Author’s note: I’m currently swamped with so many things this month, so making time for doing icon requests and uploading seiyuu charts had been difficult for me. JLPT is just a few weeks away! Those who will be taking it this December, good luck! 😀
If there’s a show that really captured my interests this season, it’s P.A. Works’ Nagi no Asukara. The series shows us a world where humans can separately: at land, and under the sea. It focuses on two main characters, Hikari and Manaka, who both grew up together underwater and are close childhood friends. As their school closes and having transferred to a school at land, they are faced with drastic changes– the challenge presented of living and interacting with land people, and overcoming cultural and living diversities.
This had been one of those shows that emphasizes on character development, particularly with Hikari, as he grows from a self-centered brat to a more understanding, mature person. The scenery and character art are commendable, and I’m personally hooked at the opening sequence (that animation quality must have cost them millions!). Lastly, the main character cast had been very promising, since two of the main characters are new to the voice acting business, yet they already have major roles in several ongoing anime shows this season.
Let’s take a look at this week’s seiyuu chart!
- Hanae Natsuki (Sakishima Hikari) – one of the new voice actors for the past couple of years. Although he doesn’t have a multitude of roles yet, he’s been doing quite a number of projects this season. His first known character role was Maeda Atsuhiro (aka Wein-kun) from Tari Tari; this was then followed by other character roles like Sakagami (OreShura) and Haimura Kiri (Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge). Apart from Hikari, he is voicing Kominato Haruichi (Daiya no A) and Kanou Shinichi (Outbreak Company) this fall.
- Hanazawa Kana (Mukaido Manaka) – I think she’s using her usual innocent, crybaby voice for this role; as it didn’t take a while for me to recognize it was her behind Manaka. Her other ongoing projects this season include Tokyo Ravens’ Tsuchimikado Natsume, Infinite Stratos 2’s Charlotte Dunois, and Monogatari Second Season’s Sengoku Nadeko. She also voiced Naruse Yu from the recently concluded Watamote.
- Ishikawa Kaito (Kihara Tsumugu) – another new voice actor with multiple roles this season. If you are watching Tokyo Ravens, Golden Time and Super Seisyun Brothers, you’ll recognize the voices of Tsuchimikado Harutora, Yanasigawa Mitsuo and Saitou Mao to be a little familiar with Tsumugu’s. He was also the voice actor behind Manatsu Souda (Red Data Girl) and Ledo (Suisei no Gargantia).
- Kayano Ai (Hiradaira, Chisaki) – yet another seiyuu with a lot of roles right now (they’re on a roll!). She’s well-known for famous characters like Yuzuriha Inori (Guilty Crown), Ibara Mayaka (Hyouka), Menma (AnoHana) and more. Right now, she’s busy with voicing characters from ongoing series, including Pino (Kakumeiki Valvrave) and Hayashida Nana (Golden Time).
- Ohsaka Ryota (Isaki Kaname) – well… yup, all of these guys are very active on different shows. Ohsaka Ryota is also the voice behind Tokishima Haruto (Kakumeiki Valvrave), Sawamura Eijun (Daiya no A), Shinmoto Chika (Super Seisyun Brothers) and Yaze Motoki (Strike the Blood). You can also view the seiyuu chart for Rozen Maiden for more of his previous character roles.
If you are watching Nagi no Asukara, what kind of ending are you expecting? Let us know in the comments!