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Japanese Voice-Acting Contest Accepts Int'l Entrants

The details of the All Japan Seiyuu Contest “Seiyuu-Damashii,” the Japanese-language voice-acting and scenario-writing contest, were revealed at a press conference on Friday. The voice-acting division will accept international entrants in next year's contest.

The stated goals of the contest are to find new talent among the world's young people and help them discover their dreams. 81 Produce founder Michiyoshi Minamizawa said that with the new international rules of the voice-acting division, he hopes to bring the seiyuu career to foreign countries in hopes of developing the field — but that is not the only reason. His main purpose is to foster a form of communication between Japan and other countries. The contest was also created in order to offer a way for young people to find hope and chances for a job they enjoy in a beleaguered economy and society.

The contest has not only the seiyuu division for voice acting, but also the scenario/original work division. Each are separated into different categories:

Seiyuu Division

• National Category: This category is available for those within Japan. People can apply if they are middle and high school students from 9th grade to 12th grade as of October 2012.
• International Category: This category is available to all people outside Japan if they are in 9th grade or higher. Only those who speak Japanese are able to apply.

Scenario/Original Work

• Original 3-minute work category: This category is for those who are not experienced to writing long works. Writers must write a short story that can be read within three minutes. People can apply if they are middle and high school students from 9th grade to 12th grade as of October 2012.
• Original anime category: This is the category for those who want to go into writing stories for anime. Participants write a scenario that would be possible for an anime. People can apply if they are middle and high school students from 9th grade to 12th grade as of October 2012.
• Original picture book category: This category is for people of all ages. As the title indicates, participants create an illustrated picture book to be judged.

Sound director Yukio Nagasaki (Love Live! School idol project, Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream, The Unlimited - Hyōbu Kyōsuke) will be judging the entries for the seiyuu division, while director Yutaka Yamamoto (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star, Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens), also known as "Yamakan," will be judging the scenario division.

Voice cast members Azusa Kataoka (Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream's Mion Takamine) and Takuya Eguchi (Inu X Boku Secret Service's Banri Watanuki) attended the press conference as official supporters of the contest. Kataoka and Eguchi gave their comments on the contest, and both said that taking the chance and taking the first step is the key to success to fulfilling your dream.

Entries must be sent by postal mail to the address listed on the audition page. Digital auditions via Koebu are also planned, though they have not begun as of yet. The deadline for the seiyuu division is January 31, while the scenario/original work division's deadline is on February 28. The finalists will be announced at the end of February, and the winners of each division will be announced at the 2013 Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 23.