Recognizing seiyuu voices?

Keropi · Post by **Keropi** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 10:37 am

1. Do you recognize seiyuu voices when you hear them or do their voices kind of blend together to you? I know a lot of anime fans don't think about such things voice actor names, etc.

2. Who are some of the voice actors you frequently recognize when you hear them in an anime?

3. What were some of the earlier roles you heard them in (or the earliest if you can remember it) that helped you to recognize of their voice when you heard them?

My incomplete list:

Ayako Kawasumi -- as Akari in To Heart TV series
Mamiko Noto ------- as Ai in Jigoku Shoujo TV series
Haruka Tomatsu --- as Nagi in Kannagi
Mai Nakahara ------ as Mai in Mai Hime
Yui Horie ------------ as Ayu in Kanon (2002)
Miyuki Sawashiro -- as Shinku in Rozen Maiden TV series
Yuko Goto ---------- as Hiyori in the Giniro game Mizuiro omake segment in 2001/2002
Aya Hirano --------- as Haruhi in Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Kana Ueda --------- as Honami in Rental Magica
Jouji Nakata -------- as Alucard in Hellsing TV series
Koyasu Takehito --- a Hotohori in Fushigi Yuugi TV and as Hanagata in Saber Marionette J TV series

jcaliff · Post by **jcaliff** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 3:30 pm

1. It depends. Some voice actors are instantly recognizable to me no matter what role they play. (In western animation, people like Rob Paulson or Patrick Warburton). Others seem to have "generic" voices that don't stand out.

2&3

Megumi Hayashibara - God, what wasn't she in? earliest probably Ranma 1/2
Kappei Yamaguchi - also Ranma 1/2
Toshihiko Seki - Gundam W
Tomokazu Seki - Fushigi Yugi
Mayumi Tanaka - Dragon Ball, but jeez she was also all over the place
Minami Takayama - Detective Conan
Ryo Horikawa - Galactic Heroes, which I was a fan of long before I started watching Dragon Ball Z

These are the roles where I started to pay attention to the actor, not that I hadn't heard them before. I would start to notice them in the olders shows later, like Tanaka and Takayama in their respective Ghibli films.

zerospace · Post by **zerospace** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 3:45 pm

While I cannot often name names, I do tend to recognize voices that sound similar from anime to anime, whether they are English or Japanese-speaking. I usually will associate the voices with the last character I heard that voice for ... rather than the VA's name

.

Penguinton · Post by **Penguinton** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 3:57 pm

1) Well I usually watch dubbed anime. I'm rarely watching seiyuu actors to begin with. So to me most of the voices blend together. Although there are of course a few VA's that stick out when I hear them.

Sumi Shimamoto- Nausicaa
Yoshiko Sakakibara- Nausicaa/Sailor Moon
Kotono Mitsuishi-Sailor Moon

So yeah I could only think of three.

And all from series I watch way too much.

syan · Post by **syan** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:10 pm

Koyasu Takehito (FY-Hotohori)

Sylia · Post by **Sylia** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:58 pm

Yoshiko Sakakibara- Nausicaa/Sailor Moon

I *love* that you mentioned Yoshiko Sakakibara XD! She's my favourite XD. Her Patlabor work was awesome, but I first heard her in Bubblegum Crisis. I was quite surprised because she had actually voiced a lot of characters I liked when I first watched anime, but I hadn't actually heard her version of them until I got the DVDs years later and watched the series in the original language. (She also played Sybel in Black Magic M-66, Lady Karura-Oh in RG Veda, Kinoshita in You're Under Arrest, the Prime Minister in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and was due to play the Puppetmaster in the CG enhanced update of Ghost in the Shell to name but a few). Her voice is very distinctive. I also think her singing voice is gorgeous, and I really wish she'd released a whole CD ^^;.

Other seiyuu... quite a lot of them but a few who really stick out (i.e. I can name two or more roles of theirs):

Yuu Asakawa - Priss (Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040), Nagi Kirima (Boogiepop Phantom)
Rica Fukami - Sailor Venus (Sailor Moon), Fran (Final Fantasy XII), Myung Fang Lone (Macross Plus)
Kotono Mitsushi - Sailor Moon, Misato Katsuragi (EVA)
Michie Tomizawa - Linna (Bubblegum Crisis), Sailor Mars
Emi Shinohara - B-KO (Project A-KO), Sailor Jupiter

Some voices are very distinctive, but others I don't recognise initially until I see them on the credits.. then it's a nice surprise

. I watch a lot of dubs as well though. I tend to watch the original language version whenever I get a new DVD, but I have plenty of favourite dubs from my Japanese language-starved days. Some voices do sound a bit more generic and blend together, both in Japanese and English language tracks. Half relatedly, I think a lot of modern dubs lack something due to the studios now going for a certain 'sound' all the time, although I have some dub actors I really like as well...

Keropi · Post by **Keropi** » Fri May 01, 2009 1:15 pm

Yeah, some voices are distinctive while others are not.

I like Romi Paku, but I often don't recognize her when she's voicing male characters (Edward in Fullmetal Alchemist, etc). I usually don't pay as much attention to male character's voices. I can recognize her voice a lot easier when she's voicing a violent female character.

I like Rie Tanaka, but unless her character sounds like Suigintou I can't tell it's her.

Kana Ueda is frequently cast as character's speaking in Kansai-ben (Honami in Rental Magica, Midori in Telepathy Shoujo Ran, etc.). I have harder time recognizing her without the accent.

Aya Hirano is a lot easier to recognize when she's hyper (Nanael in Queen's Blade, Kaoru in Zettai Karen Children, Misa in Death Note, Haruhi in Melancholy of Haruhi) than when she's not (Chiko in Daughter of Twenty Faces).

Jouji Nakata (Alucard in Hellsing) is pretty easy to recognize. His voice is so distinctive and low. Yui Horie sticks out. Koyasu Takehito sticks out. Yuko Goto sticks out. Mamiko Noto sticks out.

Some others I can usually pick out when I hear them are:

Jun Fukuyama -- after hearing him as Lelouch in Code Geass (comedy and drama -- he plays both genres a lot)
Miki Itou -- after hearing her as Asa in Shuffle
Akira Kamiya -- after hearing him as Ryo in City Hunter and as Mitaka in Maison Ikkoku
Rie Kugimiya -- after hearing her as Shana in Shakugan no Shana.

duotrouble · Post by **duotrouble** » Fri May 01, 2009 6:18 pm

I know the Japanese VAs by name and character but I don't recognize their voices. Now, English VAs I can pick out their voices in a heartbeat. Even the very talented ones who disguise their voices well still have certain pitches and tones I can hear. I can't hear that in Japanese, probably because it isn't my native tongue.

Scott McNeil and Sam Vincent both have nicknames like "man of 1,000 voices" because they are very talented in disguising their voices. However, I can nail their voices almost 100% of the time.

Scott McNeil: (a few)
Kouga - Inuyasha
Duo - Gundam Wing
Ace - Krypto
Stork/Repton - Storm Hawks
Ali Al - Gundam 00
Piccolo - Dragon Ball Z
Jetfire - Transformers
Jajuka - Vision of Escaflowne

Sam Vincent: (a few)
Athrun - Gundam Seed
Aerrow/Dark Ace - Storm Hawks
Edd - Ed, Edd N Eddy
Krypto - Krypto
Hikaru - Hikaru no Go
Gevanni - Death Note

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Fri May 01, 2009 6:18 pm

Why now? I like the English language.

Titania · Post by **Titania** » Fri May 01, 2009 6:59 pm

Keropi wrote:1. Do you recognize seiyuu voices when you hear them or do their voices kind of blend together to you? I know a lot of anime fans don't think about such things voice actor names, etc.

Yep. I'm a seiyuu nut. To the point I go to Japan specifically for seiyuu events. ^_^

2. Who are some of the voice actors you frequently recognize when you hear them in an anime?

Mmm, lots, to be honest. Well, lots of male seiyuu. The ones I can generally spot from a mile away:

Okiayu Ryoutarou, Koyasu Takehito, Miki Shin'ichirou, Morikawa Toshiyuki, Midorikawa Hikaru, Fukuyama Jun, Hiyama Noboyuki, Itou Kentarou, Hidenobu Kiuchi, Onosaka Masaya, Seki Toshihiko, Suwabe Junichi, Sugita Tomokazu, Hayami Sho, Inoue Kazuhiko.... (then there's those I know by their singing voices more -- Taniyama Kishou, Miyano Mamoru, Ono Daisuke)

There's others I can generally pick up, but not always. And ... I'm awful with female seiyuu, unless they're playing male roles -- Romi Paku, Kaida Yuki, Minagawa Junko and Saiga Mistuki I can pick up pretty well. Paku I can almost get when she's playing female roles. Almost.

3. What were some of the earlier roles you heard them in (or the earliest if you can remember it) that helped you to recognize of their voice when you heard them?

Some earliest roles....

Inoue Kazuhiko -- Kusanagi Mamoru -- Blue Seed (late 1990s)

Koyasu Takehito -- Touga Kiryuu (Utena), Hanagata (Saber Marionettes J), Zechs Merquise -- (Gundam Wing) (also late 1990s)

Miki Shin-ichirou -- Alan -- Escaflowne (late 1990s)

Seki Toshihiko -- Shinobu (Here's Greenwood), Dom (Irresponsible Captain Tylor) (late 1990s)

Okiayu Ryoutarou -- Treize Kushrenada (Gundam Wing, late 1990s), Koinosuke (~2000, the role that made me fall hard for him -- been my favourite seiyuu ever since)

Anime-Beta TNG

Recognizing seiyuu voices?

Recognizing seiyuu voices?

Re: Recognizing seiyuu voices?