Bottom-tier voice actress wants to become a big star on VTuber.

Volume 1: Chapter 68 Beware of Yagi Yui

Shimizu Toru had also wanted to have some fun, but she couldn't beat the two karaoke enthusiasts, so she had to sheepishly go back to her bedroom to do a collaborative session.

Previously, when I asked Jiang to contact Youxing to get a business license, they replied that they needed to check his influence first. They can't just give a business license to anyone who asks for one, right?

So Shimizu Toru planned to first work with the ten people in Group 19 over three days, and then organize a Mahjong Soul Cup.

The organizer of the Mahjong Soul Cup was naturally handed over to Honorary Rainbow Man Tenkaiji.

The character's name was originally Kaiji Ito, the protagonist of the manga/anime series "Gambling Apocalypse," but he changed it after receiving a copyright warning.

If not him, who else should we entrust with the task of planning a mahjong-themed campaign?

The time is tentatively set for a week later, because some people have never played mahjong before, and they need to be familiarized with the rules and gameplay first.

The people playing mahjong with me today are the awful woman, Gunmichi Mirei, the onsen ryokan owner, Onomachi Haruka, and Rize, who has just debuted.

The other two need no introduction. Haruka Onomachi was once famous at Tokyo University for her crazy behavior towards Klee, and she is also a professional in the Math Olympiad.

These three were all heavily addicted to Genshin Impact for a period of time after its public beta launch. Hopefully, they won't be too surprised when they hear Kaedehara Manyo's voice.

"How about we start with a self-introduction? In the order of our debut?" Shimizu Todoro had already booked a room for friends before the broadcast to prevent viewers from randomly entering.

"Good evening~ I'm Gundo Meiling, who just learned how to play mahjong. My goal today is to win a game and then discard fewer tiles."

"Hello everyone, good evening. I'm Haruka Onomachi, who was so excited about receiving the collaboration invitation that I've been sitting on my toes all day. Huh? Am I really not dreaming?"

Shimizu tilted her head, a little suspicious that she was just doing it for the sake of the show: "Seriously? Onomachi-senpai likes me a lot?"

It's quite common for someone's favorite person to be a colleague in the company. For example, Lize is a big fan of Tsukino Mito, and the lovable but clueless Furen is also a gachi (a person who is obsessed with the Inu-Ou bed).

It's quite incredible that he's gained fans within the company in less than a month since his debut.

"Ah—yes, yes, I love her voice and her singing!"

Upon hearing this, Lizhe thought to herself, "And you haven't met him in real life, otherwise wouldn't you have definitely fallen for him?"

"Alright~ So for today's live stream, we'll be bringing you a new game – Mahjong Soul!"

"Hey!! Wait a minute, I haven't introduced myself yet!!"

Having been skipped, Lise quickly used her skill, High-Speed ​​Divine Word: "I am the second princess of Heluesta, Lise Heluesta! Please take care of me, seniors!"

"Yoru Shiku~ Lizawa must be a newbie too, right? But she's already spent money to pull for characters?"

Watching the preparations for her friend's room, and seeing Mikami Chiori, who was using the name Lizard, Shimizu Toru was very worried about the future of the He Kingdom's treasury.

"Isn't Yuzuru-senpai also a pay-to-win character? Ichihime, who's with Gunmichi-san and the others, is the free starting character, right?"

“It’s different; this one gives me a boost in luck.”

After all, she was the famous and timid Yagi Yui. No one knew how many people would be killed after she confessed everything.

As it turns out, metaphysics does work. Clear water comes up with a hand that's only three cards short of a perfect winning hand.

"By the way, did you see the newlyweds' first post today? What are your impressions of them?"

That's right, the three deer have only been around for ten days, and Nijisanji has already released a new card.

They are, as mentioned before, Mikasa Saegusa, who formed the delinquent group with Tokuryu, Kenjiro, and others, and Aizono Aimi, who will be monetized within a week of her debut.

If it weren't for Shimizu Tomo's presence in this timeline, the record for the fastest monetization would have been broken by Aiyuan Aimei.

As for Batgirl, she exposed the 774 management, power abuse, and attempted sexual assault on Twitter yesterday, and announced her retirement.

However, due to time constraints, it's clear that they won't be able to debut today. No matter how poorly made Nijisanji's costumes are, they can't possibly be completed in just one day.

It's highly likely that she'll debut at the end of the month, on the 29th, alongside Ruru Suzuhara, a student from the American University of Arts, and Mahiro Yukishiro, who has had a series of mishaps during her debut.

She was still on Line today, asking about the design of the new Qingshui Tou suit. Using the previous design was definitely not an option; at most, she could sing an attack song as a code after the broadcast.

Considering that she was reincarnated twice, once as the white cat Aria and once as the pink cat Miyako, it's clear that she had a special fondness for being a catgirl.

So they suggested she go all out and debut under the name Nekomiya Cocoa, with a pink cat costume.

"It feels so strange. I've only been in the industry for a short time, yet I've already become a senior so quickly. Did Yuzuru-senpai have the same thought when he first met us?"

"Almost there—bang! One tile!"

"Showing off your side profile so early? Doesn't Tou-kun plan to become a big star?"

Compared to the other two, Gundo Mirei has obviously played mahjong in real life, given her age advantage.

In the rules of Japanese Riichi Mahjong, once you declare Riichi (or declare Riichi) after eating, ponging, or konging a tile discarded by another player, you cannot declare Riichi again.

That is, if you put the white scoring stick in the middle, you can get an extra point after winning the hand, but you can't get another point by self-drawing in front of the player, so you lose three points inside and out.

"Hmm, my hand isn't very good. I can only break the ones and nines." Looking at his already ready hand of pure suit, Shimizu Toru said in a way that was sure to deceive people.

"Duan Yao Jiu" means that there are no three colors of 1 and 9 in the hand or the called tiles, and no character tiles such as the three dragons and four winds. All of them are composed of 2 to 8.

"For beginners, it's indeed easier to win with a hand without tiles of the same suit, but what about three of the same suit? Hey? Lizé, why aren't you drawing any tiles?"

After saying it, Gundo Mei-ling finally realized what was happening: "Wait—Ya-mei!!"

"Sorry~ I was lying when I said it could only be a 'one suit' or 'nine suit', Rong! Pure One Suit!"

"You idiot! You're terrible! At the very least—"

Hearing Gundo Mirei's desperate screams, Shimizu Toru felt as pleased as the priest Mapo Toki; indeed, other people's wails are the most beautiful sounds in the world.

Even though the model hasn't been upgraded to version 2.0, the face patch still accurately reproduced his devilish smile.

After this night of collaboration, Shimizu Toru showed no mercy to the three women, instead frequently revealing his dark and sadistic side.

After Ye Shi was known as the Dark of the Rainbow, he also earned the title of the Demon of the Underworld, becoming one of the two beings that should absolutely not be provoked.

The next day, Shimizu Toru saw the news on Twitter and for a moment thought he had done something that would anger both heaven and man.

Tsk, isn't it just that every round before reaching Dongsi, one of them is bound to be eliminated, which made Lizé cry?

ε=('ο｀*))) Sigh, these new recruits these days have absolutely no resilience. Looks like they need to keep training them.

Volume 1: Chapter 69 Cost-Effectiveness Advantage

The recording studio at Bones had an atmosphere different from that of ordinary animation recording studios, though it's also possible that it was simply due to his psychological factors.

Just like idols on stage, apart from their costumes and makeup, they are essentially no different from ordinary people, but the fans' built-in filters make them look like stars.

The walls of the recording studio were covered with concept art for "Carole & Tuesday," depicting a futuristic city that intertwined with a nostalgic guitar to create a unique sci-fi musical feel.

Shimizu Toru sat on the slightly cold, hard chair in the waiting area, his fingertips unconsciously tapping his knees as he tried to recall the voice of the character Roddy.

Although copying other people's answers to compete with the person in question is a bit too unscrupulous, this has always been the way the struggle for the crown prince position has always been.

Daisuke Sakazaki sat next to him, unusually nervous, repeatedly checking the audition script and character settings.

Shimizu Toru, on the other hand, was much calmer. He had practically gone through all the initial designs and storyboards for Roddy last night.

He even studied Shinichiro Watanabe's habit of creating supporting characters in "Cowboy Bebop" and "Samurai Champloo"—although this character is less of a main character.

Rather, he is more like an observer and promoter with a sense of detachment, an insider who remains clear-headed in the bizarre and chaotic music industry, much like the protagonist in a mobile game who uses a camera.

"Shimizu, don't be nervous." Daisuke Sakazaki lowered his voice: "Although Irino-san is very experienced, his focus has not been on voice acting in recent years. You have a great chance."

"Understood." Shimizu Toru nodded, recalling Jinta, the character played by Irino Miyu in "Anohana," a role that had touched countless people.

Now, to have to stand on the same starting line as an unknown nobody like myself, competing for a role with few scenes and no outstanding moments, anyone who sees this would have to sigh at the unpredictability of life.

But that's just how the voice acting industry is. Risa Taneda took a short year off due to vocal cord problems, and her popularity plummeted.

Not to mention FGO's Mash, who was supposed to be her long-term meal ticket, even Erina Nakiri, who has appeared in two seasons of Food Wars!, has fallen into the hands of Hisako Kanemoto.

A short while later, the door to the audition room opened, and a staff member poked his head out: "Shimizu Tousan, please get ready."

Taking a deep breath, Shimizu Toru stood up, straightened his non-existent collar, and went inside.

The recording studio was softly lit, and several people sat behind the huge soundproof glass. The general director, Shinichiro Watanabe, wore his signature sunglasses, which reflected the light. The sound supervisor was a middle-aged woman who looked rather serious.

The most eye-catching person was Irino Miyu himself, who was waiting against the wall outside the recording studio. He looked more mature than I had imagined, with a gentle and scholarly air.

When he saw Shimizu looking over, he smiled politely and nodded, his eyes holding the scrutiny of a senior looking at a junior, and also a hint of competition that was not easily detected.

"Shimizu Tousan, please begin." The sound supervisor's voice came through the microphone, concise and to the point.

Shimizu Toru stood in front of the microphone and put on the headphones.

The scene he chose was from the fourth episode, where Roddy, along with the two female leads and their manager Garth (voiced by Akio Otsuka), discussed how to increase their fame.

This dialogue isn't difficult; you just need to capture that nonchalant tone. Ironically, the more subdued the dialogue, the harder it is to discern whether it's good or bad.

Unfortunately, Roddy's character doesn't have many emotional outbursts throughout the entire story. However, on the other hand, Irino Miyu's performance isn't much better than her own, so it's a double-edged sword.

Shinichiro Watanabe, the only one who can make the final decision, doesn't seem like the type to favor someone just because of his popularity, which makes people feel completely uncertain.

His shoulders relaxed slightly, his voice was deliberately lowered by half an octave, sounding hoarser than usual, and his speech was neither hurried nor slow, carrying a worldly calmness unique to urban dwellers:

"No, it's a feature (medley), and it's less of a failure and more of a fire."

The storyboard shows Roddy sitting astride a chair, operating his phone with one hand, showing the two female leads searching for new ways to become famous after failing to get recommendations from big-name DJs.

"If you want to become a viral sensation online, you really have to rely on videos, like music videos."

He paused for a moment, as if both actresses had given their responses, before continuing, "If you want to make a film that Justin would approve of, you can probably become a huge star."

"Alright, please wait outside for a moment while we discuss this."

Upon hearing the sound supervisor call to stop, Shimizu Toru politely bowed to the group and left the recording studio.

After a few seconds of silence in the recording studio, Shinichiro Watanabe leaned forward slightly, his expression obscured by his sunglasses, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "This kid is a newcomer who just debuted this year? His foundation is pretty solid."

"Watanabe-san, what do you mean?" The sound director was writing something quickly in his notebook, his expression somewhat puzzled.

In the presence of renowned directors like Shinichiro Watanabe, whose works were completed early on and who were once regarded as masters of animation, her voice was greatly diminished, and she was almost reduced to a recording tool.

"The two actors' performances are not much different, but one is a newcomer who has just debuted but is paired with a remarkable newcomer, while the other is a veteran voice actor whose popularity has declined significantly. If you were the general director, who would you choose?"

Faced with this question, the sound director pondered for a few seconds before saying, "Shimizu-san, Roddy's character runs throughout the entire series, which should save some money."

As mentioned before, the cost per episode for a character depends on the voice actor's level.

Someone like Miyu Irino, who debuted as a child actor and voiced Haku in "Spirited Away" in 2001, has been in the industry for almost twenty years and earns at least 30,000 to 40,000 yen per episode.

Voice actors' salaries are divided into pre-production and post-production compensation. Pre-production compensation includes voice acting for animation, while post-production compensation includes rebroadcasts, CDs, small-scale screenings, and so on.

Depending on the length of the animation, there will be different multipliers, after all, short anime can't be paid the same as two-hour theatrical versions.

In short, if you use Irino Miyuki, it will cost nearly 900,000 yen, while Shimizu Toru will only cost 300,000 yen.

It may seem like a difference of only 500,000 yen, but with a little more money, that 500,000 yen would be enough to hire two more voice actors who have been around for less than three years but are very popular.

“I had the same idea, so let’s settle on this. It’s a pity that we didn’t give Roddy a singing role, otherwise that kid would definitely be a great publicity tool.”

After finishing his sentence, Shinichiro Watanabe sighed inwardly. Back when he was hailed as a god because of "Cowboy Bebop" and "Samurai Champloo," he had never been careful about budgeting.

"You're the general manager. You can add another show for him whenever you want, since someone else will be singing anyway."

"Forget it, the basic framework is already set, and if we make any more changes, the scriptwriters will definitely object."

The biggest difference between "Carole & Tuesday" and other music anime is that, apart from the dialogue being in Japanese, all the songs in the show are sung in English.

Even for roles voiced by professional singers like Mamoru Miyano, the voices were actually sung by Western singers, since the English spoken by Japanese people is indeed notoriously difficult to understand.

Irino Miyu probably never expected that she would be eliminated because of her low cost-effectiveness. Where can she find justice?

As Shimizu emerged from the recording studio, Daisuke Sakazaki immediately approached, his eyes full of inquiry: "How was it? How did it feel?"

"I did my best." Shimizu Toru breathed a sigh of relief. He was confident that his performance had been fine. "Let them judge the rest."

Volume 1: Chapter 70 Even the numerical monsters think they're masters of manipulation.

The wait for the results wasn't long, but it was incredibly agonizing.

Shimizu Toru sat in the chair, mimicking the fingering of a guitar with his right hand, which could be considered as sharpening the axe before chopping wood.

He wasn't entirely confident, after all, his opponent was Irino Miyu, a name that had once stood at the pinnacle, whose influence remained even though he was temporarily out of the spotlight.

The door opened again, and this time it was staff members and Irino Miyu himself who came out. When he saw Shimizu Toru, he took the initiative to walk over.

"Shimizu-kun." His voice was still gentle, carrying the composure of a senior.

"Your performance just now was excellent. Your understanding of the character was unique, and your control over your voice was very strong. Congratulations."