Idol Seiyuu Rundown -- 2channel post

Interesting post on 2channel running down a list of currently popular idol seiyuus:

2010 popular idol seiyuus
If you know more than eight, you've got it bad. (I know them all....)

Hirano Aya -- model idol-seiyuu activities. many antis.
Mizuki Nana -- always in the music charts. also quite active as a seiyuu.
Kugimiya Rie -- from shotas to tsunderes. her addicts are many.
Inoue Marina -- no model's face, but wide-ranging talents.
Chihara Minori -- became famous as Nagato Yuki. most active as a singer.
Koshimizu Ami -- became known by her strong performances.
Horie Yui -- past her peak, but with undimmed popularity.
Hikasa Youko -- got her break with K-On. aggressive performer and voice.
Hanazawa Kana -- despite some dead-voiced performances and a (blabbermouth) boyfriend, her real ability is helping her grow into Osawa Office's next ace.
Tomatsu Haruka -- she has real ability, but her agency over-promotes her, and she has many antis.
Yuuki Aoi -- began as a child actress. increased visibility since 2009 has her popularity shooting upward.
Itou Kanae -- Amu-chan (in Shugo Chara). won a new seiyuu award and is riding the wave.
Kitamura Eri -- many talents, wide acting range, and real ability. but her image is still weak.
Toyosaki Aki -- began to stand out in 2008. now one of the young seiyuus riding the wave.
Taketatsu Ayana -- got her break with K-On. I"m Enterprise's new weapon.
Iguchi Yuka -- got her break as Index. Osawa Office's new weapon, but not blessed with roles.
Kanemoto Hisako -- stood out in Sora no Woto. chosen to play Squid Girl this fall (a role Iguchi Yuka was expected to get). a new seiyuu riding the wave.
Gotou Saori -- still invisible.

Here are their photos, in the order listed (l-r):

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Amagami SS Character/Seiyuu Pics and Info

Not that Amagami SS looks like a classic, but the cast is good (Maeno Tomoaki, Nazuka Kaori, Yukana, Itou Shizuka, Asumi Kana, Satou Rina, etc.) and the mood and characters show promise.

And the writer/director, Hiraike Yoshimasa, wrote and directed last season's surprise hit comedy Working!!

The show is adapted from a dating game with romantic routes for several girls. It is compared to KimiKiss, which is by the same game company, Enterbrain. It feels to me as if it may do an interesting job of giving us the girls' stories. It appears that each of six heroines will have her relationship with the hero told in four episodes.

Click here or on the photo to go to a page with pics of each character and their seiyuu, and info about the seiyuu:

As an added bonus -- especially for me -- Hayami Saori has a role in episode one. What a beautiful voice, singing or speaking.

Seiyuu Endou Aya: Late-Blooming Beauty

Endou Aya 遠藤綾 got her big break in 2007, with the role of Miyuki in Lucky Star. But unlike many successful seiyuus, who are in their late teens or early twenties when they first make a name for themselves, she was already 27.

She was a late-bloomer, but she has made up for lost time with lots of strong roles in recent years. And not only is she one of the best seiyuus in Japan, in my opinion she may be the most beautiful (as opposed to "cute").

Here is a brief outline of her life and her work, with photos and video clips. (Click images to enlarge.)

Macross Frontier
Lucky Star was her big break, but the peak of her success was the role of Sheryl Nome in Macross Frontier. For that, she not only won the hearts of most otaku, she also won the Seiyuu Award for 2008 as best supporting actress.

And for good reason. The breathy warmth of her voice enveloped you, and she fully sold Sheryl's combination of strength, guile, affection, and despair.

Hanasakeru Seishounen
Sheryl was a great character, but she is not my favorite Aya-san character. That is Kajika Burnsworth in Hanasakeru Seishounen. Kajika is a boyish 16-year-old, the daughter of a billionaire, and she has been brought up alone on an island with a leopard as her constant companion. She herself is also like a leopard: wild, bold, innocent, and easily strong.

Aya-san has said that the role was very difficult for her to figure out, but that after a first episode in which she just acted "like an adult," she forgot about trying to push anything and simply reacted to the lines people said to her. Her performance is inconsistent -- as the script is, too -- but for me Kajika is one of the most memorable characters in anime. Aya gives her a clean energy that is so winning: complete purity of heart.

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