Information AboutSeiyu |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SEIYū | |
| anime and manga terminology | |
| seiyu | |
| japanese music | |
| japanese words and phrases | |
| japanese voice actors | |
For the retail company named Seiyu, see Seiyu Group . '', a magazine about all things seiyū.]]A ''seiyū'' (声優, also transliterated '''''seiyuu''''' or simply '''''seiyu''''') is a Japanese term meaning " Voice Actor ". Seiyū work in Radio , Television and Movies , perform voice-overs for non-Japanese movies and provide narration. The most well-known seiyū work as Anime and Video Game Character Actor s. When speaking of a character in a series translated into English , conventional usage among American fans is to use "seiyū" to refer to the Japanese actor and "voice actor" for the English one. Japan currently produces 60% of the animated series in the world. {Link without Title} Because the animation industry in Japan is so prolific, seiyū are able to achieve fame on a national level and are able to have full time careers as doing voice overs. Seiyū are able to take greater charge of their careers than in other countries. Japan also has the institutions to support the career path, with around 130 seiyū schools and troupes of voice actors that work for a specific broadcast company or talent agency. Korea is the only country with a similar system for voice actors (성우) where the broadcasting stations employ voice actor troupes. Seiyū frequently branch into music, and many have also branched into live action film and television acting as well. They often attract their own appreciators and fans who will watch shows specifically to hear that actor or actress. Popular seiyū, especially female seiyū such as Kikuko Inoue , Megumi Hayashibara , and Aya Hisakawa , often have devoted fan clubs with memberships from all over the world. A common notation used in Japanese publications to denote a "character voice" in one of the roles listed above is "CV". This term was first used in the 1980's in anime magazines such as '' Animec '' and '' Newtype '', and from there it spread among Japanese anime fans. SUBSTANCE OF THE JOB Voice-over and dubbing This is the core of the seiyū's job: speaking a role and recording it. Anime In the case of anime, it's all about timing the recording of your character's voice to the picture on the screen. Before completing the recording of the role, there are two different methods of prescoring. In Japan, the most popular method is to do the dubbing after the animation has already been completed (although, depending on the production schedule, the dubbing may be recorded before all of the animation is complete). In order to keep a limit on the production budget, less well-known and younger seiyū are often used. However, for Original Video Animation and fan-oriented productions and products, famous seiyū are often used as a selling point. Dubbing into Japanese When it comes to foreign dramas, movies, news and documentaries, the localization voice-over requires more exact timing in relation to what appears on the screen. In order to do the voice-over, the original language voice track has to be turned down, leaving only a faint sound remaining. Voice-over work is primarily done for things such as news and original foreign dramas. Auditions are held in order to determine who will take on the various roles, and the popularity rankings can play a large role in who gets the job. Video games In a Video Game , due to the way individual voice tracks are selected and played depending on a player's progress, the voice tracks are often recorded separately unlike in anime or dubbing roles. Typically a seiyū uses a script with only a single part's lines and matches it to the timing of the recording. Because of this, many collaborating seiyū in a production have never seen each other in person. Popularity rankings may play a role in video game casting, but it is also possible to negotiate fees when a client requests a particular cast. Radio drama or CD drama With a Radio Drama or cd drama there is more freedom in voicing because there is no need to match a dub to the original actors, or to match an animated character. Because of this, a seiyū's particular interpretation of an act or acting ability are considered. If the drama is based on an anime or Manga then the seiyū from the anime are used. However, original drama or works based on literature rarely employ typical seiyū or younger seiyū. Auditions are rarely employed, and the cast is directly selected by the production staff. Puppet and kigurumi shows In Puppet Show s, the seiyū must time the voice-over in relation to the puppet movements. While timing is of the essence in Kigurumi shows as well, in this case the seiyū's voice acting is recorded beforehand, and it is left to the kigurumi entertainer to move and act based on the spoken lines. Narration Seiyū are also commonly employed as Narrator s in Commercial s, radio and TV programs, Press Release videos and other kinds of media that require the voice actor to read text that clarifies what the program is about from a script. Even though the narration role falls within a seiyū's area of expertise, it is not uncommon for popular regular actors, young talents or Announcer s to be chosen instead. The fee is proportional to the popularity of the person employed, and veterans are usually preferred for this role due to the high acting ability it requires. Candidates are required to send a short sample recording as a demonstration, and these samples play a big part in the selection process. Theatre acting It is not uncommon for actors of newer drama schools or small theatres to take a voice acting course in specialized schools and become seiyū, considering that the boundary line between actor and seiyū is rather thin. Those who do and successfully become seiyū sometimes take stage acting roles of their own choosing, and the seiyū's agency takes no part in it unless the theatre management requires it. Singing ]] Some seiyū branch into music, releasing albums in their own name and becoming full-time singers, although this is not considered to be strictly part of a seiyū's job. However, it has become common for seiyū to sing the opening or closing themes of shows in which their character stars, or partecipate in non-animated side projects such as audio dramas (involving the same characters in new storylines) or image songs (songs sung in character that are not included in the anime but further develop the character), releasing CDs in the character's name rather than their own. Sometimes the singing style of an anime character is quite different from that of the seiyū, and tracks sung using the style of the character are often included in CDs the seiyū release in their own name. This made singing a central activity for many seiyū, especially the ones who do voice overs for anime characters. The limitations imposed on singer seiyū by their recording companies are also less strict than the ones imposed on regular singers. This allows seiyū to release CDs in their character's name with different companies. Radio personality Radio talks (so called Aniradio ) further extend seiyū popolarity. Initially the vast majority was aired by local broadcast stations only, but after the communication boom of the 1990s the metropolitan radio stations began to pick them up. While most such programs last only as long as the anime or game is popular (usually no more than one year), some aired for over ten years due to their popularity among fans, who regard radio talks as a way to get to know the seiyū as human beings rather than just voices for the characters they play. Lately, due to lower costs and the increase in the number of listeners, more and more of these radio talks are hosted on the Internet . Other jobs Apart from other performances related to the characters they play, such as Press Conference s, anime news programs or interviews, seiyū nowadays are also hired for company-internal training videos, Supermarket announcements, bus route information broadcasts, ring announcers for professional Wrestling and other fighting disciplines and even Train Station route announcements, tasks usually performed by professional announcers, even though the seiyū's employment or name are not always made public. AGENCIES AND MANAGEMENT Relations between seiyū and music, movie and anime companies in Japan are regulated by seiyū management agencies, each with its specialization. In exchange for a fee from the seiyū, they take care of all the business affairs and sales promotions. These agencies can also act as a bridge between entertainment companies and private agencies the seiyū may be affiliated with. Sometimes the producers leave it to the agencies to recruit seiyū for minor roles, or handle their schedule. Seiyū's job opportunities are usually tied to the particular agency they choose: even if they're extremely popular as anime seiyū, for example, it is unlikely they will get dubbing roles if their agency is not specialized in that particular field. Some examples of agencies and their specializations:
Seiyū for child roles are often selected from renowned juvenile theatrical companies, such as the Himawari Company . ACTORS AND SEIYū Initially, dubbing and doing voice-overs was nothing more than the performance of an actor who used only his voice. When doing this job, they would usually be called "voice actors" (). For convenience, the term was shortened to a new compound consisting of the first and last kanji (). It was only after the seiyū booms however that this word became widespread. For this reason, elderly voice actors resent being called seiyū, because during their time the term had a different (and minimizing) connotation. For example, the renowned Chikao Ohtsuka , who dubbed Charles Bronson among others, was quoted in a special issue of ''Animage'' saying "We are actors. Even if a performance only requires the use of our voice, we still remain actors, and it is therefore incorrect to refer to us as just voice actors, isn't it?". He was strongly opposed to the new trend of separating actors and seiyū, even in the face of emerging seiyū like Genzō Wakayama , who only learned how to act using their voice and never set foot in a theatre. There are three main causes that set seiyū and actors apart. The first one is their professional upbringing by the Tokyo Broadcasting Drama Troupe (), formed by NHK and other private networks during the golden age of radio dramas. The second is the increasing popularity of the television: due to the lack of Japan-made movies and dramas, TV networks were forced to air foreign shows, and that demand for seiyū raised exponentially. The third is the boom in the anime world, which gave way to a wave of young talents whose aim was to become a seiyū rathern than an actor. SEIYū HISTORY Voice acting has existed in Japan since the advent of radio. However, it was only in the 1970's that the term seiyū entered popular usage because of the enormously popular anime " Space Battleship Yamato ". According to an newspaper interview with a voice talent manager, "Since the Yamato boom, the word "seiyū" has become instantly recognized, before that actors and actresses who introduced themselves as seiyū were often asked, "You mean you work for Seiyu supermarket?"" The radio drama era In 1925, the predecessor to the NHK , Japan's public broadcasting system (), the Tokyo Broadcasting Company started radio broadcasts. In that same year 12 students who were specializing in voice-only performances became the first voice actors in Japan when a performance of a radio drama was broadcast. They referred to themselves as seiyū, but In those days the term "radio actor" () was used by newspapers to refer to the profession. The next era began in 1941 when the NHK opened a training program to the public in order to prepare actors to specialize in radio dramas. This was called the "Tokyo Central Broadcasting Channel Actor Training Agency" (). Then, in 1942, the Tokyo Broadcasting Drama Troupe debuted its first performance, this was the second time that the term "seiyū" was used to refer to voice actors and from this time on, this word was used. There are several theories as to how the term "seiyū" was coined. One theory is that, Oyhashi Tokusaburo, a reporter for the Yoimuri Newspaper, coined the term. Another theory is that Tatsu Ooka, an Entertainment Programming Managing Producer for the NHK came up with the term. At first, seiyū, like those at the Tokyo Radio Drama Troupe and similar companies specialized in only radio dramas, however, with the advent of the television the term took on the additional meaning of one who does dubbing for animation. Television broadcasting aside, when radio held the chief mass media, actors who played in radio dramas were have not without their fans, for example actors in the Nagoya Radio Drama troupe who played the lead "love-interest" roles often received many fan letters. 1960s: First seiyū boom period In 1961, during the early days of commercial television broadcasting, the Gosha Agreement (, gosha kyōtei: an agreement by 5 major Japanese entertainment companies) caused the supply of Japanese movies that were available to Japanese television stations to dry up. As a result, in the 60's many foreign dramas and other foreign programming was imported and dubbed into Japanese language for television broadcast. At first, the NHK had mostly been subtitling foreign shows, however shows dubbed in the Japanese language soon became the standard. This increased the popularity of seiyū. At the center of the first seiyūu boom were actors like Nachi Nozawa , who gained fame by dubbing the same foreign actor, in Nozawa's case Alain Delon , Robert Redford , and Clint Eastwood . Because of problems with pay guarantees arising from the Gosha Agreement, cinema actors were prevented from dubbing foreign movies for television. Television actors were also prevented from dubbing because of a similar agreement. This caused studios to turn to actors from the radio age and actors from the " Shingeki " style of acting. Around this time dubbing of foreign animation was done by Rakugo story tellers, Asakusa comedians, and the like, and seiyū were called "dubbing talents" if they specialized in dubbing, while those giving voice to a character went under the name of "''ateshi''". It is during this golden age for dubbing that the Tokyo Actors Cooperative Haikyo was founded. Later, Haikyo seiyū managers left and opened their own management agencies. The first dubbed show broadcasted in Japan was an episode of the American cartoon '' Superman '', on October 9 , 1955 , on KRT (today TBS ), and the first non-animated dubbed show broadcasted was '' Cowboy G-Men '', again by KRT, in 1956 . Both were dubbed live; the first show to be broadcasted with prerecorded dubbing was '' The Adventures Of Television Boy '' () on April 8 , 1956 . 1970s: Second seiyū boom period During the late . 1980s: An interim period In 1989 the seiyū of the five main stars of the animated television show Ronin Warriors ( Nozomu Sasaki , Takeshi Kusao , Hiroshi Takemura , Tomohiro Nishimura and Daiki Nakamura ) formed an all-males singing group called " NG5 ". The group became popular, to the extent that it was featured as the subject of a special documentary program on MBS . The atypical popularity of NG5, however, did not spread to other seiyū groups. In this period seiyū production companies also began to provide specialized courses at on-site training schools specifically for training in animation dubbing. 1990s: Third seiyū boom period The 1960s and 1970s booms were centered mainly around general public types of media, such as the TV. In the 1990s a new boom centered around more personal ways of communication, such as radio shows, Original Video Animation , television quizzes, public events and the Internet, gave way to the publication of the first seiyū-specialized magazines, Seiyū Grand Prix and Boys Animage . Seiyū acquired a score of new fans thanks to the radio, and their CD sale figures increased drastically. Concerts began to be held in the bigger halls. While the second boom also saw the seiyū become popular as DJs, this time the recording houses backed the seiyū radio shows as sponsors, and large sums of money began to circulate. Megumi Hayashibara , Hekiru Shiina and Mariko Kōda are the first examples of this new trend. Recording companies and seiyū forming schools began to devise new ways to bring young seiyū to nation-wide popularity, another radical change from the previous booms and one of the cornerstones of the ongoing transformation from seiyū to idol. When voice acting was introduced in television games, the existence of seiyū became known throughout the entire country. As a consequence, the same seiyū would perform in a series of events related to the television game world, making appearances and partecipating to radio programs based on the television games to attract the fanbase. In the second half of the 1990s, the boom in the animation world led to the sudden increase of anime shown in the Tokyo area. With the newly acquired ability to connect to the Internet, gathering information on their favourite seiyū became very easy for fans, and seiyū began to appear in Internet-based radio shows. Rather than just the spur of the moment, these changes appear to have become solidly established. THE CAREER OF A SEIYū From member of the Drama Troupe to seiyū From child actor to seiyū From theatre actor to seiyū Becoming a seiyū having no entertainment world experience SEE ALSO REFERENCES | ||
| Author | Terumitsu Otsu and Mary Kennard |
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| Title | The art of voice acting |
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| Publisher | The Daily Yomiuri |
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| Page | 11 |
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| Date | April 27 , 2002 |
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