Hirano Aya Only TV -- episode 1

The first episode of Hirano Aya's hour-long TV show Hirano Aya dake TV 平野綾だけTV ("Hirano Aya-only TV") was broadcast on Fuji Television April 16.

Here is part one on YouTube.

Aya spent four hours working in a fast food restaurant, Lotteria. She made hamburgers (breaking a couple), salted and served fries, cleaned tables, and took orders (always with the manager backing her up).

She seemed nervous and spoke in the polite, fairly silly-sounding, little-girl voice she can affect.

The most touching thing for me was her honesty during the interview for the job. How did she find out about the position? From the staff planning the TV show. And in outlining her experience, she didn't make up anything, but just cited her experience as a seiyuu and entertainer. Asked for her strong points, she said she is willing to try things and always sees things through to the end. Her weaknesses? Sometimes she takes on things that she does not have the capacity for.

In the scene where the TV staff told her what her task was to be -- to work in the fast food place -- you could see that although she knew she would be doing something like that, she probably didn't know the exact thing she would be doing, and was apprehensive.

Throughout the four hours she worked there, she was uncertain how embarrassed to be, and toward whom: embarrassed to be working at this job? Embarrassed to be making mistakes? Embarrassed to be there with the video crew getting in the staff's way?

It's not a show I'll be rushing to watch that often, but it grew on me. Even I, however, have trouble with that high, forced polite voice.

Job interview:



Making burgers badly:



Taking orders:



Cleaning tables:



Getting paid (four hours at $13/hour = $52):



But this wasn't the only thing Aya has been up to recently. She released a new single this week: Set Me Free, backed with Sing a Song. The disc hit the charts today at #10. I'm not overwhelmed, myself, since it sounds too similar to some of her other recent singles, but I'm enjoying it:





She held events for fan club members in Tokyo and Osaka. The various souvenir "goods" they had for sale all sold out (final picture):




She ate with singer May'N (who was the singing voice of Sheryl in Macross Frontier) at an Okinawa restaurant recommended by May'N. And had ice cream at a Coldstone Creamery -- then got a pimple near her "tear mole":



And she is rehearsing for this weekend's Suzumiya Haruhi no Gensou 涼宮ハルヒの弦奏 musical event:



Aya has also mentioned in her blog that she will be in an NHK anime called Kawa no Hikari ("River's Light"). The anime is based on Matsuura Hisaki's popular ecological novel, which has been serialized in the Yomiuri Shinbun newspaper since 2006 and is now complete. It is the story of a family of mice displaced by human construction. The anime will air on June 20.

Aya plays a dog, and says she feels a great responsibility since the character is based on the author's own dog. She adds that the other cast members are very high-level seiyuu.

I have no further information about staff or cast. It seems that, once again, Aya has jumped the gun and announced a show before its producers do.

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2channel Popularity -- K-On and the Rest

On 2channel, K-On is the big favorite among new shows, with over 101,000 posts.

Hayate has more posts (>144,000), but I believe it is continuing on from the previous seasons' total. Whereas K-On's posts have largely come in past few weeks.

Another moe show, Saki, comes a distant second, with >40,000 posts.

Fullmetal Alchemist (>34,00) and Dragonball Kai (>22,000) are next. I'm not sure whether those thread numbers are continuing from previous seasons or not.

Then come Senjou no Valkyria (>16,000), Eden of the East (>14,000), Queen's Blade (>13,000), Sengoku Basara (>12,000), and Shin Mazinger Z (>12,000).

Next are Asura Cryin' and Requiem for the Phantom, followed by Basquash, Shangri-la, and Souten Kouro.

Here is the full list of the 33 new shows in the top 100 or so threads on 2channel:

Hayate no Gotoku 145
K-On 102
Saki 41
Full Metal Alchemist 35
Dragonball Kai 23
Senjou no Valkyria 17
Eden of the East 15
Queen's Blade 14
Sengoku Basara 13
Shin Mazinger Z 13
Asura Cryin' 10
Phantom - Requiem for the Phantom 10
Basquash 8
Shangri-la 8
Souten Kouro 8
Chi's Sweet Home II 6
Guin Saga 6
Natsu no Arashi 6
Pandora Hearts 5
Tayutama 5
Cooking Idol Ai, Mai, Mine 4
Cross Game 4
Hatsukoi Limited 4
07-GHOST 3
Gokujou!Mecha Mote Iinchou 3
Jewel Pets 3
Konnichiwa Anne 3
Ristorante Paradiso 3
Tears to Tiara 3
Mainichi Kaasan 2
Metal Fighter Beyblade 2
Charady's Daily Joke 1
Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari 1

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Spring Anime -- Brief Reviews and Early Favorites

There are too many good new shows this season. Heading the list for me are Eden of the East, Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom, and Ristorante Paradiso.

K-On, Guin Saga, Hanasakeru Shounen and Pandora Hearts aren't too far behind. Here are brief reviews of most of the new shows, from my own fairly idiosyncratic point of view. (mouseover images for captions, click to enlarge; titles link to more info in English or Japanese)

Eden of the East (Higashi no Eden) (jp: 東のエデン) The best new show of the season. Craziness, mystery, romance, real English from American voice-actors, accurate views of Washington DC…. All that and top-notch Production IG animation and strong voice-acting from Hayami Saori and Kimura Ryouhei, who give us wonderful chemistry as the leads.

Despite being shown in the Noitamina time-slot, which is aimed largely at a female audience, this show is designed to appeal to a wide range of anime fans, and seems to be succeeding. First-rate OP and ED, from Oasis (!) and School Food Punishment, respectively. The ED has especially interesting animation, although I myself prefer the OP.

Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom (jp: Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom) The dark and deadly tale of two assassins. People who know say they can see that the original has been "Bee-Trained" by director Mashimo Kouichi. Whatever the case, this is a slick, well-paced, and emotionally moving show.

Takagaki Ayahi is one of the young seiyuus I think of as a future voice goddess. She confirms my opinion in this role as a hardened young assassin. It’s a role I could easily imagine Toyoguchi Megumi in, and I think Ayahime does at least as good a job. And she is surrounded by such voices as Hisakawa Aya, Sawashiro Miyuki, Irino Miyu, and Houshi Souichirou. Fabulous OP by Kokia.

Ristorante Paradiso (jp: リストランテ・パラディーゾ) A fascinating josei show, following a young woman who comes from the countryside to Rome to the restaurant owned by the partner of her mother, who abandoned her as a child.

Through three episodes, it is the story of her desire for one of the handsome bespectacled older gentlemen who staff the place, as she seeks a path toward her future and begins to understand her mother. Not your average anime.


K-On! (jp: けいおん！) More comic moe from Kyoto Animation. Once again, as in Lucky Star, they have recruited a cast largely made up of unknowns and newcomers and have enabled them to give hilarious comic performances. Overwhelmingly popular among otaku in Japan, as Lucky Star was.

I found my own enjoyment waning slightly after ep3, but this show does have a continuing plot to carry us forward, so it may not fall into the category of "good shows that give you all they have in a couple of episodes." And ep4 brought me back on board.

Mio is terrific: a great moe character, super-tsun and SUPER-dere. She's reaching the popularity level of Yuki in Suzumiya Haruhi or Kagami in Lucky Star. Excellent OP and ED by the main cast hit the charts at numbers 3 and 4, but are up to numbers 1 and 2 as of Friday.

Guin Saga (jp: グイン・サーガ) Classic fantasy. The first three episodes hold out great promise. War. Capture. Dungeons. Magic. A strong and tragic hero. A beautiful princess (played by Nakahara Mai). And I adore Kanon's ED.

Hanasakeru Seishounen (jp: 花咲ける青少年) Endou Aya has become the go-to girl for mistress of a reverse harem. She did it in the most recent Angelique series, and she's doing it again here. And she is outstanding. Her breathy voice is so beautiful, and she gives the character charm and strength. As she did Sheryl in Macross F.

In this show, she is Kajika-sama, a boyish teenager who is the cherished daughter of a tycoon and has been raised in isolation on a tropical island. She is bold and handsome, like the leopard that was her constant companion growing up. Outstanding OPED from J-min.

Pandora Hearts (jp: パンドラハーツ) I had no idea I would like this show as much as I do. Kawasumi Ayako gives one of the best performances of the year so far as the lovely monster Alice. Good background music from Kajiura Yuki, and a good OP from her group Fiction Junction.

Cross Game (jp: クロスゲーム) One of the better new series, a shounen baseball (and maybe romance) anime with great work from people like Irino Miyu, Tomatsu Haruka, and Kanda Akemi. A huge twist in the first episode that sets us up for the rest of the story. Too shounen in style for me (humor, characters, character design), but fairly subtle and restrained. Good OP by Kobukuro and ED by Ayaka.

Saki (jp: 咲-Saki-) A yuri moe sports anime about mah jong. I kid you not. I'm enjoying it all, right down to the dramatic music and lightning flashes as tiles are played. Ueda Kana, Koshimizu Ami, Kugimiya Rie, Itou Shizuka, Shiraishi Ryouko, Fukuyama Jun. Mmmm.

Tayutama: Kiss on my Deity (jp: タユタマ -Kiss on my Deity-) I hate to admit how much I'm enjoying this show. Another clumsy adaptation by the team behind Lovedol, Amenaideyo, School Days, and Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka. But it's doing a great job of the familiar meme of the goddess who suddenly moves in and declares herself the protagonist's bride. I like Miyazaki Ui's ED. She gets better every time out.

Before Green Gables (Konnichiwa Anne) (jp: こんにちは アン) Definitely World Masterpiece Theatre. Well made, although with barely adequate animation. Some people may find the story of Anne before Green Gables a bit old-fashioned. I find it almost too intense to watch.

Jewelpet (jp: ジュエルペット) Surprisingly enjoyable little tie-in meant to sell a line of stuffed toys to little girls. The cast is fascinating: Hirano Aya, Sawashiro Miyuki, Sasaki Nozomi, Saitou Ayaka -- and two idols doing their first seiyuu work: Kamei Eri of Morning Musume and singer/photo idol Akina. The stories are for kids, complete with morals about friendship and courage. But the truth of those morals is hard to deny, and the script and characters have something for adults, too.

Kin-iro no Corda - second passo (jp: 金色のコルダ ～second passo～) A good start to a two-episode OVA series of the reverse-harem classical music anime. I enjoyed the first series, and this show, too, does a nice job of what it does.

kissxsis (jp: kiss×sis) Incest comedy. If those words repel you, don’t watch. If they attract you, you will enjoy this show a lot. Totally over the top, as two sisters compete to get into the pants of their (non-blood-related) younger brother.

Koihime†Musou (jp: 恋姫†無双) If you liked the TV series, you'll like this. More ecchi moe ancient China.

07-Ghost (jp: 07-Ghost) I didn't expect to like this show, either. But I'm enjoying it so far. Saiga Mitsuki is strong in the lead role. And the story has some punch and some mystery.

Asura Cryin' (jp: アスラクライン) I love both the OP and ED songs by angela. A real singer. The anime itself seems a bit limp, but the eps are getting better. The mechas and fights look good to me, though I'm no connoisseur. All this and spirits, too. Irino Miyu, Tomatsu Haruka, and Nonaka Ai are good as the leads.

Basquash! (jp: バスカッシュ！) Well-designed mecha. Great backgrounds. Love the OP by Hayami Saori, Tomatsu Haruka, and Nakajima Megumi. And the ED by Yamada Yuu. The character design is good. The story, involving heroic mecha basketball games still hasn’t hooked me, however. This show may have everything except the most important ingredient: interesting writing.

Fullmetal Alchemist 2 (jp: 鋼の錬金術師) Appreciated by many, but not by me. I couldn't get through the first series, and this one is just as uninteresting. I can't figure out how to care about the protagonists. A waste of great voice talent, for me (and maybe me alone, lol).

Marie & Gali (jp: マリー＆ガリー) A trifle, but worth watching for the smart script and interesting animation.

Souten Kouro (jp: 蒼天航路) Madhouse gives us the Three Kingdoms from Cao Cao's point of view. Uneven but fascinating. As an OP that gives a good intro to its show, this show's OP may be the best of the season. Some great images and rhythms, and good shouting rock by Tribal Chair. The ED by Ogre You Asshole is also strong.

Valkyria Chronicles (jp: 戦場のヴァルキュリア -Gallian Chronicles-) I was enthusiastic at first, but this is bogging down for me. WW2-style small-scale war as a small nation tries to recapture its territory from a greater. A bit of romance. Some tanks. Not exceptionally logical fighting. Good voices.

Shangri-La (jp: シャングリ・ラ) A fairly clichéd science fiction adventure that is beginning to be interesting with episode 3. Life in jungle Tokyo after ecological disaster. I love Takahashi Mikako's voice as the heroine. Good OP by May'n.

Natsu no Arashi! (jp: 夏のあらし！) Too shounen for me. I just don’t get the humor, and find the lead boy repulsive. But the voices are good (Sanpei Yuuko, Shiraishi Ryouko, Nazuka Kaori), and the show has some interesting aspects: time paradoxes for the win.

Shin Mazinger Shougeki Z-Hen (jp: 真マジンガー 衝撃！Z編) A feast for smart mecha fans with a sense of the ridiculous. Over the top, but with great fights and mecha designs.

Tears to Tiara (jp: ティアーズ・トゥ・ティアラ) Watchable sword and sorcery shounen fantasy set in a version of ancient Britain and Ireland.

Sengoku Basara (jp: 戦国BASARA) Beautiful battles, but feels stupid to me. Probably just not my thing.

Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica Crimson S (jp: 神曲奏界ポリフォニカ クリムゾンS) A big improvement over the first series, but still not that interesting. Tomatsu Haruka's Corti is great, though.

Queen's Blade (jp: クイーンズブレイド 流浪の戦士) A boob parade. This is one of those shows that assembles a large cast of great seiyuus and then wastes their talents: Kawasumi Ayako, Tanaka Atsuko, Hirano Aya, Noto Mamiko, Kugimiya Rie, Gotou Yuuko, Itou Kanae, Takahashi Mikako, Kitamura Eri, Mizuhashi Kaori…. However, it doesn't waste their talents in the ED, which is done very well by Kawasumi, Noto, and Hirano.

Hatsukoi Limited (jp: 初恋限定) Beautiful but boring. Others seem to like this show, but through three episodes, I find it cliched, shallow, unfunny…. Shall I go on? If you liked Tokimeki Memorial, maybe you will like this. I hated that show, too. It's just not my style, I guess. Good OP from Sphere (Tomatsu Haruka, Takagaki Ayahi, Toyosaki Aki, Kotobuki Minako) and ED by marble.

Hayate no Gotoku!! (jp: ハヤテのごとく!!) Well made, magnificently voiced, sometimes funny, and of little interest to me. I got through only a few eps of the first series, so your mileage may vary. Great OP by Elisa, good ED by seiyuus Itou Shizuka, Nakao Eri, Yahagi Sayuri, and Asano Masumi.

Gokujou!! Mecha Mote Iinchou (jp: 極上!!めちゃモテ委員長) Trying to emulate the success of Shugo Chara, but it doesn’t work for me. Stiff animation and rough voice-acting. I do appreciate the educational aspects of the show, however.

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Hayami Saori -- the new Kawasumi Ayako or the new Shimamoto Sumi?

I keep rewatching episodes of Eden of the East, partly just to hear more of the beautiful voice of Hayami Saori 早見沙織. The 17-year-old Hayamin is coming into her own with her starring role as Saki.

In the thread about her on 2channel, the Japanese discussion board, her growing number of fans have been debating which great seiyuu she sounds more like: Kawasumi Ayako 川澄綾子 or Shimamoto Sumi 島本須美.

Voices are like snowflakes: no two are alike. But I thought we might listen to her voice and the voices of those two great seiyuu and see what similarities there might be. I'll link to video digests of roles played by all three: Hayamin, Shimamoto, and Kawasumi. You decide which of the others, if either, Hayamin's voice resembles.



Hayami Saori
Hayamin has had only four major roles in her brief career. Her first role, which she began in the spring of 2007, when she was 15, was as Momoka in Touka Gettan. She has also played Kou-chan in Wagaya no Oinari-sama, Musubi in Sekirei, and now Saki in Eden of the East. In addition to these, she has had minor roles in Koharu Biyori, Ghost Hound, and other shows -- and now in Basquatch.



She hasn't been called on to cover much of a range of roles. All of these share a family resemblance. But I find the quality of her voice beautiful and her acting sometimes moving. Her voice is not that strong, but especially in the latest role, she can modulate it in subtle ways to convey feeling and personality. It's a young voice, almost fading out sometimes, and with some breathiness, but she also has great clarity of pronunciation and there is bit of bounce. For a young seiyuu, she has excellent voice control.


Shimamoto Sumi
Now listen to her predecessors. First, Shimamoto Sumi. As one poster said, Hayamin's voice has some of the almost transparent quality of Shimamoto-san's. But Shimamoto has more. Each of the two adds her own specific coloration.

Shimamoto-san started her career in 1977 and has given us such great roles as Lady Cagliostro in Lupin III: the Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaä in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Kyoko in Maison Ikkoku, Tinkerbell in Peter Pan no Bouken, Saint Just in Oniisama-e, Toki in Princess Mononoke, Shokupanman in Soreike! Anpanman, and Aurelia Jones in Emma.




Kawasumi Ayako
Kawasumi Ayako has played a wide range of characters. She was Lafiel in Crest of Stars, Aoi in Ai yori Aoshi, Saber in Fate/Stay Night, Nodame in Nodame Cantabile, and she is now giving a brilliant performance as the charming and complex monster Alice in Pandora Hearts.



Ayacchi's voice has more solidity than either of the other two, even though it's fairly high. And she has played a wide range of characters.


Which is it?
No two voices are alike. But I agree with the majority on 2channel, which thinks that Hayamin's voice more resembles Shimamoto Sumi's. Her slight breathiness compares with the stronger breathiness of Shimamoto-san. But I think Hayamin has a clearer, more precise voice than either of these two greats.

Noto Mamiko's name has shown up as a comparison recently on 2channel, and I think Hayamin's voice is indeed like Noto Kawaii's in its pure beauty, and in the kind of personality it conveys: a gentle, comforting, ojou-sama. But it doesn't have as much of the beautiful breathiness that is Noto's trademark.

By the way, the first sample of Hayamin's voice in the video above, from Touka Gettan, is from an episode that was actually written by Noto Mamiko (episode 21). She wrote lines that she herself could say, and that Hayamin said well, too.

Hayami seems to have a conception of each character she is trying to play, and is already good at conveying personality and emotion, within a certain range. But I think she has the skill, taste, and intelligence to grow and broaden her range, as Kawasumi Ayako, who is now 33, did through her twenties.

One big difference between Hayamin and the others: she made her seiyuu debut at 15. Shimamoto-san was 23. Kawasumi-san had one role at 16, but no more until she was 20. Noto-san had her first role at 19.


Hayamin the Singer
The only thing that could derail the progress of her seiyuu career is the fact that Hayami Saori is an even better singer than she is a seiyuu. Her singing voice has the same beauty as her speaking voice, but she has even more ability to bend and modulate it to create interest and meaning in a song. And she has a sharp musical sense that enables her to give a song life with subtle phrasing and rhythms.

If Hayamin becomes as successful a singer as I think she could be, she won't have much time for doing anime. Here is her first single, the ED to the 2007 anime Touka Gettan, Kono Sekai ga Itsuka ha, sung when she was 15. She apparently got it right in only one or two takes, and when she was leaving the recording booth, the studio staff all applauded:



But Hayamin's solo singing career is not likely to start just yet. I believe her agency is waiting for her voice to mature a bit, to get a bit stronger, and also for her to be able to perform live fully as well as she does on CD. Hayamin's gift is the delicate complexity of the line she creates. But so far, that is most audible at low volume. She needs time to develop the same precise and lyrical movement at higher volume.

She has the chance to be a real singer, not just a seiyuu-singer, so I think it is wise for her not to go solo until she is able to take any success she gains and run with it. When she starts the race, I think she could run far.

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Eden of the East -- episode 3 preview description

Here is a translation of the episode 3 preview from the blog on the official site. Be warned: it includes spoilers for what I guess is the first third of the episode:


"Akira and Saki finally get to the home address in Akira's passport. It turns out to be a shopping mall with a cinema complex. Does Akira own it? They spend the night together in the cinema complex, just the two of them. Then the detective comes in. To protect Saki, Akira confronts the detective. Knowing nothing of this, Saki faces faces dawn alone and lonely. Where will the fight between Akira and the detective go?"

script: Kamiyama Kenji (director), Satou Dai (Eureka Seven, work on GITS:SAC)
storyboard: Yoshihara Masayuki (series assistant director, storyboarded and/or directed eps of GITS:SAC, Moribito asst. dir.)
episode director: Kakimoto Hirota (storyboards/episode direction Moribito, Toshokan, Erin)
animation direction: Mamezuka Takeshi (key anim on Moribito, Shugo Chara, etc.)/Itou Hideki (eps of FMA, Eureka7, etc.)
art direction: Takeda Yuusuke (art dir of Blood the Last Vampire, GITS:SAC, Gankutsuou, Moribito, true tears, Skip Beat)

滝沢と咲が辿り着いたパスポートの住所にはシネコンに併設されたショッピングモールがあった。滝沢は施設のオーナーなのか!?　二人だけの夜を施設内のシネコンで明かそうとすると、刑事が侵入してくる。滝沢は咲を守るため、刑事と対峙する。そうとは知らず、咲は一人ぼっちで朝をむかえる。滝沢と刑事の戦いの行方は？

脚本：神山健治/佐藤大　絵コンテ：吉原正行　演出：柿本広大
作画監督：豆塚隆/伊藤秀樹 　美術監督：竹田悠介

There are descriptions for episodes four and five here, in Japanese (I don't plan to read them, myself, but there they are).

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Jewelpet -- Characters and Seiyuus

Jewelpet is a Sunday morning anime for young girls, and is a tie-in with a line of stuffed toys from Sanrio and Sega.

But in fact, it's not half bad.

And it has a very interesting cast. It's intended as a vehicle for Morning Musume member Kamei Eri, who does a decent job for a new seiyuu. And singer/TV personality Akina is also trying her hand at seiyuu work. So are some good seiyuu: Hirano Aya, Sawashiro Miyuki, the burbling lisp of Sasaki Nozomi, former child star Saitou Ayaka, lovely-voiced veteran Shishido Rumi, Takeuchi Junko, and apparently even Miyano Mamoru.

So I've made a characters and seiyuus page for the show:


The show is directed by first-timer Sasaki Nanako, but the writer is Maekawa Jun, who adapts Prince of Tennis for anime, did Sisters of Wellber and is doing Fresh Precure. Character design by Onegai My Melody character designer Miyakawa Tomoko. From Studio Comet, which does Onegai My Melody and School Rumble. The show is slated for 52 episodes.

I'm hoping for something as good as Otogijushi Akazukin. The animation and art aren't quite as good, but the cast is similarly interesting (Sawashiro Miyuki is in both shows), and the writing is so far not too puerile.

In fact, I enjoyed the first two episodes, in which the first two of three pairs of human girl and jewelpet form. A large number of jewelpets has fallen from their magic Jewel Land to Earth, and the one remaining jewelpet is sent down to find the rest. In the process, the magic jewelpets help their human partners with various problems.

With so many singers in the show, can character CDs and live events be in the works? Contractual complexities might prevent it, but we'll see.

I will continue to update the page as new characters appear.

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Higashi no Eden -- character and seiyuu pics and info

I've made a page showing the characters in Higashi no Eden and their voice actors, with info and pics for both character and seiyuu.

There are twelve characters, including eight whom we haven't seen in episode one.

There is some slightly spoilerish info, including the fact that a fellow college student Saki's age has had an unrequited crush on her since high school. He was also on the trip to New York, and is the one who would have called Saki when she was at the White House -- if she had left her mobile phone on.

Here are three of the new characters. Click image to go to the page:

And there are some more characters who have Selecao numbers like Akira.

The Higashi no Eden radio show, featuring Hayami Saori and Kimura Ryouhei, has begun. Fin the first broadcast on the radio official site or, failing that, on NicoNico. The stars do a good job, creating a nice atmosphere. Hayamin is more experienced at radio, despite being sevenyears younger, so Kimura refers to her as "Hayami Onee-san." A new fifty-minute show will be posted every two weeks.

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More NANA Anime Coming?

I admit it's not much evidence, but Hirano Aya reports in her blog that the cast and staff of NANA got together for a cherry-blossom-viewing party a day or two ago.

Can this mean that they have more work to do together? She hasn't mentioned any get-togethers since the anime ended over two years ago.

There's no mention of the party in other sources: other seiyuus' sites, 2channel, etc. The fact that other seiyuus' blogs don't even mention the party could be an indication that Aya is speaking out of turn, and there really is something happening. I hope.

NANA is one of my favorite anime -- a masterpiece, in my opinion. As is the manga. The depth, intensity, and complexity of the emotional relationships is at a higher level. And the anime ended about halfway to where the manga is now.

Cherry-trees have been blooming in Japan for the past few weeks. Japanese get together for parties under the trees to celebrate spring.

Aya said she hadn't seen mangaka Yazawa Ai for a long time, and was both extremely happy to see her and quite nervous. Aya played Layla in the anime.

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Higashi no Eden -- Umino Chika and Kamiyama Kenji Watch Episode One

Umino Chika 羽海野チカ, the mangaka of Honey & Clover, did original character design and drawings for the new anime Higashi no Eden. She describes in her blog today how she and director Kamiyama Kenji watched episode one together as it aired, late Thursday night.

Umino-sensei avoids allowing herself to be photographed. She substitutes her alter ego, Kuma-chan (kuma means "bear"):



When they sat down together, Kamiyama told Kuma-chan to come closer...then he said that at times like this...he never says anything interesting....

Umino-sensei writes that she undertook the work a year ago, so it has been a long wait to see the finished product. She continues hard at work on her current manga, March Lion (Sangatsu no Raion ３月のライオン). The magazine it is published in comes out twice a month, but March Lion only comes out three times in two months. She has used that spare two weeks to work on Higashi no Eden.

She says hat a beautiful world the anime creates. The quality of the staff's work in episode one was so high that she wonders if it can be sustained for eleven episodes.

The story is one of riddle within riddle. We will see the depth and force of Kamiyama Kenji's thinking as we go on, she says.

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Higashi no Eden -- Godly Voices and Animation

I've been eagerly awaiting the first episode of Higashi no Eden, which aired in Japan a few hours ago.

It did not disappoint.

First, for me, is the godly voice work of Hayami Saori. As in her best singing, she can run a stream of subtle nuances through any line of text. She is a young seiyuu with mature skills. Her voice is still young, though. You can hear the tiny voice of Kou from Wagaya no Oinarisama here. But there is much more meaning and nuance in her performance in this show.

Second is godly Production I.G. animation. The backgrounds are really beautifully done, and the animation itself is at a high Production I.G. level. Perhaps they can afford to put more money into this show since it will be coming out in feature-length form in the fall.




Hayamin is not the only excellent voice here. Her co-star, Kimura Ryouhei, hits all the right notes of seriousness and insouciance. He and she are already real people for me. And Tamagawa Sakiko (Onashia in Simoun, Fujitsubo in Genji) is perfect as the voice on the phone.

Hayamin has been put with these real actors and is so far completely holding her own. She is supposed to be going to college this spring. Doing this show is like higher education in voice-acting for her. The other seiyuu are mainly experienced pros and people with stage experience.




story
The story is quite weird. Morimi Saki (Hayamin) lost her parents in a car accident some years before and has been living with her sister and her husband, who have taken over the family's bakery. She has graduated from college and is taking an overseas trip before she starts working. She came to America to see New York, and to see the White House, which she somehow feels is the center of the world. And to experience a place she has no connection at all with.

She wants to toss a coin into the White House fountain, but finds that the fence keeps her too far away. When she tries, two police see her and come over to investigate. At that moment, a naked Japanese young man appears on the other side of the road, brandishing a cellphone and a revolver. The police turn their attention to him, but he disappears as a truck goes by and the police rush off after the truck.

It turns out he was just hiding behind a concrete abutment, and he comes over to Saki. She is embarrassed at his nakedness (although she does look directly at his genitals), but in gratitude to him for getting rid of the police, she "loans" him her hat, coat and scarf, and he runs off.

She starts trundling her suitcase down the road, on her way to the airport for her flight back to Japan. Then she realizes that her passport and wallet were in the coat pocket. She starts running off ofter Naked Guy, and after tripping over her suitcase (in a brilliant piece of animation), she abandons it to go after her wallet and passport.




As the naked guy runs off, he first has to hide from some police, then he realizes he needs pants and asks a random businessman for his, which he is given. He also realizes that he doesn't remember who he is.

A call on the cellphone from Juiz (Tamagawa Sakiko) alerts him that he can find his flat on a map in the phone, which he does. Inside the flat, he finds maps and photos of D.C., a stockpile of weapons and ammunition, and several passports in different names with his photo in them.

Meanwhile, Saki has seen him enter the building and she finds the flat and rings the bell. He agrees to give her back her coat, but as she is sitting outside the door, a policewoman comes up and asks her if a photo the policewoman has from a White House security camera is her.

Before she can answer, Naked Guy (whom we can now call Takizawa Akira, since that is the passport he chose) comes out of the room (fully clothed). The policewoman has a photo of him, too. To be sure it is him, she asks to see his "johnny." He pulls down his pants, and she lets him go, on the basis that his "johnny" is not the same as the one in the photo. He later tells Saki it was because it was cold when the photo was taken.

On the run, he tells Saki it is better if they don't go back to get her suitcase, and he accompanies her to the airport with the intention of flying to Japan with her. At the airport, she asks him what he was doing when they met. He says, "I'm a terrorist." But then he says: "Just kidding."

She tells him her name, but he has to get out his passport to show her his. And she discovers that they were apparently born one day apart, 22 years before. They enjoy each other's company, and share some laughs.

Saki watches him in the airport and wonders if he is her prince, the one who will spirit her away from the problems of her life. Naaah, she says to herself. Then they see a TV news report of a missile falling on Tokyo. The end.




comments
The rather fantastic events may put some viewers off. I mean, how often does a naked man suddenly appear, brandishing a gun and a cellphone? And how many 22-year-old girls would give him their coat, or agree to abandon their luggage and fly off with him? What random stranger would give a guy his pants? What police officer would ask to see a guy's genitals for identification? (Reminds me of the Bob Dylan line: "He asked me for collateral, and I pulled down my pants.")

But this is all part of the bold spirit of this story. There is a fantastic element that makes anything possible. Who scrubbed Naked Guy's memory? Why are missiles falling on Tokyo? A great first episode, but we'll see where they take the story from here.

One of the many interesting aspects of the production is that they used English-speakers to voice all the Americans speaking English. Except for one line spoken in English by Hayamin -- which she pronunced fairly well.

Reaction on 2channel is quite positive. There is, of course, a lot of fascination with the nakedness. One poster called the show "Code Penis - Johnny of the Revolution." Others talked about its appeal to fujoshi (female fans of male-gay manga). The show is in the Noitamina time-slot, which has shown other anime with appeal to women, such as Honey & Clover, Hataraki Man, Nodame Cantabile, Antique Bakery, and Genji Sennenki.

Excellent OP by Oasis (!), and ED by School Food Punishment. The animation of the ED is particularly enjoyable.

I don't know whether to say this is the best first episode of the season. K-On was great, too, in a totally different way. And I liked a number of other first episodes: Ristorante Paradiso, Phantom, Cross Game, Pandora Hearts, Before Green Gables, Souten Kouro, Hanasakeru Shounen, Saki. I guess I'd say that this and K-On top my list.

EDIT: Here is a link to the radio show, which will start Friday and features the two stars. The link to the show itself will be at the bottom of the page, when it appears.

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All Hirano Aya All the Time

Aaya will be the only regular on a new TV program starting 16 April: Hirano Aya dake TV 平野綾だけTV ("Hirano Aya-only TV").

The show will be like a journal, following her through all her activities: seiyuu work, singing, being photographed for gravure pages and DVDs, etc.

"I get to decide what I want to do," says Aaya, who has a sheaf of ideas to work with, submitted by fans, staff, writers, and herself.

The show will be on Fuji TV 2. The first hour-long episode will be on Thursday 16 April from 10-11pm, repeated Saturday night 3-4am.

But that's not all. She will also appear as a guest on a new anime radio show produced by her agency, Spacecraft, in collaboration with Nippon Broadcasting.

The new show is called AniKobo アニコボ ("Anime Workshop," more or less), and will be on Monday through Thursday nights at 24:30. Mondays will be devoted to manga, Tuesdays to anime music, Wednesdays to seiyuu, and Thursdays to a radio drama. Announcers will be called "researchers," and the show will aim to bring viewers in-depth information.

Already slated to appear as guests are seiyuus Aaya and Chiba Saeko, and music producer Kajiura Yuki. All three are represented by Spacecraft.

But even that is not all. The stars of White Album, Aaya and Mizuki Nana, will appear together in a White Album concert on September 9. The first part of the show will be talk and games, and the second part the concert.

All I can say is that Aaya is both ambitious and brave, to appear on the same stage with the mistress of live performance, Nana-chan.

And finally, get ready for a new Aaya single. The new disk, "Set me Free/Sing a Song" comes out on 29 April.

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Three Kingdoms Character Design: Souten Kouro and Others

Somewhere (I don't remember where) I found a table showing the character design of several Japanese versions of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Including the manga of this season's anime Souten Kouro, as well as the Ikkitousen and Koihime Musou animes, the Yokoyama manga, and three different games.

Here's the table, translated into English. Click image to enlarge.



I like the Souten Kouro manga images, even though there is a bit of sameness to them, but it looks from the preview as if they have been homogenized a bit for the anime.

Anyway, since I've long thought it would have been better for China in real life if Cao Cao had won outright, I am looking forward to Souten Kouro, which tells the story from his point of view.

I'm not familiar with all the image sources in the table. "Koei" refers to the Koei Sangokushi game series. "Sangoku Musou" is another Koei series. Then there are the Yokoyama Sangokushi manga and the Souten Kouro manga, the Ikkitousen anime, and the Koihime Musou anime. And finally the Sangoku Taisen card game. I think.

Here's a link to the original image, in Japanese.

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K-On -- Who Are Those Great Voices?

I thought the first episode of K-On was brilliantly funny. And, of course, deeply moe. And the voices were wonderful. They were hilarious, with some great timing and expressiveness.

Kyoto Animation seems to have the knack of picking out lesser-known voice actresses who can really do the job for them: Hirano Aya, Gotou Yuuko, and Chihara Minori in 2006 in Suzumiya Haruhi; Katou Emiri, Endou Aya, and Fukuhara Kaori in 2007 in Lucky Star.

In K-On, except for Toyosaki Aki (Yui), the three other main voices are relative unknowns. (Click images to enlarge.)

Satou Satomi 佐藤聡美 (Ritsu) is 22, and works for a major agency, Aoni Pro. But she has had few roles before this, notably characters called Yaya in Labyrinth and Wakana in Shugo Chara. Here is her blog.

She has clearly studied Orikasa Fumiko playing Miu in Ichigo Mashimaro. You could say parts of the performance are derivative, but if you're going to imitate anything, OriFumi's great comic performance is a good thing to choose. Satou-san is so far making the outlandish character work. Maybe making the character outlandish is one reason it does work.




Hikasa Youko 日笠陽子 (Mio) is also with a big agency, I"m Enterprise, and is 23. Her only previous role of any note was a character called Minamo in Shetchbook.

She doesn't have as wild a character to do as Ritsu's, but the naturalness and energy in her voice give life to the quiet character. Her is her blog.









Kotobuki Minako 寿美菜子 (Tsumugi), like Toyosaki Aki (and Tomatsu Haruka and Takagaki Ayahi, as well) is with Sony's Music Ray'n agency. She has done a character called Hijiri in Kyouran Kazoku and not much more. It's understandable that she has done so few roles, however, since she is only 17.

I like the little break that comes into her voice when it rises from passive ojousama to sudden enthusiasm. And there's a dry "oh, good" toward the end of the episode that makes you think she has talent. Her blog.


Toyosaki Aki 豊崎愛生 (Yui) is 22 and has already had some good roles: she burst onto the scene as the irrepressible nude swimmer Amuro in Umisho, and has been Su in Shugo Chara, Yoshino in Minami-ke, and Najimi in Akikan.

She and Kotobuki-san, with Tomatsu and Takagaki -- the four have been developed together over several years as seiyuus and singers by Sony's Music Ray'n -- will release their first single as Sphere on April 22, the OP to Hatsukoi Limited.

I think Toyosaki-san is just excellent in episode one. Her sa ("not sure") when asked what the Light Music Club did, was brilliant. Her performance repeatedly gets your attention. Her blog.

I also think some credit must be due to the sound director, Tsuruoka Yota, who was the sound director of Lucky Star and Suzumiya Haruhi, as well as of such other well-voiced shows as Turn A Gundam, Blue Drop, and Rozen Maiden. Especially with the director being an animator doing her first directorial job, I suspect the sound director had a lot to do with how the lines were delivered.

It's amazing that the voice-acting seems to be working out so well, since they selected the seiyuus in part on the basis of what instruments they could play. The ED is played and sung by the four seiyuus. EDIT: I now realize this isn't true. The seiyuus are just learning their instruments. Maybe they will have learned well enough by the end of the series to perform.

EDIT 2: More characters

Nodoka: Fujitou Chika 藤東知夏
Yui's friend Nodoka is played by Fujitou Chika, in her debut role. She is from the seiyuu/talent advanced class at the Avex Artist Academy. She has her own blog. Here is her Japanese Wikipedia page. And here is her ANN page (name currently misspelled).



Ui: Yonezawa Madoka 米澤円
Yui's sister is played by Yonezawa Madoka, who is with the big 81 Produce agency, but has had only three roles over the years since 2006 -- until this year, when she is playing this role, Lashara Aasu XXVIII in Isekai, and Kaho in Gokujō!! Mecha Mote Iinchō. Her agency page says she sings, dances, and paints. ja.Wikipedia. ANN. personal blog.


Sawako-sensei: Sanada Asami 真田アサミ
Sanada Asami is the biggest name among al the seiyuu in this show. She plays Sawa-chan. Her debut role of Di Gi Charat was her biggest, but she has also been Jun in Rozen Maiden, Tamaki in Kurenai, and most recently Kanako in Maria Holic. home page. ANN.



Azusa: Taketatsu Ayana 竹達彩奈
Twenty-year-old Taketatsu Ayana plays twintail Azusa, the freshman who joins the club in episode 8. She has made a name for herself as Ako, one of the sisters in the raunchy incest comedy kissxsis. She also played a baby in Marimite 4. Those are her only two previous roles. But I don't think they will be her last. She's with I"m Entertainment, and lists her interests as karaoke, reading, shopping, and tennis. home page. ANN.
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Eclipse (Tomatsu-Nakajima-Hayami) to Get Second Single

Eclipse, the supergroup of top young seiyuu singers Tomatsu Haruka, Nakajima Megumi, and Hayami Saori, will release a second single hot on the heels of their recently announced first single. Hayami also has a solo insert song in episode one. (mouseover photos for captions, click to enlarge)



The first single, nO limiT, is the OP to the new anime Basquash. That CD will be released on 29 May. The second single, Running On, is an insert song in the same show and will be released three weeks later, on 17 June.



It appears that Yamada Yu's free was supposed to be the OP but the staff judged it not quite right for the show and the new group was given the gig. I don't know if they were already slated for the ED, or if this second single is a bonus or was planned from the start.

I enjoy the singing of all three members of the new group, but for me Hayami Saori stands out. Not only is her voice just innately beautiful, but she has great musical sense and phrasing and is able to create subtle movements in the music in the manner of great singers like Onitsuka Chihiro. I actually fear that working in a group will mask her voice's strengths.

But these three together should be able to produce a fine OP, if the song is good enough. Tomatsu's voice has force and energy, and Nakajima is both fresh-sounding and accomplished, and was voted the best seiyuu singer of 2008.



The CDs will be released under the Pony Canyon label. None of the three seiyuus records solo for Pony Canyon. Tomatsu (19) is with Sony, and Nakajima (19) with Victor Entertainment. The 17-year-old Hayamin does not yet have a solo recording contract.

Like other readers of the Hayamin thread on 2channel, I am thrilled that she will get her own solo insert song. This news just appeared on 2channel. And now i have heard it in the epsiode. It's too far in the background to get a good listen, but it seems to be the biggest song she's done yet, showing yet another side of her musical ability.

2channel thread re group
news item from Japanese site OtaSuke

In other Hayami Saori news ("all Hayamin all the time"), she and Higashi no Eden co-star Kimura Ryouhei will host a Web radio show starting Friday 10 April, the day after the first episode is broadcast. She is an entertaining radio personality and the denizens of her 2channel thread are jubilant.

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