アイドル声優[idol seiyu]
It is not very uncommon to see seiyu[voice actors or actresses] releasing CD nowadays. It’s not even necessarily character songs starred by each seiyu, but they do release CD for their own. In my generation(around 90’s), this didn’t happen a lot. If I have to recall one, probably I might name 椎名へきる[Hekiru Shiina] since she is outstandingly pretty. Incidentally her fans were called へきる星人[Hekiru seijin], or Hekiru mankind. At that time, the most famous and popular seiyu was definitely 林原めぐみ[Megumi Hayashibara] who voices Ayanami Rei. Or else, 桜井智[Tomo Sakurai], 菅原祥子[Sachiko Sugawara], 金月真美[Mami Kingetsu] or so. Even though they used to be quite popular, they didn’t seem to be recognised as an idol. They mostly released character songs which means songs starred by the character whom the seiyu voices, but not so many CD for their own. If any, there was not so much.
A while ago, I found a headline on the gossip magazine saying “Five Hot Idol Seiyus[アイドル声優]!” There were some nice pictures of 平野 綾[Aya Hirano], 小清水亜美[Ami Koshimizu], 水樹奈々[Nana Mizuki], 田村ゆかり[Yukari Tamura], and…darn it, I can’t recall the last one! Sorry! But as you know, these seiyus are amazingly pretty so that they can even be recognised as an idol. Even if they don’t feature certain characters, they can make CD and sell…but why has it become like this? Of course they sure work as a seiyu well, though.
Come to think of it, there has been such pretty seiyus 2000 onwards. Nowadays, seiyu’s job is not only voice a character, but show on TV or reception, do a concert, or even publish a photo album. So inevitably, they have to be good-looking. Same seems to go to male seiyus. Again back to my generation, I can think of 草尾 毅[Takeshi Kusao], 緑川 光[Hikaru Midorikawa], 置鮎龍太郎[Ryoutarou Okiayu], 堀内賢雄[Ken’yu Horiuchi], 堀川 亮[Ryo Horikawa] or so. Back more, there would be 古谷徹[Toru Furuya], 池田秀一[Shuuichi Ikeda], 野沢雅子[Masako Nozawa], or 神谷 明[Akira Kamiya]. These seiyus are veterans so that their works are unforgettable. However, they didn’t do idol so that we were not shown their real faces like now. However, we have seen such handsome seiyus like 小野大輔[Daisuke Ono], 岸尾だいすけ[Daisuke Kishio], 福山 潤[Jun Fukuyama], 神谷浩史[Hiroshi Kamiya], 高橋直純[Naozumi Takahashi] 2000 onwards. Well male seiyus don’t seem to be treated as an idol, but if I have to name one, it might be 宮野真守[Mamoru Miyano]. He is very handsome and stylish, and has voiced some lead characters.
Meanwhile, some people say the value of seiyu is getting poor comapring to the old days. How many of them can survive for so long as a seiyu? How many of them could make such a legendary work? Isn’t seiyu a well-paid job, so is that why they have to work as an idol? In order to be a seiyu, should he/she be handsome/cute? Why does Studio Ghibli always use entertainers as a seiyu?
So if a seiyu has to be an idol, would an idol have to do seiyu like Tsukishima Kirari in the future? I sometimes think of what will happen in seiyu industry from now on.
[Intermission] First Anniversary～夏の日のSerenade～
OMG, come to think of it, it’s been a year since I started this blog. I have never thought I could keep blogging for a year because I gave up in a few months all this time. I really want to say thank you who visit here and leave a comment. Thanks to all of you, I could keep writing so far…I am very happy. I want to do my best from now on! これからも頑張ります！ありがとうございます！
So I wanted to cerebrate myself somehow…Yes, I shall cosplay again! Well, which character…uh…okay, back to my first cosplay, I did the character from the certain otome game. Then again I gotta cosplay someone from an otome game! So I decided to cosplay him.
He is Tsukimori Len (月森 蓮) in Kin’iro no Corda -primo passo-(金色のコルダ) which is based on the same title otome game I have played next to Harukanaru toki no naka de. The reason why I chose him is because I thought he could suit me more than any other guys in this anime. Tsuchiura is a bit muscular, Shimizu is shota-looking, Yunoki is almost a 女装少年, and Hihara‘s hairstyle doesn’t suit me. So the left is just Tsukimori. His characteristic is definitely tsundere. But I am sure he speaks and shows his dere-side more than Rukawa does.
Tsukimori is well-bred and so proud to everybody else and even himself. The heroine is just a schoolgirl who is given a special violin by the fairy and has to willy-nilly attend the music competition. So she shall practice the violin and fall in love with your favorite…There’s no need to explain anymore, huh?
I must say this is the hardest cosplay I have ever done. First look at his hair. It’s light blue, isn’t it? I don’t see a lot of characters whose hair is light blue except for bishoujos. Anyway, I bought a wig and got the hairdresser to cut as usual. But the funny thing is that he thought I was going to cosplay Ayanami Rei because of the wig’s color. No way, if I really did it, I would be immediately killed by Ayanami’s fans. However, the problem was not only the wig’s color, but eyebrows. Since the hair is light blue, the eyebrows should be dyed as the same color. Otherwise it would look very weird. So I had to get the eyeshadow to dye my eyebrows.
I had to practice this…yes, it was so embrrassing for such an ojisan to buy an eyeshadow at the store. You can call me hantai or whatever you want!! I can’t look back now, so I paid for the contact lenses. As usual, I used the auction to get the costume. Darn it, I was fooled by them. There was not a school vest though the auctioneer showed me the complete outfit. Anyway, I shopped around and got it.
The most important property for Corda cosplayers is the instrument for each character possesses. As for Tsukimori, I needed a violin. I tried to find out the cheapest one…but this was difficult. I don’t remember how many times I was beaten by other auctioneers. But I made it, I got this 1000-yen viloin.
Okay, I got ready. So today I had a photoshooting. But umm…for some reason almost all the photos are covered with something purple. How come? The room was too bright, is that why? Anyway, I seriously need a photographer. But I am always rejected because I am a man. It’s not fair. こんなの不公平だよ！
I shall upload some photos those are still okay. Read the rest of this entry »
ローアングル[low angle] (*´Д｀*)ﾊァﾊァ
If you happen to be a photographer or love to take a picture, you might be sure of this. Well, although this term could be well-known among photographers, it started to be famous since the certain incident which happened in Akihabara a while ago…
On Sunday afternoon, the main boulevard used to be blocked off so that just pedestrians can walk freely. This is what’s called 歩行者天国[hokousha tengoku] which means walkers’ paradise. We Japanese abbreviate this ホコ天[hokoten]. When this street becomes hokoten, some 地下アイドル[chika idol] 女装少年[josou shounen], or cosplayers are having fun. In such a time, some of them went too far, I mean, they (mostly girls) started to even show some nudity. Such skimpy characters like Yoko in Gurren Lagan quite attract a lot of photographers so that the cosplayers are surrounded by a bunch of them.
There was a brave 地下アイドル(?) named 沢本あすか[Asuka Sawamoto] who claimed herself as a self-gravure idol. She climbed on the pillar on the hokoten, and stretched out her leg so that her underwear was clearly shown. Then a lot of photographers and spectators closed to underneath her and took pictures. Sawamoto said she did it for fans who like to take a photo by low angle. Yes, this is ローアングル[low angle] and people who love this are called ローアングラー[low angler].
Needless to say, the good points in this are that you can get a shot of her pantsu(underwear). And even some cosplayers like this because ローアングル makes legs look longer than they actually are. But ローアングル is not welcomed in such a public place even if you can get a permission from cosplayers or idols.
She got arrested because of her performance, and police started to patrol more strictly in Akihabara. They prohibited 地下アイドル to perform in hokoten and cosplayers to attract people. However, this incident was just a prelude for the upcoming nightmare…
Speaking of ローアングル, there are a lot of anime which show you bishoujos’ underwears by using this such as School Days, Negima, Kimikiss, or Ikkitousen. This kind of anime shall be called パンツアニメ[pantsu anime]. Don’t say エロアニメ[ero anime], showing her pantsu is still okay in 2D, but 3D is not good :p
人外萌え[jingai-moe]
This is too broad. I don’t know how I should explain this genre…well, literally 人外[jingai] means non-human being, that is, anything which is not a human being. If such a creature turns you on, you would have 人外萌え[jingai-moe]. So ケモショタ[kemoshota], 猫耳[nekomimi], 獣人[jyujin], エルフ[elf], ドワーフ[dwarf]or ロボット[robot]…anything! But if anything except for a human being counts, would it be alright to count 絶対領域[zettai ryouiki]? Nah, I don’t think so. In that case, it would be too broad.
But here is the point. Generally, in order to be qualified to be as 人外萌え, there are some conditions for the creature,
a. it mustn’t be a human being, but the human-shaped could be fine
b. it should be capable of communicating with human beings even if it can’t speak
c. it should be adorable (something small would be preferable)
d. it could communicate with just the hero
I must say I am very weak for such a creature as a matter of fact. Speaking of this type of creature, I can think of Halo in Gundam series, Potato in Air, Ryuuku in Death Note, Tachikoma in Stand Alone Complex, Jiji in Kiki’s Delivery Service, Totoro in My Neighbor, Totoro, or Penpen[Misato’s pet] in Evangelion. Everytime I see such an adorable character, I feel like to buying the doll of it at the toy shop.
I really really feel moe for Naa-san in Kirarin Revolution now. I am seriously wanting the doll!! (*´д｀*)ﾊァﾊァ
コミケッコン[komikekkon]
Needless to say, the hit movie 電車男[Train Man] is one of the major factors that dramatically changed the otaku’s image. The story features a love story between an otaku and a non-otaku young lady. Meanwhile, 腐女子彼女[My fujoshi girlfriend] features a love story(?) between a fujoshi and a non-otaku boy. But what if both of the two are mutually otaku?
You can see such plot in となりの８０１ちゃん[My neighbor Yaoi-chan] which follows a fujoshi and an otaku. The show doesn’t tell us how the two got to know each other (as far as I am aware?), but I would like to mention otakus’ matter of love in the real life[３次元] this time.
When I was a student at university, I had an otaku friend whose girlfriend was also an otaku (not a fujoshi). They got to know each other at the mega doujin event, Comic Market. If you follow Zetsubou-sensei, you can think of Fujiyoshi Harumi. Unfortunately, he was dumped by her though they dated for three years and a half. She was four years his elder, so at that time maybe she should be 26 or so. She seriously wanted to find a steady boyfriend for her upcoming(?) marriage, so they broke up in the end.
If they had succeeded in getting married, their marriage would have been celebrated with this word, コミケッコン[komikekkon]. コミケ[komike] is an abbreviation form of コミックマーケット[Comic Market], and ケッコン[kekkon] means marriage[結婚]. Technically, it should be コミケ結婚[komike kekkon], but it became like this to put it.
Although he didn’t come to pass, there are some otaku people who could succeed since a word like this exists. Comic Market is not a matchmaking spot, but there might be even some otakus who are absorbed in girlhunting. At any rate, コミケッコン means to get married to your partner whom you got to know at the Comic Market. However, it doesn’t have to be the Comic Market but any other doujin events.
If you are a male otaku, would you like to date a female otaku? Would you like an otaku girlfriend? The reason why I am asking this is because I heard a conversation like this in となりの８０１ちゃん[Tonari no Yaoi-chan]. There is a scene where the three fujoshis have a chat at the cafe(腐女子会議, fujoshi meeting).
A: あたし最近、腐女子を隠すのが面倒になっちゃって、最近彼氏と別れちゃったの。[You know, I broke up with my boyfriend a while ago because I got tired of hiding my fujoshi tastes.]
B： じゃあオタクと付き合えば？[So why don’t you date an otaku?]
A： 嫌よ！オタクなんて自分の萌え話ばっかりでこっちの話全然聞かないもん！[No way! Otakus never listen to me, but just talk about their moe stuff!]
In this way, female otakus seem to care about how general people feel about otaku more than male do. Even though fujoshis dwell on the fantasy world, they can actually distinguish 2D and 3D. So I think this is why there is a term 隠れ腐女子[kakure fusjohi] and 隠れオタク[kakure otaku] which means hiding fujoshi and hiding otaku. Unless they go to such otakish spots, they never talk about otaku things. And they good take care of their looking so that other people can’t tell they are actually otaku. I guess they are not willing to get in 痛車[itasha] even if it belongs to her boyfriend…
General people might say otaku are supposed to date otaku, but I don’t think so. Although they are otakus, it’s a man and a woman as a matter of fact. Whether he/she is an otaku is not that important. Thoughts, tastes, and compatibility…these things are eventually important as general couples. To understand each other brings about a long-lasting relationship, I suppose so.
I sure like tsundere girls, but I don’t even necessarily look for such a girlfriend in real life. If my girlfriend happend to be a tsundere, it should be fine, though.^^ Then I don’t care she is an otaku/fujoshi or not. What really matters to me is that she can accept the fact that I am actually an otomen and a cosplayer or not. Even if she is an otaku, this has nothing to do with it. Because I know there are a lot of otakus who don’t like cosplayers or otomens. Also, I am a man, so I want to relax in front of her when I get tired. In such a time, I don’t want her to be in the tsuntsun-mode. See what I mean?
No matter what, if コミケッコン really happens a lot, would there be such a movie in the future? I am kind of looking forward to seeing that.
ロボット萌え[robot-moe]
If you haven’t realised this yet, please try to recall as much the anime you have watched as you could. I am pretty sure you have already seen this in all your life. To get to the point, ロボット[robotto] means a robot. I think you already see what I am going to say…Yes, ロボット here doesn’t even necessarily mean a real robot, well something like a machine, but pretty close to a real human being. In other words, it’s a humanoid, and you can also say 人造人間[jinzou ningen].
It seems like most anime (or whatever) where a humanoid shows as a lead could be such a heartbreaking story that fans get touched. Normally, humanoids are heartless and emotionless. Humanoids are supposed to just follow the master, obey the order, and work as they are told. However as they spend time with human beings, they would get humanized. You know what I mean? It’s like a heart is planted inside him/her. They eventually display their feelings so that they wouldn’t even fulfill the mission anymore. But they know their places, so they can’t live as a human being…what shall I do?? Why am I doing this? I have to complete my mission, but what makes me hesitate? Is this…love?
OMG, this is kinda cheesy. But there is always a deep story anywhere humanoids are. No matter how close to human beings they are, robots are robots. These two creatures are not able to have a happy conclusion. The girl you love is actually such a 人造人間, but even that, if you want to believe her smile is real, you would have a ロボット萌え[robot-moe]. Speaking of such a 人造人間, I can think of Ayanami Rei in Evangelion, Nagato Yuki in the Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, Chi in Chobits, No.18 in Dragon Ball, Abeno Yasuaki in Harukanaru toki no naka de, Abusolute Boyfriend[絶対彼氏], My girlfriend is a humanoid[僕の彼女はサイボーグ].
When I experienced this ロボット萌え for the first time, it was in anime film, のび太と鉄人兵団[Nobita and the Troop of Robots] in 1987. There is a girl named リルル[Lilulu], she is my first time seeing a 人造人間. I must say she is a really heartbreaker.
Japanese words of anime fans, by anime fans, for anime fans 