SAWASHIRO Miyuki 沢城みゆき is a great seiyuu and a strange bird. She spends her time reading, likes classical music, dresses older than her 23 years, and speaks gently, but with great confidence in her own opinions.She started in anime at 14 (born in Tokyo 1985.06.02), and has been working ever since. She graduated from university earlier this year, and now is branching out into live theatre.At an age at which other seiyuu are considered newcomers, she is a seasoned veteran, with 110 anime roles under her belt, including her first role of Puchiko in Di Gi Charat, and her most famous role, that of Shinku in Rozen Maiden. She was Claire in Red Garden, Hagino in Blue Drop, and Shinkuro in Kurenai, and has important roles in three new shows that start this week.She describes herself as "terribly laid-back," and speaks softly and carefully in interviews (such as this one). She seems fairly serious and controlled, but has a dry wit and a wonderful happy laugh.But she tells people exactly what she thinks, without regard for age or experience. Some older seiyuus (Kaneda Tomoko, for one) have been taken aback by her pointed criticisms. So has the director of Kurenai, who said plaintively that she kept changing the lines he had written.Miyukichi (her nickname) is among the most versatile of all current seiyuus. She can play everyone from little girls through young men to mature women, and from flying cat-boys to sleepy nature goddesses, and her voice can be everything from sweet to harsh to sexy.Some people call her a jack of all trades and master of none. I think that is because she is so versatile that you can't identify her with one particular voice. But it is true that there is something so under-control about her work that it can seem dry. She is not so much a pretty voice as a fine vocal technician who is a good actress and becoming a better one.rolesThe role that really turned me on to her work was Hagino in Blue Drop (2007), but she is most famous for Puchiko in Di Gi Charat (her debut role, 1999) and Shinku in Rozen Maiden (2004). (mouseover photos for captions, click to enlarge) Her Claire in Red Garden (2006) was also outstanding, as was her Shibasaki in Library Wars (2008).She was Mint Blancmange in Galaxy Angel, Kagura in Onegai My Melody, Ibara-hime in Otogijushi Akazukin, Shinkuro in Kurenai, Reika in Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun, and the landlady in Hidamari Sketch. I could go on and on. There is a list of some of her roles at the end of this piece. Here is a video digest of her main roles. She has prominent roles in three interesting shows this fall season: she plays Kotoha in Yozakura Quartet (starts Thursday), Satoru in Linebarrels of Iron (starts Friday), and Aoba in Kannagi (starts Saturday).careerSawashiro-san's career began in 1999, when she was 13. At a public audition for the lead role in Di Gi Charat, she impressed the producers so much that they gave her the role of little Puchiko in the show. Even at the audition (YouTube), you can hear the energy, range, and precision of her voice, and can see how self-possessed she seems for someone so young.She kept working, getting more roles year by year through high school, then burst forth with 24 roles in 2006. That has dropped back to a somewhat more manageable 16 and 17 roles in 2007 and 2008. Her agency is Mausu Promotions, which also represents Ono Daisuke (whom Miyukichi calls "O.D.") and Ishida Akira.controversyThrough this past summer, 2channel has had a running argument about comments made by Matsuo Kou, the director/writer of Kurenai, in which Miyukichi starred as the male protagonist Shinkuro. The director said she did not address him with the proper respect and kept changing the script.But listening to the radio show on which he said it (nicovideo), it sounds to me as if his comments were made in good humor. And now Matsuo-san has chosen her to star in his new show, Yozakura Quartet. In fact, she appears to be his favorite seiyuu, having acted in his other shows Rozen Maiden and Red Garden. He probably first met her when he was a unit director on Galaxy Angel. personalityTanaka Rie says that on the set of Rozen Maiden, Miyukichi always seemed to be the chairman of the group, even though the other seiyuus were older than she was.And she is evidently fairly free with her opinions of others' approaches. "Sawashiro-san really scolds me," Kaneda Tomoko once said.There is a series of features on the Blue Drop DVDs (YouTube) in which Miyukichi interviews director Ohkura Masahiko (left) and mangaka Yoshitomo Akihito -- and manages to talk as much as either of them.She gives the feeling that she is outwardly mild, but inwardly clever and challenging. She seems an irresistible force, like water.She dresses older than her age, and sometimes wears seriously frumpy outfits. She does not always look as pretty as she is -- although I like all these photos, anyway. And she has had many different hairstyles, some fairly awful, as she makes extreme and but usually fruitless efforts to disguise how (beautifully) broad her face is:Bits and pieces:she does not eat meat, but does eat fish. she has one sibling, a younger brother. she likes classical music. she went to a college in Tokyo, but we don't know which one or what she majored in. her English pronunciation is passable, and she has spoken English in a couple of her roles, for example in the second ED for Red Garden.when she played the eldest sister in Kokoro Toshokan, she was the youngest among the seiyuus. friendsHer closest friend in the business appears to be Sanada Asami (below, left), who won that long-ago audition to play Di Gi Charat. If you watch video #4 of the audition, Asami is #12 and Miyukichi is #15. They have now been together in several shows over the years. She is also supposed to be friendly with such seiyuu as Nazuka Kaori, Koshimizu Ami, and Sanpei Yuuko, as well as Kugimiya Rie, Kobayashi Yu, Tamura Yukari, Tsuji Ayumi, and Kimura Haruka. She and Yukarin have been seen in close conversation at an event, knee to knee, stroking each other's hair. She has also been friendly with Gotou Saori, her co-star in Rakugo Tennyou Oyui, although there are rumours that they have fallen out for some reason. talentMany people have recognized her talent, but a quote from top seiyuu Seki Tomokazu stands out: "Make no mistake, this is a being who will take the seiyuu world somewhere."She is an excellent vocal technician, with a wide range of voices and intonations and the ability to use them at will -- despite the fact that she never did go to seiyuu school. And now she is concentrating on dramatic acting, as you can hear in Red Garden or Blue Drop or Kurenai.I'm sure a director can feel confident that she will produce a good voice for almost any character. But I think she's still finding something that will make her roles more memorable. I have a hunch that Miyukichi has only just begun, and will be showing us more and more in the years ahead.She joined the comic theatre group Gekidango late last year, and has been in three of their productions. To see a bit of what she is doing on the live stage, go to this page and click the little TV screen near the top right of the page for a brief video. The photos below are from the theatre group's site: videostalk for Seattle Gekidangoquick digest of roleslonger digest of roles part 1 part2 part 3 part 4at Di Gi Charat audition -- full audition here (she appears in part 1 at 7:45 and part 4 at 2:50)song with Shintani RyoukoGekidango stage performance (click TV screen near top right of page)YouTube search pageon Kurenai radio #8 (audio only)with Fuken Misato at Strike Witches OVA event Roles (selected):(1999) Di Gi Charat (TV) as Puchiko/Petit Charat(2001) Galaxy Angel (TV) as Mint Blancmanche(2001) Kokoro Library (TV) as Iina(2002) Pita Ten (TV) as Higuchi Kotarou(2004) Rozen Maiden (TV) as Shinku(2004) DearS (TV) as Khi(2004) Onegai My Melody (TV) as Kogure Kakeru(2005) D.C.S.S. ~Da Capo Second Season~ (TV) as Kudou Kanae(2005) Pani Poni Dash! (TV) as Serizawa Akane(2005) Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid (TV) as Xia Yu Lan(2005) My-Otome (TV) as Sara Gallagher(2006) Utawarerumono (TV) as Aruru(2006) Otogi-Jushi Akazukin (TV) as Ibara-hime(2006) Red Garden (TV) as Claire Forrest(2007) Les Miserables - Shoujo Cosette (TV) as Beatrice(2007) Nodame Cantabile (TV) as Chiaki (young)(2007) Kamichama Karin (TV) as Kujyou Kazune(2007) Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (TV) as Maria Taro Sekiutsu(2007) Dead Girls (OAV) as Claire Forrest(2007) Naruto Shippuuden (movie) as Shizuku(2007) Blue Drop: Tenshi-tachi no Gikyoku (TV) as Senkouji Hagino(2007) Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun (TV) as Houjou Reika(2007) Shugo Chara! (TV) as Yoru (Ikuto's shugo chara)(2008) Kure-nai (TV) as Kurenai Shinkurou(2008) Library War (TV) as Shibasaki Asako(2008) Hidamari Sketch × 365 (TV) as Landlady(2008) Strike Witches (TV) as Perrine-H. Clostermann(2008) Yozakura Quartet (TV) as Isone Kotoha(2008) Linebarrels of Iron (TV) as Yamashita Satoru(2008) Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens (TV) as Aoba Tsugumiroles by type:110 anime roles50 games (no ero-games)15 dubbing roles2 stage performances9 radio shows, two current51 music CDs (for characters, not in her own name)98 drama CDsanime roles by year:1999-12000-22001-32002-52003-72004-82005-102006-242007-162008-17plus 17 OVAs and movieslinksagency pagevoice samplesAnime News Network page (complete list of roles)Wikipedia pageJapanese Wikipedia pageGekidango theatre group pageMiyukichi's posts on Gekidango blogcurrent 2channel threadfansite (last updated 2007.12)
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I am never really sure of my opinions, and Aya's ability is no exception. Sometimes I think maybe I'm just imagining things, and she's not really that good. But I'm not imagining how great she is in this show.At best, I have always put her in the second rank of seiyuus, not up with the likes of Paku Romi, Kuwashima Houko, Kobayashi Sanae, Kawasumi Ayako, and Sawashiro Miyuki. But this show is making me change my mind. This role and Layla in NANA are Aya's best, for me.She's not the most naturalistic of actresses, and can't just be slotted in to any role successfully. But when the voices around her fit the tone she creates, she can really convey character and emotion. By the way, that is not happening in Zettai Karen Children, where the three main seiyuu continue to operate in two different voice universes, and Aya's take on the role isn't working that well, for me.The 2channel thread for Nijuumensou no Musume particularly praises a moment late in this episode when Nijuumensou calls on Chiko to confirm a trick he has played, and the drawing of her face changes from innocent to sly and she says to the person they have duped: "You should have checked when you had a chance." (click all images to enlarge) Posters are praising both the drawing and the voicing of that moment. A couple of people wrote that it gave them goosebumps. Another wrote that he didn't realize Hirano was this good. With the music stopping at that point, the scene is clearly set up to give Aya the whole stage, and she makes good use of it.The show itself goes from strength to strength. This is another highly entertaining episode. Uchida Yuya's voice is a pleasure to listen to, as well. And the drawing of faces is excellent all round. This image (right) of Nijuumensou particularly captivated me. That's a lot of character and energy in one still image.Aya may have benefited from the popularity of Suzumiya Haruhi and Lucky Star to gain prominence and awards over the past two years, but this show is going to make up for that advantage, being a show in a less popular genre, played very late at night, on a schedule that varies from week to week.There are howls on 2channel about the scheduling on FujiTV, which will see the next few episodes varying from 3:55am to 3:05 to 3:35 to 2:15 to 4:05 to 2:25. One poster joked about "dawn anime" for the 4:05 broadcast. Even otaku will have trouble programming their recorders to get this show.It will only reach a somewhat larger audience in the Tokyo area when it starts being broadcast on BS Fuji satellite at 12:30 Sunday night on May 12. Fortunately, the schedule is more regular on Kansai TV, but still late: 2:29 early Wednesday mornings.As some posters say, so far this anime seems like a World Masterpiece Theatre show, and should be on at 7:30 Sunday evening. WMT is a long-running family anime series that has done such works as Anne of Green Gables and Les Miserables.I have read ahead in the manga, and there is plenty of material there for the anime staff to work with, including some that would not be suitable for WMT. Fasten your seat-belts. The anime is not exactly following the manga, so I expect some surprises.The photos of Aya in this post were both taken in the past 2-3 days. The latter two are at karaoke with her family, and show her mother and father in the background. Aya says that her mother hates karaoke, but she came this time. She adds that when the whole family sings in unison, their voices sound the same.Her father actually wrote a song on the spur of the moment to sing. He is apparently in the entertainment business himself, as a TV producer. She says that she and he look alike and you would know they were parent and child if you saw them walking together.
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The romance drama true tears has passed Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei to become the most popular new-season show on 2channel, the Japanese forum site.true tears is on its 88th thread, having passed 87,000 posts. Zetsubou Sensei is on its 85th thread (84,000+ posts).A little over a month ago, Zetsubou Sensei was 50 threads ahead, but true tears has captivated fans both on 2channel in Japan, and also on the international English forum site AnimeSuki, where it has 2417 posts and rising fast, just behind Spice & Wolf (2559).On 2channel, threads have sprung up with names like "true tears -- godly anime" and "Compared to true tears, Clannad is a Worthless Harem Anime." And there is now a special thread for spoilers and speculation, as there is on AnimeSuki.true tears is by far my own favorite show of the new season, too, with Spice & Wolf next. The voice-acting in both is superb. Comparative newcomer Takagaki Ayahi (Feldt Grace in Gundam00) as Noe is outstanding, as is Iguchi Yuka (Sakura in Tokimeki Memorial) as Ai. That Nazuka Kaori (Eureka in Eureka Seven, Cossette in Les Miserables) is excellent as Hiromi is no surprise. One other performance that steals the show for me is Takahashi Rieko (Neviril in Simoun) as the hero's mother.Here are the current numbers of threads for all the new shows in the top 100 most recently posted about shows on 2channel:true tears 88Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 85GUNSLINGER GIRL -IL TEATRINO- 28Spice and Wolf 27Yattaman 21Shigofumi 20Persona 17Rosario to Vampire 17Hakaba Kitaro 13KimiAru 12H2O～FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND～ 10Hakutenko Yuugi 10Major 5 5Noramimi 4Ayakashi 3Mnemosyne 2Porfy no Nagai Tabi 2Zenryoku Usagi 1And here are figures for shows continuing from last October:Minamike/Okawari 230 Shakugan no Shana II 167 Gundam00 150 CLANNAD 188 Kimikiss 136 Bamboo Blade 78 Gegege no Kitaro 37 Rental Magica 20 Nougami Neuro 18 Shion no Ou 9 Ghost Hound 7 Mokke 5 Some shows are missing because they were not among the last 100 shows posted about.
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(Some year-end hitchhiking, for lack of better pictures) Series I watched at least 1 full episode of this year (*=continued from 2006, not eligible for awards aside from best finale): Winter- *Death Note *Demashitta! Powerpuff Girls Z *Kanon *Pretty Cure Splash Star *Spider Riders (Canadian broadcast) Deltora Quest Kyoushirou to Towa no Sora Les Miserables- Shojou Cossette Master of Epic: The Animation Age Shuffle Memories Yes! Pretty Cure [...]
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Decidedly, the word is that 2007 is not as exciting as 2006. We did not have Haruhi, we did not have Simoun, we did not have Black Lagoon. In fact, I'm going to talk about shows I didn't see in 2007 (and some that I did, but not like Haruhi, Simoun and Black Lagoon).
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And finally, the behemoth of the series that is known as Les Miserables -Shoujo Cosette has ended. For the revival of the World Masterpiece Theatre, the classic novel by Victor Hugo was chosen to get an adaptation, and the result has become terrific; a masterpiece in terms of story and characters. Sure, the series is [...]
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What an awesome way to end such an awesome series! Even though there was nothing of Thenardiére and Azelma, we get something that’s even better: the death of Jean Valjean. I didn’t believe that this series would be able to make me cry after the revolution ended, and thankfully I was so wrong about this. [...]
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A normal day at Azure Flame. It’s been a year of ups and downs, of anime gems and utter disappointments- a year when I’ve alternated between craving more and feeling utterly fed up with the continuing deluge of episodes that take no account of the fact that people might have other things to do than stay [...]
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Especially because my list will be so different from most others, I just can't stop myself from posting it. Happy New Year!1 Byousoku 5cm2 ef3 Blue Drop4 Lucky Star5 Touka Gettan6 Emily of New Moon7 Nodame Cantabile8 Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei9 KimiKiss10 Candy BoyAnd behind them come, in some order or other: Hitohira, Kyoushirou to Towa no Sora, Les Miserables ~Shoujo Cossette~, Manabi Straight, Hidamari Sketch, Claymore, Seirei no Moribito, Darker than Black, Saiunkoku Monogatari2, Emma2, Sky Girls, Mononoke, Potemayo, Genshiken2, Minami-ke, Ghost Hound, Clannad, Kodomo no Jikan (DVD version).What can I say? There are many well-made shows I just can't appreciate. I'm only including shows that started this year. For more discussion, see my earlier post reviewing the year. Thanks to alafista.com for stimulating me to come up with a top ten list.
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Angedemystere, you were right. Thenardier gets more than enough closure for this episode. His final plan was way more desperate than I imagined, when compared to his cunning plan of the third arc, where he basically tries to blackmail Marius with all the things he knows about Jean Valjean. Not really the most solid plan. [...]
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