Female Partner Became Popular in a Love Show - Chapter 153

Netizens, upon seeing the name of the anime movie they had never heard of, rushed to find more information and were astonished by the movie’s creative team.

This movie was an ancient-style domestic animated feature that seemed unremarkable at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, netizens found that everyone involved in its production was a big shot. From the original art and script to modeling and special effects, every aspect had a leader with impressive credentials, making it a hexagonal warrior in the realm of domestic animation.

[Am I seeing things? Is that a senior professor from Central Academy of Fine Arts?]

[What a luxurious lineup, like a gathering of industry giants?]

[How come this amazing movie had no pre-release promotions?]

[Wait, having Ruan Qiu and Xue Wu voice characters should count as a promotion, right?]

Detail-oriented netizens continued to dig and found an interview video featuring big names from the animation production team, where they revealed their next project would be a domestic animated movie with elements of ancient-style martial arts. Upon seeing the term martial arts, viewers instantly understood why this production team sought Ruan Qiu and Xue Wu for voice roles.

Ruan Qiu was practically a living embodiment of martial arts.

Noticing the rising popularity, the production team promptly applied for an official Weibo account and released a teaser trailer ahead of schedule.

The movie, titled “A Slice of Lotus”, sounded vague from its name alone, but within the minute-long trailer, the ink wash-style CG was visually stunning, and the fight scenes flowed seamlessly, offering viewers an unparalleled visual feast. Even without voiceovers, the enchanting music from traditional instruments was enough to compensate for that minor shortcoming, leaving the audience thrilled and eager to see the full movie. They rushed to urge the production team to get Ruan Qiu and Xue Wu into the recording booth as soon as possible to hasten the release.

[The light of domestic animation is confirmed! This is truly the light of domestic animation!]

[I sincerely hope the final movie doesn’t flop; this teaser is enough to overshadow all the trash productions out there.]

[I believe the big names won’t collectively flop; I’m ready to support it. I’ll buy a ticket the moment it’s released.]

The production team of “A Slice of Lotus” showed immense sincerity. Even though Ruan Qiu and Xue Wu weren’t professional voice actors, the team prepared contracts that matched their market value and sent them the script in advance, sincerely inviting them to join the voice cast.

Having compiled all the martial arts techniques taught by her master into a nearly 200,000-word manuscript, Ruan Qiu double-checked everything, packaged it, and sent it to the grateful Zheng Jiu, who thanked her profusely.

Due to the overwhelming online response, the production team had to speed up their progress, scheduling Ruan Qiu and Xue Wu to come to the recording studio that very afternoon after the announcement to begin their voice work.

Ruan Qiu was set to voice the female lead, a girl from a small mountain village with dreams of becoming a martial artist, while Xue Wu would voice the male lead, a former martial arts master who once dominated the Jianghu (martial arts world) but later retreated to live a simple life in the village, marrying and raising a family. In the movie, their characters share a master-student relationship.

The movie production team didn’t choose Ruan Qiu and Xue Wu solely for their popularity; rather, it was because their voices were incredibly fitting for the characters in the movie. So much so that the staff found it hard to believe how perfectly matched they were.

As soon as Ruan Qiu and Xue Wu stepped into the production building, everyone in the room turned their attention to them, especially Ruan Qiu.

Not understanding why everyone was staring, Ruan Qiu waved and tentatively greeted, “Hello?”

Members of the special effects team rushed over, surrounding her and bombarding her with questions like, “Can you really do those martial arts moves?” 

“Can you break bricks with your bare hands?” “Can you really crush a rock with your chest?”—a series of inquiries that left Ruan Qiu unsure how to respond.

One staff member from the animation drawing team tearily grabbed Ruan Qiu’s hand, choked up as they said, “If we had known your martial arts skills were this impressive, we would’ve asked you to do motion capture for us! If you could have done our motion capture, we wouldn’t have to work so hard drawing frame by frame! Please, next time, come do motion capture for us, we beg you!”

The producer and director of “A Slice of Lotus” hurried over, dispersing the special effects team and giving a warning glance to anyone else wanting to crowd around. They smiled and extended their hands to Ruan Qiu and Xue Wu, saying, “Welcome!”

Finally freed from the throng, Ruan Qiu shook hands with both the producer and director before she and Xue Wu followed them into the recording studio, ready to begin their voice work.

Once Ruan Qiu and Xue Wu donned their headphones, they watched the entire animated movie “A Slice of Lotus” to get into character.

The story primarily revolves around revenge but also conveys life lessons and positive energy. It told the tale of a handsome martial arts master who had hidden his true power while living in a secluded mountain village. One day, while hunting rabbits, he accidentally used his internal energy, pinning a rabbit to a tree with a bamboo stick. This scene was witnessed by a local girl with martial arts dreams, who pursues him to become his apprentice.

Initially reluctant, the handsome master knew how dangerous the martial arts world could be. He had retreated from it to escape past troubles and didn’t want to be hunted down again. However, everything changed when he and the girl returned to their village one day to find it drenched in blood, with his wife dead on the roadside holding a lotus root.

From the only survivor, the elderly villager, he learns that a noble’s son attempted to forcibly take their village’s only sellable lotus root. When the villagers bravely demanded payment instead of giving it away for free, the noble’s son, enraged, ordered his guards to slaughter the people in the village and left without a second thought.

Now an orphan, the girl and the master were  left alone. He picked up his sword again and began to teach her martial arts, vowing to avenge their village by pursuing the noble’s son.

As they embark on their journey for revenge, the master faced old enemies and friends, and many fight scenes ensued. The complexities of the past love and hatred resurface, and the naive girl’s longing for the martial world became complicated as she realized it was filled with bloodshed and hatred, not the romanticized ideals she once imagined.

In the end, while the master successfully avenges his village, the forces behind the noble’s son were too powerful, and he was besieged by an army. He only managed to send the girl to safety before falling in battle.

Years later, the girl grew up to become a renowned female hero in the martial arts world. Each time she used the sword left to her by her master to punish evil and promote good, she recalled his words and remembered the once-pure lotus root now stained with mud and blood.

While the story might seem somewhat cliché, its visuals and atmosphere were exceptional. The score and animation effects were top-notch, with the deep and poignant tales of love and hate in the martial arts world deeply moving, making viewers tear up. The villainous noble son’s evil nature infuriated the audience, and the master’s eventual victory brought a satisfying resolution, making it a touching movie.

Both Ruan Qiu and Xue Wu enjoyed the movie and found the voice recording process pleasurable, efficient, and comfortable. After adjustments and repeated trials, they completed all their voice work in just two and a half days.

The production team reluctantly bid them farewell, with the chief director and producer expressing their sadness. They promised Ruan Qiu and Xue Wu that if the movie received a good response and warranted a sequel, they would invite them back to voice their characters again, detailing the master’s earlier exploits in the martial world and the girl’s journey as she grew up to dominate it.

They didn’t care if Ruan Qiu or Xue Wu decided to retire from acting; even if they did, voice acting wasn’t exactly the same as being in the entertainment industry, so they could still participate