tj_han86’s comment that Mamiko Noto is the worst person to pick for the lead role of Masane Amou in Witchblade reminded me of Moyism’s wish that she wouldn’t get typecasted so much. I’ve only seen one episode of Witchblade and am feeling wishy-washy: it’s not a complete disaster so far and there’s potential but I’ve yet to be convinced. (Feedback from those who have seen the ten episodes so far?) Overall, Ms Noto’s voice and history of roles appears to severely constrain her possible roles, but I think that her range wider than what most of us assume it is and if she pulls off Witchblade, it will further increase her already large fanbase and widen the choice of roles available to her - which I think is no bad thing.
The role that Ms Noto appears to have been typecasted into fall under the rubric of “quiet girl with a distinctive voice” e.g. Hecate above who hardly ever says anything but also pulls a huge screaming fit in Shana Ep 24. Actually given how seiyuu are paid the same pittance per episode no matter how many lines they have, this might be a pretty lucrative niche.
Yakumo’s maternal if slightly hapless nature is conveyed perfectly by Ms Noto. While Yakumo is one of School Rumble’s more popular characters, personally I’m with Jeff Lawson when he said: “Yakumo can stick to romancing cats and small woodland creatures for all I care.” Which is not to say that Mamiko Noto didn’t do a good job but the passivity of the character that Ms Noto does so well to express didn’t find favour with me - especially when contrasted against characters like Mikochin, Eri and even Karen Ichijou.
“Do I really sound the same no matter what role I play? orz” I remarked that Ichigo Mashimaro’s Ana Coppola sounded a lot like MariMite’s Shimako Toudou, especially in the first few episodes and Ana’s didn’t develop a distinct personality until a few episodes later as Ms Noto settled into the role.
One of the biggest problems, I suppose, is how the role of Shimako came to dominate the way fans heard Ms Noto’s voice and amply illustrated by the parodies above. For me, Shimako was probably Ms Noto’s defining and most successful role. A real class act that balanced a quiet stillness with weariness and passion all in one character.
But a more charitable take is that there are subtle differences in each of the above roles and it’s those subtle differences that many of her fans appreciate. For Ana, I think the role came into its own once the comic elements of her inability to speak English and her relationship with Nobue were established which then created the context for her to express herself in a way that was unique to the show. Context really helps e.g. I much prefer Yukino in Mai Otome compared to the more repressed and hesistant Yukino in Mai HiME - but in both cases, her voice acting was faithful to script and direction.
One of her roles which I really enjoy hearing is Angol Moa in Keroro Gunso where she has the personality of an airheaded kogal with the power to cause Armageddon and who loves Keroro. Like Tamama, I find her shiny happiness to undefeatable. Normally I hate these type of Super Happy Go Lucky characters but Ms Noto sounds like she genuinely enjoys the role so much that I find myself enjoying her portrayal, almost against my will. (;^_^)
The role that gives me great hopes for Mamiko Noto’s potential was Azuma Hazuki in Yamibou. Here we had Ms Noto voicing an aggressive, sword-wielding heroine who had plenty of outbursts of lesbian lust and angst and doing an excellent job throughout. Unfortunately as it’s not the most popular or ‘easy to understand if you’ve not played the game’ series, it isn’t cited as much as it should as evidence of Ms Noto’s possible range.
Range, diversity and adaptability are considered to be virtues in voice actresses (e.g. Megumi Hayashibara as Lina Inverse, Faye Valentine and Rei Ayanami or the Good/Evil sides of Rei Tanaka and Ayako Kawasumi) but perhaps the line between niche and typecasting is a fine one. In the vein of jpmeyer’s brilliant definition of over/underrated, the former means "sounds the same but we like all ‘em" while the latter is "sounds the same but all t3h suxx0r". So far, my impression has been generally positive - Mamiko Noto’s unique voice has been well-deployed but there’s room for growth into more assertive roles.
Being a Noto fan myself. I’m suprised to say to that I have nothing to say, but out of my sheer passion for her, I’m just randomly spamming this to be the 1st comment of this post.
Aside from that, it is unfortunate that Noto has been typecasted in to the “quiet girl with a distinctive voice” in most of her roles. But you did point out a few shining examples of her other types of roles that she has played quite prominently. I still need to watch MariMite though, and a ton of other Noto anime.
Noto does have some sort of range. She was the harem male Yuki or whatever in Girls Bravo, also Megumi in Rescue Wings. As Megumi, she really brought out the character’s emotions well. But it’s mostly as Enma Ai/Hecate/Yakumo and other quiet types is when she really shines.
Noto can be considered a “beauty” type of voice. She sounds good but may not be a good “actress”. But I’m fine with that. Niches are meant to be filled after all.
And she cannot sing but still has quite a few songs.
Excellent article. I certainly agree with you here. While Mamiko Noto isn’t my favourite VA in the world, I think she is very talented in her own right but does suffer from being typecast. I actually think her best vocal performance (baring in mind I too have only seen one episode of Witchblade so can’t really give a full opinion on her performance in that yet) is Hazuki in Yami Bou. She manages to carry off the aggressive character extremely well and deliver an excellent performance (even though I don’t consider the anime itself that great). I would certainly like to see her play more roles such as Hazuki as she certainly has the range and talent to do so. While I don’t dislike her more “usual” roles, I just think she has a lot of untapped potential to play more assertive characters.
Didn’t she voice Nina Fortner in Monster as well?
Noto Mamiko is my favourite voice actress although I don’t follow her career or anyone else’s. Actually, if you hadn’t mentioned some of her roles, I wouldn’t have known whom you’re talking about. So I’m no fanboy or the like, to me she’s just a voice but a well-known voice. The first time I noticed was in Monster as Nina. I had watched Gunslinger Girl and Elfen Lied before but I didn’t recognize or remembered her from those. So nowadays I usually recognize her and I think her voice is pretty much perfect for most roles I’ve seen her in e.g., in School Rumble, Ichigo Mashimaro, Keroro Gunso. I don’t think everybody can be versatile. It’s the same as with actors. Some of same can play any role brilliantly, others can’t but are absolutely perfect for certain roles. I’d even say the latter is true for most Hollywood actors. On the other hand, in Monster she had to play a adult role and in my opinion whilst recognizable she sounds certainly distinct from her “little girl” roles. Also in Girls Bravo she played a boy Yukinari and as far as I recall I definitely did not recognize her in that. Again, I guess it’s the same as with actors. If directors know you for certain roles, you’ll get offers for similar roles and sooner or later they might not even offer you any role that is not similar to your previous ones.
That said, I have to admit her voice seems like a miscast for Witchblade. I doubt it’s her fault though. She can sound more adult and tougher. I can only imagine the director explicitely wanted this voice. However, Witchblade is far from what I had associated with “Witchblade” before and whilst the first episode wasn’t a complete failure in my records either (mostly due to the cute daughter), it’s not a show I’m going to follow.
I was going to mention the ‘Monster’ as well. I thought she sang decently as well.
If you want a example of both typecasting AND range of Noto Mamiko’s voice, do check out Axela in the Solty Rei. You can immediately tell most of Axela’s personality the minute you hear her voice. The twist is that that character go bonkers in the end, and when she does her crazy laughter and screams for destruction, for a second, you wonder whether they decided to assign a different voice actor to do the crazy Axela. Interestigly, in that series, almost all characters had to exhibit at least two different voice modes, so do watch the series if you like good voice acting.
Where’s Narue? She did really well on that role, being a perky, naive and energetic girl.
I’m surprised no one mentioned her role as Sayoko Mishima in Oh My Goddess. Both my friend and I felt her voice was so miscast for the kind of character she was playing. It just didn’t feel arrogant and bitchy enough. lolol. There are probably were many more suitable seiyuus to pick from that could’ve been more convincing. It’s not a criticism of her though because she’s definitely got a great voice. It just felt like the OMG producers just wanted her just for the sake of increasing fan interest.
Mamiko is in so many roles. It’s fair to say she did well generally but not every role suited her so well. In a lot of ways the restraint is in our perception of the characters’ roles. Only in roles where she is not constrained by such things will she really shine (or anyone else for that matter). Definitely try out her performance from Rescue Wing, for an example; or Monster as some of you mentioned.
I like her best as Mitsuki Ikuta.
According to ANN, she played Suigintou in the Rozen Maiden drama CD
She is also playing the (very) young pilot Rimone in Simoun. At first, her seductive, breathy, voice was jarring in that role. But as the character becomes more rounded, I’m enjoying her work there, too. I suppose you could say this is a “quiet girl with a distinctive voice,” too, but it doesn’t seem like the usual role for Noto Kawaii yo Noto. She’s not my favorite, but her voice really does have something unique. It’s one of those voices, like Saitou Chiwa’s, that is so interesting that it doesn’t matter you can just about always recognize it.
SHe plays the weak Otaku in Full Metal Panic.
Ok but the real reason why she is miscast for WB is when she morphs into WB mode and starts to act all tough and murderous. Just compare her with the VA of Revy, Megumi something (Toyoguchi?). Now that’s tough. Or Satsuki Yukino, Park Romi etc. Tough.
Just want to point this out since I’m halfway through watching Kita e right now. Miss Noto voiced one of the characters, Asahina Kyoko. This definitely is not one of her more typical roles. Her voice here is noticeably lower than what we usually hear and is quite stern as well. While it probably isn’t one of her best roles but it shows she can definitely do a strong and outspoken voice. What she can’t do well, at least to me, is a proper combat voice. I haven’t watched WB yet but her Hazuki role from YamiBou always kind of grated on me. The transition between angsty/reminiscing Hazuki (higher pitched and breathier) and argumentative/combat Hazuki (lower registered shouting) just felt too jarring every time. Throw in the in between contemplative Hazuki and she almost seem to be suffering a mild case of dissociative personality disorder.
I think tj_han’s characterisation of “beauty” type voice really hits the nail on the head. Sounds beautiful, not that versatile but is popular nonetheless. Also she did sound pretty weird in Witchblade mode - even the techno sound overlay didn’t really salvage it. As Chris mentioned, it could very well be a director’s specific casting decision - I wonder how many Japanese fans will follow a series just because it’s their favourite seiyuu playing the lead even if it is completely out of their usual genre?
For shame, I’ve not seen Monster, World of Narue, Solty Rei, Hit wo Nerae or Kita. I haven’t heard her as Sayako in AMG either - though I do share the feeling contention that it’s hard to imagine her sounding bitchy enough. Yet to start on Simoun either as the fansubs are delayed for whatever reason.
Zzz… interesting take on the levels of Hazuki in Yamibou to balance the gushing from me and Mangaminx. I did find it jarring at first but rapidly bought into it as it really brought home the emotional impact aspect of Yamibou (which is what I liked about Ayako Kawasumi’s portrayal of Chikane in Kannazuki).
About tough yet smooth oneesama-types (wai wai), interestingly Megumi Toyoguchi also played Sei Satou in MariMite. From the MariMite radio dramas I’ve listened to, Kana Ueda et l talk about her as a respected sempai. I also like Sayaka Ohara’s roles as Yuuko Ichihara in xxxHOLiC and Bel Peol in Shakugan no Shana. Perhaps material for a future post…
>>According to ANN, she played Suigintou in the Rozen Maiden drama CD
Which I listened to, and she was doing a good job. I don’t want to compare her and Rie Tanaka though, both did breathe life in to Suigintou, albeit in different ways.
I always wonder what it might have been like if Mamiko did Alicia in ARIA.
>>I always wonder what it might have been like if Mamiko did Alicia in ARIA.
Nah, wouldn’t fit her voice. Alicia’s characters are the type that Inoue Kikuko would excel in. Alice would be the better choice.
OTOH, I’m watching X, and well, it’s another Noto-type role for her. I’m beginning to appreciate her Yukinari role. Need to go get Girl’s Bravo.
Zyl I agree with your statement on the different voices and the overall emotional impact of Yamibou. Each of Hazuki’s voices are individually excellent. However Mamiko as Shimako (teehee…^_^) demonstrated that she can express a whole range of moods without fundamentally altering her sound pattern. When Mamiko as Hazuki put her different voices together however, it’s hard to pin down exactly where but the meshing is a little rough. Smooth meshing is important in action orientated roles since day to day & combat have fundamentally different tones & Mamiko can’t really do that properly as far as I can tell. I guess I’m just trying to say that I just feel Mamiko is miscast as a action character, it isn’t about her voice and whether she would sound appropriate but that she would break the flow of the narative…however her potential in any other role is excellent
After some searching, I am beginning to wonder if Angol Moa in Keroro Gunso might be the best role for Noto Mamiko. She actually sounds little different from her usual voice here, but, as Zyl pointed out, she really sounds as if she is enjoying the role.
I resent Tjhan’s slander. all lot of us do.
the truth is, Mamiko noto IS suitable for the role….. i know many will disagree, but this is coming from a guy who has only a year of anime exposure, so bear with me. voice actors anywhere do not come into prominence easily, ( heck, in western cartoons, they are the most underrated people in the industry, only in movies do they get hold of the live ones….)
so what if she has only one voice, one may say that that hampers versatality to get roles ( point at yui horie…… she has a great set of voices, hence her popularity) but then again, no one can get as husky as maiko can…..
hell! ( thats my home town by the way) i forget what i was ranting about.
anyway, i hope that witchblade does become a different animal in anime form than the comic series was, in fact, i liked the way they have virtually spun it off into a totally unique japanese type series.
ps: has any one read vampire jyuu kai? it has some elements of the anime……..