Otaku Digest: Voice Actors Aided By Idols
Welcome anime fans one and all to another instalment of Otaku Digest. So can someone tell me where this season has gone?! It is slim pickings out there! As the summer anime season draws to a needed end, in a very strange turn of events the season is ending without any real ‘wow’ moments.
I will say there were some worthwhile anime in the mix with one or two hard hitters shining through the muck, but there were no home runs where you can outright say they will go the distance. Think I sound too cynical? Well, if you found any major anime you think I need to take a second look at please let me know in the comments!
For now, we are going to have a look at the last few anime left this season, Sore ga Seiyuu, Ushio to Tora and Venus Project – Climax -.
Sore ga Seiyuu
First up this week we have a comedy anime that is an adaptation from a four-panel manga of the same name, Sore ga Seiyuu or Seiyu’s Life, which originally aired on July 7. Adapted from the manga, the narrative of the anime runs a similar if not exactly the same course. It follows the lives of three young women, Ichigo Moesaki, Futaba Ichinose and Rin Kohana, who are rookie voice actresses trying to break their way onto the voice acting scene. The anime is filled with each girl’s triumphs and failures within their young careers and we see a comedic interpretation of the voice acting world through the girls adventures within. Will all their hard work pay off and will they all make it big in the industry?
An anime that lists itself as a comedic anime when it truly is slice of life always makes me very wary to begin with. This anime simply reeks of slice of life, much like a similar anime from a previous season where we followed the lives of people working in the anime industry. This one focuses on voice acting, or seiyu, and three girls’ journeys in the industry. I can only hope that this one entertains a bit more than the other. Who am I kidding, it really did not; the premise is really interesting as it does take a comedic view of the voice acting and anime industries but, truthfully, it did not make a massive impact on me. It did explain a lot of things that voice actors do on a day-to-day basis, but where they tried to be comedic with the main character of this episode, Futaba, she simply came off as dumb and annoying. This anime could turn out better as time goes on with characters development but, in terms of its first episode, it failed to grab my attention.
Will I Continue To Watch? No, I found it boring and lacking comedic effect with far too many slice of life tropes.
Ushio to Tora
Next this week is Ushio to Tora or Ushio and Tora, which is also an adaptation from a manga of the sam
e name, a comedy, supernatural and shounen anime which started airing on July 3. In this anime, we meet Ushio Aotsuki who, whether he likes it or not, is aided in his battles by a giant tiger-like monster. His family have upheld a Shinto temple in Japan where his ancestors, 500 years previously, fought and defeated said tiger monster. They did this by trapping it within a cave using the Beast Spear which allows the user to use the martial abilities of the original ancestor who wielded it. Tora, the tiger monster, remained trapped within his cave for a long time. That is until Ushio accidentally un-seals it. At first, he does not release Tora from the spear as the tiger had made it clear he wanted to devour him but, with the un-sealing of the cave, it brought monsters forward to challenge Tora Ushio and he had no choice but to fight. The two are forced to make an uncommon bond as they fight side by side with Tora still wanting to eat Ushio and Ushio keeping the spear very close at all times. An unlikely friendship blossoms but will it last or will Ushio become Tora’s dinner?
I was familiar with the original manga that this anime is adapted from but had never actually read the manga, partly because I felt it was very close to another anime which has a special place in my anime heart called Tenchi Muyo. This anime, however, takes a more mature spin to this kind of story. Something I did appreciate about this anime is it did not give this big explanation to why Tora is in the basement straight out; it got straight to the story which is refreshing in anime. The way this anime goes from very serious to comedy is brilliant, the timing is perfection and this is really well done in the conversations between Tora and Ushio. Ushio is actually an interesting character; he is physically fit and brilliant at sports but prefers to draw and be a part of an art club. You can tell even from the first episode that he has a major chip on his shoulder which could be from the fact his dad frequently leaves him alone. The first episode really built an excellent foundation for what’s to come in later episodes.
Will I Continue To Watch? Yes, I really enjoyed the start of the story and cannot wait to see what comes next.
Venus Project – Climax –
Lastly this week we have a music anime to sing us out for another Otaku Digest. Venus Project – Climax – first aired on July 12 and in the anime we follow a group of aspiring idols. Much like the idea of the Vocaloid franchise, Venus Project – Climax – released a Playstation Vita game in April 2015 and released an anime to boot. Set in the near future, we follow a group of idols. This is a future where technology has reached a whole new level of progression. Now people are hooked to a new form of entertainment called Formula Venus, or F-V for short, where the chosen group of idols must battle it out in live performances using everything from their skills, willpower and every piece of experience they have gained in order to come out on top.
This is a completely random point away from the entire premise of the anime, but I really like how these idols are drawn; anime girls with hips! Who would have thought it? Now, they still have the larger chests, but even so, it was refreshing to see a more realistically hipped and sized girl in an anime, much like in the Super Sonico franchise, just with a little less chest. As for the episode and anime itself, I actually really enjoyed it, which was weird since there are some slice of life themes in there, but the whole idea of idols battling it out was pretty cool. The main idol we are introduced to in this episode is Eriko and I like the fact that it is an up and coming story for her; we see her hardships and especially how hard she is working to become the best but it also shows us the hardship for idols like the girl who is forced to diet before a battle.
Will I Continue To Watch? Weirdly, yes I enjoyed the characters and the battle system.
What have you watched this season? What would you recommend? Let us know in the comments!
