Which Voice Actor will you choose? pt.2

The Tease

Seto Asami

For her role of Konatsu (Tari Tari)

I've never heard her anywhere else except for Rinne no Lagrange, but her role of Princess Laffinty doesn't really fit into this archetype. Well, her role of Konatsu isn't completely a tease either, but I find that her performance a step above Asumi Kana's, who had several good "tease" roles. I'll pray hard for some of these roles in the future.

Alternative: Asumi Kana (Tachibana Miya, Amagami and Nyaruko, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san)

The Lady

Yukana

For her role of C.C. (Code Geass) and Cecilia (Infinite Stratos)

I do find Cecilia pretty annoying at times, but she does have the Ojou-sama flair that C.C. always projects. While perhaps both aren't true Ojou-sama(s), this is how I'd like my Lady/Princess character to sound like.

Alternative: Tanaka Rie (Lacus, Gundam Seed and Sugintou, Rozen Maiden)

The Tsundere

Satou Rina

For her role of Misaka Mikoto (A Certain Scientific Railgun) and Tanamachi Kaoru (Amagami)

KugiRie? Pfffttt.

Along with Hirohashi Ryou, Satou Rina is my all-time favourite seiyuu, and consequently, Mikoto and Kaoru are among my favourite characters of all time. And it's not just limited to these two too, anyone she casts almost always becomes instantly likable. I love lively voices like hers, but she is perhaps the only one for me (or maybe also Inoue Marina) that can sound so distinct without feeling forced or exaggerated. It's particularly awesome when Mikoto goes into tsuntsun mode!

Alternative: Hikasa Youko (Hattori Junko, Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou and Seraphim, Kore wa Zombie desuka?)

The Plucky Girl

Itou Kanae

For her role of Matsumae Ohana (Hanasaku Iroha)

Ohana is THE character that defined the plucky girl trope for me. Her personality, together with Itou Kanae's voice work, is perhaps what made her one of the most memorable characters there is. This had a lot to do with why I gave the "Best anime of 2011" spot to HanaIro. While I must say that the voice work is hardly a defining characteristic of the trope, and it's mostly Ohana's character design over Itou Kanae's voice work that puts her here, I guess she earned it.

Alternative: Ishihara Kaori (Kyouno Madoka, Rinne no Lagrange)

The Femme Fatale

Itou Shizuka

For her role of Koko (Jormungand) and Kanzaki (A Certain Magical Index)

I never noticed how good Itou Shizuka was at doing these particularly dangerous characters until Jormungand. Or should I say, I never noticed how good she was at portraying the softer side of these characters, until Kanzaki Kaori became a complete fanservice character in Index 2. Having a complete badass like Revy is cool every now and then, but it's better to have an action girl with a appealing other side, and Itou Shizuka's is perfect for that.

Alternative: Hmm... Chiwa Saito? (Senjougahara, Bakemonogatari)

The Kuudere

Nakahara Mai

For her role of "Watashi" (Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita) and Nagisa (Clannad)

Well, Nakahara Mai is amazing for many different types of roles, and I don't think she had a real kuudere role yet. At least, I haven't seen one. But seeing her cast "Watashi" in Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, I can't help but think that she's a perfect fit for a quiet, mellow character. Someone with a ton of monologue like Mayu in Morita-san wa Mukuchi would be perfect.

Alternative: Chihara Minori (Chiaki, Minami-ke and Nagato Yuki, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

Who would you pick for these character archetypes?

(part 1)

Which Voice Actor will you choose?

If you can choose the voice actor for a specific type of role, who would you choose?

I got this idea while writing the Ideal Anime Cast post a while back. I've always been a seiyuu fan, so this is a particularly interesting topic for me. And let's face it, some seiyuus are meant for certain roles, or at least you already had a particular image of the type of character they would cast in your mind. Here's some of my favourite people, and the roles I love seeing them in.

The Male Protagonist

Ono Daisuke
For his role of Satou Jun (Working!) and Koizumi Itsuki (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

If you would ask me about the best male seiyuu there is, I'll probably say Fukuyama Jun. But after Lelouch, I can't picture him in anything but an arrogant authoritarian male. I find Ono Daisuke a more flexible and well-rounded voice, which can go from a harsher tone (Satou) to a softer one (Koizumi), and perhaps that's what I'll rather pick for a make protagonist.

Well, honestly, picking male archetypes is boring, and I never cared who voiced the male protag role, as long as they don't use a female. Unless it's Paku Romi, of course.

Alternative: Paku Romi (Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist)

The Moeblob

Hanazawa Kana
For her role of Mayuri (Steins;Gate) and Nessa (Fractale)

...and Kobato, Roromiya, Shiemi, Mayu, etc, etc.. and I'm just throwing names on top of my head. There's no denying it, HanaKana is THE moeblob voice. Do I really need to convince you?

Alternative: Toyosaki Aki (Hirasawa Yui, K-ON!)

The Idiot (The Baka)

Omigawa Chiaki
For her role of Hotori (Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru) and Mitsuba (Setokai Yakuindomo)

Also affectionately known as Omigawd Chiaki. She is well hated by many for a good reason: her voice acting is sometimes akin to Kristen Stewart's: expressionless and awkward. That's what I felt about her first big role in Maka Albarn (Soul Eater) anyway, and that was nothing compared to her role of Nazuna in Hidamari Sketch, which completely blows. I never want to her in a crybaby role, ever again.

But I do find her voice extremely unique, and weirdly charming in some ways (her real voice is completely different though). She fits into the role of Hotori perfectly, and I thought she somehow did a stellar performance in Mitsuba, even as a side character. A character like Hotori is something I'd really love to see again.

Alternative: Hirohashi Ryou (Yamada Aoi, Working!)

The Genki Girl

Tomatsu Haruka
For her role of Yuka (Natsuiro Kiseki) and Yuina (Hanasaku Iroha)

And let's not forget Nagi, Anaru and Mysu. The "energetic girl" is one my favourite archetypes, and I often find Tomatsu Haruka in the best of these roles. Miyakoshi Hana, a character that only existed for 90 seconds in a fake PV of Working!!, instantly became one of the most likable characters I've seen, and it's all because of her too. While I didn't always like her characters, she probably has one of the most number of roles I find memorable.

Alternative: Horie Yui (Kushieda Minori, Toradora!)

The Crybaby

Yuuki Aoi
For her role of Madoka (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) and Giselle (Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam)

I guess I'm putting her here for her experience. I'd rather do without the endless bawling of Madoka, but then again, a lot of other seiyuus can do a lot worse.

I like Giselle a lot. Even though I never cared much of these kind of characters, she's an exception. She may not have actually cried in the series (did she? I can't remember), but she proved to be fantastic character despite being a soft-spoken and generally one of the most mellow character of the series. Man, I wish she took on the role of Nazuna in Hidasketch.

Alternative: Kayano Ai (Menma, Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai)

(part 2)

My Ideal Anime Cast: Guys vs Girls story

Here's my effort in joining Yerocha's idea of picking characters that would best represent our Ideal Anime. It's a cool idea; won't we all like to imagine what it'll be like for our favourite or most memorable characters match up against each other?

I was all hyped up trying to create my best zombie apocalypse team, but Yerocha's Five-Man Band would be better material. But instead of using a best representation of each role, I thought I'll try something different. I'll draw a story around this premises, putting characters I thought would be interesting (instead of suitable) for the role and create an interesting synergy between them. Now that's my ideal anime.

This is going to be a bit more towards what I'd imagine my ideal story to be like. So I implore you not to see how the character define the role, but how the role would shape the character.