Takagaki Ayahi 高垣彩陽 is 4' 11" of talent and hard work. And over the past two years, she has become one of the better seiyuu actresses around.She brings alive the laconic young killer Ein in Requiem for the Phantom. She made Nina Antalk the emotional centre of Chrome-Shelled Regios. Before that, she helped create an amazing romantic innocent with Noe in true tears.And the role that first got my attention was the mature Otome in Da Capo 2 SS. Especially her powerful emotional expressiveness near the end of the series. Ayahi can be a bit melodramatic, but the emotion works. (click photos to enlarge; mouseover for captions)Her ability is being rewarded with more and more roles. She has nine roles this year, and this fall will star in Sasameki Koto and will have an important role in Sora no Otoshimono.And don't be surprised if she gets a real recording career. She graduated from a music college in Tokyo, with a major in operatic singing (hear her opera voice in the Da Capo 2 interview, below). Sony made her part of their group Sphere, composed of Tomatsu Haruka, Toyosaki Aki, Kotobuki Minako, and Ayahi. I found some of her earlier work rather stiff, but her character song album as Ein from Phantom is excellent.Personal databorn 25 October 1985; 23 years old.150.8cm (4'11")from Tokyoagency: Music Ray'n (Sony)blood type Anickname: Ayahi, Ayahii, Ayahimeshe uses her real surname, not a stage name, because she likes it so much. She says it gives a feeling of fighting (tatakau) and energy (genki-ness, like a kid, a gaki).backgroundcomes from a large familyattended a girls' school from kindergarten through high schoolin kindergarten, wanted to be Sailor MoonLina Inverse's incantations in Slayers made her think that seiyuu could be magicianswhen she was younger she once wrote that her career goal was to be a seiyuu, but she gradually drifted over to a greater interest in musicgraduated from music college in March of 2008becoming a seiyuuher interest in seiyuu work revived after she saw Gundam Seedshe qualified at a series of Music Ray'n auditions in 2005-2006she only took the audition due to a friend's encouragement, and barely made the deadlineshe got her first role a month later, in 2006her first named role was Tsubaki in Ouran HS Host Club (2006)her first starring role was Ruchia in Venus Versus Virus (2007)Video clips of Ayahi's roles:<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IJJzhMlS6hY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IJJzhMlS6hY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>rolesshe has a fairly wide acting range, from little kids to romantic teens to gentle weak girls to elder sister types to proper young ladies to boyish girls to serious young womenshe uses her voice well, but it is not particularly distinctivemajor roles: Ruchia (Venus Versus Virus), Jasmine (Deltora Quest), Otome (DC Da Capo 2), Feldt Grace (Gundam00), Noe (true tears), Tsubasa (Kyou no Go no Ni), Nina Antalk (Chrome-Shelled Regios), Ein (Requiem for the Phantom), Aresta Blanket (Charger Girl Juuden-chan), Sumika (Sasameki Koto) skill and talentvery studious, memorizes a script perfectlycarries a notebook and writes down things older cast and staff saymakes and organizes notes about each production and each characterseiyuu usually check a script by whispering through it; she surprises people by speaking it out at full voiceother seiyuu say she really gets into her role, becoming one with itTomatsu Haruka has praised her vocal range, nimble tongue, and pronunciation and breathingHisakawa Aya has said, rather cryptically, that Ayahi is just what a seiyuu should beInterview re Da Capo 2. Watch for her singing a bit of opera around the 6:00 minute mark. The interviewer nearest Ayahi is Sakai Kanako, who starred in REC:<object width="420" height="339"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/xag78d"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/xag78d" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="339" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object>personalitystaff and seiyuu say she is majime (modest, serious, and polite)she gives coworkers presents and cards, particularly for birthdays and Valentine's Daynatural and direct, approaches problems head-ona bit of an airhead at times; Taniyama Kishou says she should be the Tokyo representative in the World Airhead Championshipsshe herself admits it's a bit true, but apologizes to the real airheadsfriends with Chihara Minorieasily moved to tears, often crying at events and on radio, and especially at anime wrap-up partiesa terrible cook: there are stories about her not being able to peel a boiled egg, and failing at making pancakes; she says she just needs more practicethe pancake story got included as part of Nina's back-story in Regioscarries a large bag and surprises people by pulling all sorts of things out of its jumbled interior familyvery close to her family, always talking about her motherlives with her mother and younger sisterher mother checks everything she writes on her blogher grandmother does her hairet ceterashe is very concerned with the roles she plays; at a live event, she went on and on mentioning the minor roles that were not included in her Wikipedia entry, and described her feelings about shows she had unnamed roles in.she considers it very important to sing a character song in character: for Regios songs, she had pictures of her character and a script set up in the recording booth.she says she is an otaku for her own shows, getting books, figures, etc.fell in love with the Toyama area, where true tears was set and where the show's PA Works studio is located; other seiyuu call her the "ambassador for sightseeing in Nantou" (a city in the Toyama area)on 2channel, there are almost 12,000 posts in her main threads; but there are also several hundred in anti- threads, criticizing her voice and acting ability, as well as her dark skin and supposed common manner. It's true that her dark skin sometimes makes her look like a tanned Japanese "gang girl." So does the fact that she sometimes seems to use a lot of make-up.she likes to wear her hair piled up high on her head, to make herself seem tallerSphere (l-r) Tomatsu Haruka, Kotobuki Minako, Takagaki Ayahi, Toyosaki Aki:music2009.2.15, at Music Ray'n Girls Spring Choco Matsuri, formation of Sphere was announcedat 23, Ayahi is the group's oldest member: Tomatsu Haruka is 19, Kotobuki Minako 18, and Toyosaki Aki 22.singers Ayahi likes: Honda Minako 本田美奈子, KOKIA. She did Honda's signature tune Amazing Grace at the Music Ray'n Girls Autumn Harvest Festival event, and KOKIA does OP1 and ED2 for PhantomKOKIA wrote the music and lyrics for two Gundam00 character songs Ayahi will release October 21Sphere's debut event:<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xmS8QhEnpL0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xmS8QhEnpL0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Good TV interview with Sphere:<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/g0l7tu-lOx0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/g0l7tu-lOx0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>non-anime workdubbing: three roles, including the female lead in the movie 10,000 BCa role in a stage musicalten radio shows, four of which are continuing (Takahashi Daisuke and Takagaki Ayahi's Nightly Hustle, Web Radio Planet Sphere, Phantom Radio, Canaan radio)roles in eight games (none adult), including leading roles in Da Capo 2 Plus Situation, and Dungeons & Damroles in four radio dramas, including the online voice comic ("vomic") Sugars links:official siteblog Anime News NetworkJapanese Wikipedia video clipsTV show with Shiraishi Ryouko and Nabatame HitomiTV show with Nazuka Kaori and Iguchi Yuka for true tearswith Tomatsu Haruka in a promo for an “audio novel”with Iguchi Yuka in a TV interview re true tearsseiyuu visit Toyama, location of true tearsinterview re her debut in Venus Versus Virusinterview with Sphereinterview re recording Regios EDCast in:2006 Ouran High School Host Club (TV) as Female university student (ep 17); Kamigamo TsubakiPocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl (TV) as Chinatsu (ep 76)Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori (TV) as Kitazaki (ep 18)2007Deltora Quest (TV) as JasmineGakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! (TV) as Student (ep 10); Sweets Student (ep 3)Venus Versus Virus (TV) as Nahashi RuchiaToward the Terra (TV) as AlteraKenko Zenrakei Suieibu Umisho (TV) as Oyamada Asami; Nanjou Karena (ep 8-13)Baccano! (TV) as Lumiere Sylvie D.C. II: Da Capo II (TV) as Asakura OtomeMokke (TV) as Aida (ep 22)Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun (TV) as Ninomiya Shungo (young)Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (TV) as Feldt GraceRental Magica (TV) as Female Student; Male StudentAyakashi (TV) as Natsuhara (ep 6)2008true tears (TV) as Isurugi NoeAllison & Lillia (TV) as Meg (ep 23)D.C.II S.S. ~Da Capo II Second Season~ (TV) as Asakura OtomeNet Ghost PiPoPa (TV) as Yukiya KarinWagaya no Oinarisama (TV) as Hashimoto Shunta (ep 22)S.A. (TV) as Yamamoto Megumi; Takashima household Maid C (ep 12); Yuki-pon (ep 11)Slayers Revolution (TV) as Girl (ep 13)Battle Spirits: Shounen Toppa Bashin (TV) as SuirenYozakura Quartet (TV) as Tatebayashi MizunaJigoku Shoujo Mitsuganae (TV) as Moriyama Jun (ep 3)Macademi Wasshoi! (TV) as PaltiaKyo no 5 no 2 (TV) as Kawai TsubasaMobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season (TV) as Feldt GraceSkip Beat! (TV) as Miya2009Maria-sama ga Miteru 4th Season (TV) as MiyukiZoku Natsume Yūjin-Chou (TV) as Sui (ep. 2)Chrome Shelled Regios (TV) as Nina AntalkPhantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ (TV) as EinCharger Girl Ju-den Chan (TV) as Aresta BlanketCANAAN (TV) as NeneZan Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei (TV) as Oora KanakoSora no Manima ni (TV) as Minami SayuriSora no Otoshimono (TV) as Satsukitane MikakoSasameki Koto (TV) as Murasame SumikaKyou no 5 no 2 Takarabako (OVA) as Kawai Tsubasa2010 Hanamaru Kindergarten (TV) as HiiragiStaff in:2008S.A (TV) : Theme Song Performance (OP/ED2)Battle Spirits: Shōnen Toppa Bashin (TV) : Theme Song Performance (ED2)2009Chrome Shelled Regios (TV) : Theme Song Performance (ED)Hatsukoi Limited (TV) : Theme Song Performance (OP - Sphere)Charger Girl Juuden Chan (TV) : Theme Song Performance (OP)Sora no Manima ni (TV) : Theme Song Performance (OP – Sphere)(lists from Anime News Network)Music CDsVenus Versus Virus Character Vocal AlbumDC Da Capo 2 Character Songs v.6true tears Image Album "Tears...For Truth"true tears Character Image Song CD "Another World" (DVD6 extra)S.A. Character mini-AlbumS.A. ED2Kyou no Go no Ni BGM Collection Sound Festival Chrome Shelled Regios: character songs 1 and 2 "Yasashii Uso" (from Chrome-Shelled Regios)Dungeons & Dam Audio Collection"dear-dear Dream" (Battle Spirits Shounen Toppa Bashin)Requiem for the Phantom character maxi single "Inspired by Ein"Canaan Insert Song "China Kibun de High Tension"Gundam00 Voice Actor Single "Inori" and "Justice"Fight Ippatsu Juuden-chan ED "TeCh=NoloGy"Ragnarok Online 7th anniversary song (Sphere) -- "Kaze wo Atsumete" and "Brave My Heart"(list from Neowing and 2channel)upcoming eventsLantis Matsuri (27 Sept) - SphereTokyo Asia Music Market (23 Oct)Ragnarok Online World Championshiup 2009 (1 Nov) - SphereSphere Colorful Concert (10 Jan 2010)(list from 2channel)Ayahi sings (streaming audio) the Regios ED Yasashii Uso, as back-up singer to Chrome Shelled (studio musicians).
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