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For the retail company, see Seiyu Group. is a Japanese operator of Supermarkets shopping centers and Department stores In addition to its Japanese operations Seiyu also has department stores operating
Voice Animage, a magazine about all things seiyū.
Voice Animage, a magazine about all things seiyū. is a Japanese Anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978.

A seiyū, seiyuu or seiyu (声優?) is a Japanese vocal actor.

Seiyū work in radio, television, and movies; they perform voice-overs for non-Japanese movies; they provide narration; and they work as anime and video game character actors. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic (anime in Japanese, A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. A character actor is an Actor who predominantly plays a particular type of role rather than leading ones Conventional use among English-speaking fanatics is to use "seiyū" to refer to the Japanese actor and "vocal actor" when speaking of a character actor in a series translated into English. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States

Japan currently produces 60% of the animated series in the world. [1] Because the animation industry in Japan is so prolific, seiyū are able to achieve fame on a national level and are able to have full time careers performing voice-overs. Seiyū are able to take greater charge of their careers than character actors can in other countries. Japan also has institutions to support the career path, with around one hundred and thirty seiyū schools [2] and troupes of vocal actors that work for a specific broadcast company or talent agency.

Seiyū frequently branch into music, and many have also branched into live action film and television acting as well. They often attract their own appreciators and fanatics who will watch shows specifically in order to hear that actor or actress. Popular seiyū, especially female seiyū such as Kikuko Inoue, Megumi Hayashibara, and Aya Hisakawa, often have devoted fanatic clubs that have memberships from all over Earth. (her birth name is, pronounced the same as her stage name is a popular Japanese Seiyū (voice actress and Singer born on September 25, 1964 born March 30 1967 in Kita Tokyo, Japan is a popular Japanese Seiyū, lyricist Dj and singer

"CV" is a common notation used in Japanese publications to denote a "character voice" in one of the roles listed above. This term was first used in the 1980s in anime magazines such as Animec and Newtype. is a popular monthly Magazine publication originating from Japan, covering Anime and Manga (and to a lesser extent Tokusatsu, Japanese

Contents

Actors and seiyū

Initially, dubbing and doing voice-overs was nothing more than the performance of an actor who used only his voice. When doing this job, they would usually be called "voice actors" (声の俳優 koe no haiyū?). For convenience, the term was shortened to a new compound consisting of the first and last kanji to make seiyū (声優?). It was only after the seiyū booms however that this word became widespread. For this reason, elderly voice actors resent being called seiyū, because during their time the term had a different (and minimizing) connotation. For example, the renowned Chikao Ōtsuka, who dubbed Charles Bronson among others, was quoted in a special issue of Animage saying "We are actors. is an actor and Seiyū from Tokyo currently represented by Aoni Production. Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky, Lithuanian name Karolis Bučinskis, November 3, 1921 – August 30, Even if a performance only requires the use of our voice, we still remain actors, and it is therefore incorrect to refer to us as just voice actors, isn't it?". He was strongly opposed to the new trend of separating actors and seiyū, even in the face of emerging seiyū like Genzō Wakayama, who only learned how to act using their voice and never set foot in a theater. is a Japanese Actor, voice actor, and Disc jockey. Born on September 27[[ 932]] in Karafuto, he moved to Sapporo as a youth

There are three main causes that set seiyū and actors apart.

  1. Their professional upbringing by the Tokyo Broadcasting Drama Troupe (東京放送劇団 Tōkyō Hōsō Gekidan?), formed by NHK and other private networks during the golden age of radio dramas. or Japan Broadcasting Corporation, is Japan 's Public broadcaster.
  2. The increasing popularity of the television: due to the lack of Japan-made movies and dramas, TV networks were forced to air foreign shows, and that demand for seiyū raised exponentially.
  3. The boom in the anime world market, which produced a wave of young talents whose aim was to become a seiyū rather than an actor.

History

Voice acting has existed in Japan since the advent of radio. However, it was only in the 1970's that the term seiyū entered popular usage because of the enormously popular anime Space Battleship Yamato. is a Japanese Science fiction Anime series and the name of its eponymous space craft. According to a newspaper interview with a voice talent manager, "Since the Yamato boom, the word 'seiyū' has become instantly recognized, before that actors and actresses who introduced themselves as seiyū were often asked, 'You mean you work for Seiyu supermarket?'" [2]

The radio drama era

In 1925, the Tokyo Broadcasting Company (predecessor to the NHK, Japan's public broadcasting system) started radio broadcasts. is a Japanese operator of Supermarkets shopping centers and Department stores In addition to its Japanese operations Seiyu also has department stores operating or Japan Broadcasting Corporation, is Japan 's Public broadcaster. In that same year twelve students who were specializing in voice-only performances became the first voice actors in Japan when a performance of a radio drama was broadcast. They referred to themselves as seiyū, but in those days the term "radio actor" (ラジオ役者 radio yakusha?) was used by newspapers to refer to the profession.

The next era began in 1941 when the NHK opened a training program to the public in order to prepare actors to specialize in radio dramas. This was called the "Tokyo Central Broadcasting Channel Actor Training Agency" (東京中央放送局専属劇団俳優養成所 Tōkyō Chūō Hōsō Kyoku Senzoku Gekidan Haiyū Yōsei Sho?). Then in 1942 the Tokyo Broadcasting Drama Troupe debuted its first performance. This was the second time that the term "seiyū" was used to refer to voice actors and from this time on, this word was used.

There are several theories as to how the term "seiyū" was coined. One theory is that Oyhashi Tokusaburo, a reporter for the Yoimuri Newspaper, coined the term. Another theory is that Tatsu Ooka, an entertainment programming managing producer for the NHK came up with the term.

At first, seiyū, like those at the Tokyo Radio Drama Troupe and similar companies specialized in only radio dramas; however, with the advent of television, the term took on the additional meaning of one who does dubbing for animation. Television broadcasting aside, when radio was the leading mass medium, actors who played in radio dramas were not without their fans; for example, actors in the Nagoya Radio Drama troupe who played the lead love interest roles often received many fan letters.

1960s: First seiyū boom period

In 1961, during the early days of commercial television broadcasting, the Five-Company Agreement (Gosha Agreement) caused the supply of Japanese movies that were available to Japanese television stations to dry up. The was an agreement signed 1953 September 10 between five major Japanese entertainment companies ( Shochiku, Toho, Daiei, Shin-Toho As a result, in the 1960s many foreign dramas and other foreign programming was imported and dubbed into Japanese language for television broadcast.

At first, the NHK subtitled most foreign shows; however, shows dubbed in the Japanese language soon became the standard. This increased the popularity of seiyū. At the center of the first seiyū boom were actors like Nachi Nozawa, who gained fame by repeatedly dubbing the same foreign actors, in Nozawa's case Alain Delon, Robert Redford, and Clint Eastwood. ( January 13, 1938 -) is a male Seiyū, Actor, and director from Tokyo. Alain Delon (born 8 November 1935) is a César Award -winning French Actor. Charles Robert Redford Jr (born August 18 1936) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, Actor, Clinton "Clint" Eastwood Jr (born May 31 1930 is a four-time Academy Award winning American Actor and Filmmaker. Because of problems with pay guarantees arising from the Gosha Agreement, cinema actors were prevented from dubbing foreign movies for television. Television actors were also prevented from dubbing because of a similar agreement. This caused studios to turn to actors from the radio age and actors from the Shingeki style of acting. Around this time dubbing of foreign animation was done by Rakugo story tellers, Asakusa comedians, and the like, and seiyū were called "dubbing talents" if they specialized in dubbing, while those giving voice to a character went under the name of "ateshi". Rakugo (落語 literally "fallen words" is a Japanese verbal entertainment is a district in Taitō Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the Bodhisattva Kannon. It is during this golden age for dubbing that the Tokyo Actors Cooperative Haikyo was founded. The, also known as, is a talent management agency which represents a fair number of Seiyū. Later, Haikyo seiyū managers left and opened their own management agencies.

The first dubbed show broadcast in Japan was an episode of the American cartoon Superman, on October 9, 1955, on KRT (today TBS), and the first non-animated dubbed show broadcast was Cowboy G-Men, again by KRT, in 1956. The Superman Animated cartoons, commonly but somewhat erroneously known as the " Fleischer Superman cartoons " were a series of seventeen animated Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) For other uses see TBS. ( or TBS, is a Television network in Tokyo, Japan. Both were dubbed live; the first show to be broadcasted with pre-recorded dubbing was The Adventures of Television Boy (テレビ坊やの冒険 Terebi Bōya no Bōken?) on April 8, 1956. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

1970s: Second seiyū boom period

During the late 1970s, the boom in the animation world allowed seiyū of particularly attractive male anime characters to become extremely popular. Akira Kamiya, Tōru Furuya and Toshio Furukawa were the first to unite into a band, Slapstick, and perform live. is a veteran Seiyū who was born in Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama. is a veteran narrator and Seiyū ( Voice actor) born on July 31, 1953 in Isogo-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, is a veteran Seiyū who was born on July 16, 1946 in Tochigi. Slapstick was a punk-ska fusion band formed in Chicago by a group of friends from the Elgin area Many other seiyū released their own albums. In 1979 radio programs featuring seiyū as DJs such as Animetopia became widely popular, and at around the same time the first anime magazines began to be published. A disc jockey (also known as DJ or deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience The then editor-in-chief of Animage, Hideo Ogata, was the first to publish editorials on the ongoing transformation of seiyū into idols. is a Japanese Anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. is a producer and planner in Japan. He was also the founding editor of Animage magazine the second largest anime and Manga magazine in Japan and the In Japanese culture refers to mostly female media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly cute and pretty and who will for a period Following his lead, the other magazines created "seiyū corners" with information and gossip about seiyū every new issue: this was one of the main causes of young anime fans yearning to become seiyū. This led to a sudden increase in the number of students in seiyū specialized schools, which also grew in number and began to specialize in single fields. For the first time, anime seiyū were young people who grew up dreaming to become exactly that, as opposed to being members of drama troupes or theatre actors who performed as a hobby. This boom lasted roughly until the first half of the 1980s.

1980s: An interim period

In 1989 the seiyū of the five main stars of the animated television show Ronin Warriors (Nozomu Sasaki, Takeshi Kusao, Hiroshi Takemura, Tomohiro Nishimura and Daiki Nakamura) formed an all-male singing group called "NG5". Ronin Warriors is the English version of the Japanese Anime Television series. is a Seiyū who was born January 25, 1967 in Hiroshima. He is a client of the seiyū management firm 81 Produce. is a Seiyū who was born on November 20, 1965 in Saitama. He works for Aoni Production. is a Seiyū born on October 24, 1953 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an alumnus of the theatrical troupe Gekidan Baraza, which is directed is a Seiyū, Actor, and Singer-songwriter born on February 2, 1961 in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan. is a Seiyū, a Japanese vocal actor who was born in Tokyo. He is a member of 81 Produce. The group became popular, to the extent that it was featured as the subject of a special documentary program on MBS. The atypical popularity of NG5, however, did not spread to other seiyū groups.

In this period seiyū production companies also began to provide specialized courses at on-site training schools specifically for training in animation dubbing.

1990s: Third seiyū boom period

The 1960s and 1970s booms were centered mainly around general public types of media, such as the TV. In the 1990s a new boom centered around more personal ways of communication, such as radio shows, Original Video Animation, television quizzes, public events and the Internet, gave way to the publication of the first seiyū-specialized magazines, Seiyū Grand Prix and Voice Animage. abbreviated (and sometimes as OAV) is a term originating from Japanese animation ( Anime) for animated films and series which are made specially to be is a Japanese Anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Seiyū acquired a score of new fans thanks to the radio, and their CD sale figures increased drastically. Concerts began to be held in the bigger halls. While the second boom also saw the seiyū become popular as DJs, this time the recording houses backed the seiyū radio shows as sponsors, and large sums of money began to circulate. Megumi Hayashibara, Hekiru Shiina and Mariko Kōda are the first examples of this new trend. born March 30 1967 in Kita Tokyo, Japan is a popular Japanese Seiyū, lyricist Dj and singer Hekiru Shiina (椎名 へきる Shiina Hekiru, born March 12, 1974) is a professional Seiyū and J-pop singer who was born in (sometimes romanized Mariko Kouda) is a Seiyū, J-Pop Singer and radio personality born on September 5, 1969 in Miyashiro Recording companies and seiyū forming schools began to devise new ways to raise young seiyū to nation-wide popularity, another radical change from the previous booms and one of the cornerstones of the ongoing transformation from seiyū to idol.

When voice acting was introduced in television games, the existence of seiyū became known throughout the entire country. As a consequence, the same seiyū would perform in a series of events related to the television game world, making appearances and participating to radio programs based on the television games to attract the fanbase.

In the second half of the 1990s, the boom in the animation world led to the sudden increase of anime shown in the Tokyo area. With the newly acquired ability to connect to the Internet, gathering information on their favourite seiyū became very easy for fans, and seiyū began to appear in Internet-based radio shows. Rather than just the spur of the moment, these changes appear to have become solidly established.

Five ways to become a seiyū

By looking at the career of today's most popular seiyū, the vast majority of them became famous treading one of the following five paths.

From Broadcasting Drama Troupe member

Trained by Broadcasting Drama Troupes, they specialized in roles requiring voice acting other than announcing, particularly radio drama acting.

Former members of the Tokyo Broadcasting Drama Troupe include Ryō Kurusawa, Kazue Takahashi, Masato Yamanouchi, Hisashi Katsuta, Akira Nagoya and Kiyoshi Kawakubo. was a female seiyuu who was born on March 20, 1929 in Tochigi, Japan. Masato Yamanouchi (山内 雅人 Yamanouchi Masato) ( April 3, 1929 - April 7, 2003) was a Seiyū who died on April

Examples of seiyū coming from privately funded drama troupes are Tōru Ōhira and Tadashi Nakamura from the Tokyo Radio Broadcasting Drama Troupe (ラジオ東京放送劇団 Rajio Tōkyō Hōsō Gekidan?)), Junpei Takiguchi, Nobuo Tanaka, Mariko Mukai. ( September 24, 1929 -) is a male Actor and Seiyū from the Tokyo Metropolitan area ( April 17, 1931 -) is a male Seiyū and Narrator from Chiba Prefecture.

Local broadcasting stations also helped many seiyū in the early stages of their careers, before the television age and the advent of foreign drama series concentrated most of the seiyū business in the Tokyo area. Some examples include the aforementioned Genzō Wakayama from NHK's Sapporo Broadcasting Drama Troupe (札幌放送劇団 Sapporo Hōsō Gekidan?), Kenji Utsumi from NHK's Kyūshū Broadcasting Drama Troupe (九州放送劇団 Kyūshū Hōsō Gekidan?)) and Jōji Yanami from RKB's Mainichi Broadcasting Drama Troupe (毎日放送劇団 Mainichi Hōsō Gekidan?)). is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an ( August 26, 1937 -) is a Japanese Actor and Seiyū from Kitakyūshū, affiliated with the self-founded Ken Production. or Kyushu is the third-largest Island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. born on August 30, 1931 in Tokyo, is a veteran Seiyuu. He is currently represented by Aoni Production. RKB Mainichi Broadcasting Corporation (RKB毎日放送株式会社is a broadcasting station in Fukuoka, Japan, and it is affiliated with Japan Radio Network

From child actor

Some seiyū are talented middle-school children who joined juvenile theatrical companies (Himawari Company, Komadori Group) and honed their acting skills with them, then took up a career as full-time seiyū after graduating from high school.

The first to follow this path include Ryūsei Nakao, Tōru Furuya, Shūichi Ikeda, Yoku Shioya, Hiromi Tsuru, Miina Tominaga and Katsumi Toriumi (the first two debuting while still in middle-school but continuing only after graduating). (born February 5, 1951) is a Japanese Actor, Singer, and Seiyū affiliated with 81 Produce. is a veteran narrator and Seiyū ( Voice actor) born on July 31, 1953 in Isogo-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, is a veteran Seiyū born on December 2, 1949 in Tokyo, Japan. Yoku Shioya (塩屋翼 Shioya Yoku born June 24, 1958 in Kagoshima, Japan, has been a voice actor since the age of 14 debuting is a veteran Japanese voice actress from Kanagawa Prefecture. is a Japanese Seiyū from Hiroshima. In 1999 she married fellow seiyū Kazuki Yao but later they divorced is a Japanese Seiyū from Saitama Prefecture. He works at Production Baobab Voice Roles Zack Taylor in the Japanese dub of Mighty

More recent seiyū include Daisuke Namikawa, Maaya Sakamoto, Mayumi Iizuka, Akeno Watanabe, Saeko Chiba, Yūka Nanri, Kaori Nazuka. is a Seiyū who is affiliated with Across Entertainment. His blood type is B is a female Japanese Seiyū and singer who made her debut in 1996 as the voice of Hitomi Kanzaki in the hit Anime series The Vision of Escaflowne is a Japanese Seiyū and J-pop singer who was born in Tokyo and grown up in Taiwan and Yokohama. Akeno Watanabe (渡辺 明乃 Watanabe Akeno, born November 18, 1982) is a Seiyū born in Funabashi Chiba. is a prolific Japanese Seiyū and Singer, born on August 26 1977 in Hachinohe, Aomori. commonly referred to as '''YUUKA''', is a Seiyū and also a known Japanese pop singer is a female Freelance Seiyū and singer She is a graduate of the Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music

There have been cases of young people who started appearing in seiyū roles while still in middle-school. Miyu Irino, Eri Sendai, Ayaka Saitō, Aya Hirano, Subaru Kimura and Miyū Tsuzurahara are a few examples. ( February 19, 1988 -) is a Japanese voice actor born in Tokyo. is a Japanese female Seiyū who is represented by Haikyo Profile Blood type AB Height 1 is a Seiyū who voiced Momiji Sohma in Fruits Basket, Tomoka Rana Jude in Girls Bravo, and Mitsukuni Haninozuka in from Aichi Prefecture, Japan, is a Seiyū and J-pop Singer who has had roles in several Anime, Visual novels and is a Seiyū and Child actress who is affiliated with Gekidan Himawari.

From theatre actor

Sometimes theatre actors, whether they be in high school, specialization schools, university or having just graduated, are scouted by people in the anime industry to become seiyū. This happens to actors affiliated with the major Shingeki theatre companies, which include the Bungaku Company, the Seinen Company, the Troupe Pleiades, the Theatrical Group EN and Theatre Echo. Actors performing in minor theatres may sometimes be spotted by the theatre's sound production staff or by managers affiliated with seiyū management agencies. It is also common for actors affiliated with seiyū-led theatre companies, such as Nachi Nozawa's Rose Company or Kaneta Kimotsuki's 21st Century Fox Company, to become seiyū themselves. ( January 13, 1938 -) is a male Seiyū, Actor, and director from Tokyo. born November 15, 1935, is a veteran Seiyū who was born in Kagoshima.

To name a few, Romi Paku, spotted by animation creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, Fumiko Orikasa, graduated from the Super Eccentric Theatre, and talents discovered in local college theatre groups by Kazuya Tatekabe: Sanae Kobayashi, Gō Aoba, Tetsu Shiratori, Akino Murata and Rieko Takahashi. Romi Paku or Park Romi (born January 22, 1972) is a Japanese actress and Seiyū of Korean descent. is a Japanese Anime creator director screenwriter and novelist is a Seiyū and Singer. She is represented by the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society. born July 25, 1934 in Kimobetsu Hokkaidō, is a vetaran Seiyuu. ( January 26, 1980 -) is a female Seiyū who was born in Shizuoka. is a Seiyū. Notable voice roles Anime Blue Dragon ( Deathroy) Boogiepop Phantom (Yasushi Sanada

Worthy of note is Hitomi Nabatame's career. is a Japanese Seiyū. She is affiliated with Ken Production. She currently broadcasts a long-running radio show with fellow seiyū Shizuka Itō. Shortly after entering the Dorikan Club, a group of seiyū in the making, part of the aniradio program SOMETHING DREAMS Multimedia Countdown (SOMETHING DREAMS マルチメディアカウントダウン SOMETHING DREAMS Maruchimedia Kauntodaun?, shortened to ドリカン Dorikan) on radio station Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, she showed so much potential that she earned herself a role in Maburaho right after graduating from the seiyū training school she was attending, while also performing as theatre actress. is a Japanese Radio station in Tokyo which broadcasts to the Kanto area is a romantic school comedy Light novel series written by Toshihiko Tsukiji illustrated by Eeji Komatsu and serialized in Gekkan Dragon Magazine.

From seiyū training school student

Many seiyū made their debut after attending seiyū training schools for several years after graduating from high school, specialization schools or university, or even just between school terms, and learnt the trade by observation. This is the path most young people who watch anime and want to become a seiyū take. This is probably the easiest path at its beginning, but breakthrough chances are very slim. For example, each school affiliated with the Yoyogi Animation Academy has a seiyū talent department with hundreds of new students each year, but only a very small minority of them manage to become a seiyū after graduating. Many who do not make it enter a different seiyū training school and try again.

People who made it in the past include Megumi Hayashibara, Kōichi Yamadera, Kikuko Inoue, Kotono Mitsuishi and Toshiyuki Morikawa. born March 30 1967 in Kita Tokyo, Japan is a popular Japanese Seiyū, lyricist Dj and singer ( June 17, 1961 -) is a Japanese Seiyū, Actor and Tarento from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. (her birth name is, pronounced the same as her stage name is a popular Japanese Seiyū (voice actress and Singer born on September 25, 1964 (born December 8, 1967) is a prolific Japanese Seiyū ( Voice actress) from Tokyo. ( January 26, 1967 -) is a prolific Japanese male Seiyū from Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture affiliated with Arts Vision. More recent examples are Ai Shimizu, Rie Tanaka, Yukari Tamura, Mai Nakahara and Kenichi Suzumura. is a Japanese Seiyū (voice actress and singer She is employed by 81 Produce. born January 3, 1979 in Sapporo Hokkaidō, Japan) is a singer and voice actress ( Seiyū) born on February 27 1976 in Fukuoka, is a popular Japanese singer and voice actress ( Seiyū) who works for I'm Enterprise. is a Seiyū. She is employed by I'm Enterprise. Some of her hobbies include cooking and watching movies and she is skilled at Kendo. is a male Seiyū from Osaka Prefecture, currently affiliated with Arts Vision.

Some young talents became seiyū after winning nation-wide contests held by magazines or production companies (although they still usually had to attend seiyū training schools after winning the contest to learn the trade). Winners include Asami Sanada, Masumi Asano, Yui Horie, Miyuki Sawashiro and Sakura Nogawa. is a Japanese Seiyū, best known as the voices of Vita in the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha series Jun Sakurada in Rozen Maiden, and born August 25, 1977, is a Seiyū who was born in Noshiro Akita. is a popular Japanese singer and voice actress. Horie's real name is, and she is sometimes affectionately nicknamed by her Japanese fans was born on June 2, 1985 in Tokyo, she is a Seiyū who works for Mausu Promotion. is a Seiyū born in Toyohashi Aichi on March 1, 1978. Her height is 153 cm and her weight is 54 kg

From a different role in the entertainment world

Junko Iwao and Noriko Hidaka are examples of idols who later took up seiyū roles (the latter having some experience as a child actress). is a Seiyū who has also released several CD Albums as a J-pop singer real name, Maiden name is a Seiyū, or Voice actor. Hidaka is most known for the roles of Minami Asakura ( Touch) Akane Tendo ( Ranma In Japanese culture refers to mostly female media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly cute and pretty and who will for a period Former "gravure idols" (bikini models) who made a breakthrough as seiyū include Marina Ōno, Ryōka Yuzuki and Chiemi Chiba. are Japanese models who primarily pose in Bikinis Leotards and other provocative clothing for photo spreads in magazines and photobooks aimed largely at men Marina Ōno (大野まりな Ōno Marina; born April 5, 1972 in Hiroshima, Japan) is a Japanese voice actress. Ryōka Yuzuki (柚木 涼香 Yuzuki Ryōka, born January 10, 1974) is a Seiyū who was born in Anjo, Aichi, Japan Chiemi Chiba ( Chiba Chiemi, 千葉千恵巳 born 25 February 1975) is a Seiyū (voice actress J-Pop singer and former gravure Yumi Kakazu and Yuki Matsuoka are two former reporters turned seiyū. (born under the kanji 嘉数 由美) ( June 18, 1973 -) is a female Seiyū from Kamifukuoka Saitama (now Fujimino Saitama) --> Yuki Matsuoka (松岡 由貴 Matsuoka Yuki, born September 13, 1970) is a Seiyū from the Retired owarai sometimes made a comeback as seiyū, like Yūko Saitō. is a broad word used to describe Japanese Comedy as seen on Television. Yūichi Nagashima was very popular as an actor in the role of "Chō", the main character in NHK Educational Channel's Exploring My Town (たんけんぼくのまち Tanken Boku no Machi?)). Masakazu Morita and Mayuko Aoki, both debuted as the lead characters of Final Fantasy X, are motion actors for video games turned seiyu. is a Seiyū and Actor born on October 21, 1972, in Tokyo, Japan. born December 17, 1975 in Kochi Prefecture, Japan, is a Japanese Voice actress ( Seiyū) who has worked on several Anime is a Console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) and the tenth installment in the Final Fantasy series Tokusatsu actors/actresses also took seiyu roles before or after their careers in Tokusatsu. is a Japanese word that literally means " Special effects " It is primarily used to refer to Live-action Japanese Film and Examples are the late Machiko Soga, Tsutomu Isobe, Jouji Nakata, Rikiya Koyama, Reiko Chiba, Hiroshi Tsuchida, Yuji Kishi, Masaya Matsukaze, Takeru Shibaki and Mika Kikuchi. was a Japanese voice actor and actress Her mother died when she was a child she was raised by her father is a Japanese actor and Seiyū. Roles Tokusatsu Mahou Sentai Magiranger as Wolzard (Voice/Blagel (Voice/Isamu Ozu is a male Japanese voice actor, born in the Metropolitan area of Tokyo, Japan. is a Japanese Actor and Seiyū who is a member of Haiyuza Theatre Company. is a Japanese actress, Seiyu and occasional J-Pop singer She was part of the J-Pop group Aurora Gonin Musume. is a Seiyū and Actor who was born on February 8, 1972 in the city of Tokyo. ( September 28, 1970 -) is a Japanese actor and Seiyū from Tokyo, Japan affiliated with Mausu Promotion. Roles Spider-Man 3 (video game (VG: as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man (Japanese Voice Dub (2007 Spider-Man Mika Kikuchi (菊地 美香 Kikuchi Mika) born on 16 December[[ 983]] in Misato Saitama, Japan, is a Japanese Actress and Seiyū

Substance of the job

Voice-over and dubbing

This is the core of the seiyū's job: speaking a role and recording it.

Anime

A seiyū's role in anime consists of timing the recording of their character's voice with the picture on the screen. Before completing the recording of the role, there are two different methods of prescoring. In Japan, the most popular method is to perform the dubbing after the animation has already been completed (although, depending on the production schedule, the dubbing may be recorded before all of the animation is complete).

In order to keep to the limits of the production budget, less well-known and younger seiyū are often used. However, for original video animation and fan-oriented productions and products, famous seiyū are often used as a selling point. abbreviated (and sometimes as OAV) is a term originating from Japanese animation ( Anime) for animated films and series which are made specially to be

Dubbing into Japanese

In the case of foreign dramas, movies, animated cartoons, news and documentaries, the localization voice-over requires more exact timing in relation to what appears on the screen. In order to perform voice-overs, the volume of the original language voice track is lowered, leaving only a faint sound remaining. Voice-over work is primarily performed for news and original foreign dramas. Auditions are held in order to determine who will take on the various roles, and popularity rankings can play a large role to determine who is employed.

Video games

Unlike in anime or dubbing roles, in a video game the voice tracks are often recorded separately due to the way individual voice tracks are selected and played depending on a player's progress. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. Typically a seiyū uses a script with only a single part's lines and matches it to the timing of the recording. Because of this, many collaborating seiyū in a production have never seen each other in person. Popularity rankings may play a role in video game casting, but it is also possible to negotiate fees when a client requests a particular cast.

Radio drama or CD drama

With a radio drama or CD drama there is more freedom given in voicing because there is no need to match a dub to the original actors, or to match an animated character. Radio drama is a form of audio storytelling broadcast on radio. Because of this a seiyū's particular interpretation of an act or acting ability are considered. If the drama is based on an anime or manga then the seiyū from the anime are used. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly However, original drama or works based on literature rarely employ typical seiyū or younger seiyū. Auditions are rarely employed, and the cast is directly selected by the production staff.

Puppet and kigurumi shows

In puppet shows, the seiyū must time the voice-over in relation to the puppet movements. A puppet is a representational figure manipulated by a Puppeteer. While timing is of the essence in kigurumi shows as well, in this case the seiyū's voice acting is recorded beforehand, and it is left to the kigurumi entertainer to move and act based on the spoken lines. is the Japanese name for Costumed animal characters The name comes from the Japanese verb and noun.

Narration

Seiyū are also commonly employed as narrators in radio and television commercials, radio and television programs, press release videos and other kinds of media that require the voice actor to read text that clarifies what the program is about from a script. A narrator (or the extremely rarely used female equivalent narratress) is within any story (literary work movie play verbal account etc A television advertisement or television commercial (often just commercial or advert (US or ad (UK is a span of television programming produced A news release, media release, press release or press statement is a written or recorded Communication directed at members of the News Even though the narration role falls within a seiyū's area of expertise, it is not uncommon for popular regular actors, young talents or announcers to be chosen instead. An announcer is a Voice actor who works in Television, Radio or Film, usually providing Narrations News updates Station The fee is proportional to the popularity of the person employed, and veterans are usually preferred for this role due to the high acting ability it requires. Candidates are required to send a short sample recording as a demonstration, and these samples play a large part in the selection process.

Theatre acting

It is not uncommon for Shingeki actors and actors performing in small theatres to take a voice acting course in specialized schools and become seiyū, considering the small difference between actor and seiyū. Those who successfully become seiyū sometimes take stage acting roles of their own choosing, and the seiyū's agency takes no part unless the theatre management requires it.

Singing

Goddess Family Club
Goddess Family Club

Some seiyū branch into music, releasing albums in their own name and becoming full-time singers, although this is not considered to be strictly part of a seiyū's job. The Goddess Family Club is a Seiyū trio consisting of Oh My Goddess! voice cast mates Kikuko Inoue (as Belldandy) Aya Hisakawa

However, it has become common for seiyū to sing the opening or closing themes of shows in which their character stars, or participate in non-animated side projects such as audio dramas (involving the same characters in new storylines) or image songs (songs sung in character that are not included in the anime but further develop the character), releasing CDs in the character's name rather than their own. Sometimes the singing style of an anime character is quite different from that of the seiyū, and tracks sung using the style of the character are often included in CDs the seiyū release in their own name. This made singing a central activity for many seiyū, especially the ones who do voice-overs for anime characters.

The limitations imposed on singer seiyū by their recording companies are also less strict than the ones imposed on regular singers. This allows seiyū to release CDs in their character's name with different companies.

Radio personality

Radio talks (so called aniradio) further extend seiyū popularity. Initially the vast majority was aired by local broadcast stations only, but after the communication boom of the 1990s the metropolitan radio stations began to also employ them. While such programs last only as long as the anime or game is popular (usually no more than one year), some aired for over ten years due to their popularity among fans, who regard radio talks as a way to get to know the seiyū as human beings rather than just voices for the characters they play.

Lately, due to lower costs and the increase in the number of listeners, more and more of these radio talks are hosted on the Internet. The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks

Other jobs

Apart from other performances related to the characters they play, such as press conferences, anime news programs or interviews, seiyū are also hired for company-internal training videos, supermarket announcements, bus route information broadcasts, ring announcers for professional wrestling and other fighting disciplines, and even train station route announcements - tasks usually performed by professional announcers, even though the seiyū's employment or name are not always made public. A news conference or press conference is a Media event in which newsmakers invite journalists to hear them speak and most often ask questions Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good Wrestling is the act of physical engagement between two people in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over or control of the opponent |}A train station, railway station, railroad station, or station yard is a facility at which Passengers may board and alight from Trains

Agencies and management

Relations between seiyū and music, movie and anime companies in Japan are regulated by seiyū management agencies, each with its specialization. In exchange for a fee from the seiyū, they take care of all the business affairs and sales promotions. These agencies can also act as a bridge between entertainment companies and private agencies the seiyū may be affiliated with. Sometimes the producers leave it to the agencies to recruit seiyū for minor roles, or handle their schedule. A seiyū's job opportunities are usually tied to the particular agency they choose, even if they're extremely popular as anime seiyū. For example, it is unlikely they will get dubbing roles if their agency is not specialized in that particular field.

Some examples of agencies and their specializations:

Seiyū for child roles are often selected from renowned juvenile theatrical companies, such as the Troupe Himawari. or Japan Broadcasting Corporation, is Japan 's Public broadcaster. is a Seiyū, or voice talent management firm in Japan. The company's Director of Business Development Rihoko The, also known as, is a talent management agency which represents a fair number of Seiyū.

See also

References

  1. ^ Frederick, Jim (2003). Voice Foley refers to the non-talking Foley, or sound effects, that a voice actor makes to enhance a performance Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters (including those in feature films television series animated shorts and Video games) and What's Right with Japan. Time Asia. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Retrieved on 2007-06-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering
  2. ^ a b Terumitsu Otsu and Mary Kennard. "The art of voice acting", The Daily Yomiuri, April 27, 2002, p. Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.  11.  

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