Jan/0936
I still don’t like Hirano Aya
My housemate saw Yes Man this weekend, and confronted me on my thoughts on the acting history and hilariousness of Jim Carey. I presented my point of view where I laugh well at his roles where he is allowed to do his batshit thing where he just goes all the way out with his faces and weird remarks and whatnot, especially in cases like Ace Ventura and The Mask. However in cases like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, what were they thinking? Putting a leash on Jim Carey isn't how you do it, you rather take a different actor. By returning him to his glory in the Yes Man, my housemate was as happy for this as I would have been if I got to see Hirano Aya do her thing again.
So I think this is the case with my misgivings with Hirano Aya too. I'm so pleased with her roles as Haruhi and Konata, that hearing her earlier roles and more recent roles just seems so wrong. I can understand the seiyuu market in Japan where you have to take <some role> every season to make a living, yet while being a seiyuu doesn't really pay your bills - and at the same time I can see that there aren't enough explosive types of characters out there to use her on - she's getting roles she's not really fit for. I'm not really one to say here, but I don't think she's really liking these roles, is she? With her success using her explosive voice she can't be all to pleased with getting shit roles like Minato in Akasaka, Ayumi in Hyakko or goddamned Polka in Eternal Sonata. Can't you just let her do her side-jobs instead, Japan? Please don't ruin more characters by not letting Hirano Aya do her thing. Other seiyuus can do better, and riding on her popularity will just last you that long.
January 5th, 2009
Hmm.. that’s a good analogy. I dunno what else Hirano Aya played besides a few roles here and there, but I agree that she was much better as Haruhi than she was as Minato. Her ‘ojou-sama’ voice in Akane Iro was different from the voice she used for Haruhi, which was good, but honestly I didn’t really like it all that much. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either. But hearing her having to use her ‘ojou-sama’ voice again in White Album just kinda made me sad. It’s not bad, per se, but it’s not that great either, compared to what she can do if she gets to be more energetic.
What are some other roles where Hirano Aya gets to use a more exuberant tone of voice, besides Haruhi? I think Haruhi is the only role I’ve seen of Hirano’s that is really all that energetic.
January 5th, 2009
Konata in Lucky Star, Mahiro in Busou Renkin, Momo the monkey in Angel Tails, somewhat Misa in Death Note (although way too emotional) and to some extent Reira in NANA are the ones I know of where she gets to use that explosive power in her voice.
January 7th, 2009
I didn’t like her as Misa at all. Way too squeaky and I somewhat wanted to rip my ears off every time Misa said anything. >.<
As Konata she is fantastic!
January 10th, 2009
I have to agree with sensei. I hated her as Misa. I would say Misa is the opposite of her proper role, that and Minato from Akane Iro. She sounds okay in hyakko. The two things she doesn’t do excellent in are roles where she has to be non-comical, she doesn’t do non-comical roles amazingly. In hyakko she is mainly a cutesy character which she is okay at, but she does embarrassed much better so that makes it fit.
January 25th, 2009
…You left out Zettai Karen Children, ilifin. XD
January 25th, 2009
Oh, looks like it’s been mentioned by someone else.
January 5th, 2009
Heh, that’s a really good analogy, yes. Bah, I was looking forward to White Album, but Aya in ojou-sama role would probably be annoying. Oh, and a great Aya-role that’s also currently airing: Kaoru in Zettai Karen Children. It’s practically made for Aya.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iafPKuOnAhM
January 5th, 2009
I wholeheartedly agree with you on this one, and I love the analogy, although I enjoyed Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, and I didn’t think Jim Carey was all that bad in it, although I suppose another actor would have been a better route. I can’t imagine that Aya likes the majority of the roles in question, I think they’re just to pay the bills. Giving her a role like Minato just doesn’t challenge her abilities at all, and I can’t see her enjoying a role which doesn’t require the sort of effort that she had to put in for Haruhi or Konata.
January 5th, 2009
I really just want the second season of Haruhi, followed by some FMP and Lucky Star. On another note, what’s the progress on Toradora 11-13?
January 5th, 2009
I’m forever thankful that Shinbo/Shaft removed Hirano from Maria+Holic because she sounded quite horrid as Kanako in the drama CDs, even though Kanako is one of those so called “explosive” role.
Very few characters fit her vocal range and it’s kind of irritating that she’s getting overused as a seiyuu due to Haruhi…
January 5th, 2009
You’re so right. I’ve just watched 1st ep of White Album and that’s another example of what you’re saying. Anyway…Toradora? x°D
January 6th, 2009
Her voice in Hyako was a pain to the ears. Nuff’ said.
But sadly, this issue , no matter how unfortunate, apply to generally all forms of acting career– diversifying? I digress.
January 6th, 2009
she won in akasaka though! :D
January 6th, 2009
Screw your thoughts on Jim Carey and Hirano Aya; srsly, who gives a shit? Where’s my Toradora, eh? I NEED MY DOSE OF TAIGA & CO.
OHPLZDONTDROPTORADORABCUZOFTHISILOVEYOURSHIT
January 6th, 2009
i dont like jim carey’s acting/comedy so much, it feels forced. 2nd season of haruhi would be amazing. more FMP fumoffu would be awesome too. LOL at ceipheed.
January 6th, 2009
So is like Haruhi Suzumiya season 2 happening or what?
Kyoto Animation cotinue doing Clannad sequels and Lucky Star Ova but where is my “The disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya”.
Furthermore they fired the director after episode 4 of Lucky Star who was instrumental in the genius of the Haruhi show in 2006. While not strictly true to the light novels the show was awesome!
Now that the director went to another studio to do kannagi, and several of his key animators i read as well. If Haruhi 2 happens it will be a completely different crew mostly.
Their animation quality dropped from Air TV, Kanon, Clannad, and Haruhi to being somewhat lackluster on both Lucky Star, and Clannad after story. I can understand on lucky star because the whole moe/chibi little kid look and stunted animation is a part of that shows charm, but on Clannad season 2 there was zero excuse. I’m not totally surprised, its not like it was a bad as episode 4 of Gurren Lagann.
January 10th, 2009
They didn’t drop it in Lucky Star because of the animators. They dropped it because that was the style of the anime. If you look, actually there are a few scenes where they temporarily split back to true&true kyoani style and it is a shocker and then they switch again back to normal lucky star. I can’t remember the exact episode, but one scene was during the summer vacation and they show konata laying down with excellent colors 3d cel animation and etc.
And you must be blind about Clannad season 2, the animation is the same, the problem is the stations it aired on are crap so the fansubs look horrid (and yes I’m talking both the 4:3 aspect ratio and the 16:9 aspect ratio versions), wait for dvd releases.
January 14th, 2009
Im curious about this and wounder if anyone could clarify. From what I gathered the fellow who they let go was a assistant director in Haruhi, given his first directing position in Lucky Star. He got let go because the animation quality was sub-standard in certain spots (specific 1 or two scenes where the characters where nothing more then a head and a innfiller body iwth little shap and no limbs).
Would he be considered that instumental to the animation of future releases? The quality in Lucky Star, while rather Simplistic did go up after he was replaced. Well thats how I heard it making the above conversation tickle my curiosity.
On the Voice Actor convo, I think most actors grow by facing more challanging roles outside of their archtype. Jim Carey did a good job on Trueman and he wasnt bat crazy in that one. I think some people are to attached to thier sentiment of a voice actor. Rather like how everytime peeps here the voice Actor for Shinji in Eva (Dub) they want him to start being depressive and scream alot.
January 6th, 2009
I dunno, I thought she did a pretty decent subdued job playing Chiko in Nijuu Mensou no Musume Hell, for the longest time, I didn’t even know it was Hirano playing her. But then, I am deliberately ignorant of my voice actors.
January 6th, 2009
I think Jim Carrey is hit or miss in both his “types” of roles, but I completely understand your analogy. I mean, Hirano’s delivery as Haruhi is like sex for the ears, I fucking love it, but anytime she’s playing these nice girls I wanna bang my head against a wall.
January 6th, 2009
Did you delete the notes on Toradora eps 5-10? I can’t find them on this blog anymore.
January 6th, 2009
Well observed. They are on qq’s website now.
January 7th, 2009
so… what’s gonna happen to this blog? no more use as the toradora notes?
January 7th, 2009
This has always been my private blog, that Toradora notes were put on since we had nowhere to do this back in gg days. (which has since been corrected by gg) That it was kept here was because we had no qq webspace, but now we do. Thus my blog goes back to being itself. Isn’t too hard to get, is it?
January 7th, 2009
So, will you no longer announce Toradora releases on this blog?
January 7th, 2009
I never did post releases on this blog. I posted my translation notes, and usually way ahead of releases.
January 8th, 2009
But whenever you posted the translation notes, that was a sign that the episode was on its way. Once I saw your notes, I knew to check Tokyo Tosho to see if the episode was out.
How exactly are we supposed to know when an episode is released?
January 8th, 2009
You could check http://qqkthx.org/?
January 9th, 2009
Where are my Subs. I will go get CoalGuys now. LOOK AT WHAT YOU MADE ME DO
January 9th, 2009
but i still love you, i will replace them with yours once they are out
January 13th, 2009
IF they’re ever out…;_;
January 8th, 2009
Quite true. Hirano Aya in her role as Minato in Akasaka wasn’t very much fulfilling.
I know it’s Aya, but.. it isn’t Aya.
Something like that.
I don’t know the other roles she voiced in other anime, but if they are also characters like Minato, I’m getting the earplugs.
January 15th, 2009
Hirano Aya does do some other side jobs, most notably modelling. I don’t expect her to be rolling in cash because of it, but surely modelling in strange far-flung places will pay at least enough of her bills that she can afford to pick and choose a little?
January 22nd, 2009
When i played the Haruhi no Tomadoi for ps2 recently i was really really dissapointed in Aya’s work in that. Really i was so taken aback because she sounded horrible as HARUHI. It was super weird and i started thinking that maybe she didn’t do that good of a jobb in the haruhi anime. Or maybe that i just started disliking Aya altogether. But just the other day i watched an episode of Haruhi again and i really liked Aya in that. Meybe she just doesn’t like doing game voices really… I don’t really get Aya, but at least when she is good she is good.
January 22nd, 2009
I think it’s more about the voice direction. When Hirano has someone good telling her what to do and how to talk, she works. Have you checked whether the sound direction comes from the same two people in the game and anime?
February 18th, 2009
lol. i somehow agree
btw hirano has good soft voice too
reira from nana