Tokyo Sound

"Time was tight at that time, and besides, there was nothing worthy of being a representative work." Master Yin was ashamed.

"What now?" Risa Taneda asked.

"What a coincidence, I actually have it now." The man then took out his cell phone, retrieved the design drawing from the folder "Yoshida Tomoki's Mission" and handed it over.

"This logo?" Taneda Risa glanced at it and hesitated. "Is it Final Fantasy?"

"As expected of a big company and a heavyweight IP, I can tell it at a glance. Yes, this is the art setting map of Final Fantasy 14: Rebirth." Yin Ze nodded in approval.

"No way?" Taneda Risa was stunned, a little bit unbelievable, "Is it the remake of the 14th generation that made a lot of noise some time ago?"

"Yes, you know?"

"Of course. This is earth-shattering news in the gaming world. In those days, almost all gaming media websites were full of news about that luxurious gamble. Wait, isn't the setting collection not released yet? Where did you get these?"

"What do you mean by got it?" Master Yin was confused. "This is what I drew. I took over the outsourcing of their project team and participated in the production."

Not long ago, Yoshimoto Yoshihiko, the former leader of the 2D art group and art director, officially resigned. At the same time, some core members who had resolved their worries also left with relief.

Although there is no shortage of people in large companies, there are not as many technical experts who can develop subsequent versions of such first-line projects as one might imagine. They even know each other, which makes them scarce. Not to mention those who have all kinds of styles, rich practical experience, and good management and communication skills. They are all veterans of their respective companies and have already established their own strongholds.

Job-hopping is rare in Japan, and some celebrities are too lazy to clock in and out, preferring to be freelance artists. Now that they are stranded outside, there are even fewer talented people looking for jobs.

So if I hadn't been well aware of the pain of artists during version updates, and hadn't blocked Yoshida-kun's devilish whispers and rejected the producer's sugar-coated bullets, I might have been drafted into the workforce by the labor-hungry devil, and had been forced to sit at the team leader's seat, being exploited and forced to work day and night on the 3.0 expansion pack!

Even the time spent going to the toilet was recorded in an Excel spreadsheet. Although it was a special period before, it also gave us a glimpse into the dark side of Yoshida-kun’s personality... Although the pay was good when working there, there was always a sense of horror that I would become a shiny bald head.

Next time, next time for sure.

"seriously."

Risa Taneda murmured to herself, she lowered her head to look at the screen of her mobile phone, and soon fell into a brief silence. She stared at it for a long time and asked softly.

“Can I slide the pictures?”

"Well, whatever you want."

The girl, who had obtained permission, swiped her white fingers across the screen, occasionally zooming in on the drawing to appreciate the details.

"This is a three-view drawing... a draft of the game art?"

"Yes."

"Is that so?" Taneda Risa pursed her lips and whispered, "Is this the standard for commercial use? Accurate and clear, without any blank space or impression. This is the style I don't like very much."

"You should prefer to be more casual, right? Without any constraints, like what your graduation work expresses?" Yin Ze said.

"Well, the most important thing is that this is a level that I may not be able to achieve." Risa Taneda nodded with a complicated tone.

"How will you know if you don't try?" Yin Ze sensed the resignation and unwillingness in the other party's voice.

"There's no need to say that. I have a clear idea of ​​where I stand."

Risa Taneda looked at it carefully for a long time before returning the phone, holding it in both hands in the summer, with only warm coffee in her hands.

"Come to think of it, I stopped studying art and chose voice acting... Compared to those who have dreamed of the performing arts since childhood, I am actually nothing. As expected, if a person escapes, he will have to pay the corresponding price."

"You are the main player now. Many people who have worked hard for a long time have not been able to get this recognition." Yin Ze said.

"...Life is full of surprises." Risa Taneda paused, "I didn't expect to get this job. I really just came here for an ordinary role at first."

"Are you dissatisfied with something?" Yin Ze asked.

"How dare I? It's just that the role is so perfect that it makes me feel incompetent. What should I do if I fail to live up to the expectations of the staff and the audience?" Risa Taneda stroked the smooth body of the can with her fingers.

"You're nervous, come to think of it."

"Of course."

"What now?" the man asked with a smile.

"Of course now... eh?" The girl was slightly startled, and then she realized that her heart had calmed down without her knowing when. It was beating fast when recording, but when she took a break and took the time to read the script, she would unconsciously think of the various reactions after the animation was broadcast.

But after someone led the topic to other places, that slight uneasiness disappeared without a trace.

"Although it's a buy-one-get-one-free coffee, it still works." Yin Ze said with relief.

Risa Taneda looked at the guy next to her again.

I couldn't help but think of the "hero's appearance" that I saw in the park that day.

I couldn't help but shake my head and laugh.

Do you think of me as a child?

What a rare, interesting and kind person.

Chapter 28: Then I leave?

Before we know it, autumn is coming so soon.

Time flies so fast, I'm starting to get used to this place.

"Ms. Zhongtian, have you had lunch?" Yin Ze screwed the cap of the pepper soy sauce soda bottle tightly, and he didn't want to open it again in his lifetime.

"No, not yet." Taneda Risa couldn't help but touch her stomach, "It's mainly because I'm not very hungry yet, so I don't plan to eat."

"It would be nice to have something to eat. I'm going to go to the convenience store downstairs to buy some. What do you want, bread? Rice balls? Or a microwave meal? I'll bring it up." Yin Ze stood up.

"Then why don't we go together?" Taneda Risa said casually, half jokingly, "By the way, I'll return the favor of the hot coffee to you. What do you want? Bread? Rice balls? Or a microwave meal?"

"A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring. Even though this is just a bottle of cheap coffee, it cannot be replaced by a mere piece of bread." The man shook his head.

"Oh, but I haven't drunk it all. If you only count what I drank, two beef buns are more than enough to pay it back." The girl said leisurely.

"Okay! Just two beef buns, that's what you said." Yin Ze clapped his hands and smiled. Just a rough calculation, he made a net profit of 800 yen from this operation.

"..."

The two of them walked towards the elevator together.

Facing the closed elevator door, the two of them looked at each other for some unknown reason.

"Don't worry, I won't compete with you." Yin Ze took the initiative to express his attitude and made a gesture of "please go first".

"It's not like I say some chuuni lines to the elevator every time...!" Risa Taneda was half annoyed.

"Then under what circumstances would you say it?" Yin Ze asked curiously.

"I won't say it under any circumstances." Taneda Risa snorted, "Except when I'm reading lines at work."

"Voice actors are indeed one of the few professions in modern society that can sing the praises of middle school life as they please." Yin Ze nodded, "So in the morning, you were actually practicing the lines for another studio?"

"No, I only have this job as Hyouka at the moment." Taneda Risa said, "I told you, I'm a newcomer."

"Oh? So you just speak out of your feelings? Then do you usually have any settings for your own chuuni lines? Is there a specific background story?" Yin Ze asked like an older brother in the setting bar.

"…Why do you want to know it so clearly?" Risa Taneda glanced at her.

"Because I'm curious." Yin Ze said in a deep voice, clasping his hands on his chest like a girl.

"There's no use being curious. I won't tell you." Risa Taneda remained firm.

"How can you do this?" The man said with some sadness. "Every time Chitanda-san spoke, I would work myself to death to present the 'real' fruit. But now you are ignoring my doubts and turning a blind eye. As expected, no matter how rosy the relationship is, once you tear off the sugar coating, you will find that it is full of the word 'exploitation'!"

“It would be great if Oreki-san could really speak up for himself like you do.” The girl said something irrelevant. “Then the story would definitely be complete.”

"Have you read the original work?" Yin Ze tilted his head.

"I read it, how about you?" Risa Taneda hummed.

"I, I didn't." The man admitted it for once, telling the truth without using his signature panacea quotes to cover it up.

"Come and see it quickly. How can the main actor know nothing? That's so unprofessional." Risa Taneda was dissatisfied.

"No, this is actually understandable." Yin Ze stretched out his hand to explain.

"Why? Simply being lazy?"

"…that only accounts for a very small part. The characters serve the story, and the story also guides the characters. A special character will not remain in only one state throughout the whole story. Growth, lows, sadness, excitement, etc., the image will be different at different times. Admittedly, after reading the original work, although the understanding of the work will be more delicate, it is inevitable to stand in the perspective of God, and it is difficult to see the linear perspective of the character from the beginning to the end, and even no longer be able to empathize with the person involved."

Yin Ze shook his head and stated his understanding in a more serious manner.

"Now, I am with Oreki-kun. We are energy-conscious, and we are a little bit awkward. And like him, I don't know who I will meet, what I will encounter, and what changes will happen to me. Therefore, it is real and vivid. If I knew from the beginning that there would be tragedy and regret ahead, I would not be as free as I am now. I would only secretly think in my heart, 'You have to stand up, Houtarou', and be torn apart."

"That's true." Taneda Risa nodded in approval, but soon emphasized, "But the important thing is that you can also be lazy at the same time, right?"

“This, this is also a sacrifice I have to make in order to synchronize with Oreki-kun.” Yin Ze said with a sigh, “After all, I am a self-disciplined person in society. But now, for this scene, I have turned off my computer, disrupting my daily routine, leaving only silence in my ordinary days.”

"After the animation ends, remember to read the original work." Risa Taneda said firmly.

"This is not okay."

"Why? It's all over, it won't affect you anymore, right?"

"Because." Yin Ze's tone was deep and full of wisdom, and he smiled faintly, "...maybe there will be a second issue."

"——Aaaah, a shy guy won't be favored by girls."

With a long complaint, Taneda Risa opened her small bag, took out a palm-sized book that could be read even on a crowded train, and forced the book into the man's arms.

"I have finished reading it and am forwarding it to you. Remember to read it later."

"This, this is so embarrassing." Master Yin refused verbally, but in fact he was happy and accepted it smoothly.

The two people looked at the elevator door at the same time.

"By the way, why has this elevator taken so long to arrive? It's always stopped at the 4th floor..."

"I don't know. Should I take the stairs?"

"Or, I saw that there is eight-treasure porridge in the vending machine. Do you want to try it?" Yin Ze pointed to the back.

At this moment, the door of the safety passage was pushed open with a creaking sound, attracting the attention of the two people.

Yasuhiro Takemoto appeared breathlessly with plastic bags in both hands. He is a traditional herbivorous middle-aged man. Although he is involved in the art industry and knows design and fashion concepts, his clothes are mainly simple and plain gray tones, his hairstyle is also in a natural state without being groomed, and his behavior is still based on the habits of his student days.

An ordinary talent.

"Supervisor, aren't you back to work in the company?" Yin Ze waved his hand and said curiously.

"No, no, since I'm here today, I might as well stay until you finish your work." Takemoto Yasuhiro said with a smile, "I just went downstairs to buy lunch, and the elevator seemed to be broken. Mr. Nagasaki is almost 60 after all, and climbing stairs is too tiring, so I bought it for him."

"That's right."

"Have you not eaten yet?"

"Not yet. I was just about to go downstairs."

"Then don't waste any more time. I bought too much this time. Please help me finish it all." Yasuhiro Takemoto smiled sincerely.

The beef buns were obtained in such a wonderful way.

The three of them opened the plastic bags and began to share this simple but filling lunch. The rest area in the corridor suddenly became lively.

"You're so busy. It seems like you're drawing in all your free time." When Yin Ze saw Takemoto Yasuhiro sitting down, he immediately took out his picture book and started drawing while eating.

"Because there are a lot of scraps, and it's not so much about producing drawings as it is about producing ideas." The supervisor said mellowly, "But humans are fickle creatures. Sometimes there are too many ideas, and it takes hours just to screen them. There is simply not enough time."

The man nodded, lowered his head to bite the meat bun, and his eyes inevitably fell on the white paper of the picture book.

Yasuhiro Takemoto.

This supervisor gave me a very different feeling.

The fact that there are not many familiar animation directors is naturally one reason, but more importantly, judging from his works alone, Yasuhiro Takemoto's ability is indeed outstanding.

Storyboards are very thoughtful things, as long as the meaning is there. In fact, on so many sets, most of what men see on the screen is very sloppy.

But Takemoto Yasuhiro's is very clear. The strokes are simple and few in number, but very clear.

The most irreplaceable thing about painting compared to the technological invention of the camera is that it can do subtraction and mobilize everyone's imagination to complete the imagery.

In summary, it is a skill that requires time to cultivate, which is very representative of Director Takemoto's painting skills. I'm afraid his career experience is quite stable. He started as an animator who was only responsible for the middle frame of the original painting, and gradually reached his current level.

Of course, a top artist may not necessarily be an excellent director, but it is rare to find someone with such a solid foundation.

Thanks to this highly completed draft, Master Yin was able to roughly imagine the finished product just by looking at the crude images of the dubbing process.

The characters under Takemoto Yasuhiro are very vivid and full of vitality. The narrative rhythm is stable, and the atmosphere and theme of the whole play are under strong control, which is a rare control. I heard that he was also deeply involved in the scriptwriting. I think it should be due to this habit of controlling the overall situation.

In the eyes of a master of lens language, the world is different from that of ordinary people.

Art is this kind of thing. In the shadow of an optimal solution to a problem, there is always a better solution. You should understand those wild ideas the moment you see them, but before you see them, your imagination will be exhausted and you will not be able to touch the corner of the inspiration.

It is a precious product of the fusion of aesthetic accumulation and personal characteristics.