Forum - View topicAnswerman - How Popular Are Japanese Voice Actors?
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John Thacker
Posts: 1009 |
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I would say that Nana Mizuki is probably a household name or close to it. But at the same time, she's the only seiyuu to have topped the weekly Oricon chart. And like you say, seiyuu don't become household names unless they crossover somehow. Even people who are on the actually popular household shows aren't generally known by name any more than Dan Castellaneta is a household name in the US.
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nobahn
 Subscriber Posts: 5159 |
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This strikes quite close to the dreaded question: How popular is anime in Japan?
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Hoppy800
 Posts: 3331 |
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Most Anime are niche (the ones that aren't are kids anime and recently Love Live), it's manga that's the more popular medium of the two. |
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Mr. Oshawott
 Posts: 6773 |
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Nana Mizuki aside, perhaps, I don't think there are many Japanese seiyuu that are that recognizable outside of the anime community.
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Kadmos1
 Posts: 13626 Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP |
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It's seems that a lot of anime in Japan is most popular in Tokyo and the metro cities. Yukari Tamura and Yui Horie are also notable singers that have been fairly successful outside of the anime community.
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EricJ2
 Posts: 4016 |
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Or depending how much idol work they do on the side-- Twenty years ago*, I was feeling geek-smug that I could recognize Kikuko Inoue as "Hey, that's Kasumi Tendo and Beldandi!", and now her idol career's a running joke on Miss Monochrome. (* - Although I may be unsure of the date, since, as we all know, Ms. Inoue is seventeen...  )
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H. Guderian
Posts: 1255 |
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The top rated animation pulls in 8-12% of TV viewers in their timeslots. One Piece and Detective Conan get good enough. Shows for just the kids get around 3-6%. I remember Gundam 00 being declared a huge success for having a 3.0-4.0 range. Anime is known about at the same level 'everyone' knows Star Wars. Almost everyone has some level of contact with it, though the vast majority it is no more of a passing curiosity. |
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scrwbll19
Posts: 87 |
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This question reminded me of something somewhat similar. How closely represented are the seiyuu in "Sore ga Seiyuu" ("Seiyuu's Life")? I mean, various seiyuu cameo in each episode. For instance, they show Horie Yui to be kind of a slob. Is she really like that in real life? The same goes for the rest of them. I would ask this question directly to Justin, but I feel that it would put him on the spot and perhaps would be inappropriate.
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Megiddo
 Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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Sore ga Seiyuu is written by Masumi Asano who was together with Yui Horie in the unit Alice5. I'm sure that she knows Horie extremely well, and I can't imagine that she would purposely show Horie in a bad light unless that was her actual personality. Given the author, I'd say that most if not all the cameos in Sore ga Seiyuu are quite representative of how the seiyuu act normally.
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DanchouHaruhi
 Posts: 22 |
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Supplementing the argument that Mizuki Nana is a household name, it certainly helps her case when she has been invited to and appeared in the Kouhaku Uta Gassen for 6 straight years and still counting... For those that don't know, it's only the most watched annual music show on New Year's Eve in Japan comprising of well-known artists.
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omiya
 Posts: 1856 Location: Adelaide, South Australia |
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Well, Nana Mizuki has appeared on the Kohaku Uta Gassen several times and my fan club membership number is around 41,000 and can fill venues larger than Saitama Super Arena (capacity 27,000, two concerts held there for Nana Mizuki's 35th birthday last January).
The other voice actors / actresses tend to be mainly known by the anime / anison fans. My old Minori Chihara fan club membership number was around 10,000 but my new fan club card is around 4500 (sometimes an old fan club is stopped and a new one replaces it). Eri Kitamura, Yuuka Nanri, Mikako Komatsu and Iori Nomizu would be other well-known female seiyuu, and the likes of Daisuke Ono and Kishow male seiyuu in addition to Mamoru Miyano. PS, Rica Matsumoto is probably better known, not only as the voice of Satoshi / Ash in Pokemon but also a prolific dub actress for Hollywood movies and television shown in Japan. Last edited by omiya on Wed Aug 19, 2015 10:16 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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maximilianjenus
Posts: 2912 |
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still, comparing seiyuu to holywood actors as absolutely hilarious. holywood actors are recognized all around the world, nobody would recognize a seiyuu even in theri home country; hell mexican soap opera actors make millions and only a handful are known outside of mexico and that's only on niche markets (I doubt someone from the usa knows a mexican soap opera actor , thouht, let's say someone from thailand might recognize thalia and most of thema re recognized in southamerica)
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Asrialys
 Posts: 1164 |
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I remember the Yui Horie just walking through the hallways of Anime Expo the year she was there. No one noticed. I did, but I am on staff and was on shift, so I just stood quietly as she passed about a foot from me. lol I do regret not giving her the slightest acknowledgement that I knew who she was though... Last edited by Asrialys on Wed Aug 19, 2015 10:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Hoppy800
Posts: 3331 |
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I don't know about that, Yui Horie didn't look herself offstage when portrayed in Sore ga Seiyuu, although her homely look offstage in the anime seems more for gags though. |
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omiya
Posts: 1856 Location: Adelaide, South Australia |
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I could have said hello to Yui Horie if I'd known Japanese at the time of Animelo Summer Live 2011 back-stage after the show, guests were mainly crowded around Nana Mizuki. Instead I met Chiaki Ishikawa (who as far as I know has only 'voiced' the kakashi in Kamisama Dolls), and the previous night I had met Minori Chihara. |
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