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.

While I definitely appreciate technical merits, I mostly vote where my emotions go, for better or worse, and you can probably see it in the writing.  I’m also not too finicky about style, which you can probably see in my, um, mildly confusing Chihayafuru observation.  Anyway, here’s my thoughts for the week, and I encourage you to check out the Power Rankings weekly to see thoughts and rankings from across the blogosphere!

1. Persona 4

After the Adventures of Loveline last week, we get the other half from Narukami’s perspective.  Where there was humor before, we get several crowning moments of heartwarming as our protagonist spends his summer helping people.  As much as life can drag you down, you always have to keep your sights on what’s really important, whether that be your family, your friends, your goals, or your memories.  This may well end up being my favorite episode of Persona 4, and one of the top for the entire season.

2. Chihayafuru

Although it was an admittedly weaker episode this week, I still think it needs recognition.  Faced with insurmountable odds, she sees a crack in her opponents defenses.  Then she capitalizes it by trapping her with her best card, which her defensive opponent logically puts into the back.  Given how many episodes are left, Chihaya is probably going to lose in the next episode, but this is still probably the most brilliant move Chihaya has done or will do for the rest of the season.

3. Mouretsu Pirates

I’m falling in love with this show for the same reason as Chihayafuru.  We’re presented with a likeable protagonist, and the series immediately vests our interest in her success.  I not only want to see how she progresses as a character, but I also want to see how the world around her plays out with her becoming Captain.  At least, it seems like the world is pretty interested in her, and I sure hope they don’t drop that thread and leave it hanging.

4. Ano Natsu de Matteru

I’d say this series has one of the best crash-into-hellos I’ve seen since FLCL.  That said, Ichika seems like the polar opposite of Haruko.  I checked this out on a lark, and I’m sticking with it because of how it presented the premise.  Yes, the kids are shooting a movie, but as Kaito mentions, the film and the drama had already begun.  The film exists for the sake of the plot, and the plot exists for the sake of the real film, the lives of these characters.

5. Guilty Crown

Guilty Crown and I have a love/hate relationship.  At least to me, the show seems to get completely lost in itself up to the halfway point of every episode.  Then, somehow, it punches its way out into an explosion of awesome that keeps me interested for next week.  In this case, it was an explosion of tragedy.  Gai was just like Kamina before him: too cool to live.  I just hope Shu can be like Simon and take a level in badass quick, especially because this series once again has no clear direction.

Anyway, since everyone’s been putting together lists, here’s my top list of all the anime I blogged in some capacity here:

1. FLCL (10 years later retrospectives)

2. Evangelion 2.22

3. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

4. Bakemonogatari

5. Magical Girl Madoka Magica (My last episodic here)

6. Durarara!! (Substituted in for Rakuen a few times)

7. Yet the Town Keeps Going

8. Arakawa Under the Bridge

9. Ookami-san and Seven Companions

10. Dance in the Vampire Bund (My first episodic here)

11. Amagami SS

12. Black Rock Shooter

Please pay me a visit at Metanorn some time. I’ll be active with a couple episodics this coming Winter 2012 season.

For those who didn’t pay much attention to the synopsis the synopsis on MAL, go back and read it again.  The key here is the Testament and its associated Union.  The Testament is used to reenact “history.”  It is the be all and end all of all major goings on in the world of Horizon.  At least it used to be.  In the year 1648, the Testament suddenly stops recounting history.  Now, a logical problem arises.  When all the major decisions of society and the world are determined by a book, what do you do when you suddenly lose your seemingly omniscient guide?

You see, people have become complacent.  The first four episode highlight this fact.  Despite the very serious problem of the end of “history,” people simply go about their business.  No one seems to have a problem with it.  We have our plucky students going on plucky adventures and chasing tail.  To quote an especially apt Bible verse: “pay attention to yourselves that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon you as a snare” (Luke 21:34-35a).  Complacency has certainly snared the people, and this is where the “insane professor’s” plan comes to the fore.

He has realized the people’s current attitude is not sufficient for forging a path into the future.  When you want to wake someone up, you might shake them.  If you want to wake the entire world up, you have to shake them with an equally large and suitable event.  What better event than the complete and wanton destruction of a major city?  Especially when the holy Testament said nothing of the event!  If you have any doubts to his strategy, pay attention to his speech.  He outright offers to abort the destruction of Mikawa if anyone can present him a sufficient plan for preserving a future for humanity.

Of course, no answers are forthcoming.  Maybe five minutes isn’t long enough to come up with something.  But the event will certainly make them think.  Maybe the pluckiness and the tail can wait until after the world is saved…

[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.

Oh, ara, Sayaka's doing well for herself.

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.

Are yū ichin' for some new Nakamura roles?

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.

Can Megumi Handle her first lead role?

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.

I se, Mariya's had a rather good year.

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 got to thinking what kind of scheme the mafia had going that allowed them to profit from this situation, and what they needed JP to do. And it made me realize that, given JP’s capabilities, they could have fixed it a different way which would have allowed them to profit regardless of whether or not JP lost the race.

First of all, what was the mafia’s business model in Redline? At first, I thought it was by being the house and enticing people to make many losing bets on JP by making him look like a sure thing at the end of the race. But towards the end of the Yellowline race that started the movie, the mafia boss’s underling came to him and said that “all their positions on JP” had been “unloaded.” This implies that, in fact, the mafia no longer had any bets for or against JP at that point, so they had no reason to care whether or not JP won. It also implies that there is an after-market for these bets that they could sell already-made bets to.

So I’m not sure what scheme they had going on (if anyone is, please let me know in the comments!). But it seemed like they were pretty dependent on JP’s capabilities: JP needed to be someone capable of both (a) convincingly being an underdog for most of the race and (b) convincingly being the favorite for some of the last part of the race. And, of course, the mafia was quite insistent that (c) JP lose the race.

The fact that JP is conning the spectators twice, first by pretending to be worse than he is, then by pretending to be about to win before losing, should set off an alarm; you only need to con someone once in order to make profit. Indeed, if JP is capable of (a) and (b), there is a pretty safe way for the mafia to fix the race, one that doesn’t care if JP wins or loses.

So here’s the new scheme:

1. Keep JP at or close to last place for most of the race. Make bets for JP as late as possible while he’s still behind.
2. In the last segment of the race, have JP suddenly take the lead. As late as possible, take all those bets you bought for JP and re-sell them in the after-market.
3. Profit! It doesn’t matter who wins the race, because you’ve sold all your bets, and all you’re holding is cash.

How does this work? The key lies in the fact that the bookie must adjust the odds of a bet in a predictable way. And this affects the price at which one can sell bets in the after-market.

First, a quick review of how one accurately determines the value (expected value) of a bet. If you have a ticket representing a $1 bet on JP, its value V is determined pretty simply:

V = Y*Z

where:
Y = payout of the bet.
Z = probability that JP will win.

Betting odds during the end of the Yellowline race

One thing bookies have to do is to try to keep that expected value V fixed, and under 1. Consistency is important so that you get an even distribution of bets for the racers and under 1 is important so that the house is likely to make a profit. Everyone knows this, so the bookie must follow this behavior so that there is no suspicion of foul play. As Z fluctuates throughout the race, the bookie must change Y in the opposite direction to keep V as close to constant as possible (of course, there is flexibility in real life, since no one truly knows the value of Z).

Here’s an example using dummy numbers. Let’s say the bookie wants to keep V at 0.9 throughout the race. During phase 1, when JP is far back in the pack, Z is very low, making Y very high. Let’s say that, when the mafia bets on JP, Z(1) = 1/10,000 – probability of JP winning is 1/10,000. Then the bookie sets Y(1) = 9,000 – the $1 ticket that the mafia bought will pay out $9,000 if JP should win.

But then enter phase 2: JP surges to take the lead. Now, Z(2) = 1/10. The bookie adjusts the odds accordingly so that Y(2) = 9. But the mafia has already bought a lot of bets that will pay out 9,000 instead of 9. So the mafia turns around to the bettors and offers to sell these bets to them, for a premium, of course. These bets are now worth Y(1) * Z(2) = 9,000 * 1/10 = $900.

If bettors were willing to purchase bets worth $0.90 for $1, then they should be willing to purchase a bet worth $900 for $1,000. Let’s say the mafia offers it to them for $900, to entice them with a better deal compared to what the house is offering. In fact, the expected value of the bet is 1 at the price of $900, so ignoring risk aversion, there is no reason NOT to take it (plus, gamblers tend not to be very risk averse people).

And then, the mafia walks away. It has “unloaded” all its “positions on JP” and is sitting on a pile of cash. It bought bets for $1 that it sold for $900, a nice 89,900% profit. Of course, these are dummy numbers, but as long as the bookie follows this predictable behavior, and as long as the after-market is liquid enough for the mafia to resell all their bets to bettors, the mafia will profit. Using more reasonable numbers, even if the jump between phases 1 and 2 of Z was from 1/50 to 1/10, and V was fixed at 0.5, the mafia would make a 150% profit.

This fix is almost exactly what insider trading is in the stock market. In this case, JP (or more specifically, the probability that JP will win) is the stock, and the non-public information is the knowledge that (as well as of when) JP’s probability of winning will skyrocket. It would be like an insider knowing that a company will soon be bought up by another company and buying lots of shares in that company’s stock before it happens.

Here, the mafia is in an even better situation than insiders, because they are actively manipulating the stock instead of just knowing how the stock will move. The incentives line up so that the mafia wants Z(1) to be as low as possible and Z(2) to be as high as possible. Both are accomplished by having the phases 1 and 2 end as late as possible in the race; as it gets closer to the finish, the odds tend to get more extreme: the probability that someone who’s behind will win gets lower, and the probability that someone who’s in the lead will win gets higher.

It will look awfully suspicious both to bettors and to law enforcement if you see one player buy and sell huge bets at such times. So the mafia would want to hire many bettors to do this, perhaps during slightly staggered times, and on much smaller scales as not to arouse suspicion. So the profit would be slightly variable, and the bettors would have to get their cut. It would also create more possible holes, more people who could talk to the police. Still, don’t you think the mafia boss would’ve preferred to take on that extra risk given to what happened?

This wouldn't have happened if the mafia had adopted this business model.

Of course, if the mafia had done this and hadn’t cared about whether or not JP would win or lose, we wouldn’t have gotten the awesome moment when Frisbee was saved, nor would we have gotten the epic finish with the planted bomb. So all in all, I guess it was for the best.

With that out of the way, please read 2DT’s very interesting analysis on Okabe’s actions in episode 19.  Don’t worry, I’ll wait.  Now, this post originally started as a response to Morgoth’s comment.  However, it got really long and I figured it deserved a post of its own.  The subject: Should we root for Okabe?

I don’t think we’re supposed to root for Okabe, per se.  We’re supposed to identify with him.  We all understand what it’s like to lose someone close to us in death.  Just the thought of it scared Okabe so much that he adopted a brand new persona because he thought Mayuri would disappear otherwise.  And now she’s dead, or rather, she will die, over and over again.

In the real world, we can get closure.  Once you die you are dead.  There’s no coming back.  We struggle with the pain and the grief for a while, but eventually we move on with our lives.  Well, most of us do anyway.

Okabe doesn’t have that luxury, because he has the power of time travel at his disposal.  He has the ability to change the outcome, if only he can figure out how to do it.  You know, we romanticize time travel a lot.  See the past!  Change things you regret!  But we don’t think about the consequences of those actions.

Okabe has suffered a lot of pain over the second half of the series.  He’s watched his best friend die hundreds of times.  He’s to the point that it doesn’t even phase him when Kurisu calls him to tell him Mayuri has died.  He’s been forced to seek out the consent of his friends to take away the happiness he gave them.  And now he has to face down Moeka, the original cause of all this in his mind.  It’s a wonder that he didn’t react with more anger and violence.

Yet, he’s still a human being.  When he flashes back to the time Moeka spent with the lab, he realizes something very important.  Something that deflates his antagonistic attitude.  She wanted attention.  She wanted friends.  At one time, Okabe considered her a friend.  He calls her a fool for believing no one wanted her.  At the same time, he realizes he was a fool for pushing her away.  If only he had paid attention to her.  If only he figured out why she pestered him all the time.  If only he learned why she was so awkward.  If only.  If only.  Maybe this could have been prevented.  But this, too, he can prevent, if only he can figure out how.

We can try to sit on some moral high horse and judge Okabe for his actions.  You shouldn’t have taken her phone, Okabe.  You shouldn’t have hit her, Okabe.  You shouldn’t have yelled at her, Okabe.  Yet, can you honestly say you’d react differently if you were in the same situation?  Honestly?  Honestly.  I have a tough time saying I would.

That is why we like Okabe.  We understand what he’s going through, and on some level we know we’d react the same way he would.  He might just be a character in some anime series.  Yet, he is undeniably human.

Time travel.  It’s enough to drive you mad.

1 – Gamers and Animate are nice stores and they are definitely worth visiting, but unless you can read Japanese there really isn’t all that much for a foreigner to get here. While these stores do have some character goods, there are other places that you can get them for much less. I’d recommend going to places not on Chuo-Dori, even though you will feel drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Stores like Kotobukiya and the Cospa Gee Store have a lot of good character goods for a lot of popular/current anime, including T-shirts, wall scrolls, mugs, CDs, etc.

2 – While it was difficult to not have an otakugasm while walking in the many stores I visited, the most interesting things to me was how all of these stores were able to constantly supply themselves and keep up to date.  Since I went on the weekend I suppose it was likely less of a spectacle than I made it out to be, as I am sure there are less hectic days. Still, it seemed like the workers were constantly restocking shelves of manga, or putting in new merchandise while customers crowded the stores. Even more amazing was the way the arcades operated. Though my next note dives into more detail regarding the arcades, the constant turnover of what prizes offered was fairly amazing. As an example, I went to one arcade late Saturday night and then again Sunday morning, and it seemed like 75 percent of the prizes were different. I suppose this makes sense, given that people likely don’t want to win, or even play for the same prizes on a constant basis, but it was still pretty interesting. You could probably apply some of these concepts to a lot of big cities around the world in some way or another, the rest of Tokyo included, it just wasn’t something I think about on a day to day basis.

3 – If you have ever been to a Casino then you would probably understand what it is like to play in an Akihabara arcade. I spent most of my time trying to win prizes on some of the lower floors of the numerous arcades, as I have nowhere the level of skill to compete with the people playing video games on higher floors. Most of the prize games, if not all of them require the use of the UFO drop, and further require multiple plays to win. After someone does win, an attendant comes by to reset the game by putting the prize in a predetermined spot, which makes it sufficiently difficult but also equally alluring. Iwon’t get into the specifics of all of the separate games, but suffice it to say there are some that you just won’t be able to do. If you ever play in these arcades, i’d focus on the games you know you can win at that have the most personally alluring prizes, rather than basing your game choice on what you want the most. Everything can be bought somewhere else, instead of won, and it will save you some money in the long run. As for myself, after a disastrous first attempt, I readjusted to the above strategy and was able to win 5 pretty cool items, though not the one thing I really wanted.

4 – There is a lot of porn. No one is really that shameless about it, which makes everything somewhat comfortable, but basic man law still applies. Weirdest thing to me was that I saw what looked like a Mom with what was maybe her 15 year old son in the same store, with the son in the doujinshi section, and the Mom elsewhere, until he needed her to foot the bill. Of course, that could also be a description for a different type of arrangement.

5 – Mandoka really says everything I need to say about cosplaying in the Akihabara, but, more generally, there weren’t as many cosplayers as I thought there would be, and I even went on Sunday. That’s not to say there weren’t any, but just not a lot, aside from all the maids. Two things that stood out to me was that it seemed like there was a unexpectedly high level of cross playing going on, but that might just have been due to the smallish sample size. Secondly, those who did cosplay, whatever it was, really seemed to embrace the concept of the Absolute Area, but really, it seems like a large percentage of Japanese women do.

6 – I spent way too much money for my own good. As a side effect of this turn of events, I have realized that my fascination with Tomoe Mami from MSMM has already passed the danger zone. Further, I am glad that I went during the last part of my trip, otherwise I would have spent even more.

7 – Put three English letters together, followed by a 48, and you will probably name a girl group in the area. Obviously, that’s an exaggeration, but there were at least three. Didn’t bother to see AKB48, and I don’t think I missed much either.

8 – While there are a bunch of reasons to call this the Anime holy land, the one thing I found most enjoyable, and was easy to kind of overlook after a while was that there was anime shows and music playing all the time in the stores. To actually go to a place where this isn’t that out of the ordinary is a little weird, but it was alos kind of relaxing in a way. I don’t really know how to describe it, but it was nice. Also, it was kind of weird, but it seemed like every arcade I went to was required by law to play music from Seitokai Yakuindomo. I enjoyed it, but it still seemed kind of random.

9 – Did not have the balls to go into a Maid Cafe, considering that I went by myself. Don’t know if I would have wanted to either, though I suppose I might have under the auspices of being ironic.

10 – If I have one complaint about Akihabara, and all of Japan really, is that it is impossible to find a trash can. I mean, you have all of these vending machines all over the place, but no trash cans. It gets annoying, as I spent a lot of time just looking for a trash can. It’s like all the trash cans are in secret locations that only Japanese could ever possibly know about. I understand that trash cans are a security threat, and considering Akihabara’s past it isn’t that big of a deal. A lot of other countries I have visited have this same “problem”, but what can you do. This is one reason I kind of miss America, the land of the easily found trash can.

11- Even though the new season is only three/four weeks old I found it amazing how much Yuru Yuri was getting plugged. I’ve only seen the first episode so far, as the only thing I’ve watched in Japan was Steins Gate (interesting side note on Steins Gate: I was in a cab in South Japan and there was a radio program talking about Steins Gate. The cabby was getting pretty emotional about what they were saying, to the point he was slamming his fist at one point. The guy looked like he was over 50. No clue what was said on the radio about Steins Gate, as I can’t really understand Japanese people talking when it isn’t programming for someone under 5), but back on point about Yuru Yuri, I thought the one episode I saw was pretty good. Still, it seems like it is all over. It kind of also seems like Idolmaster was the next most popular new series, merchandise wise, but it was hard to tell. Inexplicably, in my opinion, Infinite Stratos is all over the town. Its merchandise is everywhere. Once again, I assume this means it’s popular, but I suppose it could mean that the stores are overstocked with its merchandise. It’s hard to tell. Madoka and K-On are pretty popular as well.

12 – You can spend 9 hours walking around the area, which includes a whole bunch of stairs, and who knows how many miles that equates to, but you won’t feel tired in the least.

13. Homura seems infinitely more popular than Madoka. Example: You put a Madoka shirt in a UFO drop table. No one plays it for a long time. Put a Homura shirt in, its gone in 5 minutes.

14. Didn’t bother going to the Tokyo Anime Center. It looked kind of lame from the outside, and it seemed like a tourist trap, but then again I suppose the same could be said about the arcades.

15. Anaru jokes are universal.

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.

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.

Ai Kayano

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

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, cosplaying as Kore wa Zombie desu ka?'s Haruna

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.

The Ro-Kyu-Bu! voice actresses; feel free to play the 'Guess who's underage' game

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.

Yūki Kaji

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)

Takuma Terashima

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)