to make it. After various twists and turns, I developed it. Although I thought it would be successful at the time, I didn't expect it to create an era." The slightly plump and hair-losing sound director talked about this legendary resume with a smile and seemed to be understating it.

"Why are you so excited when you hear about the PlayStation game console? Takizawa-kun, you're a voice actor, so you're being moved in the wrong area." Kashiwa Ippei was speechless.

"Oh my God, even if I have never protected the smile of my uncle [Kazuo Hirai, former CEO of Sony, whose greatest achievement is making PS4 win the eighth-generation console war], any game practitioner will pay tribute to this development achievement." Yin Ze took a tissue and wiped off the drink that had spilled on the table due to excitement.

"So you're a voice actor..."

This is a small Japanese restaurant in Shinjuku. The restaurant is a boutique and niche restaurant. In order to provide a good dining environment and atmosphere, the restaurant has a small capacity.

The dishes are mainly seafood, fresh scallops, steamed golden eye eagle, and luxurious sashimi platters ranging from light to rich, with shellfish, shrimp, squid, tuna, salmon, and tuna layered and luxurious. The exquisite and rich dishes are crystal clear under the warm lights, like gems.

The small speaker was playing a Japanese-style song, and the shamisen [Note: one of the traditional Japanese musical instruments] was played passionately and aggressively.

The per capita consumption must be a terrifying figure, but after hearing about Supervisor Nagasaki's experience, Yin Ze no longer felt sad. On the contrary, he felt honored to be able to invite such a big shot [Note: big shot refers to an authoritative person] to dinner.

"My dream used to be to be a cartoonist, but I had to give it up because my drawings were so rubbish. At that time, the era belonged to Tezuka. When I was in the second grade of junior high school, I was lucky enough to get his autograph, which I still keep well."

Nagasaki Yukinu picked up the small wine glass and drank it. Yin Ze quickly filled it with expensive sake for him. "That is simply a precious cultural relic! If I have the chance, I really want to see it with my own eyes!"

"Okay, when you come to my house as a guest, I'll show it to you." The easy-going supervisor readily agreed.

"Ahh...bliss! Nagasaki-san, I'll toast you with a drink instead of wine!"

"After watching West Side Story [Note: an American movie adapted from the opera Romeo and Juliet] in the third year of junior high school, my dream became to supervise films. When I was working at horipro, I had the opportunity to participate in the music production of two films, The Old Capital and Getting Married, directed by Chie Yamaguchi [Note: referring to Momoe Yamaguchi, a Japanese national idol who starred in movies such as Blood Ties] and Masako Hayashi [Note: referring to Masako Mori, a famous Japanese enka singer who participated in the Red and White Songs Festival for 13 consecutive years]." Nagasaki Yukinu drank another glass, reminiscing about the past.

"Oh my, they are all beauties who once amazed the Showa era." Yin Ze said with a smile.

"I was still young at that time, and I did fantasize about using my work to spark a romance with a big star!" Nagasaki Yukinu said with a laugh.

"Nagasaki-san is still a mellow, gentle and handsome man! He must still be a pillar of support for many people. Come, have a drink!"

"Hahaha, I'm old and fat. I can't be compared with young people." The sound director toasted again.

"What's the point of that? You still have the hot wind of the Showa era. How can the passing of time erase the ambition and romance of a man? Nagasaki-san, let me fill your glass for you--"

Yin Ze said this and turned to his agent with dissatisfaction.

"Why don't you say anything, Kashiwai-san? If I were under the drinking age, I would have been drinking with Nagasaki-san. Nagasaki-san, please don't mind. He looks gentle and refined, but he won't talk to a bold man of fire like you. Please bear with me!"

"..." Kashiwa Ippei's face turned as pale as the bottom of a pot.

Am I the agent and are you the agent?

"Waiter, bring two more bottles!" Yin Ze shouted.

"Enough, enough." Nagasaki Yukinu was busy waving his hands to refuse.

"Are you worried about my expenses? Don't mind! It's my pride to be able to dine with you. Those two bottles just now were just for you to rinse your mouth." Yin Ze exuded great enthusiasm.

"My wife at home will nag me if she smells so much alcohol that she might not be able to sleep in bed. That's enough." Nagasaki Yukinu moved the cup to the inside of his arm to prevent it from being filled up.

"That's right. But it's hard to return the wine since we've already ordered it. Let Mr. Kashiwa Jing drink it. You drink tea. Try this piece of fresh sashimi. It's just the right size for a bite and melts in your mouth!" Yin Ze asked the waiter to give the wine to the agent.

Kashiwa Ippei's face twitched as he looked at the two bottles of high-proof special liquor in front of him.

"Mr. Nagasaki, please tell us more about the interesting things that happened when you were making the PS game console." Yin Ze was very interested.

"That, I remember..." The old man fell into memories.

"Can you two talk a little bit about voice acting?" Kashiwai Ippei said sinisterly, slamming the table.

"That's true, Takizawa-kun. When you auditioned earlier, although you only read three lines, the changes were quite dramatic."

The sound director picked up a piece of food with chopsticks, leaned back in his seat and said with interest.

"You seemed a little nervous in the first C sentence, but you were still skilled in technique and didn't make any mistakes. You seemed to adapt to the emotions in the second A sentence and handled it better. I asked you to make adjustments at this time. When you recited it again, you deliberately made your voice muddy and strengthened the fascination and determination in your tone. Why did you deliberately make a more low-level and monotonous choice? Generally speaking, don't you try your best to surpass the previous performance?"

"When did Mr. Nagasaki recognize me?" Yin Ze asked first.

"Second time." The sound director nodded.

"So, a more templated performance is more successful?" Kashiwai Ippei was also confused.

"After all, I'm not the protagonist." Yin Ze spread his hands. "As a minor character who doesn't even say ten lines, his role in the play is to help the protagonist pave the way for his appearance and to set off the protagonist. Deliberately using gorgeous tones and complex emotions will add color, but it will be counterproductive. It's better to be conventional so that the protagonist doesn't have to spend more effort when acting."

"That's not right. It's precisely because he's a minor role that he has to express his few lines to the fullest, right?" Kashiwai Ippei said curiously.

"Kashiwai-san, have you ever worked as an artist for a client?"

Yin Ze held up chopsticks to explain his understanding of the experience.

“In fact, most clients and customers don’t understand materials, composition, graphic decomposition, and contrast between cold and warm colors. They don’t care whether the lines are thick or thin, or whether a part is smeared or transitioned… As long as you really satisfy their excitement, you will find that they become particularly tolerant.”

"Just like any song with string music that sounds grand, the audience will most likely say it sounds good," Nagasaki Yukinu added logically.

"When tenants look for a house, what they care about most are the rent and formaldehyde. If the location is right and the price is attractive, they will not be fussy just because the landlord's naughty child painted an elephant on the wall with a colored pen. It is difficult to fully meet customer needs, so it is better to ensure the first need first. If this is exceeded, it won't be that important if the small details are not done well." Yin Ze continued.

"All the other auditioners gave it their all after receiving my instructions, but you did the opposite and thought from the perspective of the team. This cleverness is one of the reasons why you were chosen. Many newcomers do work hard enough, but most of them recite on their own and lack the experience of acting with others. In fact, if the lead actor works too hard, others will also fail if they don't keep up."

Nagasaki Yukinu paused.

"Although voice actors are also actors, animations must be recorded in a few hours, compared to stage actors who rehearse for months. To some extent, this kind of trade-off is more necessary than digging deep into the character, that is, making simple and easy-to-understand acting judgments at the right time. In fact... as long as it reaches the passing line, the audience will accept it."

But then the old man's tone changed.

"But the reason why I remind you that you can't get far by relying on cleverness is that if you stay in the industry for a long time and can only produce superficial and symbolic performances, you will be abandoned because a large number of newcomers will enter the industry again with the same cheap tools, and your shelf life will be over."

He pointed at Kashiwai Ippei again with a serious expression.

"The idol voice actors you guys are managing have paid the price of their age. If it's just for the sake of momentary pleasure, then it doesn't matter. But if it's not, you must really think about it carefully."

“Many people, after entering an agency, think about not getting fired, so they spend all their time with the president, manager, and producer. When they get to the recording studio, they can’t give a better performance, and when they are criticized, they only hate the performance more. This is a cycle of failure.”

Nagasaki Yukinu slowed down his speech and looked at Yin Ze steadily.

"Newcomer, your vocal cords are very resilient, that is, your range is very wide and you are resistant to damage. I have not met many people with such excellent innate conditions. Your voice is gorgeous, but you will immediately and neatly abandon this leading role temperament because you are a supporting role. To make an analogy, you are the type of chameleon. In short, I am very optimistic about your development."

"From now on, Mr. Nagasaki must give more support to this rare rough stone." Kashiwai Ippei said happily.

"As the sound director, I only have the right to recommend. The decision is up to the animation director. If you IM really think highly of him, don't be stingy with your resources. Why ask a lone man like me to do it?" Nagasaki Yukinu smiled. "Fish and shrimp can ride on the huge waves, let alone a falcon like this. If you row him into the sky, he will naturally be able to soar into the sky."

The agent and the sound supervisor clinked their glasses, the sound was clear and crisp.

The dinner lasted for dozens of minutes in such a pleasant atmosphere before it ended.

After sending Mr. Nagasaki to the taxi, Kashiwai Ippei looked at the darkening sky and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Why do you look so relieved because you went to the andrology hospital for a check-up and found out there was no problem at all?" Yin Ze was confused.

"I'm tied to you guys at work, so I'm naturally happy that you got close to full marks in your first battle." Kashiwai Ippei stood with his hands on his hips.

"I work so hard just to get a promotion and a raise. I'm going to the convenience store to buy a meat bun. The ones on the table just now are good, but the portion is too small. Do you want to get a whole one too?" Yin Ze asked.

“I want one too,” the agent replied.

A few minutes later, Yin Ze gnawed one and threw one over.

"what about the taste?"

"Well... it's from a convenience store, so I can eat it."

"What are you talking about? You should say it's delicious now. I can't eat meat buns like this often after I treat my guests." Yin Ze widened his eyes.

"Takizawa-kun, you are so optimistic."

“You can’t survive in this city without optimism!”

"That's right... you said a famous quote."

Chapter 20

Yin Ze took off his white apron and sat on a bench in the kitchen to rest for a while after the meal peak. He looked at his colleague who was pacing back and forth and muttering to himself, feeling a little confused.

"Matsuoka, are you going to be a father? You look so depressed and worried, as if you are worried about the money for milk powder for your newborn child. I see you have been 'patrolling' for quite some time."

"Ah? Did I disturb your rest?" Matsuoka Yoshitsugu said, rubbing his hands.

"That's not the case." Yin Ze shook his head, "I'm just curious."

"Hmm...actually I got my first dubbing job." Matsuoka Yoshitsugu hesitated.

"That's good." Yin Ze said happily, "What role and lines are you going to play? Can you tell me about it?"

"A minor role." Matsuoka Yoshitsugu said embarrassedly, "It was the scene where the clone army escaped, and the lines were just some meaningless roars. And I heard from Kashiwai-san that you won the fierce competition among 9 people and won the appreciation of the sound director. You really deserve it."

"It's no big deal, you can do it too." Yin Ze remained humble.

"Well, we must go all out." Matsuoka Yoshitsugu murmured.

"I always feel so lazy next to you... You even mop the floor tiles the cleanest." Yin Ze was a little embarrassed. "Speaking of what we talked about last time, do you have any other cost-effective part-time job references?"

"In terms of hourly wages, this is already the highest in the area. I know a small bar that's always hiring bartenders. It's not as busy as this one, and they provide meals, but they require bartending skills."

Matsuoka Yoshitsugu thought for a moment and then began to talk.

"In addition, Xinshan Bookstore also needs someone to look after the store. The job content is just to clean and manage the bookshelves. It's very leisurely, and you can find books to read when you have nothing to do. The audio-visual store is the most leisurely, you can watch movies. There is a special nightclub, but it is definitely not suitable for you."

"Why is dance club not suitable for me? So I am so pure and natural in your eyes?" Yin Ze frowned.

"That's mainly for male communication. I'm worried that you won't be able to adapt to the overflowing hormones there..."

"Why did you work there?"

"Well, because I'm not good at dealing with female customers, and girls in nightclubs are relatively more extroverted, I definitely can't do that." Matsuoka Yoshitsugu scratched his head.