HIM

Dear Diary,

I’m on My way to Fukikae right now, i decided to take the subway train because my sister, in her infinite wisdom, “borrowed” my car. I told her I’d need it today, but does she ever listen? Not to me apparently. Thank your lucky stars you don’t have a diary-sister, it’s exhausting.

Anyway, no, Fukikae is not a strip club (get your head out of the gutter). it’s a dubbing company. You know, the unsung heroes who give us glorious English dubs of anime, like Ghost Stories and Golden Boy. Absolute masterpieces. This was cooking before it became a thing. Fukikae is one of those companies that works magic for those who, for some reason, can’t read subtitles. I watch both versions because I’m special.

Why am I heading there? Well, I landed a gig voicing a character in the new anime series Still Searching for the One Piece. (Yes, that’s the actual title.) I play a character named Zhao, who starts out as a bad guy but eventually turns into a good guy. Oops, spoilers!

But how did this happen? Let’s rewind to two weeks ago when I met HIM.
What the HYUK? It's flashback time, so get comfortable.

It started with Stephen. He called me into his office, practically vibrating with excitement.

“Max, I’ve got someone I want you to meet,” he said, motioning to the chair in front of his desk.

I stepped inside and froze. Sitting there, looking like he hadn’t slept in a month, was HIM—the mangaka responsible for The Teenage Vampire and the Humanoid Robot. I’d spent years worshipping his work, only to have my heart stomped on by that disaster of an ending. And now, here he was, right in front of me.
Disclaimer: For security reasons, I will only refer to him as HIM, anime fans can be quite crazy.

Stephen clapped me on the back. “I thought you’d be perfect to take him on as a client.”

“Stephen, I have a session in ten minutes,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take your client,” Stephen replied.

For the record, we don’t usually pass clients around like basketballs or something. But this was a special circumstance, besides the client was Bob the squirrel guy so I’m not exactly…he’ll be fine. Yep.

So I took the sit opposite to HIM and casually opened my notebook, ready to start a conversation.

“So,” I began, my voice a little shaky, “what brings you here today?”

He rubbed his temples, his exhaustion seeping into every movement. “I don’t know where to start.”

“Anywhere is fine,” I replied gently.

He hesitated, then finally said, “I… I don’t know if I can do this anymore. The manga, the anime… any of it.”

My heart dropped. This wasn’t just about creative burnout—this was deeper. “Why do you feel that way?” I asked.

He sighed. “The fans hate me now. I ruined everything. I had a vision, but somewhere along the way, it got twisted. Deadlines, studio demands, the pressure to outdo myself… it all became too much. And now, instead of loving what I do, I’m stressed all the time!”

His voice cracked, and I realized I wasn’t just looking at a creative genius—I was looking at a man crushed under the weight of his own success.

“I am sorry you feel that way but maybe you could take a break…”

“Take a break! Do you think it's my choice to be working 24/7? My left hand can’t jerk off properly anymore.”

Okay. that was a weird unnecessary personal information he should have kept to himself. Then again I could have chosen not to write it…

“I’m not going to lie,” I said carefully, “the ending… wasn’t great.”

He laughed bitterly. “You can say it. It was trash.”

I chuckled despite myself. “Okay, it was the hottest piece of dogshit I ever saw. But you’re not. Look, every artist stumbles. Even Miyazaki probably has a drawer of bad ideas somewhere.”

He tilted his head. “You think so?”

“Not really,” I said with a grin. “You’re an accomplished artist and story teller. I have read most of your works, from UNSXNCTIONS, PULSE to even HARMONIC CONVERGENCE.” Cough cough.

“My earlier works while not perfect had a lot of love and thought into it.” He chimed in with a smile. “They started slow but eventually people started reading them. Back then even my artwork was simplified to how it is now. While they were not mainstream it eventually led me to write my popular work to date.”

“Exactly,” I said with a grin. “and while it is not perfect, you’ve already made something extraordinary. Yeah, you fumbled the ending, but the world you built? The characters? That’s legendary. And you know what? You can fix it. You’re the creator—you hold the pen.”

For the first time, I saw a flicker of hope in his eyes. “You really think I can turn it around?”

“Of course. Fans are fickle, sure but we’re also loyal to a fault. Give us something great, and we’ll forgive anything. Well, almost anything. Don’t do another beach episode in the finale.”

He laughed, a genuine, relieved laugh. “Noted.”

Over the next few sessions, we talked about the pressures of the manga and anime industry. He shared stories about all-night writing sessions, battles with editors, and the constant fear of disappointing his audience. I shared stories about clients who believed they were reincarnated samurai (true story) and the time I accidentally joined an anime club meeting because I thought it was a therapy group.

Slowly but surely, he started to rebuild his confidence. And somehow, in the process, I found myself voicing a character in his next anime project. Funny how life works, isn’t it? It’s plausible, come on!

So here I am, diary, on my way to Fukikae Animation to record my lines as Zhao. Life’s unpredictable, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.