I think the most astute observation I’ve read since the announce of Touyama Nao’s solo music career start was that she’s the only singer on Q-MHz’s album that did not had a solo career. It is also likely not a coincidence that her attachment to Flying Dog (subsidiary of Victor) is like how Kinmoza is a Flying Dog seiyuu group. I also think this is kind of like how Numakura Manami got into all this, who went on record after her solo debut to explain that her days in Trident changed her mind on this matter. Both are with Flying Dog, too.

So it’s possible that this is a localized phenomenon. Both Numakura and Touyama are well-known among seiyuu otaku circles as people who’s got “it” and can perform the solo stuff, but clearly there’s a difference as people who got into the biz as seiyuu versus those who are making a music career from that fan base (or beyond). In other words, we are not looking at it from the talent’s perspective. We are not looking at it so much from the producer’s perspective either.

I just want to point out that it doesn’t really matter, solo career or not. For example, last night’s roundup from Crunchyroll off of the usual anime matome blogs didn’t even mention this. Imagine if I was a PR guy I would almost be mad that the main news doesn’t get reported, but the ancillary social media engagement did. I mean, having a twitter account is not that big of a deal in the big picture, especially since it’s a PR account. It’s funny, a little weird, but also not unexpected. It also shows us where our priorities lie.

And the truth is that seiyuu do the solo music thing all the time, ever since decades ago. Entertainment biz was fluid even before seiyuu became a thing, and that part hasn’t changed. Naobou started with a push as Kaminomi’s idol character, and that anime adaptation went all in on it, with seiyuu talents who all turned out to have ties to works of that nature. In some sense Naobou is the least surprising seiyuu debut this year, to the degree that a lot of us go “huh, she didn’t yet?”

I personally am still reeling from buying all this Mocho stuff, and was already happy enough that I was there in person during her solo announcement. I guess we’ll see how things go, but I get the feeling we’re not going anywhere we have not been before.

I just want to vent a little. Chalk it up to the jetlag.

So the news today, at least the good bit, is that anison singer Faylan has resumed activities. If you’ll recall she took a long break to recover from some persistent illness, ones that reminds me of the condition that eventually took Matsuki Miyu’s life. I don’t know exactly what Faylan has, so this is all baseless conjecture, but as a fan we don’t have the info so it’s going to be natural to worry and think too much.

This naturally hits me a little harder consider what happened to Taneda Risa, who announced yesterday that she is suspending all her professional work in order to fully recover from an unnamed medical condition. It seems that she has been undergoing treatment for it for some time but it showed no improvement, and thus the hiatus. It hits doubly home because she is part of Million Live, which just announced the removal of her character’s role in the upcoming drama CD and anniversary live next March. That’s a long time away. But of course, as with these things, you can’t put someone’s name on something that they may or may not be able to make, so a substitution is necessary. The rumor mill says that Tanechan is dealing with some job-related issue (see: voice-impacting). It’s hard to hear, since she is one of the leading seiyuu of this generation.

I can only wish her the fastest full recovery.

On that note I also wish Aoi Eir also a fastest full recovery. I can’t make a Faylan substitution joke if Eir is out due to health reasons!

Lastly, earlier today Sakurai Tomo has announced her retirement. This is not great news but it is a note worthy of celebration, as she has defined an era of seiyuu idol/singer-ness. Her retiring makes a good milestone, an end of an era so to speak. Nothing wrong with it and I wish her the best in the next chapter of her life.

There are some seiyuu that I like. How and why I like a particular voice talent can vary a lot between any given two person. Some of them I like because of the characters they voice. Some because of the performances they put on in the shows or games they are in. I like some because of their TV/radio/Niconama/stage personality. I like some for their solo music artist careers. Some I like for their singing. I like some for their style/looks/presence. I like some for their background or personal story. Some of them are just really funny. Among other things. It really vary a lot, and it should not be a surprise that there are a plurality of reasons why I like the ones I most favor.

Some people make elaborate rankings, or lists, or whatever, to track who they like. It’s a basic nerd/otaku tendency, I suppose. I do too, usually in the form of guest request lists for conventions in NA. But that list also takes into account my estimation of the maturity of the seiyuu in their career (will they be able to open up to a crowd overseas), their affiliations (are they easy guests), and how they would handle a bunch of young Americans at an anime con (eg., what would they do when “Nico Nico Knee” comes up in a panel, etc). I’ve been meaning to write up some kind of mega-list at some point, for that purpose. The rationale behind it would be to make it easier for con organizers to know which seiyuu are good picks and worth going after. It would add considerations based on affiliated agency, the type of work they’re known for, among other things.

But, that’s work. Work I don’t quite have the time for. But maybe we can crowd-source it in the near future.

Next best list, I guess, is a list of seiyuu that I’d fly to see domestically. The reason is basically, I have some skin in this game–it’s not just lip service. Where your treasure is, your heart is also, I suppose? But it’s a lot more nuanced than that too. For example, some seiyuu I might not estimate much in my affections, but I would try to fly and see just as a matter of repping them, because they might not be all that popular with an oversea crowd. Sometimes a certain person’s coming to a country by itself is worth the trip. With sufficient amount of care, fans and nerds can build enough context, and meaning, of everything their cherished idols do.

By domestically in the last paragraph, I count Hawaii and Alaska in these I suppose. So, thus the list below. This is entirely a different list than just seiyuu I like, but I guess I do like all these to a degree? “Degree” enough to list? And in no particular order:

• IDOLM@STER 765Pro AllStars+ – For franchise reasons. They can come in single or duos or whatever… (13)
  • Hirata Hiromi, Nakamura Eriko, Wakabayashi Hiromi, Nigo Mayako, Kugimiya Rie, Asakura Azumi, Numakura Manami, Imai Asami, and Takahashi Chiaki are probably more of a draw for me than Hara Yumi, Shimoda Asami and Hasegawa Akiko, since I got to see them at cons already. Still would seriously think about flying to see Asapon, even if it’s for the 4th time…
  • Yeah, I will try to see Takita Juri too, but she’s not likely to be an oversea con guest.
• Hase Yurina or whatever name she goes by these days… naturally for reasons above.
• Kuwashima Houko – One of my earliest Yes-Fly list items.
• Kana Asumi – Late 00’s brightest in my opinion…
• Hanazawa Kana – Still really cool for a con, especially now. Especially since I’ve yet to really see her anywhere.
• Mizuki Nana – Just for the spectacle. How many people have her on their Yes-Fly list? Can’t just be me right? To me going to see Nana at a con is more for that fact, rather than going to see Nana, since her dome lives are not that hard to get into.
• Mitsuishi Kotono – Not sure if she’s on my list anymore but why not. These Showa idol types are great to see in person and I would try to go see her again if I could.
• Tamura Yukari – Oh man. But not really high on my list and other than nostalgia boosting her…
• IDOLM@STER MILLION STARS – After missing Miina last year I’m definitely kind of hurting. So especially now with ML3rd under the belt I feel this is where I’m most vulnerable. (37)
  • Top tier: Pyon, Koro, Mochi, 10ch, Nansu, Aimin, Stef, Ueshama, Popotan, Yunkon, Miina, Suwa, Mikku, Maple, SEED, Suzie, Rieshon, Ibuibu, Kotorin, Keiko, Chouchou, Ashu, Bei, Machico, Rally, Aberika, and Rikanee
  • Almost top tier: Yuucha, Zekki, Yukke, Yuiton, Pirami, Kakku, Denchan, Chakichan, Hamasaki Nana, and Atsuhime
  • This is terrible in that I’d fly for all of them, the difference is how easy I can talk myself out of it.
• Taketatsu Ayana – I like her, I don’t even know why. Definitely someone I want to see in person at least once (more).
• Sphere – Especially Ayahi and Aki, but probably also Tomatsu and maybe even Minako?
• Ohashi Ayaka – Why not, Red Leader of HoriPro.
• M.A.O – Kaomoji jai nai yeah. All-around talent.
• Cinderella Girls – These I like mainly because of their IM@S work, so rather not clutter the list…
  • Riccasama, Iida Yuko, Waki Azumi, Aoki Ruriko, Matsuzaki Rei, Yamamoto Nozomi, Igarashi Hiromi, Fukuhara Ayaka
• Yoshimura Haruka – She’s kind of mysterious so I want to get a better look.
• Ousaki Chiyo – Been rooting for her in a long while now, such adorable personality.
• Uesaka Sumire – She’s kind of OP, so it’s worth visiting an event with her in it, especially in the States where fashion is a big deal.
• Tsuda Minami – Slowly becoming my YRYR oshi.
• Kurosawa Tomoyo – Kinda sad of not seeing her last year…regret?
• Wake Up, Girls! – Insta-fly in this case actually, but I may be hard-pressed if it wasn’t the full team…or at least if no Myu.
• Kayano Ai – Another long-time favorite I guess.
• Sakura Taisen – At one point in my life it would be pretty close to Hanagumi, Pari-gumi and NY-gumi. But now it will take some careful consideration. I think Yokoyama Chisa might still be on the list just as the poster-girl for the franchise, but my connection to the lot of them has more to do with how much time has changed my mind and eroded my feelings for the characters. To keep it short, let’s just say 5-6.

PS. BONUS ROUND

• Saki Fujita – Because I need to complete my Manabi Straight collection? And she’s great too.
• Certain seiyuu at certain cons. North American cons are cool for various reasons, and these kind of events are found nowhere else. But even so not all cons are equal. For example Chihara Minori at NYAF was one thing, but she would be a draw for me at a different con if there was less competition and more access.
• The people at Animazement. I would fly to see them if not for the conflict of various IM@S guests at Anime North. Or the fact that it’s in driving distance/and I can carpool, so flying is often not necessary…