Seiyuu's Life!

Aradeid Oct 11, 2015

9

One of the most honest work like anime I've ever seen. It hides nothing, it shows the work of a Seiyuu from its dark and ugly as well as bright and cheerful perspective. I never felt this characteristic before, but now that I have a base of comparison (Hayate no Gotoku by the same author) I can tell, this anime knows where it is going, it knows what it wants to do. This anime has a fine mix of story and educational value. Normally one of the 2 would lack, making the anime inconsistent (as far as my experience goes), but this anime shows both in a steady amount. I was able to learn a lot about the seiyuu's work field, without getting bored fromt he story. A very good watch. Not even a second felt wasted, no filler material. The characters were lovable, I was able to feel their pain even knowing that I would never end up in the same situation as them.

Valdius Sep 7, 2016

9

An exceptionally strong anime overall. The story follows a trio of Japanese voice actresses attempting to break into the industry, and shows a utterly fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse of how that industry works. Strong characters that you can relate to and feel for, high quality animation, and suitably brilliant voice work leave this as a seriously compelling story. In truth, my only complaint is that there isn't more of it...much much more.

DGFischer Oct 17, 2019

9.7

I do not know who had made the recommendation which led me to Sore ga Seiyuu, but the viewing could not have come at a better time.  It is forensics season for our local grade schools, and for all those newbies in the world of public speaking, there is a new heroine on the horizon. Her name in Rin Kohana, a fifteen year old middle schooler on the cusp of entering the high school scene.  When we first meet her, the two other seiyus (voice actresses) of the series, Futaba Ichinose and Ichigo Moesaki, have seen her in the recording studio and believe she was just a kid who had wandered into the place accidently.  Imagine these two voice acting newbies' surprise to learn that Rin has been in the business for ten years! A young seiyu super-star, a child prodigy of immense talent? There is a back-story, one of many in this fascinating series of thirteen episodes.  Rin, at age five, was painfully shy, so much so that her parents decided to enroll her into a youth acting troupe.  This, and the encouragement of her life-long friend Sayo who encouraged her every effort to act.  This early differentiation leads Rin to be an accomplished seiyu without creating a preening prima donna.  Rin remains modest and unassuming. But the main character in Ichinose, a seiyu wannabe who has the bad habit of overthinking her every opportunity, even if that opportunity is supplying a shrill 'Pipo' for her robot character in the anime she is involved.  Then there is Moesaki, a free-spirited girl whose approach is to make an impact, even if she must assume the persona of the Strawberry Princess of the Strawberry Planet.  Her wardrobe is replete with strawberries.  All so that she will be noticed in a business where young people often go nowhere fast and drop out without a ripple. With these three characters, the world of anime is explored.  This series serves as a perfect primer for the genre.  The three girls first meet in an anime production where all have been given characters to voice.  Then they join into a unit to host a web-radio program promoting their anime.  Then a pop singing group.  They dub movies, read for instructions, voice characters for video games (where three tones of voice are recorded to suggest intensity of pain or anger).  A vast sea of opportunities for the seiyu. But the career of the seiyu is a tenuous one.  Ichinose has her character killed off.  Moesaki is on a 12-count run of fails to win an audition.  Rin gains a job for a new anime which first was a manga that had an audio rendition ... where Rin's character was first voiced by Ichinose.  So many frustrations ... so few triumphs.  And the triumphs are of short duration.  The next role must be secured or the production company will dismiss the would-be seiyu.  This was the ecstacy and agony of the last two episodes, the success of the pop concert and Ichinose's assessment at her production group to see if she remains. The glory of Sore ga Seiyuu is the tributes to the master seiyu who are featured with each episode.  There are those who thrive in this industry where careers could be clipped short, where staying power is muted after age thirty.  Does Ichinose have the stamina to continue?  Will Moesaki's ecentricity be effective?  What has Rin lost in her early success, as the life of the seiyu robs her of many of her rightful childhood memories? A glorious bland of insightful information to the business of anime and the young people who fuel its ambitions.