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声優かっ! [Seiyuu-ka!] #9
Voice Over!: Seiyu Academy, Vol. 9
A new series by the author of the best-selling S•A!
Hime Kino’s dream is to one day do voice acting like her hero Sakura Aoyama from the Lovely ♥ Blazers anime, and getting accepted to the prestigious Holly Academy’s voice actor department is the first step in the right direction! But Hime’s gruff voice has earned her the scorn of teachers and students alike. Hime will not let that stand unchallenged. She’ll show everyone that she is too a voice acting princess, whether they like it or not!!
Senri Kudo’s unusual upbringing may have prepared him for being an amazing actor, but it also left him ill equipped to have normal relationships with kids his own age. Can Senri act his way into being a good friend, or will “getting into character” get him into even more trouble with his peers?
Hime Kino’s dream is to one day do voice acting like her hero Sakura Aoyama from the Lovely ♥ Blazers anime, and getting accepted to the prestigious Holly Academy’s voice actor department is the first step in the right direction! But Hime’s gruff voice has earned her the scorn of teachers and students alike. Hime will not let that stand unchallenged. She’ll show everyone that she is too a voice acting princess, whether they like it or not!!
Senri Kudo’s unusual upbringing may have prepared him for being an amazing actor, but it also left him ill equipped to have normal relationships with kids his own age. Can Senri act his way into being a good friend, or will “getting into character” get him into even more trouble with his peers?
200 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2012
About the author
Maki Minami
62 books266 followersMaki Minami ( 南マキ) is a Japanese manga author. She is best known as the author of manga series Special A.
In 2001, her short story Day Dream Believer (デイ・ドリーム・ビリーバー) received an Honourable Mention for Hakusensha's 25th Athena awards. She debuted in Hana to Yume's October 2001 issue with a short story titled Faraway Blue (彼方の青 Kanata no Ao).
Maki Minami's longest running series, Special A, began publication in 2003 and recently ended in 2009. Her current series, Seiyū ka-! began serialization in Hana to Yume in 2009, after the completion of Special A. Her recent works also include the oneshot Ane☆Mone Seikaten (アネ☆モネ 生花店), which appeared in the April 2009 edition of The Hana to Yume.
In 2001, her short story Day Dream Believer (デイ・ドリーム・ビリーバー) received an Honourable Mention for Hakusensha's 25th Athena awards. She debuted in Hana to Yume's October 2001 issue with a short story titled Faraway Blue (彼方の青 Kanata no Ao).
Maki Minami's longest running series, Special A, began publication in 2003 and recently ended in 2009. Her current series, Seiyū ka-! began serialization in Hana to Yume in 2009, after the completion of Special A. Her recent works also include the oneshot Ane☆Mone Seikaten (アネ☆モネ 生花店), which appeared in the April 2009 edition of The Hana to Yume.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 10, 2025
4.25 Stars!
I have so much to say about this volume! First off, fuck Sakura Aoyama, I will never let her see the pearly gates because what do you mean you’re leaving after your 12 year-old son got hit by car?! You’ve already given him a lifetime of trauma, you could at least stick around long enough for him to get home from the hospital? It really is just a competition between her and Hime’s mom for most evil mother.
Speaking of Senri, someone please get him in therapy. I mean, everyone in this series needs therapy, but especially him. He truly does not understand people and how to read them, and probably can’t tell when someone is being genuine because his mom fucked him up that bad.
“But… does that mean… I’ve been hurting people.” - OH SWEETIE, NOT ON PURPOSE!!! That slow realization on his face as things start to click - Senri’s story is so heartbreaking and I do understand why it took us so long to dive into his character. We got little snippets of him throughout and then slowly built up to his backstory.
I like to imagine that somewhere down the line, Senri and Kazuma are able to be friends again. Kazuma was a really good friend to Senri because he tried to get through to him in the only he knew, but at the end of the day, he’s also a kid and it’s not his job to dig deep and understand Senri’s trauma at the expense of his own feelings. Also, him telling Senri not to perform is such an important detail because all Senri does is perform, so in telling him not to, Kazuma thought he’d finally see who the real Senri Kudo is, and he probably did, but that’s not something he or Senri had the emotional capacity to understand at that age.
I also think the distinction between how Hime and Kazuma approach Senri as friends is very important. One is not necessarily a better friend than the other, at least in my opinion, because Kazuma met Senri way back in junior high so he wouldn’t have been older than 12 or 13. Hime’s been shown throughout the series to be a lot more emotionally aware than you’d think, and given her age, she’s had time to experience friendship in a way that these boys hadn’t. She also has friends like Ume and Tsukino, who are similar to Senri in that they would rather push people away than let them in and address their issues, so she can probably recognize Senri’s self-sabotage from a mile away. (Aka, the beginning of Hime starting to connect the dots and realize that Senri is a friendless loser, and that too by choice.)
Once again, I just have to talk about how much I admire Hime’s dedication to her craft. I’m obsessed with the way she researches for a role and her being so open to criticism is such an excellent quality (but it’s also kind of heartbreaking if think too long about how that’s definitely related to how her mother would speak to her and she’s tried to turn that toxicity into a positive thing for herself). Plus, there’s added bonus of Senri starting to admire Shiro as a person once he sees how he is at work.
“It was sort of like… finding out your cat actually belongs to someone else.” - I can’t with him. But at least he’s learning to communicate, even if he doesn’t understand his feelings, I like that he’s comfortable enough to be straightforward about them. Also, love all the SenrixHime content in general. The fact that this volume was the only time that Senri and Mizuki interacted is so funny because Senri lives rent-free in Mizuki’s head the same way that Mizuki’s lives in Fujimori’s.
“He’s her model…” - Mizuki losing spectacularly to Senri in a competition that Senri’s not even aware of is objectively hilarious. However, I can’t take him seriously when he does nice things for Hime sometimes because like, he took her to this movie after getting jealous over Senri, this is not him being a good friend to Hime or just being a good friend in general. Also, that entire conversation he had with her about how she shouldn’t be friends with Senri made me really uncomfortable, like, leave her alone. (Bringing up her dream the way he did felt like a threat.)
I miss Fujimori, I wish we could take all of Mizuki’s screen time and give it to him.
Details that are relevant to me:
-Okay, so it’s very sweet to see Senri apologize, but how did he find Imaizumi?
-Cruel Octalia actually sounds like a really cool anime!
-Lols, not Hime literally playing a Senri Kudo variant, that is actually hilarious. (Hime please realize that you’re the orphan girl.)
-“Maybe it’s because… I never told him Shiro is a voice actor!!” - Gee, you think Hime?! They’re so chaotic, I love them. Senri crashing out, thus heightening Hime’s crash-out… I deserved an anime.
-Mizuki immediately resorting to violence every time Shuuma says anything slightly mean about Hime is still my favourite gag.
-Senri’s housekeeper having a meltdown and calling his dad because the fridge is full of eggs was so fucking funny.
-The art for when Hime’s hair comes down after Mizuki takes off her wig is actually so beautiful. I think this has been a topic of discussion for tons of media that use cross-dressing as a trope where what that actually could mean for someone’s gender identity is never truly explored in the book or show itself. I don’t know, I remember points in the series where Hime kind of seemed to forget she was a girl and got spooked by her own reflection, but they felt like such one-off instances that I didn’t really think too deeply about it.
I have so much to say about this volume! First off, fuck Sakura Aoyama, I will never let her see the pearly gates because what do you mean you’re leaving after your 12 year-old son got hit by car?! You’ve already given him a lifetime of trauma, you could at least stick around long enough for him to get home from the hospital? It really is just a competition between her and Hime’s mom for most evil mother.
Speaking of Senri, someone please get him in therapy. I mean, everyone in this series needs therapy, but especially him. He truly does not understand people and how to read them, and probably can’t tell when someone is being genuine because his mom fucked him up that bad.
“But… does that mean… I’ve been hurting people.” - OH SWEETIE, NOT ON PURPOSE!!! That slow realization on his face as things start to click - Senri’s story is so heartbreaking and I do understand why it took us so long to dive into his character. We got little snippets of him throughout and then slowly built up to his backstory.
I like to imagine that somewhere down the line, Senri and Kazuma are able to be friends again. Kazuma was a really good friend to Senri because he tried to get through to him in the only he knew, but at the end of the day, he’s also a kid and it’s not his job to dig deep and understand Senri’s trauma at the expense of his own feelings. Also, him telling Senri not to perform is such an important detail because all Senri does is perform, so in telling him not to, Kazuma thought he’d finally see who the real Senri Kudo is, and he probably did, but that’s not something he or Senri had the emotional capacity to understand at that age.
I also think the distinction between how Hime and Kazuma approach Senri as friends is very important. One is not necessarily a better friend than the other, at least in my opinion, because Kazuma met Senri way back in junior high so he wouldn’t have been older than 12 or 13. Hime’s been shown throughout the series to be a lot more emotionally aware than you’d think, and given her age, she’s had time to experience friendship in a way that these boys hadn’t. She also has friends like Ume and Tsukino, who are similar to Senri in that they would rather push people away than let them in and address their issues, so she can probably recognize Senri’s self-sabotage from a mile away. (Aka, the beginning of Hime starting to connect the dots and realize that Senri is a friendless loser, and that too by choice.)
Once again, I just have to talk about how much I admire Hime’s dedication to her craft. I’m obsessed with the way she researches for a role and her being so open to criticism is such an excellent quality (but it’s also kind of heartbreaking if think too long about how that’s definitely related to how her mother would speak to her and she’s tried to turn that toxicity into a positive thing for herself). Plus, there’s added bonus of Senri starting to admire Shiro as a person once he sees how he is at work.
“It was sort of like… finding out your cat actually belongs to someone else.” - I can’t with him. But at least he’s learning to communicate, even if he doesn’t understand his feelings, I like that he’s comfortable enough to be straightforward about them. Also, love all the SenrixHime content in general. The fact that this volume was the only time that Senri and Mizuki interacted is so funny because Senri lives rent-free in Mizuki’s head the same way that Mizuki’s lives in Fujimori’s.
“He’s her model…” - Mizuki losing spectacularly to Senri in a competition that Senri’s not even aware of is objectively hilarious. However, I can’t take him seriously when he does nice things for Hime sometimes because like, he took her to this movie after getting jealous over Senri, this is not him being a good friend to Hime or just being a good friend in general. Also, that entire conversation he had with her about how she shouldn’t be friends with Senri made me really uncomfortable, like, leave her alone. (Bringing up her dream the way he did felt like a threat.)
I miss Fujimori, I wish we could take all of Mizuki’s screen time and give it to him.
Details that are relevant to me:
-Okay, so it’s very sweet to see Senri apologize, but how did he find Imaizumi?
-Cruel Octalia actually sounds like a really cool anime!
-Lols, not Hime literally playing a Senri Kudo variant, that is actually hilarious. (Hime please realize that you’re the orphan girl.)
-“Maybe it’s because… I never told him Shiro is a voice actor!!” - Gee, you think Hime?! They’re so chaotic, I love them. Senri crashing out, thus heightening Hime’s crash-out… I deserved an anime.
-Mizuki immediately resorting to violence every time Shuuma says anything slightly mean about Hime is still my favourite gag.
-Senri’s housekeeper having a meltdown and calling his dad because the fridge is full of eggs was so fucking funny.
-The art for when Hime’s hair comes down after Mizuki takes off her wig is actually so beautiful. I think this has been a topic of discussion for tons of media that use cross-dressing as a trope where what that actually could mean for someone’s gender identity is never truly explored in the book or show itself. I don’t know, I remember points in the series where Hime kind of seemed to forget she was a girl and got spooked by her own reflection, but they felt like such one-off instances that I didn’t really think too deeply about it.
March 14, 2016
see full review @ Katie's Corner
Read
September 8, 2019All I want in life is for Kudou Senri to be happy. Why did Mizuki have to put stupid ideas in Hime's head? Why, oh why? How will I go on living if Kudou Senri is never happy again? After Imaizumi and Kazuma, now Hime does this! This volume was intense.
December 27, 2017
Aaaaahhh!!!!! I need the next book!!!!!!
July 13, 2021
Why is this series have Seiyu Academy in the name but most of the time, we aren’t even at the school? lol..
Oh well, I still love it regardless!
Oh well, I still love it regardless!
February 20, 2017
Hime/Shiro: Shiro's newest role as Yukiru in CRUEL OCTALIA, reminds her of someone she knows very well.... Senri Kudo. So as a way to research this complex character, Shiro begins to hang out with Senri even more - and they're even on the show together... except that Senri didn't know Shiro was a voice actor... but they both manage to take it in stride and their friendship only seems to grow.... but Hime is growing careless with keeping her secret and now it will be only a matter of time before she is discovered.
Senri: We get to finish his backstory this volume and we finally learn just how emotionally stunted he is. But unlike his mother, Senri is well aware of his shortcomings and trying to fix them. I loved Shiro's words to him about getting hurt being a natural part of life. If you're always afraid of getting hurt, then are you really living?
THE BAD
Yukiru: I'm not he biggest fan of Shiro's new role.
Mizuki: As much as I love him, he had on the jerk hat in this volume.
Senri: We get to finish his backstory this volume and we finally learn just how emotionally stunted he is. But unlike his mother, Senri is well aware of his shortcomings and trying to fix them. I loved Shiro's words to him about getting hurt being a natural part of life. If you're always afraid of getting hurt, then are you really living?
THE BAD
Yukiru: I'm not he biggest fan of Shiro's new role.
Mizuki: As much as I love him, he had on the jerk hat in this volume.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2015
I don’t know why I’ve really clicked on to Voice Over! but it’s so good and since the story’s kicked into gear, I’ve really enjoyed it. Especially since this is an overly complicated plot—Hime has to cross-dress because reasons that I still haven’t figured out (because female voice actors don’t voice boy characters? Ogata Megumi, anyone? Paku Romi?)? And then she can’t get close with Senri and Mizuki can’t confess his feelings, and everything is just complicated. It’s not the story itself that I wouldn’t typically like, it’s just that everything has a tendency to be overly complicated.
What helps is that the story really started kicking in around volume 4 or thereabouts, and it’s just been so good since then that I’ve become invested in all of these characters. And especially now that we’ve finally gotten Senri’s backstory and how much his mother’s view on life really messed him up. (I want Sakura Aoyama to actually show up in the series at some point, because she has some massive apologizing to do.) The fact that Senri really can’t make a meaningful relationship because he thought that everyone is just acting all of the time is heartbreaking, and the fact that he had people who wanted to be friends with him just hurts even more. I really see Senri and Hime/Shiro as really good friends and I want to go more into that angle rather than “Oh, I thought you were a boy but you were secretly this girl from school! Confusing feelings!” (It’s shojo manga. I have a feeling of where this is going to go.)
The other thing that I’ve really liked about the progression of the manga is the development of Hime’s goals. I do think that Hime’s character has stayed the same since the early volumes, but I do like the fact that she’s not pushing herself to ignore her strengths as a voice actor. I like that she’s getting rougher, non-cute roles, and that she is actively improving and taking criticisms and suggestions. (This gets expanded on more in the next volume.)
I wouldn’t say that Voice Over! is a brilliant or even a must-read manga, but it’s cute and fluffy enough that I would say if that’s your thing, definitely check it out. I do think it’s worth going through the first few volumes until the story picks up, and although the majority of development has been mainly with the side characters (well, Senri and Tsukino mostly), I still like how the story’s been developing so far. It’s not a manga for everyone, but it’s still fun.
What helps is that the story really started kicking in around volume 4 or thereabouts, and it’s just been so good since then that I’ve become invested in all of these characters. And especially now that we’ve finally gotten Senri’s backstory and how much his mother’s view on life really messed him up. (I want Sakura Aoyama to actually show up in the series at some point, because she has some massive apologizing to do.) The fact that Senri really can’t make a meaningful relationship because he thought that everyone is just acting all of the time is heartbreaking, and the fact that he had people who wanted to be friends with him just hurts even more. I really see Senri and Hime/Shiro as really good friends and I want to go more into that angle rather than “Oh, I thought you were a boy but you were secretly this girl from school! Confusing feelings!” (It’s shojo manga. I have a feeling of where this is going to go.)
The other thing that I’ve really liked about the progression of the manga is the development of Hime’s goals. I do think that Hime’s character has stayed the same since the early volumes, but I do like the fact that she’s not pushing herself to ignore her strengths as a voice actor. I like that she’s getting rougher, non-cute roles, and that she is actively improving and taking criticisms and suggestions. (This gets expanded on more in the next volume.)
I wouldn’t say that Voice Over! is a brilliant or even a must-read manga, but it’s cute and fluffy enough that I would say if that’s your thing, definitely check it out. I do think it’s worth going through the first few volumes until the story picks up, and although the majority of development has been mainly with the side characters (well, Senri and Tsukino mostly), I still like how the story’s been developing so far. It’s not a manga for everyone, but it’s still fun.
December 13, 2016
3.5 stars
Seiyuu-ka! a.k.a Voice Over!
The rating and review are conclusion for all of the volumes. Except for the synopsis.
Okay. This is a good story to pass my time before I start to concentrate on my final exam. It is not a slow pace story. I had fun reading this because there are some funny moments.
However, I don't give this manga a high rating because I don't admire the drawing. I could say the story is not so bad but what interests me the most about manga comic is the drawing. The characters for this story is good I guess. I mean, for example, the hero of this manga feels like a robot. I don't really like that.
I mean it's all good but I just don't feel it that much you know? There are a few sad scenes but it's not enough to trigger my emotions. So I kind of feel that this manga is not 'compatible' with me. You might want to try it out as it is not so bad. But for me, I like other manga compared to this.
I've just realized that I've read this manga before but I just can't quite remember the flow of the story. That's how I know I just don't enjoy it so much.
Synopsis for volume 9:
In junior high, Senri had found someone who understands him. Kazuma is the first person to understand Senri. They decided to act out as best friend. Will it go well?
January 9, 2015
This volume begins by still focusing on Senri's past and how he finally met someone that was like him, Kazuma Ochi. So they decided that they were going to perform the role of friends and as they continue to act together in and out of acting class they are constantly improving. However, when Senri is injured Kazuma realizes that Senri believes they are both still acting the friend role which has become real for Kazuma. Kazuma then leaves for France and tells Senri that Senri has no true self because he is empty inside.
This volume collides Senri's past self with his present self as he is trying to figure out how he feels about Shiro who always seems to surprise him and he doesn't want to hurt Shiro by "acting" like his friend. Overall this was another great volume that focused on Senri and how his past shaped him into the person/actor he is today. I am looking forward to seeing how Senri figures out his relationship with Shiro.
I received this advanced copy from VIZ Media through Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.
This volume collides Senri's past self with his present self as he is trying to figure out how he feels about Shiro who always seems to surprise him and he doesn't want to hurt Shiro by "acting" like his friend. Overall this was another great volume that focused on Senri and how his past shaped him into the person/actor he is today. I am looking forward to seeing how Senri figures out his relationship with Shiro.
I received this advanced copy from VIZ Media through Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.
February 25, 2016
~4/5
We get the conclusion of what’s going on in Kudo’s head in this volume. His past concludes sadly, and then we get back to the present, and now we understand why he’s so rude and standoffish. The poor thing just doesn’t know who he is.
I feel so many things for Kudo, and I just love him so much. And then Hime/Shiro pushes him a little more, surprises him in her innocence and overabundance of optimism. And he really doesn’t understand the things he’s feeling, given that he thinks Shiro is just a guy friend. But he’s so sweet anyway.
There’s some underhanded fighting between Kudo and Mizuki, and it’s so great. Then Mizuki has to show Shiro that she’s actually a girl, and needs to be careful not to let other people know that, including Kudo.
Shiro is so completely oblivious, and Kudo does not understand at all, and I love it. This series is just adorable and hilarious and I completely love it. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next one.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
We get the conclusion of what’s going on in Kudo’s head in this volume. His past concludes sadly, and then we get back to the present, and now we understand why he’s so rude and standoffish. The poor thing just doesn’t know who he is.
I feel so many things for Kudo, and I just love him so much. And then Hime/Shiro pushes him a little more, surprises him in her innocence and overabundance of optimism. And he really doesn’t understand the things he’s feeling, given that he thinks Shiro is just a guy friend. But he’s so sweet anyway.
There’s some underhanded fighting between Kudo and Mizuki, and it’s so great. Then Mizuki has to show Shiro that she’s actually a girl, and needs to be careful not to let other people know that, including Kudo.
Shiro is so completely oblivious, and Kudo does not understand at all, and I love it. This series is just adorable and hilarious and I completely love it. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next one.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
April 13, 2013
Masa lalu tentang Senri masih berlanjut di volume ini. Sempat berpikir, mungkinkah di kehidupan nyata bakal ada anak yang seperti Senri. Sepertinya ada sih.
Di volume ini juga Shiro mulai dituntut profesionalitasnya. Kalo dia terlalu dengan Senri, itu bisa bikin rahasianya terbongkar. Dan artinya, upaya untuk mimpi-mimpinya bisa hancur berantakan.
Di volume ini juga Shiro mulai dituntut profesionalitasnya. Kalo dia terlalu dengan Senri, itu bisa bikin rahasianya terbongkar. Dan artinya, upaya untuk mimpi-mimpinya bisa hancur berantakan.
April 7, 2015
FEELINGS WERE REVEALED! YAY YAY YAY!
April 9, 2015
"It felt strange when I saw how close you are with Haruyama. It was sort of like finding out your cat actually belongs to someone else."
"I'm... not a cat."
Mizuki and Senri's battle begins....
"I'm... not a cat."
Mizuki and Senri's battle begins....
June 17, 2015
Stage is setting. It was great that this book focused only on the three main characters. It had great energy and is gearing up for a storm.
October 6, 2015
Learned even more about Senri. Had a few giggles.
July 31, 2015
Still love this series. Yep.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews