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The story
A thread on 5ch’s livestream discussion board looked back on how cute voice actress Hirano Aya was in her prime. Comments praising her looks poured in, like “Having a natural voice that sounds like an anime character AND a cute face was rare back then” and “Her school uniform cosplay from the Haruhi Blu-ray extras beat plenty of actual idols.” Opinions on her acting ability, however, clashed head-on — some argued she had “a skill level that set her apart from everyone else,” while others dismissed it as “overacting with no real individuality.” The debate expanded into comparisons with fellow voice actresses Mizuhashi Kaori and Kobayashi Yu, and even live-action actresses Toda Erika and Sawajiri Erika, but no consensus was ever reached.
What people said
Never thought her acting was good.
Not bad, sure, but she's a totally average voice actress.
I don't know much about voice actors either, but Hirano Aya is five times better than Mizuhashi Kaori.
What worries me is if a scandal ever hits.
If she had an affair or something, wouldn't that be instant career death?
I mean, Hirano Aya's basically always played the 'burikko' (fake-innocent, overly cutesy) type anyway
Major Matisse.
Colonel Matsumotine.
I'd say the strength of having housewives in her corner is exactly why it wouldn't be an instant out
But if she's got housewives backing her and then has an affair with a married man, that's the day they'd drag her down — so there's still risk
As an actress she really shines more in supporting roles — when she's the lead, someone like Toda Erika or Sawajiri Erika from her generation has overwhelmingly more star power, so she ends up not standing out
If this were happening now, Bunshun (the tabloid famous for scandal scoops) would definitely bite, and it'd be even bigger news
If she'd actually been an idol, people probably would've said she wasn't even that cute — so being a voice actress added a ton of extra appeal
Having a natural voice that sounds like an anime character AND a cute face — that combo was rare back then
A wide forehead makes you look more baby-faced, so it's not really a flaw
Kaneda Tomoko had an anime-style voice and was cute too
Kanetomo's got a cute face too — she looks like Adachi Yumi
Yeah, I can see the Adachi Yumi resemblance.
Voice acting is a job you're better off just sticking to behind the scenes
She's just average, honestly.
She gets credit for having decent-enough skill despite being cute, that's all
No, she really was a genius as a voice actress.
Kind of like idol Ayaya (Matsuura Aya), but for voice acting
I've never been moved by Hirano's acting.
Too breathy and overacted.
And plenty of other voice actors can do voice-changing just as well
Her acting isn't really that big a deal, is it?
Changing your voice tone doesn't even matter that much for a voice actor.
If anything, NOT changing it takes more talent, since you're not an impressionist comedian.
As a voice-acting technician, Hirano is top-tier
That's exactly my point though — her acting is overdone and it's never moved me at all
Being a voice actor isn't about moving people emotionally.
The job is making the character stand out
Even by that logic, she doesn't have much individuality
A voice actor's individuality only comes through via the character.
It's not something you judge them on as a person
Eh, Kobayashi Yu could replace her anyway — same style of acting
Background and Key Points of the Debate
Hirano Aya is a voice actress whose popularity took off after starring in 2006’s The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and even back then her distinctively high anime-style voice and looks — said to hold up even in live-action — were a hot topic. The main point of contention in the thread was how to judge acting ability: those who valued “the technical skill of playing distinct character types” clashed with those who valued “whether the performance draws you in emotionally,” and even comparisons with Mizuhashi Kaori and Kobayashi Yu didn’t settle the argument. Another point of debate was her work as an actress — some argued she pales in comparison to live-action-focused actresses of her generation like Toda Erika and Sawajiri Erika, while others pointed to praise for roles like the one in Wave, Listen to Me!, with her popularity as a voice actress and her standing as an actress discussed as separate matters. Worth noting: there’s no objective yardstick for a voice actor’s “skill” here — this is ultimately just an exchange of personal opinions on an anonymous message board.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Live News general board) thread “Hirano Aya was seriously cute in her prime, personality aside.”
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