3 Seiyuus I can't stand

As you can see in my previous post, there's a whole ton of seiyuus I keep an eye out for. Of course there's still a lot of talented people I didn't nominate a role for, like Inoue Marina, Sawashiro Miyuki, etc. Of course, at the same time, there are also ones who I can't help but dislike. These people are big names with tons of fans - so while I might be the unpopular opinion here, I'm pretty sure that I am not alone.

Nogizaka Haruka, Toujo Aya, Satellizer el Bridget, Ichinose Kotomi

3. Mamiko Noto (4292 favourites, #15 on MAL)

Most cringe-worthy role: Nogizaka Haruka (top left)

I've always thought that she had the most generic "soft" voice there is in the industry, so I was surprised that people actually liked her. I never did, but I never hated the voice either until Nogizaka Haruka. Back then when Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu came out, I had the dumb pride of never dropping a title just so that I could write a fair review. And trying to finish that title was pretty much torture. While it doesn't apply to all her "soft" roles, every time I heard Haruka's half-crying, half-gasping voice I had wanted to punch her (the character, lol) in the f-cking face. That title still haunts me.

It's funny. I had wanted to write a post like this for a long time, and I was sure that I'll be putting Noto in the #1 spot. But I soon started hearing her non-"soft" roles, and guess what, it's pretty darn good! I'm mostly referring to Tomoe in Hanasaku Iroha here, but it just proves that she can be pretty awesome outside of her character archetype. And that pushes her back into the #3 spot.

Preferred roles: Anyone that isn't a pushover, e.g. Wajima Tomoe, Felicita (Arcana Fagmilia)

Nanael, Nagase Minato, Nonomura Ayumi, Lucy Heartfilia

2. Hirano Aya (12582 favourites, #2 on MAL)

Most cringe-worthy role: Nagase Minato (Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka, top right)

I was quite a "Harutard" back then, and a lot of people assumes I'm a Hirano Aya fan as a result. I thought I am, too. Then came Nanael (Queen's Blade), the first of many characters who made me cringe. She has a really pretty voice that also made her a good singer, but it's her exaggerated voice work that ruins it for me. Her loud, animated voice does suit over-the-top characters like Haruhi very well, but it's not always the case. I guess it's usually worse with the weaker characters, because Lucy (Fairy Tail) wasn't as bad as the less well-known characters like Ayumi (Hyakko). Maybe it's her tendency to overact the less popular ones?

I do really like her role in Misa (Death Note) and Konata (Lucky Star), and her recent minor role in Arisa (Girls und Panzer) was pretty good too. It's beautiful when she doesn't sound like she's on drugs. It's too bad we're unlikely see many (or any) roles for her in the future because of her scandal. Fucking your whole band is a risky thing to do when you're in the "purity is gold" business...

Preferred roles: The less girly, the better. I always thought that she got a pretty good boyish role... am I mistaken?

You already know these characters.

1. Kugimiya Rie (13585 favourites, #1 on MAL)

Most-cringe worthy role: Everyone after Shana.

Why is she the voice I can't stand the most? Does the pic give a hint? You know, I don't even need the four famous ones for the pic.

Kanzaki Aria, Astarotte Ygvar, Rose, Sanada Yukimura

Well, she's called the Queen of Lolis for a reason. The problem is that besides sharing the exact same voice, they are pretty much sharing the same fucking traits. Tsundere, violent, childish, falls in love with a pathetic male protagonist. I don't blame her, though. She's good at what she does, there's a high demand, and the industry is churning these characters out like cockroach eggs. But do they have to put KugiRie in like half of them? Look, I actually liked Shana, but when they start producing a thousand Shanas off the cloning vat, it gets really annoying.

Unfortunately, there isn't a character I find that she's particularly good at. Except for Shana clones and cats, I don't really think there's a suitable archetype for everyone's favourite seiyuu.

Preferred roles: Anything not loli.

P.S I would have liked to put Satomi Arai here, but there just isn't enough characters of her I hated, and I kinda liked Kuroko...

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)

12 Moments of Anime #10: Seiyuu Controversy

Aoki Ume's version of Toyosaki Aki

I'm late, and well, something cocked up, and I think I crashed Anime Nano for a while a few days ago. Something I scheduled for the 30th of this month got published immediately, somehow. And it was dated 30th on Nano as well.

Anyway, I wasn't too keen on writing this because this is about the uglier side of the anime industry, and I don't really want to be part of seiyuu-bashing in any form, but, well... decided to anyway, since this is one of those things that quickly got right on top of my head when I thought of 2011.