Hey, two weeks in a row.  One more week and this might become “a thing.”  Unfortunately, that won’t happen, because I’m going away for the weekend to Ohayocon.  Ah, Ohayo.  I don’t really like the convention that much, but it’s an opportunity to see a lot of my friends from around the Midwest.  Since the next opportunity for that won’t be until the end of April, I’ll take what I can get.  In any case, my personal life isn’t all that interesting, and if you’re here to read anything, it’s my thoughts for the week.  So let’s get this show on the road.  As always, check out the Anime Power Rankings for yourself week over week to keep up with the trends in the aniblogging community!

Oh, and one more thing.  Today, 2DT announced the closure of his blog.  He capped it off with another of his fantastic posts, and you should definitely head over to the Teleidoscope to read it and wish him well.

1. Guilty Crown

Okay, how much did I love this episode?  We’ve got MISSILE KICK!, Segai’s amazing disguise, and Ayase on rocket boots.  We see not only the physical aftermath of the recent catastrophe, but also the start of the social ramifications.  People try to get away with more things, they let themselves be controlled by greed, and they suffer from isolation, uncertainty, and sooner or later, the depression.   Morale’s going to become a precious resource, to be sure.  I think I can definitively say I am finally on board with this series.

2. Daily Lives of High School Boys

Last week I felt like the show was too hit and miss, at least for me.  This week has put that concern to rest.  I am an absolute sucker for RPG parodies, and the first segment was brilliant.  I also want to see more of the butlers in the new “Daily Life of a Lady” segment.  And, what is it with little sisters and being mildly sadistic bullies?  So many unimportant questions and so much time.  The male Nichijou is definitely on my to-watch list now.

3. Chihayafuru

Chihaya lost just as predicted.  Really, losing was the theme of this episode.  Not just the pain failure can bring, but also the drive for success it instills.  Our friendly neighborhood karuta team is ready to train harder than ever to have a strong showing at the next tournament.  So is Arata as he reenters the world of karuta, and Shinobu as she works to crush the indomnitable Chihaya when the next meet.  The second half is shaping up to be more exciting than ever!

4. Persona 4

Ano Natsu tried to do the whole drunk hangout thing, but Persona 4 did it better, and they weren’t even drunk!  I thought it was pretty funny that the girls weren’t put off by Narukami’s frank observation they were staying at a love hotel, when he’s CLEARLY the biggest stud of them all.  We got even more of the friends’ escapades in preparation for next week, where things get back to the plot.  You know, the plot.  The whole murder thing.  You remember, right?  …right?

5. Future Diary

Kousaka is brilliant, and I’m glad his brilliant diary filled with brilliant accomplishments has become an brilliant Future Diary which makes him even more BRILLIANT!  It’s also about time Yukiteru’s balls dropped.  Of course, this sets up the inevitable confrontation where Deus’ and Mur Mur’s bet will conclude.  As much as Yuno wants to believe in her happily ever after, it’s got to be lost forever at this point.  I guess that’s what happens when you’re a psychotic murdering stalking sociopath.

And seeing as I’m writing something for everything in the off chance it’s left in my Top 5, here’s two more for kicks.

6. Mouretsu Pirates

I have never been so excited about absolutely nothing happening.  That’s how I felt as the girls waited to disembark from the airlock.  No, not that way you pervert.  The sense of adventure, it’s difficult to quantify, but it’s present.  Of course, a spacewalk is really nothing as the show looks poised to drop them into the fire with a potential space battle.  Now if only they’d give a little more personality to the girls who AREN’T Marika…

7. Ano Natsu de Matteru

Watching Ichika try to talk her way out of things was amusing.  The girl couldn’t lie her way out of a paper bag if any of the characters paid close attention to her.  Then we have Lemon, who’s probably more disruptive than the alien amongst them.  It seems like she’s up to more than just screwing with a bunch of high schoolers.  All that, plus a love triangle means a lot of stuff can go on at any time.  I hope the directors can keep it together.

The last season of anime in 2011 is about to begin, and in this post you’ll find a list of which seiyuu are appearing in what shows and also some notes on various seiyuu. In the notes, I use Western name order (i.e. given name before family name), whereas the list is organised alphabetically and is formatted like this:

[romanised family name], [romanised given name] / [name in Japanese] ([list of shows seiyuu is appearing in])

Macrons are used in names but not elsewhere, for ease of alphabetical ordering. The list will be updated until the beginning of October. Also, this time I tried to write about a few male seiyuu as well instead of just sticking to the women. Finally, as always, I hope you enjoy and please let me know if I’ve made any mistakes or there are roles that should be added (though I’ll try my hardest to stay on top of this).

Update 9/9: More Guilty Crown cast members added (Aya Endō, Takehito Koyasu, others), and it looks like Ai Kayano will be singing in that show. Edit: Apparently Ai Kayano‘s character’s singing voice will be provided by Chelly, a 17-year-old who was handpicked to do just that. Information from Washi’s Blog; this was his source for that information. Update 11/9: More Horizon, Shana III cast members added; Sengoku Paradise cast added. Update 12/9: Additional Phi Brain cast members added. Notably, a fourth role for Chiwa Saitō (bringing her to the top of the pack) and a third role for Takehito Koyasu. Update 16/9: Romi Park‘s presence in Persona 4 confirmed. Thanks to lvlln for the tip in advance (and also for mentioning Rie Kugimiya‘s role in that show). Update 1/10: Bakuman 2, Cross Fight B-Daman casts added; additional cast members for Majikoi and Ben-To added. Yūichi Nakamura now has six roles; Takehito Koyasu has four roles; Ayako Kawasumi has four roles, all of which she is reprising from prior works. This should be one of my last updates. All I’m waiting on is official confirmation of the Gundam Age cast, which I’m being particularly cautious about because of the prevalence of fake cast lists for it. Update 4/10: Chibi Devi! cast added. A fourth role for Yuka Iguchi, a third role for Ayumi Fujimura.

Top of the pack

I initially found it slightly difficult to enjoy Aoi Yūki (悠木碧)’s work because it lacks the polish I tend to value in performances, but I wholeheartedly love the raw, believable emotion she’s able to convey. By now I’ve learned to love the roughness as well. She’s only 19 years old but she’s established herself as a talented and versatile actress with her work in Kure-nai (Murasaki), Shiki (Sunako), Gosick (Victorique), Madoka Magica (Madoka) and more. Her legion of fans should grow in number even more this season when she stars in Last Exile. I’m excited to hear what she has to bring to that and to the rest of the fair few series she’s in this season.

Sayaka Ōhara (大原さやか) has been raking in the minor roles since about 2005, so it’s no surprise to see her at the top of this season’s pack. Probably best known as xxxHolic’s Yūko, Aria’s Alicia and Umineko’s Beatrice, the power in her voice shows through whether she’s playing someone seductive or maternal, elegant or insane. As of late, she seems to be an actress of choice for mothers, though she also acts as a teenager (Erza) in a major part in the long-running Fairy Tail.

A year ago, Ai Kayano (茅野愛衣) had only a few minor roles under her belt and was entirely unknown. Then in January, she claimed the role of Isana in Yumekui Merry and a couple of months later the role of Menma in AnoHana. Since then her career has soared, and this season will only further cement her status as 2011’s foremost breakout star. Her distinct, gentle voice has earned her some admirers but I haven’t been particularly impressed by her work yet. Perhaps that’ll change before the end of the year.

Yūichi Nakamura (中村悠一) has played multiple high profile, well-known characters. He will have been heard by shoujo fans in Shugo Chara! (Ikuto), by shounen fans in Fairy Tail (Gray), by imouto fans in OreImo (Kyousuke), by Key fans in Clannad (Tomoya)… The list goes on. I think he’s an excellent leading male and I really enjoy listening to his voice. This is a banner season for him with five roles, more than any other VA at this stage. Well-deserved, in my opinion.

With four roles is Jun Fukuyama (福山潤), one of the best-known and best-loved male voices of the ’00s. The man behind Lelouch, Lawrence and Watanuki, he’s demonstrated dramatic and comedic chops in equal measure, though I prefer him as a comedy actor (my favourite role of his being Sora Kake Girl’s over-the-top Leopard).

Also with four roles is indomitable veteran Jōji Nakata (中田譲治), who has been acting since the late ’70s and voice acting since the mid-’80s. The 57-year-old’s popularity remains largely undimmed. Type-Moon are apparently particular fans – as he’s appeared in big parts in Fate/, Kara no Kyōkai and Melty Blood – so it’s fitting that his largest role this season is in Fate/zero.

New voices

Unknown Megumi Han (潘めぐみ) has claimed the lead in the reboot of Hunter x Hunter. She’s 22 and has appeared in bit parts in a couple of live-action dramas. Represented by Atomic Monkey (who also have Tomokazu Sugita, Tomokazu Seki and Fumiko Orikasa on their books).

Emi Nitta (新田恵海) takes her first named role in a TV anime this season. Nitta is part of Sunrise’s Love Live “school idol project”, providing the singing voice for one of the girls, and is affiliated with S Inc., who represent singers (including Faylan).  She’s very pretty and her singing voice is great, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they were trying to carve out a solo music career for her. Here’s a video of her performing agency-mate Hiromi Satō’s ‘Angelic Symphony’. … But can she act? She plays Maruga Naruze in Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon.

Manami Honda (本田愛美) is in her second named role after voicing Mihoshi Tachibana in Nichijou (a role I really didn’t enjoy her in). Mirai Nikki fans will have gotten a taste of her as Murumuru in the OVA and will hear her again as that character in the TV series. Represented by GadgetLink, the agency Minoru Shiraishi is in.

Also in Mirai Nikki is Tomosa Murata (村田知沙), who had her first named role last year as Iris Eris in Legend of the Legendary Heroes and hasn’t worked since. Starring as Yuno, she has a difficult task ahead of her in that she’s inexperienced and has to act as a character who is both a fan favourite and insane. Represented by Media Force (Daisuke Hirakawa).

Nozomi Yamamoto (山本希望) will get the opportunity to make a splash this season, with large roles in Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai and Un-Go. We’ll hear her as an apparent parody of BakaTest’s Hideyoshi in the former and as an ojou in the latter. She has next to no experience outside of voicing a character in the game Galgun, and is with VIMS, the agency who represent Yui Horie and Shōtarō Morikubo.

Elsewhere

Pleasantly, Yū Shimamura (嶋村侑) has a named role in Guilty Crown after years of competent work mostly in the background. I love the timbre of her voice, so I’m hoping she impresses with some good acting here.

Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon (from here on referred to as Horizon because I’m lazy) and Last Exile have big casts, with the former’s being nothing short of massive. There are some big names involved in both, including a few of my personal favourites – namely Ami Koshimizu (小清水亜美), Mai Nakahara (中原麻衣) and Daisuke Ono (小野大輔) in Horizon, and Natsuko Kuwatani (桑谷夏子), Yukana (ゆかな) and Nobuhiko Okamoto (岡本信彦) in Last Exile. Teenagers Nao Tōyama (東山奈央) and Aoi Yūki – who starred in Ikoku Meiro no Croisee together – are in both, as is the awesome Miyuki Sawashiro (沢城みゆき).

Aki Toyosaki (豊崎愛生) has been in plenty of lead roles (K-on!’s Yui being the best known). This season she’ll act as the lead in Last Exile and she’ll also do something a bit different, playing one of the male leads in Un-Go. This is her third role in a Noitamina series this year, after Momoko in Hourou Musuko and young Poppo in AnoHana.

Also in those two series was 18-year-old Asami Seto (瀬戸麻沙美), as Yoshino Takatsuki in the former and young Yukiatsu in the latter. This season she’ll play the lead in and sing the ED for Chihayafuru. I feel like her work has an honesty to it, and I enjoy that. She already has a main role lined up for 2012, too, so it seems like she has a bright future.

A good year for Mariya Ise (伊瀬茉莉也) will be capped off by two lead roles, and she’ll get to continue to show off her versatility. If the trailer is any indication, for Ben-To she’s made her voice simultaneously more nasal and more rich, and in Hunter x Hunter she’s playing a boy.

Misuzu Togashi (富樫美鈴) debuted in 2009 playing Minatsu in Seitokai no Ichizon, and then didn’t get another major role until six months ago; as Mai in Nichijou, she sounded very different to how she did as Minatsu. She’ll finish this year with two large parts: the male lead in Mirai Nikki and Azuki in Maken-ki!. For the latter show, she’s reportedly also singing the OP, though this hasn’t been officially confirmed just yet [edit 9/9: confirmed]. She’s previously sung as part of the group Veil and as her characters in Seitokai no Ichizon and Nichijou (and the Nichijou character song is really something). She’s definitely on the rise.

The voices of Lucky Star‘s Hiiragi twins, Kaori Fukuhara (福原香織) and Emiri Katō (加藤英美里), are reuniting to star in and ad lib the dialogue for Ad Lib Anime Kenkyūsho. I have no idea what their ad libbing skills are like but the show sounds like it could be a hilarious disaster. At the moment, Katō is perhaps better known as the girl who voiced Kyubey in Madoka, while Fukuhara was Run in A Channel.

The list

Female seiyuu

Four roles

• Iguchi, Yuka / 井口裕香 (Tamayura, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, C Cube, Chibi Devi!)
• Kawasumi, Ayako / 川澄綾子 (Fate/zero, Shakugan no Shana III, Squid Girl 2, Bakuman 2)
• Kayano, Ai / 茅野愛衣 (Last Exile, Ben-To, Guilty Crown, Chihayafuru)
• Ōhara, Sayaka / 大原さやか (Fate/zero, C Cube, Tamayura, Shakugan no Shana III)
• Saitō, Chiwa / 斎藤千和 (Horizon, C Cube, Last Exile, Phi Brain)

Three roles

• Asumi, Kana / 阿澄佳奈 (Tamayura, Working’!!, C Cube)
• Fujimura, Ayumi / 藤村歩 (Squid Girl 2, Bakuman 2, Chibi Devi!)
• Itō, Kanae / 伊藤かな恵 (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, Squid Girl 2, Last Exile)
• Itō, Shizuka / 伊藤静 (Majikoi, Working’!!, Shakugan no Shana III)
• Kotobuki, Minako / 寿美菜子 (Guilty Crown, Horizon, Tamayura)
• Kitamura, Eri / 喜多村英梨 (C Cube, Last Exile, Working’!!)
• Sawashiro, Miyuki / 沢城みゆき (Horizon, Last Exile, Hunter x Hunter)
• Taketatsu, Ayana / 竹達彩奈 (Tamayura, Guilty Crown, Ben-To)
• Yūki, Aoi / 悠木碧 (Horizon, Last Exile, Ben-To)

Two roles

• Aizawa, Mai / 相沢舞 (Mirai Nikki, Cross Fight B-Daman)
• Chihara, Minori / 茅原実里 (Horizon, C Cube)
• Gotō, Mai / 後藤麻衣 (Mashiro-iro Symphony, Phi Brain)
• Hanazawa, Kana / 花澤香菜 (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, Guilty Crown)
• Hirohashi, Ryō / 広橋涼 (Working’!!, Chibi Devi!)
• Honda, Takako / 本田貴子 (Last Exile, Un-Go)
• Horie, Yui / 堀江由衣 (Persona 4, Ben-To)
• Inoue, Marina / 井上麻里奈 (Horizon, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai)
• Ise, Mariya / 伊瀬茉莉也 (Ben-To, Hunter x Hunter)
• Katō, Emiri / 加藤英美里 (Ben-To, Ad Lib Anime Kenkyūsho)
• Koshimizu, Ami / 小清水亜美 (Persona 4, Horizon)
• Kugimiya, Rie / 釘宮理恵 (Shakugan no Shana III, Persona 4)
• Kuwatani, Natsuko / 桑谷夏子 (Last Exile, Mirai Nikki)
• Nabatame, Hitomi / 生天目仁美 (Squid Girl 2, Shakugan no Shana III)
• Ogata, Megumi / 緒方恵美 (Tamayura, Majikoi)
• Shiraishi, Ryōko / 白石涼子 (Working’!!, Horizon)
• Shitaya, Noriko / 下屋則子 (Maken-ki!, Chibi Devi!)
• Tamura, Yukari / 田村ゆかり (C Cube, Ben-To)
• Togashi, Misuzu / 富樫美鈴 (Mirai Nikki, Maken-ki!)
• Tōyama, Nao / 東山奈央 (Horizon, Last Exile)
• Toyosaki, Aki / 豊崎愛生 (Last Exile, Un-Go)
• Yahagi, Sayuri / 矢作紗友里 (Maken-ki!, Bakuman 2)
• Yamamoto, Nozomi / 山本希望 (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, Un-Go)
• Yukana / ゆかな (Last Exile, Mirai Nikki)

One role

• Abe, Sachie / 阿部幸恵 (Fate/zero)
• Akesaka, Satomi / 明坂聡美 (gdgd Fairies)
• Asakawa, Yū / 浅川悠 (Majikoi)
• Ashiro, Megu / 亜城めぐ (Majikoi)
• Endō, Aya / 遠藤綾 (Guilty Crown)
• Fujita, Saki / 藤田咲 (Working’!!)
• Fukuen, Misato / 福圓美里 (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai)
• Fukuhara, Kaori / 福原香織 (Ad Lib Anime Kenkyūsho)
• Fukui, Yukari / 福井裕佳梨 (Tamayura)
• Gibu, Yūko / 儀武ゆう子 (Tamayura)
• Gotō, Yūko / 後藤邑子 (Majikoi)
• Han, Megumi / 潘めぐみ (Hunter x Hunter)
• Harada, Hitomi / 原田ひとみ (Maken-ki!)
• Hayami, Saori / 早見沙織 (Bakuman 2)
• Hazuki, Erino / 葉月絵理乃 (Tamayura)
• Hikasa, Yōko / 日笠陽子 (Working’!!)
• Hitomi / ひと美 (Majikoi)
• Honda, Manami / 本田愛美 (Mirai Nikki)
• Hyo-sei / 氷青 (Majikoi)
• Ichimura, Oma / 壱智村小真 (Mashiro-iro Symphony)
• Imai, Asami / 今井麻美 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Kanda, Akemi / 神田朱未 (Persona 4)
• Kanemoto, Hisako / 金元寿子 (Squid Girl 2)
• Kataoka, Azusa / 片岡あづさ (Squid Girl 2)
• Kawase, Akiko / 川瀬晶子 (Working’!!)
• Kikuchi, Kokoro / 菊池こころ (Squid Girl 2)
• Kobayashi, Yū / 小林ゆう (Horizon)
• Kobayashi, Yumiko / 小林由美子 (Shakugan no Shana III)
• Kokuryū, Sachi / 國立幸 (Cross Fight B-Daman)
• Konno, Hiromi / 今野宏美 (Mirai Nikki)
• MAKO (C Cube)
• Matayoshi, Ai / 又吉愛 (Horizon)
• Matsui, Naoko / 松井菜桜子 (Majikoi)
• Matsuki, Miyu / 松来未祐 (Tamayura)
• Matsuo, Yoshiko / 松尾佳子 (Tamayura)
• Matsuoka, Yuki / 松岡由貴 (Mirai Nikki)
• Mimori, Suzuko / 三森すずこ (gdgd Fairies)
• Mina / 美名 (Maken-ki!)
• Miyamoto, Kanako / 宮本佳奈子 (Last Exile)
• Miyamoto, Kanako / 宮本佳那子 (Tamayura)
• Mizuhara, Kaoru / 水原薫 (gdgd Fairies)
• Mizuhashi, Kaori / 水橋かおり (Majikoi)
• Mizusawa, Kei / 瑞沢渓 (Majikoi)
• Mochizuki, Rei / 持月玲依 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Morinaga, Rika / 森永理科 (Horizon)
• Murata, Tomosa / 村田知沙 (Mirai Nikki)
• Nakajima, Megumi / 中島愛 (Last Exile)
• Nakajima, Saki / 中島沙樹 (Kimi to Boku)
• Nakahara, Mai / 中原麻衣 (Horizon)
• Nazuka, Kaori / 名塚佳織 (Horizon)
• Nishi, Asuka / 西明日香 (Chibi Devi!)
• Nishizawa, Hiroka / 西沢広香 (Majikoi)
• Nitta, Emi / 新田恵海 (Horizon)
• Noda, Junko / 野田順子 (Last Exile)
• Nomizu, Iori / 野水伊織 (Maken-ki!)
• Noto, Mamiko / 能登麻美子 (Shakugan no Shana III)
• Ogura, Yui / 小倉唯 (C Cube)
• Ōhara, Momoko / 大原桃子 (Cross Fight B-Daman)
• Ōhashi, Ayuru / 大橋歩夕 (Horizon)
• Ōno, Ryōko / 小野涼子 (Mashiro-iro Symphony)
• Orikasa, Fumiko / 折笠富美子 (Last Exile)
• Ōtani, Miki / 大谷美貴 (Squid Girl 2)
• Park, Romi / 朴ロ美 [also written as Paku, Romi; 朴ろ美] (Persona 4)
• Rikimaru, Noriko / 力丸乃りこ (Mashiro-iro Symphony)
• Saitō, Momoko / 斎藤桃子 (Working’!!)
• Sakata, Kayo / 阪田佳代 (Majikoi)
• Sanada, Asami / 真田アサミ (Mirai Nikki)
• Satō, Miyuki / 佐藤美由希 (Kimi to Boku)
• Satō, Rina / 佐藤利奈 (Phi Brain)
• Sendai, Eri / 仙台エリ (Mirai Nikki)
• Seto, Asami / 瀬戸麻沙美 (Chihayafuru)
• Shimamura, Yū / 嶋村侑 (Guilty Crown)
• Shimizu, Ai / 清水愛 (Horizon)
• Shimizu, Kaori / 清水香里 (Phi Brain)
• Shindō, Kei / 真堂圭 (Horizon)
• Shintani, Ryōko / 新谷良子 (Horizon)
• Takahashi, Meguru / 高橋めぐる (Cross Fight B-Daman)
• Takahashi, Mikako / 高橋美佳子 (Chibi Devi!)
• Tamura, Mutsumi / 田村睦心 (Horizon)
• Tanaka, Rie / 田中理恵 (Squid Girl 2)
• Tomatsu, Haruka / 戸松遥 (Working’!!)
• Tomonaga, Akane / 友永朱音 (Majikoi)
• Watanabe, Akeno / 渡辺明乃 (Shakugan no Shana III)
• Watanabe, Kumiko / 渡辺久美子 (Working’!!)
• Yamada, Miho / 山田みほ (Horizon)
• Yamaguchi, Rie / 山口理恵 (Chibi Devi!)
• Yoshida, Mayumi / 吉田真弓 (Mashiro-iro Symphony)
• Yukino, Satsuki / 雪野五月 (Phi Brain)

Male seiyuu

Six roles

• Nakamura, Yūichi / 中村悠一 (Last Exile, Working’!!, Squid Girl 2, Guilty Crown, Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi 2, Majikoi)

Four roles

• Fukuyama, Jun / 福山潤 (Horizon, Last Exile, Working’!!, Phi Brain)
• Koyasu, Takehito / 子安武人 (Horizon, Guilty Crown, Phi Brain, Bakuman 2)
• Nakata, Jōji / 中田譲治 (Fate/zero, Working’!!, Tamayura, Horizon)
• Namikawa, Daisuke / 浪川大輔 (Fate/zero, Persona 4, Hunter x Hunter, Sengoku Paradise)

Three roles

• Ishida, Akira / 石田彰 (Fate/zero, Phi Brain, Mirai Nikki)
• Kaji, Yūki / 梶裕貴 (C Cube, Guilty Crown, Kimi to Boku)
• Kamiya, Hiroshi / 神谷浩史 (Majikoi, Working’!!, Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi 2)
• Konishi, Katsuyuki / 小西克幸 (Majikoi, Last Exile, Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi 2)
• Miyano, Mamoru / 宮野真守 (Phi Brain, Chihayafuru, Ben-To)
• Okamoto, Nobuhiko / 岡本信彦 (Last Exile, Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi 2, Bakuman 2)
• Ono, Daisuke / 小野大輔 (Horizon, Working’!!, Majikoi)
• Seki, Tomokazu / 関智一 (Fate/zero, Persona 4, Mirai Nikki)

Two roles

• Abe, Atsushi / 阿部敦 (Last Exile, Bakuman 2)
• Fujiwara, Keiji / 藤原啓治 (Phi Brain, Hunter x Hunter)
• Hashi, Takaya / 土師孝也 (Last Exile, Mirai Nikki)
• Hayami, Shō / 速水奨 (Fate/zero, Horizon)
• Hino, Satoshi / 日野聡 (Shakugan no Shana III, Bakuman 2)
• Horiuchi, Kenyū / 堀内賢雄 (Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi 2, Bakuman 2)
• Irino, Miyu / 入野自由 (Kimi to Boku, Un-Go)
• Katsu, Anri / 勝杏里 (Squid Girl 2, Guilty Crown)
• Kawahara, Yoshihisa / 川原慶久 (Mirai Nikki, Sengoku Paradise)
• Kimura, Ryōhei / 木村良平 (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, Kimi to Boku)
• Koyama, Rikiya / 小山力也 (Fate/zero, Squid Girl 2)
• Madono, Mitsuaki / 真殿光昭 (Persona 4, Horizon)
• Maeno, Tomoaki / 前野智昭 (Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi 2, Maken-ki!)
• Midorikawa, Hikaru / 緑川光 (Fate/zero, Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi 2)
• Miyake, Kenta / 三宅健太 (Shakugan no Shana III, Phi Brain)
• Mizushima, Takahiro / 水島大宙 (Mashiro-iro Symphony, Guilty Crown)
• Nojima, Hirofumi / 野島裕史 (Shakugan no Shana III, Bakuman 2)
• Shiraishi, Minoru / 白石稔 (Horizon, Mirai Nikki)
• Shimura, Tomoyuki / 志村知幸 (Bakuman 2)
• Sugita, Tomokazu / 杉田智和 (Horizon, Majikoi)
• Suwabe, Junichi / 諏訪部順一 (Majikoi, Bakuman 2)
• Tsuruoka, Satoshi / 鶴岡聡 (Fate/zero, Maken-ki!)
• Uchiyama, Kōki / 内山昴輝 (Kimi to Boku, Guilty Crown)
• Yamaguchi, Kappei / 山口勝平 (Persona 4, Majikoi)

One role

• Asanuma, Shintarō / 浅沼晋太郎 (Phi Brain)
• Bandō, Kōichi / 坂東孝一 (Chibi Devi!)
• Domon, Jin / 土門仁 (Mirai Nikki)
• Ebara, Masashi / 江原正士 (Shakugan no Shana III)
• Eguchi, Takuya / 江口拓也 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Fujita, Yoshinori / 藤田圭宣 (Majikoi)
• Gotō, Tetsuo / 後藤哲夫 (Squid Girl 2)
• Hamada, Kenji / 浜田賢二 (Bakuman 2)
• Hatano, Wataru / 羽多野渉 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Hirakawa, Daisuke / 平川大輔 (Horizon)
• Hiramatsu, Hirokazu / 平松広和 (Mirai Nikki)
• Hori, Taiki / 堀大希 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Hoshi, Sōichirō / 保志総一朗 (Chibi Devi!)
• Hosoya, Yoshimasa / 細谷佳正 (Chihayafuru)
• Inada, Tetsu / 稲田徹 (Last Exile)
• Ishizuka, Unshō / 石塚運昇 (Persona 4)
• Itō, Kentarō / 伊藤健太郎 (Cross Fight B-Daman)
• Iwata, Mitsuo / 岩田光央 (Shakugan no Shana III)
• Kajikawa, Shōhei / 梶川翔平 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Kakihara, Tetsuya / 柿原徹也 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Kanbara, Daichi / 神原大地 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Katsuji, Ryō / 勝地涼 (Un-Go)
• Kawada, Shinji / 川田紳司 (Bakuman 2)
• Kazama, Yūto / 風間勇刀 (Bakuman 2)
• KENN (Last Exile)
• Kirii, Daisuke / 桐井大介 (Bakuman 2)
• Kishio, Daisuke / 岸尾だいすけ (Phi Brain)
• Kobushi, Nobuyuki / こぶしのぶゆき (Horizon)
• Kondō, Takashi / 近藤隆 (Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi 2)
• Kondō, Takayuki / 近藤孝行 (Shakugan no Shana III)
• Koyama, Tsuyoshi / 小山剛志 (Horizon)
• Kuroda, Takashi / 黒田崇矢 (Horizon)
• Kusao, Takeshi / 草尾毅 (Majikoi)
• Kusumi, Naomi / 楠見尚己 (Horizon)
• Kusunoki, Taiten / 楠大典 (Horizon)
• Matsukaze, Masaya / 松風雅也 (Last Exile)
• Miki, Shinichirō / 三木眞一郎 (Un-Go)
• Miyashita, Eiji / 宮下栄治 (Horizon)
• Miyata, Kōki / 宮田幸季 (Phi Brain)
• Morikawa, Toshiyuki / 森川智之 (Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi 2)
• Morikubo, Shōtarō / 森久保祥太郎 (Persona 4)
• Morita, Masakazu / 森田成一 (Bakuman 2)
• Murata, Daishi /  村田大志 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Nara, Tooru / 奈良徹 (Chihayafuru)
• Nojima, Kenji / 野島健児 (Shakugan no Shana III)
• Okamoto, Hiroshi / 岡本寛志 (Cross Fight B-Daman)
• Okiayu, Ryōtarō / 置鮎龍太郎 (Fate/zero)
• Okitsu, Kazuyuki / 興津和幸 (Last Exile)
• Ono, Yūki / 小野友樹 (Kimi to Boku)
• Ōsaka, Ryōta / 逢坂良太 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Ōtsuka, Akio / 大塚明夫 (Fate/zero)
• Saitō, Sōma / 斉藤壮馬 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Sakaguchi, Daisuke / 阪口大助 (Guilty Crown)
• Sakurai, Takahiro / 櫻井孝宏 (Phi Brain)
• Sasaki, Seiji / 佐々木誠二 (Squid Girl 2)
• Sagawa, Naoki / 狭川尚紀 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Shimono, Hiro / 下野紘 (Ben-To)
• Shingaki, Tarusuke / 新垣樽助 (Fate/zero)
• Suyama, Akio / 陶山章央 (Cross Fight B-Daman)
• Suzumura, Kenichi / 鈴村健一 (Majikoi)
• Tachibana, Shinnosuke / 立花慎之介 (Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi)
• Takada, Yūji / 高田裕司 (Horizon)
• Takaguchi, Kōsuke / 高口公介 (Guilty Crown)
• Takaoka, Binbin / 高岡瓶々 (Majikoi)
• Takeuchi, Ryōta / 竹内良太 (Cross Fight B-Daman)
• Tanaka, Masahiko / 田中正彦 (Mirai Nikki)
• Taniyama, Kishō / 谷山紀章 (Phi Brain)
• Terashima, Takuma / 寺島拓篤 (C Cube)
• Tobita, Nobuo / 飛田展男 (Majikoi)
• Toriumi, Kōsuke / 鳥海浩輔 (Kimi to Boku)
• Tone, Kentarō / 利根健太朗 (Bakuman 2)
• Toyonaga, Toshiyuki / 豊永利行 (Kimi to Boku)
• Wakamoto, Norio / 若本規夫 (Mirai Nikki)
• Yabe, Masashi / 矢部雅史 (Phi Brain)
• Yamamoto, Kanehira / 山本兼平 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Yamazaki, Takumi / 山崎たくみ (Fate/zero)
• Yanagida, Junichi / 柳田淳一 (Sengoku Paradise)
• Yanai, Hitoshi / 箭内仁 (Cross Fight B-Daman)
• Yonaga, Tsubasa / 代永翼 (Chihayafuru)
• Yoshino, Hiroyuki / 吉野裕行 (Chibi Devi!)
• Yusa, Kōji / 遊佐浩二 (Majikoi)

I returned from Los Angeles and Anime Expo 2011 a few days ago and I have to say that the highlight of my trip, other than the soon to be regretted level of purchases I made in the dealer’s room, was anything dealing with Hatsune Miku. While the high point of all things Miku was obviously Mikunopolis, it was fun to learn a lot more about Miku over the course of the weekend through all of the panels. Before heading to Los Angeles, I was definitely a fan of the virtual idol, but going into the weekend I didn’t really know what to expect. After leaving, it struck me that being a fan of Miku was really a lot like believing in Santa for a few reasons.

First, like the meaning of Christmas, Miku can really be whoever you want her to be depending on what you like to do, and I’m not talking about her seemingly endless wardrobe for all the perverts out there. Well, I suppose that might be part of it. Still, fans can create new songs, animations, or character designs of and about Miku and send them out there for others to enjoy through the use of the internet. But just as Christmas isn’t just about candy canes and sleigh bells, Miku isn’t just about the music. One thing that became perfectly clear to me almost immediately this weekend is that Miku could very easily be a synonym for Commercialism, and in a lot of ways this is a good thing. It is because of this entrepreneurial spirit fan designs for Miku show up in games or on figures. It is because of this entrepreneurial spirit that allows companies to make money off of Miku’s products, even through the use of a decentralized business model. And in the truest of sense of all things commercialism, Miku is often depicted in pictures that are less than pure.

Continuing the Christmas analogy, it is often difficult for kids to understand the concept of Christmas during their early years. A 2 year old doesn’t necessarily understand what it means to get free presents, but within a few years it is the center of their kid universe. I kind of got this same feeling over the course of this weekend when it came to Miku. Obviously, many of the people who came to Anime Expo had some idea of who Miku was, but for many, this was their first large dose of all things Miku. While it seemed like the interest in the virtual idol slowly grew over the course of the weekend, I think most people really began to appreciate Miku during her concert. At first, it seemed like only select groups of people were cheering and fewer still were standing. However, as the concert progressed more people got into the groove of things, so to speak, and by the end of the night it seemed like almost every person in the Nokia Theatre was on their feet screaming their lungs out for Miku to return for an encore. So I guess like a lot of things in life, Santa Claus and Miku included, it takes a little time to understand what it going on, but once you do, it is something special.

Now, while I admire everything that the Japanese companies have done to increase the popularity of Miku, from implementing fan designs into concerts and figures to giving individual creators relative freedom to use Miku in their productions to this past weekend’s concert, I kind of got the sense that the Japanese feel that other nations need to follow their model for Miku to be a success, which I don’t think is the right approach. Just as people celebrate Christmas and Santa differently across the world, so should we Miku and the other Vocaloids. While having different language software available in the future is a step in the right direction, it is an obvious one. What is worrisome is that Miku won’t necessarily be available or well known to the wider audience of people in the U.S., or other western nations. Now I suppose it might be impossible for people outside of the normal anime, j-pop, etc. fan to ever really be a fan of Miku, but the creation and use of new sites in the United States, like niconico.com, seems like it will go about as well as the United States trying to introduce democracy into the Middle East.

So, assuming that Miku (and her handlers) truly do want to conquer the world, it would become absolutely necessary for them to conquer a wide range of the Otaku fan base, from Narutards to people willing to travel across the country to see Miku and everyone in-between ( as a sort of power base). From a few panels I attended during the Expo and people I’ve talked to in the past, it doesn’t seem like the anime industry has done a good job getting its online product well known. I remember several people during the con didn’t know that Crunchyroll offered free anime (and to be honest, it seems like a very small subset of people know you can get anime online via streams, legally or otherwise), so it is by no means a given thing that people will utilize niconico.com or the newly announced Mikubook on a regular basis, especially when there is the 500 pound gorilla in the room that goes by the name of YouTube.

If there is one thing I learned from my business consulting classes, it is that if you have the ability to work with a company who already has the resources needed to help you produce a product, it is better to work with that company, than to try and develop the capabilities yourself. The use of joint ventures is even more crucial when you are trying to introduce a product into a foreign country. Obviously, I have no idea if the Miku people have tried to create a joint venture of some sort with American based web companies, but if they haven’t, that would seem to be a blunder on their part. The time and money it will take to make the average fan of anime/j-pop become aware of niconico or Mikubook will more than likely not be worth it, and they can forget about ever drawing the attention of the average American consumer. Instead, Japanese companies should really think about doing special promotions for Miku on already popular American internet mediums, so that Miku will not just be searched for by those who already know of her.

That’s not to say that Miku is doomed to failure outside of Japan. The business model developed in Japan really does seem to be working and they have a great product to work with. As a person who would like to see Miku become more popular, I would like to see Japanese companies work more with American companies as a way to promote her, which they have done to some extent with the Toyota commercials in the U.S. Still, these things need to be more than gimmicks; they need to be real sustained attempts at letting people learn about Miku through already established video mediums, or eventually the costs of doing business will become too high, which force them to cut and run.

Another season of anime is near, and again I’ve tried to put together a resource for people who want to know how their favourite voice actors are doing. There are notes about casts and actors at the beginning of this post, and there is a list at the end. The list and this post will be updated until the season begins.

Couple of notes: firstly, I’ve used macrons for the names of the seiyuu but nowhere else. (I’m only using macrons in the first place because I needed to romanise names consistently so I’d be able to order them alphabetically.) Show names have been romanised however I’ve see them romanised most. Secondly, the list has men this time! I didn’t really write notes on the male actors, though, because I don’t follow them as much and also because this post was already very long.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy. Let me know if I’ve missed anything. Liberal use of control-F is advised.

All of the images except the one of Iori Nomizu are from Koebooru.

Edit 5 June: Nurarihyon no Mago 2 cast added. Notably, everyone’s favourite Satomi Arai is back to work, and Jun Fukuyama and Yui Horie join the group of actors with three roles or more this season. Edit 7 June: Baka Test 2 and more of the Nekogami Yaoyorozu cast added. Ayana Taketatsu, Yoshino Nanjō (lead vocalist of fripSide, Kanako in Hourou Musuko, Kokoro in Milky Holmes) and Takuma Terashima join the 3+ roles group. (2nd) Edit 7 June: No. 6 additional cast details have been out for a few days but I forgot to add them. Notables: Rei Sakuma (Ranma 1/2‘s Shampoo, To aru Majutsu no Index‘s Lidvia), Shinichiro Miki (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood‘s Roy Mustang, Gundam 00‘s Lockon) and Sumire Morohoshi (the 12-year-old who won many hearts last year as Kuragehime‘s Clara). Edit 8 June: Couple more R-15 cast members. Iori Nomizu now has 3 roles. Edit 10 June: Couple more Ro-Kyu-Bu! cast members. Kanae Itō and Mamiko Noto both now have 3 roles. In other Ro-Kyu-Bu! news, here is a video of the lead voice actresses dancing to the opening theme. Yui Ogura (in the number 8 singlet) is the professional dancer. Kana Hanazawa is wearing number 4, Yuka Iguchi is number 5, Yōko Hikasa is number 6, and Rina Hidaka is number 7. Edit 22 June: New Mawaru PenguinDrum and Mayo Chiki! cast members. The popular Minori Chihara (Haruhi‘s Yuki) gets her first role of the season, while another role raises Miyuki Sawashiro to the very top of the pack. To the men, Ryōhei Kimura is the newest member of the 3+ roles group; he’ll take on a lead role in Mawaru PenguinDrum. Edit 25 June: Added more Kamisama Dolls and Morita-san wa Mukuchi cast members. Ayahi Takagaki now has three roles, on par with Sphere co-member Aki Toyosaki. I’m also adding two roles for Rie Yamaguchi, an up-and-comer who debuted in 2009. She sung the ED for Kore wa Zombie desu ka? and has done a little bit of work in a good deal of shows this year. Edit 29 June: Added Double J cast. Chiaki Omigawa (perhaps the most polarising voice actress in Western fandom; I’m in the ‘not a fan’ camp) and Ayuru Ōhashi (whose work I dislike with a passion) are in major roles. Ayana Taketatsu ascends to the top of the pack with a fourth role, Emiri Katō gets a third role; roles for Kaori Ishihara (part of duo YuiKaori with Yui Ogura, Reki in Hidan no Aria), Miyu Matsuki, Ryō Hirohashi.

Individuals

Among those leading the female seiyuu pack this season are Ai Kayano (茅野愛衣), Miyuki Sawashiro (沢城みゆき), Aki Toyosaki (豊崎愛生), Kana Hanazawa (花澤香菜) and Misato Fukuen (福圓美里). Ai Kayano made her anime debut just last year. She generally uses a high, mellow voice with an almost maternal quality to it, but showed off a saccharine drawl and some emoting in AnoHana as Menma. It appears J.C. Staff in particular has taken notice of her; she’s had roles in To aru Majutsu no Index II (Itsuwa, a small role which will become bigger in the inevitable future season/s), Dream Eater Merry (Isana), and now Kamisama no Memochou. I don’t think her work sounds particularly accomplished, but I do feel she is improving steadily. 2011 has been undoubtedly her breakout year, and this season will help her continue to make a name for herself.

Miyuki Sawashiro, on the other hand, has been voice acting since 1999, despite being just 26 years old this year. She does great things with her voice: she can sound mature or childish or in between, and can vary the power and emotion in her voice nicely. She showed off her well-known velvety voice recently as Celty in Durarara!! and as Saeko in High School of The Dead, and was also the dorm mistress (a.k.a. God) in Maria Holic, Shinku in Rozen Maiden and Shinkuro in Kurenai. She’s a fan favourite (even winning the Overseas Fans’ Choice Award at the most recent Seiyuu Awards), and deservedly so.

Aki Toyosaki is best known as K-on!’s Yui Hirasawa, and 2011 is shaping up as one of the best years of her career to date. As Yui I felt she was overly sweet, but she’s proven she can sound very different with Beelzebub’s Aoi and Hourou Musuko’s Momoko. And as far as moe archetypes go, she’s (almost) done it all. She’s been genki girls, shy girls, ditzes, ojous, lolis, shotas, cat-eared aliens… She also sings, both as a solo artist – her debut album came out on June 1 – and as a member of idol group Sphere.

Kana Hanazawa’s ubiquity is basically such that if you haven’t heard her voice, you probably haven’t watched a lot of anime since 2009. Love it or hate it, her voice is undeniably very cute, and it seems like most love it. I’m not a fan, but I must admit that she’s grown into an actress capable of delivering sound (harr de harr) performances. Last season, she was head and shoulders in front of every other seiyuu in terms of number of roles. She was Yuki in Moshidora, Shiro in Deadman Wonderland, Shiemi in Blue Exorcist, Noir in Dog Days, Mayuri in Steins;Gate, Nanako in Hen Zemi, and Fumika in Seikon no Qwaser 2.

In my mind, nothing really stands out about Misato Fukuen. However, she’s been working for over 10 years – since she was in her late teens – and in that time has played a handful of well-liked characters (Yin in Darker than Black, Yoshika in Strike Witches, Eve in Black Cat, Hime in Yozakura Quartet, to name a few). She’s a solid performer, too, so I expect she’ll do some at least satisfactory work. This year has been alright for her, with a regular spot in the currently airing Pokemon series and a main role in Showa Monogatari.

Iori Nomizu (野水伊織) has a couple of roles this season. She was Haruna in Kore wa Zombie desu ka? and Minatsuki in Deadman Wonderland. Kadokawa seem to be shoving her into whatever they can, maybe because of her willingness to appear at cast events and cosplay as her characters. I felt she was disappointing and very inconsistent as Minatsuki but also that she showed some flashes of talent. I think she has potential, so I’ll keep an ear out for her… but I’m not expecting much.

Starring alongside Ai Kayano – one of the pack-leaders – in Kamisama no Memochou is Yui Ogura (小倉唯), a fifteen-year-old idol and trained dancer. She was Mint in Yumeiro Patissiere, and I’d describe her voice as a cutesy burble. I can sort of see myself enjoying her performance in Kamisama no Memochou if she doesn’t have to pile on the sweetness and if she can actually, you know, act. It’ll at least be fun to hear a character played by an actor about their age.

Cast Notes

• For Ro-Kyu-Bu!, an idol team consisting of Kana Hanazawa, Rina Hidaka (a teenager with a sugary voice; she was Mizuno in Star Driver and Last Order in To Aru Majutsu no Index), Yuka Iguchi (the eponymous Index), Yōko Hikasa (gained most of her fan base as Mio in K-on!, but mostly plays girls with very different personality types), and Yui Ogura has been formed. Also on board are Yūki Kaji and the very good Shizuka Itō.
• Nyanpire’s main cast members were all in Code Geass (Ami Koshimizu was Kallen, Jun Fukuyama was Lelouch, Noriaki Sugiyama was Rivalz, Yūko Gotō was Anya Alstreim). Also in the mix is Nozomi Maeda, a model/idol/actress who turns 18 in the middle of June.
• Yuruyuri stars four young voice actresses who will also sing the OP and ED together. Rumi Ōkubo (Freezing‘s Kaho, Suite Precure‘s Ako) sounds like Ayana Taketatsu-lite a lot of the time and is getting some roles under her belt. Minami Tsuda was Phryne in Fractale, Shiori Mikami was Masumi in Kampfer, and we’ll hear Yuka Ōtsubo here in her debut role about a month after she turns 18.
• Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel’s main six voice actresses are experienced. Mamiko Noto, Yukari Tamura, Ryōka Yuzuki and Ryōko Shintani were together in Mai-Hime and Mai-Otome (as Yukino, Midori, Haruka and Aoi respectively), and Rie Kugimiya and Yui Horie need no introduction.
• Horie will also star opposite Haruka Tomatsu (AnoHana’s Anaru, Hanasaku Iroha’s Yuina) in Nekogami Yaoyorozu, with the two singing the OP together and Tomatsu singing the ED alone. Ai Kayano, Aki Toyosaki, Ayana Taketatsu (K-on!’s Azusa, Dog Days’s Eclair), Yūko Sanpei (Qwaser’s Sasha, Eureka Seven’s Renton), and MAKO (Kamichu!’s Yurie, Sora Kake Girl’s Akiha) join them.
• R-15’s most experienced cast member is Aya Gōda (2009 debutant; was Kiddy Girl-and’s Q-feuille, Kore wa Zombie desu ka?’s Salas) and second most experienced cast member is Midori Tsukimiya (Kore wa Zombie desu ka?’s Hellscythe, her only role to date and she barely spoke). All the other cast members look to be in their first roles.
• Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi’s male cast (Shinnosuke Tachibana, Jun Fukuyama, Yūichi Nakamura) is stronger than its female cast. The women involved are Megumi Takamoto (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s Winry, Sket Dance’s Mimori), Iori Nomizu, Mina (Sora no Otoshimono’s Sohara, the doctor in Deadman Wonderland; playing a childhood friend role again here), Chika Horikawa (Nichijou’s Misato, Deadman Wonderland’s Kyoko; has a lisp) and Aya Gōda.
• Ikoku Meiro no Croisee has an appealing female cast headed by Nao Tōyama (The World God Only Knows’ Kanon, Star Driver’s Jaguar). I think she sounds nice in the trailer, and I usually find super-sweet voices like the one she’s using sickening. Backing her up are the versatile Aoi Yūki (Madoka’s Madoka, Gosick’s Victorique; considered by more than a few fans to be one of the most talented young seiyuu) and Sayuri Yahagi (Seitokai Yakuindomo’s Suzu, Softenni’s Elizabeth).
• No. 6’s two male leads are played by Yūki Kaji (Durarara!!’s Walker, Deadman Wonderland’s Yoh) and Yoshimasa Hosoya (Katanagatari’s Shichika, Level E’s Yukitaka). Both are under 30, and both have young-ish careers. Hosoya started in the mid 2000s but got his first lead roles last year, while Kaji got his first lead in 2006. From what I’ve heard, I think both of them are capable enough.
• The other Noitamina show, Usagi Drop, has Hiroshi Tsuchida – an experienced dubber – starring opposite Ayu Matsuura, a 10-year-old child actress (link to her in a commercial). They’ll be well supported by pros Sayaka Ohara (Aria’s Alicia, xxxHolic’s Yuuko), Kana Ueda (Fate/stay night’s Rin, Saki’s Saki) and Maaya Sakamoto (Kara no Kyoukai’s Shiki, Arakawa Under the Bridge’s Nino).
• Megumi Nakajima (Macross Frontier’s Ranka, Kampfer’s Kaede) sounds unimpressive in Sacred Seven’s trailer. I’ve never been a fan of her voice work, though.
• Shockingly, Nobuhiko Okamoto (Index’s Accelerator, Blue Exorcist’s Rin) is not playing the light-haired psychopath in Kamisama Dolls; Ryōhei Kimura (Eden of the East’s Akira, Natsume Yuujinchou’s Satoru) is doing that. Instead, Okamoto is the protagonist. Ai Kayano is his love interest, Misato Fukuen is his younger sister, and Miyuki Sawashiro is a slightly odd university student.

List

Female seiyuu

Four roles

Hanazawa, Kana / 花澤香菜 (Mayo Chiki!, Ro-Kyu-Bu!, Kamisama Dolls, Morita-san wa Mukuchi)

Sawashiro, Miyuki / 沢城みゆき (Dantalian no Shoka, Kamisama Dolls, Uta no Prince-sama, Mayo Chiki!)

Taketatsu, Ayana / 竹達彩奈 (Nekogami Yaoyorozu, Yuruyuri, Baka Test 2, Double J)

Three roles

Fukuen, Misato / 福圓美里 (Kamisama Dolls, Blood-C, Manyuu Hikenchou)

Horie, Yui / 堀江由衣 (Nekogami Yaoyorozu, Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel, Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Itō, Kanae / 伊藤かな恵 (Sacred Seven, Nekogami Yaoyorozu, Ro-Kyu-Bu!)

Katō, Emiri / 加藤英美里 (Yuruyuri, Baka Test 2, Double J)

Kayano, Ai / 茅野愛衣 (Nekogami Yaoyorozu, Kamisama Dolls, Kamisama no Memochou)

Nanjō, Yoshino / 南條愛乃 (Morita-san wa Mukuchi, Baka Test 2, Nekogami Yaoyorozu)

Nomizu, Iori / 野水伊織 (Sacred Seven, Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi, R-15)

Noto, Mamiko / 能登麻美子 (Manyuu Hikenchou, Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel, Ro-Kyu-Bu!)

Takagaki, Ayahi / 高垣彩陽 (Manyuu Hikenchou, Nekogami Yaoyorozu, Kamisama Dolls)

Toyosaki, Aki / 豊崎愛生 (Nekogami Yaoyorozu, Manyuu Hikenchou, Yuruyuri)

Yamaguchi, Rie / 山口理恵 (Sacred Seven, Kamisama Dolls, Morita-san wa Mukuchi)

Two roles

Arai, Satomi / 新井里美 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2, Nekogami Yaoyorozu)

Asumi, Kana / 阿澄佳奈 (Mayo Chiki!, Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Gōda, Aya / 合田彩 (Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi, R-15)

Hirata, Mana / 平田真菜 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2, Baka Test 2)

Iguchi, Yuka / 井口裕香 (Mayo Chiki!, Ro-Kyu-Bu!)

Kugimiya, Rie / 釘宮理恵 (The Idolm@ster, Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel)

Ogura, Yui / 小倉唯 (Kamisama no Memochou, Ro-Kyu-Bu!)

Mikami, Shiori / 三上枝織 (Yuruyuri, Sacred Seven)

Mizuhashi, Kaori / 水橋かおり (Baka Test 2, Nekogami Yaoyorozu)

Nanase, Ami / 七瀬亜深 (Sacred Seven, Morita-san wa Mukuchi)

Sakamoto, Maaya / 坂本真綾 (Usagi Drop, Blade)

Shimoda, Asami / 下田麻美 (The Idolm@ster, Nekogami Yaoyorozu)

Tomatsu, Haruka / 戸松遥 (Nekogami Yaoyorozu, Morita-san wa Mukuchi)

One role

Akasaki, Chinatsu / 赤﨑千夏 (Sacred Seven)

Arakawa, Miho / 荒川美穂 (Mawaru PenguinDrum)

Ariga, Yui / 有賀由衣 (R-15)

Asakura, Azumi / 浅倉杏美 (The Idolm@ster)

Asano, Masumi / 浅野真澄 (Blood-C)

Chihara, Minori / 茅原実里 (Mayo Chiki!)

Fujita, Saki / 藤田咲 (Yuruyuri)

Fujita, Yumiko / 藤田由美子 (Sacred Seven)

Fukuhara, Yurina / 福原由莉奈 (R-15)

Gotō, Yūko / 後藤邑子 (Nyanpire)

Hara, Yumi / 原由実 (The Idolm@ster)

Harada, Hitomi / 原田ひとみ (Baka Test 2)

Hasegawa, Akiko / 長谷川明子 (The Idolm@ster)

Hayami, Saori / 早見沙織 (Morita-san wa Mukuchi)

Hayashi, Saori / 林沙織 (Sacred Seven)

Hidaka, Rina / 日高里菜 (Ro-Kyu-Bu!)

Hikasa, Yōko / 日笠陽子 (Ro-Kyu-Bu!)

Hiraga, Mie / 平賀三恵 (Morita-san wa Mukuchi)

Hirano, Aya / 平野綾 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Hirata, Hiromi / 平田宏美 (The Idolm@ster)

Hirohashi, Ryō / 広橋涼 (Double J)

Hirota, Shion / 廣田詩夢 (Nyanpire)

Horikawa, Chika / 堀川千華 (Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi)

Imai, Asami / 今井麻美 (The Idolm@ster)

Imai, Yuka / 今井由香 (Uta no Prince-sama)

Inoue, Kikuko / 井上喜久子 (Baka Test 2)

Ise, Mariya / 伊瀬茉莉也 (Mayo Chiki!)

Ishihara, Kaori / 石原夏織 (Double J)

Isomura, Tomomi / 磯村知美 (Baka Test 2)

Itō, Shizuka / 伊藤静 (Ro-Kyu-Bu!)

Kakazu, Yumi / かかずゆみ (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Kanemoto, Hisako / 金元寿子 (Nekogami Yaoyorozu)

Kashiyama, Nanami / 柏山奈々美 (R-15)

Kitamura, Eri / 喜多村英梨 (Mayo Chiki!)

Kobayashi, Sanae / 小林沙苗 (Natsume Yuujinchou 3)

Kobayashi, Yū / 小林ゆう(Double J)

Kobayashi, Yumiko / 小林由美子 (Kamisama Dolls)

Komatsu, Mana / 小松真奈 (R-15)

Koshimizu, Ami / 小清水亜美 (Nyanpire)

Kotobuki, Minako / 寿美菜子 (Manyuu Hikenchou)

Maeda, Ai / 前田愛 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Maeda, Nozomi / 前田希美 (Nyanpire)

MAKO (Nekogami Yaoyorozu)

Matsuki, Miyu / 松来未祐 (Double J)

Matsuura, Ayu / 松浦愛弓 (Usagi Drop)

Mimori, Suzuko / 三森すずこ (Yuruyuri)

Mina / 美名 (Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi)

Miyagawa, Miho / 宮川美保 (Blood-C)

Miyake, Marie / 三宅麻理恵 (Mawaru PenguinDrum)

Mizuhara, Kaoru / 水原薫 (Manyuu Hikenchou)

Mizuki, Nana / 水樹奈々 (Blood-C)

Mizuno, Risa / 水野理紗 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Morohoshi, Sumire / 諸星すみれ (No. 6)

Murai, Risako / 村井理沙子 (R-15)

Murakami, Madoka / 村上まどか (R-15)

Nabatame, Hitomi / 生天目仁美 (Kamisama no Memochou)

Nakajima, Megumi / 中島愛 (Sacred Seven)

Nakamura, Eriko / 中村繪里子 (The Idolm@ster)

Nakano, Miho / なかの美穂 (Sacred Seven)

Nigo, Mayako / 仁後真耶子 (The Idolm@ster)

Numakura, Manami / 沼倉愛美 (The Idolm@ster)

Ōhara, Sayaka / 大原さやか (Usagi Drop)

Ōhashi, Ayuru / 大橋歩夕 (Double J)

Ōkubo, Rumi / 大久保瑠美 (Yuruyuri)

Omigawa, Chiaki / 小見川千明 (Double J)

Ōtsubo, Yuka / 大坪由佳 (Yuruyuri)

Sakuma, Rei / 佐久間レイ(No. 6)

Sanpei, Yūko / 三瓶由布子 (Nekogami Yaoyorozu)

Satō, Amina / 佐藤亜美菜 (Morita-san wa Mukuchi)

Satō, Kanami / 佐藤奏美 (Double J)

Shindō, Kei / 真堂圭 (No. 6)

Shintani, Ryōko / 新谷良子 (Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel)

Takahashi, Chiaki / たかはし智秋 (The Idolm@ster)

Takamoto, Megumi / 高本めぐみ (Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi)

Tamura, Yukari / 田村ゆかり (Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel)

Tanaka, Manami / 田中真奈美 (Sacred Seven)

Tanaka, Rie / 田中理恵 (Nekogami Yaoyorozu)

Tanaka, Ryōko / 田中涼子 (Nekogami Yaoyorozu)

Tokunaga, Ai / 徳永愛 (Nekogami Yaoyorozu)

Tōyama, Nao / 東山奈央 (Ikoku Meiro no Croisee)

Tozuka, Rie / 戸塚利絵 (Sacred Seven)

Tsuda, Minami / 津田美波 (Yuruyuri)

Tsukimiya, Midori / 月宮みどり (R-15)

Tsumita, Kayoko / 積田かよ子 (R-15)

Ueda, Kana / 植田佳奈 (Usagi Drop)

Wakabayashi, Naomi / 若林直美 (The Idolm@ster)

Yahagi, Sayuri / 矢作紗友里 (Ikoku Meiro no Croisee)

Yasuno, Kiyono / 安野希世乃 (No. 6)

Yūki, Aoi / 悠木碧 (Ikoku Meiro no Croisee)

Yuzuki, Ryōka / 柚木涼香 (Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel)

Male seiyuu

Three roles

Fukuyama, Jun / 福山潤 (Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi, Nyanpire, Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Kaji, Yūki / 梶裕貴 (Uta no Prince-sama, Ro-Kyu-Bu!, No. 6)

Kimura, Ryōhei / 木村良平 (Natsume Yuujinchou 3, Kamisama Dolls, Mawaru PenguinDrum)

Terashima, Takuma / 寺島拓篤 (Sacred Seven, Uta no Prince-sama, Baka Test 2)

Two roles

Fujiwara, Keiji / 藤原啓治 (Blood-C, Mayo Chiki!)

Konishi, Katsuyuki / 小西克幸 (Sacred Seven, Nekogami Yaoyorozu)

Miyata, Kōki / 宮田幸季 (Kamisama no Memochou, Baka Test 2)

Nakamura, Yūichi / 中村悠一 (Uta no Prince-sama, Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi)

Okamoto, Nobuhiko / 岡本信彦 (Sacred Seven, Kamisama Dolls)

Ōkawa, Tōru / 大川透 (Sacred Seven, Manyuu Hikenchou)

Ono, Daisuke / 小野大輔 (Dantalian no Shoka, Kamisama no Memochou)

Ōtsuka, Akio / 大塚明夫 (Blade, Baka Test 2)

Sakurai, Takahiro / 櫻井孝宏 (Kamisama no Memochou, Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Shimono, Hiro / 下野紘 (Uta no Prince-sama, Baka Test 2)

Suwabe, Junichi / 諏訪部順一 (Uta no Prince-sama, Natsume Yuujinchou 3)

Suzuki, Tatsuhisa / 鈴木達央 (Blood-C, Baka Test 2)

Tachibana, Shinnosuke / 立花慎之介 (Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi, Nyanpire)

Taniyama, Kishō / 谷山紀章 (Uta no Prince-sama, Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Toriumi, Kōsuke / 鳥海浩輔 (Uta no Prince-sama, Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Yusa, Kōji / 遊佐浩二 (Uta no Prince-sama, Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

One role

Abe, Atsushi / 阿部敦 (Blood-C)

Hamada, Kenji / 浜田賢二 (Manyuu Hikenchou)

Hino, Satoshi / 日野聡 (Mayo Chiki!)

Hiyama, Nobuyuki / 檜山修之 (Double J)

Horie, Kazuma / 堀江一眞 (Natsume Yuujinchou 3)

Hoshi, Sōichiro / 保志総一朗 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Hosoya, Yoshimasa / 細谷佳正 (No. 6)

Inoue, Kazuhiko / 井上和彦 (Natsume Yuujinchou 3)

Irino, Miyu / 入野自由 (Sacred Seven)

Ishida, Akira / 石田彰 (Natsume Yuujinchou 3)

Isobe, Tsutomu / 磯部勉 (Blade)

Kakihara, Tetsuya / 柿原徹也 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Kamiya, Hiroshi / 神谷浩史 (Natsume Yuujinchou 3)

Ki, Masatoshi / 紀昌利 (Morita-san wa Mukuchi)

Kimura, Subaru / 木村昴 (Mawaru PenguinDrum)

Kondō, Takashi / 近藤隆 (Ikoku Meiro no Croisee)

Kubota, Ryūichi / 久保田竜一 (Morita-san wa Mukuchi)

Majima, Junji / 間島淳司 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Matsukaze, Masaya / 松風雅也 (Kamisama no Memochou)

Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu / 松岡禎丞 (Kamisama no Memochou)

Matsuyama, Takashi / 松山鷹志 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Miki, Shinichiro / 三木眞一郎 (No. 6)

Miyano, Mamoru / 宮野真守 (Uta no Prince-sama)

Mogami, Tsuguo / 最上嗣生 (Mayo Chiki!)

Murase, Katsuki / 村瀬克輝 (Kamisama Dolls)

Naitō, Ryō / 内藤玲 (Nekogami Yaoyorozu)

Nakata, Jōji / 中田譲治 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Nojima, Kenji / 野島健児 (Blood-C)

Okiayu, Ryōtarō / 置鮎龍太郎 (Nekogami Yaoyorozu)

Ono, Atsushi / 斧アツシ (Manyuu Hikenchou)

Onosaka, Masaya / 小野坂昌也 (Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel)

Ōtsuka, Chikao / 大塚周夫 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Ōshita, Kōta / 大下孝太  (Morita-san wa Mukuchi)

Saka, Osamu / 阪脩 (Blade)

Suganuma, Hisayoshi / 菅沼久義 (Natsume Yuujinchou 3)

Sugita, Tomokazu / 杉田智和 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Sugiyama, Noriaki / 杉山紀彰 (Nyanpire)

Suzumura, Kenichi / 鈴村健一 (Uta no Prince-sama)

Tanaka, Hideyuki / 田中秀幸 (Ikoku Meiro no Croisee)

Teraoma, Masaki / てらそままさき (No. 6)

Tsuchida, Hiroshi / 土田大 (Usagi Drop)

Tsuda, Kenjiro / 津田 健次郎 (Baka Test 2)

Tsuji, Shinpachi / 辻親八 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Wakamoto, Norio / 若本規夫 (Uta no Prince-sama)

Yabe, Masashi / 矢部雅史 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Yasumoto, Hiroki / 安元洋貴 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

Yoshino, Hiroyuki / 吉野裕行 (Nurarihyon no Mago 2)

This past week has been another whirlwind of activity.  I had my final two finals, followed by my commencement ceremony on Saturday.  Pending a final review, I graduate summa cum laude (with highest praise) from university.  I also started work at my first real job, which has been going well.  Making the transition to a 40-hour+ work week isn’t the easiest thing in the world.  Fortunately, I’ve still had time for anime.  This week, I want to share highlights from Nichijou, Deadman Wonderland, and Sket Dance.

Nichijou – He Wrestled a WHAT!?

If you read any of the synopses at the beginning of the year, you might have noticed Nichijou made a few promises.  We’ve already seen the robot hiding a rollcake in her arm, thanks to Nano.  We still hadn’t seen the principal wrestling any deer though.  Well, Yuuko got front row seats to the big event, thanks to her penchant for never finishing her homework.

You could use this to make some statement about animal cruelty, but it would only make you a prude.  Let’s just face the facts.  The deer was an honorable opponent.  The principle of this school is a freaking beast.  The German suplex was beautiful.  Microsoft Word doesn’t think the word suplex exists.  Finally, Yuuko reporting all this as normal says an awful lot about the school and their tolerance for the bizarre.  It was a pretty satisfying sequence if I say so myself.

Deadman Wonderland – Tag!

It’s still hasn’t surpassed Mnemosyne, but Deadman Wonderland is a solid second for most brutal anime I’ve ever watched.  Yes, I have little tolerance for brutality, and I haven’t succeeded at watching an entire episode yet.  I hadn’t seen anything memorable in a “good” way, though, until this week’s episode.  Little Ganta really doesn’t want to die, and you know what they say about cornered cats…

He bled himself out pretty well just utilizing his power, and Senji’s furious assault leaves him broken.  His opponent shows a bit of mercy, but Ganta wants to win.  He drags himself up off the floor and switches things up with an indirect assault.  Senji quickly defends himself against the falling microphone, but the small gap is enough.  The kid quickly closes the distance and unleashes a focused attack at point-blank range.  He even targets the same area he injured the previous day.  With that, Ganta wins the award for tactic of the week.  In the end, Senji rather gruesomely loses an eye, but it means he can come back with a cool eye-patch!

Sket Dance – You Gotta Have Friends

I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but I love delinquent characters.  It gives the writers a lot of latitude to play with the character.  Sket Dance has been a rocky series up to this point.  Sometimes it presses all the right buttons, but other times I really wonder why I’m still watching the show.  Well, Momoka’s puppet show fell solidly in within the first group.

Many times, we view bullies as some sort of monster.  How dare they harm our friends or family!?  Some probably do it just for the sake of doing it.  On the other hand, you can’t forget they have feelings too.  When people shun you all the time, you can easily start to lash out at them.  Pushing people away is easier than bringing them close, after all.  The more you lash out, the more you increase that reputation.  Turning the tide around might seem like an impossible task.  I’m not saying bullies shouldn’t be punished.  I’m saying, rather than jump straight to the conclusion, maybe we should try to learn why they act they way they do.  I’m sure Momoka and her posse are glad they finally have a group of friends who accept them.  Their performance was glorious in my opinion.

Well, that about wraps it up for another week.  If you have any highlights you’d like to share, please feel free to do so in the comments or in a post of your own!

You know, I had several highlights lined up to talk about this week.  However, at this time I’m going to get a bit personal with you and focus on one scene.  I’ve never written a post for the Diary of an Anime Lived project, so this is my first crack at an entry.  I feel like Moshidora failed in several respects, but it did one thing remarkably well.  You could say it even knocked it out of the park.  You can see this particular scene coming from a mile away, but if you really wish to avoid spoilers, then I suggest you finish episode 9 of Moshidora before continuing.

Before we get to it, you need to know a bit of backstory.  In the middle of 2008, round abouts August, my father was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.  The surgery succeeded.  Yet, it was too late.  The next scan showed what we feared most.  The cancer metastasized and spread to his liver.  The last few years have been a rollercoaster of emotional stresses.  He had chemotherapy treatments over a span of two years’ time.  They left him physically exhausted and emotionally drained.  He would often recover enough of his strength just in time for another round of chemicals to invade his body.  After his third surgery, we were hoping they had excised it completely.  About two weeks ago, he had his fourth surgery.  No such luck, I suppose.

Yuuki’s last moments will easily reside in the top emotional scenes of the entire year for me.  Yes, the scene is meant to pull on your heartstrings, but I don’t think you can fully appreciate it until you’ve been there yourself.  You have to sit there and watch someone struggle for his life for years on end.  Every time you go to the doctor’s office you hope for a clean bill of health.  Sometimes, you’ll get it, and you breathe a sigh of relief.  Other times… there might be preparations for yet another surgery.

It’s a hard life.  There’s a lot of pain and misery and tears.  Perhaps I’m fortunate.  So far, my father has survived.  But in the back of my mind, I know there’s a chance.  A chance that no matter what happens, it just won’t be enough.  The specter of death is ever looming.  If the cancer ever shows up in his lungs, it will be terminal.  He might live a year, he might live ten, but it will kill him eventually.

Yuuki fought her fate fiercely.  She survived a whole nine months past the doctor’s predictions.  She still fell short.  Was it worth the struggle?  All you have to do is watch the scene.  Every member of the squad stands at her deathbed, and they all grieve in their own way.  Some have streams of tears rushing down their cheeks.  Others try to keep up a strong front, but you can still read their emotions through the sniffling and shaking.  She certainly touched the lives of the team she loved.

Perhaps more importantly, Yuuki guided Minami toward becoming a stronger person.  Minami became a manager because of her friend, and a damn good one.  She strengthened the entire school with the baseball team as a central point.  By the end, Minami has also rekindled of her love for the game.  Yuuki was a fictional character, but she accomplished more in a year than many people in the real world might do in a lifetime.  She lived vicariously from her hospital bed, and in the process affected hundreds of people.  Watching the series culminate to this point reminded me of a particular scripture:

I have fought the fine fight, I have run the course to the finish, I have observed the faith. – 2 Tim 4:7 NWT

Without a doubt, Yuuki fought a fine fight.  She could die satisfied.  I cried like a fucking baby.  I’m crying as I write this post.  Judge it how you will.  I have a good idea of how Minami felt.  How Yuuki’s mother felt.  How the team felt.  I know the difficulties they must have gone through, even though they may not have shown those moments from years past.

Take away at least one lesson from it.  Life is fleeting.  Live a good life.  Make things happen.  You never know what lives you’ll touch until you try.  You never know what a difference it might make, for yourself or for others, even after you’re gone.  My father has similarly left a good life.  He’s well-respected by those who know him.  Even when he’s weak, he still goes out of his way to help others.  He gives even when he has nothing to give.  I know he’ll be dearly missed, should it ever come to that point.  I honestly don’t know how he manages to keep it together as well as he does.  I envy that ability.

But if you want to be ambitious and learn two things, the second is as follows.  Look at your family history.  If there’s a history of colon cancer and you have the means to do it, get yourself checked.  The cancer in my family is hereditary.  After observing my father’s siblings, the doctors have classified it as aggressive.  I’m supposed to be checked when I turn 25.  The procedure might sound a bit embarrassing, but the physicians are trained to do it.  It might save your life.  Don’t put yourself or your loved ones through what I and my family have suffered.  Please.  Get checked.

The past week has been absolutely crazy.  I haven’t had much time for myself between throwing myself at my senior project and visiting my relatives in the neighboring state.  However, I did manage to watch most of the shows I’m following this season.  I still have a bit of catching up to do, especially with Moshidora’s slightly unique airing schedule.  It hasn’t stopped me from compiling another list of personal highlights for the week.  This week, I’m highlighting Denpa Onna, Dog Days, C, and Hanasaku Iroha.

Denpa Onna – Losing Control

So Makoto has come up with this brilliant idea to shake Erio loose from her alien theory.  He’s going to scare the hell out of her by riding down a hill on his bike at top speed, then swerving at the last moment.  Unfortunately, either he doesn’t understand physics, or he has no common sense.  It’s already difficult to stop the bike normally, but now he’s got another person’s mass to overcome as well…

When he realizes his mistake, he freaks out.  Then, he figures his only option is to go completely balls to the wall and jump his bike.  Even when you’ve lost control of the situation, charging straight through it might be the best option.  They get soaked, but at least they’re not dead!

Dog Days – _____ Has Entered the Battle!

To me, Dog Days resembles Dynasty Warriors.  If you’ve never played the game, I mean it’s technically terrible but highly entertaining anyway.  They also both rely on Hero characters who can completely dominate the battleground (like Sengoku Basara).  Whenever a new Hero enters the battle, they can’t help but show off their abilities.  This week, we got three!

Of the three girls, Yuki is easily my favorite.  First, sorry pirate lovers, but ninjas are awesome.  Second, she’s not a fan of being interrupted, as the unfortunate nameless captain found out the hard way.  Third, she can team up with Rico to rain destruction from the heavens.  I hope she sticks around for the rest of the series.

C – He Wept Bitterly

CPAnime on this blog has covered the info dump aspects of the episode, and Thoughtcannon at MSIUD thoroughly covered the morality aspect.  I latched on to the resolution of Souchiro and Kimimaro’s conversation.  Souchiro found out his father used to visit the Financial District as well.  He was initially successful, but eventually lost everything and resorted to suicide…

When someone seemingly abandons you, it’s easy to demonize them in your mind.  He pursued his own interests.  He was selfish.  It’s not my fault.  I can wash my hands of it.  Kimimaro’s explanation really gets to the kid.  Losing someone because they wanted the best for you is so much harder to accept.  It shattered Souchiro’s closure.  He dismisses Mashu, sits down, and weeps.  If C does nothing else right for the rest of the season, at least in that instant, it moved me.

Hanasaku Iroha – Oyasumi Ohayo

I’ll close the post out on a lighter note.  Ohana has struggled to get Minko to like her.  I don’t think it will ever happen, given the great lengths Minko has gone to to hate her.  It certainly didn’t help when Ohana insulted her crush without even realizing it.  That unfortunate exchange led to this brief but delightful scene…

You have to admire Ohana’s drive, even when it comes to making friends.  I kind of hope she never succeeds in this case, especially if the tension between them keeps making scenes like this happen.

That wraps up my thoughts for this week.  If you’ve got any comments or highlights of your own, please, feel free to share them!

When you watch anime there are always little moments that stick out to you.  Maybe the actors delivered a particularly funny line, the animators drew up an amazing action sequence, or the writers tug hard at your heartstrings.  In the interest of getting out of my writing rut, I’m going to share a few of my highlights from the last week.  Who knows, this might become “a thing”.  Over the past week, I particularly enjoyed some moments from Gosick, Nichijou, Steins;Gate, and AnoHana.

Gosick – Mighty Victorique

Some of you who went to school might have had those desks with the seat connected to the table.  If you ever tried to pick one of those up, you’d discover they’re a pretty hefty piece of furniture.  When they replaced the wooden desks at my school with new ones, they actually got heavier.  You would also find these desks to be a rather awkward lift.  None of this seems to matter to Victorique though…

See, this is what happens when you make the cute one angry.  She lifts a desk above her head that probably weighs as much as she does.  Then she throws it at you.  So what if Victorique could never really lift a desk?  That Avril also got hurt in the process is a nice bonus.  Geez, she’s annoying…

Nichijou – The Afro of Holding

I tend to wear pants all the time, and I prefer ones with really deep pockets.  I don’t carry a lot of stuff most of the time, but when I do, I like the convenience.  In particular, the pants I wear to conventions have large enough pockets to hold my camcorder.  Nichijou seems particularly proud of the hyperspace arsenal, which puts my pants to shame.  But none of them can hold a candle to this…

I firmly believe that afros are inherently funny, so this short scene was already off to a good start.  Not many people think about other uses for the ‘fro, though.  Just think of the convenience.  You can carry things in your hair!  On the other hand, try not to think about where that pancake has been…

Steins;Gate – Dirty Minds

Most of the time, sexual innuendo doesn’t give me much amusement.  It always seems like the lazy way out of a joke.  The situation or the story isn’t inherently funny, but if you plug sex into the equation, suddenly it’s hilarious!  Yeah, not really.  However, when a writer puts some effort into setting the joke up, even requiring past events to make it work, you can end up with this little gem…

If you don’t understand that line, then congratulations!  You’re innocent.  Of course, I might have just totally boned your innocence, and if so, I apologize.

AnoHana – Simple Pleasures

I’m grown up now.  I’m 22 years old, I’m about to graduate from college, and I’m gearing up for my first long-term professional job.  It’s time to enter “the real world.”  Life and its stresses can easily bog you down, especially under pressures to succeed and make ends meet every month.  Occasionally, you just need to relax…

Several of us in the aniblogosphere have written posts about Pokemon in the past.  Personally, it reminds me of carefree days when I’d sit there with Gameboy in hand, tracking down Pokemon with my Venusaur while waiting for the next episode to air.  It’s a silly little game, pointless even, but it’s comforting.  And sometimes, like in AnoHana, it’s the silly little victories with your friends that can mean the most to you.

With that, I’ve wrapped up my thoughts for the past week.  If you’ve got any highlights of your own, feel free to share them.  Hopefully, I’ll be back with more next week!

So Magical Girl Madoka Magica has been delayed indefinitely (a Shaft show being delayed near its finish? Say it ain’t so!), or at least until some time in April. But no hard dates as of yet. Which I guess gives us some extra time to step back and reflect upon the ride it has provided us so far.

Below is a chart of my reactions to each episode. Bigger is obviously more positive.

I remember going into the show with cautious optimism, which I guess is the way I go into any show that has so many big names behind it and receives so much hype. As you can see, the first 2 episodes didn’t wow me, but neither did they disappoint me. They just… were. Typical urban fantasy stuff, with a distinctive and compelling art style.

Obviously, then episode 3 happened. Killing off Mami was a move that I greatly respected. As I wrote in my post, it put a serious tone on the rest of the show. And the moment of Mami’s death was wonderfully directed, fully conveying the horror of what had occurred.

Episodes 4 and 5 were a bit slow, but Kyoko was a welcome and surprising addition to the cast. The reveal at episode 6 was well done, and though it lacked the power of Mami’s death, it made the setting feel even more stark. Getting one’s soul removed and becoming a zombie is no laughing matter.

Episodes 7 and 8 played on that to great effect. Sayaka’s downfall was the most well done part of the show. It was handled in a believable and entertaining manner, with each step in her downward spiral lovingly laid out in front of us to enjoy. The insanity at the end of episode 7 was beautiful, and the double reveal at the end of episode 8 capped off what was the best episode of the show so far.

Then we had episode 9, for which I guess it was just unfair to try to follow up 8. It could have been done much better. Kyoko’s death wasn’t handled poorly, but it did feel forced at times. It was a convenient way to get rid of two of our favorite characters in one shot, but it paled in comparison to Mami’s death 6 episodes back.

And speaking of convenience, that’s pretty much exactly what episode 10 was for. Its reveal, the biggest reveal of them all, may have been telegraphed since the 1st episode, but it was handled appropriately, making it pretty impactful. In fact, perhaps it had too much impact. Anime has never been known for being subtle, and this surely wasn’t. It was beating us over the head with how Homura had been beaten over the head by fate.

To the show’s credit, none of the reveals have been twists. That is, they didn’t achieve their impact mainly through shock value or surprise. Rather, if there’s anything to criticize about them, it’s that they were too obvious. Everything fell too neatly into place. It’s just that the execution has been so top class that it’s been a joy to watch. Even when I think some things should have been done better.

And that’s been the story of Magical Girl Madoka Magica so far. When you dig into the details, things start to break down. Kyubey’s explanation about entropy just falls flat and gives a needlessly physics based explanation to a fantasy story. Kyoko’s death seemed wholly unnecessary, even if it had been telegraphed like crazy in the episodes leading up to it. And the introduction of the Groundhog Day time loop for Homura was jus as unnecessary.

But it all managed to work. It’s a testament to the overall direction of the show. Cinematography and music have been top notch throughout (even if it took me a while to warm up to the music). The radical shifts in art style have been used very well with the story itself, besides just looking pretty. Every scene has felt purposeful and deliberate. It has created a work that has the pacing just right, a mystery story that has kept us hooked step by step, baiting us with little bits here and there, steadily building up to… well, where we are now. Only the climax and ending are to follow.

And so we enter the final sixth of the show, the last 2 episodes. I don’t know how the whole release schedule deal will pan out, but I’m kind of hoping that this delay gives Shaft a chance to retool the episodes to fit as one 2-episode unit that are released quickly back to back. It’s a trick a lot of US TV shows use, and Code Geass‘s first season used it to good effect. Neon Genesis Evangelion‘s final 2 episodes also went together, though they weren’t released back to back. As I’ve said before, Magical Girl Madoka Magica has been a fun, gripping, tight ride so far. It hasn’t been without its missteps, but with the final bits to go, thanks to the strength of its direction and narrative, this is a show that genuinely has the opportunity to be one of the best, as long as it doesn’t get crushed by the weight of its own narrative. And there aren’t enough shows like that.

We all know what’s happened in Japan over the last few days.  Everything I could say has probably been said a thousand times over by now, so I won’t add my voice to the echo chamber.  Instead, I come bearing some artwork for you this evening.  I saw this on Nina Matsumoto’s Twitter, and immediately retweeted it myself:

@spacecoyotl – to lift their spirits, a high school teacher in Japan drew portraits of graduating students on the blackboard http://twitpic.com/49kkms

The original post came from @tarourakami just a few short hours ago, and in the time it’s taken me to write this short blurb, it’s already gained another 8000 views.  Not only is the artwork damn good, but it’s the kind of thing that can just make you happy.  The kids in his artwork are smiling.  They’re happy, despite or perhaps in spite of adversity.  That’s my message to you tonight.  No matter what happens, you’ve always got to keep your spirits up.

Beneath the cut is 1000 words about the seiyuu – mostly female, because I don’t follow male seiyuu as much, and also because I didn’t want to write more than 1000 words – who will be lending their voices to the spring season’s new crop of characters in its new crop of anime. I’ve also included a list of all the female seiyuu who will appear in spring, and what shows they’ll be appearing in. All images in this post are from koebooru. Have fun! Edit 10/3: Added Jewelpet Sunshine cast. Edit 13/3: Added Honto ni atta! Reibai-sensei cast, more Sket Dance and A Channel cast members. Emiri Katou (Kyubey) now has three roles, on par with agency-mate Kana Asumi, who she’s pictured with in this post. Another role for Ai Kayano (and a good deal more in the near future) signal she’s really on the rise after debuting just last year. And A Channel adds some familiar voices from Saki, the director’s previous work.

The female seiyuu with the most spring roles (seven, so far) is Kana Hanazawa, who is probably best known as Bakemonogatari‘s Nadeko, OreImo‘s Kuroneko and Angel Beats!‘s Tenshi/Kanade. She’ll be everywhere over the coming months, with leading roles in Moshidora, Ao no Exorcist, Hen Zemi and Deadman Wonderland, recurring roles in Steins;Gate and the second season of Seikon no Qwaser, and a small part in Dog Days. Her ubiquity isn’t exactly shocking, as she’s been rather popular since about 2009.

Interestingly, the girl with the second largest amount of roles is more of a surprise. Saori Goto has been around since 2003 and has had a wide variety of roles, but seems to be a relative unknown in fan circles. I enjoy her work. Her voice can grate at times (her ojou-sama voice has a somewhat shrill edge to it), but I think she emotes well and can be really funny when the time calls for it. She always brings some spark to her roles. Hear her in Maria Holic‘s second season (reprising her role as Yuzuru Inamori), Steins;Gate, C, and kids’ shows (probably kids’ shows?) Happy Kappy and Suzy’s Zoo.

Yuu Kobayashi (Fractale‘s Clain, Umineko‘s Kanon) will play alongside Goto in Maria Holic Alive, and she, Kanae Itou (Saten in Railgun, Elsie in The World God Only Knows), and Eri Kitamura (Angel Beats!‘s Yui, Toradora‘s Ami) each have four spring roles. Notably, Itou will star in three of hers (Hana-Saku Iroha, Sofuteni and The World God Only Knows 2). Perhaps fitting, as she’s just picked up the Seiyuu Award for Best Supporting Female. The award’s co-recipient, Satomi Arai (Kuroko from Index and Railgun), has no soon-upcoming roles at this stage.

K-on! stars and members of idol group Sphere, Aki Toyosaki (who won the Seiyuu Awards for Best Female and Best Personality, and who proved she is in no way a one-trick pony in Beelzebub) and Minako Kotobuki, have three roles apiece [edit 10/3: Toyosaki now has 4]. Kotobuki will star in A Channel and Tiger and Bunny. It’s been wonderful to hear her improve since first playing Mugi in 2008, and I hope these roles will give her chances to show off how she’s been honing her craft. Other K-on! girls Youko Hikasa (Mio) and Ayana Taketatsu (Azusa) are doing similarly well, with three and two new roles respectively, while Satomi Satou (Ritsu) reportedly has a part in Sket Dance but nothing else. Meanwhile, Haruka Tomatsu (Katanagatari‘s Hitei, Kannagi‘s Nagi), Sphere member alongside Toyosaki and Kotobuki, has netted herself large roles in AnoHana, Hana-Saku Iroha and C. The final Sphere member, Ayahi Takagaki, has no new roles. I’m definitely a fan of both Tomatsu and Takagaki, so this is good news and bad news for me.

Other names popping up a few times in cast lists include Rie Kugimiya (Shana‘s Shana, Toradora‘s Taiga), Mamiko Noto (the titular Hell Girl/Jigoku Shoujo, Kimi ni Todoke‘s Sawako), Kana Asumi (Working!!‘s Poplar, Hidamari Sketch‘s Yuno), Mariya Ise (Panty and Stocking‘s Stocking, Durarara!!‘s Mika), Yukari Tamura (Nanoha‘s Nanoha, Katanagatari‘s Togame), Rina Satou (Mikoto in Railgun and Index, Kaoru in Amagami SS) and Ryoko Shiraishi (Hayate in Hayate no Gotoku, Mako in Saki).

Looking at shows as a whole rather than seiyuu individually, there are some standouts.

Sofuteni, about a middle-school soft tennis club, has a strong cast including Eri Kitamura, Kanae Itou, Miyuki Sawashiro (Bakemonogatari’s Suruga, Durarara!!‘s Celty), Satomi Akesaka (Level E‘s Miho, Milky Holmes‘ Arsene), Sayuri Yahagi (Hayate no Gotoku‘s Izumi, Seitokai Yakuindomo‘s Suzu) and Shizuka Itou (Hayate‘s Hinagiku, Shana‘s Wilhelmina). Sawashiro is a veteran, having debuted in 1999, while the others have younger careers: Shizuka Itou and Eri Kitamura debuted in 2003, Akesaka in 2004, Yahagi in 2005 and Kanae Itou in 2006. All have impressed before.

Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream seems to mostly be a vehicle for seiyuu idol group LISP – comprised of Azusa Kataoka, Kana Asumi and Sayuri Hara (none of whom I’m fond of; I’m judging Hara prematurely, having only heard her singing voice, but I don’t expect much from her acting either) – but has some nice names further down the cast list, including Kanae Itou and Risa Hayamizu, and veterans Motoko Kumai and Noriko Hidaka.

I’m not entirely sure how Kana Hanazawa will handle Deadman Wonderland‘s Shiro, but I’m rather optimistic, and as a fan of the manga, I think the casting choices (Romi Park, Takako Honda, Iori Nomizu, and males Junichi Suwabe and Yuuki Kaji) were impeccable; my expectations for the voice work is extremely high. In particular, I’m very excited to hear Iori Nomizu as Minatsuki. I enjoy her voice and I’ve been starting to follow her work somewhat keenly, and I think she’ll be able to display good range and perform very well here. I’m hoping, perhaps foolishly, that she can turn this into something of a breakout role for her.

The World God Only Knows 2 has Kanae Itou reprising her lead female role and Saori Hayami (Star Driver‘s Wako, Sora no Otoshimono‘s Ikaros) joining her, and has lined up three big names as the show’s rotating heroines: Aki Toyosaki, Ami Koshimizu (Code Geass‘s Kallen, Star Driver‘s Keito; a seiyuu whose work I often love) and Kana Asumi.

Koshimizu and Asumi will also appear in Dog Days, which features a star-studded lineup. Nana Mizuki, Yui Horie, Youko Hikasa, Mikako Takahashi, Ayana Taketatsu, Mamoru Miyano, Takehito Koyasu, Tetsuya Kakihara, and the two aforementioned women are the main characters; Kana Hanazawa, Minako Kotobuki, Sakura Tange (Card Captor Sakura‘s Sakura), Yoriko Nagata, Daisuke Ono, Norio Wakamoto, and seventeen-year-olds Yukika Teramoto and Asami Seto (who impressed as Hourou Musuko‘s Takatsuki) have smaller parts. Whew. Mizuki, also a highly successful singer (particularly for a seiyuu), will be singing the opening theme, and Horie will be performing the ending theme.

Much unlike Dog Days, Kyoto Animation’s spring series, Nichijou, features a cast list filled with unknowns. It will be highly interesting to hear them perform. There are some somewhat recognisable names, among them Mariko Honda and Misuzu Togashi, who starred together in Seitokai no Ichizon. Four of the five other girls with some experience were in Lucky Star: Hiromi Konno was Akira Kogami, Kaoru Mizuhara was Misao Kusakabe, Mai Aizawa was Ayano Minegishi, and Mami Kosuge was Yukari Takara.

The final notable cast list I’ve chosen to write on is Suzy’s Zoo. … What? You haven’t heard of it? It’s based on an American greeting card line, and (copy pasted from them since ANN says it better than I ever could) it “center[s] around a duckling named Witzy and his stuffed animal friends in a verdant backyard”. The cast is, as one might expect, rather good. Maaya Sakamoto will narrate, Mai Nakahara will play the lead duckling, and Saori Goto, Mitsuki Saiga, Ayana Taketatsu and Ryoko Shiraishi will appear as Witzy’s stuffed animal friends. I’m definitely going to watch this. I’m kidding… probably.

Lastly, below is a list of the ~120 girls with confirmed spring roles. (For example, I haven’t found official confirmation for Satomi Satou’s Sket Dance role, so she isn’t on the list yet. Edit 13/3: Role has been confirmed.) An asterisk indicates a lead part. OVAs, movies, and so on are not included. The list is ordered by amount of roles, but otherwise not ordered. Hence, liberal use of control-F is advised. The list will be updated as necessary up until the spring season begins (but most likely not after), so please let me know if I’ve missed something.

Seven roles

• Kana Hanazawa (Moshidora*, Ao no Exorcist*, Steins;Gate, Dog Days, Hen Zemi*, Deadman Wonderland*, Seikon no Qwaser 2)

Five roles

• Saori Goto (Maria Holic Alive, Steins;Gate, Happy Kappy, Suzy’s Zoo, C)
• Yuu Kobayashi (Tono to Issho: Gantai no Yabou, Maria Holic Alive*, Steins;Gate, Yondemasuyo Azazel-san, Sket Dance)

Four roles

• Eri Kitamura (Ao no Exorcist, 30-sai no Houken Taiiku, Sofuteni*, Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~)
• Kanae Itou (Hana-Saku Iroha*, Sofuteni*, The World God Only Knows 2*, Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream)
• Aki Toyosaki (Hana-Saku Iroha, The World God Only Knows 2, Seikon no Qwaser 2, Jewelpet Sunshine*)
• Miyuki Sawashiro (Maria Holic Alive, Sofuteni, Jewelpet Sunshine*, A Channel)

Three roles

• Rie Kugimiya (Gintama*, Hidan no Aria*, Astarotte no Omocha*)
• Mamiko Noto (Tono to Issho: Gantai no Yabou, Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera*, Hana-Saku Iroha)
• Minako Kotobuki (Dog Days, A Channel*, Tiger and Bunny*)
• Kana Asumi (Dog Days*, Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream*, The World God Only Knows 2)
• Yoko Hikasa (Moshidora*, Dog Days*, Seikon no Qwaser 2)
• Mariya Ise (Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~, Tiger and Bunny*, Hidan no Aria)
• Yukari Tamura (Astarotte no Omocha*, Steins;Gate, X-Men*)
• Rina Satou (Ao no Exorcist*, Astarotte no Omocha*, Yondemasuyo Azazel-san*)
• Ryoko Shiraishi (Sket Dance*, Suzy’s Zoo, Yondemasuyo Azazel-san)
• Haruka Tomatsu (AnoHana*, Hana-Saku Iroha, C*)
• Emiri Katou (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, Happy Kappy*, Honto ni Atta! Reibai-sensei)
• Marina Inoue (Danball Senki*, Maria Holic Alive*, Sket Dance)

Two roles

• Romi Park (Toriko*, Deadman Wonderland*)
• Mayumi Yoshida (Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai*, Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi)
• Chiaki Takahashi (Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai, Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi*)
• Satomi Akesaka (Sofuteni, Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~)
• Shiho Kawaragi (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi, Hen Zemi)
• Ryoko Shintani (Maria Holic Alive, Hen Zemi)
• Ami Koshimizu (Dog Days*, The World God Only Knows 2)
• Saori Hayami (AnoHana*, The World God Only Knows 2*)
• Ayako Kawasumi (Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera, Seikon no Qwaser 2)
• Takako Honda (Hana-Saku Iroha, Deadman Wonderland)
• Mikako Takahashi (Dog Days*, Hidan no Aria)
• Ayumi Fujimura (Qwaser 2*, Astarotte no Omocha)
• Yui Horie (Dog Days*, Astarotte no Omocha)
• Ayana Taketatsu (Dog Days*, Suzy’s Zoo)
• Mai Nakahara (Suzy’s Zoo*, Hidan no Aria)
• Maaya Sakamoto (Suzy’s Zoo, Appleseed XIII*)
• Aya Hirano (Seikon no Qwaser 2, Jewelpet Sunshine*)
• Ai Shimizu (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi, Jewelpet Sunshine)
• Kaoru Mizuhara (Nichijou, Honto ni atta! Reibai-sensei*)
• Mai Fuchigami (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, Honto ni Atta! Reibai-sensei)
• Miyu Matsuki (Maria Holic Alive, Honto ni Atta! Reibai-sensei)
• Nozomi Sasaki (Jewelpet Sunshine*, Honto ni Atta! Reibai-sensei)
• Megumi Toyoguchi (Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~, Sket Dance)
• Ai Kayano (AnoHana*, Sket Dance)
• Kaori Nazuka (30-sai no Houken Taiiku*, Sket Dance)

One role

• Megumi Kubota (Danball Senki*)
• Sayaka Nakaya (Moshidora)
• Ai Matayoshi (Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai*)
• Ryoko Ono (Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai*)
• Yuko Goto (Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai*)
• Kiyomi Asai (Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai)
• Eriko Nakamura (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi*)
• Aiko Okubo (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi*)
• Ringo Aoba (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi*)
• Mai Kadowaki (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi)
• Hisako Kyouda (Showa Monogatari*)
• Misato Fukuen (Showa Monogatari*)
• Sakiko Tamagawa (Showa Monogatari*)
• Mariko Honda (Nichijou*)
• Chika Horikawa (Nichijou)
• Hiromi Konno (Nichijou)
• Kaori Sadohara (Nichijou)
• Mai Aizawa (Nichijou)
• Misuzu Togashi (Nichijou)
• Shizuka Furuya (Nichijou)
• Yoko Tamaoki (Nichijou)
• Ai Hirosaka (Nichijou)
• Mami Kosuge (Nichijou)
• Motoko Kobayashi (Nichijou)
• Yumi Higuchi (Nichijou)
• Asuka Ogame (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko*)
• Ai Nonaka (Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko)
• Yui Watanabe (30-sai no Houken Taiiku)
• Rie Tanaka (Ring ni Kakero 1: Sekai Taikai-hen)
• Nana Mizuki (Dog Days*)
• Asami Seto (Dog Days)
• Kikuko Inoue (Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera)
• Maiko Ito (Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera)
• Rumi Shishido (Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera)
• Kaori Fukuhara (A Channel*)
• Aoi Yuuki (A Channel*)
• Yumi Uchiyama (A Channel*)
• Azusa Kataoka (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream*)
• Sayuri Hara (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream*)
• Rumi Ookubo (Happy Kappy*)
• Asami Sanada (Maria Holic Alive*)
• Akemi Kanda (Maria Holic Alive)
• Yuko Kaida (Maria Holic Alive)
• Hitomi Nabatame (Astarotte no Omocha*)
• Asami Imai (Steins;Gate*)
• Halko Momoi (Steins;Gate)
• Ayumi Tsunematsu (Hana-Saku Iroha)
• Chiaki Omigawa (Hana-Saku Iroha)
• Tamie Kubota (Hana-Saku Iroha)
• Sayuri Yahagi (Sofuteni)
• Shizuka Itou (Sofuteni)
• Rina Hidaka (Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~*)
• Rei Mochizuki (Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~)
• Sachi Kokuryu (Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~)
• Yuka Hirata (Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~)
• Sakura Tange (Dog Days)
• Yoriko Nagata (Dog Days)
• Yukika Teramoto (Dog Days)
• Yukiko Takaguchi (Hen Zemi)
• Yuko Sanpei (Seikon no Qwaser 2*)
• Harumi Sakurai (Seikon no Qwaser 2)
• Yoshino Nanjou (Seikon no Qwaser 2)
• Yuiko Tatsumi (Seikon no Qwaser 2)
• Iori Nomizu (Deadman Wonderland)
• Kaori Ishihara (Hidan no Aria)
• Misaki Suzuki (Astarotte no Omocha)
• Yuko Minaguchi (Astarotte no Omocha)
• Aya Hisakawa (X-Men*)
• Kaori Yamagata (X-Men*)
• Yurika Hino (X-Men)
• Yoshiko Sakakibara (X-Men)
• Mitsuki Saiga (Suzy’s Zoo)
• Risa Hayamizu (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream)
• Noriko Hidaka (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream)
• Motoko Kumai (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream)
• Aki Nakajima (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream)
• Hiro Nakajima (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream)
• Yui Makino (C)
• Mayumi Asano (C)
• Ayaka Saito (Jewelpet Sunshine*)
• Yuki Kaida (Jewelpet Sunshine)
• MAKO (Jewelpet Sunshine)
• Momoko Saito (A Channel)
• Ai Matayoshi (A Channel)
• Minori Chihara (A Channel)
• Ikumi Hayama (Honto ni Atta! Reibai-sensei)
• Megumi Takamoto (Sket Dance)
• Satomi Satou (Sket Dance)
• Fumiko Orikasa (Sket Dance)

Mistilteinn, Treesea’s other name.  If you’ve spent a lot of time watching anime or playing video games, you’ve probably seen the name appear in a few places.  For example, in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, it’s one of Hayate Yagami’s attacks.  Of course, if you know anything about etymology, you know this word didn’t originate in Japan, or even in our modern English.  You can trace the word back to Old Norse, where it meant mistletoe.  Of course, back then mistletoe didn’t have the connotation it has today.  Rather than being part of a Yuletide tradition, it was a god slayer.  Gather around, children, because I’ve got a story to tell.

Some of you have probably heard of one important figure in Norse mythology: Baldr.  For those of you who aren’t, he was the second child of Odin and Frigg.  Baldr presided over the domains of light, joy, and purity, among other aspects.  Once upon a time, Baldr had a terrible nightmare.  He dreamt of his own death.  Alarmed by this, his mother, Frigg, tried to make a pact with everything in existence.  I do mean everything: plants, animals, objects, and forces of nature.  She pleaded with them to spare her son.  Frigg received oaths from all but one, the mistletoe.  I’m sure you can see where this is going.  When you make a foolproof plan, you had better make sure it covers everything!

What with his new invincibility, all the other gods had great fun using Baldr for target practice.  Whatever hit him would just bounce off without a scratch.  Loki, the trickster god, decided to take advantage of this.  He approached Frigg and asked if her son were truly invincible.  Without thinking, she told him his one weakness.  Loki quickly crafted a weapon made of mistletoe.  Some accounts refer to it as an arrow, while others call it a lance.  Loki gave the weapon to Hod, Baldr’s brother, and convinced him to throw it.  Sure enough, the mistletoe shaft pierced the god, and shortly thereafter, he died.  Another of Odin’s sons puts Hod to death, and the gods ultimately bind Loki for his actions.

Most of you would probably see this as a Very Bad Thing.  You don’t know the half of it.  Some accounts point to this event as the ultimate cause of Ragnarok, the Norse end of the world.  Everyone can pat themselves on the back for breaking the world now.  However, it wasn’t all bad.  Odin goes to consult the wise jotunn (giant) Vafpruonir.  Odin wins a battle of wits with the giant, and besides gaining insight into Ragnarok’s outcome, secures a promise.  As Baldr and Hod are already in Hel’s embrace, it will conceal them during Ragnarok.  After the end of the world, they will rise again.  Their deaths before the inevitable end of the world allow them to be one of the few remaining deities to lead the world.  Yes, it sounds arbitrary, but to an extent, that’s mythology for you.

So why did I present all this information?  Etymology in itself can be pretty interesting at times, but on top of that, let’s think about the character’s name.  It’s possible the writers might have chosen it simply because it sounded cool.  On the other hand, it’s a suspiciously specific name to pick.  At face value Merry Dream Eater’s Mistilteinn is a malevolent being.  She not only kills, but also seems derives pleasure from it.  However, characters have had their motivations turned on their heads constantly.  It’s possible Mistilteinn has a greater purpose than meets the eye.  We’ll just have to wait and see.

Well, I’ve managed to couple my lateness with getting a post up with my interest in the ideas and questions posed by other bloggers.  Maybe this’ll be a trend for the rest of the series.  For episode 7, I’m going to take a look at the prophecy the old guy gave to Kujo.  Flareknight wonders what it means for the couple.  I think he’s right, it very clearly points to their separation somewhere in World War II.  I also want to believe he’s right about the strength of Kujo’s character.  I don’t think he’d go back home to join the war effort despite his heritage.  So what else could possibly separate the seemingly inseparable pair?  Well, let’s expand world events in the war years.

You need to know a little about geography and world history in order to assemble the Chaos.  Sabure (or Sauville) is portrayed as a fictional country.  This can make it easy to forget it still has to sit on a map somewhere.  After all, they bill this series as occurring on planet Earth with the geography and time line seemingly intact.  If you recall, the anime places the territory “between” France and Italy.  That’s all well and good, but pay close attention to the map when they show you it at the beginning of the series.  Now look at a real map.  Do you see the problem yet?  They didn’t add land to Europe, they just redistributed it to make allowance for a new country.  The fictional land of Sabure is really the western border of Italy.  If you know anything at all about World War II, feel free to use the expletive of your choice now.

Yes, that’s right, Italy sides with Germany to form the Axis powers.  Specifically, they join as France starts to retreat into itself in the face of German advances.  Italy’s very first move is to try seizing some territory from their neighbors.  They aren’t very successful, as the resisting forces stop them at the Alpine Line.  For our purposes, it doesn’t really matter.  For Italy to reach the Line, they would have to roll over Sabure, where Kujo and Victorique live.  We already have a problem, and it only gets worse.

They do have the option of fleeing, but none of the options is particularly good.  If our heroes flee to France, they immediately end up in enemy territory.  Shortly after Italy’s stalled offensive, France surrenders to Germany.  They could alternatively head north to Switzerland, but the Swiss had very strict refugee policies during the war years.  They even turned some people away.  It’s possible the couple would have better odds in enemy territory.  Kujo’s background could also play against him.  The Pacific War theatre opens in 1941, and Kujo is a military man from Japan.  He’s not the most welcome person in Neutral or Allied territory, and there’d be a lot of pressure to contribute to the war effort in Axis territory.

The series would likely never get to this point in the time line so all we can do is speculate on what separates them.  However, there’s guiding point here.  Victorique and Kujo have no control over their situation.  They really can’t do anything in the face of the world around them going to hell in a hand basket.  With the open nature of this conclusion, I open the floor to you readers.  What do you think happens to split the couple?  Additionally, if you have a greater understanding of WWII than my admittedly amateur research, feel free to share it as well.

 

To those of you who really want Madoka to become a mahou shoujo, I have to say shame on you. More to the point, you’re probably not the type of person I would want to hang out with. From the discussions that I’ve seen over the past few weeks, a lot of people seem to be focusing on the finer points of contract formation and minors. While this is certainly an interesting discussion, it is a red herring. Instead, a lot of things in this series have striking similarities to one of my favorite non anime shows, Law and Order: SVU. Unfortunately, Mariska Hargitay (or her partner, whatever that guy’s real name is) won’t be there to try and save the day.

With this foundation in mind, I suppose we could call Kyubey’s contract with Sayaka the proverbial scene of the crime. I mean he practically got to second base with her back in episode 5. But given the events of the past two episodes, it seems like he got much further than that as it relates to the soul gem revelation. The fact that was one of the best revelations in any show in some time aside, it did highlight the delayed reactions that some youths have sometimes in realizing what has happened to them. I mean how often in the media do we hear some politician or actress admit that he or she was abused 20 or 30 years after the fact. But because of the relatively short window of time this show seems to be taking place in, we have gotten a glimpse into some of the more immediate impacts.

As great and shocking as that final scene in episode 7 was, I thought that the much more heart breaking scene was the one in which Sayaka told Madoka she felt used, like a zombie, and could never be with Kyousuke with her current body. If this just didn’t scream abused victim to you I don’t know what would. The reaction of Kyouko’s father to Kyouko’s revelation also showed what kind of effect this type of event would have on someone’s family. While it does seem kind of strange that her family wouldn’t try and support her after she became a witch (or the equivalent), I thought that the fact that her father was some sort of priest covered this issue fairly well. Though I can’t speak to the culture of Japan, I do know that in the US, some families do stop communicating with their daughters after they get a little loose with their morals and eventually slip.

Clearly, that scene in the dilapidated church highlighted this difference. Sayaka was still afraid of what was going to happen if someone, namely Kyousuke, found out about what had happened. On the flip flop, it seems Kyouko had come to some sort of peace with the past events in her (also, the big bag of apples is sure symbolic of something). That made Sayaka’s rejection of help all the more stunning, in that she really needed this form of “counseling”. Instead, it seems that instead of either forgetting about what happened, as I’ll discuss with Mami, or accepting it like Kyouko, she is just going to go crazy.

That’s all well and good you might say (or not I guess), but where does that leave Mami. Well, she is dead, and given this construct I wouldn’t expect to see her again. While the circumstances of her “agreement” with Kyubey are certainly unique when compared to the other girls, I think we can assume that Mami knew what happened to her. While, on the whole, Mami was relatively upbeat about the whole Mahou Shoujo thing, there were several instances in which she did say there were some bad things about the job. I suppose I could make the case that fighting witches for eternity in some parallel dimension correlates to living with the event for the rest of your life, but that seems fishy at best (If I wanted to take it further, many people on LO:SVU who were abused early on in life, do the same to others  in their life/i.e. maybe coming a witch themselves cough Sayaka cough, but that’s just a thought).

Still, we probably could see Mami’s mindset right before her death, reflected in the setting. As some others have pointed out, and at first I did not particularly notice, the scenery shifted from pointy needles to sweet treats. If I were a devote follower in all things symbolic, I’d say that this more than anything shows how Mami was trying to stop thinking about what had happened to her. We would later find out that she never knew the truth about the soul gems, indicating that she was still in denial if we’re using the SVU framework. But as we all know, Mami is dead. This highlights that once you taste that forbidden fruit, you can’t go back again.

There are probably other things in the series that could fit into this framework if I racked my brain for days on end, but there are also some other things that were included that seem to  have no meaning at this moment. Chief among these questions is what role Madoka’s mom will have?  Clearly, she is an important character in the building up of Madoka’s character, but it also seems that something else is going on behind the scenes, or has already happened some time ago. Further, Madoka’s family life has been given a fair amount of screen time, so I’d imagine that a possible reaction to Madoka becoming a mahou shoujo would be crucial to the outcome of the story.  The recent reappearance of Hitomi and her stated intention to confess to Kyousuke muddles up the pictures even more. I’d imagine that if Hitomi and Kyousuke end up getting together, that will pretty much make Kyousuke even with Kyubey in Sayaka’s mind, as people who have used her. Also, I haven’t even mentioned Homura once in this post, as she is her own can of worms.

So no, I don’t want to see Madoka become a magical girl, or at least not become magical for the wrong reasons.

Well, I’m feeling well enough to get up to date on my anime and actually make a post, so here we are at week five of Gosick.  Last week, we had the addition of a mysterious transfer student, and this week, we find out her motivations.  It turns out she’s a fake, after a treasure stolen by a thief about eight years ago.  The treasure in question is Penny Black.  Supposedly, it’s a very rare stamp, and naturally the misprints go for even larger sums of money.  It’s the opportunity of a lifetime!  Or is it?  I’ve got a bit of research for you, so hold on to your hats and let’s get on with it.

Unlike the Queen Berry in the first arc, Penny Black actually exists.  In fact, it was the first stamp ever used for public postal services.  Back in the old days, the person receiving a letter would pay the postage.  Obviously, this didn’t sit well with some people, and so Sir Rowland Hill proposed a reform.  He suggested the person sending the letter should pay for it.  In 1840, he rolled implemented the stamp system, starting with the Penny Black.  The stamp featured the visage of Queen Victoria on a black background, and as the name implied, it cost one penny to purchase.  When you sent the letter, they would imprint a red void pattern on it to ensure people couldn’t reuse the stamps.  Lo and behold, modern postage is born!

However, this design had a fatal flaw.  If you’ve ever tried to put red on black yourself, then you would know stacking colors that way doesn’t work.  It’s really hard to see the added color.  Not only was it unnoticeable, but it also made tampering with sent stamps easier.  As a result, they stopped producing the stamp one year later in 1841.  They succeeded it with the Penny Red, which inverted the scheme by using red on the stamp and black for the void pattern.

Now you might think, “Wow, this stamp was only in production for such a short period of time, and it’s really old!  It must be worth a lot of money!”  Yes, you and everyone else might think that, if the British Antiques Roadshow is any indication.  That’s where you’d be wrong.  You see, they printed off a lot of stamps within that time period.  I mean a LOT.  Estimates peg the total production run at about 68 million stamps.  They further estimate 1.5 million still exist.  This is a problem.  For a stamp to be worth anything, it also has to be rare.  The latest rate I could find is about 3500 USD for a single, unused stamp, as was shown in Gosick.  I don’t know about you, but if I had another $3500, I’d be pretty happy.

However, this is the year 2011.  Gosick takes place in 1924.  Between now and then, inflation has increased the value of the USD by 1175%.  Every $1 then is worth $12.75 today.  We can reverse this calculation to guesstimate the value in the anime.  If everything remained perfectly stable, the stamp would be worth $275.  You could probably assume the price would be even lower, because collectibles like this also appreciate over time.  Now let’s put it into perspective.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics has some data on earnings during the 1920s.  I decided to figure it off the typesetter wages, to be generous.  In a year’s time, a typesetter could earn $2725.  A little more math tells you this stamp was worth a slightly over a month’s wages.  Not quite the windfall you might have in mind.

The one thing I wish I could find is the value of a misprinted Penny Black.  Absent information doesn’t mean misprints never existed.  It could potentially increase the value significantly.  However, consider a rare stamp that definitely went for quite a sum of money.  The Treskilling Yellow is a Swedish stamp from 1855, and it has a very valuable misprint.  Instead of coming out green as intended, it came out yellow.  The last recorded price comes from 1996, when it sold for around 2.3 million USD.  I don’t think I need to convert for you on this one.  Several other stamps exist with higher returns than Penny Black.  So why use it?  I don’t know.  Maybe it rolls off the tongue better.  Or, maybe it’s just the latest in a long line of fallacies that the first stamp is of necessity the best stamp.

For some other reading on period appropriateness, check out 2DT’s post on Victorique’s pipe.
For some actual review of this week’s episode, I’d suggest Emory Anime Club’s coverage.