Makeup Required features the vocal talents of Alpha Takahashi, Yoshi Ando, Sal Locascio, Troy MacFarland and Jim Merk.
Returning cast members and new voice talent bring the series to life
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, April 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Yoimono LLC today released the audiobook edition of “Makeup Required,” the second illustrated short story in the Famous James Adventures series. The story follows Famous James, an English teacher in Japan, and his adult students through a week of mid-term tests, a Battle of the Bands competition, and an unexpected request that sends the week in a new direction.
The new audiobook builds on the world introduced in “Escape from the Lost Samurai,” where listeners first met key characters including Hiro, Emi, and Famous. Voice actors Alpha Takahashi and Yoshi Ando return for “Makeup Required,” continuing the performances they began in the first audiobook and adding new characters in this one.
Other cast members for “Makeup Required” include Sal Locascio, Troy Macfarland, and Jim Merk, creator and producer of the series. Together, the performers bring a range of real voices and emotional texture to the story.
Takahashi, trained in musical theatre and Shakespeare, is known for voicing Psylocke in Marvel Rivals, Hanako Arasaka in Cyberpunk 2077, Aiko in Kubo and the Two Strings, and multiple characters in Blue Eye Samurai. Ando, whose voice work includes projects for Apple, Disney, and Amazon, has worked professionally in voice acting since 2004 and also voiced multiple characters in Blue Eye Samurai. Locascio, a full-time voice actor with a background in improv, music, composition, and audio engineering, brings a strong sense of performance and musicality to the production. Macfarland is a voiceover artist, music producer, and performer whose story-driven style is shaped by years of experience in music, marketing, and creative leadership.
“I like using real voice actors whose performances carry the tone, timing, and individuality of each character across the series,” said Jim Merk, founder of Yoimono LLC and creator of the series. “Their talent helps the story feel more lived-in and memorable. I’m so grateful for their incredible work.”
Like the illustrated stories themselves, the audiobook is part of a connected narrative in which characters return, relationships evolve, and each new release adds context to what came before. In audio form, those performances help make the world feel more personal, more vivid, and more fully realized.
The “Makeup Required” audiobook is available now on Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/makeup-required/id1895241982.
For more information about the Famous James Adventures series and ESL learning program, visit www.famousjamesadventures.com.
Jim Merk
Yoimono LLC
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