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第063話 専門用語：それが声優！WEB

#063 Industry Lingo ① Ichinose-san, the yell in cut 120 was POPPING. Also there’s a BREATH after that. 　 (←Just debuted) 　 Ah. Okay… 　 (popping?) 　 (breath?) 　 ② You can SPILL OUT the next line. That last take was PINCHED OFF. 　 ? ? 　 ③ From cut 121 on is COVERED UP so Ichinose-san will be ALL SEPARATE. 　 ? ?? ? 　 ④ All right, let’s do the LAST TEST. 　 O-Okay!!

Masumi Asano’s Commentary

So. How many of the lines in today’s comic did you understand? In the seiyuu industry there’s actually quite a lot of technical lingo. Back when I debuted, I too, heard many terms I didn’t know the meaning of, but didn’t have the courage to ask about. I was completely lost, just “Abababa…”! By the way, here are the meanings of the lines in today’s comic, put into super easy to understand words… [Panel 1] Ichinose-san, on the “(Yelling)” line in cut 120, your breath hit the microphone. We won’t be able to edit that cleanly, so be careful not to hit the mic with your breath. Also, this “(Yelling)” line will be cut out for a bit partway through. When it connects back up, please be aware that the line won’t match up with the mouth movement on the screen. [Panel 2] It’s okay if this “(Yelling)” line extends into the next cut. That test reading you just did was actually a bit too short, so please stretch it out for a bit longer. [Panel 3] From cut 121 on, some lines will be be covered by other people’s lines. So, we’ll be recording Ichinose-san’s lines later separately. When we do the take, please don’t read those lines. [Panel 4] Okay, before the real take, let’s do one more test reading. Back when I debuted, I was bewildered by terms like that. But once you get used to them, having a set of agreed upon short terms is really handy♪ And with that, This has been Masumi Asano♪

(※ No attempt whatsoever was made to match these terms up with any sort of English voice acting lingo.)

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ソウルイーターノット！　NOTりラジオ！04回　リアル睡拳の使い手

悠木:この中で私

千菅:はい

悠木:もっとも寝相Ki……寝相悪Kingなのは早見沙織ちゃんだということを暴露しておきます

千菅:なんと！

悠木:あのさ、こう、なんだろな。楚々としていて。なんかこう、なんていうんですかね。こう可憐で

千菅:うん

悠木:お芝居も上手で

千菅:うん

悠木:なんか声も綺麗で、歌もうまくて、踊りも踊れて

千菅:うん、うん

悠木:なんかトークもすごく面白いんだけど

千菅:うん

悠木:そんな彼女の唯一の欠点は寝相が悪いことです！

千菅:……ホントに

悠木:あのすらっとした長い手足が、隣で寝ている私の首を直撃するわけｗ

千菅:えーっｗ

悠木:しかもねぇ、2時間に一回必ずぶつかるのｗ　ホントに殺されると思ったｗｗ

千菅:すごいギャップ

悠木:あのね、すごい睡拳ですよ。だから、めめもそうだけど、普段穏やかな人が寝ているときに、何かを発散してるのかもしれないなって

千菅:なるほど深い

悠木:私、みさお（早見沙織）には優しくしなきゃいけないなって思ったｗ

千菅:ｗ

悠木:ストレスなのかは知らないけどねｗ　でもすごいね、そんな部分もキュンとしたりするんですよ

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第059話 ゴールデンコンビ：それが声優！WEB

#059 Golden Combo ① If you’re hungry, how about dinner at my place? 　 It’s just butter & soy sauce rice though. 　 “Butter & soy sauce rice”? 　 ② It’s just rice with butter and soy sauce on it. 　 So, do you like it? 　 ③ Chomp 　 *flash!* 　 ④ I am going to change the favorite food field in my profile to “Butter & soy sauce rice”. 　 Huh?

Masumi Asano’s Commentary

Okay. Have you ever had butter & soy sauce rice? If you haven’t give it a try As! Soon! As! Possible! Take a bowl of piping hot rice and a pat of butter. Stir the melting butter into the rice and drip on some soy sauce. That’s all there is to it, but one bite will convince you! This is only from my own research, but people with no money seem to be divided into several groups. There’s the pasta faction, the rice faction, the cabbage faction, the soumen faction, and so on. In other words, when you have no money, you center around one food and decide the menu around that. I was mainly in the rice faction. Anyway, I’d boil some white rice and have miso soup as a side dish. When I tired of simple side dishes, I’d stir in nattou and mayonnaise, or I’d throw on some dried bonito. I tried all sorts of things. Looking back, these are some good memories. Out of all of these, one of my favorites was butter & soy sauce rice. I still have it once in a while. Its super-rich flavor can make you forget you have no money. Well, Rin-chan has just become acquainted with this forbidden flavor. It tastes great, but it’s high in calories so you really have to be careful not to eat too much… If any of you readers out there have any recipes for poor living, please do share♪ And with that, This has been Masumi Asano!

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第053話 マネージャーの事情③：それが声優！WEB

#053 Managers’ Circumstances #3 ① (I’ve gotta listen to our agency’s seiyuu’s voice samples,) 　 (so I can match up all these names and faces and voices.) 　 ② (Hey, we have a little kid like this working for us?) 　 (“Shiodome Hikaru”) 　 [Shiodome Hikaru] 　 ③ Good morning, Shiodome-san. 　 Good morning! 　 ④ Shiodome-san, when’s the last time you changed your profile photo? 　 Profile photo? 　 It hasn’t changed since I debuted. Why? 　 [There are many times when just looking over the documents isn’t enough.]

Masumi Asano’s Commentary

The very first job of a new manager is to listen to the agency’s seiyuu’s voices samples, look at their profile photos, and commit all these names, faces, and voices to memory. By the way, a voice sample is, just like the name, a sample of someone’s voice. Basically, when a seiyuu officially joins an agency, they have to make one. They may recite lines from various roles, or read a short narration piece, to let people know what their voice can do. A voice sample is like a business card for your voice. Many agencies have voice samples available to the public on their websites, so you should check them out if you’re interested. When a manager is new, it’s expected that they listen to all these samples. Some of them take a recorder while they’re moving around and are always listening to these samples. Some of them have even memorized every line in every sample. These people! However, As far as seiyuu profile photos go… There aren’t many opportunities to redo them. So there are times when photos that were taken x years ago are used, especially in the documents that are circulated within agency offices. Be that as it may, circumstances like Shiodome-san are still rather extreme. haha As a seiyuu, I’m very pleased when a manger recognizes my name and face and voice. There are around 300 seiyuu working for the agency where Manager Kanno works, so remembering them all is quite a task… Hang in there, Kanno-san♪

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第050話 商売道具：それが声優！WEB

#050 Tools of the Trade ① Now that we’ve stuffed ourselves, 　 Let’s get changed into our our pajamas for some girl talk.. 　 YAY! 　 ② [Neck warmer]↓ 　 [Throat drops]↙ 　 [Three-layered pajamas]→ 　 [Stole]↓ 　 ③ [Padded Kimono]↘ 　 [Turtleneck T-Shirt]→ 　 [Leg Warmers]↓ 　 [Thick Socks]↓ 　 ④ So… 　 [Ginger Tea]↘ 　 [Never letting down your guard against colds.] 　 [That’s a seiyuu] 　 [Humidifier]↓ 　 *whirrr*

Masumi Asano’s Commentary

Okay. We seiyuu need to take our voices into consideration at absolutely all times. In order to maintain the same voice from day to day, things like caring for our throats and taking measures against colds are habits that become deeply ingrained. As for myself, in the winter I always diligently humidify my room, and wear a turtleneck when I sleep so my throat doesn’t get cold. I also have throat-care items such as ginger tea with honey, throat drops, lozenges, and so on. All year round, every day without exception, I make sure to carry a mask and throat drops in my bag. And I wrap up in a stole. My voice is an important tool of the trade that will be useless if it changes. As a professional, I can’t afford to not take care of it. So, after this Futaba, Ichigo, and Rin will enjoy some so-called pajama talk. Futaba is going to tell the others about her decision to quit if she doesn’t pass the assessment but… that’s a story for another time. It’s going to be told as a story manga in the next new doujinshi. That’s right! This is the 50th edition of ‘Sore ga Seiyuu! WEB’. To commemorate the occasion, I’d like to collect all 50 into one book. Look forward to the pajama talk in the next doujinshi. Details regarding when it will be finished will be announced at another time♪ The 4-panel manga continues next week. Please look forward to it!

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第049話 天然ボケと養殖ボケ：それが声優！WEB

#049 Natural Idiot and Cultivated Idiot ① All right, just like this. 　 Now let’s make some gyoza. 　 *ssstt* 　 ② [Futaba’s] 　 *sloorp* 　 Whaaa!? 　 Why would you use two wrappers!? ③ [Rin’s] 　 *sproing* 　 You live in a confectionery shop! 　 Why would you wrap it up like a manjuu? 　 ④ Rrr… If I had messed up like this… 　 I could have made myself look like a cute airhead on my blog… 　 [Ichigo-chan cursed her own abilities] 　 \But if you do it like this, the filling won’t fall out./ 　 \You mean that wasn’t a gyoza?/

Masumi Asano’s Commentary

Okay, Out of all the ‘Sore ga Seiyuu!’ characters, Moesaki Ichigo is actually incredibly dependable. She never misses a spot when cleaning, and of course, she’s quite the cook. However, she only knows how to cook what her father liked, so all the dishes in her repertoire are a little bitter and all her side dishes are brown colored. She secretly has a bit of a complex about this. Ichigo-chan’s goal is to be a singing, dancing, acting, real deal idol seiyuu. Ichigo-chan is always trying to project herself as a slightly airheaded character, however, her dependability leaks out and things don’t go the way she wants. The thing about trying to produce a different self image is, if you think about it too hard it won’t work. I’ve reflected on this, and I believe the key to finding that playful part of yourself is to be at ease with yourself and the people around you. I’d love to tell this to Ichigo-chan, but… haha. Well, the sleepover at Ichigo-chan’s will continue. Please look forward to next time♪ This has been Masumi Asano.

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それが声優！WEB 第047話 年末実家に帰ったら：それが声優！WEB

#047 When You Go Home for New Year’s… ① Hey, Dad? My voice-over work is going to be in a New Year’s special. 　 That ‘100 Astonishing Animals’ one. 　 ② I’m home! 　 Yeah, it’s on the 2nd. 　 Our girl is in ‘100 Astonishing Animals’ 　 Tell your aunt too. ③ Huh? Is this why Grandma switched to Blu-ray? 　 How far did Dad spread the news? 　 ④ I don’t even know how to use this new recorder… 　 (I’ve got a bad feeling about this…) 　 (I’ve got a bad feeling because I did the voice for that 　 baby horse being pushed out from it’s mother’s behind…) 　 \Mama!/ 　 *splurp*

Masumi Asano’s Commentary

Well, about today’s comic. Later, Ichigo’s family gathered around and stared at a horse’s bottom. haha. Oh, but let’s put Ichigo-chan aside for the moment. One type of job a seiyuu does is something called a “voice-over”. You know how in the news, re-enactment clips, talk shows, variety shows, and such, when voices are played over a video, and you can hear Japanese? That’s a “voice-over”. Actually, if you watch carefully, you’ll notice all sorts of shows use clips with voice-overs. Even now, I still get all sorts of voice-over jobs. A clip of an actress’s younger days, A foreign couple’s heated marital spat, A baby armadillo, A old woman peddling her wares, and so on. My latest one was the world’s smallest woman, with a height of 62cm, for a New Year’s special. That was a very precious experience for me. It’s very different from dubbing a movie. The people in the clips aren’t actors. They’re ordinary people. Voice-over jobs are challenging and interesting because you’re often speaking on a very basic level. Among these jobs there’s also, of course, putting voices on animal videos just like Ichigo-chan,. Oh dear. Everyone, when you notice a voice-over in a clip on TV, please pay attention♪ And with that, this has been Masumi Asano.

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それが声優！WEB 第046話 査定の選定基準：それが声優！WEB

#046 Criteria for Assessment ① [Criteria for Assessment] 　 There aren’t any specific clearly-defined criteria, 　 and unexpected people can be dropped. 　 It’s not just based on workload. Voice type, 　 potential, and varied other factors are all 　 taken into consideration. 　 ② [Futaba’s Schedule] 　 (8, 12, 20, 28) Part-time job 　 (22) Recording ③ (5, 8, 13, 20, 28) Part-time job 　 (22) Recording 　 ④ The assessment criteria are pretty vague but… 　 This is bad!

Masumi Asano’s Commentary

Okay, today’s comic. I talked about this in the last comic, but many seiyuu agencies have adopted something called the ‘assessment’ system. It’s a harsh system where an agency judges whether or not they need a seiyuu. Working as a seiyuu is a very insecure line of work. There are very busy times, but there are also continual days off that make you think, “Hey wait! It’s been like my very own Golden Week lately…” For my first few years, whenever work stopped coming in I would tremble with anxiety, “Are things ever going to get busy again? Is this where I end up retiring?” So you can imagine the anxiety I felt when I was preparing for the assessment. When days off came around while I was burdened with those worries, it wasn’t a ‘fun vacation’ day. It was a ‘sadly, I didn’t get any work today’ day, so I always used to feel down during time off. But now I’m very well acquainted with this kind of unstable work… Well, Futuba has decided to give up on being a seiyuu if she fails the assessment. And right now she’s having her very own Golden Week… What will she do!? What will happen to her!? And with that, This has been Masumi Asano♪

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[Final Question] This year, when you talk about mascot characters that have had unprecedented spikes in popularity, ‘Kumamon’ comes to mind. But there’s one other character who became quite popular. “His parents were just an ordinary pear tree, that miraclous pear fairy who appears only once every 2000 years.” Please draw a picture of the city of Funabashi, Chiba’s unofficial local mascot.

↖　by 佐倉綾音　(Sakura Ayane)

↗　by 東山奈央　(Toyama Nao) ↙　by 村川梨衣　(Murakawa Rie) ↘　by 花澤香菜　(Hanazawa Kana)

I never imagined that I would lose to Rieshon…

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Hanazawa, Tomatsu, Yahagi Kurage-chan From ‘Hanazawa Kana Hitori de Dekiru Kana?’ #78. (2010.12.22)

Best corner.

(Re-edited the subtitles a little bit from last time I posted this and converted to youtube captions.)

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第043話 冬コミ新刊ハイライト：それが声優！WEB

#043 Winter Comiket New Book Highlights ① Shiraishi Ryoko-san appears!! 　 ② New characters!! 　 ③ Rin-chan making this face!! 　 ④ What!? This guy too…!? 　 \Pardon me!/ 　 Don’t miss it!!

Masumi Asano’s Commentary

Well! Since Comiket is fast approaching, today’s comic shows highlights from the new “Sore ga Seiyuu!” book. It goes without saying that the top news is this: Tada!

That’s right. Shiraishi Ryoko-chan will be appearing as a guest seiyuu. And Uryocchi’s shared lots of rarely told stories with me for the new book. I’m quite grateful that she gave me permission to put her in it. By the way, what Uryocchi is holding there is a stack of hot off the press front covers for the new book. When she went so far as to say, “When I read the ending I almost cried!”, I was happy to hear it♪ Also, Two new characters will be introduced and that character will make an appearance. There’s lots to look out for in the new book. Please look forward to it♪ And with that, This has been Masumi Asano♪

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第041話 無理ゲー : それが声優！WEB

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第040話 憧れのはじまり【いちご編②】：それが声優！WEB

#040 The Beginning of the Dream [Ichigo Chapter, Part 2] ① Okay, next letter. 　 Do you have any memories that are so embarrassing 　 you could just die? 　 ② [Embarrassing memories…] 　 {Let me handle this!!}　 　 (That character is so cool!) 　 ③ Okay, who can solve this problem? 　 Here!! 　 Let me handle this!! 　 ④ (“I was reincarnated 100 years ago as a descendant 　 of Atlantis, so a simple problem like this…”) 　 Ichigo-san?

Masumi Asano’s Commentary

Okay. Today we’re continuing with stories from Ichigo-chan’s past. Ichigo-chan has some pretty painful memories. Haha! Referring to herself as “oira" even! That said… When you were a kid, and you discovered something you thought was cool, did you ever get suddenly caught up in it? Did your manner of speaking change in a day? Did you start referring to yourself with strange pronouns? I did. haha. I would see a cool character and then I would try to act all ill-tempered, or try playing innocent and naive, etc. Those days were part of an unpleasant past that I don’t care to remember and they always make me think, “Oh I was so embarrassing!”. On the other hand, if the works I’ve performed in as a seiyuu, or the shows I’ve participated in as a personality have inspired anyone like this, I couldn’t be more honored. After all, that’s part of the appeal. Ichigo-chan, you too. Even while surmounting your own painful past (haha), next time, you, yourself, must become the one to provide that inspiration. Quickly, bare your painful past and your privates. They exist so that you can expose them on the radio! And that’s that. This has been Masumi Asano♪

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第035話 カゼテロリスト②：それが声優！WEB

#035 Cold Terrorist #2 ① I’m so sorry… 　 *wobble* *wobble* 　 What? You caught a cold!? 　 ② [The agency’s desk workers] 　 Shiodome-san got a cold!! 　 Can we move today and tomorrow’s schedules?? 　 Shiodome has a cold… Okay… I’m sorry!! 　 We can’t skip tomorrow’s narration? Just do something about it!! 　 ③ We’re adjusting your schedule! 　 Please get checked out at a hospital and tell us the diagnosis!! 　 Okay… 　 ④ My throat hurts, my head hurts, but most of all, my heart hurts… 　 *mope* *mope* 　 i’m sorry… i’m sorry… 　 [Catching a cold is a super big deal! That’s Seiyuu.]

Masumi Asano’s Commentary

What if we catch a cold? If it will interfere with work, then first of all we must contact our agency. There will be quite a commotion. The desk workers will start making all sorts of phone calls, adjusting schedules, postponing things they’ve already postponed before, contacting managers, and so on. "Asano-san, In any case, please go to the hospital, find out how long this will take to cure, and report back to us!" "O-, Okay…" I’ll keep mumbling apologies in my head, but there’s nothing I can do except go to the hospital, get medicine, and go get some rest. While I have a cold, my manager and the desk workers are busy apologizing to everyone on my behalf, “Asano is very sorry!”. When I think about that, I feel pretty bad. Having a cold is really tough on the heart. By the way, three times now, I’ve had a “make the voice work shot”. Basically, by injecting some medicine they can force the inflammation in the throat to go down, but it seems very powerful and the doctors at the hospital are very reluctant to give it. They really won’t give it to you unless you earnestly plead with them, like, “Do anything! Anything! I can’t miss this job no matter what!” Also, if you do get it, you may suddenly pass out. I know this can be said for anyone, but for seiyuu, catching a cold really hurts! Please do what you can this winter to avoid colds. And cold terrorists, stay away! haha. And with that, This has been Masumi Asano♪

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第034話　カゼテロリスト：それが声優！WEB

#034  Cold Terrorist ① COUGH! COUGH! 　 *cough* *sniiff…* 　 Oh! A cold? Do you need a mask? 　 ② Oh no! I’m fine. It’s not that bad. Thank you for your concern. 　 *cough* *cough* 　 But… 　 ③ *cough* *cough* Haha, I’m fine, I’m fine!! 　 I’m not worried about you, 　 ←Closing her mouth tightly 　 I’m concerned about myself. 　 ④ Before patting yourself on the back for 　 working hard when you’re sick, please wear a mask!! 　 […is what Shiodome-san didn’t say.]

Masumi Asano’s Commentary

As we go into October, it’s still hot out. Except when it’s cold out. How’s everyone doing in this time of indecisive weather? Okay. Seiyuu are extremely sensitive to colds. This is because our voices are the tools of our trade. Of course, it’s not a simple matter of “if you can speak, everything’s fine”. As a professional it’s important to maintain the same quality of voice. Therefore, it’s especially important to avoid colds which can make your voice sound more nasal or scratchy. But, lately, there have been a lot of these types appearing, just like in the comic. "No, it’s just a cold, cough, cough. A mask? No, I’m fine, cough, cough. Just a little fever, cough, cough. B ut don’t worry about me, cough, cough.” That kind of person. haha. Honestly, when you can’t get through to them it can be awkward. Rather than keeping a conversation going, you just want to hold your mouth closed tight and be silent. haha. I’m a bit more shameless than Shiodome-san, so when I find myself working with someone like that, I’ll offer them my always-handy spare mask and say something like, “Excuse me, but for professional reasons I cannot afford to catch a cold, so would you please wear a mask?” or I’ll just wear the mask myself. Even though I think it’s a bit tactless, you gotta do what you gotta do… So, if a seiyuu actually does catch a cold what happens!? That’s what next week’s comic is about. Look forward to it! As the seasons change, let’s all take care to prevent colds, okay? Masumi Asano.

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第028話　見えてるものが全てじゃない：それが声優！WEB

#028 There’s more than what you can see. ① What did you do for Mother’s Day, Ichigo-chan? 　 Ichigo sends her ichigo-love to everyone 365 days a year! Hahaha… ② [Blog Comments after the broadcast] 　 　 1. DETH-san 　 | ichigo this! ichigo that! 　 | shuuut up!!! 　 | ur ugly pls die!! 　 ③ But, if I mentioned that my mother was passed away it would have 　 really killed the mood. And it would worry the listeners… 　 ④ So, Ichigo-chan didn’t mention that. 　 Delete! Gotta delete that!

Masumi Asano’s Commentary

So. When one works as a seiyuu, every now and then, antis will descend from the skies. haha. Even to this day, I’m not sure how many anti attacks I’ve faced but… on the radio, and on Twitter, and on blogs, and in gossip going around. That’s just a small part of it. I’ve also had the thought, “You just don’t understand…” again and again. Back when I first debuted, these sorts of misunderstandings would make my heart ache, but after 12 years of seiyuu work… Well, I’ve grown quite thick-skinned. Haha. Oh, but of course, antis are bad! Absolutely terrible! It seems like Ichigo-chan has developed a knack for tuning things out. Still, that doesn’t mean these kind of things don’t hurt! Hang in there, Ichigo-chan! And go to hell, anti scum! haha And with that, This has been Masumi Asano.

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第026話 8月17日『おしゃれしたけど』：それが声優！WEB

#026 It looked nice… ① After today’s game recording job, I’m going out to eat with 　 Futaba-san and Ichigo-san. 　 I’ll curl my hair a little bit fancy today ♥ ② (Hehehe, maybe they’ll ask, ‘Did you do something with your hair?’) 　*click* 　Good morni— 　 ③ Oh… 　 ④ Rin-chan, did you do something with your hair? It’s all flat. 　 No…

Masumi Asano’s Commentary

Comic Market 84 was a big success! Thanks to everyone we sold out in a flash. A big thanks to everyone who made the trek out there!! There are times when we seiyuu have to use headphones for work. Narration, game recording, dubbing, and so on. But the headphones in the studio are professional-grade and usually, huge and heavy! haha. It doesn’t matter how fluffy you do you hair. By the time recording is over it will be squashed completely flat. I understand Rin-chan’s dismay. I really do! So that’s that, Please look forward to next week♪ Masumi Asano.