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Answerman - Why Do Voice Actors Work On Yaoi Drama CDs?


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VinceA



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 4:59 pm Reply with quote
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Lemonchest



Joined: 18 Mar 2015
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 5:12 pm Reply with quote
Was a pretty amusing part in the Japan Gaycation episode where they go with some fujoshi to a kareoke booth & listen to yaoi CDs because they like how embarrassing it feels to listen to men pretend to have loud sex.
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Paiprince



Joined: 21 Dec 2013
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 5:18 pm Reply with quote
I see even Japan isn't immune to the male homosexual favoritism and double standards the West has imposed in itself in this regard. Claiming that BL/Yaoi is "cleaner" when it's still smut is pretty laughable.
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maximilianjenus



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PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 5:55 pm Reply with quote
cleaner than hentai, a fair comparison would be to compare it to yuri, the purest form of love.
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wolf10



Joined: 23 Jan 2016
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 6:09 pm Reply with quote
I can think of a few rising star male VAs who I first heard in hentai. Kinda funny when you see them credited with their real name in one episode, and a pseudonym in the next, as if that's fooling anyone. There's also one particularly smutty BL game I played a while back that had a good chunk of its cast end up as the leads in back-to-back Tales games.

Paiprince wrote:
I see even Japan isn't immune to the male homosexual favoritism and double standards the West has imposed in itself in this regard. Claiming that BL/Yaoi is "cleaner" when it's still smut is pretty laughable.

Male homosexual favoritism? It's cleaner in comparison to hetero porn series, not yuri. You're still infinitely more likely to see a FxF couple in a mainstream series than a MxM couple.

It's not like notable female VAs never end up in GL works, there's just not nearly as much of a market. If you consider that most anime these days seem to have half a dozen female characters per one or two males, there's probably a lot more work for them on the mainstream circuit. If the tradeoff is Hiroshi Kamiya going gay-for-pay, I can live with that.
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ice_tea



Joined: 15 Oct 2009
Posts: 74
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 8:14 pm Reply with quote
keichitsu0305 wrote:


Since Justin mentioned it, why does a female VA in a hentai get paid less than a male VA in a Drama CD? Could it be that the cost of producing a porn anime take away from paying for booth time or are fujoshi fans more dedicated to get the biggest bang for their buck?


I don't think male VAs on yaoi drama CDs get paid a lot more than female ones that voice hentai (anime or game). Generally in the industry, game and drama CD pay is negotiated and also depends on the "level" of the voice actor (while anime pay as I know has its standards). You won't find Hanazawa Kana and the likes voicing hentai. I think voicing an H game can pay better than voicing an hentai anime (not based on a game). There are veteran female seiyuu who you can't see often in normal anime, and who mostly work on H games (with pseudonyms of course). Hardcore otaku are familiar with them because they are the ones who play and buy a lot of H games. Also there are those seiyuu start-ups (male or female) voicing hentai. Usually their level is still not that high in the industry and producers won't pay them a ridiculous amount of money.

I have to tell you guys: yes, so and so went "gay-for-pay", only when he was poor, new and not yet that established. He is now SO famous and doesn't do that anymore!

I have noticed that, when a male seiyuu gets popular, has a of of anime lead roles, and becomes a high-level seiyuu, he will sort of stopped doing yaoi CDs. It's a fact that most of a famous male seyuu's yaoi works were produced when he was relatively new (newer and low level seiyuu don't get high pay). I don't think he got paid that much then solely for doing the yaoi drama CDs (or games). The reward they are aiming for, I believe, is popularity later, apearing in anime events, releasing their solo drama and music CDs, etc.

Of course there are those older male VAs who are still releasing yaoi CDs. They are the ones who usually don't get many anime lead roles (some are even not heard much in anime at all). Their pay and popularity level defnitely is no where near those of the current "big name" VAs.


Last edited by ice_tea on Fri Mar 11, 2016 9:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
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crosswithyou



Joined: 15 Dec 2007
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 9:20 pm Reply with quote
A-list seiyuu were not always A-list. Some of the now A-list actors once had to supplement their paycheck by acting in BL CDs and hentai. For hentai (and sometimes BL, usually games), they often use a pseudonym since, as the article mentioned, it could sully their career later should their name be associated with that type of work. Some of the BL they act in may become long-running series so they may be obligated to reprise the role even after they no longer need BL work to put food on the table.

Using Kamiya and OnoD as an example, they have not voiced any new series in at least 5 years. The only new BL CDs they've put out have been sequels. It's quite clear that they are not taking on any offers for new BL CDs that they have not previously been involved in. So some people kind of fade out of the genre once they no longer need that type of work to help sell their name, and some, such as Morikawa, don't seem to mind the work and continue to do them, presumably because it's work and puts a few extra bucks into their pocket.

FYI, BL CDs have made enough sales to rank on the Oricon chart before so likely the pay for them is pretty good. I would assume they pay more than an anime episode for roughly the same number of hours in the studio.
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ice_tea



Joined: 15 Oct 2009
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 11:11 pm Reply with quote
Narutofreak1412 wrote:
Reminds me of the voice actor of Kiba from Naruto: Kousuke Toriumi, who worked on a hentai but refused to do the sex scenes.
In the end at every sex scene you only hear the girl and his lines are displayed as subtitles xD


Toriumi is the one who has done a lot of smutty yaoi drama CDs and games. He has also done a few hentai anime, as well as R18 otome games. Yes, he voiced all those sex scenes.

Maybe that's the reason voice actors use pseudonyms in hentai. They don't want the "mainstream" (Naruto audience??) to find out! Anime hyper They obviously don't consider fujoshi part of the mainstream. So they have no problem showing their names on the cover of a BLCD. Laughing

Have you noticed that the amount of drama CDs (BL, otome or otherwise) produced in Japan is amazing.

And I agree that if the CD sales are decent, the voice actors can get paid quite well, better than voicing anime. That's why they do drama CDs, BL or otherwise.
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AnimeLordLuis



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PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 12:44 am Reply with quote
Voice Actors are Actors too? I never would have guessed what is this world coming too when even VA are Faking there roles. Rolling Eyes
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leafy sea dragon



Joined: 27 Oct 2009
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 1:53 am Reply with quote
KutovoiAnton wrote:
Well, there ARE full-cast aidio books in the West (like Dune, for example), so it's not that it doesn't exist in the West.


Those are pretty different though. That's direct narration, usually with a single person, and are meant to be a substitute for reading a novel (such as consuming it when driving, for instance, or for those with vision problems). These are essentially radio dramas, which English-speaking people largely associate with the earlier parts of the 20th century and are no longer taken seriously as a storytelling medium.

It's a shame, really. I would love to see a return of the radio drama. There are a few over satellite radio though.

residentgrigo wrote:
Why do A-level VA´s sometimes work on "softcore" pr0n as Queen’s Blade? Show Me the MONEY!!! Why do i occasionally sign up for Sunday work and overtime? Show Me the MONEY!!! And so on.


Yeah, that was the answer I was predicting going in--these actors are getting a paycheck for it, and if it fits in their schedule and they're comfortable playing the roles, why not?

ice_tea wrote:
I have to tell you guys: yes, so and so went "gay-for-pay", only when he was poor, new and not yet that established. He is now SO famous and doesn't do that anymore!

I have noticed that, when a male seiyuu gets popular, has a of of anime lead roles, and becomes a high-level seiyuu, he will sort of stopped doing yaoi CDs. It's a fact that most of a famous male seyuu's yaoi works were produced when he was relatively new (newer and low level seiyuu don't get high pay). I don't think he got paid that much then solely for doing the yaoi drama CDs (or games). The reward they are aiming for, I believe, is popularity later, apearing in anime events, releasing their solo drama and music CDs, etc.


Does that mean that some of these audio CDs will resell for high prices because one or more of the actors got popular later on?
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crosswithyou



Joined: 15 Dec 2007
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 2:33 am Reply with quote
leafy sea dragon wrote:
Does that mean that some of these audio CDs will resell for high prices because one or more of the actors got popular later on?

If the CD is out of print, it's possible. The Cyberphase label went out of business so their CDs can be pretty expensive. The S series (Konishi x Kamiya, novel available in English from DMP) was published by Cyberphase, and usually commands 8000-10000 yen per CD via auctions. Pre-order bonus CDs that are no longer available if you buy the CD now can also bring quite a premium.
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leafy sea dragon



Joined: 27 Oct 2009
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 4:12 am Reply with quote
Thanks for the reply. So if they sell well, they'll make more prints of them. That makes sense.

But yeah, I was guessing there'd be at least one case where the actor becomes famous but his or her early work is obscure or unpopular during its own time. I'm not familiar at all with yaoi audio dramas, but I can think of how James Cameron directed Piranha 2 before moving on to The Terminator and Titanic as an example.
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Puniyo



Joined: 08 Oct 2015
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 4:38 am Reply with quote
rizuchan wrote:

Drama CDs are something that never seemed to catch on with the English-speaking fandom at all. There are hardly even fan translations for the really popular ones.

You'd be surprised - there actually is quite an English following for Otome CDs. The most popular CDs in Japan of course don't line up with the most popular in the west, though. Mostly either Yandere CDs or CDs that already have a translated Otome game (like Amnesia) get fan translations.

Paiprince wrote:
I see even Japan isn't immune to the male homosexual favoritism and double standards the West has imposed in itself in this regard. Claiming that BL/Yaoi is "cleaner" when it's still smut is pretty laughable.

I think it means 'cleaner' more in the way it's written. BL CDs are aimed at females, usually they only have one smut track and the other six or so are all fluff.
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As3ann



Joined: 12 Sep 2011
Posts: 59
PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 5:30 am Reply with quote
keichitsu0305 wrote:
Also, for the forum: what's your favorite/recommended BL Drama CDs?

My favorites are
Plot wise:
COLD Series
Smells Like Green Spirit
Utsukushii Koto and Itoshii Koto
Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai

Fluff-wise:
Fukigen Amai series
Datte Maou-sama Kare ga Kirai
Udagawachou de Mattete yo

BLCD is life, BLCD is love.
But I'm still wondering as to why many voice actors decide to retire from BLCD in a certain point of their lives because veteran VAs usually do not get many new roles in anime, so I thought they would continue in CD path or smth.
Too bad Akira Ishida retired from BLCD because in the early 2000s he was like an uke king to BLCD world. Haha.
Takahiro Sakurai retired from BLCD since 2009 but recently he sort of slowly coming back (read:Junjou S3)


Last edited by As3ann on Sat Mar 12, 2016 5:41 am; edited 1 time in total
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Maidenoftheredhand



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 2632
PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 5:33 am Reply with quote
People keep mentioning they wish there was the return of the radio drama but it HAS returned in the form of podcasts.


Also if you like radio drama BBC radio 4 extra plays tons and they are free (well at least for a period of time)

My particular passion in this category though is Big Finish known for their Doctor Who audios but they do a ton more. Although they aren't free.

https://www.bigfinish.com/


As for Japanese drama CDs I wish I could understand them. I have a couple from Akatsuki no Yona but I don't go out of my way to seek them out. I do sometimes look on YouTube for clips of my favorite Seiyuu (including Kamiya Hiroshi) and I have heard some BL scenes that way. But yeah I expect language barrier is why we don't get them in the West.


Last edited by Maidenoftheredhand on Sat Mar 12, 2016 5:40 am; edited 1 time in total
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