Forum - View topicFavorite voices?
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Murasakisuishou
 Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
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What are some of your favorite voices in anime and J-music, be they seiyuu or actual singers?
My number one right now is (and will be for quite some time) Paku Romi. My first exposure to her was through the character theme songs she did for Shaman King, and I've been a fan ever since. People normally associate her with the lower voices she does for male characters, but she really has an incredible range and is a very powerful and emotive singer. I've got both of her CDs, not to mention any number of character singles, and I'm still astounded by the variety of styles in her work. Many of her songs and lyrics have also influenced my life dramatically, but that's something entirely different. Another favorite is Origa, who is probably best known for her work with Yoko Kanno in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. I wish I could sing like this; her voice is haunting and melodic, but at the same time strong and incredibly powerful. The first time I heard Rise, I found myself unable to close my mouth for several minutes afterward. My second favorite song by her is Mizu no Madoromi from Fantastic Children; it's very sweet and calming. I'm also a fan of Nana Mizuki, who's got an absolutely stunning voice. It's very pop-ish, but not at all annoying; she can sound incredibly bold. The theme songs she did for Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha shocked me, because I had only ever heard her voice act before (as Tamao from Shaman King and Wrath from Fullmetal Alchemist). Another deep-voiced woman I'm rather fond of is Yamane Mai. Her voice is low and rough, but there's a lot of emotion and energy in it. When I think of fun music, one of the first songs that comes to mind is 'Want It All Back' from Cowboy Bebop. I think it's also safe to say that spoiler[Spike's death] at the end of CB would not have had nearly as great an impact without the song 'Blue' following it. Then there's KOKIA, who has one of the most interesting voices I've ever heard. It's breathy and yet strikingly rich, if that makes any sense. She has a range similar to mine, so she's very easy for me to sing along to (I entered a karaoke competition with Watashi no Taiyou once and came out fairly well), and some of the things she does with her voice are absolutely breathtaking. For an example of what I mean, listen to the song 'Harmony'. Enough with the ladies for now. Another favorite, Shikao Suga! I love his 'boybandy' sound, especially since it's normally set to bluesy or accoustic music. Most of the songs I have by him are sort of mellow, feel-good tracks, and the style suits his voice well, as it's very slightly effeminate. The opening he did for xxxHOLiC, 19sai, is one of my favorite songs period. Someone I've only recently discovered is YUI, through her work in Bleach. I'm normally not a fan of really high pitched voices, but I gotta say, this girl can rock. I got the karaoke of Rolling Star for a contest, but I'm really not sure I can do it justice. And of course, how could I get through this list without mentioning Hayashibara Megumi? She's probably the driving force behind my current love for anime music and J-pop. Most of her music is fun and bouncy, but she does have quite a range to her as well. What I love most about her voice is the energy in it; it's impossible to listen to Sakura Saku or Exit -> Running and not start lip-synching along. Last but not least, Gabriela Robin. I love the whole concept of 'voice as instrument', and 'Gabriela' has a wonderful voice for that purpose. Some of her songs from Arjuna and GitS:SAC are absolutely haunting; I first heard Aqua (from Arjuna) nearly two years ago, and it's still one of my most played songs. She's also great to sing with as you can just make it up as you go. |
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
 Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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My favorite seiyuu ever is Ikue Ohtani (yes the woman who does the voice for Pikachu) and she did some singing for shows like Sensei no Ojikan (ED) and Nurse Witch Komugi-Chan (ED). I mostly appreciate her for her voice acting work because of her distinctive "cracky" voice that is so cute.
I love the vocal talent that is YUUKA. She did the opening song for .hack//ROOTS and as far as voices go I think hers is absolutely angelic. Not angelic in the Kikuko Inoue way just angelic in the very pure, powerful and soothing way. My favorite male voice is probably Takehito Koyasu, the most prolific VA in anime. He doesn't have that much of a vocal range but because his voice is so distinctive, I think it always fits for any eccentric, over-dramatic or uber bishounen character. And of course I love Hyde's voice (who I also must admit has an angelic voice  ).
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frentymon
Forums Superstar
 Posts: 2362 Location: San Francisco |
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Shikao Suga is one of my favorites as well. I don't know how to really describe his voice, "feminine" would be somewhat close but not completely on the mark. Anyway, his voice is just really pleasant to listen to and it fits a wide range of styles, be it funk, blues, pop, rock, etc. Favorite song by him is "Yuudachi", followed closely by "Koko ni Iru Koto".
I really like Yoko Takashi's voice. It's...mature sounding, for lack of a better term, and really brings an edge to the songs she sings. I liked her voice ever since I heard "Cruel Angel's Thesis", and I still like it, in her recent songs such as "Aoki Flamme". Mikuni Shimokawa I just can't get enough of. Her voice flows really smoothly, and is kind of the complete opposite of Takahashi's voice: young and innocent sounding. She has a really versatile range, and sounds great on both ends. My favorite song by her is "Alone", and a bunch of other songs come in a close second. Minami Kuribayashi I have a hard time describing her voice, but I love it when she holds out notes and then kinda...drops it toward the end, especially her "yo~" or "ne~"'s. First exposed to her voice through Mai-HiME, where I just couldn't get enough of the OP and later Chiisana Hoshi ga Oriru Toki. Favorite song by her is "Rumbling Hearts". The lead singer from FLOW really grabs my attention (I think it's Kohshi Asakawa, not sure). I'm bad at describing voices, but it's really distinct, and sounds kinda like the guy from Porno Grafitti, but less edgy and more pleasant to listen to. Favorite song is "Colors". I know many people don't really like her, but I'm fond of Yuki's voice. I'ts...I dunno, childish, impishly high, cutesy, and for some reason I just really like it. I was pleasantly surprised by "Fugainaiya", the middle section really drew me to Yuki's voice. I also have some old Judy and Mary songs I listen to from time to time. Speaking of impishly high voices, Haruko Momoi (from UNDER17) has a great voice that I never get sick of hearing. Her voice + heavy guitar (like in Kujibiki Unbalance) = awesome. It also works in cutesy songs such as that OP from Nurse Witch Komugi. I'm sure I can list many more but those were the ones that came to my mind first. |
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Murasakisuishou
Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
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....How the heck did I manage to forget him? His solo stuff isn't that great, though. It's so funny, because he's pretty much the only guy in L'arc who the average fangirl knows the name of, and yet he sounds like crap without Yuki, Tetsu, and Ken. Still, he's got quite a nice range; I particularly love the vocal in Ophelia. It made me cry. |
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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Yeah despite being quite the Hyde (and L'arc-en-Ciel) fan, I really haven't heard much of his solo music. I don't think it's that he sounds worse with other musicians playing the music, it's just that the band's style really suits him and knows how to tap his vocal talent to the best of his ability.
Oops but I don't want to turn this into a Hyde / L'arc fan thread... Oh yeah Mikuni Shimokawa, she is amazing and her voice seems well suited for doing acting too. I mentioned her earlier in the Kino's Journey thread because I recognized her voice after only hearing her from the Full Metal Panic soundtrack. |
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DragonsRevenge
 Posts: 1150 |
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X -F'ING JAPAN!
I agree about Romi Paku. I love her character songs for Ed Elric and Joh or Ren or whatever from Shaman King, even though I never saw the anime. Megumi Hayashibara I agree about Yuuka, and the chick from See-saw All the other ones sound identical to me, so I base it off the music- Fumiko Orikasa for her peforamance in Yellow Vacation and the Vocal version of Hoshi No Hate, *Chibi Moon* (forgot the seiyuu's name) for her performance in Yume Wo Ijinenaide, Kotono Mitsuishi for her performances in the Ebichu theme, Moon Revenge, and and The Dragon Half theme Oh, and animetal. If more of Gackt's stuff sounded like Lust for Blood, I'd put him up there too. |
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Cloe
Moderator
 Posts: 2728 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
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She's definitely near the top of my list as well. I loved all of her performances on the Ghost in the Shell: SAC OSTs, as well as "Mizu no Madoromi." My favorite performace by far, though, is her beautiful "Krasno Sontse" from the amazing Princess Arete OST. It's one of those songs I could hear a million times and never tire of.
Ah, the ever-mysterious Gabriela Robin. I love her voice, too. "Diving" is one of my favorite tracks on the Arjuna OST, mostly due to Robin's chants. I'm mostly fascinated with her background, though, and the fact that she's most likely Yoko Kanno herself, singing under an alias. Who is Gabriela Robin? In addition, Akino Arai has one of the most beautiful and ethereal voices I've ever heard. I first became familiar with her through Kanno works like "For The Moon's Prayer And Companions" from Please Save My Earth and "Voices" from Macross Plus. I began to pursue her music in earnest after hearing "Hiro no Tsuki" from Outlaw Star and she has been one of my favorite singers and composers ever since. I love her Sora no Mori and Goddess in the Morning (preformed with Yayoi) albums. I also ADORE her weird little group Marsh-Mallow, who only released one CD which was filled with idiosyncratic melodies and a capella vocalizations. Her voice is very pure and gentle, like a bell, and she has a real knack for musical composition and arrangement. |
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CloverKuroba
 Posts: 506 |
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My favorite seiyuus...hmm...
Aya Hirano is really talented with a likable voice and a fantastic singing voice. Bouken Desho Desho and Hare Hare Yukai are one of my favorite OP and EDs. I also like Yui Horie, her voice is really cute. But my favorite seiyuu is Maaya Sakamoto, her voice is so pleasant to the ears and she sings so beautifully. I really like her songs "Hemisphere" and "Hashiru" the best. As for j-artists... Asian Kung-fu Generation easily became one of my favorite singers after hearing "Rewrite" from FMA. They're songs are effortlessly catchy. YUI is a great songstress. Her songs from Bleach, "Life" and "Rolling Star" are crazy good. After watching Honey and Clover, I started to really like Suneohair, who sang the ED "Waltz". His voice has an airy, melodic sound to it. Frentymon, you're not alone. I LOVE YUKI. I just really like her childish voice and "Dramatic" is one of my favorite OPs. I also really enjoy Judy and Mary, their songs are a lot of fun. Round Table ft. Nino is one of my favorite bands, hands down. I like Nino's gentle but energetic voice. I like PuffyAmiYumi. People don't like them though, but I think that's pretty sad. They're unique and quirky. little by little is a cool band. "Kanashimi wo Yasashisa ni" is really good. Hitomi Takahashi, who sang "Aozora no Namida" from Blood Plus, is another favorite. They're something kick-ass about her voice. Especially her rockish songs. Bonnie Pink is really lovely. Her voice is so pretty and she can sing in english really well. I have a lot of favorite j-artists, but it would take a while to do all of them. |
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frentymon
Forums Superstar
Posts: 2362 Location: San Francisco |
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Oh wow, how did I ever manage to leave out my two favorite seiyuu...? I love both their voices, but even more so Yui, who has such an adorable moe voice that fits almost any character archetype. Both are very versatile; and can adjust their voices for a variety of different characters, while always being quickly recognizable. Although, while Yui is an experienced pro (term taken from somewhere else, I completely agree though), Aya is still learning, as observed in her struggles voicing the random-sort-of-tsundere-and-very-hard-to-voice Mei. Both have really nice singing voices. "Lost My Music" and "Hikari" are some of my favorite songs. |
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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I was suprised when I found out that Aya Hirano was only eighteen when she did the lead role in Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Quite amazing being that her performance was simply phenomenal.
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TestamentSaki
 Posts: 1012 |
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*Takes a deep breath* This is gonna be a long one...
Seiyuu: Suzumura Ken'ichi: It just took a SINGLE ROLE for him to be my favorite seiyuu. I know his role as Wakabayashi Genzo in Captain Tsubasa Road to 2002 isn't his most famous one, but being a CT freak myself (and Wakabayashui-kun's my fave character), I heard the voice and practically fell in love with that voice. I later had the chance to hear him as Kamui From X, Hikaru from Ouran Koukou Host Club and other roles, and his versatility, as well as his singing voice, made him my #1. Seki Tomokazu: As above, I heard him first in Captain Tsubasa Road to 2002, but as a grown-up Tsubasa, which was a bit of a shock for me, since I was used to hear him with his 1st seiyuu's voice. Afterwards, I heard him as Shimbo Hiromu from Chobits, and just hearing that made me go into a flutter. That, and another nice singing voice made him one of my faves. Ogai Youko: I've only heard her portraying guys (Tsubasa from Captain Tsubasa and Mori-kun in Hungry Heart Wild Striker), but her funny moments are priceless to me. She doesn't sing, but her voice acting makes up for that. Paku Romi and Enomoto Atsuko: They're tied, both for their wondrous voices (each of them has their style--Romi-san's deep, powerful voice and Atsuko-san's sometimes innocent, sometimes tomboyish voice), their singing and such. Other honorable mentions include Hayashibara Megumi (she doesn't need an explanation IMHO), Yukino Satsuki, Koyasu Takehito, Toriumi Kousuke, Yoshino Hiroyuki and Kuwashima Houko. Singers: HIRO-X: Call it 'love at first hearing,' but once I heard The Meaning Of Truth, I found that this song was my favorite, and it still is. I also listened to his songs in The Prince Of Tennis, and mind you, they're pretty good, but they still can't beat my fave song. I've passed The Meaning Of Truth between my friends, and they love it 
Siam Shade: A shame this group was dissolved. 1/3 Junjo Na Kanjo was the 1st song I heard from them, but once I got Internet at home, I decided to look for more songs from them... And I stumbled with my actual fave song from them, Yume No Naka E, and later I found other songs like Imitation Love, Never End, Tears I Cried and others. They may have had a pretty bad Engrish pronounciation, but I love that group. DASEIN: This group isn't very known, but I liked BREAK OFF!!! (Captain Tsubasa ROAD to 2002 4th ED), and their OP song for Barom One, Ki_Mi_Da_Ke (which I haven't had the chance to find  ). Double-pedal drums get my attention almost immediately  .
Otherwise, I mostly like songs regardless of who sings them. |
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violetsquirrel
 Posts: 69 Location: Australia |
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Considering that I absolutely love his solo stuff but am kind of indifferent to most of L'arc's music, that's really a matter of opinion They're just different, so most people are going to gravitate towards one or the other... That said it took me a loong time to get used to his voice but I love it now  Especially in Orenji no Taiyou, in which he and Gackt seem to be competing to see who can make their voice the sweetest.
Look up Nine Spiral, Speedmaster, White Eyes, Secret Garden, Kalmia, Lu:Na and noesis  The thing about Gackt is that very few of his songs have a similar sound to them, but those are most of the harder rock ones.
My absolute favourite voice was Gackt's before it changed in 2004, now it's just kind of average although I think it's improving... but he used to have the most beautiful, rich, deep sound. And his range is incredible too, I think he goes higher than I can sing in Ares  It's kind of sad to hear him sing his old songs with his current voice though 
I love Origa's voice as well, from the two OPs I've heard. I really should see about getting hold of more of her stuff. |
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Murasakisuishou
Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
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To each their own, I guess. I'm a long time L'arc fan, and Hyde on his own just semed wrong to me. Orenji no Taiyou is the second most amazing nine minutes I've ever spent, though. I thought I was going to drown in my own saliva. |
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kk
 Posts: 109 Location: Edmonton, Alberta |
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I really enjoy Bana's work on Witch Hunter Robin. I just really like her deep voice. By the way does anyone know if she's done any other works or has she just done songs for Witch Hunter Robin?
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Murasakisuishou
Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
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-facepalm- And I forgot Bana too? Oh well, this is what happens when I post at 3 AM x) I don't know of anything she's done outside Witch Hunter Robin, but I would pay for an album of hers if such a thing existed. I have a thing for women with really low voices, as you don't hear a lot of them in popular music these days. In fact, I'm going to go look it up.... |
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