j1m0ne’s blog

Ah yes, another chance for me to show off my l33t doctorate in seiyuu studies and champion those obscure seiyuu as the bestest ever and go around educating people on why they are good when in reality, nobody gives a toss about seiyuu as long as they don’t sound like somebody farting everytime they open their mouths.

But I know and you know, that we all like young, fresh meat. Preferrably pretty, young, fresh meat. Which is probably why I tried to include as few guys as I possibly could… (no, I’m kidding. I just couldn’t think of any worthy ones). I hope that in years to come, most of the people on the list will still be actively pursuing seiyuu careers - then I can claim that my crystal ball gazing techniques work.

j1m0ne’s 勝手なガイドライン (guidelines) for potential seiyuu candidates:
-MUST be at most, 22 years and 364 days old on the 28th of April 2008.
-Fulfills at least one of the following two criteria:
1.Is, or has been signed to a seiyuu talent agency.
2.Has been in an average of at least 1 anime a year since their debut.
(This is to eliminate the talento who occasionally do voice work - the likes of Kusumi Koharu, Kudo Haruka, Nakagawa Shoko etc.)

I have taken great care to be as neutral as possible, which means I’m going to include people I don’t like too. And why 23, not 24 or 25? Because I’m 23. That’s all. On to the list, which is in no particular order.

The Monarchy
Sawashiro Miyuki (沢城 みゆき)- 22 years old (Queen regnant)

You’ll know her as…: Puchiko in Di Gi Charat, Mint in Galaxy Angel, Shinku in Rozen Maiden
What can you say about Sawashiro that hasn’t already been said? The 22 other people on this list will be lucky if they end up with a career half as illustrious as Miyuki’s has been so far, and in fact, she’s probably has a better CV than most seiyuu twice her age. Although she reminds me somewhat of my grandmother with her maturity and wisdom (and if you’re watching kure-nai, I get the feeling that Sawashiro was probably like Murasaki was when she was a kid). Anyway, there aren’t any suitable superlatives that could be used to describe Miyuki - everyone should just bow down to her and lick her shoes.

Koshimizu Ami (小清水 亜美) - 22 (Princess, first in line)

You’ll know her as…: Kallen Stadtfeldt in Code Geass
Koshimizu is one of the most popular young seiyuu these days thanks to the almighty power of Geass and her character’s bunny waitress outfit. She possesses a voice that is easy to ID, has a pleasant personality and is easy on the eye (though she needs to fix her teeth). Thankfully her music career appears to have been tossed to one side, which is a relief to me since I could never stomach her singing, no thanks to bad memories of Nadja songs. Koshimizu’s already got a Seiyuu Award under her belt, and I can safely predict that she will still be with us in 15 years’ time when ‘Code Geass: Lelouch and Kallen’s Secret Lovechild Goes to Bollywood’ hits our screens.

Kitamura Eri (喜多村 英梨) - 20 (Princess, second in line)

You’ll know her as…: Saya in Blood+
I’ve already extolled her many qualities many times over, but it probably doesn’t hurt to extol them once again. KitaEri is madder than a box of frogs, has a wild otaku streak to rivals Shoko-tan, owns more video game machines than I have pairs of shoes, draws illustrations so good that some manga artists should be ashamed and is such a karaoke expert that she’d probably get 100 on those machines that give you scores. Oh, and she can voice act a bit too. And she can imitate anyone or anything under the sun. Rin in Kodomo no Jikan is Eri’s sexiest role to date, and she gets to try to seduce more dirty old men in its sequel later this year.

Hirano Aya (平野 綾) - 20 (Princess, third in line)

You’ll know her as…: Haruhi in Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, Konata in Lucky Star
Surely Hirano needs no introduction by now. Maybe some think that she should get the Most Polarising or Most Overrated tag plastered across her face but there’s no denying that she’s brought more public attention to the much maligned seiyuu profession than anybody else on the list. But that comes with the domain, the more fame you gain, the more haters you have. Hers is the one name that most casual fans, even those fat Americans who prefer listening to dubs will have heard of. Aya will continue to be as big as long as her massive army of fans support her, and the haters should learn to get used to it and stop moaning.

Irino Miyu (入野 自由) - 20 (Prince, fourth in line)

You’ll know him as…: Syaoran in Tsubasa Chronicle, Sora in Kingdom Hearts games
I know, most people are probably thinking Who the heck is this guy? But that is to be expected, most people only ever pay attention to the girls >_> But if you’re smart, you’ll have noticed that the quartet in the top bracket of this list all started in showbiz in their early teens. And the role that launched Irino’s career was something that kids his age would only have dreamed of – Haku in the almighty Miyazaki Hayao’s Spirited Away. Syaoran and Sena (from Eyeshield 21) are still his signature roles, but Miyu has also featured in a wide range of shows from D.N.Angel to GiTS:SAC to Cromartie to Gundam 00. But you know, girls just like him cos he looks and sounds cute.

The Would Be Queens & King
Tomatsu Haruka (戸松 遥) - 18

You’ll know her as…: Lala in To Love-Ru
It is surely not just my infatuation with her that makes me think that if there’s anyone amongst these 23 people who is likely to become a Horie Yui-type idol, it’s Tomatsu. She already had me from the word “Omae” (IIRC, that was the first word she uttered in Polyphonica). Still a bit raw at times, but has already displayed good range of voices and with a lead role in Shinbo Akiyuki’s Shina Dark still to come, you certainly ain’t heard the last of Tomatsu Haruka.

Hanazawa Kana (花澤 香菜) - 19

You’ll know her as…: Ryoko in Zegapain, Sora in Sketchbook
How fast things can change in 12 months. A year ago, I was not truly convinced that Kana was leaving behind her teen idol days (see picture above) for a serious voice acting career but that changed once the news broke that she had signed up with Osawa Office, the agency that handles the seiyuu monoliths that are Noto Mamiko and Kawasumi Ayako. In possession of a moe voice that is apt to turn grown men into whimpering little boys, Osawa are surely grooming Hanazawa to be Mamiko’s eventual successor. I predict that in 5 years time, you won’t be able to escape her voice no matter where you go. She is gonna be that big. PS, she’s been doing the rounds on variety shows since she was a kid, here’s what she looked like when she was 10.

Iguchi Yuka (井口 裕香) - 19

You’ll know her as…: Amami Haruka from Idolmaster XENOGLOSSIA, Aiko from true tears
Another talented teenage seiyuu who’s making a breakthrough. Having made her debut at the age of 15 as Usada Akari from Di Gi Charat Nyo, it wasn’t until Iguchi signed up with Osawa Office (aren’t they bent on grabbing all the best young talent?) that she started to land more significant roles starting with the lead role in the Idolmaster anime. I believe that Aiko is the one most people will recognise her as, and she’s also headlining this season’s Kamen no Maid Guy as Naeka. Also, Yukachi’s hideous hairstyles reminds me of Sawashiro Miyuki’s similarly bad choice of cuts - seriously someone needs to get both of them decent stylists cos they both look 10 years older than they really are.

Yahagi Sayuri (矢作 紗友里) - 21

You’ll know her as…: Karin in Karin
People were scratching their heads when Yahagi’s unfamiliar name popped up as being the one to take on the voice of vampire girl Maaka Karin in Karin. Sayuri was up to the task though, and put in one of the best debut performances you’ll have heard in recent times. Since then though, it’s been a bit up and down for her, limited to mostly bit-part roles in Hayate no Gotoku!, Busou Renkin and Otogi Jushi Akazukin, or roles in not-so-great anime (Ku in Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora, Utsumi in Gigantic Formula). Sayuri gets a chance to shine again as the lead character’s love interest Haruna in To Love-Ru, but she really needs to buck up her radio presentations - it’s pretty obvious she’s not got a lot upstairs >_>

Okamoto Nobuhiko (岡本 信彦) - 21

You’ll know him as…: Yorito in sola, Shin in Persona
You know who Nobu most reminds me of? A young Sakurai Takahiro, that’s who. He’s one of the few people on this list who got into the seiyuu business via the traditional method of going through seiyuu school and graduating on to its parent agency & not as a by-product of a failed mainstream career. Okamoto has also managed to hold his own as the lead in sola and Persona, surrounded by such distinguished names as Koyasu Takehito, Fujiwara Keiji, Noto Mamiko and Sawashiro Miyuki. And of course there’s his increasing appearances in BL drama CDs, that should enhance his standing in fangirls’ eyes…

The Best of the Rest
Makino Yui (牧野 由依) - 22

You’ll know her as…: Sakura in Tsubasa Chronicle, Misaki in NHK ni Youkoso!
Ah MakiMaki, the other helium-balloon voiced ’seiyuu’ on the list. Actually, I hesitate to call her a seiyuu since she seems to be more focused on her music, having recently graduated from university with a major in piano studies or something similar. I am fond of her music (because I’m an ARIA maniac), if not her voice work - she usually sounds the same in everything and I can spot a Makino-voiced character from 20 miles away because of the sound of the air leaking out through her teeth when she speaks. No I’m just kidding, I think she’s OK at what she does but for me Yui will never be a top-class seiyuu - stick to the music, love.

Ito Kanae (伊藤 かな恵) - 21/22

You’ll know her as…: Amu in Shugo Chara!
Nobody’s 100% sure of her age but given that she’s still junior status in Aoni Production, the fan estimates seem pretty accurate. An instant fan-favourite thanks to that one role in Shugo Chara!, Ito’s well on course for a bright career having snagged the role of Hayamiya Natsumi in the upcoming remake of Masami Yuki’s Birdy the Mighty. (Incidentally, Yukana was the original seiyuu in the mid-90s OVA). Probably irrelevant, but at 147cm (about 4′8”) Ito’s one of the shortest seiyuu around.

Hayami Saori (早見 沙織) - 16

You’ll know her as…: Momoka in Touka Gettan
The youngest person on the list, having debuted in Touka Gettan last year. I’m more interested in Hayami’s singing than her seiyuu work to be honest - she’s got a voice mature beyond her tender years. Not likely to turn into a huge seiyuu idol a-la Hocchan or Yukarin since she doesn’t possess the necessary looks (you know it’s true), but with the right projects and a bit of luck she might go far.

Toyosaki Aki (豊崎 愛生) - 21

You’ll know her as…: Amuro from Umisho
The first thing that strikes you about Toyosaki is that she’s Omigod cute! She’s also got a cutesy voice to match her face, ably demonstrated by her impressive turns as the lead in Umisho, and as the idiotic Yoshino in the Minami-ke series. And of course, the cutesy Su in Shugo Chara. Aki gives me, and many others, sugar overload. That could possibly be her only virtue unless she gets a role that shows otherwise.

Shimoda Asami (下田 麻美) - 22

You’ll know her as…: Kagamine Rin/Len of VOCALOID
IDOLM@STER, one of the few reasons anybody in Japan bought an Xbox360. You certainly can’t underestimate the popularity of the idol-making game franchise and its effect on the career of the seiyuu involved. Names like Nakamura Eriko, Nigo Mayako & Hasegawa Akiko would be alien to most people, even well-informed anime seiyuu fans, but to a lot of rabid IDOLM@STER fanboys, they’re goddesses. Shimoda Asami is no different, being the voice of the Futami twins Ami and Mami in the game. Seems that she’s found her niche (twins), as she also provides the voices for the second VOCALOID Kagamine Rin/Len. Will she ever make the crossover to anime? Her legion of Japanese fans would certainly hope so.

Goto Saori (後藤 沙緒里) - 21

You’ll know her as…: Karasuma Chitose in Galaxy Angel X, Barasuishou in Rozen Maiden Traumend
Ah, Saori of the helium-balloon voice. It’s easy to forget that she is still only 21, having made her debut in Galaxy Angel X at just 17 years of age. She only possesses one type of voice but that’s no big deal since that definition applies to more than two thirds of seiyuu in the business. Goto has shown that she is focused on furthering her seiyuu career by moving to big guns 81produce (who are not well-known for managing idol-type seiyuu) in early 2007, putting her idol aspirations to one side. Although she has found steady work in shows like Sky Girls and Minami-ke, Saori’s yet to make a real breakthrough but I guess time is on her side.

Sanpei Yuko (三瓶 由布子) - 22

You’ll know her as…: Renton from Eureka 7
The first three words that come to my mind when thinking of Sanpei - 男前 (manly), ツンデレ (tsundere) and 小清水亜美 (Koshimizu Ami). Always uneasy in the spotlight, my fondest memory of her is on Koshimizu’s album DVD where Amisuke tried to drag her into the camera’s view and Sanpei was all tsundere, whining and stomping her foot whilst Ami’s bemused younger sister watched on from the background. But Sanpei has not stayed in Koshimizu’s shadow for long, building an impressive career of her own with her long-standing involvement in the Precure series plus hosting her own radio shows. She also seems to have found her niche in voicing teenage boys, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing when you look at people like Kobayashi Yumiko, Minagawa Junko and Takeuchi Junko and how successful they’ve turned out to be.

Takagaki Ayahi (高垣 彩陽) - 22

You’ll know her as…: Isurugi Noe from true tears
Nobody paid much attention when Ayahi first appeared on the scene with two lead roles in Deltora Quest and Venus Versus Virus (possibly because hardly anyone watched them), but in the space of a few months her visibility rating has bumped up a notch, first as Felt Grace in Gundam 00 and then of course, as the strangely endearing Noe in true tears. For someone who possesses a powerful operatic singing voice (she’s said to have majored in vocal music in university), she’s yet to prove that she can even pull off simple pop songs consistently. The fact that she’s currently voicing Megumi, the half-mute and ‘wonderful’ vocalist in Special A probably isn’t helping her image much ^^;

Akesaka Satomi (明坂 聡美) - 20

You’ll know her as: Nano Pudding in Galaxy Angerune, Chrome Dokuro in Katekyo Hitman Reborn
I am rather cautious in putting Akesaka on this list, although she’s had a pretty good 2007 I still have lingering fear that she might turn into another Hasegawa Shizuka. On the plus side Satomi’s voice isn’t as limited as Shizuka’s, she’s always had a steady stream of presenting work and she’s also one of the better young seiyuu singers around. And of course, she’s cute as a button (always a good reason to think that somebody will become a major star, eh?). Lucky Star fans/KyoAni fanboys might be interested to know that she voiced Matsuri, one of the older Hiiragi sisters in the anime.

Ise Mariya (伊瀬 茉莉也) - 19

You’ll know her as…: Touka in Touka Gettan
The gorilla comparisons are perhaps a little unkind. Ise also possesses the unenviable record of fastest growing anti-thread(s) on 2channel…someone must really hate her! She’s most memorable to me for her Anime News Network profile providing some of the most amusing spam entries I’ve ever seen. I personally cannot remember how she sounded like in any of her roles (the most prominent one was Touka in Touka Gettan) which surely cannot be a good thing. At least she doesn’t annoy me as much as…

Kataoka Azusa (片岡 あづさ) - 20

You’ll know her as…: Yumeno Uta in Onegai My Melody, Nankyoku Sakura in Penguin Musume♥Heart
Sigh. I can’t pinpoint exactly what I dislike about Kataoka, but it’s probably something to do with the fact that she has the voice acting ability of a penguin, talks and sings like a hyena and has the personality of a wooden stick. Er, maybe I’m being a little harsh? OK, if there are any Kataoka fans out there (heaven forbid!), please point out to me what her best qualities are - beyond her looks I fail to see or hear any appeal.

Fukuhara Kaori (福原 香織) - 21

You’ll know her as…: Hiiragi Tsukasa in Lucky Star
The single unpredictable element that can make a career is of course, luck. A case of being the right person for the right role at the right time; and Fukuhara, along with her Lucky Star compatriots Endo Aya and Kato Emiri are beneficiaries of such circumstances. Before her big break, Fukuhara’s career looked to be travelling down a slippery slope into obscurity but Lucky Star raised her profile enormously, and she’s since landed roles in Yotsunoha and Macross Frontier. Being signed to Avex Entertainment, Kaori could end up with a career like Chihara Minori…or she could end up like Hirama Juri.

Sakai Kanako (酒井 香奈子) - 21

You’ll know her as…: Onda Aka in REC
Eh, I’ve never quite understood RAMS. They appear keen to groom their charges into seiyuu idols but it seems to me that they’re making a real hash of it (apart from maybe Nogawa Sakura). Although they have quite a lot of talented young girls on their books; Saito Momoko, Inoue Nana, Miyazaki Ui & Kanako included, their focus seems to be all wrong. I mean, this season alone, only Miyazaki is actually involved in an anime (Kanokon) while all the rest are consigned to hosting anime variety shows that nobody watches. Sakai could be doing much more, but she isn’t. Is it down to mismanagement?

So…if you recognised all 23 of them, おめでとうございます！(congratulations!). You’ve earned a PHD (Permanent Head Damage) in seiyuu studies. If you recognised just 1 (Hirano Aya, I’ll bet), go back to kindergarten and re-learn your ABCs hiragana.

Also, you’d be wrong to think that the girls are better than the guys all the time - wait for my next great feature, 50 Seiyuu over the Age of 50 and you’ll see why

Posted on April 28th, 2008 under seiyuu • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback