Kashimashi Voice Actor Appreciation & Discussion

[Catgirls]

The purpose of this thread is to discuss, critique and idolize the Voice Actor cast of Kashimashi. My hope is that discussion will 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.

As I wrote above, 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.

[Kaoru Chujo]

The voice-acting was not left to chance in this series. They hired some of the best.

Ueda Kana (Hazumu) got our attention with Yumi in Marimite and I think is the moe-est voice around. Just perfect for the moe (?!) Hazumu. The only thing to wonder about is how little difference there is between her voice as male Hazumu and her voice for the rest of the show. Little, but it is different.

Horie Yui (Yasuna) really got me with her work in episode 4. I am only learning to love Hocchan, but this performance helps a lot.

Tamura Yukari (Tomari) in person is not the image of the tomboy, nor is her voice at all low. But she, like Hocchan, almost made me cry with her great work in episode 4.

Asano Masumi (Ayuki) is the dependable genki second-fiddle in a lot of shows (Uta~Kata, Mahoraba), and her quiet wisdom here is just as effective. She's a pro.

Ono Daisuke (Asuta) played Yukito in Air. That was his first big role, but there are more to come.

Even smaller parts have known actors in them: Fujiwara Keiji (Shuuji in Honey & Clover) as the spaceman and Shintani Ryouko as Jan-puu.

Hocchan and Yukarin (nicknames for Horie Yui and Tamura Yukari) are good friends and also form a singing duo called "Yamato Nadeshiko." They tend to dress gothic lolita when they perform....

There is a little raw video of a Yamato Nadeshiko photo-shoot on tokyo toshokan right now. I think it's okay to mention because it appears to be just something like an Entertainment Tonight TV feature. Poor quality, but quite entertaining. Made me realize why the group's shows are sold out. They have had two hits that were in the top dozen best-selling songs of their year.

I've linked some of the names above to entries in Hashihime's Seiyuu Pages, where I've put photos, and links to more info.

[Maceart]

Well Hazumu's voice is Petoko from Petopeto-san, always cracks me up.

Tomari has a wide range of voices, from sinister (Midori from Mai-Otome) to downright annying (Sakura from Da Capo)

Yui Horie... no need to explain.

Asuta is Yukito from AIR. Ironic, isn't it?

[Sian]

have to disargee with that the male/female voice of Hazumu is close to each other ... yeah ... they aren't ages from each other but i have no problem hearing the diffence between them ... thats quite easy in fact IMO ...

even though the male voice nonetheless is just a bit to ... what do you call it ... highpitched and unbelieveable for a male character

[Pellissier]

I am glad this thread was accepted and opened. The stellar cast of this series just deserved it

First of all, I was literally *amazed* by this picture:



On the left, Horie Yui ~ On the right, Tamura Yukari

I mean, Horie Yui and Tamura Yukari have always been switching from 1st and 2nd place in my personal seiyuus' list. And seeing them together in such a bright and shiny picture, I don't know, was really a good feeling. Oh, and excuse them for their gesture.. in my country it's a symbolism of good luck, by the way ^^
I didn't know they were old friends. Oh well, sure it was a good thing for both of them.

So far I can remember most of Tamura's roles such as the cheesy/lovable Misha in "Pita Ten", or the noisy Sakura in "Da Capo", or the mysterious (somewhat creepy) Michiru in "Uta~kata". Without mentioning Nanoha both in "Nanoha" both in "Nanoha A's". Speaking of it, her song "Little Wish" has entered my top 10 of favourite anime songs (it was the ED for Nanoha first series), because no matter what, that song always gives me a good mood.
More specifically, if an anime starts with Tamura Yukari in the cast, then I'm in.

As for Horie Yui, I've missed most of her performance in Love Hina, having watched it in my language (italian, but some of the specials were seen in original language). So my award for her goes for having given a life to the magnificent Honda Tohru (Fruits Basket), maybe one of the best anime characters ever. I've also one of her song in my top 10, being it "Soyokaze no Harmony" sung by Horie Yui's character, Shirakawa Kotori, during "Da Capo" (first season). A sweet, melancholic and unforgettable ballad.

I have less references about Ueda Kana, but I'm appreciating a lot her work in dubbing Tohsaka Rin in "Fate/stay night".

I must admit one of the main reason because I picked this show up was for the voice acting cast. Luck for me, I found a great enjoyable show in the package as well.

Being specific to Kashimashi, I've appreciated Ueda Kana (Hazumu) switching through male to female voice in episode 1 (subtle change, yet absolutely a change).
Tamura Yukari (Tomari) is having a role kinda new to me, with lot of creepy/dark expressions, as well as funny/deeper ones. A good mixture of all she did since now
For Horie Yui sincerely I don't have many elements of judgements, since I'm still stuck at episode 2, and Yasuna didn't have all this talking until now, I have to say.
But Horie Yui is an insurance: you can't simply go wrong with her

[stevency]

Spoiler for rumor mill from Japan wiki:

Some even claim that Horie Yui and Tamura Yukari had les relationship because of their close friendship.

Pull that aside, I would say getting Horie Yui, Tamura Yukari and Ueda Kana to be the main cast being some kind of surefire bet.

Ueda Kana, did her job nicely IMO, especially being the mid-school boy in ep 1.

P.S. I personally don't give a damn with him(Hazumu ex-male) because he lack of Mojo.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

...I have less references about Ueda Kana, but I'm appreciating a lot her work in dubbing Tohsaka Rin in "Fate/stay night"....

I agree, she's good as Rin. For a minute, I thought it might be Kawasumi Ayako. To find out how good Kana-chan is, watch (if you haven't already):

1. Maria-sama ga Miteru, where she plays Yumi. This is a girls' school drama/comedy/romance where the romance is between girls. Yumi is the clueless new girl who somehow gets in with the super-girls who are the stars of the school and run the students' council (the "Roses"). Her naturalness and goodness win everyone over. And she makes them laugh. Kana-chan makes Yumi's angst and comedy both real.

2. Petopeto-san, where she plays Petoko. This is set in a Japan where "monsters" (various kinds of Japanese goblins) look like humans and are allowed to go to school with them. Petoko is a cute little "petopeto-san" (a "stalker monster") who falls into a relationship with a human boy. Petoko may be the most moe character I have ever seen (and heard) in anime, courtesy of the character design by YUG and Kana-chan's voice-work.

Like Maceart says, it's really hilarious (in a good way) when Hazumu sounds like Petoko, but that just happens a few times. I don't think she does most of the time. And although I mentioned the boy-girl voice thing for Hazumu, I agree that Kana-chan makes them a bit different. I think making "his" voice quite girly was intentional, to make sure he didn't seem at all masculine.

As for the pic of Yukarin and Hocchan...yes! Even if they couldn't sing, guys would go to their concerts. Japanese Wikipedia says that their live act involves unique harmonies and a lot of dumb-girl comedy (not sure who's the "straight man" -- I'll bet kj1980 knows). It also says that on their 2003 all-Japan tour, they were supposed to have stayed together in hotel rooms and gone around naked together in their room. Sounds like an urban legend (or a rumor put out by their publicist), but it shows the way their fans want to think of them. The article says the idea caused their male fans "to faint in agony" ( 悶絶させる ). The same article says that when they were in Fukuoka, they stayed together at Yukarin's family home (Hocchan is from Tokyo), and that during their first tour (in 2000?), they stayed in people's homes all over the country.

Apparently they became friends when they were studying together at the Arts Vision agency's training centre, called Japan Narration Arts Research Centre ( 日本ナレーション演技研究所 ), or Nichi-Nare ( 日ナレ ) for short. They both went on from there to be represented by that big agency.

[Pellissier]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

I agree, she's good as Rin. For a minute, I thought it might be Kawasumi Ayako. To find out how good Kana-chan is, watch (if you haven't already):

Thanks for suggestions, in fact I still haven't seen those.
But actually MariMite and ~Haru~ were on my "next" list already

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

they were supposed to have stayed together in hotel rooms [cut]
The same article says that when they were in Fukuoka, they stayed together at Yukarin's family home (Hocchan is from Tokyo)

Actually, these sort of things are quite common for girls, unless they're famous and with a mass of drooling fans willing to speculate on them, and this is the very precise case.
Normal girls doing these same things won't have a single spotlight on them (also because it's about normal girls doing normal things).

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

and gone around naked together in their room

Ok, I admit now this would be a bit less normal

But even if this Love Rumble would be true... I wouldn't care much, as long as they keep up their amazing work in voice acting, it's perfectly fine with me. And then it's up to them to decide what to do with their own lives. ^^

[Shiroth]

I must say, Kasimasi's got some of the best seiyuu's around. And hearing Tamura Yukari's voice is just Sakura all over for me from the Da Capo world. <3

[SANITY]

mmm, i like most of the VA's on kashimashi, however every time i hear namiko-sensei i get this horrible gag reflex that i've so far been unable to overcome.

[Akuma-sama]

Originally Posted by SANITY

mmm, i like most of the VA's on kashimashi, however every time i hear namiko-sensei i get this horrible gag reflex that i've so far been unable to overcome.

I've had the same, but after reading the manga, the gag reflex MOSTLY vanished. I find her just too hilarious to care now

[AKOL]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

First of all, I was literally *amazed* by this picture:

[img]http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/9243/horietamura036ki.jpg

Wow, thats the first pic of Yui Horie i've seen that has her like, smiling for real. Usually she does her usual like, mouth closed, not too big of a smile, but yeah, thats the best pic i've seen of her yet, thanks for posting that!

And yes, all of the VA's are awesome.

Even for us video game players, the VA's are still popular and awesome. Yui Horie is also Hitomi in the Dead or Alive series, Yukari Tamura is Talim in the Soul Calibur series, and Asano Masumi is Tira in the Soul Calibur series as well.

Such good voice acting in this series...

[Sister Princess]

Hmm, after thinking about it, why only Kashimashi get the VA appeciation thread? There should be 1 in Shana, Tactical Roar, Fate/Stay Knight and so on

[stevency]

Originally Posted by Sister Princess

Hmm, after thinking about it, why only Kashimashi get the VA appeciation thread? There should be 1 in Shana, Tactical Roar, Fate/Stay Knight and so on

<joking only>Because this show have the top 3 VA</joking only>

Seriously, I think anyone inside there can start such kind of threads.
Catgirls just taken her further step to start it up, thx btw.

[Kaoru Chujo]

I am totally bowled over by Tamura Yukari in this show. I didn't realize how good she was. It sent me back to watch some Pita Ten for more Yukarin goodness.

But Horie Yui finally got her chance to shine in episode 5, and brought tears to my eyes.

Originally Posted by Sister Princess

Hmm, after thinking about it, why only Kashimashi get the VA appeciation thread? There should be 1 in Shana, Tactical Roar, Fate/Stay Knight and so on

Those are three good possibilities. The voice work in all of them is very interesting. Kugimiya Rie is just wonderful as Shana. Kawasumi Ayako and Ueda Kana are in F/SN -- 'nuff said. And the presence of some great seiyuus (Nakahara Mai, Ueda Kana, Arai Satomi, Takahashi Mikako, Kadowaki Mai) is maybe the only thing that makes Tactical Roar watchable.

But of those three, only F/SN has a separate forum, so it would have to be just part of the general discussion thread in the others.

If you want a separate thread for F/SN voice work or for voice work in any of the other one-show forums, you can contact the moderator and ask.

[Ronin Aquila]

Originally Posted by SANITY

mmm, i like most of the VA's on kashimashi, however every time i hear namiko-sensei i get this horrible gag reflex that i've so far been unable to overcome.

Oh, it is that milk-fermentingly-screechy voice of Mihoshi's from Tenchi Muyo after all.

[Kaoru Chujo]

A belated happy birthday to Tamura Yukari (Tomari), who turned 30 (!) on Monday. Her most recent diary entry says that she did something last week that she hasn't done in a very long time, and she was very nervous -- but it's a secret. She also said how much she loved Suguri Fumie, the Japanese women's singles figure skater who came fourth at the Olympics, especially how much effort she made.

In another thread, kj1980 said that as good as Yukarin is in this show, she can do better. Sounds good to me, since I think she's terrific here.

EDIT: There's an interesting little item on tt right now: Horie Yui in a staff-training video for Family Mart, a Japanese convenience-store chain. She demonstrates how to properly greet and serve customers. The video quality is poor, but it's pretty amusing, as well as culturally interesting. I guess Hocchan had to take any gig she could get, earlier in her career. Seiyuu are so poorly paid (see this thread) that that might still be true, if it weren't for her music career.

EDIT2: I really liked Asano Masumi in episode 8. She uses that soft alto voice that I don't remember hearing from her before this series.

[Kaoru Chujo]

There's good picture of the three leads on the Kashimashi official site's radio page right now: (l-r) Horie Yui (Yasuna), Ueda Kana (Hazumu), Tamura Yukari (Tomari).

If you want to hear the show, click on the "Kashimashi Radio" banner at the top left, then scroll about halfway down the page that links to, where you will find the buttons for (l-r) high bandwidth with illustrations, high bandwidth, and low bandwidth feeds. The seiyuu introduce themselves in this order: Kana, Yui, Yukari.

EDIT: And just for good measure, here is a page about Horie Yui's February singing tour (Nagoya-Osaka-Tokyo), with some pics of the show. And here is another page (Tokyo show). And here is another (Nagoya).

Like some other seiyuu, Hocchan has a diary on her site, with little (telephone?) photos of things in her daily life. Like the complex designs on her nails....

[BBOvenGuy]

What surprises me about Japanese voice actors in general - and the cast members here are certainly no exception - is how many of them can sing at least passably well. And some of them are quite good.

Compare that to, for example, the albums that William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy put out in the 60s...

[Kyaa the Catlord]

Nimoy's wasn't too bad. Shatner's.... OMG. :P

Now, Nichelle Nichols' music is very interesting.