Hirano Aya -- DVDs, Photobook, Sushi

Hirano Aya's blog was uncharacteristically silent for a few days last week. When she came back, she assured her fans that she hadn't gotten sick, but just had been so busy it wasn't possible to post. And that she couldn't say what she had been doing...yet.

Since yesterday, the posts have started to flow again. Aya says she really likes negitoro sushi (right), a roll sushi with tuna and green onion. I myself prefer the tuna without green onion, but this one looks as if it doesn't have much onion, so maybe it's okay.

The goods are starting to appear for her Riot Tour DVD. The DVD will be out February 25, but the photo-book of the tour is ready now and will come out on February 10. Both are being pre-sold through Lawson's convenience stores in Japan, but I believe they will be sold generally when they are released.

She has also finished shooting for her third idol DVD, the third in a "Love" series: Love Letter, Love Story, and now Love something else. It will be released March 18.

Below left is the photobook. Below right is one of the nicer photos of Aya I think I've seen. All photos posted on Aya's blog within the past three days.



She said she was happy eating the bowl of ramen-shop ramen shown below left, at 2 am. She also said that when she is tired, she likes to eat sweet things like the dessert below right: she shouldn't eat too much, but she loves them.



She says she probably shouldn't eat too much of these hamburgers (below left), either, but she hadn't had a burger from her favorite place for a long time, so she buried her nose in this one. Below right is the poster Lawson's is giving away when you buy the photo book.



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Koshimizu Ami as Yugao in the Tale of Genji

I'm enjoying the new Tale of Genji anime by Dezaki Osamu. With my love for the novel, it could have gone either way, but I'm appreciating the beauty of the look, and various new angles on the story.

In episode 3, some of the voice-acting was great. Hirata Eriko did a stunning turn as Lady Aoi. And Tsuru Hiromi continues to be strong as Lady Rokujo. Hirata-san is also good as the beast-healer Soyon in the promising new Production IG fantasy Kemono no Souja Erin.

But the voice I enjoyed most in this episode was Yugao's. Its baroque fragility matched the character perfectly: a classic tragic romantic heroine with a Japanese twist. I eagerly searched the end credits to find out who the seiyuu was. It turned out that I had failed to recognize the voice of one of the seiyuu I like the most: Koshimizu Ami.

Has Ami done this tiny, fragile voice before? I guess there is something of Yuumi in KimiKiss in it, but the character is so unlike other of her recent roles, such as Kallen or Horo. And just about diametrically opposite to her masculine Paraietta in Simoun.

Ami is clearly in the top rank of women seiyuus, for me. With people like Paku Romi, Kobayashi Sanae and Orikasa Fumiko, Kawasumi Ayako, Yukino Satsuki and Yajima Akiko. People with range and acting ability and emotional power.

Ami's three repeats of "sore kara" were darts to the heart, embodying so much of Yugao's feeling: love and playfulness, humility and hopeless hope.

EDIT: I've just checked 2channel, and more than one poster there says they didn't recognize her voice either, so I feel better. The word most often used there is jouzu "skilful," which is high praise from otaku.

I read Ami's blog and follow her fairly closely, and I think she proves to me yet again that the best actors are not always the brightest. She seems like a lovely person, but no rocket scientist.

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Itsuki Yui and Fairy Empire -- Kurokami ED

One of the Japanese groups I enjoy is Yousei Teikoku 妖精帝國 "Fairy Empire," the two-person unit featuring sometime-seiyuu Itsuki Yui. They call their music a mix of "techno, trance, gothic, heavy rock, and classical."

Yousei Teikoku has done anime music before -- for Innocent Venus, Renkin Sankyuu Magical Pokaan, and a Mai-HiME game -- and is now giving us an enjoyable ED (YouTube audio) and some insert songs for the new anime Kurokami.

The group's persona is based on the idea that humans have forgotten their pure hearts that once believed in fairies, and the group is here to revive the Fairy Empire. During their shows, which they call "ceremonies," subjects of the Fairy Empire (i.e., fans) show their loyalty by rocking to the beat.

The band consists of guitarist, keyboardist, and composer Tachibana Takaha 橘尭葉; and singer/front woman Itsuki Yui 伊月ゆい, who for this purpose calls herself "Fairy Yui" 妖精ゆい. Takaha creates the music, and Yui sings it, with a certain amount of skill but much more passion and style.


As you can see from the pics, their presentation is rock and goth, and Yui makes a convincing fairy -- although perhaps she seems more fallen angel than pure fairy.

Here is a PV of Yousei Teikoku doing Wahrheit ("Truth" in German), a song that shows their various styles. Listen through at least a minute and a half to get the full flavor of their softer and harder sides:



The Kurokami ED was written by Takaha, with lyrics by Yui. And they are decent lyrics, the world of Kurokami with a Yousei Teikoku spin:
Dawn comes unnoticed, thawing my frozen body,
And memories return, bringing me back from an early death:
The sound of insects crying, of birds' wings beating in flight,
And a soundless white wasteland fills with bright colors.

Yousei Teikoku "descended to the human world" in 1997 and was active for 2-3 years, then dropped out of sight until 2004, since when it has produced a string of singles and albums: five anime singles and three of their own, as well as four albums: Stigma, Gothic Lolita Propaganda, metanoia and, just this month, Iro no Nai Sekai. Full discography here.

Yui is a good friend of a number of seiyuus, including Koshimizu Ami and Kadowaki Maii. The three of them call themselves the "three sisters," and have gone on trips together. She is also friendly with Morinaga Rika and Ueda Kana.




Yuin (Itsuki Yui's nickname) was Moe in DC Da Capo, Kira in both Futakoi anime, Miya in Mai-HiME and My-Otome, Ruka in Venus Versus Virus, Mio in Kanokon, and Paula in Kuroshitsuji. For most of her career, she was with the I"m Enterprise agency, but last year she switched to Holy Peak.

There are rumors on 2channel that in the past Yui was involved in "pillow business" to get roles, but with her adequate skills and few roles, that seems unlikely. The fact that she always looks so drowsily sexy -- like she just got out of bed and is headed back there as soon as possible -- may have something to do with the perception.





Yuin is one of the few seiyuu whose age I cannot find anywhere. Speculation on 2channel ranges from early twenties to mid-thirties.

She has an active photo blog, as well as a separate blog shared by the "three sisters."

There are also rumors that she is getting married, but I can find no confirmation and no details -- except that she said last April in her blog that she would like a black wedding dress (right).

She has a sad, dark side that you can't help seeing in her eyes. One blog post said: "Late one night, I found myself smiling. But there was really nothing at all to make me smile. Maybe I was just tired."

Yuin does web design for her own website, and is known as among the most technically able of seiyuus: she has three computers at home, one of which she built herself.

Links:
Yousei Teikoku Homepage
Yui's homepage
Yui's blog
Three Sisters blog
Yui's agency
Itsuki Yui on Anime News Network
Itsuki Yui on Wikipedia
Itsuki Yui on Japanese Wikipedia
Yousei Teikoku on Wikipedia
Yousei Teikoku on Japanese Wikipedia
Yousei Teikoku on YouTube

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Takagaki Ayahi Masterful in Chrome-Shelled Regios

I knew Ayahime (Takagaki Ayahi 高垣彩陽) was good, but her masterful performance as Niina in eps 2-3 of Chrome-Shelled Regios just blows me away.

Triumph, pain, aggression, weakness, craftiness, strength, crying -- she sells them all, with a strong and mobile voice for which nothing seems a stretch.

I thought she was excellent as Noe in true tears, last year at this time. She also did a great job in the couple of episodes of DC Da Capo II where Otome was featured. But perhaps now she is going to come into her own as a star.

She's 23, and is represented by Music Ray'N, which also represents Tomatsu Haruka (Nagi in Kannagi) and Toyosaki Aki (Amuro in Umisho). Not a bad group of up-and-coming voices.

In person, she is apparently natural, active, unaffected, and fun. Taniyama Kishou, who plays Sharned (the sniper) in Regios, says she is a natural-born airhead, and should represent Tokyo in the airhead championships.

Playing in a game center one day, her cries of joy or pain were so loud that the proprietor had to ask her to tone it down.

Not only does her voice have some variety, but what I love is the fact that she can give it an edge of emotion that really works, at least for me.

She was in three shows in 2006, her debut year. Directors must have been convinced, since she got 12 roles in 2007 and 14 in 2008,including Feldt Grace in Gundam00. She is in two shows this spring season: Regios and Maria-sama ga Miteru, where she plays a character called Miyuki.

Here is a compendium of her roles, from YouTube:



She has a very active blog. Here is her agency home page, where she says she likes singing, opera, musicals, music appreciation, and collecting cute things.

She spent her entire school career, from elementary through high school, at a Marimite-like girls' school campus. Then she studied vocal music in college. It appears that she's a fairly intelligent airhead.

Just checking 2channel, it seems that some people there have reacted to this role as I have. One post says Regios is Ayahime's one-woman show.

EDIT: Here is the interview from YouTube that divine mentions in a comment:



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Mari-sama ga Miteru 4 -- characters and seiyuus, with pics

I have made a page with pics of each character and her seiyuu.

I've indicated Roses and their soeurs, which is something I myself have trouble remembering. I have also listed some other roles each seiyuu has played.

This is what part of the page looks like. Click on the image to see the whole thing.



And here is a group shot of the main cast (click image to enlarge a bit):

front (l-r): Ikezawa Haruna (Yoshino), Ueda Kana (Yumi), Itou Miki (Sachiko), Noto Mamiko (Shimako). back row: Itou Shizuka (Rei), Satou Rina (Tsutako), Saitou Chiwa (Mami), Shimizu Kaori (Noriko), Toyoguchi Megumi (Sei).

The two gaps in the table are characters whose images I haven't found yet -- Hidemi and Miyuki. If you know they have appeared in the show already, please let me know where. And any suggestions for improving the layout or info are welcome.

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Hirano Aya -- "Nana-san's" Budokan Show "Terrific"

Hirano Aya was invited to the first night of Mizuki Nana's three in a row at the Budokan in Tokyo and came away saying that the show was "wow!" and "coool きゃっこよかっちゃあ～" and "really terrific 凄すぎる…！！," and that she "admires 憧れます(//∀//）" Nana-san.

"I wanna see it again!" she writes in her blog. But she also says she wants to get to the point of being able to do a show like that herself someday.

Here is the copy of Nana-chan's new single (Shin Ai 深愛 "Deep Love") that Nana gave Aya:



And here is Aya's ticket stub:


Aya and Nana are currently starring together in White Album, in which they play a top idol (Nana) and a young idol just making her debut (Aya).

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Top Seiyuus of 2008 -- Poll Results

Koshimizu Ami's Horo in Spice & Wolf was the top lead female seiyuu performance of 2008. That's what your votes said. And that's what I thought, too.

Male lead: Fukuyama Jun (Lelouche in Code Geass)
Supporting female: Horie Yui (Minori in Toradora)
Supporting male: Kamiya Hiroshi (Michel in Macross Frontier)
New female: Tomatsu Haruka (Nagi in Kannagi)
New male: Maeno Tomoaki (Doujou in Library Wars)
Top seiyuu-singer: Mizuki Nana
Top personality: Paku Romi

Koshimizu got 33 votes as top female lead and was followed by Tomatsu Haruka, with 25. Kugimiya Rie had 22, and Hirano Aya 19.

Full results are listed at the end of this post. Worthy winners all round, it seems to me, even if I didn't always vote for the winner myself. Thanks to all 160 people who voted. Note the varying numbers of votes in the various categories, below. Like me, you clearly know the female seiyuus better than the male, and the lead roles better than the supporting roles. I posted the poll last Wednesday, and it was open for exactly a week.

As male lead, Jun-chan was way out in front, with 67 votes to 18 for Miyano Mamoru (Kuro in Kurozuka) and 15 for Nakamura Yuuichi (Alto in Macross Frontier).

For best supporting female, Horie Yui won almost as big, with 48 votes to 33 for Sawashiro Miyuki (Tsugumi in Kannagi) to 12 for Toyoguchi Megumi (Klan in Macross Frontier).

Kamiya Hiroshi (Michel in Macross Frontier) also won big as supporting male, with 47 votes to 21 for Uchida Yuya (Nijuumensou) and ten for Gouda Houzumi (Hani Meijin in Shion no Ou). I suspect Fujiwara Keiji, who got seven votes for his role as Ali in Gundam00, might have got more if I had had him in the nominations from the start, rather than adding him later in response to a comment.

Tomatsu Haruka ran away with the top new female award, with 60 votes to only 27 for Endou Aya (Sheryl in Macross). I expected Endou-san to get more votes. Next came the wonderful Takagaki Ayahi (Noe in true tears), with 15 votes, and Itou Kanae (Amu in Shugo Chara) with 10.

Top new male went to Maeno Tomoaki (Doujou in Library Wars, 38 votes), followed not so far behind by Uchiyama Kouki (Soul Eater, 30 votes). Once again, I suspect that Abe Atsushi (Akiyuki in Xam'd) might have got more than six votes if I had had his name in the list from the start, rather than adding him partway through.

It's clear who the international audience thinks is the top seiyuu-singer: Mizuki Nana got 55 votes to 25 for Nakajima Megumi (Ranka in Macross). Chihara Minori and Hirano Aya tied, with 14 votes. I was one of five people who voted for Hayami Saori.

As for top seiyuu media personality, it was a close contest between Paku Romi and Hirano Aya, but Paku-san came out on top, by 26 votes to 25. Kitamura Eri (14 votes), Ono Daisuke (13), and Shouko-tan (Nakagawa Shouko, 12) followed.

Here are the full lists:




There were some write-in votes:

Top female: Inoue Marina (Toshokan Sensou), Mizuki Nana, Hazuki Erino (Aria the Origination), Noto Mamiko, Nakahara Mai (Clannad), Kuwashima Houko (Kaiba-Kaiba), Nazuka Kaori (Hiromi-True Tears, 2 votes), Horie Yui.

Top male: Kamiya Hiroshi (Natsume Yuujin-chou - 3), Seki Tomokazu (Chiaki-Nodame Cantabile Pari-hen), Rikiya Koyama (Kogarashi-Kamen no Maid Guy), Yoshino Hiroyuki (Taku - ChaosHEad), Tomokazu Sugita (Gintama).

Supporting female: Inoue Kikuko - Grace (Macross Frontier), Marina Inoue (Tsukiumi-Sekirei), Mizuhashi Kaori (Hidamari Sketchx365), Yukana (C.C. - Code Geass), Kuwashima Houko (Soul Eater).

Supporting male: Ono Daisuke (Hosaka-Minami-ke), Kiuchi Hidenobu (Mouryou no Hako), Inoue Kazuhiko (Nyanko sensei- Natsume Yuujin chou), Takahiro Sakurai (Suzaku - Code Geass), Konishi Katsuyuki (Ozma - Macross Frontier).

New female: Ryoko Shiraishi (Hayate no Gotoku - ineligible, first role 1999), Marina Inoue, Kokubun Yukari Tsuna in Hitman Reborn), Nakajima Megumi (Ranka in Macross - 2), Hayami Saori (Kou-Wagaya no Oinarisama), Hanazawa Kana (Zange-Kannagi).

New male: Abe Atsushi.

Seiyuu-singer: Endou Aya (did she sing in any show? - she didn't in Macross; that was May'N doing Sheryl's songs), Tamura Yukari, Sakamoto Maaya (I should have included her in the nominations list).

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Sanpei-Koshimizu Dream Attack!

From Koshimizu Ami and Sanpei Yuuko's blogs today:

First Amisuke posted the left-hand pic of Yuuyu, with the comment: "Dream attack on your heart!" (22:51 Japan time) Then Yuuyu posted the right-hand pic of Amisuke, with the text: "Got her!" (22:57 Japan time).



So they are together at 11 pm on a Wednesday night.... Someone had better stop me (not). I take this stuff too seriously.

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Poll: Top Seiyuus of 2008

While we still remember their performances, I thought we might vote for the top seiyuus of 2008 in our own international seiyuu awards. And then when the Japanese Seiyuu Awards come out in early March, we can compare our choices with those.

Here are eight separate polls, one for each category:
-- top male and female in leading roles
-- top male and female in supporting roles
-- top male and female "new" seiyuu (first role in 2003 or later)
-- top seiyuu/singer
-- top "personality" (i.e., TV/radio personality).

Vote for the seiyuus who you thought did the best work in 2008. Don't feel you have to vote in every category. Voting deadline 24:00h GMT, Wed. 21 Jan. I'll post a summary of the results then.

Polls are hosted on PollDaddy.com and take a few seconds to appear below:










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White Album -- Characters & Seiyuus

Here's some love for the unjustly maligned new anime White Album. Through two episodes, it is a promising seinen drama with complex relationships and characters who all seem to have unexpected aspects.

One thing it has is a fascinating cast, with a range of famous, infamous, and neglected voice actors. Mizuki Nana, Hirano Aya, Maeno Tomoaki, Paku Romi, Sakaguchi Daisuke, Hayami Shou....

To help keep the characters and the cast-members straight, I have made a table with pics of the main characters and voice-actors, along with a bit of info about the voice-actors' previous roles:


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Favorite Anime of 2008

As if anyone cared, here's my personal list of top anime of 2008.

I'd say "best" anime, but "favorite" is more accurate. I can't imagine how to be objective about this. We all have our own likes and dislikes. Even adding up points in various categories -- animation, story, characters, etc. -- seems pretty bogus to me.

I'd at least say that all the shows on my list are good anime. I have left out lesser shows that I enjoyed, such as Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, and Hakushaku to Yousei. I don't think I'd call any of this year's shows a masterpiece, but Natsu no Sora, Eve no Jikan, and Kannagi all have a chance, and Toradora is getting better and better.

Here's the list, followed by my comments on each show. The first few may be in order of preference, but I find it hard to put shows in a firm ranking order. (Click photos to enlarge, mouseover for captions.)

Mahoutsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto - Natsu no Sora
Eve no Jikan
Kannagi
Toradora
true tears
ef melodies
Vampire Knight Guilty
Candy Boy
Macross Frontier
Kurenai
Xam'd Lost Memories
Nijuumensou no Musume
Tytania
Michiko to Hatchin
Kurozuka

Mahoutsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto - Natsu no Sora -- This was widely ridiculed for its photo-realistic backgrounds, simplified drawing, and angst. Those were three of the things I loved about it, lol. I watch dramatic art for the emotions, and this show gave me a delicate symphony of them. Along with strong visual style and a unique ending.

Eve no Jikan -- A little gem of a series. Real science fiction with real characters and subtle feelings. A deeper take on the humanity of robots. Great pacing, sound, and voice-acting. Fukuyama Jun is excellent, for a change, and we hear Tanaka Rie, Yukana, Satou Rina, Itou Miki, and Sugita Tomokazu, as well. Young director Yoshiura Yasuhiro has a future. Check out his previous one-shot OVA, Pale Cocoon.

Kannagi -- A minor masterpiece of comic moe by bad-boy director Yamamoto Yutaka ("Yamakan"). Excellent animation, with great visual comedy and a wonderful performance by Tomatsu Haruka as Nagi. And another great OP from the hand of Yamakan, like the Lucky Star OP and the Haruhi ED.

Toradora -- As we enter the second half of this series, it just gets better. Characters you can care for, stumbling through their lives together. I had no idea this show would be so good. Not your ordinary harem comedy. Great voice performance by Kugimiya Rie as the Palm-top Tiger.

true tears -- I was completely captivated by Takagaki Ayahi's performance as Noe. The bittersweet story also worked for me. And Nazuka Kaori's Hiromi was deep and strong.

ef melodies -- I love the extravagant Shinbou Akiyuki visual style. I think it adds to the richness of most of the shows we see it in. And I enjoy Oonuma Shin's version of Shinbou more than Shinbou's own work. I didn't think melodies was quite as powerful as memories, but it was very good.

Vampire Knight Guilty -- I enjoyed the first series, but Guilty took it to a higher level. There was a lot of fine voice work in this show, even if the star, Horie Yui, didn't seem to me to get the character right. But this is one case where having read the manga didn't turn me off the anime. An interesting dark shoujo take on the vampire genre.

Candy Boy -- Subtle feelings and not-so-subtle yuri. Nabatame Hitomi and Yuzuki Ryoka create a beautiful world of comedy and emotion.

Macross Frontier -- There was a lot to like here -- setting, music, female characters -- but the story began to slide off-track as the series progressed. I felt as if the writing was rather aimless. Alto seemed to have no feelings, and that made it hard to build a story. But I think this show will be the springboard to stardom for Endou Aya (Sheryl).

Kurenai -- It started so promisingly, with good characters and an interesting situation. But it bogged down halfway, and when the protagonist started making clearly stupid decisions, it was hard for me to maintain my suspension of disbelief. Great voice work by Sawashiro Miyuki (Shinkurou), Kuroda Takaya (Renjou), and young Yuuki Aoi (Murasaki).

Xam'd Lost Memories -- I'm not a shounen fan, but I am a fan of science fiction. Stylish, with a great OP. And outstanding voice work by Sanpei Yuuko (Nakiami), among others. The story and the world make sense to me.

Nijuumensou no Musume -- Another show that started promisingly and then meandered off into strange byways. The early episodes gave us a unique story and setting in 1950s Japan. Hirano Aya was great as Chiko, but the story started going in circles and the character didn't develop. I loved both the OP and Hirano's ED.

Tytania -- A classic, slow-developing space opera on a grand scale, with characters whose emotions and motivations are gradually filling in.

Michiko to Hatchin -- A unique setting in Brazil, and characters that do seem to develop. Some of the comedy leaves me scratching my head, but it is always exciting to see what unusual situation will come next, and how it will affect the main characters' relationship.

Kurozuka -- The story lost force for me as it progressed beyond its strong early thrust, but the wonderful pace and look of it continued, and the voice work of Paku Romi and Miyano Mamoru was superb. I am probably in a minority when I say that this also has one of the top OPs of the year, with the driving techno-punk of Maximum the Hormone.

Some of the most popular and highly rated shows of the year were in genres or styles I have trouble appreciating, so I probably undervalue them. Soul Eater, Gundam00, Code Geass, Kaiji, Shakugan no Shana -- most of those just seemed shallow and boring to me.

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Sanpei Yuuko -- shounen shoujo

I first heard of Sanpei Yuuko 三瓶由布子 as Koshimizu Ami's girlfriend. She and Ami even had a mock wedding reception on the radio.

But she is a lot more than just a "yuri seiyuu." She, like her friend Ami, is one of the top young talents working today. Her work as Nakiami in Bounen no Xamdo is strong and deep. In scenes between her and the great Paku Romi, it's hard to know who to be more impressed with.

(mouseover photos for captions; click photos to enlarge)

In real life, she seems unaffected and boyish. She can be seen in clothes that have a slightly mannish look, and sometimes uses male speech patterns. She's delightfully sarcastic, but doesn't seem hard or aggressive at all. Yuuyu (her nickname) appears to be a kind person with a sharp tongue.

Her first big role was at age 14, as the male lead in the underrated Daa! Daa! Daa! But it was in 2005, when she was 19, that she really hit the big-time -- as Renton in Eureka Seven.

She showed her worth the next year, when Kumai Motoko, the original seiyuu for Souta in Otogijushi Akazukin, became ill. Sanpei was able to take over seamlessly for the last 13 episodes of the show. And her Souta was at least as good as the original.

Her deep voice made her a natural for roles as young boys. As you can hear in this clip from a Eureka Seven live event, she has a lot of control over that voice:



In 2007, she got her first big female role, as the irrepressible Nozomi in Precure 5. That role has carried her through two years, two series, and two movies.

But it is in her current role as the mysterious northern girl Nakiami in Bounen no Xamdo that I think she is showing her true talent. It's not just that she has such an attractive voice, but she is a real actress. Nakiami has depth.


2008 Famitsu.com interview:



-- Yuuyu says she wanted to be a seiyuu from the time she was in grade five. She joined the well-known youth theatre company Wakakusa, and actually got her first role (in Daa! Daa! Daa!) when she was in middle school.

-- She admired her character in that anime. Thought he was cool. But she kept being unable to read the words in her script, partly because she was nervous, partly because she hadn't learned some of the written characters yet.

-- She says in the interview that Renton in Eureka Seven was very different: more natural and vulnerable. She and the rest of the cast -- particularly Nazuka Kaori and Koshimizu Ami -- became close friends. It was almost as if they were on their own space ship.

-- She's happy to get female roles. At first she felt that cute girl roles were just impossible for her, but she does her best.


games:

-- Does she like games? "I love them!" What does she play? She started with things like Donkey Kong, and has had a DS, a PSP, and a Game Boy. She started playing with her high-school friend -- "someone called Koshimizu Ami" -- then with friends at college. At the time of the interview, last October, she was playing Monster Hunter.

-- Her taste in games is masculine, too. Ami tells of Yuuyu asking her what a love-sim game was like, since she had never played one. "Do you fight, and then get to go on a date if you win?" Ami tried to give an example: the player receives a bento lunch from a girl. What does he say? 1. Wow, thank you so much! 2. Just grunts. Yuuko suggested a third possibility: throw the bento away.





Amisuke and Pe

-- Ami has her own personal nickname for Yuuyu: Pe. They have known each other since they were twelve, when they were both starting their show-business careers and going to the same middle school.

-- Pe is the tsundere. She makes a joke of putting down the big affectionate puppy-dog Ami. Ami says that when they first knew each other, when they were twelve, she admired Yuuko. Yuuko says Ami was a noisy and bothersome tomboy.

-- On the A&G Ani-Super radio show in January 2007, hosts Asano Masumi and Washizaki Takeshi put on a fake wedding banquet for the two, with Nazuka Kaori and others showing up as guests. Here is a piece I did on the event. And here is the radio broadcast on YouTube.

-- She and Ami were both born in the same month and year, as were their mothers and younger sisters. Ami says she there's a karmic connection between them.

-- The romantic aspect of their relationship may be overblown, but they are certainly close friends. Yuuyu's picture shows up again and again in Ami's blog. They have gone to the hairdresser together. Ami helped her redo her room. And they have made tea together, according to Ami's blog, "late at night." Their new year's greetings on their blogs this year were pictures of each other.



-- On the other hand, 2channel is now spreading a rumor that Yuuyu and Fukuyama Jun (Lerouche in Code Geass) are an item, citing a photo she took for him at 11:30 one night. The otaku know when it was taken, and by what camera, by analyzing the exif information encoded in the photo, and comparing it to info on photos in Yuuyu's blog. People also say that Jun-chan and Amisuke are friends, because of working together in Code Geass. Amisuke once looked after Jun-chan's dog when he was away. So Amisuke and Pe may have been there together, as far as anyone knows. All three of them are with the Baobab agency. And so it goes.





bits and pieces

-- in a recent item on her blog, Yuuyu spoke of being deep in the Tokyo subway and seeing a mother struggling to carry a baby carriage down a flight of stairs. She wondered if the woman was all right and gave her a hand. The baby slept through it all. "To be completely responsible for this little life, a mother has to be so strong."

-- Yuuyu went with her own mother to last fall's Vermeer exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. Yuuyu studied art in college. She graduated last March.

-- Yuuyu has a weekly radio show, and tends to get into conversations about subjects such as the physical effects of pregnancy (sore pelvis, diarrhea), problems with menstruation, what kind of underpants she and others wear, and how to get a men's bra for the host of a show. Not so unusual on Japanese TV/radio.

-- She left her long-time agency, Wakakusa, in 2007, and in 2008 joined Amisuke at the big agency Baobab. 2channelers think this move has brought her a number of lucrative guest roles, such as in Jigoku Shoujo Mitsuganae, and now in Gintama.



-- 2channel thinks she has grown much more womanly and sexy over the past year. For one thing, perhaps her new agency is guiding her choice of clothes, away from the checked shirt she used to feature.


-- Her nickname for herself on her blog is "Yellow Duck."
-- According to Wikipedia, she is 156cm tall (5'1"), and Ami is 168 cm (5'6")
-- She is 22 years old, and was born 1986.2.28
-- Besides her seiyuu work, she works as an announcer on a TV variety show (Hitoshi Matsumoto to suberanai hanashi).
-- She voiced a commercial for the TV drama Zettai Kareshi.
-- She has been the host of five different radio programs.
-- She has done ten games (no ero-games).
-- She did two dubbing jobs last year, one on CSI.
-- She worked with Nazuka Kaori in both Daa Daa Daa and Eureka Seven.
-- Her nickname Yuuyu was given to her in 2002 by Sawashiro Miyuki, whose real given name is also Yuuko.
-- Every week she reads the shounen manga magazines Sunday and Magajin.




selected roles (full list here (en), here (en), and here (jp)):

(2000) Daa! Daa! Daa! (TV) as Saionji Kanata
(2002) Galaxy Angel A (TV) as Cocomo Peirou
(2004) School Rumble (TV) as Harima Shuuji
(2005) Eureka Seven (TV) as Renton Thurston
(2005) Mushi-Shi (TV) as Ioroi Shinra (ep 1)
(2006) Otogi-Jushi Akazukin (TV) as Suzukaze Souta (eps 26-39)
(2006) D.Gray-man (TV) as Jean Russell
(2006) Katekyo Hitman Reborn! (TV) as Fuuta
(2007) Yes! Precure 5 (TV) as Yumehara Nozomi / Cure Dream
(2007) Darker than BLACK (TV) as Maki (eps 15,16)
(2007) Bokurano (TV) as Machi Youko
(2008) My-Otome 0~S.ifr~ (OAV) as Elliot Chandler
(2008) Xam'd: Lost Memories (ONA) as Nakiami
(2008) Clannad After Story (TV) as Child (ep 3)
(2008) Jigoku Shoujo Mitsuganae (TV) as Ichimura Kazuya (ep 10)
(2008) Gintama (TV) as Seita (ep 39-)




Videos:

Renton and Eureka (Sanpei Yuuko and Nazuka Kaori) on stage.
Famitsu interview
On Koshimizu Ami's DVD 1 DVD 2
YouTube searches: 三瓶由布子 Sanpei Yuuko Yuko Sanpei
Ami-Yuuko Wedding


Links:

Anime News Network
en.Wikipedia
jp.Wikipedia
current 2channel thread

blog
radio show blog
agency site

Famitsu interview

Images from the Famitsu interview:




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Happy New Year from Hirano Aya

Happy New Year!


Please be good to me again this year.
This year looks as if it will be interesting, too, if I do say so myself.
I'm really excited (≧▼≦)
This year could be the best year yet. Enjoy it, everyone ☆
Just like last year!!

(from Aaya's blog -- click photo to enlarge)

She says she's spending some days at her family home, surrounded by relatives, eating traditional New Year's dishes. And sleeping in.

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Yuri Seiyuu Happy New Year

Two of the best known yuri seiyuu couples have posted rather romantic New Year's photos on their blogs (all four of them): Sanpei Yuuko 三瓶由布子 and Koshimizu Ami 小清水亜美 , and Nabatame Hitomi 生天目仁美 ,and Itou Shizuka 伊藤静.

Sanpei Yuuko's pic of Amisuke (right) says : "Happy New Year 2009" and "badump" (dokki, the sound of a heartbeat). Amisuke's pic of Yuuyu (whom she alone calls "Pe"), just says "Happy New Year."



Itou Shizuka posted a pic of her wedding with Nabatame Hitomi. And Naba-sama posted a pic of Shizuka-sama waking up to 2009 (she added with unnecessary honesty that in fact it wasn't taken then). Lovely.



Thanks to NKDS for posting a complete magazine spread on the wedding, which is supposed to come out on disk -- something which makes it seem that this is mainly a publicity stunt, rather than a romance, even if the two do like each other a lot.


Click the pic to enlarge. In the group shot below, I recognize Amisuke and Shimizu Kaori behind the groom (Naba-sama), and I think that's the recently married (to a guy) Inokuchi Yuka to the groom's left, Satou Rina second from the far right, and Itou Miki second from the far left.


More of the faces look familiar, but I can't put names to them. Can anyone else?

Naba-sama (32) and Shizuka-sama (28) are the best-known seiyuu couple. They constantly make jokes about it. But I really don't know how serious this "yuri seiyuu" thing is. They all have separate outings with other seiyuu. However, I did notice that Amisuke (22) mentioned having tea with Pe (22) "late at night," and in another post was helping her redo her room.

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