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Old 2007-04-19, 21:15   Link #1
xris
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Lucky Star - Voice Actor Appreciation & Discussion

The purpose of this thread is to discuss, critique and idolize the Voice Actor cast of Lucky Star. Please remember that the discussion should center on their performances as professional voice actors and not on the show content (which can be discussed in the various Episode threads). Please remember this simple rule when critiquing a VA's performance or reading another forum member's critique:
  • - Don't take it personally.
    In other words, you’re free to disagree with another person’s opinion, but don’t flame them if they offer a well written and well thought out analysis that differs from your own opinion. Keep it civil.

  • - Voice Actors are humans.
    Yes, it’s true. They’re human. Therefore, don’t just indiscriminately rip them and their work apart as if they’re inorganic objects. You don’t have to praise them non-stop, but be thoughtful in your criticism.
This thread might duplicate some discussion in the Episode threads, but it can also serve to demystify various VA roles, disseminate VA information (VA Bios, VA photos, etc) and provide cast information of various types as well as discussion about performances.

(Thanks to Catgirls for the above intro)
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Old 2007-04-20, 07:02   Link #2
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Lucky Star - Seiyuu Cast

Hirano Aya as Izumi Konata

Spoiler:



Endo Aya as Takara Miyuki

Spoiler:



Katou Emiri as Hiiragi Kagami

Spoiler:



Fukuhara Kaori as Hiiragi Tsukasa

Spoiler:



Konno Hiromi as Kogami Akira

Spoiler:



Shiraishi Minoru as Shiraishi Minoru

Spoiler:



Hiramatsu Hirokazu as Soujirou Izumi

Spoiler:



Shimizu Kaori as Tamura Hiyori

Spoiler:


Maeda Konomi as Kuroi Nanako

Spoiler:


Kosuge Mami as Takara Yukari

Spoiler:



Minori Chihara as Iwasaki Minami

Spoiler:



Sasaki Nozomi as Patricia "Patty" Martin

Spoiler:



Nishihara Saori as Narumi Yui

Spoiler:



Hasegawa Shizuka as Kobayakawa Yukata

Spoiler:



Inoue Kikuko as Hiiragi Miki

Spoiler:



I'll update the list and submit the pics of the missing characters (or better quality ones) once they'll actually appear in the show
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Old 2007-04-20, 10:56   Link #3
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Konno Hiromi has taken quite a step up from voicing a dog/thing/potato/thing...

and I hadn't connected at all that Shiraishi Minoru was playing himself... so to speak.
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Old 2007-04-20, 23:27   Link #4
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This might get me labelled a fanboy, but what the heck...

I know there's been some grumbling about Hirano Aya's casting as Konata, and accusations of her being brought in as Market-Friendly VA of the Moment. But I'm absolutely loving her work with this character - so far Konata's personality, character design and voice have matched up perfectly.

In fact, I'm struggling to imagine Konata any other way. As a Haibane Renmei fan I have a lot of respect for Hirohashi Ryō, so I feel like I should buy the drama CD just to hear her interpretation of Konata. How do the two compare?

(And yes I have watched ep2, so I fully appreciate the irony of this question )
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Old 2007-04-20, 23:50   Link #5
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i don't think there's anything wrong with Hirohashi's rendition... but frankly I think Hirano mutters more like I envision Konata muttering and Konata's karaoke is sublime apocalypse with Hirano.
OTOH... I wish Hirano would play the part a bit more growly.

The other VAs are fine, I particularly enjoy the teacher with her in-character lousy-fake Kansai affectation.
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Old 2007-04-20, 23:53   Link #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon View Post
This might get me labelled a fanboy, but what the heck...

I know there's been some grumbling about Hirano Aya's casting as Konata, and accusations of her being brought in as Market-Friendly VA of the Moment. But I'm absolutely loving her work with this character - so far Konata's personality, character design and voice have matched up perfectly.

In fact, I'm struggling to imagine Konata any other way. As a Haibane Renmei fan I have a lot of respect for Hirohashi Ryō, so I feel like I should buy the drama CD just to hear her interpretation of Konata. How do the two compare?

(And yes I have watched ep2, so I fully appreciate the irony of this question )
I think that she was brought in as a lure for new viewers, but that being a fairly hot-blooded and passionate she turned it around and put her absolute best into the role. Hirano makes up for a lack of experience and pure talent by putting as much passion and effort into her roles as possible. When she is playing roles close to her natural self I think she is extremely good.

I don't know enough about the others, but they are doing fine I think, though I would be lying if I said I'm not worried about Chihara Minori. She is like the polar opposite of Hirano-San and lacks any passion in her roles. Even when she's not playing a quiet girl character I find she doesn't seem to be trying hard to emote at all (Which may be why she keeps getting cast in those roles). She's also not particularly talented I find, so this is something I'm not really looking forward too.
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Old 2007-04-21, 01:27   Link #7
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Quote:
Hirano makes up for a lack of experience and pure talent by putting as much passion and effort into her roles as possible.
Lack of experience? Heck, she's been around since she was frigging 13, doing major roles in many series. What lack of experience are you talking about? Of course, she hasn't played as many roles as Horie Yui, Yukana, Hayashibara Megumi, Paku Romi, or all those hot-shot seiyuu... but if only those with 25+ roles played are experienced, then you're saying 98% of professional seiyuu are inexperienced...

And heck, if I hadn't know already that Konata was Hirano Aya, I would've never recognized her. And I have quite an ear for identifying VAs.
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Old 2007-04-21, 01:46   Link #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WanderingKnight View Post
Lack of experience? Heck, she's been around since she was frigging 13, doing major roles in many series. What lack of experience are you talking about? Of course, she hasn't played as many roles as Horie Yui, Yukana, Hayashibara Megumi, Paku Romi, or all those hot-shot seiyuu... but if only those with 25+ roles played are experienced, then you're saying 98% of professional seiyuu are inexperienced...

And heck, if I hadn't know already that Konata was Hirano Aya, I would've never recognized her. And I have quite an ear for identifying VAs.
It's not number of roles so much as roles that have put her to the test. She hasn't done enough of those. You don't gain experience by taking roles roles in short fluff series for most of your life do you. You can however turn a lemon (B-Daman, Sumomo, Beyblade) into a lemonade. So that's that, accept the fact that I'm am praising her for her phenomal effort in dealing with light roles for most of her career. I'm not going to lie and say I think she's on the same level as the 4 you have mentioned, except maybe for Megumi Hayashibara, who I think she is better than.

Tell me who this is though. I just want to see if you know an ear for Male Seiyuu as much as for female. No cheating. Then just chill and take in the fact that maybe somebody doesn't feel Aya Hirano is as experienced as others do. Keep in mind I also come from an 80's and 90's anime background so my people are in an entirely different generation of Seiyuu. The people I'm most familiar with and have come to respect over time don't include Yui Horie, Aya Hirano, etc. yet. Give it a while.
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Old 2007-04-21, 01:52   Link #9
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Well... compared to Gotou or, say, Yu Asakawa --- Hirano is a little sprite, still not battleship class.
(I kind of miss Yu Asakawa, haven't seen her listed in a while)

Listening to Hirano do "haruhi" versus "konata" scores her some points in actually being able to do different characterizations (they're really very little alike). I'm more impressed by VAs who can actually do different voices or different personalities. If Hirano doesn't blow a gasket under the corporate stress to soar --- she'll really hit her stride in about five years.
Gomen, but I just feel like she *nailed* Konata's karaoke style.
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Old 2007-04-21, 01:52   Link #10
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Quote:
It's not number of roles so much as roles that have put her to the test. She hasn't done enough of those. You don't gain experience by taking roles roles in short fluff series for most of your life do you. You can however turn a lemon (B-Daman, Sumomo, Beyblade) into a lemonade. So that's that, accept the fact that I'm am praising her for her phenomal effort in dealing with light roles for most of her career. I'm not going to lie and say I think she's on the same level as the 4 you have mentioned, except maybe for Megumi Hayashibara, who I think she is better than.
Konata seems enough of a test to me. She's got an expression and a pitch she's never used before, and her attitude is completely different from the other characters she's voiced.
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Old 2007-04-21, 02:06   Link #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vexx View Post
Well... compared to Gotou or, say, Yu Asakawa --- Hirano is a little sprite, still not battleship class.
(I kind of miss Yu Asakawa, haven't seen her listed in a while)

Listening to Hirano do "haruhi" versus "konata" scores her some points in actually being able to do different characterizations (they're really very little alike). I'm more impressed by VAs who can actually do different voices or different personalities. If Hirano doesn't blow a gasket under the corporate stress to soar --- she'll really hit her stride in about five years.
Gomen, but I just feel like she *nailed* Konata's karaoke style.
Oh, I won't even deny that I think this is by far the best role she's ever done. She really puts her soul into her characters. She needs to stick with these things she can do and not be forced into some sort of mold by the industry. She's only 19 and she's already had a fainting spell under the stress causing them to mericifully (for her sake) scale back all the conventions to a manageable number.

Oh, and once she can cast of the Haruhi (Her Seinfeld curse, a blessing as well as a stigma, a double edged sword for her career if you will) role once and for all and not be typecast by people to that role ("Oh my god she sounds like Haruhi, she did Haruhi, that's Auto-Win") she'll be free. I can almost picture her being like a female Michael Richards with her being called Haruhi (Kramer in his case) during a live appearance and her pleading that she is Aya Hirano and not Suzumiya Haruhi to deaf ears.

Until then I wish people would give her a bloody break and not force the idol status or unreasonable expecations on her. You'd think people think she is some sort of supergirl or something, but the fainting spell should be the ultimate warning signal that it's just to much. Sometimes I worry that if she doesn't do the Haruhi role again soon people will start harassing her about it in interviews, e-mails and on the internet.

Also, you've got to love her powers of time-travel in getting back to 1985 to do a role in SPT Layzner, 2 years before she was even born. That was amusing, and part of a larger and somewhat amusing case of a misread name kanji.
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Old 2007-04-21, 02:35   Link #12
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Problem for her is the same for many VAs.... the industry LOVES to typecast them because it means the casting exec doesn't have to THINK ... they just go get the same VA for the "quiet girl" each time or whatever.

The VAs have to push hard to show they're versatile.
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Old 2007-04-21, 03:40   Link #13
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I like what Aaya is doing in this show, and I haven't heard anything like this from her before, but as I keep saying, if you haven't heard her as Layla in NANA, you haven't heard what she can do. It's not particularly naturalistic, but it is very strong as a characterization and in conveying emotion.

Try the first five minutes of episode 35 of NANA. Paku Romi is the first part, Hirano Aya the second. Paku's better, but Hirano's great in the fragile, emotional role of the famous singer Layla. And by the way, that show is like three times the show of anything starting this spring, for me. Just watching that bit again bowls me over.

In my opinion, Aaya is a better seiyuu than Gotuuza-sama (Gotou Yuuko), who does fabulous work in a range limited to comedy. Not that I think range is as important as how well one does the roles one has. But I see Aaya growing in every role, just as a young seiyuu should. I feel as if she is only now beginning to come into her own, at 19. Just FYI, she is now apparently doing some announcing, for an NHK educational show about the body.
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YUUKI Aoi 悠木碧. b92.03.27 (age 29). 2008 Kurenai (Murasaki). 2009 Yumeiro Pâtissière (Ichigo), Kiruminzuu (Riko), Yutori-chan (Yutori-chan). 2010 Vampire Bund (Mina Tepeş), Shiki (Sunako), Samurai Girls (Juubee), Pokémon: Black and White (Iris). 2011 Madoka Magica (Madoka), Gosick (Victorique), A-Channel (Tooru). 2012 Symphogear (Hibiki). 2014 Pilot's Love Song (Claire/Nina), Nanatsu no Taizai (Diane). 2015 Owari no Seraph (Krul Tepes), Rokka no Yuusha (Fremy). 2016 Boku no Hero Academia (Tsuyu, Froppy). 2017 Kino no Tabi (Kino). 2021 Kumo desu ga (watashi), Kaizoku Oujo (Karin), Heike Monogatari (Biwa), etc., etc. Total of 513 roles in anime and games.
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Old 2007-04-21, 04:08   Link #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo View Post
It's not particularly naturalistic, but it is very strong as a characterization and in conveying emotion.
I call it passion. I'm sure you mean the same thing by using emotion so I'm starting to understand what you mean by the emotions conveyed in a particular scene. I had always thought you meant something like the sappy emotion you see on Oprah or something, but I get it finally. It's the ability to put everything you can into a role and to really try your hardest to make it work. If you can do that, even if it isn't the best performance of the day, you know you've pushed your limits and there are people out their that no this too.

Even still I think she has occassionally slipped up during her brief period of overwork in series such as Himawari, which I saw one episode with her character in it. You could tell she didn't like doing a boring quiet character and she would frequently slip into the true Genki Aya Hirano. The Death Note role is best just not to talk about. I don't think even Aya Hirano with all her passion can save a character as poorly written as Misa Amane. I'd blame that one on her agent personally, not her. What was the other one, oh yeah Busou Renkin, where we have the Genki Hirano back screeching for her Onii-Chan. For some reason that was hysterical for me as she deliberately overacted it for comedic effect, not in character and not the best role she's played, but again turning lemons into lemonade where possible.
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Old 2007-04-21, 11:17   Link #15
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Originally Posted by Kaioshin_Sama View Post
I call it passion. I'm sure you mean the same thing by using emotion so I'm starting to understand what you mean by the emotions conveyed in a particular scene. I had always thought you meant something like the sappy emotion you see on Oprah or something, but I get it finally. It's the ability to put everything you can into a role and to really try your hardest to make it work. If you can do that, even if it isn't the best performance of the day, you know you've pushed your limits and there are people out their that no this too. Even still I think she has occassionally slipped up during her brief period of overwork in series such as Himawari, which I saw one episode with her character in it. You could tell she didn't like doing a boring quiet character and she would frequently slip into the true Genki Aya Hirano. The Death Note role is best just not to talk about. I don't think even Aya Hirano with all her passion can save a character as poorly written as Misa Amane. I'd blame that one on her agent personally, not her. What was the other one, oh yeah Busou Renkin, where we have the Genki Hirano back screeching for her Onii-Chan. For some reason that was hysterical for me as she deliberately overacted it for comedic effect, not in character and not the best role she's played, but again turning lemons into lemonade where possible.
Maybe I like Oprah-emotion, when I think it's real. In any case, I think Himawari has some of the worst voice-acting I've heard, from almost everyone, so I think it's because of the style the director or sound director got them to do. I only watched a couple of eps of Busou Renkin and I thought she was quite effective there in the minute or two total she appeared, and that the devoted, completely non-ecchi imouto/oniichan they played really worked, and that she got the comedy aspect of it right. Misa-Misa seems to be being played in a bizarre style that is what the director wanted and suits the manga character, but doesn't do much for me. She was nominated as best supporting voice for that role and not Layla, which is something I didn't get at all. I really do disagree about genki being the thing she does best, but "different strokes for different folks." I think Layla is her best work. But I think the "not totally naturalistic" I mentioned is what some people think of as poor acting. Nevertheless, even the crying in that clip of NANA works for me.
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Old 2007-04-26, 17:15   Link #16
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Hirano Aya was interviewed for 40 minutes on NHK's BS2 on Wednesday, by the former editor of NewType, who is also producer of Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo. I've made a blog post about that show. They even had Aya do a fascinating mock recording session for some scenes from SHnY. The show was on YouTube for a while, but has been removed.

Nary a mention of Lucky Star. She has only mentioned it once on her blog, that I can recall, whereas Sumomo, Death Note, Manabi, even Eyeshield get mentions. Strange. I am hereby inventing the idea that she's uncertain how well she's doing with the role. On the interview, she said that she felt a lot of pressure being the star of SHnY. Maybe she's feeling that with LS, too.

EDIT: A video of the angel-devil photoshoot for the most recent issue of VOICHA magazine is now on YouTube. She's very pretty in it -- much moreso than in the stills -- but mainly uses the super-cutesy artificial high voice that disappeared during most of the NHK interview. She says she was really looking forward to posing like this, although this amount of assuming special poses was new for her. At the end of the shoot, she does mention that she plays Ko-na-ta in Lucky Star and asks people to watch.
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Last edited by Kaoru Chujo; 2007-04-26 at 23:37.
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Old 2007-04-27, 12:20   Link #17
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Regardless of performances in other roles, I happen to think that Hirano's voicing of Konata has been a stupendous presentation for the most part. In fact, the only parts I could complain about were times when the animation timing didn't allow for a better presentation.

Aside from just having an adorable and attractive voice (if not speech pattern) for the character, she plays it with an incredible enthusiasm without which the character would be entirely unattractive to the audience. Though the characters and voices are completely different, this is something the Konata role has in common with the Suzumiya Haruhi role: If voiced flat, these characters would be tremendously annoying and aggravating when animated. Instead, thanks to the spirit she puts into their voicing, their nutty traits instead become enthralling.

Now I shall run off to make Konata's "Good job!" from the end of episode 3 my text-message ringtone.
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Old 2007-04-27, 14:07   Link #18
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Watched the youtube clip Kaoru linked.... it always brings to the fore just how exhausting photo shoots are... you could tell towards the end of the devil-shoot that she was a bit wobbly tired.

She really is pretty cute and the "devil hair" brings her eyes out nicely. I thought I heard her say something like "this looks like something Konata might wear" but not sure about it (I have a lot of trouble parsing that tiny little voice style ... too busy being stupified by the cuteness and channeling the "Dennis Hopper" character in the Animaniacs spoof of Apocalypse Now).
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Old 2007-04-27, 19:33   Link #19
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Omg .. I didn't know you could do that shape for real with ones lips. XD
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Old 2007-04-27, 20:04   Link #20
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Omg .. I didn't know you could do that shape for real with ones lips. XD
I take it you've never seen :3-chan?



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