What’s the best thing about Binbougami ga?
Is it the humor? It’s great. Is it the references? They’re okay. What about Momiji’s awesomeness? Close, but not quite.
It’s the voice-acting. The three main seiyuu in the show all lend their considerable talents to voicing their respective characters.
I love Kana Hanazawa’s Ichiko. A large portion of my fun comes from hearing her crazy reactions, which is a welcome departure from HanaKana’s usual roles. I’m pleased that she’s trying to branch out from her bright and cheerful voice, and even more pleased that it works. The show is about Ichiko overcoming her bitchiness and learning to trust others, and HanaKana gives her emotional development justice.
Haruka Tomatsu’s Ranmaru is also great. Tomatsu’s pretty versatile on her own, having voiced a wide variety of characters from the ethereal Sakana (Star Driver) to the tomboyish Aoba (Cross Game). But Ranmaru is a different level above Aoba, and Tomatsu imbues a lot of energy to her character. I couldn’t believe it the first time I heard her! She’s just great fun.
But the best performance has to be Yumi Uchiyama’s Momiji. Now, I’ve only listened to two Uchiyama roles, which are Nagi from A-Channel and Arata from Saki Achiga-hen. They’re all pretty different from each other. But man, Momiji. Uchiyama can switch to her normal deep voice to a cutesy one, and manages to reinvent her character with a sweet, innocent voice in the show’s final arc. Her hysterical voice makes her sort of Yuu Kobayashi Lite. Now here’s a great new seiyuu to watch out for.
