—March 17, 2018. The greatest turning point of my life.
If the Goddess of Fortune continues to smile upon me, perhaps I can finally become a real voice actress and live a leisurely, comfortable life. If I fail, then my voice-acting career will officially come to an end. That would only be natural.
After all, despite being a professional voice actress, I haven't received any voice-acting work for three months and have barely survived on the meager wages from my part-time job at a Chinese restaurant.
Which path will Amamiya Kae's life take?
Please continue watching 'A Sound of Amamiya Kae'. This is your host, Ama—
—Whaaat?! A major crisis before the audition has even begun!
Not long after entering the office building, Amamiya Kae spotted Tōgi Yūko, a famous voice actress from her agency, chatting with several other voice actresses while wearing a pleasant smile.
Although Amamiya Kae cared little about anime or the voice-acting industry, she still knew a little about the voice actors within her own agency.
Tōgi Yūko had graduated from a prestigious university's music department and was reportedly the top graduate of her class. In less than five years since entering the voice-acting industry, she had already achieved considerable fame. The characters she voiced were all major roles in anime, and she had personally sung the opening and ending themes for several series.
At present, Tōgi Yūko had been certified by the Voice Actors Association as a B-rank voice actress and had also been named Best New Voice Actress of 2016.
The voice-acting industry was incredibly broad, spanning anime, games, radio, and many other fields. To manage such a complicated industry, the Voice Actors Association had been established.
The Association generally assigned rankings to all professional voice actors according to their annual income, ranging from F-rank to A-rank.
A-rank voice actors represented the most famous individuals in the industry, each commanding astronomical appearance fees.
However, those astronomical fees weren't determined by the voice actors themselves—they were mandatory regulations imposed by the Association. This was one of its methods of preventing destructive competition within the industry.
Ironically, the system also restricted top-tier voice actors. Because of their exorbitant fees, many highly skilled professionals found it difficult to secure projects.
Amamiya Kae herself held an E-rank certification, a ranking she had only achieved a few months ago after landing a role in a radio-variety program.
Out of courtesy and respect, she quickly approached Tōgi Yūko and bowed.
"Good morning, Tōgi-senpai."
The young voice actress named Tōgi Yūko stared at her face for a moment before finally recognizing her as one of the junior voice actresses from the same agency.
Smiling casually, she said,
"I didn't expect you to be participating in this audition, too. Good luck."
"Yes. Although I can't compare to Tōgi-senpai, I'll do my very best."
After greeting her, Amamiya Kae tactfully withdrew and watched Tōgi Yūko continue chatting pleasantly with an older voice actress.
—Tōgi-senpai, you didn't even use my name~!
—As expected, you've forgotten it already.
—Ah, what a cruel industry.
—Status is everything here.
—Without ability and without status, people like me aren't even worth remembering by name.
—That woman must be another famous industry veteran as well.
These thoughts were not born of jealousy or resentment.
If anything, they were self-mockery.
Had they possessed sound, the monologue would likely have been delivered like dramatic stage dialogue, loudly proclaimed yet strangely calm and melodic.
Amamiya Kae appeared graceful and serene on the outside, but her inner world was extraordinarily lively.
When it came to matters concerning herself, she always viewed them from the perspective of an observer.
The composure she displayed could almost be called abnormal.
The scheduled time soon arrived.
The auditioning voice actors were directed into a conference room.
Amamiya Kae quietly took a seat in a corner and observed the situation.
Isn't this basically a battlefield divided into clear factions?
The experienced voice actors sat together.
The newcomers gathered separately.
There was even one poor little lamb who had unknowingly sat in the wrong area.
—A difficult road lies ahead~!
Amamiya Kae sighed inwardly.
Whether she was lamenting for herself or for the newcomer who had chosen the wrong seat, even she wasn't sure.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly awkward, the room suddenly fell silent.
Shindō Tsukasa entered carrying a stack of scripts and introduced himself with a smile.
"Thank you all for participating in this voice-acting audition."
"I'm Shindō Tsukasa, the person primarily responsible for this music studio."
"You may call me Shindō or Director Shindō. Though personally, I prefer being called simply Shindō."
"Without further ado, these are the scripts you'll be using during the audition."
"I apologize, but because the animation's production schedule is rather tight, you won't have much preparation time."
"Please gather in the recording studio at the end of the hallway before ten o'clock."
After distributing the scripts one by one, Shindō Tsukasa smiled and exited the conference room.
"You may use this preparation period however you wish."
Holding the script, Amamiya Kae frowned slightly as she looked around.
The newcomers had already formed groups.
She herself had missed the optimal opportunity to join them—before the scripts had been handed out.
Unlike the excited newcomers, the experienced voice actors remained composed, calmly discussing their interpretations of various lines.
As for the newcomer sitting in the wrong area, she had become trapped in an awkward predicament.
The veterans clearly had no intention of accepting her.
Meanwhile, the newcomers had no interest in interacting with someone they perceived as arrogant.
—Can't be helped.
Amamiya Kae sighed inwardly.
Taking her script, she left the conference room.
She wasn't particularly fond of environments like that.
Arriving at the building's public lounge area, she bought a throat-soothing drink from a vending machine and intended to study her script on one of the sofas.
Only then did she notice someone had arrived before her.
A plain-looking young man sat on a sofa reading a magazine.
A bottle of green tea rested on the table beside him.
—A staff member?
—But he isn't wearing an employee badge.
Amamiya Kae only glanced at him briefly, yet the young man seemed to notice immediately.
He turned his head.
Their eyes met.
Naturally, Amamiya Kae bowed.
Kamiyā Yuu looked at the pink-haired girl with surprise.
Her fluffy, slightly curled hair carried a uniquely youthful charm.
At a glance, he sensed something unusual about her.
Compared to ordinary people, she seemed far too calm.
Not merely in her reactions to events.
Rather, she appeared to lack certain emotional sensitivities entirely.
An odd thought surfaced in Kamiyā Yuu's mind.
Even if someone pointed a handgun at this pink-haired girl's head, she would probably calmly recite her final words.
Kamiyā Yuu had never liked spending time in recording studios.
Every time he left one, it felt as though a thin membrane had formed over his ears.
After handing the script to Shindō Tsukasa, he had come to the lounge to slack off.
Seeing the girl sparked his curiosity.
When she bowed, he asked with interest,
"Are you a voice actress here for the audition?"
"Yes."
A gentle and warm smile appeared on Amamiya Kae's face.
"I'm sorry for disturbing your rest. If you don't mind, may I sit here as well?"
Her poised and natural demeanor immediately inspired goodwill.
Kamiyā Yuu laughed casually.
"This is a public area. You don't need my permission to sit here."
His first impression of her was that her voice was exceptionally calm and gentle, carrying a mature sense of composure.
She probably wasn't suitable for a character like Sakurā Kyōko.
Instead, her voice seemed closer to the image he had of Kaname Madoka or Kyubey.
Unfortunately, those roles had already been cast and couldn't be changed at the last minute.
"Thank you."
Holding her skirt slightly, Amamiya Kae sat on the sofa opposite him and opened her script to study it carefully.
The script contained scene descriptions as well as notes regarding each character's emotions and reactions.
Voice actors were expected to interpret this information themselves and recreate the proper delivery.
Generally speaking, there were two major criteria for evaluating whether a voice actor suited a role.
The first was natural vocal quality.
Unless intentionally done for comedic effect, pairing a giant muscular man with a little-girl voice would always feel strange to viewers.
The person Kamiyā Yuu remembered most vividly regarding distinctive vocal qualities was Kugimiya Rie.
Her unique loli voice had attracted countless otaku and even sparked the famous "Kugimiya Disease" phenomenon during the early rise of ACG culture.
By 2016, however, few anime fans still mentioned it.
The famous "Kugimiya Four Moe Queens" had largely faded into obscurity.
The trendier topics had become things like the "Tōyama Method" (Tōyama Nao), the "Sakura Method" (Sakura Ayane), and the "Taneda Method" (Taneda Risa).
The reason Kamiyā Yuu remembered Kugimiya Rie wasn't because of her iconic roles such as Shana from 'Shakugan no Shana,' Aisaka Taiga from 'Toradora!,' Nagi Sanzenin from 'Hayate the Combat Butler,' or Louise from 'The Familiar of Zero.'
Instead, it was because of some of her unforgettable supporting performances:
Alphonse Elric from 'Fullmetal Alchemist,'
Daisaku Bandai from 'Danganronpa 3,'
and Happy from 'Fairy Tail.'
Kugimiya Rie's voice was so distinctive that people remembered it after hearing it only a few times.
Mention Kugimiya, and people think of blonde, tsundere, flat-chested heroines.
Mention tsunderes, and people thought of Kugimiya Rie.
That unique voice had secured her an unparalleled position in the voice-acting industry.
Aside from vocal quality, the second major criterion was skill.
The phrase "Voice actors are monsters" didn't exist for no reason.
Many casual viewers occasionally heard a familiar voice in an anime, looked up the cast, and discovered that two completely different characters were voiced by the same person.
The difference was so dramatic that even voice changers couldn't replicate it.
That was exactly how the phrase "voice actors are monsters" had been born.
Kugimiya Rie's voice was so distinctive that the saying barely applied to her.
Even when she voiced insignificant side characters, audiences often recognized her immediately.
Another example was someone even more famous than Kugimiya Rie, despite possessing a comparatively ordinary voice:
Hanazawa Kana.
Although much of her popularity in Chinese ACG circles came from the famous "Hyōgo Kita Smile" meme, a comparison of her roles revealed that she had become successful through far more than just that.
Looking across her works—
Mayuri Shiina from 'Steins;Gate,'
Sakura Ichiko from 'Good Luck Girl!,'
Kanade Tachibana from 'Angel Beats!,'
and Sengoku Nadeko from the 'Monogatari' series—
One could easily see the true strength of a top-tier voice actress.
Noticing Kamiyā Yuu observing her with obvious interest, Amamiya Kae felt slightly uncomfortable.
Closing her script, she maintained a polite smile and asked,
"Are you an employee here?"
Kamiyā Yuu set down his magazine and smiled.
"No."
"I'm the chief director of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' and one of the people primarily responsible for today's audition."
—What a sudden development!
—This goes far beyond merely being startled.
—It's like hearing someone suddenly shout in the middle of a street that they're an alien.
—Should I take that statement seriously or as a joke?
—Human communication really is troublesome.
—Language is meant to convey human thoughts directly, yet when used improperly, it can become a weapon.
—So is this a joke or a serious statement?
—Determining the weight of words is a vital part of social interaction.
—For me personally, that process is far too troublesome.
Amamiya Kae's expression remained unchanged.
"Do you remember the very first line in that script?"
—To verify information, one must perform basic confirmation.
—Even a negative answer cannot fully determine the truthfulness of a statement.
—The goal is to seek truth.
—If he answers correctly, the information gains credibility.
—If he cannot answer, the question itself becomes invalid.
—The conclusion remains suspended between certainty and uncertainty.
—This is the fundamental principle of criminal law: the presumption of innocence.
—How rude of me to use legal standards as the basis for an ordinary exchange of information.
Unaware of the complicated thoughts hidden behind the girl's gentle appearance, Kamiyā Yuu thought for a moment.
"If I remember correctly, the first scene is Sakurā Kyōko confronting another character, Miki Sayaka."
"The first thing she says isn't actually a line."
"It's just a simple vocal expression."
"If I'm not mistaken, it's 'Hmph.'"
"Oh, right, here's my business card."
He pulled an elegant business card from his pocket and handed it to her.
In Japan, business cards carried tremendous significance and represented a person's identity.
—Correct answer.
—A dramatic development indeed.
—So he really is at the top of the food chain.
—If I had to compare him to something, perhaps a lion.
—Though admittedly a rather ordinary lion.
—The kind that would probably go unnoticed within a pride.
Kamiyā Yuu.
President of Yosuganosora Animation Studio.
At the very least, Amamiya Kae knew that 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' was being produced by Yosuganosora Animation Studio.
She stood up and accepted the card with both hands.
After examining it, she bowed deeply.
"My apologies."
"I'm Amamiya Kae, a newcomer voice actress participating in this audition."
"Kamiyā Yuu. That's my name."
Kamiyā Yuu couldn't help but laugh.
This was the first time he had met a voice actress attending the audition who knew almost nothing about anime.
"Director Kamiyā?"
Tilting her head, Amamiya Kae paused before asking directly,
"Although this may be blunt, do you think I can pass this audition?"
Kamiyā Yuu froze.
The question had caught him completely off guard.
After a brief silence, he answered apologetically,
"Your voice is very distinctive, but I don't think it suits the roles in this production."
"I see."
Amamiya Kae appeared somewhat disappointed.
Standing up, she held out the script with both hands.
"Although this is rather rude, could I trouble you to return this script to Director Shindō for me?"
Kamiyā Yuu stared at her, speechless.
She clearly intended to leave.
Taking the script, he asked,
"You're not staying?"
Leaving early was considered extremely rude in Japan.
It implied disrespect toward the host.
In the highly etiquette-conscious voice-acting industry, carrying such a stain was almost equivalent to applying for a job with a criminal record.
"No."
"Since you've already rejected me, there's no point in continuing."
"If I fail this audition, I plan to leave the voice-acting industry."
"I'm simply not suited for it."
She forced a smile.
Having already decided to give up everything, there was no longer any need to care about unnecessary rules.
—A necessary form of informational coercion.
—Yes, I'm deliberately saying this in an extremely cunning manner.
—My goal is to evoke a little sympathy from the person standing at the top of the food chain.
—Then he'll subconsciously attribute my departure from the industry to himself.
—At least, that's how it should appear from his perspective.
—Language is a weapon.
—Making maximum use of another person's sympathy is one way to wield it.
—If this doesn't work, kneeling probably wouldn't help either.
—Heh heh~ With this level of skill in manipulating language, doesn't that already make me a qualified "voice actress"?
—Just kidding.
Incidentally, this degree of verbal pressure wasn't the result of careful planning.
It had simply occurred to her the moment she sensed a trace of reluctance in Kamiyā Yuu's question.
Kamiyā Yuu felt somewhat awkward.
He genuinely thought Amamiya Kae's voice was special.
It reminded him in many ways of Hanazawa Kana from his previous world, while possessing an even more natural and mature quality.
The moment he heard her voice, countless anime characters flashed through his mind.
Many of them would suit her perfectly.
Letting such talent go to waste felt like a terrible shame.