Have you heard of "ACTORS"? It's a popular content featuring male voice actors and VOCALOID. Developed by EXIT TUNES, it has a wide variety of releases, from Vocaloid cover albums to drama CDs and novelizations. Each voice actor is assigned a character, such as a student or teacher, and they sing and act out dramas, creating a luxurious experience. An anime adaptation of "ACTORS" was announced on November 10, 2018, generating a lot of buzz. In this article, we'll introduce the most popular voice actors featured in "ACTORS"! We'll separate the top voice actors into new and veteran, so be sure to check it out before the anime starts!
What is ACTORS?
The setting is the massive city of Thrive Central, a school complex. Each voice actor is assigned a character, such as a student or teacher, who sings and acts out dramas. Furthermore, the characters sometimes incorporate the voice actor's profile, a delight for voice actor fans! By the way, the character designs are by Meka. The drama part is generally a heartwarming school-themed story. However, the worldview and setting are often shrouded in mystery, sometimes creating a mysterious atmosphere. On November 10, 2018, a TV anime adaptation was announced, making this a highly anticipated piece of content!
Voice Actors x Vocaloid
Another major feature of this series is the luxurious content, featuring voice actors singing popular VOCALOID songs. It's a wonderful experience that fulfills both the desires of those who love voice actors and those who love Vocaloid. It's often filled with emotion, with people saying, "That voice actor is singing this song...!" VOCALOID is a hugely popular software, starting with Hatsune Miku, but it's also known for its many classic songs. There's plenty to see, from how the voice actors will cover these classic songs to how the drama part will unfold! If you're interested, there are videos on YouTube, so be sure to check them out!
Voice Actor Popularity Ranking ~Young Voice Actors~ 3rd Place: Yuichiro Umehara
First up is Yuichiro Umehara! His impressive looks are a match for any model. He's so cool! And in Actors, he plays the role of Hajime Kiriyama.
Profile
Date of Birth: March 8, 1991, Blood Type: O, Hometown: Shizuoka Prefecture, Height: 173cm, Occupation: Voice Actor, Agency: Arts Vision, Hobbies: Movies, Classical Music, etc.
How He Debuted
What inspired him to become a voice actor was watching "The Lord of the Rings" when he was in his first year of junior high school. He said he was captivated by the voice of Yoshitada Otsuka, who played Aragorn. Later, while studying for university entrance exams, he watched foreign films to unwind, which sparked his interest in the joys of voice acting and led him to pursue the career. He made his debut in 2013, and in 2014, he became a regular on an anime TV series, appearing in "My Home's Floor." He made his breakthrough and, in October 2015, landed his first starring role as Hazama Kuroo in "Young Black Jack."
A refreshingly handsome man! But...
Known as the "Prince of Bass," Umehara Yuichiro has garnered attention for his handsome features and refreshing personality! His voice is so good that some say he could pass for an actor or model. He's certainly cool! He also played the piano for about eight years and the guitar for three years. He was a member of the instrumental music club in elementary school and the light music club in high school, where he was responsible for vocals and electric guitar. However, he's not good at sports, and being a terrible swimmer, he's particularly bad at swimming. Although he's handsome, he also likes dirty jokes, which has earned him the nickname "the next Tatsuhisa Suzuki" and the nickname "unfortunate handsome guy." He also has a butt fetish (?), and has a habit of touching the buttocks of male voice actors he works with.
Winner of the Best New Actor Award!
In 2016, he won the Best New Actor Award at the 10th Seiyu Awards. However, on May 10, 2018, his agency's official website announced that he was hospitalized and recuperating due to "acute disseminated encephalomyelitis." On July 30 of the same year, his agency announced that he would return to work gradually.
Voice Actor Popularity Ranking - Young Voice Actors - 2nd Place: Toshiki Masuda
Next up is Toshiki Masuda! He made his debut in the musical "The Prince of Tennis." He's a highly skilled young voice actor with good looks, talent, and vocal ability. In Actors, he plays the role of Yasutaka Yuyama.
Profile
Date of Birth: March 8, 1990, Star Sign: Pisces, Blood Type: B, Hometown: Hiroshima, Height: 176.4cm, Weight: 64.8kg, Agency: Toys Factory (November 2018 - Present)
How He Became a Voice Actor
Toshiki Masuda has been interested in acting since he was a child. His interest in anime began when he saw "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion" in high school. Then, watching "Gurren Lagann" sparked his desire to become a voice actor. In 2009, while studying voice acting, he auditioned for the musical The Prince of Tennis and was selected for the role of Seiichi Yukimura, marking his debut as an actor. He then moved to the voice acting department in 2010 and began working as a voice actor.
Leaving the Agency
On July 31, 2018, he left his agency, Space Craft Entertainment. He briefly went freelance and announced the deletion of his old Twitter account, but re-entered it on August 2nd. He also works as a singer and is currently affiliated with Toy's Factory. His nicknames are Masu and Damasu, and there is an actor and film director with the same name. He also shares a birthday with Yuichiro Umehara, only a year apart.
Voice Actor Popularity Ranking - Young Voice Actors - 1st Place: Shouta Aoi
Next up in the top spot is Shouta Aoi! He's a hugely popular voice actor, known for his doll-like features and crystal-clear voice. He made quite a splash in "Pop Team Epic" when he played himself in the anime. He's also actively pursuing a career as a singer. He plays Kou Ashihara in Actors.
Profile etc.
Shouta Aoi is a singer, voice actor, and stage actor from Fukui Prefecture. Born on August 11th, his blood type is B. His nickname is "Shotan." After working at Our Songs (a K-Dash affiliate) and King Records, he joined S Co., Ltd. in October 2010. His career history includes his debut as a singer under the name "SHOWTA." in 2006. In 2010, he adopted the stage name "Noboru Yanagigasaki" and set his sights on becoming an anime song singer. When the president of S Co., Ltd. encouraged him to study voice acting, he changed his stage name to "Shouta Aoi" and decided to pursue voice acting as well. He made his voice acting debut in the game "Black Robinia" in 2011 and has since been active as a voice actor alongside his music career.
Androgynous Charm is Popular!
His androgynous high-pitched voice and appearance make him question whether he's really a boy. Incidentally, Aoi Shouta also apparently had a complex about his feminine voice when he was younger. However, through his work as a voice actor and singer, he gained confidence in his voice. He's been described as having an "angelic voice." He was originally signed to King Records, but later signed to Broccoli (b-green label). It was announced that he returned to King (Amusement Creative Division) on March 1, 2016.
Favorite Things, Skills, etc.
He's known as a "sweets guy," and loves cake. His favorite cakes, in order, are strawberry shortcake, baked cheesecake, and Mont Blanc. He's also afraid of large dogs and bugs. According to Shouta Aoi, "I can't stand creatures with more than four legs." He's also a Pokémon fan, and after meeting Absol in RSE, he even dyed his hair like Absol, apparently making it his favorite Pokémon. He's also good at volleyball and tennis, and has even competed in national tournaments!
What inspired him to pursue a career as a voice actor
What inspired him to pursue a career as a voice actor was Fish-Eye, played by Akira Ishida in "Sailor Moon." At the time, Shouta Aoi was shocked to see male voice actors playing female voices. However, nowadays, Shouta Aoi also plays female roles!
Voice Actor Popularity Ranking ~Veteran Voice Actors Edition~ 2nd Place: Kosuke Toriumi
Kousuke Toriumi has played a wide variety of popular characters! From Imaizumi Shunsuke in "Yowamushi Pedal" to Mikazuki Munechika in "Touken Ranbu," he has a wide range of roles. Incidentally, his character in Actors is Kiyosu Takahito.
Profile
Born on May 16, 1973, he is from Chigasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture. He is affiliated with Arts Vision and is nicknamed Tori-san and Tori-chan. He is also a member of the male voice acting unit "STA☆MEN," a mysterious new unit. (He plays the erotic parts.) He has played a wide range of roles, from young men with various personalities to men in their 30s. He is particularly known for his erotic voice and screams.
What motivated him to become a voice actor?
His debut as a voice actor came when, after failing his university entrance exams and feeling lost, his parents encouraged him to enroll in the Japan Narration Acting Institute. He then entered the voice acting world, but initially knew very little about acting and was reluctant to pursue it. However, as he met his peers and the instructors at the Japan Narration Institute, he began to discover the joy of acting. He made his voice acting debut as Akira in the Windows 95 game "Virtual Memoriaru," released in February 1996, and his big break came with the role of Riku in the "Di Gi Charat" series.
Celebrating his 20th anniversary as a voice actor
Kousuke Toriumi celebrated his 20th anniversary as a voice actor in 2016. To commemorate the occasion, a new book, "Tekito," was published, featuring exclusive interviews, conversations with fellow voice actors, and newly taken photos.
What is the mysterious new unit STA☆MEN?
At this point, you're probably wondering about this mysterious new unit. This refers to an independently produced entertainment unit formed in November 2002 by seven popular voice actors. Incidentally, the unit's activities were suspended indefinitely in 2013. The members are Daisuke Kishio (known as Daisuke Kishio at the time of formation), Kenichi Suzumura, Junichi Suwabe, Hiroki Takahashi, Kosuke Toriumi, Makoto Yasumura, Hiroyuki Yoshino, and ZAI (a masked man who serves as a mascot and errand boy).
Voice Actor Popularity Ranking ~Veteran Voice Actors Edition~ 1st Place: Hikaru Midorikawa
Hikaru Midorikawa was born on May 2, 1968, in Otawara City, Tochigi Prefecture. He is 172 cm tall and has type B blood. He is affiliated with Aoni Production.
About Nicknames and More
By the way, his nickname is "Green River Light," or "Guririba" for short. Green means "green," river means "river," and light means "light." He has a refined, beautiful voice and is perfectly suited to cool, two-faced roles. However, he's also known for being quite versatile, playing any character. Incidentally, he doesn't seem to want to hide his pseudonym at all.
A Very Veteran Voice Actor!
Hikari Midorikawa is a very veteran voice actor. Surprisingly, when asked, "When you think of Hikari Midorikawa," your answer to the question "What do you think of?" can reveal your age based on which character you choose. He had a very long career, and actors like Shimazaki Nobunaga and Furukawa Makoto became voice actors thanks to Midorikawa's influence.
Good friends with manga artist Shibata Ami!
By the way, he's also good friends with manga artist Shibata Ami. Apparently, when they were both newcomers, they once discussed their ambitions over the phone, saying, "I'll voice actors in 100 shows, so Shibata should publish 100 tankobon volumes."
Voice Actor Rankings!
That concludes our ranking of the most popular voice actors from this series! We've introduced both new and veteran voice actors. What do you think? Actors has a fantastic cast, and it's even better to be able to listen to Vocaloid songs. I wonder what kind of story will unfold when it's adapted into an anime? I'm really looking forward to it!
