Seiyuu (voice actor) Discussion

[Guardian Enzo]

Well I'll fight you even on the start date thing, because I think Miyu is about as good as anybody out there. But I'm thinking more of guys in that under-30 group.

[Klashikari]

Originally Posted by judasmartel

I get it that the seiyuu industry is still business, but Japan should really not subject their seiyuus to hideous working conditions like that. You know, let them rest or take a lesser role for at least a season before taking on another lead role or something.

It is the opposite: Seiyuu have their talent agency finding jobs for them because they need that for the paycheck.
Seiyuu are not really forced to take a job but they are generally advised to take several offers at the same time to bolster and/or take advantage of their popularity.

Considering how seiyuu wages aren't exactly great when they aren't veterans, it isn't surprising they follow that trend.
The only exceptions are seiyuu who aren't part of a seiyuu union/agency like Asakawa Yuu or Hosoya Yoshimasa, but there are obvious issues and risks by going freelance.

[judasmartel]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

It is the opposite: Seiyuu have their talent agency finding jobs for them because they need that for the paycheck.
Seiyuu are not really forced to take a job but they are generally advised to take several offers at the same time to bolster and/or take advantage of their popularity.

Considering how seiyuu wages aren't exactly great when they aren't veterans, it isn't surprising they follow that trend.
The only exceptions are seiyuu who aren't part of a seiyuu union/agency like Asakawa Yuu or Hosoya Yoshimasa, but there are obvious issues and risks by going freelance.

It makes me wonder how many hours of free time do Japanese seiyuus have to sacrifice just to make it to the A-list or even just to get enough money to survive until the next paycheck, given how high the cost of living in Japan is. Sometimes, they just can't break through even if they take like 5-6 roles at once in a season. I never thought the industry can be so cut-throat.

I was wondering too if Inori Minase's latest role as Rem really got to her. I mean, Rem being THE Waifu of the Year in 2016, she probably had to deal with so much of the fans' bullshit it affected her mental health. Maybe one too many death threats like that one mentioned earlier really took her to the edge.

[Klashikari]

Rem might be a big role for her career, but it isn't like Minase wasn't popular before. She already attracted people's attention in Gochiusa, and she took part of several events.

In any case, incidents already happened before when it comes to seiyuu, and not always idol seiyuu (cf Tanaka Rie's incident). Considering how recent that incident is, it isn't surprising talent agencies are still taking those threats seriously.
Even if they didn't, it wouldn't be a thoughtful decision to ignore that when you consider potential risks. Fans' opinions would be all over the place if they learn that an event is still scheduled even though a threat like that was sent. Pretty much why event organizers cancelled any stuff related to Kuroko basket after the threats were sent, even though it was "merely 1 single maniac".

[judasmartel]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

Rem might be a big role for her career, but it isn't like Minase wasn't popular before. She already attracted people's attention in Gochiusa, and she took part of several events.

Except that some people are still talking shit about poor Minase, like she only landed a lot of big roles because Sony is propping her up to be the face and voice of the company, that without Sony she is really nothing. But if Chino, Hestia, Rem, and her Best Female Seiyuu Award are of any indication, there is no doubt she is a legit seiyuu and she landed those roles through talent and hard work and not because Sony had everything laid out for her, that she can still be a successful seiyuu even without Sony backing her.

But I guess all that trash talk is simply because she's basically one of the biggest names in anime right now and some people believe that's only because she got a lot of lead roles, and other seiyuu like say, Aya Suzaki, Risa Taneda or Sora Amamiya, deserve her spot better than she does. Inori Minase right now is like the female version of Yoshitsugu Matsuoka in terms of the hate induced by a flood of lead roles under their belts. Haters gonna hate.

[Klashikari]

I can't say how far it is true, but it is an undeniable fact that a lot of seiyuu nowadays are pushed strongly by their talent agency and whatnot, as part of a marketing ploy. So it is indeed not far fetched to conclude her success is partly thanks to Sony involvement (a bit similar how Amamiya Sora is pushed hard with Try Sail etc).

Suffice to say, no one in their right mind can conclude X or Y seiyuu would be totally a noname without their talent agency involvement. But it ought to be mentioned that some seiyuu get their roles due to connections and whatnot (be it director / sound director favoritism, production committee directive etc). If anything, most anime series that has some sort of pedigree already have their roster partly decided in advance without the need of any audition for certain roles.

[judasmartel]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

Suffice to say, no one in their right mind can conclude X or Y seiyuu would be totally a noname without their talent agency involvement. But it ought to be mentioned that some seiyuu get their roles due to connections and whatnot (be it director / sound director favoritism, production committee directive etc). If anything, most anime series that has some sort of pedigree already have their roster partly decided in advance without the need of any audition for certain roles.

This is what a lot of people fail to understand when it comes to hiring high-profile seiyuu for mainstream titles. A lot of companies simply prefer using their tried and tested seiyuu for their big projects because of familiarity and not because other seiyuu are not skilled enough for the role. Sometimes, it's just the companies preferring to bring in a big name rather than a little-tested newbie to attract more viewers, simple as that.

I guess the seiyuu industry is far more complicated than a lot of people (me included) think.

[Klashikari]

As I said, some claims are legitimate because there is an undeniable trend when it comes to casting.

Hanazawa Kana was the prime example of that: regardless how talented she is, she was pushed so hard that she had like 2 digits of roles per season at some point.

While some people have petty reason to dislike certain seiyuus as the latter being "too popular/getting too many roles", it has to be mentioned that some reasonable and pertinent worries stand in the current situation of the industry: there is a blatant bias when it comes to certain seiyuu at times, and it might hurt the actual product, moreso when that decision lead to brazen milking.

[judasmartel]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

As I said, some claims are legitimate because there is an undeniable trend when it comes to casting.

Hanazawa Kana was the prime example of that: regardless how talented she is, she was pushed so hard that she had like 2 digits of roles per season at some point.

While some people have petty reason to dislike certain seiyuus as the latter being "too popular/getting too many roles", it has to be mentioned that some reasonable and pertinent worries stand in the current situation of the industry: there is a blatant bias when it comes to certain seiyuu at times, and it might hurt the actual product, moreso when that decision lead to brazen milking.

A lot of people can learn a lot from the Japanese work ethic, but it's really insane how Kana Hanazawa is pushed to perform 10+ roles every season. That really goes to show you how big a seiyuu name can be. Name recognition alone can sometimes be enough to draw viewers to a relatively crappy title.

[Dextro]

In other, better news: Macross Frontier's Megumi Nakajima Returns From Musical Hiatus, Performs Ending for Fūka Anime

[bastek66]

Voice Actor Kensho Ono Confirms Relationship With Kana Hanazawa

[Dextro]

Originally Posted by bastek66

Voice Actor Kensho Ono Confirms Relationship With Kana Hanazawa

Oh boy... hopefully the otaku won't go insane with this bit of news. (it's really weird how being in a relationship is something to be wary about in this industry. It truly is messed up )

[Kanon]

Kana isn't as popular as she used to be, so there may not be that much backlash. I wish them happiness, and I envy the lucky bastard.

[judasmartel]

Originally Posted by bastek66

Voice Actor Kensho Ono Confirms Relationship With Kana Hanazawa

Kuroko Tetsuya x Tomoka Minato fanarts and doujins incoming.

Congratulations to both of them.

[mweloo]

Originally Posted by bastek66

Voice Actor Kensho Ono Confirms Relationship With Kana Hanazawa

This was the bit of news that greeted me when I went to Tumblr a few days ago. I may or may not have spent the next couple of minutes screeching.

May those two last long and be happy together.

[Verso Sciolto]

Wish them well. Hope they continue living together without marriage, if they so desire.

For what it's worth, a PV for Kana Hanazawa's 4th album, Opportunity, was just included in the commercial break during the Kuzu no Honkai broadcast [NoitaminA] - nothing out of the ordinary in that regard...

[AntonKutovoi]

I don't think there will be any problem. Yes, both of them famous and both can be considered idols for some degree, but they are not THAT big idols, especially Hanazawa. If anything, Ono probably would be more affected anyway, since he also have a live action career in addition to the voice acting and singing.
P.S. Before anyone will bring Aya Hirano, please remember that scandal didn't ruin her career or anything. She herself chose to reduce her presence as a singer and a voice actress to focus on her stage job. She is pretty active in musicals now.

[SeijiSensei]

And Hirano has had a couple of strong roles since then in Gatchaman Crowds and Parasyte. I thought she was terrific in the latter. Last I read she had gone to New York for more stage training.

[AntonKutovoi]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

And Hirano has had a couple of strong roles since then in Gatchaman Crowds and Parasyte. I thought she was terrific in the latter. Last I read she had gone to New York for more stage training.

Which is why I said "chose to reduce", not "chose to stop"

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by AntonKutovoi

Which is why I said "chose to reduce", not "chose to stop"

I was thinking about some other posts I read recently about this couple (maybe on ANN) that suggested Hirano had been relegated to parts unknown. That wasn't the claim here by anyone including you, so my response was a bit out-of-place!