In addition to having great production values regarding Sora No Woto's visual department, with sound director Katsunori Shimizu and his department's casting selection's made for a pretty reasonably decent collective of well fitting and experienced Sieyu's. Most recognizable of which would be the likes of Yuu Kobayashi, someone who've I've covered numerous time's on her roles such as Ruka in Steins Gate as well as Sasha Blouse in Attack on Titan. Also with voice actors such as Eri Kitamura with roles such as Karen Araragi in the Monogatari Series.
Yuu Kobayashi as Rio KazumiyaHaving seen Yuu Kobayshi's work so many times already such as on the previously mentioned titles, in addition to the likes of Ayame Sarutobi in Gintama & Maria Holic as Maria, it's really clear to me just how versatile she can be in voicing herself in numerous fashions to fit the given character. This time instead of playing the whack job were all used too from anime such as Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack on Titan) or perhaps Gintama, Rio's character is quite a bit more jaded and reserved, however she also can be quick tempered and sharp tongued when muttering in frustration under her breath. Here Kobayashi did a great job in preserving alot of the subtle feminine charm she has, that's more laid-back whilst being confrontational and somewhat aggressive when need be, in that generally her voice is mid ranged centric though bodied in the low end. As I find she has the perfect combination between sounding firm and resolute, but has just the right amount of softness with a sibilance that's not to harsh, alongside a cadence that's somewhat measured and steady making her voice easy to follow, really striking a great balance to her voice that turns out to be a defining characteristic that makes Rio that much more memorable. A great casting choice and portrayal once again from Kobayashi.
Hisako Kanemoto as Kanata SoramiWith Kanata being the heartbeat of this series, Hisako Kanemoto offers an equally energetic but delicate voice, quite fitting for the role, as you may recognize her voice from other productions such as Susei No Gargantia as Amy & from Kokoro Connect as Yui Kiriyama. Her portrayal is quite cheeky & admittedly cute somewhat similar to K On's Yui, in that she has a really sweet and acute resonance with voice pitched quite high, and her cadence can be lightning fast with a slick sibilance to her punctuation. Really it's the unmistakable bubbling optimism & curiosity that matches so well with how Kanemoto portrays her and really makes her the life of the series with the cuteness and comedic effect that her performance has to offer. In addition to the naive ernest side of her character that shows in some of the more defining moments within the series. A great performance and casting selection on behalf of Hisako Kanemoto.
Kitamura Eri as Kureha SuminoyaAlthough I didn't initially recognize her voice, after actually seeing who was voicing her I started to realize the familiar traits in her voice I've heard before. Unlike her role as Karen in the Monogatari series, her portrayal of Kureha on Soro no Woto is a noticeably more stuffy and nasally one, in addition to having a little more humility, whereas with Karen Araragi her voice is far more shameless and irrationally confident. However that same sort of whimsical and unpredictable modulation her voice has is unmistakable, as I find that particular mid range stridence to her voice is quite fitting of Kureha's eccentric pushy tsundere personality. While admittedly not the most interesting character in the series, Kitamura nonetheless offers a very decent performance fitting of her character. A decent performance and good casting selection.
Aya Endou as Filicia HeidemanMaybe it's just me but I just personally really kind of dislike the "shy girl with the large rack" trope and the voice that usually goes along with it, as I've seen it so many times before and frankly have grown a little tired of it. Nothing personal against Endou as I actually like some of her roles such as Saki on Shinsekai Yori, as it's really just one of those personal gripes that I have. However I'd be lying if I said I hated or completely disliked her performance as she's voiced in pretty much two different ways, the less common of which we only get to see in episode 7. With her flashbacks with her being quite a bit younger, the result is quite a bit more ernest sounding with a voice that was higher pitched and had more edge in her harmonics. As in this episode she has quite a few explosive moments which really contrast her normally pleasant and genteel demeanour which seems more so of a front if anything. As her slow cadence and elongated resonant tones seem ingenuous and quite frankly fake. And that of course is where my issue sort of lies, however I still can sort of appreciate it, as her performance is still respectable and admittedly fitting of her role as Filicia. As the soft and more bodied mid range centric tone to her voice is indeed fitting of Filicia's physical build and personality, sadly however I just can't seem to really buy it.
Misato Fukuen as YuminaWhile not actually one of the main characters Yumina is without a doubt one of my favourites of all time, I'm going to splurge a little when I say this but she's just such a pure and lovely character, in that she has a earnest side to her that's somewhat naive, however has a passionate and somewhat stubborn side to her as well. An awful awful awful shame she wasn't actually a main character in this series as she's easily one of the best despite the limited amount of screen time. While perhaps not the most well known seiyu out there being that she often takes on alot of supporting roles, you can see some of her work on productions such as Tales of Zestiria X as Edna & on Non non Biyori as Hikage Miyauchi. While a little bit hard to describe how her voice sounds exactly, I would characterize it as being fluid & snappy regarding her sense of modulation, and it's also beautifully soft & consonant sounding. However her voice has a beautiful range and while not as high pitched as say Kanata's, her voice sounds quite a bit more stern and mature, while also being able to have very lush and soft overtones to her voice. Really hitting an amazing sweet spot and nailing Yumina's character as a gentle adolescent nun. Fantastic stuff, sadly underused with Yumina being a supporting character.
Segment Conclusion -
While not really best cast I've ever seen, Sora No Woto still has quite a decent entourage of talented voice actors who make the show quite a fun and lively watch. This is also considering the fact that the actual text itself may not actually provide the creative headroom really needed to make this dub a great one in the first place.
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Article Contents - Comments Section
- Plot | Narrative & Character Aspects
- Production Aspects [Cinematography | Animation | Art Direction]
- Voice Actor Choreography | Sound Effects
- Original Soundtrack & Addendum
