Find out whose voices melt listeners’ hearts just a little bit every time they open their mouths.
voice actor
JR East’s newest venture reimagines each of the 30 stations on Tokyo’s most famous train line as a singing and performing idol.
Based on the quality of this Kiki’s Delivery Service homage, it’s hard to believe that his day job is voice actor and not manga artist.
Perhaps the 52-year-old voice of Inuyasha and Ranma should seriously consider a mid-life career change to manga artist?
This isn’t a scene from the running of the bulls — it’s from the running of the otaku at KiraFes 2016!
It’s not unusual for stars to perform in Japanese commercials, but what they’re asked to do can sometimes lead to head-scratching.
The release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has been met with as much excitement and frenzy as you might expect from the latest instalment of a legendary video game franchise. But while most players are preoccupied with riding D. Horse around, frolicking in cardboard boxes and puzzling over the intricate story, it’s a certain voiceover that’s had us scratching our heads. Where on earth have we heard iDroid‘s soothing tones before? Oh, that’s right – on the Shinkansen!
Voice actor and vocalist Donna Burke is a veteran of the video game industry, lending her vocal cords to multiple games including MGSV and Silent Hill, and she ALSO provided the English-language spoken announcement that’s broadcast on the bullet train to help foreign visitors navigate their way around Japan!
The last few years especially have seen a notable increase in the number of western-developed narrative-driven video games. Notable entries include Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and of course Game of Thrones, which deliver their respective stories in downloadable chunks once every few months, leaving players itching to play the next episode and find out what happens.
Telltale pretty much cornered the market on this genre until French development studio DONTNOD Entertainment released the absolutely captivating five-part supernatural high school story game Life Is Strange. The game has been a surprise hit, selling over a million copies to date, with players falling in love with the endearingly complex characters, time-travelling mechanics, mellow game atmosphere, and killer soundtrack. In fact, the game has done so well for itself that publishers Square Enix have decided it’s time Japan got a piece of the photo-snapping, heavy decision-making, time-rewinding fun for themselves. Yep, Life is Strange is being released in Japan, and it’s getting an entirely new Japanese voice cast, too!
Check out the reveal trailer to hear Max, Chloe and the rest of the characters speaking Nihongo!
The Goo Ranking website held a poll to see which “old guy” voice actor fans think is the coolest. The poll was inspired by the recent Tiger & Bunny film and about 1,054 fans weighed in. Here are the full results:
Ichirô Nagai, the voice actor of Sazae-san‘s Namihei and Ranma ½‘s Happōsai, was discovered after he had collapsed in a Hiroshima City hotel on Monday morning. He was taken to a hospital, but he passed away. He was 82.
MOST POPULAR
Now
J-pop mega star Ado reveals she’s been living in the U.S., may not understand language acquisition
Eight unforgettable hot springs, as recommended by Japan’s “Professor Bath”
Top Japanese instant noodle maker steps up its rice ball game 【Taste test】
Studio Ghibli heroine cardigans give you warmth and strength to face everyday challenges
Nintendo bringing real-life Zelda Zonai Device capsule toy machines to Japan【Photos】
Looking for a Japanese convenience store souvenir? Seicomart has a legendary hit product for fans
Travel to a Japanese convenience store at an active volcano
Studio Ghibli releases traditional New Year decorations with My Neighbour Totoro characters
How often do Japanese people search for their ex online?【Survey】
Diving into the 2024 JC & JK Buzzword Award nominations for trendy Japanese slang and more
Weekly
Possessing Harry Potter’s Sword of Godric Gryffindor is now illegal in Japan
Uniqlo announces first-ever collaboration with horror manga master Junji Ito【Photos】
Furikake rice seasoning sales are soaring, which is bad news for Japan as a whole
Taking revenge on Starbucks in Japan with 10,000 yen at the Reserve Roastery Tokyo
Bad tourist manners lead to new Mt. Fuji view-blocking scree at Japan’s “Fuji convenience store”- Studio Ghibli heroine cardigans give you warmth and strength to face everyday challenges
Shinkansen to permanently reduce number of inexpensive non-reserved seats on Nozomi trains
Ranma 1/2 Cafe opening in three Japanese cities, features food with transformable flavors
“I just wanted her to see my T-back” doesn’t save Japanese man from being arrested for exposing butt
Tokyo’s “commuter boat” is an awesome hidden way to see the city from the water for dirt-cheap
Monthly
- Possessing Harry Potter’s Sword of Godric Gryffindor is now illegal in Japan
One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippers- Uniqlo announces first-ever collaboration with horror manga master Junji Ito【Photos】
Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】
Studio Ghibli releases new range of cardigans for anime fans
Ghibli Park debuts first winter illumination display with Howl’s Moving Castle theme
Sanrio and magical girl anime PreCure join forces for new merch line【Photos】
Pringles releases a limited-edition sweet flavour in Japan
Japanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
After cancelling Halloween, Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood cancels New Year’s Eve too
Yearly
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers- Possessing Harry Potter’s Sword of Godric Gryffindor is now illegal in Japan
[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Looking for a Japanese convenience store souvenir? Seicomart has a legendary hit product for fans
Travel to a Japanese convenience store at an active volcano
Studio Ghibli releases traditional New Year decorations with My Neighbour Totoro characters
How often do Japanese people search for their ex online?【Survey】
Diving into the 2024 JC & JK Buzzword Award nominations for trendy Japanese slang and more
Secret-identity J-pop singer Ado to hold handshake event with surreal setup to hide her face
Taking revenge on Starbucks in Japan with 10,000 yen at the Reserve Roastery Tokyo
Serpentine Winnie the Pooh Year of the Snake plushies, Mickey and Baymax daruma arrive in Japan
We eat 13 of the most highly recommended sushi items at Sushiro and pick the best of the best
Totoro sequel anime Mei and the Baby Catbus will screen at Ghibli Park this winter
Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno is writing for the new Gundam anime TV series【Vido】
100 years of Japanese women’s hair and makeup trends in less than a minute and a half【Video】
Monster girl brothel anime finally makes a friend as it finds new broadcast partner in Japan
Japanese elementary school installs standing sleeping pod for students to nap in【Video】
-
