10 things I learned from the Eupho Quartet!!

Besides my Anime Writing project, another thing that my YOI obsession derailed this year are several Sound! Euphonium posts I’d planned to publish during the fall season. Admittedly, it’s taken me many fits and starts to get this done, largely because of what it involved. Listening to Eupho’s extras in the past year, especially after Aldnoah.Radio, I reaffirmed something for myself: I don’t really like listening to female seiyuu. Sakamoto Maaya, Komatsu Mikako, Paku Romi and Sawashiro Miyuki are amongst the exceptions, because they don’t have those high, cutesy voices. Hence, trying to finish the Eupho radio shows¹ and the cast commentaries was a bit of a challenge, especially since I could not always tell these four ladies apart by their voices alone:

• Kurosawa Tomoyo, aka Tomonium [Kumiko]
• Anzai Chika, aka Chikapet [Reina]
• Asai Ayaka, aka Ayachuu [Hazuki]
• Toyota Moe, aka Moebass [Sapphire]

What can I say? I’ve always been more of a male seiyuu fan, after all… But if there’s one thing I like about listening to the girls, it’s when they start discussing which (male) characters they like, or who’s popular amongst the cast. Why? Because they tend to have a fresh perspective that’s different from most viewers in the West. For example, have a listen to them rave about “our angel, Chikao!” from the 4th episode commentary!

They also bring up Sakurai Takahiro (Taki), Tsuda Kenjirō (Gotō Takuya) and Ishiya Haruki (Tsukamoto Shuuichi) a fair bit. I especially loved the incredibly embarrassing anecdote about what Chikapet did to Sakku XD. But in terms of popularity amongst the four of them, Chikao definitely won hands down.

However, voice actor shenanigans aren’t the only reason I kept listening. I don’t have the time to write all the radio shows and episode commentaries up, but let me enumerate on the 10 other things that I came away with.

Sounding off on anime sound design

How important is sound in the shows we watch? Each season, anime journalists and fans alike watch and discuss the shows that grace our screens, generating thousands of words as we dissect the stories and characters of whatever we’ve tuned into (and sometimes, even the shows we’re not watching). Significantly fewer words are devoted to appreciating good cuts of animation, though it has gotten much easier for Western sakuga fans to connect with others with a similar bent. A number of fans might also comment on the voice acting, particular where it concerns their favourites, whilst others will rave or rant about the theme songs and musical soundtracks, especially the work of big names such Sawano Hiroyuki or Kanno Yōko. Rarely, however, do we see any in-depth discussions about a show’s sound design, and the way it influences our viewing experience.

And who remembers this lady? If you don’t, this is where I got the pic from.

Why is this? What we hear clearly affects our appreciation of a show. For example, if a voice sounds too old or young, we can fail to connect with a character or even the work as a whole. This disconnect is probably why I cannot watch most dubbed anime—I can’t stand the way Japanese names sound when spoken in an American accent. Many of us also have favourite composers and soundtracks (or lament how repetitive and thus boring they are), as well as favourite anime artists and anime theme songs. But how are these disparate elements put together to greater effect? And is there another element of sound that we barely register, but whose absence would be greatly missed? To tease this out, this week, I look at what goes into the sound production/design of an anime series, drawing on examples from some of the shows I’ve seen over the last couple of years.

Moments of 2015: Seiyuu Madness

This past year, I got back into seiyuu once again. It all started with Aldnoah.Zero, for which I picked up the radio show towards the end of 2014, and which was later replaced by the raji for Sound! Euphonium and The Legend of Arslan. I also started two little games early in the year: one where I would try to pick out as many voices as I could, and another which involved figuring out which of the main seiyuu is doing a particular bit part (“kaneyaku”). That was originally going to be my seiyuu post, but then, I found several other things that amused me.

The first of those were a couple of seiyuu cameos. It started with Sakurai Takahiro’s unexpected appearance in the penultimate episode of SHIROBAKO. Those were some crazy episodes, but if there’s any one quote I’ll always remember from the show, it’ll be this one:

「変な話ではない！!」 (IT’S NOT A FUNNY STORY!!)

Just a few months later, however, an even more amusing cameo popped up, in the form of Matsuoka Yoshitsugu, who voiced the editor working with Takanashi Izumi. If you tried and dropped WORKING!! (or Wagnaria!!, as it’s known in the West) in its first season, it’d probably be a little difficult for you to make it to the fifth episode of the third season, but if you’re a seiyuu fan, it’s probably worth it.

“Geez, then what are you going to do?! What do I have to do to get you to write?!”

But in the end, the best seiyuu treat for me this year came from an unexpected quartet of girls. I’ve never really liked listening to female seiyuu on radio shows or episode commentaries, partially because I tire of hearing them fawn over particular male characters. However, the Eupho girls were great even when they did that, if only because the character they fawn over is a little unexpected. From the 4th episode’s cast commentary, behold the madness…

The best part is that they’re incredibly creative about it, coming up with different things to say or speculate about in the radio shows, the commentaries and even the events. For example, in one long, animated discussion at a Eupho event in Uji, they comment on how sad Chikao looked when Shuuichi jumped on the train with nary a “see ya” in episode 7! “Wasn’t that just horrible of Shuuichi?!” It’s very silly, really, but it never gets old! (at least, not to this viewer…)

p.s. the cast commentary for Osomatsu-san‘s 12th episode very nearly gives them a run for their money, though! But I’ll probably say more about that next year!

(Summary/Translation) Macross Frontier Episode 25 Staff/Cast Commentary

with Nakamura Yuuichi, Endou Aya, Nakajima Megumi and Kawamori Shouji.

Hm…I wonder if it is a good idea to use this pic…

Note 1 This summary-translation is completely my own work. Please DO NOT reproduce it anywhere else, though you are quite welcome to link to it if you wish.

Note 2: Don’t take these as straight-out translations, but as paraphrases of what the commentators say. I simply don’t have the time to note down everything that they say. Furthermore, I’ve probably misheard or mistyped something somewhere, but well, sue me. (^_^)

Note 3: I’m sure you remember that nickname by now…

Bit of trivia which some might or might not find interesting: this commentary was recorded on Valentine’s Day, about 10 weeks before the BD was released. Note that there are also a few shots added here and there, which really lengthened the episode. I’ve noted one below – can you spot any of the others?

(Summary/Translation) Macross Frontier Episode 20 Staff/Cast Commentary

with Nakamura Yuuichi (Alto), Kamiya Hiroshi (Michel) and Toyoguchi Megumi (Klan).

…Klan?

Note 1 This summary-translation is completely my own work. Please DO NOT reproduce it anywhere else, though you are quite welcome to link to it if you wish.

Note 2: Don’t take these as straight-out translations, but as paraphrases of what the commentators say. I simply don’t have the time to note down everything that they say. Furthermore, I’ve probably misheard or mistyped something somewhere, but well, sue me. (^_^)

Note 3: Remember, You-kyan is Nakamura, and HiroC is Kamiya. Additionally, HiroC calls Toyoguchi Megumi “Megu”…though I don’t use that nickname. I’m not sure if she has a common one that seiyuu fans use…

Also, a note before we start: this commentary may not be what you expect. It’s something that really should be listened to, rather than read off a page, because the atmosphere is completely lost in translation and transcription. I’ve subbed two short clips as a taste…but if you’re annoyed by the first, I’m not entirely sure you should listen to the second…or even continue reading, for that matter. If you’re up for it, please continue. If not…well, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

(Summary/Translation) Macross Frontier Episode 18 Staff/Cast Commentary

with Yoshino Hiroyuki (script), Kikuchi Yasuhito (Director), Endou Aya (Sheryl) and Inoue Kikuko (Grace).

The pain of betrayal

Note 1: This summary-translation is completely my own work. Please DO NOT reproduce it anywhere else, though you are quite welcome to link to it if you wish.

Note 2: Don’t take these as translations, but as paraphrases of what the commentators say. I simply don’t have the time to note down everything that they say. Furthermore, I’ve probably misheard or mistyped something somewhere, but well, sue me. (^_^)

Note 3: I had A LOT of difficulty trying to figure out who was talking at particular times in this commentary, so some of the comments might not be attributed to the right people. To be honest…any help on this one would be particularly appreciated!

(Summary/Translation) Macross Frontier Episode 16 Staff/Cast Commentary

with Nakamura Yuuichi, Endou Aya, Hoshi “Pappi” Souichirou and Yoshino Hiroyuki (script). This lot really had fun with the commentary, talking about everything from Brera’s clothes, the nose art on Kanaria’s Monster to the fact that Frontier songs were sung at the wrap party for another, rather famous series…

aka: the episode where Alto is forced to reassess the path in life that he wants to take

Note 1: This summary-translation is completely my own work. Please DO NOT reproduce it anywhere else, though you are quite welcome to link to it if you wish.

Note 2: Don’t take these as translations, but as paraphrases of what the commentators say. I simply don’t have the time to note down everything that they say. Furthermore, I’ve probably misheard or mistyped something somewhere, but well, sue me. (^_^)

(Summary/Translation) Macross Frontier Episode 12 Staff/Cast Commentary

With Nakajima Megumi, Kawamori Shouji and Kikuchi Yasuhito (the director).

kira!☆

Summary based on a little comment made at the end of this commentary: 12 was probably the most important episode of the series for Ranka, wasn’t it?

Note 1: This summary-translation is completely my own work. Please DO NOT reproduce it anywhere else, though you are quite welcome to link to it if you wish.

Note 2: Don’t take these as translations, but as paraphrases of what the commentators say. I simply don’t have the time to note down everything that they say. Furthermore, I’ve probably misheard or mistyped something somewhere, but well, sue me. (^_^)

[Megumi-chan begins this episode commentary the same way they did ep. 10…and it’s really somewhat amusing to hear Kawamori and Kikuchi try to join in!]

(Summary/Translation) Macross Frontier Episode 10 Staff/Cast Commentary

with Nakajima Megumi, Endou Aya (Sheryl) and Kawamori Shouji. IMHO, this is one of the more interesting commentaries, because Kawamori explains some of the thinking that went into the creation of the character of Alto. There is another interview, released shortly after the end of the series, that goes into it a bit further, and which I hope to get to eventually. In any case however, I’ll let other fans make of it what they will, as they always have done.

The turning point…

Note 1: This summary-translation is completely my own work. Please DO NOT reproduce it anywhere else, though you are quite welcome to link to it if you wish.

Note 2: Don’t take these as translations, but as paraphrases of what the commentators say. I simply don’t have the time to note down everything that they say. Furthermore, I’ve probably misheard or mistyped something somewhere, but well, sue me. (^_^)

[Eto…firstly, the way that Megumi-chan and Aya-chan say “Hajimaru you~”…can someone tell me what that’s a reference to? I swear I’ve heard that singsong tone somewhere before…]

Nakajima: The episode commentary
Endou: for the 10th episode
Nakajima & Endou: begins here!

(Summary) Macross Frontier Episode 7 Staff/Cast Commentary

EPISODE 7
with Nakamura Yuuichi (Alto), Kamiya Hiroshi (Michel) and Fukuyama Jun (Luca)

Note 1: This summary-translation is completely my own work. Please DO NOT reproduce it anywhere else, though you are quite welcome to link to it if you wish.

Note 2: Don’t take these as translations, but as paraphrases of what the commentators say. I simply don’t have the time to note down everything that they say. Furthermore, I’ve probably misheard or mistyped something somewhere, but well, sue me. (^_^)

Note 3: New nicknames for this commentary

HiroC = Kamiya Hiroshi (also known to some as Kamiyan)
JunJun = Fukuyama Jun (also known as FukuJun)

Overall impressions:
they make fun of Alto throughout
Then they fanboy about the mecha
and everyone loves Bobby / Miyake Kenta