The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio – Episode 1

What’s it about? Yuuhi and Yasumi are both high school students that work as voice actors.  Their “acting personas” are different from their actual personalities, which makes it difficult for them to get along in their private lives.  Unfortunately, their management discovered they are classmates and decided that making a radio program about their highschool experience would be a hit.  While Yuuhi and Yasumi still don’t like each other, they decided to put their differences aside for the sake of their professional careers.

I’m not sure how to feel about this one.  It wasn’t a bad premiere, but it didn’t knock my socks off either.  Despite the problematic aspects of Oshi no Ko, the series is at its best when it critiques the treatment of women in the idol and entertainment industry.  While this premiere slightly examines the challenges the main characters deal with when asking themselves why the audience likes certain aspects of their “acting personas,” I don’t expect this show will do an in-depth analysis of the hardships women face as voice actors.  Not every series has to be like Oshi no Ko, but I do hope there’s some acknowledgment of that particular struggle since it would be disingenuous not to mention it.  

Having said all of that, I’m not sold on the chemistry between Yuuhi and Yasumi.  Yuuhi is downright mean and unfriendly throughout the entire premiere, but thankfully she’s called out on her behavior.  If the series is trying to hammer in how antisocial Yuuhi is that’s fine, but there are alternative ways to depict that characterization without looking like a jerk.  In contrast, Yasumi is kind and friendly to everyone around her and she’s surprisingly introspective about her job.  She’s been in the business for three years and wants her name to become more famous.  It’s natural she feels that way since she’s put in the work and wants to be recognized for all she’s done.  I’ll admit, despite the girls hating each other, their work ethic is something to be admired and I’m genuinely curious on how they got into voice acting at such a young age.  

While a radio program about high school experiences can be appealing, especially to other teenagers looking to find something relatable, I’m not sure how long that radio program can last without it getting too stale.  I wish Yuuhi and Yasumi’s relationship was more interesting because it’s really their dynamic that will make or break this show.  It’s clear that Yuuhi has a lot going on underneath her cold facade and perhaps her experience in theater acting might be the reason she’s having a hard time with her voice acting persona.  Even though Yasumi attempts to befriend Yuuhi it doesn’t really spark any major changes to their relationship.  

Yasumi isn’t a great mentor and her attempts to show Yuuhi her fans will love her no matter doesn’t endear her to Yuuhi’s good graces.  To be fair, I wouldn’t like anyone tripping me in front of a live audience either.  I think what could’ve made this premiere more interesting is by introducing more voice actors to interact with our protagonists.  At least this premiere wouldn’t have felt so empty with just the two of them tolerating each other.  I really wanted to like this, since there’s a lot that’s compelling about struggles in the entertainment industry.  

This premiere is just “okay.”  It has decent animation, but it doesn’t inspire me to say anything else beyond that.   Maybe this just isn’t for me and that’s fine.  I just hope you folks enjoy this more than I did.