Translator: Dreamscribe
LA.
While it was night in Korea and Japan, it was dawn in LA. The time was around 6 o’clock. Kang Woojin, naturally, was in the suite room of the 5-star Beverly Hills Hotel in LA. He had an early schedule, so Woojin, with his hair still damp, came out of the bathroom. In about an hour, he had an album session with Miley Cara.
“Craving ramen at dawn, huh?”
When the carefree Woojin muttered without any pretense, his phone on the table in the vast living room vibrated.
-Woong.
Checking it, he saw it was a DM. The sender was Mifuyu Uramatsu, the top Japanese actress who was an acquaintance from ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ and had also appeared on Woojin’s YouTube channel. The message was simple. A picture of her watching TV and a short message.
-(Photo)
-Just started watching the Male Friend: Remake!
After checking it, Woojin looked at the time and muttered.
“Ah, it looks like it started.”
It meant that ‘Male Friend: Remake’ had been released. Of course, Kang Woojin was aware of it. He was looking forward to it, too. However, due to the time difference and being in LA, watching the live broadcast was difficult. All he could do was carry on with his own work while checking messages from acquaintances and gauging the reactions of the public.
“Tsk, I’m curious, but there’s nothing I can do.”
Kang Woojin couldn’t attend the test screening of ‘Male Friend: Remake’. In other words, he hadn’t seen the final product. Still, he could watch ‘Male Friend: Remake’ once it was released on Korea’s anime OTT platform.
‘I’ll just have to wait a few days.’
With that, Kang Woojin left the hotel. He had to head straight to Miley Cara’s recording studio. Since pre-meetings and planning were finalized yesterday, today was effectively the official start of the album recording process.
The music video shoot was scheduled for when the recording was more or less complete.
By the time Kang Woojin boarded the waiting van in front of the hotel early in the morning, various people related to Woojin were watching the anime in Japan, where it was night unlike in LA. The first episode of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ was airing. The voice actors who had worked with Kang Woojin were watching it, as well as the staff from ‘A10 Studio’ and even actors from ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’.
In particular, some of the lead actors from ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’, including Mana Kosaku and Ogimoto Yasutaro, gathered for dinner and watched ‘Male Friend: Remake’ on a tablet.
“Oh! It’s interesting, isn’t it? Am I the only one finding it interesting??”
“No? I find it interesting too! Even without Woojin’s voice acting, it’s genuinely well-made, right?”
“Especially the animation direction. It’s killer. Is this really A10? They added so much detail to things that could’ve just been glossed over.”
“The original Korean work was a big hit, and I think they adapted it just as well. All the characters are so charming. But why is Kang Woojin also so good at voice acting?”
“……I heard Woojin also sang the OP song? Wow—his voice tone syncs so well—it’s like a veteran voice actor did it!”
There were quite a few people who had crossed paths with Kang Woojin in Japan in the past. For example, the people from the Japanese talk show ‘Ame-talk Show!’ the only Japanese talk show Woojin had appeared on.
“What is this……? Woojin’s voice acting quality is too good. This is far beyond what you achieve just by practicing, right?”
“Huh—this is going to be a huge sensation tomorrow. There were a lot of people saying he was cast just because of his popularity, right? But……he’s so good that it’s hard to even notice the other professional voice actors.”
“The quality of the anime is top-notch too. A10 must’ve really put their life on the line for this one.”
More people than usual gathered in front of the TV. Of course, it wasn’t just people related to Kang Woojin, but the general Japanese public as well. What was clear was that many more people than usual were tuning in.
The runtime of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ wasn’t very long.
Including the OP and EP, it was about 25 minutes.
Depending on how you look at it, it could be long or short, but the impact it had on Japan’s anime industry wasn’t small. The attention from Japanese media and public opinion, as well as the numerous anime production companies, reflected this.
Anyway, the first episode of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ ended at around 10:40 PM.
From that moment, Japan’s various social media platforms got a major boost.
[@MU_iiii89]
[Male Friend: Remake is so fun!!?? It’s not just a simple rom-com; it even has music mixed in! Plus, both the OP and EP are awesome!! And Kang Woojin’s voice acting skills are insane!??]
Talks about ‘Male Friend: Remake’ started to overflow.
Meanwhile.
Around the time the first episode of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ finished airing smoothly in Japan, all Kang Woojin could do in the early morning LA was check Japanese social media or the press. Thus, even as he was on his way to Miley Cara’s recording studio, he immersed himself in the wave of searches.
-Swipe.
Of course, he had to do it discreetly, so it wouldn’t be obvious. It was like maintaining the persona while extracting the necessary information. Even though LA was in a different time zone from Japan and Korea, it wasn’t difficult to check the news.
The Japanese press was already buzzing with talk of ‘Male Friend: Remake’.
『The much-talked-about “Male Friend: Remake” first episode aired, and despite concerns, Kang Woojin’s voice acting shines』
Naturally, there were many articles about ‘Issue King’ Kang Woojin. However, there were also quite a few mentions of the quality of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ itself.
『“Male Friend: Remake” voiced by Kang Woojin, nails everything from animation to music and direction!』
Woojin, with an indifferent face, recalled the “Male Friend: Remake” footage he had seen during the voice recording.
‘Well, yeah —the animation? It did seem pretty impressive.’
He hadn’t watched much anime, but the animation of ‘Male Friend: Remake’ was, how should he put it, incredibly detailed and polished. The quality was perfect, from the characters’ movements to the backgrounds. Even someone like Kang Woojin, who wasn’t an expert in anime, could tell it was impressive, so the Japanese public, who were much more knowledgeable, would definitely notice even more.
Next, Woojin accessed Japanese social media and online communities.
Again, it wasn’t hard to find posts related to ‘Male Friend: Remake’. Just typing in the title flooded the screen with related posts. Most were written within the last 30 minutes, and new ones were pouring in even now.
– Wasn’t it better than expected? I started watching it with some doubts, but I got hooked before I knew it.
– Isn’t it beyond the level of Kang Woojin being a good or bad voice actor? It felt like the show was fun because Kang Woojin was in it.
– wwww so fun!!
– Wow!! But!! How does Kang Woojin even know how to voice act too!!??
– The animation was the best of this season, and so was the music. I thought it’d just be some typical rom-com anime, but the story was deeper than I expected.
– I watched it intending to criticize, but I ended up getting engrossed, am I the only one?
– Yeah! I also started watching it to hate on Kang Woojin’s voice acting but ended up going, “Wow!” while watching. Isn’t that why it’ll get even better ratings?
– Most people who aren’t Kang Woojin fans probably started watching it intending to criticize.
– Same… I thought it wouldn’t be great at first, but now I can’t wait for the second episode….
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It was buzzing with excitement. After about 10 minutes of exploring social media and online communities, Kang Woojin put down his phone. His expression hadn’t changed much. He had already heard from people at ‘A10 Studio’ and Choi Sung-gun. Considering how much of a hot topic it was, there were bound to be a lot of people in Japan who held negative opinions.
‘Well, that’s natural.’
Woojin wasn’t particularly concerned. Whether people hated it or not, as long as the ratings were good, that’s all that mattered, right? His mental state wasn’t shaken. In the end, the Japanese public opinion that had started out intending to criticize had already flipped.
At that moment.
-Screech!
The large van carrying Kang Woojin came to a stop. It had reached Miley Cara’s recording studio, located about an hour away from the hotel. Despite the early hour, Cara was already waiting in the enormous studio. Her long blonde hair was loose, and she was wearing a hat.
Amidst a dozen staff members, Cara’s expression was cold, but her tone was soft.
“Oh, Woojin. You’re early.”
“It just worked out that way.”
“As I mentioned in yesterday’s meeting, today is the official start of recording. How about some coffee before we get going?”
“Sounds good.”
And so, the album project between Kang Woojin and Miley Cara officially kicked off.
12 hours.
That was how long Woojin spent in the recording studio. From early morning until the afternoon, Kang Woojin was fully immersed in the recording sessions with Cara. Meanwhile, back in Korea, the night had passed, and it was now morning.
On the morning of the 13th, around 10 AM.
There was a change on Korea’s OTT platform specializing in Japanese anime. The first episode of ‘Male Friend: Remake’, which had aired in Japan the previous day, had been updated. The series had been heavily promoted for days, and now ‘Male Friend: Remake’ had,
『“Male Friend: Remake” hits number one on the OTT platform as soon as it lands in Korea! Is this the power of Kang Woojin?』
It had instantly shot to the top of the OTT platform’s rankings. This was proof that a large number of Korean viewers were already watching ‘Male Friend: Remake’. Comments on the platform started pouring in rapidly.
– There were so many strong contenders this quarter that I didn’t expect much tbhㅋㅋㅋㅋ But wow, this is fucking awesomeㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Agreed! Even without any national pride bias, the soundtrack is sick, and the direction is super uniqueㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– The animation is insane
– What’s all this hype about, it was so boring
– Honestly, Kang Woojin’s voice acting was really goodㅋㅋㅋㅋ there wasn’t anything off about it
– Personally, the camera angles and sound were sick, and the OP just destroyed all the other shows this season
– Lol chill outㅋㅋㅋ oh god, this place is dripping with national prideㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Did Kang Woojin really sing the OP?
– ↑Yeah, he did
– No way… wow… the OP is awesome… It could even aim for the Oricon charts
– The ‘Male Friend: Remake’ OP is already blowing up on Japanese YouTube
Although there were various opinions, in the end, everyone’s focus was the same.
– Did this get good ratings in Japan?
They were curious about the official ratings for ‘Male Friend: Remake’.
– It’s not out yetㅋㅋㅋㅋ but the competition is super tough, so even if it gets 5%, it’s doing wellㅋㅋㅋ
At the same time, in Tokyo, Japan.
In one of the meeting rooms at ‘A10 Studio’, the production company behind ‘Male Friend: Remake’, familiar faces were gathered. Naturally, the director, staff, and executives from the production company were present.
More than 20 people had gathered.
“……”
“……”
Everyone had tense expressions. Interestingly, everyone’s eyes were focused on one person—the female team leader of the planning team, who had been in charge of overseeing the entire production of ‘Male Friend: Remake’. Standing at the head of the room, she paced nervously, glancing at her phone screen.
At this moment.
-Swish.
Mahiro Sakuichi, the director of ‘Male Friend: Remake’, swallowed dryly and asked.
“Hasn’t it been announced yet?”
The female team leader nodded.
“No, not yet.”
A few executives of ‘A10 Studio’ let out small sighs and joined the conversation.
“This is driving me crazy. Why is the announcement so late today?”
“……What’s been the top rating so far?”
“‘Magic Revolutions’ with 9.1%, and after that, ‘Strongest Spy’ with 8.8%.”
The third-quarter releases, which could be considered competitors to ‘Male Friend: Remake’, had finished airing last week. The director picked up the viewership ratings chart on the table to check.
-[Viewership Ratings]
1. Magic Revolutions / Fuji ETV / 9.1%
2. Strongest Spy / Tokyo ETV / 8.8%
3. Detective Conan / NHM / 6.2%
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The two highly anticipated works of this third quarter had already claimed the top two spots. Although they didn’t surpass 10%, both had achieved a respectable 9%, which the media was praising. Below third place, ratings ranged between 5% and 1%.
“Hm—We’re not even hoping for 10%. As long as we make it into the upper-middle rankings, around 5%, that’s good enough.”
“It’s tough to hit 10% these days, but we should at least expect above 5%. There’s been a lot of buzz.”
“…If we beat ‘Detective Conan’ and take third place, that would be ideal.”
At that moment.
-♬♪
The female team leader’s phone rang. Instantly, everyone in the meeting room focused their gaze on her. The female team leader, swallowing nervously, raised the phone to her ear, her hand trembling slightly.
“Yes, it’s me. Go ahead.”
Her eyes widened suddenly at whatever she heard from the other end of the line.
“What, what did you say?!”
Everyone was startled by her reaction but remained silent. After a moment, the female team leader ended the call and slowly lowered her phone. With a dazed expression, she muttered softly in Japanese to the people gathered in the meeting room.
“……We’ve got a problem.”
Meanwhile, in LA.
While it was morning in Korea, LA was moving toward night. After spending the entire day recording, Kang Woojin, now wearing a hoodie, got into Miley Cara’s large van.
-Thud!
After wrapping up their work for the day, Woojin, Cara, and the rest of the team were on their way to dinner. Naturally, Cara was in charge of choosing the place, and thus, it was guaranteed to be somewhere luxurious. In any case, the three massive vans set off simultaneously. Woojin was in the first van, sitting across from Cara.
Cara, who had taken off her hat and swept back her blonde hair, spoke first.
“Aren’t you tired?”
In her usual cold voice, Kang Woojin responded in his characteristic detached manner.
“Not particularly.”
“……I don’t think I’ve ever seen you tired. It was the same when I went to Korea last time, and today too.”
“Is that so?”
“Do you have a lot of stamina? Or do you manage it through exercise?”
Since he couldn’t say it’s because of his void space, Woojin dodged the question appropriately.
“I have my own methods.”
“What kind?”
“It’s hard to explain, since it’s unique to me.”
“Oh—first time hearing a response like that.”
“It’s also the first time I’ve said it.”
Cara, who had already figured out Woojin’s personality, gave a small laugh.
“So, how did that Japanese anime turn out?”
Cara already knew about ‘Male Friend: Remake’, and Woojin replied calmly.
“Well. I haven’t received any news yet.”
Just then.
-Bzzzz.
Woojin’s phone vibrated briefly. It was a text, and the sender was Choi Sung-gun, who was in the van behind them. The message was simple—it was the viewership ratings chart. But it wasn’t for Korea. It was from Japan.
-[Viewership Ratings]
1. Male Friend: Remake / TBE / 14.8%
2. Magic Revolutions / Fuji ETV / 9.1%
3. Strongest Spy / Tokyo ETV / 8.8%
4. Detective Conan / NHM / 6.2%
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Woojin casually glanced at the freshly received ratings chart, then looked up. He nonchalantly muttered to the blonde Cara sitting across from him.
“We took first place.”
His tone was calm, devoid of any strong emotion.
****
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