In the past two years, the frequency of the term "idol voice actor" is so high that I believe it will be deeply touching to friends who are familiar with anime or voice actors. "Idol voice actor" As the name suggests, an idolized voice actor. Between "idols" and "voice actors", the latter is dominant, so idol voice actors are only "voice actors" in the final analysis, but because of the increasing number of work similar to "idols", they also have a hint of "idol" from the perspective of others. So why is this happening? In this article, we will analyze the changes in the "idol voice actor" craze in detail, and talk about those voice actors who have mastered the flow in the turbulent voice actor industry.

■Male idol voice actors from the 90s

Since ancient times, "voice actors" have often given the impression of being an "actor" side job, so male voice actors are often not limited to the voice actor industry, and they actively participate in performing arts activities such as stage plays and band performances. In the second half of the 70s, the band group "SLAPSTICK" formed by Akio Nojima, Kazuya Sogabe, Noboru Furukawa, and Toru Furuya (スラップスティック) has already gained a huge popularity base as idols.

In the 80s, the voice actors of popular characters in works such as "Soccer Player" and "Saint Seiya" also gained a lot of attention, and the voice actor group "NG5" formed by the five voice actors in "Demon God Fighter Fighter" brought the male idol voice actor craze to a new starting point. Since then, members of "NG5", Takeshi Kusao and Nozomi Sasaki have been active in the industry as male idol voice actors. Even in the 90s, Takeshi Kusao's "Slam Dunk" Kachichi Sakuragi and Nozomi Sasaki's Yusuke Urahan played by Nozomi Sasaki were both protagonists of popular works among women, and they cemented their solid position in the industry.

■The tendency that popularity does not decrease for many years

In the mid-90s, Hikaru Midorikawa, who gained a lot of popularity for playing Kaede Rukawa in "Slam Dunk" and Hiro Yule in "Mobile Suit Gundam W", came into the spotlight. Taketo Koyasu, who also played Hiro Yule's arch-nemesis Magis in "Mobile Suit Gundam W", has also gained popularity as a male idol voice actor. At this point, male idol voice actors and female idol voice actors are the same, and they have entered a very similar era of accelerated idolization.

However, from the late 90s to the present, the female fan base of female idol voice actors who have been chasing male idol voice actors has become more persistent than female idol voice actors, so there has been no new generation of male idol voice actors for a long time.

■A male idol voice actor who responds to a variety of needs

Before the 2000s, the number of anime works was small, and well-known male voice actors, who had been popular for many years, usually took on the main role in various works. However, the sudden "late-night animation boom" completely broke this pattern. The demand for male voice actors has increased dramatically, and next-generation male voice actors such as Hiroshi Kamiya, Daisuke Ono, and Tomokazu Sugita have appeared one by one, and they have also gained great popularity as idols.

Hiroshi Kamiya, who inherited the "acting male idol voice actor route" of the Seiji Office such as Noboru Furukawa, Takeshi Kusao, and Hikaru Midorikawa; Daisuke Ono, who has the unique experience of turning from a zuò staff to a voice actor; Tomokazu Sugita openly admits that he is a fan of anime and games, and is active in radio dramas with his excellent conversational skills. The appearance of male voice actors who can respond to various needs has once again promoted the process of idolization.

■Artist events of male idol voice actors

Just like female idol voice actors, male voice actors are also increasing in the frequency of artist activities. In 2009, led by Hiroshi Kamiya, the record label "Kiramune" of Lantis and BANDAIVISUAL, which belongs to many popular male voice actors, such as Yuri Irino, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Daisuke Nanikawa, was officially established, and actively carried out various entertainment activities such as live for its voice actors.

Among them, it is worth mentioning Mamoru Miyano, whose ninth single "カノン" achieved a dazzling result of third place in the ORICON weekly chart, setting a record for a male voice actor in all history. Daisuke Ono's fifth single "Hot Answer" also achieved the fifth place in the Oricon Weekly Chart. The era of male voice actors' CDs constantly hitting the charts has arrived.

Behind this popularity, we must not forget its roots. That is, sports animation or battle animation, which has always been male-oriented, has been supported by female fans, but after entering the 2000s, the audience group was clearly female, and the rise of female-oriented works appeared. "カノン" sung by Mamoru Miyano is also a super popular anime "Utano ☆ His Royal Highness the Prince?" that is completely aimed at women. The theme song of "Love Actually2000%". Many people believe that the popularity of this song is due to its interoperability with popular works starring Mamoru Miyano, and yes, in other words, the more the male voice actor's music is interconnected with popular works, the more attention it will attract and gain popularity.

■Selection of rookie male voice actors

As female idol voice actors continue to get younger, the new generation of voice actors has gained more opportunities to be active in the male voice actor industry, which used to focus on experience. For example, in 2013, he played the role of Ryder in "Emerald Star: Gargontia", and his handsome face and excellent acting skills won him a lot of popularity, as well as the 8th Echo Voice Actor Award for Newcomer Male Voice Actor.

In the second half of 2014, Spacecraft Entertainment, which had trained top idol voice actress Aya Hirano, bet on rookie voice actor Mark Ishii, and the main service of "Gundam G: Restoration Campaign" and "Card Battle Forerunner G", both inside and outside the industry are looking forward to the shining of this new star.

■Will male idol voice actors also enter the younger era?

Compared with female idol voice actors, male voice actors have always won popularity more with their acting skills. Because of the increase in works, there is more demand for voice actors, and a new generation and a variety of male idol voice actors have appeared. This qiē is not much different from that of female idol voice actors, and the idolization of voice actors is accelerating due to diverse needs.

Although they have not yet reached the level of female idol voice actors, newcomers to the male voice actor industry have been given more opportunities to be active. In the future, male idol voice actors are likely to enter the era of young age, and it is probably only a matter of time before the voice actors of active male high school students appear, which is really exciting.