What type of Seiyuu do you prefer?

[fukarming]

For me, there are two very distinctive type of Seiyuu.

Type A are those who had a very distinctive voice which you can spot from miles away. The classic example would be Inoue Kikuko. Her Onee-chan voice (Tendo Kasumi, Belldandy...etc) is well known.

Type B are those who can fit the emotions of the character perfectly, but I (or normal/ less experienced anime viewer) will not be able to recognize their voice unless you read the credits. The classic example would be Kuwashima Hoko. Plenty of time I watched an anime and would think this seiyuu does a really nice job. I can really feel for the character. When I checked the credits the voice is done by Kuwashima Hoko.

[Vexx]

I prefer the "seiyuu of a thousand voices" -- they tend to be far more employable as well.

However, for specific "character-type" acting roles, a few "one voice" actors properly cast are right on target.

[C.A.]

I prefer hotblooded seiyuus, which I think most people on this forum don't even know. Especially since most of my favourite seiyuus are manly men aging from 30s to 60s. And half of my favourite hotblooded female seiyuus are really mature as well.

In case people don't know what hotblooded means, its the original and direct translation for 'nekketsu', which people in the West carelessly call it 'GAR' nowadays.

for the past 40 years, it has always been hotbloodedness and still is, until someone went and created the meme of 'GAR' and defiled the characteristic.

[Raiga]

Distinctive voices tend to be more fun for me, playing the "guess that voice" game every time I start a new show. XD But you gotta admire a versatile actor.

Not that the two categories are mutually exclusive, either.

[0utf0xZer0]

Well, Noto Mamiko has been my favourite voice actress since I watched Sola and she certainly has a very recognizable voice. When she played a mute character in Canaan, I picked up on who she was after a couple episodes because of the breathing/eating sounds she made. As I told my friends at the time, "I think I just took a level in geek".

That said, a fair number of my favourite voice talents have a much wider vocal range. When I screened the first half of Moon Phase for my girlfriend, I tried to get her to guess what role one of the voice actresses had played in Bakemonogatari, and I'm pretty sure she only got it right from having read it somewhere.

[germanturkey]

i love Kikuko Inoue.

[yoropa]

I prefer the type that have acting talent.

[KholdStare]

in b4 "Hi, I can recognize any seiyuu from whatever type."

Seriously, I prefer Type A overwhelmingly. Basically, I categorize seiyuu into the type who is good at everything and the type who excels at certain things, which is similar to the definitions in the first post. The reason for my preference is because I have prefer some characters over others, and if a seiyuu can excel at voicing the characters I prefer, then that's better for me. And of course I'm going to get bashed for saying this, but a perfect example for me is Hirano Aya. She manages to have excellent voice acting for some of my favorite characters, so I prefer her. Another example is Orisaka Fumiko.

About Type B, the reason why I don't care is because very often I am not motivated to "look up" the seiyuu to a character. Let's think about what this means. If I know the seiyuu without looking her up, then she's Type A. If I want to look up the seiyuu for a character, then that means the character impressed me somehow and she's probably Type B (unless it's like...Alphonse). But I don't usually care, which means Type B seiyuu, although they are good at everything, they often don't noticeably grab my attention and make me say, "Shit, this is damn good voice acting." Of course, there are exceptions to everything. The last seiyuu that I had to look up was Koshimizu Ami, which means her character managed to impressed me somehow. And when I looked up her casting list, I recognized many characters, but I would have never guessed they were voiced by her.

[Kaioshin Sama]

A little bit of both, but also a little bit of neither. I'll be taking the C answer which I'll get to in a moment. First off though I think both styles have critical weaknesses.

Typically when people try to play around with their voices to much they might forget to act and the whole thing comes across as a bit of a disaster. An example would be Aya Hirano who frequently seems like she's there to try and wow people with her vocal range (which isn't exactly all that wow worthy in the first place) as opposed to being there to act out a role. Likewise people who are kind of one note with their voice acting aren't really going anywhere either and typically will get typecast. An example would be Chihara Minori who seems to be stuck in that meek and weak voice role (even going so far as to be cast as a mute character in one role) because perhaps it's all she is capable of.

Now as for that C answer....basically I prefer seiyuu that are good actors and who are capable of taking on challenging roles while also making the role their own and giving a little bit of themselves to the character. Basically the equivalent of a live action method actor....or as close as you can get without having to appear on camera yourself. Takehito Koyasu is a great example of this. He has a very distinct deep voice, but is capable of channeling it and his own charisma into many memorable performances over the years and often with completely different types of characters and personalities.

[Malintex_Terek]

Anyone who can sing.

You can't imagine how poorly many of them sing, it drives me mad.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Malintex_Terek

Anyone who can sing.

You can't imagine how poorly many of them sing, it drives me mad.

There are some seiyuu that can sing....for everyone else there's auto-tune.

[FateAnomaly]

My problem is that i can't seem to recognize voice easily unless i have been hearing it regularly for a year or two. Even then i will forget it if i stop hearing it after a while.

[Last Sinner]

I’m actually willing to be into both because they both have their merits. Being easily recognised with a set/trademark voice can make one popular, but they have to wear that as a potential negative too, because people may want to hear same style of voice again and again. But if done well within a variety of characters, that is easily negated and turned into a positive.

My personal favourite of Type A is a seiyuu I think few others would be aware of – Michiko Neya. She’s been in the industry for around 2 decades and gets a large amount of supporting character roles. Yet her ability to convey power, confidence, aggression and sensuality of varying degrees within different character types has impressed me from early on in my anime watching. I recognise her voice readily but I am usually impressed with the characters she voices regardless, because they suit her tonality and passion. I first heard her voice ‘Miss Deep’ in the Read or Die OVA. She just conveyed the maturity, confidence and bitterness within her so well, she won me over instantly. Then weeks later I heard her voice Maestro Delphine in Last Exile. Instead of a heroine she played one of the most sinister female villains ever, yet she pulled it off with ease. Twisted, self-absorbed, merciless, poisonous – it’s very hard to be made to like a villain but Michiko Neya did it better than anyone I’ve ever heard. Other roles I love that she did are:

Melissa Mao in Full Metal Panic
Riza Hawkeye in Fullmetal Alchemist
Satella Harvenheit in Chrono Crusade
Prois in Bounen no Xamdou
Talho in Eureka Seven
Miwako in Honey and Clover
Astaroshe in Trinity Blood
Tsuabki in Please Twins
Sophitia in the Soul Calibur games

Powerful, confident women, usually with a chip on their shoulder. You don’t see many seiyuus around that can do the roles she can. I really admire her for that.

Of type B, my favourite would be Ayako Kawasumi, because of her ability to do different voices to the degree her resume has accumulated. Roles I’ve liked her most in are:
Saber in Fate/Stay Night
Nodame in Nodame Cantabile
Fuu in Samurai Champloo
Ohno in Genshiken
Winia in Scrapped Princess
Koishi in Please Teacher
Lafiel in Banner of the Stars

Now there’s some real variety. Cold, loyal, commanding Saber vs the easygoing, quirky dreamer in Nodame? Or the svelte chick with spunk in Fuu vs the subdued, voluptuous anime fan in Ohno? I was able to string Fuu and Koishi together due to the similarity of the voices, but to think she did both Saber and Nodame…impressive. Very talented.

As for a male-female duo that has good chemistry in more than one case, I would say Jun Fukuyama and Ami Koshimizu. The ego-driven, calculating supreme confidence of Lelouch and Lawrence that is melted by the passion of Kallen and the mature, playful style of Horo. I hope these two get more prominent roles and to team up in the future.

I also have my eye on Noto Mamiko. Her voicing of Sawako in Kimi ni Todoke is probably my favourite voicing ever. Perfect sync between seiyuu and character, as if she was born to do it. Also liked her voicing of Kotomi in Clannad, Enma in Hell Girl and Yuka in Elfen Lied.

[ChainLegacy]

I enjoy the really distinctive VA's that always play badass characters. I'm not too familiar with the VA's names, but I can recognize the voices from show to show.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Malintex_Terek

Anyone who can sing.

You can't imagine how poorly many of them sing, it drives me mad.

I still remember my first experience with that. Came across a file of "Love Hina Live". I was, to be blunt, thunderstruck by the terrible singing that the fans were cheering over. Fortunately, Asakawa Yuu came out in the middle and demonstrated that *some* seiyuu can indeed sing (she had an independent singing career).

I have to list most of the "live" attempts I've seen since then as amateur karaoke night to get through them. The occasional seiyuu who *can* sing, even if it is a one-octave wonder get automatic bonus points.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Vexx

I still remember my first experience with that. Came across a file of "Love Hina Live". I was, to be blunt, thunderstruck by the terrible singing that the fans were cheering over. Fortunately, Asakawa Yuu came out in the middle and demonstrated that *some* seiyuu can indeed sing (she had an independent singing career).

I have to list most of the "live" attempts I've seen since then as amateur karaoke night to get through them. The occasional seiyuu who *can* sing, even if it is a one-octave wonder get automatic bonus points.

As far as I can tell it's not about the singing but doing the whole "multi-talented" idol thing. Of course "multi-talented" in the idol industry basically means you attempt it and your diehard fans cheer for you, not that you are necessarily good at anything other than looking cute and being likeable. It's kind of soulless in a way, but that seems to be the system that is supported by otakudom.

[C.A.]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

As far as I can tell it's not about the singing but doing the whole "multi-talented" idol thing. Of course "multi-talented" in the idol industry basically means you attempt it and your diehard fans cheer for you, not that you are necessarily good at anything other than looking cute and being likeable. It's kind of soulless in a way, but that seems to be the system that is supported by otakudom.

Unfortunately this is how the entertainment industry in Asia works, not just in Japan for otakus.

Unless you are an absolute diva and master in your art, you are expected to be 'multi-talented'.

New idols are expected to know how to sing, dance and act. They can get away with this easier than Seiyuus because they are usually good looking people. Seiyuus with good looks will probably have to host tv shows, do performances and even become gravure models. Those who aren't so multi-talented will have to resort to doing lots of part time jobs to make a living.

Not just industry newbies and average idols, even the top singers and actors sometimes turn to either art. Its just the way our industry work here, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea. The artistes here just don't get paid anywhere near what they get over in the West.

Its not that our talents are no good, its the other way round, there are too many talents and the industry is too competitive. The same goes for Seiyuu, I read it somewhere here on AS, someone posted an article that mentions how the Seiyuu industry now has 8000 active Seiyuus and 30000 more in acting schools preparing to enter the industry. The Seiyuus just don't get paid enough and they are seen doing all sorts of odd jobs. The singing Seiyuus seem to be having a good time having all the fame, but they get paid measly amounts compared to real singing idols.

So my argument here is that the Seiyuus aren't singing because its supported by the otakudom, but they have to make money, not just for themselves but for the industry itself.

[SaintessHeart]

The slice of the anime industry's pie is already so small with so many animation companies around. This is called market saturation, and yep, they have to do it.

But there is still hope. Mizuki Nana already led the way when she sang Shin Ai (White Album) at last year's Kohaku Uta Gassen, being the first singer in the show's 60th years to be a seiyuu. And along with Houkago TeaTime, they took the No.1 position for quite some time on Oricon.

Actually anyone who can voice can sing. Most vocal techniques are standard throughout the media industry, like pitching, voice throwing/projecting, emotion adjusting and most importantly, doing large speech lines is done the same way as singing, with the diaphragm instead of the vocal cords.

It is the style of music and their level of training that makes the cut. Mizuki Nana is trained in enka, so she has quite some talent to do lines with very deep and exaggerated emotions. Perfect person to voice Ogata Rina in White Album.

[hinakatbklyn]

I really don't have a preference towards any type. I enjoy Type A since I recognize the seiyuu the minute they speak up. Even if their tone changes, it's not too difficult to recognize the seiyuu. Takehito Koyasu for example even if he is like serious, evil sounding or insane crazy, I would recognize him a mile away.
Rezo - Slayers
To Ryuga - Mahoromatic
Adam Blade - Needless

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

Of type B, my favourite would be Ayako Kawasumi, because of her ability to do different voices to the degree her resume has accumulated. Roles I’ve liked her most in are:
Saber in Fate/Stay Night
Nodame in Nodame Cantabile
Fuu in Samurai Champloo
Ohno in Genshiken
Winia in Scrapped Princess
Koishi in Please Teacher
Lafiel in Banner of the Stars

(1) Even though Ayako has different voices for each character, she has been consistent for each type of role she is in (Cute and Spunky). The one exception would be Saber. Which is why I would recognize her more for Type A rather than B.

(2) Type B would be tougher for me to figure out. If I were to pick a favorite from Type B: Ryou Hirohashi .

Alice Carroll - Aria
Sora Naegino - Kaleido Star
Tamaki Kawazoe - Bamboo Blade
(My Favorite) Kyou Fujibayashi - Clannad

Different voices for each character and I would not recognize it was her without reading the credits, and yet she fit into each and every other role she has voiced.

[AmyElizzabeth]

Type B. I like seiyuu's who can do a low voice for one character, and a totally different voice for another character. I like them to get into the character and not have the same voice for each one.
Kinda like Aya Hirano, except she sometimes sounds the same.
For Aya's different voices, I'm thinkin' of Konata Izumi and Haruhi Suzumiya.
If you didn't know they were voiced by the same seiyuu, you probably could not tell.