Are you someone looking to pick up a manga between guys? That probably means you’ll be into what Renta! has been pushing out over the past full year. From a major (and I mean major) redesign and some blood, the service has made some significant changes.
However, publishing yaoi has remained a big focus. And tomorrow, readers will have a chance to purchase one of their latest titles: Worship My Voice. But what is this manga all about? Let’s find out from the editor of the manga, Rebecca (Bex):
TheOASG: In one sentence, how would you describe Chidori Sakuraba’s Worship My Voice?
Rebecca (Bex): It’s a beautiful smorgasbord of angst and happy endings!
This manga tackles voice acting and love between guys. Does it find a balance between the two or does it lean more towards one way?
It’s really only the first two stories that are about voice acting, and they both strike a good balance between the two themes. For example, the couple in the first story have to make a yaoi drama CD together and the top’s voice makes the bottom weak in the knees! It’s super cute. I don’t want to spoil the second story, though, so you’ll just have to read it!
The other stories within this book have different settings, and those come into play just as much as the voice acting did.
Now that I think about it, the fact that it’s two guys who’re in love isn’t even questioned in this manga, which is refreshing. They’re all just… love stories between two people who’re trying to get through life and find happiness.
As you’ve been working on this title, what turned out to be the biggest surprise in the manga?
Honestly, the biggest surprise came when I read the two-page bonus story at the end about characters I didn’t recognize and then found out that they were from a book that’ll be released AFTER this series has ended! Whoops…!
They seemed really cute, though, so I’m looking forward to bringing that to English readers soon, too!
What ended up being the biggest challenge when it came to working on this one?
There really weren’t any challenges. The translator, proofreader, and typesetter all did excellent work, so I had very little to do. They made my job very easy, so I just got to enjoy the manga!
Finally, what should readers expect when they check out Worship My Voice?
Surprisingly, angst. But, like, the kind of angst that makes your heart hurt so good and is then soothed by a lovely happy ending. And it’s in no way dark, or anything like that. Instead, it was more that I wanted to smoosh the characters together and shout, “He loves you!! Why can’t you see that!?”
They should also expect a nice mix of personalities and a variety of situations. Chidori Sakuraba (and the translator) gave each character their own voice, and it’s resulted in a really enjoyable manga with characters I didn’t want to let go.
Luckily, we don’t have to let them go! We’ll be bringing out a new installation of this series every month until it’s completed, and many of the characters will return! It hasn’t all been translated yet, but the next two volumes coming out in September and October will be “Stand-Offish Voice” and “Teasing Voice“. Don’t miss them!