#okay I now know ishikawa kaito

[raspberrylix]

I know nothing about dub voice actors. The only ones I know are matchablossom ones but with Japanese ones... I also don't know anything, but there are times when voices just feel familiar, so then I Google, and then the world simply shatters

that to say, these three have the same va

and I don't know what to do with this information

to be fully honest, I was already dumbfounded just from adachi and mash, but adding langa to the whole mix - too much to handle at this hour

but also, somehow, it makes a lot of sense

[natsspammityspamspamham]

I'm actually writing this post specifically for @deepwoodenheart because they followed my main and were not a porn blog. Thanks! They've recently expressed an interest in Yuichiro Umehara (a voice actor), and @msyuksanh is his number one fan who is the one who actually introduced me to this specific voice actor. Since I watch a ton of anime (an unhealthy amount), I will be running through some of the stuff I have watched (and some stuff I haven't). Some of these are just to make fun of these anime, but I don't fault any seiyuu for taking a bad role because you do what you need to to make that bread 🍞

His list of roles is big but not as big as some other voice actors, so I was able to go through which ones I had watched or heard of quite quickly. He has made some random appearances in other anime that I've watched where I went "Huh, definitely know this guy from somewhere" like Fire Force, Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, and Kaguya-sama.

Note: I haven't watched Jojo Part 6 yet or that parody magic anime with the wombat. The anime will go in no specific order, but it generally goes from "good" to "mediocre" to "these anime can go suck cheese" with anything below the "keep reading" being literal trash-tier anime. There's also some missing stuff, especially in terms of idol anime because I haven't watched those and don't plan on it for now. From looking at the cast list, I think his major idol roles are in Magic Kyun, Tsukipro, Ensemble Stars, and Idolmaster SideM (regular Idolmaster is for female idols).

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime

I was talking to a friend of mine recently when we went Christmas shopping, and when he saw this manga he went, "I didn't like that one." I personally did like this one. His complaint was that too much time was given to the secondary love interest. Umehara plays a supporting (but recurring) character.

((This scene still makes me laugh to this day. Kaori Nazuka was really funny here.))

Fruits Basket (remake)

Okay, Umehara admittedly barely shows up in this one, but people should watch Fruits Basket no matter who they are. It's good for the soul. That is all.

((It took me so long to find a fricking gif of this bir-- guy.))

Romantic Killer

Anyone who reads this or anyone who has Netflix should go watch this.

((Kabe-down))

Tenchi Souzou Design-bu

This anime is surprisingly not directly creationism, but it sure comes close! As a biology major, this anime was pretty neat, but some of it made me go, "What am I watching anyway?" I'm not an ecology specialist though, so maybe this makes more sense to others. His character is a supporting character, but he has some funny bits.

((He also gets to rap in this role, so that was kind of funny. My other favourite lines are "Wow, Mercury is dead!" and "WOO! SAIKOU NI COOL!!!"))

SSSS.Dynazenon

This one was not nearly as good as Gridman which was already divisive in the mecha community (that I'm not a part of). I heard from others that it was enjoyable, but I personally thought it was a bit of a bore. Props to the casting director for getting Chika Anzai and her cousin Junya Enoki. There are some subbed radio segments that are funny too.

((Also, this is the first anime I watched where he was cast as an ugly adult. Ain't nobody falling for kinoko hair over here. He has also played a piece of sperm, but I digress.))

Dame x Prince

This anime was built for cringe, and it succeeds at cringe. But because it embraces the cringe, it unironically becomes one of the better anime adaptations of an otome game which is like saying you're the tallest dwarf of the seven dwarfs. It also gave a long-running radio with Kaito Ishikawa and Soma Saito.

Shingeki no Bahamut: Virgin Soul

I genuinely remember so little about this anime that I went to go watch clips to refresh my memory, and this anime wasn't even bad. It was mediocre, but for something based off a card game, they did really well. I actually watched this for Sumire Morohoshi and her bubbly character Nina. This is technically a sequel, so you'd need to watch the previous one to fully understand it. Oddly enough, I didn't know the first season was a romance until some characters kissed.

Gakuen Babysitters

This one was essentially built to be a comfort watch. It works at what it wants to do, but I don't like kids. The ending theme is cute, but Nishiyama looked way more into it (Umehara was there to get paid).

Shinchou Yuusha

I personally thought this anime was gonna be a Konosuba, and it kind of was, but it was far more palatable for me (I was not able to make it through Konosuba and will try again at a later date). Aki Toyosaki carries 99% of the comedy in this anime.

((That slime never did anything to youuuuuuu)

Orenchi no Furo Jijou

Fun fact: I watched this before knowing what a shounen ai was! I saw the shounen part and went "Oh, so my demographic" watched it, came out, and went "What. Was. That?!" I don't remember a whole ton about it, but I don't remember it being horrendous. It's just some mermaid in a bathtub. I think this was his debut role, and he does play a main character.

Juuni Taisen

This is probably in a similar boat as Tenkuu Shinpan (later in the list). It's just a bloodbath of an anime, but I will give it credit that it has fanservice for both sides (they sexualize men and women). Anyways, it has a stacked seiyuu cast for something that is so incredibly mediocre.

Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai

He had to be replaced partway through due to his acute immune disease. However, I think he recorded it in post-production. Either way, it's a supporting character in an anime that I think wasn't worth the watch besides the banger of an opening. Masayoshi Ohishi has a knack for writing openings for romcoms (he likes romcoms himself).

((He's the glasses guy))

Tenkuu Shinpan

I kinda want to watch this one just to turn off my brain and watch some Battle Royale-style gore.

((That character looks sick.))

Darling in the Franxx

Apparently, you're supposed to watch the first 12 episodes then dip, but come on, when the mechas are built like that, I'm not touching that thing. Even though it has Haruka Tomatsu and one of her most famous characters, I'm not watching it.

((It took me over 100 gifs to find one with Gorou in them despite typing in "Gorou Darling in the Franxx", and he is part of the main cast.))

Goblin Slayer

You know, for such an edgy first episode, this series is so mid at the genre it tries to take on after. Umehara said himself, "He doesn't really say much of importance." This anime has sexual violence (and it's explicit), and it's not even good.

Plunderer

I haven't watched this one, but he does star alongside his bandmate Yoshiki Nakajima. Both of them have been in better anime that is certainly not this one. I even read a chapter or two of the manga when it first started airing and went, "They're really making that, huh?"

((He forgot one streak of hair when dyeing it haha))

Kabuki-bu!

I couldn't make it through three episodes, but maybe I'll try again-- actually, no I won't.

Uchitama

Hmm... I haven't watched this one. It's not hard to see why, but basically, I have not reached that level of degeneracy, and if I do, someone should put me out of my misery.

Senjuushi

Fun fact: This anime is so bad that it has a rating similar to Boku no P-- I'm not finishing that title. I obviously didn't watch this one.

Makura no Danshi

I didn't watch this one, but I saw a video on it and was near tears from laughter and despair because there's no fricking way someone made an anime about this concept AND got Masayoshi Ohishi to write an OP for it. This is the stupidest thing I've seen in a while, and just being close to it made me even more embarrassed that I watch anime. I also listened to Masayoshi's version of the OP before I knew what it was connected to or how to understand some words in Japanese. After learning its association, I was legally obligated to take that song off my playlist.

[primofate]

Are there any Otome or RPG games you'd recommend?

Otome (SUPER RECOMMENDED) (I’m sorry but this will also be a Japanese Voice Actors rant)

Gosh where do I begin?

Piofiore: Fated Memories 

LET ME JUST TELL YOU

Voice Actors of 

BAKUGOU/NISHINOYA (Nobuhiko Okamoto!!!!!!)

IIDA/KAGEYAMA (Kaito Ishikawa)

TARTAGLIA(JP VER)/BOKUTO (Ryohei Kimura)

SHIKAMARU (NARUTO) (Showtaro Morikubo)

PLAY THE GUYS IN THIS GAME, THE VOICE ACTING LINEUP IS IMMACULATE

The story is pretty cool. Don’t wanna spoil too much but you basically play as a girl who is being fought over by the MAFIA HAHAHAHA LONG STORY ITS EVERY MAFIA AU YOU DREAM OF LOL

Collar X Malice

BRO

THE GOD OF VOICE ACTING YUKI KAJI IS PRESENT I might be biased I just like him (SHOTO TODOROKI/KENMA/EREN JAEGER) 

TARTAGLIA(JP VER)/BOKUTO (Ryohei Kimura)

THOMA (JP VER)/ICHIGO KUROSAKI (Masakazu Morita)

As for the story it’s very mystery centred you play as a policewoman who is basically the target of a “terrorist” group and you have all these guys to help you

Period Cube: Shackles of Amadeus

Also some known voice actors present: Bakugou, Zhongli (JP Ver), Kaeya (JP Ver), Tanjiro

This isn’t a very well known Otome game, I feel like. But it’s very simple in it’s story and I love the art. You play as a girl who is transported into an online game, you’re basically stuck there now. So all these people are helping you find a way out.

Bad Apple Wars

Also some known voice actors not gunna list them out anymore HAHA

This is also not a very popular otome game. You play as a girl who basically died and you kind of go into this place where it’s an in between so you’re not really dead yet and basically trying to revive yourself. Can’t quite remember, been a while since I’ve played this.

Others that are okay and cute but not my favourites:

Hakuoki

Code: Realize

Nighshade

Others that I have yet to buy/play but I know it’s awesome cause the VOICE ACTING LINEUP WOOOOO

Olympia Soiree

Cupid Parasite

Bustafellows

RPG

Fire Emblem Series

Persona Series

Tales Series

God Eater Series

Thank you for reading this far. If you have read this far. Fun fact:

My ultimate favourite voice actor is UCHIYAMA KOUKI (Tsukishima Kei, Tomura Shigaraki)

Just watch this clip of Hinata’s voice actor flirting with Tsukishima’s voice actor. It’s just.......... lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1oaDeteP5w

[yakocchi]

Maple Memories With the Prince // Voiced Mini Stories

wooo yea likely the last bmp1-related event of the month. yes, yakov will be featuring in the election benefit event coming soon, but since that’s likely gonna be an AU bc he has to be a knight. meh

but hey, this event overlaps with yakov’s season 2 campaign. i dun care for the route itself bc ive read it multiple times, but they have done minor edits (like better bgs) so thats better than nothing imo season 2 is very filler arc-y bc they introduce a character that takes up a variable amt of screentime. they serve as a personified test to their relationship and/or the prince’s character, but for some routes it’s just... is this Joshua’s route or Hana’s (the side chara’s) route. cough i guess bc yakov’s was written much later than everyone else’s (by several years), they figured out what makes a sequel enjoyable to read bc his is good. no bias i assure u

quicc translations behind the cut

Glenn (CV. Ishikawa Kaito)

[G]: “This here, is a place I quite like.” [G]: “In the fall, the green leaves turn red and yellow, and then you can enjoy the autumn leaves.” [G]: “I wanted to come here with you no matter what.” [G]: “…I’m glad you like it here too.” [G]: “For some reason, being here with you right now has made me way too happy.” [G]: “It’s made me truly think that it’d be nice if time could stop.”

Zain (CV. Hirakawa Daisuke)

[Z]: “What do you think of the autumn shades of Nobel Castle?” [Z]: “I never tire of seeing your expression change with the seasons of the Castle, you know.”   [Z]: “…Somehow, they resemble you.” [Z]: “You also show me all sorts of faces depending on the season, place, situation at hand...” [Z]: “…(kiss)” [Z]: “…If I do that - What kind of face will you show me, I wonder?”

Joshua (CV. Namikawa Daisuke)

[J]: “Ever since I discovered it as a child, I’ve kept this place in mind.” [J]: “A spectacular view of the leaves changing for autumn…” [J]: “I thought, ‘I want to take you there.’” [J]: “I’m pleased that it could become a reality, too.” [J]: “You hear me? This place is a secret between the two of us, after all.”

Edward (CV. Okitsu Kazuyuki)

[E]: “The autumn leaves are lovely— Oriens’s autumns have several beautiful spectacles, hm?” [E]: “Since you were raised here, with this beautiful scene surrounding you,” [E]: “I wonder if you have a similar heart of such beauty within?” [E]: “More and more, I want you to show me things that shall make me think of just how beautiful you are.”

Keith (CV. Kondo Takashi)

[K]: “What, you like the fall leaves?” [K]: “Hm, well, how about I get a bunch of maple trees planted in Liberty Castle’s gardens?” [K]: “Huh? You don’t want that?” [K]: “…’the Hell, I just wanted to see your delighted face, and you…”

note that the original phrase isn’t a swear, but has an informal “what the heck” vibe so yea

Roberto (CV. Kimura Ryohei)

[R]: “The autumn leaves are so pretty!” [R]: “I was thinking that I wanna burn this very scene with you into my mind, but…”   [R]: “Maybe I don’t have to after all, I guess.” [R]: “Soo, it’d be okay to renew this (memory) every year, right?”

⋆ the term he uses for “renewing (this scene before me)” is closer to “overwriting” (commonly used in the context of computers, e.g., “overwriting” files, data, etc.), “writing over something” but in engl, (at least to me) overwriting smth like a memory has the implication that the preceding memory was “bad” (and not so much “old”) so yea

Wilfred (CV. Sakurai Takahiro)

[W]: “You see how the autumn leaves have piled up over there?” [W]: “When I was a child, I would often keep this a secret from Claude…” [W]: “I’d throw myself into a bed of autumn leaves, and stuff like that.” [W]: “It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted to do that again.” [W]: “…How about we do it together?”

Yakov (CV. Yasumoto Hiroki)

[Y]: “The autumn leaves are quite splendid.” [Y]: “When I look at these red-tinted leaves, your face comes to mind.” [Y]: “It’s because they resemble the hue of your bashful cheeks, I suppose.”   [Y]: “Heh- Don’t sulk like that.” [Y]: “When you’re with me, I can’t help but want to tease you.”

[vulpiximisa]

here is a post of Why I Like Nanamaru Sanbatsu which may or may not also be a Reasons Why You Should Watch Nanamaru Sanbatsu but it’s not made with the intent of persuasion and more of me just gushing over things because this isn’t spoiler friendly

1) Niche Sport

I’m not a stranger to “Sport but it doesn’t involve Ball or Sweat”. That’s a lie, the players sweat a lot in Chihayafuru. The fact that Sasaijma (and then another character in the later chapters in the manga) refer to Karuta is a reason enough to pick up the series. Hikaru no Go was one of my earlier sports anime as well. It’s not like I was a fan of Go or Karuta either but the way the characters wholeheartedly loved what they were doing (and competitively), it made me love it as well. The same definitely goes for Quiz Bowl. While the two I listed were something I completely had no clue how the rules go, Quiz Bowl is a bit more obvious so it’s easier to get into.

(kinda hate these promo pics because there looks like so many fcking charas but really you just need to remember like 5 of them)

2) Nerdy Protag in a Sports anime

Actually coming from YowaPeda, Crunchyroll recommended this amongst other things. YowaPeda did the trope a lot better, given that you’d never associate an Otaku with Biking while a Bookworm being associated with Quiz Bowl does not seem unheard of. But the idea of a nerdy protagonist in a competitive sport was still an allure. 

And oops, I think Koshiyama is a cutie so there’s a huge bias towards that. The fact that Horie Shun who voices Enta Jinnai from Sarazanmai voices Koshiyama Shiki gave me a laugh and he actually fits his role very well. Further emphasizes his cuteness without Enta’s weird gay crush lol

3) Ishikawa Kaito

I’m not above watching anime for seiyuu reasons alone but I actually went in blind with this series and to my surprise one of my favs was in it. I’d known Kaito mostly for Kageyama Tobio first, but he’s gone through so many other roles that I enjoy (Kaki from Pokemon SM, Iida from BokuHero, Mimura Subaru from 2.43) and I’ve watched a lot of seiyuu events/radios with him so I’m just a big fan of him in general. Dunno if I should have just merged this point with the next but-

4) Mikuriya Chisato

Kaito has The Range and can do whatever role he wants (I’m most impressed by his role as Alan from BNA) but I think I have a weakness for when he’s slightly an asshole. Mikuriya gave off the generic rival trope, which he kind of is. I got some Subaru vibes from him as well. I don’t know if he’s canonically handsome, but yes I think he’s very good looking for an anime character. Plus the fact that he’s The Cool Guy but is participating in such a sport as Quiz Bowl. AND the moe gap that is his feminine sounding first name and the possibility that he might also actually be an otaku is 👌👌👌👌

My friend had tagged something with him as “Chazz Princeton with a haircut” and while Not Entirely, he is the “We are not friends, we are rivals but I interact and help you enough that we are practically friends but i will continue to deny it” and I love that trope. The way he’s so not interested in Gorls or Nonsense reminds me of Manga Manjoume, though nowhere as serious because he is not above nonsense himself.

5) Fukami Mari

The moment she was introduced, I had very low expectations for her. Of course she is the one that drags Koshiyama into the Quiz Bowl world BUT she doesn’t fall into the trope of “Female is very good at The Thing, BUT Newbie Male MC does it better than her almost immediately”. I’m so glad for that because as you go on with the series, she is very much an entire character and not just a female support cast. 

She loves Quiz Bowl but she’s not the best or even very good at it. Her childhood friend from another school (which I was 75% betting that it was going to be a male and a potential love interest) turned out to be a female friend. Instead of “cat fight”, they are still very amicable towards each other and support each other but also acknowledge each other as rivals. The fact that Yuki had only started Quiz Bowl because of Mari but liked it enough to continue on by herself, I think that’s really great. 

The anime doesn’t get to it, but she confronts her brother about why he quit Quiz Bowl and challenges him. She has her own goals and ambitions and you see her working on it. She also has her strengths and weaknesses and is a vital addition to the Buzou Quiz Team. Fukami Mari is A Good Girl and I won’t tolerate any slander towards her. The way the beginning of the series sexuallizes her via putting her and Koshiyama into generic anime situations is so uncomfortable but I’m glad they move past that later.

Also since their group isn’t technically a Club (?) Mari isn’t just Female Manager. A plus to Quiz Bowl being Co-Ed sport.

6) Quiz Questions

I like trivia. It’s a little harder to guess the questions along with the anime because you’d have to pause all the time and half the time the contestants are going to buzz in early before you hear the entire question. Unfortunately, unless you actually are a fan of random knowledge or a huge nerd, the questions might actually be hard as well. I literally only knew about 3 questions asked in the entire series and its the anime/manga related ones lol. Still, I enjoyed seeing the characters draw their conclusions and to know what each character’s strong and weak points were. (Mikuriya using Math to calculate the Day of the Week from the past was 😚👌)

7) Side Characters

The first one I’m thinking is obviously Sonohara Akira. The moment of his first appearance, I had a hunch that it wasn’t exactly as it looked. He’s a little schemer but he has his own code of ethics, so he’s not all that bad. (Also hes A Gamer, so Relatable.) The fact that he’s related to Sonohara of Asagaoka makes it all the more interesting because they're’ so different. The way everyone reacts to him is so interesting because he doesn’t take it seriously while everyone else does. My favorite interactions with him aside from the Akiba Squad are the ones with Ookura. (I actually prefer to ship them over Niina/Akira lol)

Sasajima, mysterious Quiz Master with a past related to Fukami’s brother, who used to go to the Prestigious Quiz King School. Character wise, he doesn’t seem interesting but I love his idea of what a Quiz Bowl should be. My favorite parts of a series is when they love the thing they do, and that having fun is what is the most important. Of course you have to be fairly good at the thing first to be able to enjoy yourself freely but he never brags and is a supportive senpai.

Jinko. She’s cute. That’s good enough for me lol. I guess her Electronics Thing is also pretty cool. I like seeing the Sasajimas interact.

8) Ship

Okay, well, its obvious where I fall here. I don’t remember the last time I’ve watched such a generic sport series with a one on one protag vs rival. I’m not above shipping the “obvious/main” ship, as SasuNaru and Edgewright are some of my ships. However I didn’t ship Akira/Hikaru and I don’t ship KageHina but I do ship something like Manjoume/Judai and if asked MakoHaru vs RinHaru, I’d pick the latter, so it might just be a matter of tastes and I won’t fall immediately into every “rival” ship.

So why would I ship Mikuriya/Koshiyama? Because I love it when the Cool Guy falls for the Nerd and EXTRA POINTS if the Cool Guy is also secretly a nerd too. When I mean secretly a nerd, I don’t mean Mikuriya being on quiz bowl but that he might be a closet Otaku. (ImaSaka is everything about this trope.) 

Anyway, they are the main two rivals in the series, so of course they acknowledge each other. Koshiyama took it so dramatically but in the past, nobody cared about his presence, let alone think that he’s a Threat. Mikuriya is a Hot Shot and thinks he’s better than everyone but this newb with potential beat him one time (unofficially) so he’s automatically curious. 

Even though it is Hot Blooded Competition, Mikuriya always seems to encourage and cheer Koshiyama on (in his own rival-y way of course) whenever he feels down about not being strong enough to compete with him. (When they were lining up for the Third round at Asagaoka) Even when Koshiyama lost, after Mikuriya had a huge handicap, Mikuriya tells him he’ll take him on anytime. The fact that he wants to do Quiz Bowl with (against) him, is practically Sports Anime confession. “I won’t wait for you, Git Gud” “Okay I will Git Gud so we can fight again” *Fist Bump* What are you guys doing.

It might just be the art style but there is a copious amount of blushing happening every time the two interact. Also that height difference!! Mikuriya is 172 while Koshiyama is 153, I fucking love it. 

Uhhhh that’s about it. I would like to gush more but there’s only a few chapters of the manga that’s been fan translated and it’s not even half of what’s actually out there. (I think the manga is complete by now?) There’s only one anime season of the series, and I doubt there’s going to be more so RIP me.

[damejanai]

Dame Raji

2020.12.10

Kaito: I have a friend who loves cars....he's Uchida Yuma by the way

Soma: wwwwww he's always bring brought up!

K: I saw him wearing a very fashionable coat that day and asked him about it, and he said, " You know, this year is the time to wear coats..."

S: wwww

K: "Winter is the time when you wear coats" i said

S: HAHAHA

K: HAHAHAHA

S: He's a genius!!! "This year is the time to wear coats", a philosopher of sorts! AHHAHA

K: HAHAHA, like, it's the coat season during winter, not just this year but next year, in Jan and Feb too. It was so funny

But his dressing was the mode kind of fashion, really stylish

S: But Yuma kun love the mode kind right...

K: I admire it too but i don't see myself wearing it

S: But since your hair is red now won't it look good?

K: Really?

S: Why don't you try my coat now

K: It's a long coat?

S: Long , long, it's really long

K: Will it be ok? What if i rip the sleeves

S: Uh it accommodates a little more

K: The furballs!!

S: Uh, it's past it's schedule for cleaning. Oh, it's that alright? This, you should photograph yourself using that gimbal (stabiliser)

K: The one i introduced last week?

S: Yea the one you introduced on smart news. Oh? Isn't that good? Might fit you just nice, better than me

K: Eh? Have I ever looked this cool?

S: wwwwww What kind of...

K: Ohhhhh

S: Isn't this alright?

K: Uhhhhh

S:Mmm? Mmm..

K: Uhhhh i see

S: Can you do this radio show??

K: HAHAHAA, Alright, I, like it

S: This year, i didn't buy a single coat

K: Ehhhhh

S: Because, aren't coats expensive?

K: Expensive yes

S: So i'd buy one that can last for at least 3 years. And the one i bought before this one is one of my favourites, so i wore it till it was full of furballs

K: Really? This one is, quite serious already

S: Can you please stop it? It's not that bad! I just removed them just now

K: How can you be walking outside in this?

S: I just took them off already, with a sponge

K: Because, look

S: wwwww

K: Shall I remove them one by one? ONnnnne, Twooooo

S: Shall we begin?!

---

~in bloom~

K: I wanted to play one song here though...

S: OOooh? Will that be okay?

K: It's not allowed right?

S: Not allowed? eh? It's fine

K: We shall just go ahead with it huh?

S: Really?

K: I've got permission

S: Oh you have!

K:Hahaha

S: Eh? Which one will you play?

K: Which one do you want to play? I think it'll not be allowed but, is there one song that you want everyone to listen to?

S: Well~~ There's actually a lead track for my album this time, and the lyrics are winter-ish too

K: Well so everyone, next week, we MIGHT be able to... welll we will be able to play it with .....8....9% chance

S: Hahaha that's high! That's like as good as confirmed!

K: And we miiiight be able to talk about it with.... well 99% chance

S: That's super high, thank you

---

~About nicknames~

Q. Do you guys have nicknames that stuck?

S: Well, kaito kun, we talked about nicknames before right?

K: We did, i said i didn't like nicknames

S: Kaijin

K: AHhhhh, you just said it...

S: wwwww

K: You said it...I have to say something bad about you now

S: wwww no no no there's no such equivalent exchange. And about my nickname, do you remember what i said? Probably not right?

K: Piiman (green pepper)

S: OOH?! EHH?! Why do you remember it?

K: Coz it's you *__* HAHAHAHA

S: EHHHH sdkhskhfksdlfsdf this is crazy really

K: Hahahhaa

S: No no no, i've ran out of oxygen

K: Hahahhaa i'm also tired

S: That's amazing !

K: Yea it just came to mind

S: That was shocking, i mean like i'm sure no one remembered..... OHhh you remember wwww

K: Ahhhh, then they're on the same level as me probably

S: Amazing..... but yes, once we've become adults, we don't get called by nicknames anymore

K: That's true, like, calling each other by our names has more impact right?

S: That's true

K: There are not many Soma sans... and there are more Kaitos recently but, it's quite unique

S: Well.... Murase Ayumu san calls you Kaity alot right, is there anybody else who calls you that?

K: The first one who called me that was Nishiyama san

S: wwwww Kaity

K: He called me Kaitis

S: Kaitis (in koutarou voice), that's totally what he would say!! Koutarou wwwww

K: "Kaitis, you know.." all of a sudden, it was not because of a show or anything, the day before of some event, ah it was the day before "Get up Get live", he started calling me Kaitis

S: Ahhh

K: Kaits? I thought

S: Wwww

K: Well i was happy so i thought that's fine, but when we went on stage, he called me "kaito kun"

S: wwww He closed the distance and widened it again

K: And then Murase Ayumu started calling me Kaity behind my back

S: Stop with with the behind the back thing

K: Coz he calls me "kaito kun" on programmes

S: AHHAHAHHA

K: That's why i call him Murase san too

S: wwww

K: Come on, don't call me nicknames behind my back!

S: Yes, we'd like them to call us that nickname in front of us

K: It turns my mental state upside down you know, like *sigh* irritates me, ahhaa

S: You give up in the end. Well nicknames right?

K: What do you want to be called?

S: Well, my name, maybe something unrelated to my name?

K: Piiman then

S: That piiman thing came from Soma piiman which became Sosama piiman, that's why. I say this but it doesn't make sense. And i won't approve it though! The me back then won't

.

.

.

S: If juniors call your name, would "kaito san" be more preferrable?

K: Ahhh

S: Than Ishikawa san. I would be more happy if they call me Soma san

K: Well I would be glad but there are not many who call me kaito san in the first place

S: ......Well moving on!

K: My seniors call me Kaito san though

S: wwww

K: Well when i ask them why they said, "well, nah, you know, you are older than me so"

S: wwwww stop it!

K: "Please let me call you kaito san!"

S: That gets messy

K: That guy, Tasuku kun

S: HAHAHHAA

K: When will he.... the unfair part about it is that he calls Yoshiki san who is a little more senior that I am, "Yoshiki"

S: That makes you feel a little sad right?

K: So, what? you hate me?

S: Exactly that, that

K: When i asked him that, he was like, "no no it's not like that, kaito san, you have this, p p presence"

S: Hahahahaa

K: "I'm telling you!" hahaha

S: That happens right....

K: Even though i'm older than he is i have fewer years of experience

S: yeahhh

K: So i keep asking him why

S: Yesss, I would like Tasuku kun to talk to me in the casual form and call me by my name, and Taku as well! Taku talks to be in casual form but calls me Soma san

K: Ehhh? Is that so?

S: Yes Yes Yes

K: Ah Oh Ah, then, i'm sorry hahaha

S: Well not that I MIND it

K: Because, "kun" is not right, right?

S: Eh?

K: I call you Soma san too, and talk to you in casual form

S: But ... you know... I got used to it..kaito kun is you see..I...speak... i'm like trying to analyse here but, you said that you don't like to call me "soma kun"

K: I don't like it, and i did that once during a programme

S: Like slipped it in

K: Although you realised

S: I just accepted it. But for kaito kun, it's settled, but for Taku and Tasuku i feel sad

K: True, Yashiro kun.... keeps his distance i think

S: wwww

K: Shall we get him on the show again

S: Call... yes let's!

K: And properly ask him about it

S: Like recently when i had a job with Taku, when i said "really thanks for that time on dameraji" and he was like, "ahhhh" He had a really hard time apparently

K: Oh is that so?

S: We should get him on a normal episode where he can relax and have a relaxing chat

K: Get him on the show and ask, "Why do you call me soma SAN?"

S: No no no no, wwwww

K: WHY? you speak casually to me though? why do you call me soma SAN?

S: He'll just be, "Because..."

K: "Because, kaito kun does it too right?" Then we'll start this convo again

~Dameraji photo studio~

Theme: normal shot

[cannot-decide-on-a-fandom]

Here's a comprehensive list of all the Seiyuus shared between BNHA and Haikyuu that I know of, rated on a scale of how surprised I was to find out the fact, from 1 (yeah, I can see/hear it) to 10 (what the actual fuck?)

Disclaimer: All of these Seiyuus are immensely talented, so no comments I make will be about criticizing their performances

Ishikawa Kaito

Iida Tenya, Kageyama Tobio

2/10. You know, weirdly, as different as they are, I can't help but draw similarities in their demeanor. And as soon as I found out, I just went "oh yeah, that's where I know his voice from."

Nazuka Kaori

Hagakure Toru (and Mt Lady but I...kind of forgot about her for a while), Shimizu Kiyoko

2/10. Both these characters (especially Kiyoko) were ones who grew on me even though I wasn't as interested in them from the start, and almost all surprise I may have had stemmed from me thinking I already knew all the similarities between the cast just to find out that nope, I didn't. But this is funny to me because they're so different. Toru, an invisible, bubble girl who wants to be noticed, and Kiyoko, a gorgeous, introverted girl who avoids most attention.

Masuda Toshiki

Kirishima Eijirou, Ennoshita Chikara

4/10. The funny thing is, I've actually been able to think of a lot more similarities between them than I thought, but even now I somewhat struggle to hear Kirishima in Ennoshita and vice versa. Masuda is very impressive.

Okamoto Nobuhiko

Bakugo Katsuki, Nishinoya Yu

3/10. I still laugh about this because they're both so loud and shouty but also complete opposites. However, he has a very recognisable tone present in both of them, so after stopping laughing for a minute, I actually had no trouble believing it.

Hosoya Yoshimasa

Tokoyami Fumikage, Azumane Asahi

5/10. This is one of the ones where I can full on hear that it's the same voice now, but I was just so caught off guard due to how different the 2 characters are. Even though voice actors have range and all.

Uchiyama Kōki

Shigaraki Tomura, Tsukishima Kei

7/10. This is the greatest casting of all time. Fight me. It's so brilliant because now, I can't unhear Shig in Tsukki's voice. I would not have guessed, and I'm still surprised, but it's Tomura always making fun of Hinata for being short.

Kaji Yuki

Todoroki Shoto, Kenma Kozume

1/10. This one is odd because his voice doesn't have the same defining quality as Okamoto's does, so it's harder for me to pick out his voice in anime, but I still just instantly went "yeah, that makes sense" when I found out. Don't know why. It just works too well to be surprised I guess.

Yoshino Hiroyuki

Present Mic, Iwaizumi Hajime

10/10. (Whispering under my breath and pacing around) what the fuck, what the fuck, how in the actual fuck does this work?

Bonus+

Okitsu Kazuyuki

Fatgum, Daishou Suguru

0/10. Perfect casting. Couldn't imagine a better one.

(okay, jokes aside, he's a fantastic voice actor who'll do them both well, but this pairing is hilarious)

[medea10]

My Review of Rinne

(a.k.a. Kyoukai no Rinne)

How did I get into this anime? Let’s just say the creator of this series, I’m a fan of. Rumiko Takahashi is the creator of this series as well as several other well-known anime series including Ranma ½, Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, and my personal favorite InuYasha. That alone was reason for me to get heavily interested from the get-go. But because of the time it came out, I had too much on my plate to pick up one more anime, so I put it on the back-burner for a few years. And despite the mediocre score and listless hype over this, I’m still interested to see what Rin-ne is all about.

As a child, Mamiya Sakura has been different from other children. When she was a child, Sakura ended up in the afterworld and returned to the world of the living after a day of wandering around. After that incident, she gained the ability to see ghosts/spirits. Fast-forward to the present where she’s a high school student and meets a Shinigami named Rinne Rokudou. Rinne is a half-human (which is rare in the afterworld) and works as a Shinigami like his parents and grandmother before him. He can be seen by regular humans, but if he wears a special cloak, he becomes invisible to everyone. This makes it easy to put spirits to rest without being seen by humans!

Both Rinne and Sakura are able to see what others cannot and this often helps Rinne when he takes on a mission. Throughout the series, Rinne ends up taking on random spirits every episode with a cute mascot that often helps him (Rokumon), a love rival (Tsubasa Jumonji), a girl who likes him (Ageha), and several other colorful characters in the human and afterworld. Check out the afterlife. Just be sure to bring your checkbook, nothing’s for free!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Sentai Filmworks is the licensor of this series and by the looks of it, this series has already been released in video formats and has no dub to speak of. So I’m going to assume there will be no dub to this in the future. This is kind of a blessing to me! Because if I’m watching a Rumiko Takahashi series, I would highly prefer hearing the voice actors of Vancouver! That’s right, if this series doesn’t contain Richard Ian Cox, Kelly Sheridan, Brad Swaile, or Brian Drummond, the dub will be scum.

Okay, I admit that’s mean. I grew accustomed to the other Takahashi classics that if this got a dub, I would have flipped if I saw the Texas voice actors on this.

As for the sub…where oh where could Kappei Yamaguchi be? Oh where, oh where could he be? One way or another, we are going to hear him. And we do! BUT, he’s not a main character this time. That honor goes to Kaito Ishikawa. Everything in the last three years has gone to this guy. And who am I to complain? I friggin’ love him in nearly everything he’s in. Yeah, this series does have a lot of familiar voices, including several that have been memorable characters in Takahashi’s other series. Kappei Yamaguchi (who is well known for InuYasha and Ranma) is featured as well as Satsuki Yukino (well known for Kagome on InuYasha) Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

*Rinne is played by (known for Kiawe on Pokemon SM, Genos on One Punch Man, Mitsuo on Golden Time, Urie on Tokyo Ghoul :re, Sakakibara on Assassination Classroom, and Naofumi on Shield Hero)

*Sakura is played by Marina Inoue (known for Sonia on Pokemon Journeys, Armin on Attack on Titan, Yoko on Gurren Lagann, Jessica on Umineko, Kyouko on Skip Beat, Wataru on Hayate, and Rei on H.O.T.D.)

*Rokumon is played by Hitomi Nabatame (known for Serena’s Mother on Pokemon XY, Yukiji on Hayate, Margery Daw on Shakugan no Shana, Saori on Oreimo, Nanao on Bleach, and Raynare on High School DxD)

FAVORITE CHARACTER: I have a guilty pleasure for Kain’s cat, Suzu. She’s just so care-free that she fucks up at least 98% of the time she’s shown on this show. And I gotta admit that she makes me laugh whenever she’s on the screen.

DISLIKED CHARACTER: You would think I would pick that snot-nosed brat (Shouma) introduced in season two for this list. Or Kain for that matter! Both of these boys annoy the living fuck out of me whenever they’re in an episode. But then Rinne’s father peaks his douchey head in.

Oh wow, horrible parent alert! Sabato Rokudou is Rinne’s father and holy shit what a bloody scumbag. He’s on the same tier as the parents from Hayate the Combat Butler. Yeah, that bad! As we all know, the after-world is a capitalist society and everything has a price. This guy has been stealing his own son’s money since he was a little boy. Add to that, Sabato fills his son with false promises (including meeting his own mother). Even in his current age, Sabato finds ways to steal money from his son when he’s trying to earn means while living in the world of the living. Even putting him in a million yen in debt! And just causing life to be miserable for Rinne whenever he comes by! Tamako, how could you birth such an inconsiderate bastard into being?

Nice to see my prediction from when I wrote my Worst Father’s of Anime list over a year ago came true. Sabato remained a dick-head throughout all three seasons. Amazing! I guess the only nice thing about him is that he’s not going to be in a relationship with Ichigo while she’s still a child.

SHIPPING: So Kyokai no Rinne is following the same protocol as a lot of Rumiko Takahashi’s other animes. So we have the male and female main protagonist that’s going to be the main ship (even though it seems more friend-zoned most of the time). There will be a reoccurring girl character to cause friction between this main ship because she loves the male protagonist. And we have to add several boys after the main female’s heart too.

And just for good measure, let’s add a boy interested in the male lead and a couple of secondary ships that may or may not happen.

Hey, InuYasha and Ranma ½ had the same setup. Rinne is just following suit!

Rinne x Sakura has pretty much setting sail since the end of season two even without a full-on confession from either one of them. Rinne has had feelings for Sakura since season one. Sakura on the other hand, I can’t get a grip on what she wants in terms of a romantic partner. I want to say she’s oblivious to the advances of Jumonji or Ageha’s jealousy, but on the other hand, I feel like Sakura just doesn’t care what happens romantic wise. But the fact that she’s constantly helping Rinne might be a big, fat clue.

Rinne x Ageha is that one-sided ship that you know is never gonna happen (along with Sakura x Jumonji), but it doesn’t stop die-hard shippers from supporting it until their final breaths. I am actually impressed that Ageha doesn’t hold a grudge against Rinne because his father kinda brain-washed Ageha’s sister into giving Sabato money all the time. Several other characters hate Rinne for that alone, yet Ageha is still devoted to loving Rinne.

I do wonder that once Rinne x Sakura are a sure-thing if Jumonji and Ageha are going to hook up.

Rinne x Matsugo was one of the wildest ships I could have imagined. First of all, Matsugo’s debut episode came with a hint of love-hate. But by the end, Matsugo went from hating Rinne over a misunderstanding to going all “Bros before Hoes” on us! After that Matsugo stopped at nothing to get Rinne. Even blowing off the one girl that actually likes this obsessed freak!

Kain x Renge is actually the one ship that doesn’t revolve around Rinne because both Kain and Renge hate Rinne’s guts. Renge likes Kain, but also has to hide some pretty heinous things from him like working for Rinne’s father as a Damashi-shinigami. And as we all know, Kain has a vendetta against Sabato, his family, and anyone affiliated with Damashis due to his own family situation. Kain unfortunately sees Renge as an ally or a friend. He wants her to continue her studies since Kain can’t go to school. Dude ain’t got time for a side-chick! He’s gotta work for a living because his mother gives all their money away to Sabato.

That guy seriously grinds my gears.

RUMIC WORLD EASTER EGGS: Rumiko Takahashi has been around for quite some time and many of her creations have become quite well-known. That’s why when Rinne came in anime form, fans took to the forums to gab about how Ageha is the spitting image of a one-shot villain from InuYasha or that Sakura’s mother has a resemblance of Lum or that Jumonji looks like a modern-day Miroku (minus the perverted charm). Every now and then, we get a special little easter egg shown from Takahashi’s other works. Most notably, Lum shown on the currency and carnival prizes that have a lot of figures from Ranma ½!

My favorite easter egg was of course during a next episode preview where Sabato and Tamako (who are voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi and Satsuki Yukino) end up doing some dialogue that’s…

…You all know what this is…

END OF SEASON ONE: So the final episode, Sakura was able to have something she hasn’t been able to obtain in over 10 years. Three days of peace without having to be bugged by a spirit. As a reminder, Sakura as a child visited the other world and after that experience, she’s been able to see spirits. Tamao gave Sakura some candy to eat so that she would be like every other human around her and not see spirits every waking second.

This couldn’t have come at a worse time for Rinne as he had to take out over 5,000 spirits in the middle of an A-1 run. And because Sakura accidentally opened the barrier containing these spirits, they were trying to come after her. So Rinne had to get rid of all 5,000 (and lose money in the process with special tools). It took three days, but Rinne was able to do that. And because Rinne had his special coat on (where normal humans are unable to see him), Sakura wasn’t able to see him until the candy wore off. Even though Sakura got a whole bag of those candies, she hasn’t used them again.

At the end of the episode, Rinne and Sakura break the fourth wall by announcing that a second season was coming!

SEASON TWO: Oh thank you Jesus, the opening and ending themes aren’t bland bags of genericness like the previous season. Great improvement, especially when you get one of the best singers from Love Live to do the opening theme! Good on you!

Music ranting aside, this season we are introduced to a lot of new characters in the human and spirit world that are going to be seen more often than not. Starting things off, apparently Ageha has a cat employee (much like the relationship between Rinne and Rokumon). Except Ageha and Obero’s relationship is a lot more dysfunctional. Kain also has a cat employee named Suzu. She’s more spazzy compared to Kain’s serious demeanor. Actually, there are several cat characters introduced this series and even a few episodes dedicated to them later on.

One more thing I should mention about this particular season is that we got to see Sakura have a little more growth here. For a while I found her too plain for my taste, but this season we see her become a Shinigami (for a day) and we even get possible love interest with the finale. Now let’s head over to that part.

END OF SEASON TWO: The final two episodes consisted of Rinne being invited to a high school mixer in the Afterworld by a former friend, Matsugo. The thing is Matsugo used to hold a vendetta against Rinne due to a misunderstanding from their childhood. But unlike every other misunderstanding from this series, this one was resolved within an episode or two and Matsugo’s buddies with Rinne again. Actually, Matsugo’s feelings are teetering from childhood friend to full-blown bromance.

How do you get rid of a nuisance who can’t take a hint? Bring Sakura with you to the mixer and have her pretend to be your girlfriend! The big problem here is that Rinne is putting food and money over Sakura. And if you were in Rinne’s shoes, you can see that these two are more important than a girl. Rinne is poor as fuck! If he gets a chance at winning some money or food, absolutely fuck everything else! Unfortunately, Sakura caught wind of all of these ulterior motives and started to question her own relationship with Rinne. And I gotta hand it to Sakura, because if this were an old-school Rumiko Takahashi female protagonist like Akane or Kagome, Rinne would have been destroyed in a matter of seconds. Sakura doesn’t cuss him out or show a resting bitch-face. Actually, she never does! But by the end of this two-parter, Rinne realized that Sakura is pretty important to her, maybe even more than other things.

At the end of the episode, Rinne and Sakura break the fourth wall again by announcing that a third season was coming!

SEASON THREE: Much like the previous season, we’re continuously introduced to new characters that serve some sort of purpose, a new love triangle involving the main or supporting cast, and 2-3 filler stories an episode. However, in the mid-point, we get introduced to 2 new characters that answer some questions that have plagued many of us since the beginning.

You know how nearly every male protagonist of Rumiko Takahashi has a missing mother? Whether it be due to premature demise or she’s a crazy-bitch like in Ranma ½, the mother figure is usually M.I.A. Otome was Rinne’s mother, but she disappeared when he was a baby. Only now, her scythe returns suddenly. Add to that, a mysterious little girl named Ichigo moves into the area (and just like Sakura, she can see spirits).

Long story short, Ichigo is the reincarnation of Otome (Rinne’s mother). I can get over this whole Kikyo/Kagome crap because this is a Rumiko classic. But I just feel ewwie whenever I see Ichigo and Sabato. Thankfully Sabato has no intention of doing anything creepy to Ichigo. He has some standards, so he gets a point with me there. The reason why Otome disappeared was because she wanted to hide her old yearbooks from Sabato, which lead to her being caught up in a stampede of wild animals that lead her to the wheel of reincarnation. And the reason why she was trying to hide these old yearbooks was because she didn’t want Sabato to know the ugly truth.

That she is really two years younger…than her mother-in-law.

Dude…I know Tamako looks extremely young to even be a grandmother…but damn, Otome goes to these lengths to lie about her age.

ENDING: We don’t really get any kind of monumental moment or climax until the very final episode since all of the episodes between Ichigo’s reveal and the finale were mostly just side-stories involving spirits/demons of the day. The final episode had Rinne, Sakura, Renge, and Jumonji taking part of a school festival at Matsugo’s school. But it mostly takes place in a test of courage cave. Apparently this feature is notorious for causing many couples to break up and people can’t turn around otherwise they’re disqualified. But if you make it all the way through, free food! And you know Rinne is not going to turn down a chance to get free food.

But we get another moment much like the end of season two where Rinne has to choose between food and/or money or Sakura. Actually, Rinne ended up choosing Sakura. And unlike a bunch of other pissed off couples, Rinne and Sakura’s relationship (or lack there of) is doing pretty well.

So we end with no love confessions on any front, no happy ending for Rinne in hitting a Shinigami lottery or some crap like that, and no hope in a fourth season.

*sighs*

This was…just an okay anime. I can see why people just think this is okay or mediocre. With me, there were several things that bugged. First of all, I found several things in the anime that felt very inconsistent. Especially when it came to the spirits plaguing the human world! There are some scenes where something out of the ordinary happens and it plays out like you would expect like people freaking out. But then you get these moments where, okay, why are regular humans seeing this? The annoying narrator likes to point out the obvious in literally every episode. Why, didn’t we establish the obvious earlier?

Speaking of the narrator, could you be any more annoying?! How many times are you going to remind us of things in the series? I know there are useful moments with the narrator like when he’s describing all the different items Rinne and other Shinigami use to put a soul to rest. But then there’s this repetitive nature to the narrator where he constantly reminds you of shit you’ve known since episode 1. It’s useful when you want to remind the audience at the beginning of each season, but not every couple of episodes. WE ALL KNOW RINNE CAN’T BE SEEN BY HUMANS IF HE’S WEARING HIS CLOAK! SHUT UP ALREADY!

I’m not sure if the anime covered everything in the manga as I have not picked up the books…yet. I’m sure the manga has gotten a little further with many of these potential ships like Rinne x Sakura to hope that maybe one day we’ll get something from them. I’ve spent a good year and a half trying to grasp at what I really think of Sakura Mamiya. First of all, she’s a huge improvement in the main female role. When you compare her to the other girls from Takahashi’s works like Kagome or Akane (who eat Carnation Instant Bitch every morning), Sakura is quite pleasant.

But then you see Sakura showing no other emotion besides satisfied, meh, and let me put on my surprise face. She hardly ever gets mad. I’m not saying go on a rampage like Kagome when she yells at InuYasha, but for fuck’s sake, tell Rinne off every now and then. Christ-balls, he’s put food and money over you so many times you’ve earned a few yells. And he constantly borrows money from you and you know he’ll never pay you back!

The story is mostly the spirit of the day trope. In later seasons however, we get two or three mini stories an episode dealing with some sort of spirit with no personal growth involving any of the main characters. Rinne gets ahead during the episode, but gets smacked back to where he began and we repeat the same thing in the next episode. So yeah, it got boring when we’re stuck in a slump like that. I even had high hopes in season two when we got that one episode where Sakura was a Shinigami for the day. I thought Sakura was going to evolve a little bit after that, but alas that was not the case. We go right back to the spirit(s) of the day trope!

But I always felt drawn back with several of the colorful characters. I always enjoy Rinne’s grandmother, Tamako. Kain’s cat, Suzu is the silliest thing ever and I love her dearly. Masato will always suck and it’s a joy to watch him fail at everything. And call me a sucker for boys fighting over the girl, but whenever I see Rinne and Jumonji get jealous at each other, I enjoy it. Not on levels like Inuyasha and Koga, but good enough here.

So, I would give it a couple of episodes to make your own decision if you want to drop it or continue watching Rinne.

In the meantime, I’m gonna wait patiently for that InuYasha sequel that’s coming out in October. Thank Arceus Rumiko Takahashi gave us something in 2020.

If you want to check out Rin-ne, all three seasons are available on Crunchyro…

Uh-oh! As of this date and time, Rin-ne is removed (along with 76 other titles) from Crunchyroll’s site. Glad I finished before they got rid of it! Just watch it on HI-DIVE.

Now then! That took a good 18 months to get through. Hopefully the next anime is a lot shorter than that one. What’s next on my Sentai block?

Suffering!

Huh? Does that mean Re:Zero? Or Akame ga Kill?

Nope.

Oh, Made in Abyss! But this looks cute and innocent, how could this possibly be…?! Almost had you all fooled! Looks can be deceiving. Yeah, this anime is gonna hurt.

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Uchitama 1 - 2 | Hatena 1 - 2 | Ankoku Hakaishin 1 - 2 | Infinite Dendrogram 1 | Hanako-kun 2 | In/Spectre 1 | ARP Backstage Pass 1 | A3 1

Rolled out one tag. I got pretty far behind, so I’ll catch up in the next few posts.

Uchitama 1

Ume and Shirai here.

I would assume this kid with the tiger on his shirt is called Tora, because I vaguely remember a “Tora” in the promotional material.

The sakura aesthetic is nice.

This switch between boy and cat forms is a bit…”weird” is the first word that came to mind, but “random” was the next.

Tora = Shirai and Ume is a character called Kuro, who we haven’t seen yet. (Had to google which roles they had.)

LOL, I like Beh already. A sleepyhead like him is perfect!

I just noticed, but Beh sometimes has a cleft palate (that little dent in the mouth).

Ume’s character isn’t too bad-looking, y’know. He’s a clumsy one though, so he doesn’t quite seem like the sort of character I’d gravitate to.

Seeing boys and girls act like cats and dogs makes me LOL.

Huh? Is cat-dog romance like your standard opposites attract romance…?

Hmm…thank goodness the mother cat wasn’t “made human”…

I’m used to Nora being a woman (see Noragami plus the Western general usage of the name “Nora”)…so this one being a guy (with nice eyes, to boot) is a bit disorienting.

Turns out the Tosa is a huge dog with a face like a pitbull.

I find this Momo-Bull romance just a bit weird still.

I got spoilt on this from the reviews, but Waiha = Hawaii.

That flash of Nora’s owner (?) was interesting!

Other notes: The narration seems to be done by the voice of Tama. Ume sounds like Ume, but it doesn’t feel like Ume because he’s playing against his normal type of character. Shirai doesn’t sound like Shirai though…it’s a completely different character to the types I’ve heard him do before (Ramuda and Io don’t sound like Tora, but Vino sounds similar to En because a lot of Ume characters are done in his usual, suave voice…Ramuda is Shirai doing a falsetto though so he’s hard to compare).

Hatena 1

This one got alright reviews, but I get the feeling I’m not going to like it, so lt’s get this over and done with.

Why is Kana the only one with the black hair…?

This OP is rather low budget compared to the others…

I fully expect Kana to go “It’s bitter…” and make a face when drinking the coff-yep. Thought so. Why do people think black coffee is the mark of a distinguished adult anyway? I don’t even like coffee, so I don’t get it at all.

The sentence in Japanese went something like “Makoto’s always been good”, so I don’t get why the word “egg” had to be introduced into the subs.

There’s an onigiri sale in the back, LOL.

The gates were fairly CGId…

The butler’s name is literally Jeeves Wodehouse, LOL.

Oh, Yumemi is blonde because of Maeve and Kana is brunette/black (?) haired because of Mamoru. Yumemi = dream seeing and Mamoru = protect.

Kana’s voice is annoying! That’s why I thought I wouldn’t like this.

Kana’s such a tsundere now that she knows Makoto is a boy, it’s annoying. I already knew such a detail from the reviews, so I’m not miffed at all.

I find it vaguely amusing that there were 3 different types of animation of a person popping their head into the attic.

Ema’s just a bit evil…Update: Nup, she just ships Kana x Makoto, that’s all.

The hardsubs weren’t encoded correctly on this episode, so they’re all blurry now. Still readable but blurry.

The pun is that the ka in Kana can be read hate in other cases.

More CG doors.

Why is Kana wearing the scarf, even after her bath in a towel???

This reminds me of Hayate the Combat Butler…

Maeve is foreign...that’s why she’s blonde. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh. (<- partially sarcastic)

Hmm…the fact you can’t tell what is and isn’t real is an interesting factor. However, the production values and the bog-standard romance being set up undercut that.

Magical girl transformation, eh? Reminds me of DN Angel or Magic Kaito, but also Phantom Thief Jeanne or something of the sort.

Hatena 2

I’m still trying to see if this is something to kick out…

This “scarf punches guy” business is getting old…I never got used to it in the old-school harems. I don’t know why it’s become a “classic” thing in anime.

This is meant to be for a boy’s perspective, so…I don’t get it. Okay, I’m dropping this.

Infinite Dendrogram 1

An isekai…oh, goody. (sarcastic) Then again, if I liked this I could try a new publisher out, so it’s win-win for me and the companies I go through to get there.

*the exposition rolls in about virtual reality* Oh great (sarcastic)…this is SAO all over again, isn’t it???

I saw HOTZIPANG in the credits list…now I’m really wary. HOTZIPANG were in the credits for Africa Salaryman and their animation production isn’t the best.

1st person cam…you suck, you know that?!

No. 13 (unlucky number)…Cheshire (Alice in Wonderland)…

Ray for Reiji makes sense, but…(consults Google-sensei) mukudori does mean “starling”, after all.

Yo…does Ray have to be blonde…? Is this some commentary on how having blonde hair is better than black hair, or am I thinking about this too much? (It’s my belief that Asians want to look European and vice versa – just look at their beauty standards! - so that’s where that comes from.)

Box? Looks like a bag to me.

Welp, just grabbing the kanji for mukudori via Wikipedia revealed the Embryo is a sword to me…*shrugs* No surprise there – as TV Tropes would say, heroes love swords (and redheads!).

So you can commit murder in Infinite Dendrogram??? (I’m joking partially, but Cheshire did say “you can do anything”…right?)

…and of course Ray drops into Altea from the sky. It’s been a cliché since No Game No Life.

“This is a game?” – Actually, I thought the same thing when I entered the website and game of TERA. Then again, this is basically trying to be SAO through and through, so I guess spouting that line is a prerequisite here.

How does anyone break both arms from running into someone…?

Well, at least this show looks nice. It’s doing its job on that front.

I was going to ask what a tian was, but the show answered it for me. Good job, show!

*Googles “dendrogram”* - “a tree diagram, especially one showing taxonomic relationships.” – Oh, so that’s why it’s called Infinite Dendrogram! (Y’know, it reminds me of studying about dendrites, which have the same appearance as a dendrogram...hence the shared origins of the words.)

Normally characters don’t jump into virtual worlds with thir brother…they’d do it with their cousin or crush or something…Hmm.

I was about to think you die in real life if you die in the game, but thank goodness this one is nowhere near as bad.

CGI bugs…of course…

That one still shot revealed a crack in this show’s visuals. I almost thought I could select it on the basis of the excellent visuals alone, but nope.

“…that…leaves a bad taste in my mouth!” – Not again, Ray…stop saying that line…

Again? I just told you in the last note not to!

Of course Ray gets the girl. I should’ve known…well she’s a sword but also a girl…?

The sentence ending -grizz is –kuma in Japanese.

I felt something special in my gut when the sword appeared, even though I’m complaining about this being like SAO, so I think it’s worth continuing.

A3 1

A3 is based on a mobile game so it looks a lot like those idol games, but it’s actually about acting according to the full name of Act! Addict! Actors!.

This kid’s eyes freak me out!

Considering this involves – according to the synopsis – a Mankai (full bloom) Company and this is called “spring and summer”, plus the metaphors from earlier, it makes sense the kiddo’s jumper says “spring” on it.

I thought the kid was singing, but turns out he’s reciting Shakespeare. I don’t know how popular the ol’ Shakie is in Japan, but I’ll take it.

Veludo Way = Broadway, apparently.

It should be Biro-do or Verodo, but not “Vedulo” like the subs say.

*sees a woman* - Oh great, so now this turns into an otome game…or, like i7’s Tsumugi, she’s an audience insert.

Someone encoded the video funny again…*sigh*

I bet the demolition guy is going to join the theatre, based on his looks. Update: According to the wiki, yes he does (as part of the Autumn troupe)! One of his hobbies is bubble wrap, which I can relate to immensely…and apparently he’s a yakuza…?

Masumi’s voice…is that Kaito Ishikawa? Update: No! It’s Shirai! I’m so surprised…it’s a very Io-sounding voice, though, so I guess I shouldn’t.

Masumi is one of those needy types who could easily fall into yandere territory…I don’t like him. I don’t like Sakuya either, though…

I know this from my recent experience, but hard work hardly works, Sakuya. Staying somewhere one year or ten years does diddly squat if you don’t have what other people are looking for. *tries not to cry*

I’m sorry guys, but even with the attack to the heart, I don’t give a s*** about you all. The troupe was just arguing to delay their deadlines and Furuichi (the demolition guy) has a point – the guys didn’t really prove themselves outside a brief but unimpressive stint from Sakuya.

ARP Backstage Pass 1

Hopefully this show is actually good, y’know? A3 just bombed…

Okayyyyyyyyyyy…from the one minute or so that I’ve seen, it looks like a Coldplay concert but with bishonen (good) and bad music (which is…uh, bad). That does not bode well for this show…also, the stage names are pretty obviously that. I mean, who cals their kid “Rage”? It’s probably Reiji (again, considring Infinite Dendrogram).

The cars from above almost look like Frogger…LOL.

Oh f*** me and my on-the-ball instincts! I guessed correctly again (Rage = Reiji)…and that’s bad news.

Wait, why is Shinji staring into space…?

There’s a kettle noisily going on in the background, so I can’t really tell what’s so awesome about this show without the music…I guess I’ll have to abort this mission until later…

Okay, so I listened to the piano bit thrice and couldn’t tell if there was a piano noise…That’s bad news. Update: Yep, listened to it again and there is no piano sound during the piano scene.

The rock music was…unexpected.

Wait, you mean the dude’s name is actually Daiya??? What???

Oh my gosh, these guys are hilarious! I know that’s dark considering they’re starving, but…LOL.

Idolmaster Side M taught me that career changes are actually pretty interesting when combined with idol anime and…this may be a band or something, but it sure works the same way.

That transition to Leon was terrible.

This appears to be Yokohama (Chinatown) and Hakone (the pirate ship).

Well, the show’s case would be helped if they had music in the right places, rather than music videos interspersed throughout.

Geesh this one is tough…some of the music is actually pretty good and the episode does get better when Rebel Cross appear (but Shinji is kinda boring, even though I thought I’d like him the most, and Leon’s singing was downright terrible), but the animation is terrible and I found myself going “But why should I care?!” multiple times in my head during the first half. The group do seem to have quite good synergy at the end and are generally entertaining, too.

Ankoku Hakaishin 1

I’ve ben calling this “Destructive God” or “Ankoku Haishin”, so this is A Destructive God Sits Next to Me. Update: It should be Hakaishin…actually.

Ooh, Natsuko Takahashi. This show’s in good hands.

Very Seki-kun.

Black Mouse Land, LOL.

“This is war!” – The word here is shoubu, which literally means “victory or defeat”, so it makes sense to change it to a more commonly used phrase.

“RIP Koyuki” – The grave said “Koyuki’s grave”…which isn’t that funny to be honest, so again, I get the decision to change it.

Hanadori still had the dog…?

“Things I Want to Forget” – Literally, the words on the page mean “black history”, which I think is funnier.

Oh, I bet Koyuki will plan the class trip…

“[T]he jerk in the next class over” – Does he have a name…?

I bet Koyuki has the worst grades in math of the trio.

Koyuki is deliberately designed like a cat, it seems.

You can see the broken window from earlier…LOL.

It’s Animal Crossing! On DS! (But what’s up with that rabbit with the fishnet stockings…?) Update: Do Japanese kids even use DSs these days? DSs must be cheap in comparison to their newfangled gaming laptops and Switches…

Is Tsukimiya Mamoru Miyano or something…? Update: Nup, Kimura. I seem to get those two confused quite a bit.

The “Muney” (sic) thing is because he (Hanadori) wrote the hyou in mokuhyou (aim, goal) wrong. By the way, Hanadori put an eyepatch on one of his banknotes.

That ending was actually kind of cute. I always prefer heartwarming comedies like these over mean-spirited ones (Osomatsu-san, Konosuba), so…yep, it’s in my wheelhouse!

I predicted the ending but the galactic reaction I got was…awesome!

In/Spectre 1

Why does this have so many names? In/Spectre, Kyokou Suiri , Inverted Reasoning (or was it Inverted Interface)…? Update: Inverted Inference. That’s the name on the manga covers.

Ooh, Saki is pretty classy-looking.

This is being framed like a romance, huh? I know this series is supernatural, but I’m not really here for the romance.

What’s the age gap? 17 (Kotoko) – 23 (Kuro)?

Lel, Harlequin novels. Those seem to be exclusive to the Western world (specifically the USA and its English-speaking country buddies), so it’s probably just romance novels in the original words. Update: I found Harlequin novels for Japan, but still, they’d be nowhere near as ubiquitous as they are elsewhere. Update 2: I kept thinking about it, so now I have an entire post with my findings. Turns out Japan does have and know about Harlequin novels (which do look like the one the samurai was holding), but they probably couldn’t state the name because of potential lawsuits or something. 

Oh gosh, Potato-kun (Kuro) – yes, I think of him much like a normal harem lead – getting your hand chomped off to the arm is a bit stupid, y’know?

Whoa! Wht a crazy cliffhanger!

Whoo! This OP (? Or is this an ED?) is crazy cool. Kinda like low-budget Kekkai Sensen.

Well, this show is kinda losing me with the romance elements, but the supernatural part is great.

Hanako-kun 2

What’s Hakujoudai? Those will o wisps? Update: Seems so.

The explanation of Yousei-san has a voice like it’s coming across a radio…interesting.

The towel…I bet it’s the one from Senpai one of the students mntioned earlier.

The subbers spelt “brooch” wrong.

This new boy – which I thought was Minamoto at first (LOL?)…he has a traffic omamori as an earring and a staff/umbrella, so he’s probably an exorcist. Either that or a massive chuunibyou.

LOL, Castle in the Sky much? (Or is that Nausicaa?)

Nene is reading from a magazine called G Cinema.

The comedy is this is slowly getting better. That’s a good sign for this, but bad for Ankoku Hakaishin…

Seagull High????? (Kamome = seagull.)

Wait, Minamoto??? You mean Nene’s former love is an exorcist??? Update: Oops, that’s (Nene’s crush is) Kou’s older bro…but that’s spoilers.

“Kou” is written with the character for hikari, or in this case “Yorimitsu”.

The action scenes are pretty good in this…I guess I kind of took them for granted in ep. 1.

Oh, I guess I should’ve known that seal on Hanako’s face…there were more of them in his possession. Also, there’s an extra V in the subs for some reason.

The stairs remind me of Muzan’s “universe” near the end of Demon Slayer’s first season.

Oh, the events of this episode tell you why Nene does the next episode stuff.

The ED visuals remind me of Ranpo Kitan’s, and I love Ranpo Kitan’s.

Ankoku Hakaishin 2

Why is Koyuki eating with his teacher anyway? I thought he was the guy from the class next door until he started talking about kids.

“Miguel Whatever” makes me laugh every time.

The cat ears on Koyuki’s phone are cute.

Sumiso reminds me of Aikatsu girls…

Uchitama 2

Bull is an “ore-sama”, huh?

I didn’t think they would continue with the “Solitary King of Destruction” thing.

Bull as a chuunibyou ham is so entertaining, but when they try to play the Momo romance hand again…I start to lose my patience...

LOL, Petstagram…

…and now it’s a (reverse) HAREM!

“[M]ad dog”, LOL, what a turn of phrase.

Okayyyyyyyyy subbers, own up! Who put a dog pun in Bull’s talk?! (I’m referring to the “doggone it!”.)

*points at dog puns*- You didn’t, subbers! You’re still adding dog puns!

Wait, Bull’s singing?! This I didn’t expect!

Well…this decision is hard. Bull’s become greater than ever…but only in relation to his romance with Momo!

Aww…seeing Bull dejected makes me sad inside too.

Oh yeah! There we go! That intro landed its gag purrfectly…to use an intentional cat pun.

Why did I take to Bull so much? Well, if he weren’t a dog, I’d find him completely romanceable, even if he were a massive chuuni.

Oh, the pun is ippai (full). Then you unintentionally switch it to oppai (boobs).

What? Wow, I never thought I’d get Ume talking about cat and dog nipples. (That’s not a sentence I’m going to be able to match any time soon.)

Okayyyyyyyyy…that one segment was a massive weird non-sequitur. I have no idea how they’d represent that with cat and dog forms.

Oh, Petstagram! We actually get to see it!

This series is more prone to “mood swings” than Ankoku Hakaishin or even Hanako-kun…yikes.

No, no, no! Who is this guy??? Haven’t you heard of “stranger danger”?!

…Oh, so the guy was Tome, huh?

The ED! This aesthetic is too good!

ARGH! Okay, okay, Uchitama! You win! I was going to pick Ankoku Hakaishin because that’s more consistent in landing its laughs and Hanako-kun would’ve been a better choice because its aesthetic is more consistently there plus it has interesting ideas with its apparitions, but Ankoku Hakaishin is fairly interchangeable with Iruma-kun…basically, if Eizouken or Magia Record don’t work out, I can loo forward to switching in one or the other, but I’m going to stick with Uchitama because *gestures wildly at screen* just look at this manservice! Even if it’s actually for a dog, I cannot deny the manservice!

[natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk]

Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai - Thoughts

Now that I’ve finished the series, I figured that now would be a good a time as ever to get down to reviewing the series.

If you haven’t seen my first impressions on the series and why this series is NOT a ripoff on the Monogatari series, click here. That link goes to the second part of the first impression. This was by episode eight. 

Most of the reviews on MAL are horrendously mean towards the series. Most of them are under five, and I truly think that this series is undeserving of those reviews and is worth your time.

*This is me adding onto my previous post You should probably just go watch the series. 

Story and Characters: 

The same things I said in my previous review pretty much apply, so I’m going to say more of the same things: 

I found that the more I watched this series, the more I grew to like it. It was witty. The dialogue played off the characters well, and it really shaped their personalities. The sarcasm and the blunt nature of the two main characters were refreshing considering the fact that this is an anime where cliches rule just about everything else. It filled the needs to become as popular as it is (bunny girl on the poster), and yet I still found myself being entertained by a not-so-new story. I know people think it’s a Monogatari series ripoff, but it’s not quite as extensive, complicated, or provocative. There are no weird Shaft face tilts and animation, sexualized “imouto” scenes (remember your toothbrush), drastic violence, or fanservice being shoved down your throat. I mean, there’s fanservice, but it doesn’t get in the way of the story like I found the Monogatari series did. I also found the cast of characters far more likeable. But yes, both stories revolve around a teenage guy trying to solve problems for girls. We have the notorious “adolescence syndrome”, and they directly apply to a person’s emotional trauma this time though.

I find that a lot of these characters didn’t fit the specific mould that you thought they would. You have a smart girl who’s into physics, but she secretly likes one of her guy friends who has a clingy girlfriend (who is the worst). We have a child actress who quits over personal issues. We have a girl who wants to start over at a new school where she knows no one. We have a little sister who was harassed and bullied in school and is now a shut-in (if that ain’t me). We have a half-sister of the child actress who happens to be an idol and a mysterious girl from the main character’s past. Everyone in this series aspires for happiness and acceptance from others and themselves. Well, besides the main character. He is driven by his own desires (or so he says). These human emotions are actually kind of realistic. 

Some said that the problems took too much time to sort out, I would disagree. This story is portrayed at a good pace. It’s fast enough that I didn’t find myself extraordinarily bored. There are exposition dumps from time to time, but they weren’t intrusive. Plus, the person who did these dumps eventually got incorporated into the story as well. I think viewers are a bit slow to realize that these people are being portrayed as vulnerable. Humans avoid and have a hard time accepting things at times, and people say, “Oh, it’s easy to get over sibling problems.” No, no it’s not. Especially in that kind of environment? I think the pacing was just fine.

I said last time that I would have a hard time picking my favourite character or my favourite mini-arc and that I would probably have to say that Futaba’s was my favourite because I like her as a character. I agree with what I said before, but each character and arc has some really enjoyable moments and realistic portrayals. Kaede’s arc was a close second because it hit so close to home for me. The sibling arc too. Actually, I did like them all.

I shouldn’t spoil any more than that. I just liked the anime.

Art

I agree with what I said before. I have also grown to really like the art style of this series. It doesn��t have any weirdly coloured hair, and it makes the characters look pleasant and expressive without having to rely on “anime faces”. It’s not the type of series for that. They design every girl in a way that’s realistic and attractive enough to make the fanbase insist that every one of these girls is the “waifu” of the season. 

This was done by Cloverworks which helped A-1 Pictures with the new season of Fairy Tail and Darling in the Franxx. Besides that, their other work is not the greatest. They did not do a good job with Ace Attorney or Persona 5.

With that being said, this series isn’t too demanding, but they certainly go above and beyond with anything. It was okay.

Sound

For some reason, I still don’t find myself liking the OP yet, but the ED has grown on me a lot. With each arc, you have a new girl, and with every new girl, they get to sing the same ED. That means Seto Asami, Atsumi Tanezaki, Nao Touyama, Yurika Kubo, and Maaya Uchida all get their own solos. They generally reused animation for the ED, but it kept consistency.

The score is nice. It doesn’t stand out, but it plays nicely into the show. I didn’t find myself attached to it, and if anything maybe it was a little plain and forgettable.

Again, same thing applies as before: The voice acting is something that I really wanted to add to. I said before how Seto Asami and Kaito Ishikawa both played off each other well as the two leads. But now that Nao Touyama and Atsumi Tanezaki were added to the mix, I found myself really both of their performances. Nao Touyama’s character Koga goes into a fake relationship with the main character for reasons. Keep in mind, Nao Touyama’s most famous role is Chitoge from Nisekoi, so I think this choice makes a lot of sense. There is a pivotal scene during that arc that definitely cements the whole thing though. It was also very brutal. Atsumi Tanezaki’s portrayal of Futaba was great. I couldn’t have picked a better choice to play that character. She plays on the witty dialogue, the vulnerability of adolescence, and the dilemma that this character faces in a way that didn’t sound fake like some characters do. Her voice sounded realistic. The general casting for this show was great. Maaya Uchida surprised me playing Mai’s half-sister. She was pretty good in that role, but with such a strong cast, I can’t say she was the best. That might just be from a lack of screen time though... But Yurika Kubo surprised me a lot. I haven’t heard her before, and she did this role well. With her shifts in personality, emotional hardship, etc. I felt for the character because you just wanted her to succeed. You thought she was just a token “imouto” at first, but Yurika Kubo added to what I really liked about that arc. 

Score: 9.1/10

Extra thoughts:

I definitely want another season. Some things weren’t finished too well. There were no guys besides Sakuta who experienced adolescent syndrome. We just want some more interactions between this amazing cast. Come on Cloverworks, I know a movie is coming, but this is your only notable series. Run with it.

[recentanimenews]

INTERVIEW: So I’m a Spider, So What? Shun Voice Actor Shun Horie

  In coordination with the current season of So I’m a Spider, So What?, Crunchyroll News was given the opportunity to officially translate interviews with the staff and cast of the series. You can read the original Japanese interview with Shun Horie right here.

The interview was conducted by Daisuke Iwakura. 

      So I'm A Spider, So What? Relay Interview: Shun Horie as Shun. "He may not be very reliable right now, but it'll be interesting to see how he grows." 

  Part 4 of the interview series for the TV Anime So I'm A Spider, So What? features Shun Horie, who plays the character of Shun! How does he portray a character who's serious with a good sense of right and wrong, but still in the process of growing up? And what kind of drama will unfold in the human side of the story? We ask all about what to expect.

    —The story has finally begun. What do you have to say about the first two episodes?

  Horie: Early on it was explained to me that Shun is the protagonist of the human portion of the story, but he's still not quite acting like one, so you get the impression he hasn't sorted himself out yet. His adoration for his brother, the Hero Julius, is more strong than anything else about him, and it feels less like he's trying to live up to that example and more like he's just chasing his brother's coat tails. There's a mixture of, "Is he gonna be okay?" anxiety and, "He's just getting started," expectation. 

  —He does seem to be kind of infatuated with the idea of Julius whenever he comes up.

  Horie: I agree. (Laughs) In the scenes where Shun talks about Julius, the audio director told me to talk in a higher pitch and to sound more excited. 

  —That's interesting. What approach did you bring to the role in general? 

  Horie: I was told at the audition to not make him seem too heroic, so I make sure to try and emphasize how weak and underdeveloped he still is. It ended up being harder than I thought, especially as the number of battle scenes increased. It's hard to maintain that underlying vulnerability. Take a scene where he's fighting with a sword, for example. It's difficult to know how much oomph to put into the sounds he makes. I've received direction to "make sure to leave some weakness in there" before. 

    —Is the idea to show how gradually Shun grows over time?

  Horie: I think so. Shun has a lot of trials waiting in his future, where he's going to get a little bit stronger every time. It helps to have that long-term perspective on where he's going. 

  —Was there anything particular about the human side of the story from episodes 1 and 2 that you wanted to make note of?

  Horie: I think Hugo's presence is hard to ignore. You can feel how ambitious he is and tell how high of an opinion he has of himself. It gives him the impression of subconsciously looking down on everyone, which makes you worry about him becoming a source of conflict and misunderstanding.  He calls their teacher Filimøs "Oka-chan" and is casually friendly with his other classmates, but... you get the feeling he could be dangerous.

    —There's a scene in episode two where Hugo talks about becoming the strongest human, and that doesn't seem to sit right with Shun.

  Horie: Right. Because Shun thinks the strongest human should be his brother, Julius. (Laughs) I don't think Shun and Hugo's relationship is going to be smooth sailing going forward, but I personally can't bring myself to hate Hugo, so I hope things don't get too caustic between them.

  —Kaito Ishikawa, who voices Hugo, is in the same talent agency as you, right?

  Horie: We're recording voiceover in smaller groups, but I'm always glad when I get to work with Ishikawa-san. We both ended up as main cast members in another show at the same time as this one, and it's made things a lot easier, because there's a kind of natural interplay that develops from getting to work together frequently. There was an episode that was a big turning point in Shun and Hugo's relationship, and I told him afterwards, "That was fun," and he was glad to hear it. (laughs)

  —Are there any other characters you find interesting at this point?

  Horie: Yuri and Fei, I'd say. Yuri seems cute enough, but like her character introduction implies, she can get tunnel vision about certain things. There are scenes where she says some ominous stuff coming up, so I'm curious and anxious about how she's going to play into the story moving forward. As for Fei... I had a lot of trouble figuring out how Shun would interact with her. 

    —What do you mean? 

  Horie: Fei is kind of like Shun's partner in a lot of ways. And I wasn't sure how to really dig into how they get along... Fei was a bully when she was a human, and thinks that her monster form is a kind of punishment for that. And when it came up, I thought about how, even though she's so close to Shun, she used to be a bully. I'm pretty sure that Shun knew that Mirei Shinohara (Fei's previous life) was bullying people. It made me wonder about the two of them becoming friends in spite of that. It kind of stuck in my mind...

  —It sounds like you personally have trouble accepting it.

  Horie: I think so. I believe the only person that she was bullying was a girl named Wakaba-san, and that her relationship with Shunsuke Yamada (Shun's past life) wasn't particularly rough. But it makes me wonder about Shun, who lets this bully ride around his shoulder like his partner. It took me a while to accept that. KitaEri's (Eri Kitamura) acting is really good too, and gives off a really stuck-up vibe, which just made it harder. (laughs) 

  —Was there anything in particular that helped you understand their relationship? 

  Horie: Moving forward, the story is really going to dig into what kind of person Shun is, and there will be a scene that makes clear what his position is relative to his classmates. Portraying things like that helped me understand, eventually. Anyone who is interested in the relationship between Shun and Fei will have plenty to look forward to.

    —On another note, what do you think of the Kumoko parts of the story?

  Horie: There's such a clear distinction between the human segments and Kumoko's in terms of the atmosphere and the sense of world-building, it's almost like getting to enjoy two shows at once. When I first got the script, I didn't know that Kumoko would be 3DCG or that the human parts would be so smoothly animated, so it came as a surprise to actually see. It's interesting to watch the different parties doing their best in totally different situations. Other than that... I'm honestly intimidated by how talented (Aoi) Yuki-san is, especially since we work at the same agency. 

  —She had a remarkable number of lines in the first episode. 

  Horie: Oh, definitely. (Laughs) When I saw how much of the first script was nothing but Kumoko lines, I started to feel a little anxious. The human part of the story, especially in the second half, didn't have nearly as much, which really made how much Kumoko had to talk stand out in comparison. Yuuki-san records her lines separately, so usually those of us from the human part of the story just talk about how amazing her work turns out after the fact. (laughs) Her acting is honestly really incredible. She talks almost non-stop, yet you never get tired of listening to her, and she does a great job of accentuating every moment.

  —The fact that your recording sessions are separate feels like the story being reflected in real life. 

  Horie: That's exactly the case. Until the finished episode is ready, I don't know what Yuuki-san's performance is like, so it's like we really did reincarnate into different places. Ishikawa-san, KitaEri-san and I will wonder how Kumoko is doing when we're recording. 

    —Thank you for talking with us. Do you have anything you want people to keep an eye out for in episode 3 and beyond?

  Horie: The situation starts to change drastically on the human side from this point on, particularly the relationship between Shun and Hugo. This will result in Shun starting to grow more as a prince and as a human being, so I hope people keep an eye on that. The further into the series we get, the more serious the situation becomes on the human side, but Kumoko will bring the laughs even as she encounters danger. Be careful not to get whiplash from the difference in tone. (laughs) 

  By: Guest Author

[natsspammityspamspamham]

Congrats to Kenta Miyake for Winning Best Actor in a Supporting Role at this year’s Seiyuu Awards + BNHA Cast Achievements

I couldn’t have been happier with this result. His One for All vs All for One fight was so epic, emotional, and amazing that I was nearly shaking with excitement. 

I’m still waiting for this series to win the award for Synergy. This year it went to Pop Team Epic.

I also just found out that in order to be elligible for the “Rookie” award your debut has to be within the past five years.

You can see his additional roles here (he’s mainly known for playing villains, ironically), but he won for All Might. 

Live Voice Acting

Yes, he’s sweating that hard after acting for one minute. Now, imagine recording that whole scene while doing retakes and with other people (sound director and other voice actors) watching.

Behind the Scenes

Okay, but let’s pray that he doesn’t die in the process. 

Additional Video: Jump Festa Event

Other BNHA Seiyuu Who’ve Also Won [BELOW]

Disclaimer: I might’ve missed a few, but I’m only focussing on those who have had somewhat major roles in the “My Hero Academia” Series.

Junichi Suwabe

First Seiyuu Awards

Nomination: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Fate/Stay Night as Archer Nomination: Best Musical Performance for Jet Drive from Prince of Tennis

Sixth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Musical Performance for ST☆RISH

Seventh Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Natsume Yuujinchou as Seiji Matoba

Twelfth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Yuri on Ice as Viktor Nikiforov

Hiroyuki Yoshino

First Seiyuu Awards

Nomination: Best Actor in a Leading Role for KIBA as Zedd

Rikiya Koyama

First Seiyuu Awards

Nomination: Best Actor in a Leading Role for Utawarerumono as Hakuoro Nomination: Best Radio Personality for Utawarerumono Radio 

Fifth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Kei Tomiyama Memorial Award 

Wataru Hatano

First Seiyuu Awards

Nomination: Best Rookie Actor for Honey and Clover II as Shinsan

Second Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for Toward the Ferra as Sam Houston  and Saint Beast as Tenshi Yuri

Nobuhiko Okamoto

Third Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for PERSONA -trinity soul- as Shin Kanzato, Kure-nai as Ryuji Kuhoin, and Toaru Majutsu no Index for Accelerator.

Fifth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Kaichou wa Maid-sama! as Takumi Usui, Bakuman as Eiji Niizuma, and Toaru Majutsu no Index II for Accelerator

* = he deserves the awards. A lot of these roles are Bakugou-like in that they strain vocal cords just listening to it.

Yuuki Kaji

Third Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for Yozakura Quartet as Akina Hiizumu and Kuroshitsuji as Finnian*

Seventh Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Leading Role for High School DxD as Issei Hyoudou**

Eighth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Leading Role for Attack on Titan as Eren Yeager

* = This role inspired Daiki Yamashita (Deku) to become a voice actor! He felt insecure about his high-pitched voice at the time. His friend let him know that a man voiced Finnian. He was inspired from that moment on.

** = Out of all his roles, why High School DxD man?

Kouki Uchiyama

Fifth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for Mobile Suit Gundam UC as Banagher LInks and Shiki as Natsuno Yuuki

* Yeah, realistically speaking, it’s one of the youngest male cast members of this show. 

Aoi Yuuki

Sixth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Leading Role for Madoka Magica as Madoka Kaname, Gosick as Victorique de Blois, and A-Channel as Tooru Ichii

Ryouhei Kimura

* He only plays younger David Shields. He also played Romero Fujimi in the BNHA OVA.

Sixth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Kamisama Dolls as Kuga Aki, Haganai as Hasegawa, and Natsume Yuujinchou San as Satoru Nishimura

Yoshimasa Hosoya

Seventh Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Brothers Conflict as Yusuke Asahina

Tenth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans as Orga Itsuka and Death Parade as Ginti 

Kaito Ishikawa

Eighth Seiyuu Awards 

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for Tokyo Ravens as Harutora Tsuchimikado   

Daiki Yamashita

Eighth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for Yowamushi Pedal as Sakamichi Onoda 

Akio Ootsuka

Ninth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Kei Tomiyama Memorial Award

Ayane Sakura

Twelfth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for My Hero Academia as Ochako Uraraka

WINNER: Personality Award

Kouhei Amasaki

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for High Score Girl as Haruo Yaguchi  

Nomination: Best Musical Performance for Hypnosis Mic  

[cannonette]

Pio Fiore no Bansho [ Characters ]

**PLEASE DO NOT POST OR TAKE TRANSLATIONS ELSEWHERE!!**

リリアーナ・アドルナート / Liliana Adornato [ Name can me Altered ] CV: N/A

“Just like the usual, okay. There is no way that, I who live very ordinarily, can get involved.”

Since she could remember, she has lived at the Church.

Due to a certain incident, she gets involved with the Burlone Mafia.

She does not know a single thing about her own Family, or her background.

ダンテ・ファルツォーネ / Dante Falzone CV: Ishikawa Kaito

“We are [ Men with honor ].”

“We have no intentions of killing someone who has no connection.

The Capo (Boss) of the Falzone Family.

Though he may still be young in age, he is a legitimate heir who has been given Special Education for the Gifted. 

He lost his Father 2 years ago, and the position of the Capo was passed onto him.

He is often seen cool-headed however, to those who he has accepted into his heart he feels deeply for them, and also looks after them well. 

He extremely values lineage and tradition.

ギルバート・レッドフォード / Gilbert Redford CV: Morikubo Syotaro

“This is just a Present. As long as you accept it with a smile. then it’s fine.”

Boss of the Visconti Family.

He is an Ore-sama who is extravagant, though he does have a side where he is very confident of himself, his attitude towards anyone and everyone is openhearted.

He is confrontational towards the Falzone’s from the difference in the way they think.

He loves freedom, as he holds thoughts of not being bound by customs.

※Ore-sama = Self important; Pompous

楊 / Yang CV: Okamoto Nobuhiko

“You’re now, a Prey that’s been hunted.”

“No more than just a bait that can be consumed whenever.”

He introduces himself as the [ Raoshu ]; he is the Leader of the Chinese Group that he is organizes.

A Man with a lot of mysteries who is always wearing a faint smile, with hard to read emotions. 

His hobby is to rub the other parties feelings the wrong way.

[ Yang ] is an alias, and no one knows his real name.

He is a moody person, and someone who has the principles of living on for the moment.

If it is for his own enjoyment he does not care for other people’s sacrifices.

二コラ ・フランチェスカ / Nicola Francesca CV: Kimura Ryohei

“You shouldn’t trust too much, because I’m a Bad Person.” 

“At any rate I am a Criminal.”

The Number 2 of the Falzone Family.

A gentle looking man who looks kindhearted, and does not look quite like a Mafia.

He is a typical Italian Man and is used to Women.

He is cousins with Dante.

He lies as if he breathes.

オルロック / Orlok CV: Toyonaga Toshiyuki

“Have you ever taken drastic measures... ... sorry.”

“But, this is to protect you.”

An informant who frequents various organizations.

He does not speak much, and no one knows of his identity. 

When he is away from work he also has a side where his common sense goes missing.

[quell-tea-salon]

Nakamura Shugo talk event at Ginansai

Osaka City University invited Nakamura Shugo (VA of Kuga Issei) for an hour-long talk show at their school festival, naturally drawing a decent group of his fans. I arrived at the campus with some time to spare as I wanted to check out the students’ exhibits and stalls as well (first time at a gakusai!), but an hour before the show started the seating area was already half full, so I went to secure a seat for myself. It was still pretty decent spot, about 10-12m away from the stage, so I could see everything clearly.

About 20 minutes before the show, the MC’s asked the audience to volunteer questions for Shugon by filling in a form and placing it in a blind box for Shugon to draw from later. I didn’t submit anything as I was too lazy to leave my seat ^q^ Then, about 5 minutes before the show, Drive A Live played over the speakers and there was a buzz among the audience. Everyone chanted “315!!” at the part before the chorus wwwwww As expected, there were a lot of Idolm@ster side M fans in the crowd. And quite a number of guys too! You can tell from the turnout at his events that Shugon is quite popular with the dudes as well due to his huge, sunny personality :)

The show started and the MC’s invited Shugon on stage while we cheered and clapped. Shugon was 50000000 watts right from the get go ;w; He thanked us all for coming and waved at us with the BIGGEST grin, so cute T_T He was also holding something that looked like a statue of a cat in his palm, and explained that one of the students on the organising team called “Ume-chan” (audience: “Ume-chan?! Umehara?!!!) had made a shisa just for him, and he loved it so much that he couldn’t put it down www

MC: Who's from Osaka? Audience: *two-thirds put their hand up* MC: Oh wow, a lot of people not from here... Anyone from overseas? Me: ..... *raises hand* MC: !!! Where are you visiting from? Me: Australia. Audience: ?!!!!!!! Shugon: Take me back with you!!!! (>∀<) Me: jgflkglsdg;kfd

And then my mind went blank for a minute as I tried to process what had just happened.... But, moving on. Shugon said that it was his first time in a school festival and that he was super tempted to check out the event, as even from the briefing room he could hear how lively everything was.

Shugon: I asked my manager if I could go outside but they were like, "NO." And I was like, "...Gomen (´・ω・｀)" Audience: Cute.......

The hosts were both from the keion club, so Shugon, being a music nerd, had a lot of fun talking to them. I only remember this part vaguely (my mind was still reeling from Shugon asking me to take him home LOL) but I think they were discussing how Shugon got into music. For anyone not in the know, before becoming a seiyuu Shugon was part of an indie band called Akasaka Folk Village. He said that when he was younger (school-aged, I think?) he listened to regular pop music like everyone else, and it wasn't until he graduated from high school that he started to learn about a wider range of music genres.

When asked about his impression of Osaka, Shugon said that he's been here so many times (for work) that he considers it his third hometown, after Okinawa and Tokyo. He loves that everyone is so warm and friendly, and that all the food here is delicious, especially konamono (someone in the audience held up a Kaerru plush ww) like okonomiyaki and takoyaki, BBQ, and sushi.

After some time they moved on to the Q&A section. Shugon pulled out questions from the box and handed them over to the MC's to be read out.

Q: You obviously use your throat a lot in your work. How do you care for your throat? Shugon: I don't have ANY scientific backing lol, but I mix manuka honey in water and drink that every night. Honey's really good for the throat, and manuka honey is the best. It comes in different ratings, and the higher the rating the better. But the stronger ones are also really expensive! You don't need the expensive ones. Even regular manuka honey works really well.** Oh, during SQP my throat was in bad shape right before the concert, and when I told my manager they gave me a throat candy from Taiwan. After taking it my throat recovered immediately and I could sing even higher notes than usual!

Q: What kind of school life did you have? Shugon: In elementary school I was really shy and a crybaby, the type of kid that would run crying to his mother. In middle school I started to take an interest in sports, and you know how there are sports tests every year? In my third year I actually ranked second in the test!

Q: Any advice for students about to take their entrance exams? Shugon: I didn't do much studying as a student.... Whenever I'm invited to schools or unis for work, I see the students doing their best and think, ah, I should've tried harder in school! Sorry, what was the question? www MC: Advice for exams ww Shugon: Oh yeah! Good luck! Everyone, let's put our hands together to wish this person all the luck! *claps*

Q: What kind of hair style do you like to see on girls? Shugon: Mmmmm, this is a tough one... *Gestures to the person who submitted the question* What kind of hairstyle do you like on guys? Audience member: ........ Shugon: See? It's hard to answer, isn't it?www They all have their own charms... Everyone looks super cute! Audience: Kyaaa! Shugon: The guys look cute too! Audience (guys): Yaaaaay! Shugon: *1000000000watt smile* Audience: Shugon's cute too! Shugon: Thanks!!!!!!!!!

Q: If you could participate in a school festival, which club would you join as? And what date course would you plan? Shugon: Date course?? You can do dates in school festivals????? MC: Everyone does it.... the haunted house is especially popular with couples. Shugon: HAUNTED HOUSE!!! THAT'S AWESOME! 8D Student on 2nd floor balcony waving sign for haunted house: WE'RE OVER HERE!!!! Shugon: *Waves back* There they are!! Everyone go visit them!! MC: Couples get ticket discounts and-- Shugon: Wait, why do the COUPLES get discounts? Give it to the singles!ww But yeah, I love horror films so haunted houses are great... It'd be nice to go with a girl who gets really scared. I'd probably get punched, like "Shut up!!" *does punching motion and then mimes getting hit* "W, wait up!!" *mimes chasing after the girl*

He then asked the MC's how they take part in the school festival as the keion club, and they replied that they usually perform songs by Back Number. MC: But not many people listen to Back Number... Shugon: Back Number's really good! Everyone listens to their songs! Even in Australia! *gestures to me* Me: !!??????????????? *doesn't actually know Back Number but shook that he still remembers me*

Shugon encouraged the MC to try his hand at writing songs, and talked about how it’s good to create music with your own feelings and experiences to share with the world. MC: I write sometimes, but the next day I look at my work and think, "Man, this is embarrassing!" Shugon: I know!!!! I think this happens to everyone who’s tried writing. It's usually late at night when you're struck by inspiration and start writing, and at the time you think, "Oh boy, I've got something AMAZING!" but the next morning you look at it and regret everything. MC: Even the song titles can be lame... Shugon: Yeah, you're like "Why did I think this was cool?"

Q: When you're traveling to/from work, what kind of music do you listen to? Shugon: I used to do that, but not anymore. These days I set aside time just to listen to music. At night when I'm at home, I sit in front of the speakers and think "Which songs should I listen to tonight?" and just sit quietly for hours, listening. Lately I've been playing a lot of Sakanaktion (and another female artist whose name I forgot ;;).

Q: Do you like being called "Shugon"? Shugon: I LOVE IT!!!!!!! Everyone, on the count of three, say "Shugon!" Okay? One, two... Audience: SHUGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNN!!!!! Shugon: THIS FEELS SO GOOD!!!!!!! Thank you, Osaka!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Q: What's your type? Shugon: My type?? My type is....... *looks at the audience member and switches to bedroom voice* Omae da yo♥  (It's you ♥) Audience: *DIES* Shugon: www My type is girls who retweet my tweets! Audience: wwwwww Shugon: Also boys who retweet my tweets ;D Audience: Foo~~~

Q: Can you share any interesting backstage stories from the recording for Side M anime? Shugon: Honestly, it has the atmosphere of a boys school. The recording studios are usually quite small, but a lot of actors are involved, so it can get kinda cramped and hot even with the air-con on full blast. A lot of people bring food/snacks to share and during break time we're all stuffing our faces. Uchida Yuuma, who plays Kaoru (the audience starts to giggle already ww) will just start doing push ups in the middle of a conversation, but we're so used to it that we just keep talking ww Shugon: Ishikawa Kaito, who plays the producer, is really into training, and he showed me a new workout move *sit sideways on chair and bends body into a V shape, where only his bum is on the chair and his upper body and legs are lifted* I can't do it well right now, but this is supposed to be good for your abs >< And oh, recently I went to Disneyland with Itou Kento (VA of Hazama-sensei) and we had so much fun! I remember standing in a queue full of couples where we were the only pair of guys.... It was a very long queue www

The last segment was a rock-paper-scissors game between Shugon and the audience, and the last 3 standing would receive a signed board from Shugo. I lost very early on :( But I saw one of the winning girls break down and cry when she realised that she had won. I feel happy for her ;w; Oh, in the first round, Shugon said something like “I’m gonna use rock!!”, which he actually did wwww In the second round the same thing happened, and when a huge portion of the audience got eliminated he was like “Why won’t you guys believe me?!” wwww

Lastly, Shugon promoted the side M anime and Proani. When he mentioned Issei, a girl in the audience held up a pair of Lizz-kuns (of the twins). Shugon noticed and thanked her for bringing them, aww.

Shugon left us with a farewell message, joking about how he had so much fun that it didn’t feel like work at all, and thanked us again for coming to see him. He also asked us to go and spend lots of money on the food stalls and exhibits to help the uni raise funds since the talk show itself was free ww As he was leaving the stage Reason!! played over the speakers and the audience screamed... Shugon went "Oh!!!" and sang just a little bit "by your side~♪" and we all DIED ><

Shugon has some photos of the event on his twitter (I’m somewhere in the 2nd photo, gdi.) I still have butterflies in my stomach when I recall the event.... Shugon was just so down-to-earth and radiant, and everyone had a great time. I personally will never forget that Nakamura Shugo spoke to me directly, even for just a few tiny moments *____* I’m sure he created some amazing memories for everyone who was present.

**Let me put on my pharmacist hat for a minute... He's partly right - honey is good for throat care (among many other uses) due to its antibacterial and healing properties. While manuka honey is marketed as being superior to regular honey, the scientific evidence so far is inconclusive. Manuka honey is definitely good for you, but so is any raw honey. The next time you have a sore throat, mix a teaspoon of raw honey and some lemon juice in warm water. You'll feel better after the first sip! Sometimes I just place a teaspoon of manuka honey in my mouth and hold it there for as long as possible.

[bethygauw]

[1/2] Enstars: Gamegift interview with Mika’s voice actor

Published on 28 April 2017. It’s to celebrate Enstars second anniversary.

Please note that Gamegift does not allow reproduction or repost of this article without permission. A reminder that you are reading a shady blog.

Previously there’s also an interview with Kuro’s voice actor, Shinichirou Kamio, translated by Creampuffs (tumblr)

[edit 7/5/17: fixed small points for grammar and one mistake: × As for Mika, when he’s acting he doesn’t make up any sort of voice. ○ Regarding Mika, when I act as him I don't make up any sort of voice.]

An interview with Jun Oosuka, Mika’s voice actor, that totaled up to 2 hours. They’re talking about how Oosuka feels about the characters and his play style (which is part 2).

Writer/Interviewer: Tamao (Twitter) Gamegift link

Tamao: It’s my pleasure to be working with you today.

Oosuka: The pleasure is mine. Holding my phone on one hand while getting interviewed is a novel experience (laugh).

Tamao: I don’t mind if you’re grinding on the event (laugh). First, could you please tell us about your first impression on Mika and what happened when your role was decided?

Oosuka: At first, I was only told, “Your role in Enstars has been decided.” At that time, the game was already released and I knew it’s getting richer and richer in content, so I thought to myself, “Wait wait, I thought they only cast veterans or young voice actors?” (laugh) So I was surprised when I got the offer. Then, when I got the character materials and looked through them, I was like, “His character setting is like a full course meal…!” He has heterochromia, speaks Kansai dialect… I wondered if I’m really up to the job. I’d never had a role that speaks Kansai dialect either (laugh).

Tamao: You’re from Kyushu, aren’t you?

Oosuka: Yes, Fukuoka. Kyushu and Kansai have similar intonations. But the details and vocabularies that they use are different after all, so for recording, I would have notes for the dialect. That’s also why even now, when I hear Kansai dialect on the TV, I would pay attention to it and see how it’s done.

Tamao: When you act as Mika-kun, do you have anything you like? Or is there anything you find to be relatable?

Oosuka: What I find relatable is how he’s lacking in self-confidence. I reflected again after KYOMAF event (an offline event held in September 2016) that I really don’t have confidence in myself. But there’s also a part of me that will go through it because there’s a strong voice inside me that says, “I have to do it!”. I feel that’s our common point. Putting it in a good way, he’s an honest boy. Putting it badly, he’s a foolish boy. He’s very straightforward. Although I also see it as a good point of his. Also, there was quite a long period of time between the time I finished recording and when he’s introduced into the game. In that period, I was really anxious thinking about what everyone will think. After it was made public, I see he’s loved by many and I’m relieved.

Tamao: He’s really popular, isn’t he? He also ranked high in the popularity poll from the other day.

Oosuka: The dakimakura one, right? I also voted 17 times (laugh). The MV wasn’t even released yet, but a Valkyrie member made it to the ranking board. But to be honest, Mika’s popularity as a character can become pressure at times.

Tamao: Certainly from a player’s perspective, I got a bit sceptical when they’re introducing a new character full of quirks this late into the game. What is this character going to be like? I wondered. But once I tried to open the lid, he turned out to be such a boy with no self-confidence, but very kind, and when Jun Oosuka-san’s voice is added—

Oosuka: I feel like my voice makes him more pitiful (laugh).

Tamao: No no! Conversely, I think it makes me feel more affectionate about him. I suppose you could say it stirs up one’s desire to protect him? (laugh)

Oosuka: Aah, so that’s why his [Gamegift] birthday article was like that (laugh). I was so surprised. A friend told me, “It was very poetic.”

Tamao: This is the second round I’m writing birthday articles for all characters, and year-by-year it gets more and more poetic (laugh). Among the characters, I think Mika-kun is a very unique character. It’s like this person called Mika-kun is incomplete in his own.

Oosuka: No matter what, Oshi-san is always already there, isn’t he?

Tamao: Yes, that’s it. That’s also what made it a bit hard to write at times. But from my point of view, he’s like someone who got deep into a Bible-like thing without himself realizing.

Oosuka: In a way, he worships Oshi-san like a god, huh.

Tamao: That image of his is really vivid, so I thought his existence is like that of Saint Peter. I also received feedback that says, “Mika-chan is that kind of boy.”

Oosuka: Among Enstars characters, Mika-kun seems to be someone who is worldly but is actually naive, and I feel that in a way he may be the least idol-like among them. He also feels like every other young man who could just be around the corner over there, but when he enters the stage he undergoes metamorphosis, which I think is his charm. I hope that part of him could be brought out in his singing as well.

Tamao: Can I ask you to elaborate a bit more about what you think about Oshi-san?

Oosuka: If I consider Valkyrie, Oshi-san looks like he’s pulling the team along, but in reality he’s very frail. There are a lot of instances where you can see Mika-kun being the one who’s supporting him—perhaps it’s the fragility that one doesn’t have unless they’re a genius. In Scout! Nocturne, I really like how we can see a glimpse of Ryuu-kun (Kuro Kiryu) and Oshi-san’s past. Also, Scout! Eccentric is a story that have all Five Oddballs in it. I could see how Oshi-san back then was a properly sociable person as well.

Tamao: I can see that. He also made matching outfits for everyone, didn’t he?

Oosuka: When he’s talking to the Oddballs, you can see his gentleness, and there are humane qualities that he doesn’t show in front of Mika and Nazuna. That’s what you may think, but he can be super cool just like in Tanabata event (Dance Performance! Thoughts that Bridge the Milky Way).

Tamao: That Oshi-san had a threatening presence like a demon god*.

[*trivia: “demon god” is here is 鬼神, consisting of kanji for “demon/ogre” and “god”. There are many readings and I don’t know which one is used, but one of them is apparently “kijin”, which is homophonic with “kijin” from “奇人/Oddballs”.]

Oosuka: As graduation gets closer, we get scenes suggesting Oshi-san “may one day cease being able to talk with Mado-nee”. I wonder if it means Oshi-san is becoming an adult, or if he’s on his way conquering something on the lines of unspoken trauma. By being separated from Mado-nee, Oshi-san may turn into an ordinary person, or he may become even more of a genius. I’d like it to be the latter, but also, I feel that Oshi-san is showing us his humane side more than Mika-kun does.

[It’s getting bulky so I’m only putting up one picture... There are more pictures in the original]

Tamao: After the third-years graduate, there will be units that have only one member remaining. Akatsuki is like that, and Mika-kun goes without saying. Personally, what do you think Mika-kun will do?

Oosuka: I think he’ll depend on the transfer student. Though there’s also a possibility that Oshi-san may leave him a parting gift. Maybe Oshi-san will leave him at the stage where he can look for friends even on his own, or maybe he’ll have those friends prepared already—I don’t know. But since Oshi-san has always been doing anything for Mika’s sake, I hope as a result Mika will become someone who thinks that he has to become strong. I want him to change from being a “doll” to a “human”.

Tamao: Are a lot of your favorite events related to Mika-kun, after all?

Oosuka: I suppose. My favorite, as I thought, is Tanabata event (Dance Performance! Thoughts that Bridge the Milky Way). I also like Halloween (React! Magical Halloween), but the event that shows Valkyrie’s awesomeness is Milky Way after all. That event story is where the line “Oshi-san’s sayin’ is absolute” got realized as it is. They managed to surprise that Eichi. To me, Mika’s singing is on a higher difficulty in that event so in a way I’m also bearing a grudge for that event (laugh).

Tamao: Milky Way was really good, wasn’t it? Oshi-san and Mika-kun couldn’t be any cooler.

Oosuka: I thought that must be the Oshi-san whom Mika fell for. It was what he was waiting for.

About the unit songs

Tamao: Speaking of singing, Valkyrie’s unit songs are great, aren’t they?

Oosuka: Really, I was glad I got to do it with Hiroki-san (VA of Shu Itsuki: Hiroki Takahashi). Actually, when I had my debut, I worked together with Hiroki-san. I was able to work together with him for a long time in a certain series*, so we have understanding of each other. Of course he’s also a senior I respect, so that makes our relationship like that between Oshi-san and Mika-kun. So even when I was singing, I was able to think, “it’ll be okay if I follow Hiroki-san.” When my role for Mika-kun was decided, my manager asked me to tell who the co-actor was, and when I told my manager it’s Hiroki Takahashi-san, I was given a triumphant pose with full strength (laugh).

[*I’m not sure which series, maybe Prince of Tennis 2?]

Tamao: Your relationship is very fitting.

Oosuka: It is. Actually, our height difference is about the same as Valkyrie. So when we line up it looks natural (laugh).

Tamao: Are there times when Takahashi-san gives you advices?

Oosuka: No, we pretty much don’t see each other in Enstars-related jobs. In the end I didn’t get to see him during the [unit song] recording either. For some reason though, I got to see Ishikawa-kun (VA of Tsumugi Aoba: Kaito Ishikawa) (laugh).

Tamao: How did you find the recording?

Oosuka: First, as an otaku, my reaction was, “AliPro!?”. A part of me thinks, even if a guy sings AliPro* songs, there’s no way anyone can hold a candle to the great Arika-sama! (laugh) When I tried singing as it is after I received the song, a part of me thought I was losing to the song. The bar was set high, I thought. I went through trial and error thinking about what I should do with it, but the interesting thing is, during the recording, the direction I got was more for acting, rather than for singing. For example, “Imagine there’s an audience beyond the mic and sing” or “Look intently when you sing”. Also, I got a direction, “bring out your emotions gradually towards the second half”. For that one, I think I was able to express the concept of Mika-kun being a “doll” well, so I was thankful for that direction.

[*Ali Project, the group behind Bewitching Theater. Lyrics (also unit’s vocal): Arika Takarano. Composition & arrangement (and unit’s keyboard): Mikiya Takakura]

Tamao: Certainly you can see a picture of something like a stage play expanding before your eyes.

Oosuka: As for the recording, Oshi-san (Hiroki Takahashi) and Nazuna-nii (Yuki Yonai) finished theirs first, and I was the last to record. For the most part I practiced with the singers in the demo tape. But I was able to [record] while listening to the rest of Valkyrie singing, and I felt like Hiroki-san’s singing pulled me along. I’m glad I was the last to record. But I hope one day we’ll be able to do that…

Tamao: In other words?

Oosuka: Being on the stage together, the two of us with Hiroki-san… no, with Yonai-kun as well—I want the three of us to sing together. I know it’s really difficult for that to happen, but it makes me think of the possibility of me and Hiroki-san wearing those Valkyrie outfits (laugh).

Tamao: Please wear different colored contacts too!

Oosuka: I can’t have piercings, so I’ll wear clip-on earrings (laugh).

Tamao: Valkyrie especially is a unit that has a perfected worldview, and since it’s their first unit songs, people had high expectations for them.

Oosuka: They were way too high! It was so scary. When I’m singing character songs, I’m the type to get super nervous until the release date. This time too, I was really at loss thinking about Mika’s “singing voice”. It was possible to sing in the way he speaks as it is, but I was also contemplating if Oshi-san would allow that.

Tamao: Oh! I see, that’s something to consider.

Oosuka: My interpretation is that Mika-kun’s singing in Bewitching Theater was what was born after Oshi-san’s training and maintenance. Regarding Mika, when I act as him I don't make up any sort of voice. So when I act as him “I” am the one who is out there, but his singing voice is what is produced after Oshi-san’s guidance. I hope you can capture that.

Tamao: I’m incredibly moved by what you said.

Oosuka: If I sing in the way Mika speaks in normal times, I thought it would be disrespectful to the song and AliPro. But, I bet there are those who expected the usual Mika, so I also feel sorry for them. But when I consider Valkyrie as a piece of work, Valkyrie as artists, I believe I did the right thing this time, so I hope you can accept it kindly.

Tamao: Well, I think you couldn’t be any more correct. I think that’s why it gained so much popularity too.

Oosuka: When I went to Tower Records a day after the release date, they ran out of Valkyrie’s CD. When I asked the staff, they said it was sold out. I replied with a sad face, “I see…” but the me inside was like, “Serious… Are you serious!?” (laugh).

Tamao: What do you think about the other unit songs?

Oosuka: There was a song preview event* on the other day so I got to listen to Switch’s songs. Now, I can pretty much sing them, somewhat.

[*Switch and Valkyrie cast and Satoru Kuwabara (2nd series music director) hosted an event where they previewed the songs and talked about their impressions and behind the scenes etc. There are sessions with the rest of the CDs too.]

Tamao: What? Really?

Oosuka: I like computer-programmed songs. Sound-wise, Akatsuki’s songs are unique and I like them too. The quality of Enstars songs are so high—you may end up not being able to tell if they’re character songs or artists’ songs. But they’re idols in the first place, so I do think that song quality is something that is demanded from them. But I get the impression that there are many songs that are polished really well. By the way, I have sung the opening theme at the karaoke. One thing though – and I think everyone agrees on this – when you sing Morikubo-san’s parts you’ll end up singing like him, no matter what.

Tamao: I understand (laugh). You will, won’t you.

Oosuka: I’ll never sing it in front of him, though (laugh). That song is also really good, isn’t it? I’d like Valkyrie, Leo Tsukinaga, and Switch to be part of it.

Tamao: I agree. There’s a disadvantage to the new characters who are not involved in the main story… By the way, have you seen Enstage?

Oosuka: No, I haven’t! One day, when Valkyrie participates in the stage play, I’d like to visit Mika-kun. Being in this line of job, there are times when I get to see my roles appear in stage plays. Before I watch the play, I would keep a slightly arrogant stance. Something like, “How will you act out my character, I wonder?”. But mysteriously, when the play starts and my character appears, I’d be all, “Foowaaaaahhh…! I said this! I said this!” and it made me give my stamp of approval (laugh).

Tamao: Enstage hasn’t finished the main story yet, so I think they’re at that stage wondering about how they should proceed if Valkyrie were to participate.

Oosuka: It's not for me to say, but a lot of characters that are introduced later are popular, so I think there are a lot of people in the audience who are holding up expectations. I’m looking forward to who will be chosen as his actor. Their character reproduction is amazing, after all. On the topic of character reproduction, I was surprised with Kitamura-kun! [who is the VA and stage actor for Arashi].

Tamao: That was an unfair move, wasn’t it? (laugh) From Knights, there were only two of them in the first part, but even so they were perfectly Knights.

Oosuka: By the way, I like tokusatsu. I didn’t know Maeyama-kun (Eichi’s stage actor), who was in Kamen Rider, was participating until later. I wanted to go.

Tamao: Maeyama-san was wonderful. His way of expressing that charisma of Eichi’s was solid.

Oosuka: You know, Eichi is up there on my list of favorite characters. This is my own selfish interpretation, but he reigned the academy by oppressing everyone, right? But I think the scenario inside Eichi himself may have been, “only until someone who defeats fine appears.” If I think that way, I don’t hate fine’s position—I don’t hate Eichi.

Tamao: Interpretation for Eichi’s character varies a lot depending on the person, doesn’t it? If there are those who see him as virtuous, there are those who see him as evil.

Oosuka: To Trickstar, he’s a villain. Valkyrie thinks the same too. In the app, there’s the main story, but there are also a lot of people who basically just focus on their favorite characters. So they may build an impression on another characters but stop at that.

Tamao: Ah, that may be the case. There are parts you won’t be able to understand unless you have covered everything, but there’s no way everyone is doing that.

Oosuka: Everyone plays the game with their favorite characters as their focus, and moreover, everyone has their own depiction of the stories in their minds. I’m one of the “people behind the scenes”, so I have to think about the relationships between my character and other characters, and by extension, everything.

Tamao: After you see a character’s bad side, you stop at that and that’s your impression… That sort of thing may be happening.

Oosuka: I think there are a lot of ways you can come to like them. By changing the way you view them, you may come to like characters you previously hate. As a result, you will have more favorites, and you may be able to have more fun.

Tamao: Do you have other favorites?

Oosuka: I like fine members, like Wataru Hibiki… Actually, all Oddballs are a pain, aren’t they? (laugh) Even Oshi-san, from Jun Oosuka’s point of view, is a pain (laugh). Other than that, I like Mika-kun’s classmates. Like Oogami-kun, or Naru-chan. As for first years, I like Midori-kun. I can sympathize with that favorite phrase of his, “I feel sluggish…” (laugh)

Tamao: The main story will be fully-voiced soon.

Oosuka: But [Mika’s] not appearing! I only realized after I gave my response on Twitter the other day. He’s not in the main story! (laugh) But I’m probably the one who’s scared of having it fully-voiced the most. I have to speak with a dialect after all.

Tamao: Because it will be voiced to the full anyhow, huh…

Oosuka: It’s not my official language (laugh).

Tamao: Come to think of it, there was a voiced drama in the unit song first series. Since Valkyrie only joined in the second series, they didn’t have the voiced drama.

Oosuka: That’s right. So in the probable event of Valkyrie releasing a drama CD, there will be at least three roles: Mika-kun, Oshi-san, and Mado-nee. So compared to Hiroki-san, I would have it easier.

 (To be continued to part 2)

[damejanai]

Dame janai radio

2020.10.14

~Ishikawa Kaito's birthday episode~

Guest: Nishiyama Koutaro

Soma: Ummm

Kaito: Yay! oops

S: wwwww

Koutaro: Did you hear that, Saito san?

S: Ummm, it's not time for that yet

Ko: I see i see, please wait a little will you?

S: Even if this is a radio show, there's also a programme to follow

Ko: Yes especially one for this episode

Ka: Got it got it

S: So after this we have several things to do

Ka: Got it, i didn't really understand

S: Umm, I heard your CD

Ko: Ahhhh, thank you!

S: The way the songs were inserted was also really great

Ko: Thank you

Ka: Hey that album looks like a different size from what I got

S: wwwwwwww

Ko: wwwwwww

S: You know I guess, mini albums are great

Ko: Yes yes yes

S: Like

Ko: It has 6 songs

S: It's not too few and not too many

Ko: Yes yes yes

S: Like you could have more songs but, it satisfies you too

Ko: That's true that's true that's true

S: Umm, Could I have an autograph?

Ko: Ah that yes, I actually wanted to sign it earlier

S: For reals?

Ko: But it wasn't the right time for it, when I passed it to you

S: That's true

Ko: Alright so, is now a good time? Pen?

S: Amazing! There's a pen!

Ko: Thank you!

S: As expected, amazing

Ko: Right?

S: Mikami san wwwww

Ko: Okay so

S: Could you right, "I like you"

Ko: "I like you", okay here!

S: Thank you! Shall we begin? This is Saito Soma's

Ko: And Nishiyama Koutaro's

S/ Ko: Dame janai radio!

----

S: Happy birthday!!

Ko: Thank you!!

S: Shall we?

Ko: No way! For reals?

S: Alright and so it's Nishiyama Koutaro's birthday!!

Ko: Wow! thank you! I really didn't expect this

S: This (shirt) goes really well with corduroy pants

Ko: Really? Can i open it?

S: Yes yes please do

Ko: Right away, wow wow wow! It's a shirt i think? a top. Ahhh, it's so nice! From Cullni

S: From Cullni yes, a long sleeved one

Ko: A top, a white one, i shall wear it now

S: wwwww it might have some CITY feel, i thought

Ko: This would totally match

S: wwwww It really suits you! www

Ko: This is great isn't it? This is

S: It's nice!

Ko: Good for the coming season, I could put a jacket over too

S: The size is not too tight fitting

Ko: It's awesome!

S: I don't know, it just, fits you so well wwww

Ko: Nah you have good taste

S: Wow i think it's good to end the radio for today here

Ko: Right? It was really really a good one, thank you

S: Happy birthday

Ko: I think there is, a guest whose birthday is today, and is debuting as a musician

S: Ah, I think i heard about that too

Ko: That's somewhat similar to me

S: That's true. So we don't know what kind of person is (he) yet but, (he) is already here so

K: Let's begin shall we, please continue listening to "Saito Soma and Nishiyama Koutaro's Damejanai radio"

-----

Ko: Let's welcome the guest for today then, it is this person!

Ka: (In a debuted musician's voice) Good evening everyone! I am Ishikawa Kaito. I am very very very pleased to be invited here this evening

S: Ah, so Ishikawa Kaito san, am i right?

Ka: That's right

S: Your birthday was just around the corner am i right

Ka: That's right, it's one day before the on air date of this radio if i'm not wrong, not JUST around the corner

S: Ohhh! A very happy birthday to you! Is is true that no matter how old you become, you'll still be glad?

Ka: Ahhh yes it is. I guess as you grow older year by year, your songs get more deep. That's a good thing

Ko: Ohhhh I see! What did you do? On your birthday itself (It was the very day they were recording this)

Ka: Ahh, on the day itself, I was spending it with my listeners

Ko: Ahhh, you really think for your fans huh

Ka: Well it's because of our fans that we musicians are here

Ko: Ummm, yes, sorry, there's some stuff I do not know but, I would like to hear about your album in more detail. What kind of songs will you be releasing?

Ka: Ah right, in detail. Personally, I don't think the artist is supposed to be explaining about his own music in detail

Ko: Ahhhh I see, so Ishikawa Kaito just equals music, that sort of thing is it?

Ka: It's just what I can deliver to you guys

S: wwwwwww ummmm

Ko: wwwwww

S: For example, the music that you will be releasing soon, could you give us title of a song?

Ka: Soon? title?

S: Yes yes

Ka: Ahhhh, well today I am here to promote it as well so

Ko: Please tell us more

S: Could you tell us

Ka: Ah well, there is not much I can say but

S: wwwwww

Ka: But I'll answer your questions if you have any

S: Okay we will ask as we go along

Ka: Sure sure

S: By the way, Nishiyama Koutarou has released his debut mini album, "CITY", on October 7th, and in his album, he has sung songs from genres that he likes

Ka: Ahh, it's a great CD yes

S: What sort of music do you listen to, Ishikawa san?

Ka: .....

S: wwwwww

Ka: It's that... I listen to

S: Yes?

Ka: I actually like anime, and manga

S/Ko: Uh huh

Ka: Among those Otaku culture, i actually like voice actors

S/Ko: Oooooooooooh

Ka: That's also why I am here on this program

S: Yes yes yes

Ka: The one i listen to often is Uchida Yuma i guess

S: wwww

Ko: Ahhh i see

S: Ahhhh, yes he is quite close to us in terms of age and we're quite good friends with him too

Ka: Also there's the artist Saito Soma too, well i guess i listen to him

S: You guess you listen...

Ko: Ah i seeee

S: So you sort of listen

Ko: Could you give us one more?

S: Yes

Ka: Well speaking about recent releases, Nishiyama Koutaro's album, that was released around last week, the songs in there are splendid

Ko: Is that so?!

S: You're really updated huh!

Ko: Really updated!

Ka: Of course I am

Ko: So you have been listening to it

Ka: I guess for things you love, speed is important

S: Which song did you like? (laughs)

Ka: Which song?

S: Yesss

Ka: Which song?

Ko: He has a really bad expressions now

S: wwwwww

Ka: Welllllll, for that CD, there are songs that suit different times of the day

S: Yes

Ka: Out of those songs, the morning song is nice

Ko: Ahhhh okayyy

S: Okayy

Ka: I... don't remember the title

S/Ko: HAHHAHHHHAA

Ko: You already got your message across quite well

Ka: Soto wa hikari ga odotte iru, this is a good song

S: The song name

Ko: I'm glad you like it!

Ka: You know when we leave the house for work, it's morning

Ko: Yes

Ka: So i'll listen to it alot

Ko: Ahhh, so for Ishikawa san, you listen to songs in the morning to wake yourself up. So, among the songs you have released, there are also morning songs right?

Ka: Ahhhh, of course

Ko: What song was it?

Ka: With morning as the theme, it's that, "Tenshou Dynamite” (his character song from Dame x Prince)

S: wwww!!!

Ko: First thing in the morning! Dynamite!

Ka: Like going hunting and stuff

Ko: First thing in the morning!?

S: They're such mornings too right?

Ka: To pump it up and be on the move! sort of, That is a good song

Ko: You like those huh..

S: Thank you very much

Ko: There is something i would like to ask Ishikawa san

Ka: Ohhh what is it?

Ko: I don't have much experience performing live, do you have any secrets?

S: That's true....

Ka: Well, you know, it's good to have a catchy song that the audience get get hyped up on

S: That's true~~

Ka: That would make a lot of difference, after all everyone comes together to make the live experience better

Ko: What's the best song to hype up the audience?

Ka: Ummmm, one of mine you mean?

Ko: Yes

Ka: Well, yes, "Tenshou Dynamite"

S: HAHAHAHHAA

Ko: Alright that's all the time we have for now

S: Ahh yes that's right

Ka: Before that, let me give you some advice

Ko: Yes

Ka: Your Chikipu, is really awesome

Ko: Ahhh thank you! I'm so glad to hear that!

S : Yeahh~

Ka: That's a word that really sticks

Ko: Thank you very much

Ka: If any Nishiyama Koutarou fans are listening now, please remember this and get hyped up during the concert

S: Wowww

Ko: Thank you! Lastly a word from Ishikawa Kaito san

Ka: I have a Youtube channel, so please subscribe and give it a like!

S: Well you know, this artist is quite quick to ride on trends...So lastly, could we get Ishikawa san to introduce the next song?

K: Hey

S: Huh?

K: Can't you tell from where this convo is going?

Ko: Huh?

S: Huh? Yuuzo? (Kaito's character from the Omikuji Yon Kyoudai reading live)

Ko: From Omikuji Yon Kyoudai?

S: Wwwwwww

K: You guys don't get it huh? I don't have any song! no matter how you try to put it

Ko: You mentioned "Tenshou Dynamite"

Ka: That is someone else's song! I just randomly introduced it as my own

Ko: Ahh... I see

Ka: I don't have music artist activities at all much

Ko: Then shall we play one of my songs ?

S: Shall we do that?

.....

Ka: Can't help it then

S: So could you please do the honours?

Ka: Well, well well well well well, here's "Time Machine" by Nishiyama Koutaro

S: wwwwwww

Ko: And that was today's guest, Ishikawa Kaito!

S/Ko: Thank you!

Ka: I'll never come on this show again! hahhaha

---

Presents for Kaito~

*Soma gives Kaito his present*

K: Let's see... ah it's a blouse jacket! I'm really glad to receive this hahaa

S: Yayy!

K: I was just looking for something that would fit me just nice!

S: Yes yes yes something that would nicely fit

K: It does fit nicely!

S: I bought it to fit you just nice according to your current slimmed down build now

Ko: Amazing

Ka: It totally fits nicely, the sleeves too, oh wow

S: wow

Ka: Do you have a life sized figure of me at your house or something?

S: wwww

Ko: Right... it's like that huh

S: Hey stop telling lies that make it sound like I like you or something

K: Huh? That goes the same for you!

S/Ko: Hahahaha!!

Ko: You guys are really...

*Koutaro gives Kaito his present*

Ko: I got something that you can wear too