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INTEREST: Sailor Moon Stars in Action Figure Video With Voice Actress Mitsuishi

I'm... going to be perfectly honest and I'm probably going to be alone in this: It does not sound good. She just sounds... way too old for Usagi and can't do that pitch anymore. I realize it's partially because she hasn't done the voice in so long (besides briefly doing Usagi's voice at that event last year), but it almost seems like she's trying to make her voice horse trying to reach that pitch.

Now I'm starting to think maybe recasting her for the new anime might be a good thing.

Commerical was great and I do hope Kotono will be Usagi in the new anime.

Character song CDs and show events are nothing new.

Seiyuu don't get tossed aside due to aging (won't be able to sell gods, attract more people). More experienced seiyuu command more money. Smaller budget a show has, easier to hire less experienced seiyuu.

There are many teenager roles or kids voices done by seiyuu well in their 30s or older. Kamiya Hiroshi, Ono Daisuke, Fukuyama Jun, Suwabe Junichi, Sakurai Takahiro, Hiro Shimono, Seki Tomokazu, Hoshi Souichirou...

The entire Uta Pri cast. Think the CDs or events sell out any less? No.
Prince of Tennis cast same thing. Tenipuri Fest event is huge. Think the cast are remotely teenager age? No.

Detective Conan cast since the start in 1996 has had vey little change. It's 2013 now. Hayashibara Megumi is Haibara Ai, Takayama Minami is Conan. Should they be replaced? No.

Japanese fans are loyal, not fickle. FMA Brotherhood wouldn't have gone over as well if Romi Park and Kugimiya Rie weren't back as Ed and Al.

In otaku-oriented anime, for various reasons younger Japanese voice actresses (teenagers to thirtysomethings) tend to portray teenage and preteen girls.

Then imagine a male otaku in his 20s or 30s obsessing over a 2D anime teenage girl voiced by a married woman with children (and perhaps grandchildren) in her 40s, 50s, or 60s - a woman old enough to be his mother, if not his grandmother.

On the other hand, veteran voice actors in Japan still do a lot of voice acting work in mainstream animation, narration, dubbing foreign language films/TV shows/games, etc. - much, if not most, of which is unfamiliar or totally unknown to anime fans outside Japan.

Mika Kanai, who is nearly fifty and is known for her high voice and playing very young or young-looking characters, has a regular role as Melonpanna in the long-running, mainstream children's television animation series Soreike! Anpanman.

But Mika Kanai also voices the fairy-like being Histoire in the niche, otaku-centric Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 and Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory games and the upcoming Hyperdimension Neptunia TV anime series.

The main question with 45-year-old Kotono Mitsuishi doing Usagi Tsukino's may not lie in her age, but rather whether she can still do the voice of a teenage girl in a TV anime series.

Her current and recent roles include adult women like Tamako Nobi (Nobita's mom) in Doraemon, Boa Hancock in One Piece, Cocco in Hunter x Hunter (2011), and Misato Katsuragi in the Evangelion theatrical movies.

And yes, Kotono Mitsuishi did do Hummy, the very friendly catlike being in Suite PreCure♪ (2011-2012).

Siegel Clyne wrote:

In otaku-oriented anime, for various reasons younger Japanese voice actresses (teenagers to thirtysomethings) tend to portray teenage and preteen girls. Then imagine a male otaku in his 20s or 30s obsessing over a 2D anime teenage girl voiced by a married woman with children (and perhaps grandchildren) in her 40s, 50s, or 60s - a woman old enough to be his mother, if not his grandmother. On the other hand, veteran voice actors in Japan still do a lot of voice acting work in mainstream animation, narration, dubbing foreign language films/TV shows/games, etc. - much, if not most, of which is unfamiliar or totally unknown to anime fans outside Japan. Mika Kanai, who is nearly fifty and is known for her high voice and playing very young or young-looking characters, has a regular role as Melonpanna in the long-running, mainstream children's television animation series Soreike! Anpanman. But Mika Kanai also voices the fairy-like being Histoire in the niche, otaku-centric Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 and Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory games and the upcoming Hyperdimension Neptunia TV anime series. The main question with 45-year-old Kotono Mitsuishi doing Usagi Tsukino's may not lie in her age, but rather whether she can still do the voice of a teenage girl in a TV anime series. Her current and recent roles include adult women like Tamako Nobi (Nobita's mom) in Doraemon, Boa Hancock in One Piece, Cocco in Hunter x Hunter (2011), and Misato Katsuragi in the Evangelion theatrical movies. And yes, Kotono Mitsuishi did do Hummy, the very friendly catlike being in Suite PreCure♪ (2011-2012).

But Sailor Moon's not Otaku-oriented. It's a mainstream shojo title. So it's not an issue.

PmChivas wrote:

Ahhh...that felt good. Although, I own the DVDs, it still feels nice to hear Usagi doing commercials again. And, yes, Mitsuishi's voice does sound older, I don't count that as a bad thing. I don't expect the new Sailor Moon to be the same Sailor Moon from my teen years. For me, I would like to see a reboot of the anime showing the Sailor Team out of high school and pursuing other dreams than boys (or girls: Haruka ) and good grades.

Sailor Moon isn't a boy-centric manga. Minako and Mako are the romantics of the group, Usagi's in a set relationship, Rei has vowed her Chastity to Serenity, and Ami is focused on her studies. And them being out of high school wouldn't be that interesting anyway because their future's not up in the air. We know that the characters stop aging and slowly create a utopia on Earth and we know that they come to place their duty as soldiers above all else so there's not much material for a story is there? Though I likewise don't count her deeper pitch as a bad thing. It's just something to get used to.

And what otaku-centric anime existed in 1992, when the Sailor Moon anime made its debut in Japan? Hardly anything I can think of on Japanese TV.

Although she usually voices adult women (often mothers) nowadays, Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury seiyuu Aya Hisakawa (age 44) can still voice teenagers, like she did as 17-year-old Yuri Tsukikage/Cure Moonlight in HeartCatch Precure (2010-2011).

Rei Hino/Sailor Mars seiyuu Michie Tomizawa (age 51) retired from voice acting. Could she be persuaded to reprise her role in Sailor Moon?

Siegel Clyne wrote:

Although she usually voices adult women (often mothers) nowadays, Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury seiyuu Aya Hisakawa (age 44) can still voice teenagers, like she did as 17-year-old Yuri Tsukikage/Cure Moonlight in HeartCatch Precure (2010-2011).

She also voiced Sonia recently in Saint Seiya Omega and was perfect there.

Quote:

Rei Hino/Sailor Mars seiyuu Michie Tomizawa (age 51) retired from voice acting. Could she be persuaded to reprise her role in Sailor Moon?

Semi-retired, her last role was as Roberta from Black Lagoon and she returned for the OVA.

The only VA I'm concerned about is Yuko Minaguchi (Hotaru/Sailor Saturn) as she hasn't done much since announcing her hiatus except for the Dragon Ball Z Battle Of Gods movie. She's supposed to attend Animazement this year along with Keiko Han (Luna) so maybe someone could ask the two of them?

Although her pitch isn't the same as when she was younger, I think Mitsuishi-san still delivers Usagi's voice very well.