Chapter 140: Dubbing anime

Chapter 140: Dubbing anime

(3rd Person POV)

Vivienne noticed the dynamic between Arthur and Firfel. She felt something she couldn't quite understand, but it was clearly... jealousy.

Vivienne sat beside Firfel and chatted with her until Arthur returned with her tea.

"So, what's this venture you're talking about?" Vivienne asked Arthur.

Arthur sighed. He'd initially planned to invite only Firfel to join his "anime venture" - believing she'd make a good voice actor for testing their completed anime clips.

But since Vivienne was here, he might as well invite her too.

"Well, it's about the 'anime studio.' If you're interested, you can come along," Arthur said to Vivienne.

"Anime Studio?" Firfel and Vivienne exchanged confused looks.

Arthur smiled. "Yes, it's animation. Like the cartoons in Empirica."

"Like Mr. Mouse?" Vivienne asked, sharing another glance with Firfel.

"Something like that," Arthur said wryly. "The Anime Studio is still in its preparation stage. Two weeks ago, I hired dozens of artists to work on anime clips - some are already completed."

"Really? Let's see!" Vivienne exclaimed.

Arthur drove them in his car to a small rented building - his humble anime studio.

When they entered, Firfel and Vivienne were surprised to find artists busy at work.

What caught their attention most were the TVs and peculiar typewriters on each desk.

Arthur smiled at their bewildered expressions.

"Hey, aren't those the things you showed us months ago?" Firfel recalled.

Arthur nodded. He was less secretive now - computers were patented, and already revealed at the electronics expo.

Besides, copying "Hellfire OS 1" would prove extremely difficult.

"Those are computers," Arthur explained. "They help the artists create animation."

The "Hellfire OS 1" came equipped with animation programs.

All artists had signed NDAs through contract scrolls, magically preventing them from discussing their work with outsiders.

"Demon lord!"

The manager spotted Arthur mid-conversation. "We weren't expecting you!"

The artists looked up from their work.

"Just checking on everyone's progress," Arthur smiled.

The manager and artists shared knowing chuckles.

"This is Firfel and Vivienne," Arthur introduced. "They're here to see our completed anime clips."

The manager grinned at the two girls. "Wow, demon lord, you have two beautiful girlfriends."

Firfel and Vivienne both blushed at the comment.

The soundproof studio featured anime clips projected onto a white wall.

"Pick which character you'd like to voice," Arthur gestured at the playing animation.

"I'll voice that blue-haired girl," Firfel pointed at Bulma.

"That's Bulma," Arthur confirmed. "You can read her lines from the script on the stand while matching the character's mouth movements."

Firfel nodded.

Vivienne took her turn next, choosing Sakura from the Naruto test clips.

Firfel went first, attempting a thirty-second scene.

She tried her best, but struggled to synchronize her voice with the character's mouth movements.

Through the recording booth's glass, Arthur observed Firfel's performance.

"Did everything follow the guidelines for lip sync timing and dialogue pacing?" Arthur asked Steve.

"Absolutely, demon lord!" Steve assured him. "I followed your instructions precisely!"

Arthur nodded, then helped guide Firfel through the process. Gradually, she found her rhythm and voiced Bulma more naturally.

"Excellent work!" Arthur praised.

"Thanks," Firfel beamed.

"My turn!" Vivienne rushed into the recording booth.

They watched as Vivienne voiced Sakura. Though she also struggled initially, she seemed to have a natural talent for voice acting, adapting more quickly than Firfel had.

Arthur nodded approvingly, wondering if Vivienne's success came from sharing personality traits with Sakura - both being passionate yet reserved, though he couldn't be certain.

"Let's watch the clips with your voices added," Arthur suggested. He signaled the sound staff with a thumbs up, and they began processing the audio.

Soon they viewed the Dragon Ball and Naruto scenes featuring Firfel and Vivienne's voices.

Watching their performances, Arthur thought, "They have great potential..."

Firfel and Vivienne felt a unique satisfaction watching the anime clips with their voices.

The feeling was similar to watching their movie performances, yet distinctly different.

They turned to Arthur. "When will you complete the animations?" Firfel asked first.

"Why? You seem excited," Arthur chuckled.

Firfel nodded eagerly. "I really want to voice Bulma when the animation is complete! Can I?"

"Of course," Arthur agreed. He'd already planned to cast her as Bulma, but Firfel had beaten him to suggesting it.

"Me too!" Vivienne chimed in. "I had so much fun voicing Sakura!"

"Alright, alright..." Arthur smiled. Though he hadn't originally planned for Vivienne to voice Sakura, he now believed she'd be perfect for the role.

"It'll take a while before several episodes are complete," Arthur cautioned. "Plus, this anime studio isn't registered as a company yet. We're waiting for local government approval before hiring more artists."

Firfel and Vivienne nodded in understanding.