Seiyuu (voice actor) Discussion

[Klashikari]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN 119

As for the whole thing about seiyuu virginity, it seems to be a combination of the fact that, for some reason, virginity is a highly desired trait in a sexual partner, and the fact that otaku seem to consider the seiyuu and the character they play almost to be the same entity, and that when a seiyuu loses her virginity to anyone, even if they are married, that it is somehow tantamount to defiling their beloved waifu!

In general, it is backwards: seiyuu otaku identify series characters by their seiyuu, not the other way around.
Suffice to say, they fancy seiyuu exactly due to how the industry "evolved" into something akin to idols. Nowadays, seiyuu (be it male or female) are expected to be the voice for many characters, but this work is packed with other tasks which are akin to what idols are doing: singing, hosting radio/talk show, appearing in an event, starring as guests for some broadcasts etc.

Seiyuu are popular for what they are, not just due to their voice.
Because of this, management often ask Seiyuu to have a certain image in order to cater their fandom for a good while.

Virginity by itself has nothing to do with "anime waifu" whatsoever. Instead, virginity is more akin to seen as "maybe I have my chance" kind of reasoning, regardless how unlikely that fan can be a match for X or Y seiyuu (or, as you stated, "no one will have her/him" mentality you noted).
There is also the fact that Seiyuu as seen as celebrities (regardless of their salary), which means that some fans also view their celibacy is an evidence they are dedicated to their work, and by extention their fans as well.

Now bear in mind that a good chunk of the fandom don't expect Seiyuu to remain christmas cake forever. In fact, a lot of people hope Seiyuu like Itou Shizuka or Asakawa Yuu finally have a partner.
In fact, most seiyuu who aren't dragged like Seiyuu don't get any backlash (Sakamoto Maya, Chiawa Saitou etc), but you should expect some nutjob expecting the impossible anyway, and this kind of phenomenom is found anywhere in the world (let's remember how some girls went insane when the first rumors about Bieber's girlfriend surfaced).
It is just the usual stuff that you would expect from celebrities, except that the idol image threaded by the seiyuu agency is amplifying this issue even more. While some crazies are quite extreme, they fortunately aren't the norm.

I'm not sure how much overwork contributed to Miyu's death or Takabe and Kaga's drug use, but it certainly can't of helped- I'm no doctor, in fact maybe I'm completely wrong here, but I thought people didn't usually die of pneumonia at 38 in developed countries such as Japan. I almost wonder if there might have been other factors at work, and death due to overwork is a known phenomenon in Japan.

Pneumonia arguably is not a benign sickness as people might believe. To begin with, pneumonia itself doesn't kill, but it rather the potential complications that lead to death if not treated properly.
Bear in mind that due to how the immune system is weakened in such state, nosocomial infection can kick in, which is exactly the primary bane in hospital due to patients being infected in hospitals.

Mortality due to pneumonia can go as far as 10-20% in a hospital, and many patients have to be stuck in intensive care ward in many instances.

So no, it doesn't matter if it is Japan or not: Pneumonia is a big deal in a hospital.

[SPARTAN 119]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

In general, it is backwards: seiyuu otaku identify series characters by their seiyuu, not the other way around.
Suffice to say, they fancy seiyuu exactly due to how the industry "evolved" into something akin to idols. Nowadays, seiyuu (be it male or female) are expected to be the voice for many characters, but this work is packed with other tasks which are akin to what idols are doing: singing, hosting radio/talk show, appearing in an event, starring as guests for some broadcasts etc.

Seiyuu are popular for what they are, not just due to their voice.
Because of this, management often ask Seiyuu to have a certain image in order to cater their fandom for a good while.

Virginity by itself has nothing to do with "anime waifu" whatsoever. Instead, virginity is more akin to seen as "maybe I have my chance" kind of reasoning, regardless how unlikely that fan can be a match for X or Y seiyuu (or, as you stated, "no one will have her/him" mentality you noted).
There is also the fact that Seiyuu as seen as celebrities (regardless of their salary), which means that some fans also view their celibacy is an evidence they are dedicated to their work, and by extention their fans as well.

Now bear in mind that a good chunk of the fandom don't expect Seiyuu to remain christmas cake forever. In fact, a lot of people hope Seiyuu like Itou Shizuka or Asakawa Yuu finally have a partner.
In fact, most seiyuu who aren't dragged like Seiyuu don't get any backlash (Sakamoto Maya, Chiawa Saitou etc), but you should expect some nutjob expecting the impossible anyway, and this kind of phenomenom is found anywhere in the world (let's remember how some girls went insane when the first rumors about Bieber's girlfriend surfaced).
It is just the usual stuff that you would expect from celebrities, except that the idol image threaded by the seiyuu agency is amplifying this issue even more. While some crazies are quite extreme, they fortunately aren't the norm.
Pneumonia arguably is not a benign sickness as people might believe. To begin with, pneumonia itself doesn't kill, but it rather the potential complications that lead to death if not treated properly.
Bear in mind that due to how the immune system is weakened in such state, nosocomial infection can kick in, which is exactly the primary bane in hospital due to patients being infected in hospitals.

Mortality due to pneumonia can go as far as 10-20% in a hospital, and many patients have to be stuck in intensive care ward in many instances.

So no, it doesn't matter if it is Japan or not: Pneumonia is a big deal in a hospital.

I see, on the whole "seiyuu=waifu" thing, I stand corrected, I think I first heard it as speculation on a forum, and yeah, the "If I can't have her, no one will" makes more sense in light of your discussion of the industry. I'm just not a hardcore seiyuu otaku, more just anime really- the Seiyuu who I recognize by name are ones that I can immediately associate with a character.

And yeah, I have noticed that seiyuu are also expected to be singers etc, particularly for image songs, openings etc- more merchandise to sell to otaku I guess. As for the whole

As thing with pneumonia, I stand corrected, I'm no doctor either!


Still, with regard to my comments on Japanese society and work culture, I suspect it hits seiyuu too, not as hard as the average salaryman (or at least for the famous ones that have large amounts of money i.e. Aya Hirano- how much does the average seiyuu make- I'm guessing some, like Aya Hirano, who also have a successful singing career can make a fair amount of money- but in general I suspect they are not near as well paid as Hollywood actors).


I don't want to sound like an ignorant gaijin judging the Japanese culture, but, as I said above in the discussion above about issues with the Japanese toxic work culture, this needs to be fixed somehow. Japanese corporations: give your employees some time off! I'm not saying this is the only cause of the epidemic of hikkikomori, the low birth rates, high suicide rates, people who have given up hope with relationships, life etc, but it certainly can't hurt. And, I will note, the government and corporations in Japan have made steps towards this.

[Klashikari]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN 119

I don't want to sound like an ignorant gaijin judging the Japanese culture, but, as I said above in the discussion above about issues with the Japanese toxic work culture, this needs to be fixed somehow. Japanese corporations: give your employees some time off! I'm not saying this is the only cause of the epidemic of hikkikomori, the low birth rates, high suicide rates, people who have given up hope with relationships, life etc, but it certainly can't hurt. And, I will note, the government and corporations in Japan have made steps towards this.

You are confusing two distinct issues.
Dedication for work is a general issue that is expected mostly for corporate employee (salaryman syndrome) and the likes. While it may be alien to you, it isn't like dedication for one's career is toxic, so long limits are there. The whole deal about mariage being unappealing to most adults right now, it is mostly due to how the government is still in shambles in term of faciliting or at least limiting the issues a couple might encounter.

OTOH, Idol is a phenomenom that is by nature extremely different and doesn't have the same origins whatsoever.
Idol trend is mostly due to how show business work in Japan, where famous inviduals are literally revered due to how the fandom works. Agency and sponsors commit fully on such trend in order to get the big bucks, nothing more nothing less. It is an inherent issue with entertainment industry which is spreading considering how Idols became the norm over time. Hence, it isn't surprising that anime use such trends to attract idol fans into anime stuff, leading to cross content such as Seiyuu playing the idols during live (or actually hiring real idols for voice acting).

It absolutely doesn't matter if working circumstances are better if the business model is still stuck in that fashion.
In fact, even if Seiyuu salary were somehow to be on par with salaryman, it doesn't change anything so long the industry is still promoting them like celebrities.

[SPARTAN 119]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

You are confusing two distinct issues.
Dedication for work is a general issue that is expected mostly for corporate employee (salaryman syndrome) and the likes. While it may be alien to you, it isn't like dedication for one's career is toxic, so long limits are there. The whole deal about mariage being unappealing to most adults right now, it is mostly due to how the government is still in shambles in term of faciliting or at least limiting the issues a couple might encounter.

OTOH, Idol is a phenomenom that is by nature extremely different and doesn't have the same origins whatsoever.
Idol trend is mostly due to how show business work in Japan, where famous inviduals are literally revered due to how the fandom works. Agency and sponsors commit fully on such trend in order to get the big bucks, nothing more nothing less. It is an inherent issue with entertainment industry which is spreading considering how Idols became the norm over time. Hence, it isn't surprising that anime use such trends to attract idol fans into anime stuff, leading to cross content such as Seiyuu playing the idols during live (or actually hiring real idols for voice acting).

It absolutely doesn't matter if working circumstances are better if the business model is still stuck in that fashion.
In fact, even if Seiyuu salary were somehow to be on par with salaryman, it doesn't change anything so long the industry is still promoting them like celebrities.

I wasn't equating the idol phenomenon with the salaryman problem, but rather I was wondering if it might be related to the hikkikomori epidemic and associated effects- low birthrate etc- on the Japan- it was really more something that went off on a tangent in this topic.

With regard to seiyuu, while it is for different reasons for different people, am I correct in my assumption that Japan is a society with a lot of social pressures, which can lead to high stress- something that is true for the salaryman and the idol and everyone in between?

As for career dedication, that in and of itself is not toxic- don't try think of me as some lazy hikkikomori type or anything! But I think when you literally reach the point where your regularly spending 10, 12 hours or more at work and are so tired you're falling asleep on the subway, it can get a bit extreme.

As for the whole connection between workday length and the relationship, marriage and birth rate issues, that was something I heard about from chatter on other websites, and indeed some stuff on this thread, and I'm not sure how reliable it was, now that I think about it.

Obviously, one reform- i.e. workplace reform or better government benefits for married couples isn't going to solve all of Japan's problems, and not all of them are connected, even if they are part of a "set" of issues faced by one country.

Also, don't act like I'm unduly criticizing Japan, I'm perfectly aware that the rest of the world has its share of problems too- i.e. income inequality, campaign contributions, gay rights issues, immigration issues, guns, police brutality etc in the US.

OK, Maybe I'll shut up on this now- might be derailing the thread. Let's just conclude that Japan, like every country, has its share of social, economic, and political issues that need to be addressed.

Originally Posted by judasmartel

The Japanese people as a whole in general, and the Japanese government in particular, must do something about their population problem or else they might find themselves extinct after a whole generation. I won't be surprised if the native Japanese population would go down from ~98% today to only 50% overall within 25+ years if they don't do something.

If their plan is to release more and more sexy stuff in manga, LN, and anime, then it's definitely not working. Maybe not right now, but who knows it might actually work 5-10 years from now, when today's kids would go BEAST MODE and build Japan's version of Sex In The City or something, lol.

If that happens, we might be the last generation to experience this unique and exciting Japanese brand of entertainment and our children and grandchildren won't be able to experience the same exact thing we enjoy now. Heck, even now people are complaining that anime is no longer the same as in the good old 80's and 90's.

BANZAI NIPPON!

With regard to the Japanese, sorry for the late reply, but I sincerely doubt the decline in population will end with the extinction of the Japanese people. Changes in birth and death rates do not continue indefinitely, rather, they reach an equilibrium. For instance, right now, Japan's population is declining because more people are dying than are born. However, eventually, the older population will die off, and, as their is no longer an excess of older people dying, the death rate will decline. Eventually, either the birth rate will go up, or the birth and death rate will cancel each other out, leading to a lower steady population. For instance, Japan presently has about 126 million. The population will decline, but eventually, it will reach an equilibrium with the birth rate- where that equilibrium is, I don't know- it could be 90 million, 60 million, or lower or higher.

[Klashikari]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN 119

I wasn't equating the idol phenomenon with the salaryman problem, but rather I was wondering if it might be related to the hikkikomori epidemic and associated effects- low birthrate etc- on the Japan- it was really more something that went off on a tangent in this topic.

I see no direct connection with the points you have stated.
The demographic issue regarding Japan is much more broad and has multiple origins, mostly due to how the environment isn't favorable for couples whatsoever (no recent baby boom, very crappy economy for years, unstable politics, etc).

Hikkikomori share some similar consequences than salaryman syndrom, but they do not have the same reasons to occur.
Social pressure is different for students/young adults, and when economy is hardly something to boast about in Japan, the concept of working like crazy to graduate, and in the end, not obtaining the job one hoped for kills instantly any motivation. I'm oversimplifying the issue, but as you can see, it isn't the same.
Meanwhile, Hikkikomori aren't the only ones that are obsessed by seiyuu and all. In fact, they are the "most harmless" in the bunch because well... they don't leave their room, so they aren't going to do shit stuff like barging in an event with a knife (which happened to Tanaka Rie during a Neptune event). That said, not all hikkikomori can be linked to trolls/morons on the internet, and there is no study evidence of that either. A good bunch of Hikkikomori are just young people who refuse to interact with outside world due to insecurity, absence of interest and whatnot. They aren't de facto obsessive people.

So really, you are comparing orange and apples.

With regard to seiyuu, while it is for different reasons for different people, am I correct in my assumption that Japan is a society with a lot of social pressures, which can lead to high stress- something that is true for the salaryman and the idol and everyone in between?

Yes, there is social pressure. No, it isn't the same so I don't think it is appropriate to even compare both parties.
While both are affected by expectations from work, Salaryman are bound by a very rigid hierarchy and social standing among peers and coworkers, while still being "servile" to their boss. Work itself isn't always that insane, so there are a lot of companies where the salarymen are there just for being accounted as being present, and it isn't surprising a lot of them are just waiting for their daily schedule to be over before going home.

Idol Seiyuu are different, as they have to entertain the fandom so their popularity remains intact, which cannot be done with just voice performances and the like. This lead to multiple event such as live, seiyuu talk etc which attract a very broad fandom and therefore, a lot of money is at stake. As such, agency and production commitee exploit such trait to gain more money and so forth.
The pressure Seiyuu encounter is rather related to how volatile their work environment is, since their popularity is kinda their lifeline.
Meanwhile, "normal" seiyuu are at risk of having no role for a certain period due to their rank or competition from newcomers etc.

That's why I said I see no connection with the demographics you have mentioned with the topic at hand.

As for career dedication, that in and of itself is not toxic- don't try think of me as some lazy hikkikomori type or anything! But I think when you literally reach the point where your regularly spending 10, 12 hours or more at work and are so tired you're falling asleep on the subway, it can get a bit extreme.

That's not extreme so long their health is in check. 10-12 hours is somewhat the norm and doesn't lead to massive overwork syndrome either. There are way more factors than simply work schedule being long/tight.

And no, I made no implication whatever you were lazy or anything.

Obviously, one reform- i.e. workplace reform or better government benefits for married couples isn't going to solve all of Japan's problems, and not all of them are connected, even if they are part of a "set" of issues faced by one country.

This part of the discussion should really be assigned to "Japan culture" thread, but for my 2 cents: workplace reform isn't enough. And again, it doesn't have anything to do with Seiyuu being stuck with celebrity's label. That's why I stated that even if they somehow get a very satisfying salary, it is bound to have the very same issue because of the idol phenomenom being the norm now.

Even if mariage becomes popular in Japan, it won't help seiyuu, particularly those who are promoted like idols, simply because the way how idols are considered in Japan is more complex than just "object of desire". They often represent an ideal image for many fans, regardless if they can relate with them or not. Their existence is what fascinate a lot of them, which lead to fervent fans encouraging the said idol/seiyuu, and some of them can be overzealous leading to the extreme cases already mentioned in this thread.

It is a social phenomenom that is on its own "category" and it is really not bound to other social issues Japan is facing. In fact, the concept of idol was already popular during the 80's.
That said, with the advent of internet, the concept becomes way more widespread than ever and considering how it can affect multiple media, it isn't surprising companies are exploiting this in order to appeal a massive fandom which works in many cases.
So all the idol stuff is really on its own, and isn't part of the most pressing social troubles Japan needs to address, although the whole deal with idols should be addressed but for different reasons.

Also, don't act like I'm unduly criticizing Japan, I'm perfectly aware that the rest of the world has its share of problems too- i.e. income inequality, campaign contributions, gay rights issues, immigration issues, guns, police brutality etc in the US.

There is no need to be defensive, but I had to correct the assumptions you have brought considering you are mixing issues that shouldn't be mentioned alongside.

[SPARTAN 119]

Thanks for clearing up some of my misconceptions related to listening to the internet and forum chatter too much! Also, Sorry if I sounded like I was getting a bit defensive.

In any case, onto something more on topic:


Seiyuu Sumiko Shirakawa dies at 80.

Sumiko Shirakawa, one of the oldest seiyuu still recently active died today at age 80. Shirakawa played roles starting in the mid-1960s, and is best known for playing Hiroshi Nakajima of Sazae-san. Among her more recent roles was Hiroshi from Space Dandy.

[AntonKutovoi]

I know that there's Kanae Ito fans here, so this is for you:

[andyjay729]

An update on the late, great Miyu Matsuki. Her passing may have been brought on by chronic active EBV infection. Unfortunately it seems like the poor lady's fate was sealed for a long time; it's incredibly dangerous if you catch it after about age 5.

http://blog.excite.co.jp/matsukimiyu/22662440/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroni..._EBV_infection

[andyjay729]

From an /a/ thread...

"Yesterday, December 14th, the ceremony for the 49th day after Matsuki Miyu's death ended without incident.

In accordance with the families wishes, "In the hopes that even a single case of this illness might be avoided via early detection, we would like to make the name of the disease known," we are publicizing it here.

As was posted on July 14th, Miyu went to the hospital for further investigation of poor physical condition; prior to that, she had been originally hospitalized for acute pneumonia of unknown origin on June 30th. The results of the investigation were "chronic active EB viral infection", an exceedingly rare disease which was, while not designated as incurable, known to be extremely difficult to treat. At that point Miyu's fight against the illness began. On September 4th she was miraculously approved for a temporary discharge from the hospital, but was readmitted on September 18th. On October 27th, at 1:18, Miyu Matsuki passed away, the final cause of death being malignant lymphoma.

Even in the face of grueling medical treatment, we staff saw that Miyu was always fighting positively, and believed that she would be able to make a full recovery.

At some point, Miyu herself wrote a note that she would like to be of help to people suffering the same illness. On the occasion of this posting, by increasing awareness of "chronic active EBV infection", we hope that it may be of assistance in increasing early detection and treatment development."

[justpassingby]

Mikako-shi

[Dextro]

Originally Posted by justpassingby

Mikako-shi

When was this? I got a bit surprised at hearing that Rurounin Kenshin song. It's a bit older than I was excepting

And yes: Mikako-shi <3

[AntonKutovoi]

Originally Posted by Dextro

When was this? I got a bit surprised at hearing that Rurounin Kenshin song. It's a bit older than I was excepting

And yes: Mikako-shi <3

It's from Animelo Summer Live 2015 concert. And yes, Mikako Komastu is good here. Maaya Uchida is kinda struggles to hit the high notes, though, IMO.

[Dextro]

Originally Posted by AntonKutovoi

It's from Animelo Summer Live 2015 concert. And yes, Mikako Komastu is good here. Maaya Uchida is kinda struggles to hit the high notes, though, IMO.

That seems like an even I'd love to watch but the Blu-Ray are insanely expensive for what would probably be a single viewing. I wonder if they're on Netflix

[AntonKutovoi]

Originally Posted by Dextro

That seems like an even I'd love to watch but the Blu-Ray are insanely expensive for what would probably be a single viewing. I wonder if they're on Netflix

Well, you can always raise a Jolly Roger
King Super Live 2015 (Megumi Hayashibara, Mamoru Miyano, Souichiro Hoshi, Eri Kitamura, Yui Horie, Nana Mizuki and many, many more) is on nyaa, for example.

[Dextro]

Yeah, I've found a way to get access to the show already.

[justpassingby]

Mikako-shi's interview in today morning newspaper regarding the preparation methods for voicing characters and nomination of Yahari and A/Z in Sugoi Japan Award.. [source] ( ˘ω˘ ) ｽﾔｧ

Why A/Z?

[justpassingby]

Congratulations to Hiyocchi on her marriage

[Azuma Denton]

Yoko Hikasa Marriage


Gratz to Yoko Hikasa.
Kinda surprised me as to see her getting married in her peak years.

[Frontier]

Yeah, especially considering she's still fairly popular and kinda falls into the "idol seiyuu" category .

Still, congratulations Hikasa-san and the lucky sonovagun who married her. I wish you both nothing but happiness .

[Lord of Fire]

I guess Mio overcame her trauma and managed to get hitched after all.

The guy who married her is one lucky man.