What is the process of adapting a novel into an audio drama like? In early 2023, Utsudo’s 《廢棄樂園的歐菈公主》 was signed through Huaxing Entertainment with Studio No. 9 for an audio drama adaptation. The first meeting involved more than ten people, including voice actors, post-production and marketing. She shared her thoughts on writing the story and answered the team’s questions, then they discussed recording specs and held trial readings. Hearing her characters speak for the first time made her feel they had truly come alive.
Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.
《廢棄樂園的歐菈公主》 becomes an audio drama
Around the start of this year, through an unexpected connection, my work 《廢棄樂園的歐菈公主》 was signed via Huaxing Entertainment with Studio No. 9, and an audio drama is on the way.
The first meeting with the whole production team—voice actors, post-production, marketing and more—had over ten people. It was a bigger lineup than I expected, and their professionalism made me both nervous and excited.
That day, I shared some thoughts on writing the story and answered the questions they’d prepared. Then came their internal communication and the recording file specifications. Since it was a technical part full of terms unfamiliar to me, I zoned out a bit—luckily no one suddenly called on me XD
Hearing my characters speak for the first time
Next came the voice actors performing excerpts.
It was at this stage that it really hit me. Hearing my characters speak for the first time and come alive in my mind was an incredible experience.
Since it was still a trial reading, I also admired how some actors could instantly switch between their character and their real selves. For example, the lead actress had just finished a sweet, innocent childlike laugh, then suddenly dropped an octave to ask, “Is that the feel you want?” The contrast was so fun.
The narrator and the male lead, Delance, were voiced by the same person. I admired how freely he switched between situations. Listening to the voice actors interpret the story in their own way, I wondered: if it were adapted into an anime, would it bring a similar kind of emotion?
More possibilities for the work
《廢棄樂園的歐菈公主》 has been published publicly in several places, so take a look if you’re interested. My agency thinks it’s suitable for an anime adaptation and is looking for an animation studio. Whether it happens, we’ll keep watching and hoping.
Personally, I think it would suit a puzzle game made with RPG Maker, but considering the development involved, it might cost too much to produce. Maybe we’ll consider it later.
A year of trying new things
2023 is also a year of trying many new things. I hope you’ll all have different developments and breakthroughs this year too. Let’s work toward the future together!
FAQ
Attend production meetings, share thoughts on writing the work, answer questions from voice actors and the team, and listen to trial readings to give feedback.
Voice actors, post-production and marketing teams and more. More than ten people attended Utsudo’s first meeting.
Her agency thinks it suits an anime adaptation, and Utsudo feels it would also make a great puzzle role-playing game.
Further reading
- Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #190: The Rich People in Prime-Time Soaps Are Real
- Start from the beginning: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #01: Utsudo’s Debut — A Road to the Dream Covered in Frost
- Utsudo’s books
About the author
Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.
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