Finally Sakai Kanako gets out from the wretched clutches of RAMS! This may not interest the casual seiyuu fan too much, but RAMS are a seiyuu agency who have been pretty adept at mismanaging and destroying (ok, maybe a bit of an exaggeration…) their talents’ careers. Sakai’s departure from the agency on the 1st of July follows that of singer Ohmi Tomoe and Sakai’s former Clover bandmates Saito Momoko & Shoji Yui in 2008, leaving Nogawa Sakura, Inoue Nana and Miyazaki Ui as RAMS’ only real assets remaining.

The 22-year old Sakai debuted in 2005 with the lead role of Onda Aka in REC and was Ruri in Lovedol and Kikuri in Jigoku Shoujo, but has mainly focused on presenting TV shows (Anime Paradise) - which seemed a waste of her talents.

A bit surprisingly, Kanako has chosen to move to a relatively small theatre company called Gekidan Come Come Minikina (劇団カムカムミニキーナ) - I don’t believe they have much, if any experience at handling seiyuu but perhaps Sakai just wants greater freedom and control over her career. Certainly she’s not sitting idle, the announcement of the change on her blog was accompanied by the launching of a new official website as well as a radio show called Takulog.

Here’s hoping for the best in her future career.

Anyone who really feels a need to stalk me can do so by following my tweets, I’m still vaguely present on parts of the GRSI (Google Reader Sex Infotainment!) aniblogger inner circle and I still occasionally do music.

Plus the side project that is threatening to turn into a main project - the adventures of 3 bonklers!!!, where (mostly) me, danie~ and townberry will cover our DaiCon escapades with Chihara Minori. You might see a lot more of me there, so do pay a visit.

….so much for hoping Toyosaki would talk normally. But then I realised that her (Hirasawa) Yui voice is actually pretty close to what she sounds like in real life anyhow. Still, whose bright idea was this anyway - I would’ve thought her voice would only ever be suitable for like… a Hello! Project song. Well, maybe there are people out there gullible enough to buy a CD that has (the voice of) Yui promoting it!

And lol at all the comments I’ve been reading about the CM on 2ch (ie. that’s a total ‘maid cafe employee’ type of voice!).

The number of series in the summer season usually drops by half from that of the busy spring period, meaning half as many roles to go around an increasingly large pool of seiyuu but there are a few doing very well for themselves as usual. This isn’t really a big issue as there’s tons of 2+-cour series continuing their runs from previous seasons, but you can see that the list of most active seiyuu this summer is almost entirely different from that of the top 15 or so from spring.

The majority of the anime airing this season have a moe feel to them that is firmly reflected in the group of seiyuu who are winning the majority of the roles. A real dry season for the guys this time, with the exception of Hetalia all the series appear to be dominated by female seiyuu cast members. Also there are no real breakout stars either this time, with a select group of names popping up time and again, while the likes of Orikasa Fumiko and Saiga Mitsuki are conspicuous by their absence.

The Winners
Horie Yui
(Aoi Hana, Bakemonogatari, GA Geijutsuka, Kanamemo, Umi Monogatari, Umineko no Naku Koro ni)

Busy, busy summer ahead for Hocchan. Six regular voice roles, an album in July, a single in August and playing live at Budokan in September - it’s certainly a great time to be a fan of hers.

No secret that her range of roles is somewhat limited, but at least you know what you’re going to get - consistently moelicious, fluffy mind-numbingly sugary performances. I don’t expect anything Horie’s doing this time to be wholly different or groundbreaking compared to what she dose 95% of the time, but I’m sure a lot of people will lap it up anyway.

Sawashiro Miyuki
(Bakemonogatari, CANAAN, GA Geijutsuka, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, Umi Monogatari, Zan. Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei)

Rent-a-Voice Sawashiro consistently lands roles left and right every season - no matter lead or supporting roles, she’s never lacking impact no matter what she’s thrust into.

Unlike the others on the rest of this list, she has such a wide range of voices in her repertoire that it’s always refreshing to hear what she brings to the table with each character she slips into. This season she tackles the titular role in CANAAN and supports in a mix of comedy and drama shows, so you can be assured that there’s got to be some Miyuki voice for everyone.

Toyosaki Aki
(Aoi Hana, Kanamemo, Spice & Wolf II, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, Umi Monogatari)

The Toyosaki moe machine (she was Yui in K-ON!) spills over to the summer. Looking at the list Kanamemo seems the obvious highlight, giving her a role that obviously plays to her strengths and allowing her to inject more of that sweetness that she used to great effect with every shout of ‘Ui~~~’ or ‘Azu-nyan~~~’, making every moe-loving otaku go into overload.

On a personal level, of more interest would be her roles in serious fare like Aoi Hana & Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 - I have no idea what sort of characters she’s voicing in those, but I certainly hope it’s not those ‘prerequisite moe-loli sister’ roles… I really would like to hear something different from Aki-chan.

Tomatsu Haruka
(CANAAN, GA Geijutsuka, Sora no Manimani, Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou)

There appears to be no sign of Tomatsu’s hot streak ending just quite yet, another fruitful summer harvest adding to her spring haul of Cross Game, Basquash and Asura Cryin’ (which I believe are all running for another cour). All four roles were announced way in advance,

At this point, not a whole lot more I can say about her without sounding like a complete asshat, you are looking at a total 100% Tomatard after all… OK, legs! legs! legSSS11!#^#$^ Pretty fantastic voice too. Terrible singing as usual though, which we will have the unfortunate privilege of being assaulted by in the Sora no Manimani opening theme via Sphere.

Kitamura Eri
(Kanamemo, NEEDLESS, Taisho Yakyuu Musume., Tokyo Magnitude 8.0)

Most recently and best remembered as voicing Ami from Toradora!, Kitamura is possibly just as versatile and talented as Sawashiro Miyuki but unfortunately somehow manages to lands three times the amount of forgettable C-grade roles as Miyuki. Her singing talents are quite something to behold too, but little is coming from that avenue so fans will have to look to her voice and radio presenting for their fix.

This season yields just the one major role for her, as one of the three main protagonists in the shonen anime NEEDLESS and adds to another bunch of supporting roles. Radio is where KitaEri really comes to life however so be glad to know that she is hosting/co-hosting 5 of those these season, including Kanamemo’s radio show alongside Toyosaki.

Also notable: Ito Kanae and Kamiya Hiroshi both have two lead roles this season.

If you wanna pick a real winner from this season then it’s gotta be Music Ray’n - all four of their charges (Toyosaki, Tomatsu, Kotobuki Minako & Takagaki Ayahi) are scoring good roles plus they’re collectively singing the Sora no Manimani opening theme. Whether it’s really the power of SonyTM at work there - who knows? At least they’re really having a good go at it.

If I were forced to pick an anime to watch based solely on the cast it would be CANAAN. Sakamoto Maaya is a sweet enough deal already, but with Sawashiro + Tomacchan + Tanaka Rie… I’m probably sold on at least the first episode anyway.

Quick Jump: Aoi Hana | Bakemonogatari | CANAAN | Element Hunters | Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!! | GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class | Kanamemo | Needless | Princess Lover! | Sora no Manimani | Spice & Wolf II | Taisho Yakyuu Musume. | Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 | Umi Monogatari~ Anata ga ite kureta koto~ | Umineko no Naku Koro ni | Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou | Zan. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

J.C.Staff adaptation of the yuri manga that focuses on two childhood friends and their respective love lives.

Cast: Untested Takabe Aoi (actress, gravure) takes on one of the leads, with another unheralded seiyuu Gibu Yuko as the other. More familiar names fill up the rest of the roster, including Horie Yui, Ishimatsu Chiemi, Iguchi Yuka, Kawada Shinji, Oura Fuyuka, Toyosaki Aki, Yahagi Sayuri, Asanuma Shintaro, Noto Mamiko, Fukui Yukari, Nakahara Mai & Hamada Kenji
Web Radio: Aoi Hana~Sweet Blue Radio~ hosted by Takabe Ai & Gibu Yuko
Music: Haketa Takefumi
Opening theme: Aoi Hana (青い花) by Kukikodan
-First ever anime theme for the vastly underrated pop trio.
Ending theme: Centiforia (センティフォリア) by Ceui
Website
Staff blog

SHAFT-made anime about a high school boy and the weird students he meets.
Cast: Kamiya Hiroshi is the lead. Saito Chiwa, Katou Emiri, Sawashiro Miyuki, Hanazawa Kana, Horie Yui and Sakurai Takahiro are amongst the rest of the cast.
Web Radio: No
Music: Kousaki Satoru
Opening theme: Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari (君の知らない物語) by supercell
-aka the Nico Nico douga creative. Song composed by ryo, vocals by nagi (formerly Gazelle).
Ending theme: ?
Website
Staff blog

Based on the Wii visual novel 428, featuring a girl with a gun who shares a name with the Promised Land as the lead character.

Cast: All-star cast featuring Sawashiro Miyuki, Sakamoto Maaya, Hamada Kenji, Tanaka Rie, Tomatsu Haruka, Nanjo Yoshino, Noto Mamiko, Hirata Hiroaki, Minagawa Junko, Ohkawa Toru and Ohtsuka Akio
Web Radio: No
Music: Nanase Hikaru
Opening theme: mind as Judgment by Faylan
-First major OP/ED gig for Faylan, who’s performing at Animelo this year.
Ending theme: My Heaven by Annabel
Website
Staff blog

NHK & Korean company collaborate to make a sci-fi anime teaching kids chemistry.

Cast: Asanuma Shintaro, Enomoto Atsuko, Kuwashima Houko, Kobayashi Sanae, Sasaki Nozomu, Suyama Akio, Yamaguchi Rie, Nakayama Sara, Mayama Ako & Koyama Rikiya
Web Radio: No
Music: Sahashi Toshihiko
Opening theme: First Pain by Ishikawa Chiaki
Ending theme: Suihei Liebe~Mahou no Juumon~ (スイヘイリーベ～魔法の呪文～) by Kakki & Ash Potato
Website
Staff blog

Wonderfully deep anime about girls in plug suits charging unlucky people up with electricity.
Cast: Fukuhara Kaori, Takagaki Ayahi, Takahashi Hiroki, Miyazaki Ui, Yahagi Sayuri, Kawasumi Ayako, Shimizu Ai, Mitsuishi Kotono and Kaneda Tomoko star.
Web Radio: No
Music: Tada Akifumi
Opening theme: CHARGE! by Fukuhara Kaori & Takagaki Ayahi
Ending theme: Onegai Sweetheart (お願いSweetheart) by Fukuhara Kaori
Website (wowzers, nipple peek)

Slice of life story about a high school art club. So far, so Hidamari SketchBook.
Cast: The main quartet are voiced by Tomatsu Haruka, Tokunaga Ai, Sawashiro Miyuki, Nazuka Kaori & Horie Yui.

Web Radio: Hosted by Tomatsu Haruka & Nazuka Kaori at Animate.tv.
Music: ?
Opening theme: ?
Ending theme: ?
Website

4-koma manga adaptation about a girl who ends up living at the newspaper delivery office after her family all passes away.
Cast: Toyosaki Aki, Mizuhara Kaoru, Kugimiya Rie, Horie Yui, Kitamura Eri (see those three? It’s like a Toradora! reunion) Hirohashi Ryo & Endo Aya.
Web Radio: Hayane Hayaoki, hosted by Toyosaki Aki & Kitamura Eri starting July 4.
Music: Hashimoto Yukari
Opening theme: Kimi e to Tsunagu Kokoro (君へとつなぐココロ) by Toyosaki Aki, Mizuhara Kaoru & Kugimiya Rie
Ending theme: Yahho!! by Horie Yui
Website

‘Bishojo x Violence’ anime, set in the aftermath of World War III in 2130.

Cast: Established cast featuring Koyasu Takehito, Endo Aya, Kitamura Eri, Utsumi Kenji, Ito Kentaro, Kato Emiri, Touchi Hiroki, Goto Saori, Makino Yui, Taniyama Kisyo, Yamaguchi Mayumi, Ise Mariya, Chihara Minori & Toyoguchi Megumi. Replaces most of the drama CD cast that had the likes of Kobayashi Yumiko, Saito Chiwa & Ueda Kana on board, with only Koyasu and Ito retained.
Web Radio: None
Music: Kato Tatsuya & Iizuka Masaaki
Opening theme: modern strange cowboy by GRANRODEO
Ending theme: Agressive zone by NEEDLESS Girls+ (Kitamura Eri, Endo Aya, Goto Saori, Makino Yui, Kato Emiri)
Website

Eroge adaptation, harem anime etc.

Cast: Terashima Takuma tackles the lucky harem lead, with Yuzuki Ryoka, Toyoguchi Megumi, Kato Emiri, Matsuoka Yuki, Miyake Kaya, Mizuhara Kaoru, Sasaki Nozomi, Wakamoto Norio, Koyasu Takehito, Akimoto Yosuke & Shiraishi Minori offering support.
Web Radio: To be hosted by Hashimoto Miyuki & yozuca* on lantis-net.
Music: ?
Opening theme: Princess Primp! by Hashimoto Miyuki
Ending theme: S.S.D. by yozuca*
Website

High-school astronomy club antics.

Cast: Maeno Tomoaki & Ito Kanae lead. A stellar support cast features Tomatsu Haruka, Hayami Saori, Koshimizu Ami, Takagi Reiko, Majima Junji, Chan Li Mei (not some exotic Chinese, her real name is Toyohara Satomi) & Matsukaze Masaya.
Web Radio: Sora no Manimani Housoushitsu hosted by Ito Kanae & Hayami Saori, to start June 30 (check website)
Music: CooRie & Okubo Kaoru
Opening theme: Super Noisy Nova by Sphere
Ending theme: Hoshikuzu no Surround (星屑のサラウンド). CooRie
Website
Staff blog

Furry economics pt.2.

Cast: Koshimizu Ami, Fukuyama Jun, Chiba Saeko, Koyama Rikiya, Sasajima Kaoru, Watanabe Akeno, Paku Romi, Uchida Yuya & Toyosaki Aki.
Web Radio: Ookamiku Radio hosted by Koshimizu Ami and Fukuyama Jun
Music: Yoshino Yuji
Opening theme: Mitsu no Yoake (蜜の夜明け) by Arai Akino
Ending theme: Perfect World by ROCKY CHACK
Website
Staff Blog

Girls playing baseball in the Taisho era (1912-1926).

Cast: Ito Kanae and Nakahara Mai lead. Rest of the cast includes Ueda Kana, Noto Mamiko, Kaida Yuko, Kitamura Eri, Hirohashi Ryo, Makino Yui, Goto Saori, Fujimura Ayumi & Arai Satomi.
Web Radio: Romantic Radio hosted by Ito Kanae & Nakahara Mai
Music: Hattori Takayuki
Opening theme: Romantic Strike (浪漫ちっくストライク) by Ito Kanae, Nakahara Mai, Ueda Kana & Noto Mamiko
Ending theme: Yume.Miru.Kokoro (ユメ・ミル・ココロ) by Ito Kanae
Website
Staff blog

Airing in the coveted noitaminA slot. Set in the aftermath of a Tokyo reeling from an 8.0 magnitude earthquake, following the lives of siblings Mirai & Yutaka.

Cast: Hanamura Satomi and Kobayashi Yumiko take on the lead roles. Supporting cast includes Kaida Yuko, Kitamura Eri, Toyosaki Aki, Hirataka Narumi, Endo Aya, Sawashiro Miyuki, Nonaka Ai, Naka Hiroshi & Inoue Kikuko. French-born news announcer Christel Takigawa also makes her seiyuu debut here.
Web Radio: No
Music: Otani Kou
Opening theme: Kimi no Uta (キミノウタ) by abingdon boys school
Ending theme: M/elody by Tsuji Shion
Website
Staff blog

‘Magical maiden fantasy’ anime based on a pachinko game, centering on a pair of ‘pure’ sisters who live in the sea with the fishes. Sounds trite, but it’s in the hands of the very capable Sato Junichi (ARIA, Kaleido Star etc) so chances are it won’t totally descend in a sea of cheesy fluff.

Cast: Asumi Kana and Horie Yui voice the sisters Marin and Urin, while the other lead is taken by Kotobuki Minako. Support comes from Fukui Yukari, Majima Junji, Naya Rokuro, Gibu Yuko, Nagai Sachiko, Toyosaki Aki & Sawashiro Miyuki.
Web Radio: UmimonoRadio hosted by Asumi Kana + guests
Music: Muramatsu Ken
Opening theme: violet by marble
Ending theme: Toumei na Inori (透明な祈り) by Itou Masumi
Website
Staff blog

You know the drill, it’s another Naku Koro ni… adaptation.

Cast: Ono Daisuke and Inoue Marina head a large cast that also includes Horie Yui, Suzumura Kenichi, Kugimiya Rie, Kobayashi Yu, Mugihito, Kosugi Juurota, Itou Miki, Hirose Masashi, Koyama Rikiya, Tanaka Atsuko, Koshimizu Ami, Funaki Masato, Bifu Hitoshi, Hatori Yasuko, Ishizumi Akihiko and Ohara Sayaka.
Web Radio: No
Music: ?
Opening theme: Katayoku no Tori (片翼の鳥) by Shikata Akiko
Ending theme: la divina tragedia~Makyoku~ (la divina tragedia～魔曲～) by Jimang [of Sound Horizon]
Website
No staff blog but you can sign up for mail magazine

Based on a light novel about a high-school freshman who meets and becomes the understudy of a mage.

Cast: Nonaka Ai and Nabatame Hitomi lead. Supporting cast includes Tomatsu Haruka, Asanuma Shintaro & Kotobuki Minako. Also the cast picture from episode one shows Hamada Kenji, Sato Satomi & Hikasa Yoko but there’s no confirmation whether they’re just guesting or are cast regulars.
Web Radio: Hosted by Nonaka & Nabatame at the site
Music: Hashimoto Yukari
Opening theme: programming for non-fiction by Asou Natsuko
Ending theme: Made in WONDER by Misato Aki
Website

Third full season of Dr. Doom and his lovely harem.
Cast: The usual suspects return, from Kamiya Hiroshi to Nonaka Ai, Inoue Marina, Shintani Ryoko, Sanada Asami, Kobayashi Yu, Sawashiro Miyuki, Tanii Asuka, Matsuki Miyu, Goto Yuko, Yajima Akiko, Sugita Tomokazu, Ueda Youji, Mizushima Takahiro & Terashima Takuma
Web Radio: Close approaching its 100th episode, the very popular Sayonara Zetsubou Housou continues to be hosted by Kamiya Hiroshi & Shintani Ryoko
Music: Presumably Hasegawa Tomoki
Opening theme: Ringo Mogire Beam! (林檎もぎれビーム！) by Ohtsuki Kenji & Zetsubou Shoujo-tachi (Nonaka Ai, Inoue Marina, Kobayashi Yu, Sawashiro Miyuki, Shintani Ryoko)
Ending theme: Zetsubou Restaurant (絶望レストラン) by Zetsubou Shoujou-tachi (Tanii Asuka, Sanada Asami, Goto Yuko, Matsuki Miyu)
Website

Useless statistics
No. of shows covered in this guide: 17
No. of shows with an exclamation mark in the title: 2
No. of sequels, sidestories, prequels, remakes, blah: 3
No. of original shows not based on a manga, game, novels or random gimmick (& not including sequels): 1
No. of shows with a theme song by one of the seiyuu: 7

Stuff
Will be looking to pick up some shows to replace the ones that are ending - with Hatsukoi Limited, K-ON!, Eden & SoraKake all ending soon, my watch list will consist of just Cross Game. Pretty much anything Sato Junichi does is a done deal, so Umi Monogatari gets top priority for me this season. Also, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 wins a few more bias points thanks to the noitaminA slot and my tendency to gravitate towards anything that doesn’t look oh-so-kewt.

That means two more available slots (I try to keep it at a limit of 5 concurrent TV series to avoid blowing my brains apart) and I’m open to anything apart from the sequels - I’ve seriously had enough of Zetsubou-sensei after two seasons, Higurashi put me to sleep by the 10th episode and I somehow never got into Spice & Wolf despite a lot of people telling me I should (just because I’m an economist doesn’t mean I want to see it in animated form). Taisho is also getting passed over because I can only deal with one baseball anime at one time.

At first glance Aoi Hana (yuri) and Bakemonogatari (a fresh version of Zetsubou-sensei?) are the most likely candidates to fill those slots but that is of course, not set in stone - I never intended to watch Cross Game at all, but it still ended up as arguably my favourite show from spring. CANAAN is a distinct possibility too, though intriguing as it is I can’t really tell from the description what the heck it’s really about. I mean, Shangri-La sounded good on paper and look where that ended up.

I think you can probably tell that I’m not a huge moe fan, but I’m willing to let GA or Kanamemo try to push my Mio and Mugi buttons. I’m also dying for a good brainless shonen series but I honestly haven’t found anything worthy since… Yakitate Japan! maybe, and nothing here indicates that it will break the trend.

Shows that can go screw itself up the butthole - Princess Lover! and Juuden-chan (worst trailer ever, wtf). Seriously, if I ever end up watching either, please take me to the mental hospital. It’s a mere 2-minute drive from my house, straight on past two roundabouts and the first turning on the right.

Seiyuu notes up next.

Seiyuu blogs tend to get shunted to one side because it takes me 1.5x the normal time to read them (lag of brain processing Japanese –> translating to English), and to be honest they’re just not that bloody interesting are they? Unless I’m obsessed with/stalk the seiyuu in question they generally hold very little entertainment value… or am I going off seiyuu…

…that is, until Andrew clued me in on Chihara Minori’s latest series of posts. Now her blog already makes for fantastic reading in Japanese thanks to her frequent mishaps and mental farts, but reading them through Google Translator is even more hilarious.

From her latest bunch of posts, she poses a question:

Q: 熊のフジオカはどこにいるでしょうか？？ (Where is Fujioka the bear?? in this picture)

And the answer:

A: 私のお腹のど真ん中だ このバカ野郎 (In the middle of my stomach, [you] idiot)

…I decided to poke around other blogs to see what I could root out. Some examples of translation awesomeness:

Kitamura Eri is a cannibal? Or Kawasumi Ayako is secretly a fish.

Onigiri.
I ate rice balls made from your sister, Ayako Kawasumi! !
UMASHI! UMASHI! !
Mentaiko flavored rice balls (∩ ‘∀ `) ∩
I loved to buy the case and the rice balls喜多村yeehaw ♪
The case is I have a sister like you ☆ Takahashi Mikako

Hirano Aya sounding amusingly humble:

Girlfriend of ex! ?
There was a photo of your ex’s bookstore in Ginza Hukuya!
Where have I come to her with a tabloid show or bookstore Hukuya (≧ ω ≦)
But I had a rare rain
Unfortunately, many people like me!
Well Thank you★

From Nakamura Moemi via Across blog:

Recently.
The VOiCE Newtype, had told her.
She says the mountains are hot.
And to chew.

Inoue Marina possibly owns pet moss:

I have … I …
Today is a rather sad thing.
I have moss on the stairs and injured his leg.
Location was very embarrassing because most people are not動KEZU the scene for a while but the light済MIMASHITA without the bruises!
I would an adult.
I’m ashamed.
Straight home because it is a shame I was thinking about leaving a little buzz from it.
I slowly closed the time being.
Oh, walking on a bruise or swelling around the light so you do not worry!

And I’m convinced Kaneda Tomoko is truly a genius poet:

I be a good night ☆
Today
Early
Evening
I spoke one day (laughs)
Old
Eating
Talking
My mouth is open 24 hours
And not let me give a little
The father was said to be
Now
And I’ll run my mouth closed
寝MASU ☆
My mouth tomorrow
Nice to meet you (≧ ω ≦) b
So a good night - I ☆ ☆
There.
You, thank you for the name of the dog m (_ _) m
Aloof manner
What is it. .
I had a little laugh
Sorry. . .
Bye!

…I’m gonna read all seiyuu blogs fed through Google Translator now.

Edit: I apologise for being relatively Japanese-literate.

Hitpile
futuristic imagination. school food punishment (Higashi no Eden ED)

At this point in time sfp could release a record of Gregorian chanting and I’d probably still like it, there is just something so enthralling about their music - or it could be that I’m totally in love with Uchimura Yumi’s voice? The electronic influences have been tuned down a bit on futuristic imagination but it’s still my favourite anime theme from the spring season.

nO limiT. Eclipse (Tomatsu Haruka, Nakajima Megumi, Hayami Saori) (Basquash OP1)

A dream teen seiyuu idol group perhaps? Fugly but can sing + cute but can’t sing + cute and can sing makes for a very balanced combination I suppose. nO limiT itself certainly takes some getting used to with its rapid-fire melody/lyrics but I do think the three girls handle the song pretty well and they sound qutie alright together too (it’d be interesting if they ever did it live!). C/w song moon passport (an insert song from ep1) has Hayami on lead and it’s the sweet insert song that played in episode 1. I’m really loving Eclipse now - thank god we get a couple more singles from them before the project bites the dust.

Atashi Dake ni Kakete. Omokage Lucky Hole (Natsu no Arashi! OP)

Amusing homoerotic band name aside, Omokage Lucky Hole’s opener for SHAFT’s Natsu no Arashi is really something special. The title song is so funky and catchy (like something Crazy Ken Band would do) - this is one of those rare occasions where listening to an anime theme makes me want to explore the band’s music further. Well, apart from the garish pink used on their website, I’d found a lot to like about them and I’m putting their back catalogue on my ‘to buy (eventually)’ list. Piracy sure can be useful sometimes…

Kirari Futari. Shiraishi Ryoko (Natsu no Arashi! ED)

So even if I’m not enjoying the anime at all, Natsu no Arashi! can at least claim to have the most fun OP & ED theme song combination from the spring season. Shiraishi’s Kirari Futari is a nice change from her generic galpop material of years past - a category in which c/w song Kanjiru Power falls into, but in this case it scores more points because it features another fun-filled set of lyrics penned by Shiraishi herself with all the usual Konchasu! shoutouts her fans will be familiar with. And of course, the fact that Uryocchi can hold a tune better than 80% of her seiyuu compatriots is a refreshing change (and she’s pleasant on the eye to boot).

PARTY PLAY. Nogawa Sakura (Slap-Up Party OP)

This one has anison written all over it, pretty obvious when you have Shikura Chiyomaru on board. He knows how to craft a decent tune and PARTY PLAY is no exception, making its intentions known from the first second with the torrent of strings, insistently catchy melodies and hooks. I am very fond of his songs myself, and this is the first in a long time I’ve enjoyed a Saku-nyan song - she is a half-decent singer, but her releases are mostly pap. The Korean version included here needs to die though, they may as well have made her sing in Zulu.

Uso. Sid (Fullmetal Alchemist ED)

This came a wee bit late for last month’s coverage [released April 29], but I just wanted to say I love Uso to bits. Probably helped that I heard it a lot during my trip in Japan - even playing over the PA system in a fish market in Hakodate. I guess it’s typical vk-lite Jrock that you’ll either love to bits or hate with a passion, with very little in between. Needless to say I am fast becoming a staunch Sid fan, filling the void in my heart left by the demise of both Pierrot and Janne da Arc (in theory).

Shinkyoku Sokai Polyphonica Crimson S Chara Song Vol.1 - Tatara Pholon & Psyche Renbart. Kamiya Hiroshi & Konishi Katsuyuki

Hah. I was expecting to hate this based on the fact that the charasong album from the first series was god-awful, but I was wrong. Neither Kamiya nor Konishi’s singing skills are worth writing home about (Konishi’s enunciation is particularly dreadful), but what helps is that both songs are very, very solid - not at all anison - a bit like cheesy Johnnys/Chemistry ballads and something I wouldn’t be embarrassed to play aloud in the office. Kamiya’s Hikari no Senritsu is a particular fave, I like it so much I’ve dumped it onto my monthly iPod playlist. Place your bets on aliens invading planet earth tomorrow…

End Prophecy. Phantasm fes feat. Sakakibara Yui

Yui-nyan is at her best when she’s not trying to sing (through her nose) like a 6-year old, and the songs here (from various Chaos;Head productions) are some of her strongest ever - stuff like Zaika ni Keiyaku no Chi o, Shokuzai no Erotica and グラジオール (Glajioul) are dark, menacing and totally rocking.

Starting Over. Okui Masami (Final Approach 2 - 1st priority OP)

Starting Over is definitely one of Makkun’s catchiest, most immediate singles in recent memory so it’s a bit sad it only sold something like <1000 copies (thanks to the D-grade tie-in). If you really wanted to fault the song I suppose you could say that it doesn't really offer anything new to long-time fans or anything exciting to pull in new admirers. Might've sounded fresh and inventive 10 years ago, now it just sounds like your run of the mill anime song. Shame, I really do like it myself...

espacio. Ceui (SoraKake ED2)

I have this thing for breathy, whisper-like voices (you know what turns me on now!), which is what’s making Ceui rapidly become a personal favourite. Her music is just so… Arai Akino (read: quiet, ethereal)! Something that I just can’t resist.

Seisen Spectale. Ceui (Valkyrie Complex OP)

Read above first. OK, so Seisen Spectale is quite similar to espacio - in fact I had trouble telling them apart (or maybe I’m just deaf) but it doesn’t stop it being enjoyable.

Suteki na Kajitsu. Lisa Komine (Ristorante Paradiso ED)

I’ve been quite a fan of Komine’s since she debuted back in 2004 with Will (The Melody of Oblivion’s opening theme), she’s just got such a lovely smooth, versatile voice that could sing the blues the whole day long. Suteki na Kajitsu is light-hearted, carefree, whimsical and makes for perfect listening on a lazy Sunday.

So-so
Ano Kaze ni Notte. pe’zmoku (Valkyria Chronicles ED)

There’s still very little of suzumoku’s folk sound apparent in his collaboration project with pe’z, but Ano Kaze ni Notte is a great improvement from the song they did for Naruto (Gallop). And then it all goes to shit on the c/w songs again.

Wonder Wind. ELISA (Hayate no Gotoku!! OP)

Most of Wonder Wind actually hits the right spots - nice arrangement, great verses… it’s just the awfully monotonous chorus that kind of dampens proceedings.

IF:Kono Sekai de. CooRie (D.C. IF OP)

I’ve long tired of CooRie, her songs aren’t bad enough to hate but still not good enough to say I truly like them. She’s not produced material on the level of Sonzai or Taisetsu na Negai for absolutely ages, and this falls somewhere in between listenable and boring.

Marigold/Cristalism. orange pekoe (Ristorante Paradiso OP)

I’ve never really gotten into orange pekoe’s music, they’re like dorlis but without the voice and tunes.. and Marigold is pretty much more of the same snooze-inducing jazz/soul/funk, reedeemed only by the wonderfully understated KUKUI. Just one good song can save a single from mediocrity!

Break & Peace. DUSTZ (Sengoku Basara ED)

Like a lower-pitched, less intense Jam Project… oh yeah, that’s what UVERworld essentially is. Right, so DUSTZ aren’t actually too bad - the songs are serviceable if not notable. OK I’m just trying hard to ignore how bizarre their afros look on the cover, it just somewhat kills whatever enthusiasm I have for the music.

Kimi Shinitamo Koto Nakare. May’n (Shangri-la OP)

I feel there’s a decent tune in there waiting to burst out but somehow it never quite got to the surface; almost catchy but not quite. I’m not personally a huge fan of the way May’n sings, it’s like she’s swallowing and spitting her words out with venom. Or like she has constipation. She almost sounds like she wants to murder the song sometimes…

Rescue Fire. JAM PROJECT (Tomica Hero OP)

Typical JamPro song, typical sentai song. Nothing wrong with a hot-blooded sing-a-long once in a while yeah? Probably won’t be listening to this a few weeks down the line though, the shouting gets to me.

Kannagi OST Nagioto 2. Kousaki Satoru

The first half of the CD is full of comedic tracks (which deserve to be skipped instantly) - the rest are all slower, more dramatic, pensive tracks reflecting the heavier mood of the tail-end of the Kannagi anime. That long-awaited instrumental version of motto Hade ni ne (Hitori) is fantastic, as is the corresponding version of Musuhi no Toki (Musuhino). Other highlights include Futari wa, the sentai battle theme Hissatsu and Nanohana. So it’s half a decent soundtrack, half a decent coaster.

Shitpile
Ga-Rei Character Song Vol.4 - Iwahata Koji & Naboo Bros. Inada Tetsu & Wakamoto Norio
………..this is what I imagine music made in hell sounds like. Random Wakamoto rapping… how much more wrong could it possibly get?

Netsuretsu Kangei Wonderland. Ueda Kana, Koshimizu Ami, Kugimiya Rie, Shiraishi Ryoko & Ito Shizuka
Eh. I have little tolerance for anime songs where they get 5-6 seiyuu and make them all sing at the same time. It’s like listening to shrill pixies shrieking.

Koi no Uta. Tomatsu Haruka (Polyphonica Crimson S ED)
What sucks more, the song or Tomatsu’s singing? Oh I know what sucks most… me. Cos I bought the single despite knowing how appalling it is (Tomatard right here). I…I can’t help it, she’s cute :3

Zankoku na Tenshi no Teze 2009. Takahashi Yoko (EVA something)
The world really doesn’t need another version of Curel Angel’s Theses. It really doesn’t.

Niji no Recipe. sukimaswitch (contains Kemono no Souja Erin OP)
I can’t remember when sukimaswitch’s music started getting so depressingly dull, the only recipe here is a cure for insomnia.

Gekkou no Chigiri. Yousei Teikoku (Kurokami ED2)
I normally like their quieter stuff, but despite the prettiness of the arrangement Gekkou no Chigiri goes nowhere fast. A bit too dull for me (oh please don’t sing this at Animelo).

Hatsukoi Limited. Character Song Vol.1 - Enomoto Kei & Dobashi Rika. Ito Shizuka & Kotobuki Minako
The main reason I looked out for this was the chance to hear Kotobuki handle a song by herself and her singing was fine, the problem was that the song (and Shizuka’s as well) sucked balls. When will her talents be put to better use..

Fuwa Fuwa Time. Sakurakou K-ON BU
Never took to Fuwa Fuwa Time when it first played in the anime - and it’s been surpassed by the stapler song anyhow.

Asu e no Kizuna. HIMEKA (Valkyria Chronicles OP)
Being mildly catchy isn’t enough these days. Gaijin angle blabla, the fact is that Asu e no Kizuna is just very average, flat and has nothing that sets it apart from the zillion other anime themes out there.

Spiral/link. angela (Asura Cryin’ OP/ED)
Lost in the great big sea of May anime themes.

Sakura kimi ni sakimasu youni. Tange Sakura
She gave up making Kinomoto Sakura hoe~~~ to make bland music like this. Oy vey.

GIVE ME UP. Tamaki Nami (Yatterman ED)
Disco. Repetitive. Not good. Seriously the chorus just goes ‘Give me up! Oooh~~~~’ over and over, which half made me think that my foobar had gotten stuck and was looping the same line.

One of the impulse purchases I made on my recent trip to Tokyo was this, a 114-page book to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the a-FAN FAN radio programme last year. It’s a 90-minute weekly show on cable radio network USEN hosted by four different people (one for each week of the month) - Kobayashi Yu, MC Minami Kaori, Mizuki Nana and songwriter Mieno Hitomi, delivering anime information and music. The strange thing that all four women have in common? They all have blood type O.

I basically bought the thing blind & not knowing the contents of the book at all, but it had Yu-tan and Nana so things couldn’t be that bad, right? Plus it came with a special CD featuring a 20-minute interview with the four hosts (which happened to be the first time they’ve ever met at the same time) so I thought I’d take a gamble.

….I’m not scanning my book and destroying the binding so you’ll have to tolerate shit photography in poor lighting.

Book

It’s almost split 50-50 on colour or B&W pages. There’s 16 interview and featured pages dedicated to each of the hosts, the latter collecting all the handwritten messages you can see on the USEN site every month.. er Nana’s chicken scrawls and persistent dress-drawing are rather amusing, but I wish she wrote as clearly as Kobayashi does.

The interview parts are pretty lengthy, divided into individual and joint sections. Interestingly, half of the quartet have been with the show from the very beginning and it’s not hard to guess who - Minami and Mieno have both been hosts since March 1999. Nana’s stint started in 2002 and Kobayashi is the newest on the block, having been in the job just a few months before the book was published. Previous presenters included Kakazu Yumi, Yamamoto Marina, Chiba Saeko & Kobayashi Yumiko.

Nana’s programme is called Mizuki Nana no POWER GATE, you can hear the first ever episode on NicoDouga and it’s amusing to hear her introduce herself as being 22 years old. The first ever song she played on the show was… POWER GATE. It was actually her first ever regular radio presentation job and at the time this book came out she had presented 77 episodes ^^;

CD

Basically has the four girls chatting about random topics. One of the questions was ‘What have you been doing for (at least) 10 years?’ Nana’s was…. eating curry every year on her birthday. Curry. Again. Oh, there was a feature in the book about their favourite food and predictably, Nana was talking about curry too… and er, Yu-tan’s was pork (buta).

And er… KobaYu’s 10-year itch habit was… helping (お手伝い)? Wtf, whatever. It somehow ended with her going off on a tangent and starting to imitate a gorilla (her headphones nearly flew off apparently), leading to hysterical laughter from the other three girls. Well she’s been doing them imitations for 2-3 years, and I’m not sure if Mieno-san was being sarcastic when she said that she hoped it would continue for 10 years… and there was a lengthy discussion about the joys of being in the O blood group. Uhhh I don’t even know my own blood type >_> But hey, my dad and mum are A and B (can’t remember which is which) and my brother’s an O, so what’s the chances I’m an AB to complete the set?

The book’s really only for hardcores, unless you can read moon runes or like salivating over pix there’s not a whole lot in there for the casual seiyuu fan, especially at the cost of 2,625 yen. I suppose I just like collecting weird shit?