Tool Kits / 4: Mapping Anime’s Voice Acting Industry

This chapter is a presentation and discussion of the industry of voice acting in Japan, called seiyū, with a focus on voice acting for animation. Voice acting and dubbing, in Japan, have peculiar characteristics and an interesting story, one that is not necessarily known outside of local or international fandoms. The chapter provides historical context and theoretical insight, and is to be understood in a relation of complementarity with Chapter 21 in Part II (by Minori Ishida), which also deals with voice acting in Japan and other striking and almost unique peculiarities of it. Moreover, Chapters 4 and 21 dialogue with Chapters 23 , 25 , and 30 in Part III, which, complementarily, focus on strategies and methods of anime post-dubbing overseas. Chapter 4, ideally, also dialogues with Chapter 33 (Part IV), a brief guide on sound design in the anime industry: an essential outlook on an often neglected professional and technical aspect.