Anime about female voice actors/seiyuu are nothing new but this one kind of adds a little twist to the formula I have not seen in other shows of its ilk. The question is if it is enough to both help it stand out and be enjoyable. Let us find out as we take a look at The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio.
Alternate Title: Seiyuu Radio no Uraomote (Japanese)
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Idol, Music, Yuri
Themes: Voice Acting, Radio Show
Number of Episodes: 12
G-Rating: 8/10
Plot Summary: Yūhi and Yasumi, are both voice actresses that attend the same high school and are in the same class. They host a radio program together. However, Yasumi is really Yumiko the gyaru (gal) in real life, while Yūhi is actually Chika the gloomy girl. They are diametrically opposed in appearance and personality, and they get into fights when they are not on air.
The gist of the show is as the summary described: Two up and coming voice actors who do not get along are forced to work together and bicker a lot because of it. The thing is, rather than being all out bickering fests between two tsundere who are subconsciously attracted to each other their “arguments” are usually full of light digs and petty jabs at best. Their greatest obstacles are not being tsundere, which is something I will delve into later, but more so their competitive nature and especially egos. They could easily become a formidable tag team if their pride and prejudice did not get in the way. Because of this their drama and struggles feel a bit more grounded compared to their Spring 2024 peers. That being said, their respective journeys as aspiring voice actors are fun to watch, though viewers primarily follow Yumiko’s with the important parts of Chika’s sprinkled in. Do not expect a deep dive into Chika’s thought process compared to Yumiko’s. It is mostly from the sexy gyaru’s perspective.
Speaking of their voice acting job, longtime anime viewers will recognize the other activities they participate in besides taking roles, such as meet and greets, variety shows, interviews, idol performances etc. Also par for the course in many shows like this are examples of behind the scenes content. In this case watching examples of recording sessions featuring the struggles and triumphs therein. Viewers get to see discussions of what goes into getting roles, auditions, what different studios look for in their actors, the hardships of being a celebrity, the relationship between actors and fans etc. All very cool stuff neatly sewn into the narrative.
The radio in the title serves the purpose I expected it to. What I mean is segments both set up and conclude stories throughout the show. Things like fan mail, fan reception, how our heroines prepare based on segments of the show, impromptu moments etc. Not every episode has our girls in the studio but it absolutely serves its purpose as the start and finish of story arcs. It is also as insight on our heroines’ emotional progress and what needs to be worked on.
As mentioned the story mainly follows Yumiko’s journey and her struggle to make it as a highly respected seiyuu. The difficulty in getting jobs, the toll lack of success takes on her emotionally and of course being paired with someone she feels is superior to her on the job. Chika meanwhile shows that despite having a more successful start to her career than Yumiko she is not the untouchable rising superstar our gyaru heroine thinks she is. Both are fascinating to watch for different reasons though viewers expecting mega angst are advised to look elsewhere. Some challenges carry over to other arcs while others are quickly resolved in anime running time. The solutions not being difficult does not take away from the girls not having it easy. Not at all. Just imagine them suffering for days before finding the answers they seek and it should work.
The presentation was solid. Nothing jaw dropping but that character designs were lovely and the stronger moments were nicely done. As far as the Spring 2024 season of lesbian musicians goes this one had the fewest Insert songs in it, specifically those that viewers get to see half of or in their entirety, but what we did get was nice. The OP was good and the ED was one of my favorites of the season.
Best side-girl Wakana showing Yumiko a blessed alternate future.
Most of the side-characters are hit and miss by design. 99% of them intended to be that way, as in cheered, in the middle or booed. Everyone except a certain voice actor with short twin tails…She absolutely has her fans but as far as I am concerned she sucks before and after.
Their relationship fascinated me.
Time for the main event. I alluded to this earlier in the review so let us get to it. At first glance they are a constantly bickering baka couple who are obviously attracted to each other but too dense to notice. Actually they mostly throw light jabs at each other and their greatest obstacles are their pride and egos. Their issues can be easily resolved by just talking things out but their competitive spirts prevent them from doing so. Without giving any spoilers their actual relationship is that of a girl whose feelings for the other grow stronger by the day and takes full advantage of their denseness to enjoy the finer pleasures of life or not having to work hard to hide their true feelings behind a catchphrase that clearly has a different meaning than what is said. Meanwhile the dense one also feels subconsciously attracted to the other but cannot grasp these feelings…or rather, is aware of them at all. Actually it is possible the more open one is not aware either. Classic case of “the heart knows what the brain does not”. Their dynamic fascinated me. It made this being a manga lure easier to stomach because I was honestly not expecting much progress in the anime and I was proven right despite very much enjoying what we did get, which was actually quite a bit. Oh, and side-pairs are hinted too.
Another way to look at it is similar to on the radio show, their relationship off work is much different from how they are at work.
Did I mention how much I love Wakana?
Yes. The realization that this is another story starring a sexy charismatic gyaru and her beautiful gloomy love interest while also having an equally gorgeous gyaru bestie who seems to not mind “going AU” with her is not lost on me. The fact I am able to apply the “if I had a nickel” meme here amuses me.
Overall The Many Side of Voice Acting is an easy to follow and enjoy show that knows what it is and does it well. Our heroines are lovable with their relationship and respective journeys being fun to watch even though the gyaru is the main focus. The side-characters all do a pretty good job of their roles. The presentation is solid and the Yuri entertaining for what it is. Not a groundbreaking show but very enjoyable for what it is.
The Yuri Empire 
I thought the series was good overall myself. I was kind of hoping for more Yuri romance though I’ve heard from manga and light novel readers that that kind of stuff doesn’t happen until past the anime
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Not surprised the really good stuff comes after the events of the anime.
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This show has been the most consistently chill Yuri anime this season. As you said, there’s some light drama/angst, but it’s never overblown and gets resolved in a fairly reasonable manner. It rather focuses on the more SoL aspects of the characters and allows you to watch them on their respective journeys. We mainly follow Yumiko, but that doesn’t mean Chika didn’t have her moments to shine too. Most importantly, they were able to feed off each other for most episodes, so it never felt lacking.
I found their relationship to be very interesting as well. It wasn’t the classic Tsundere rivalry these kinds of themes usually give us, but rather a conditional rivalry, in which the time and place made a difference to how they responded to each other. When they were alone, they were much more open and honest. It was mainly when they were in the eyes of others that their true bickering came out. I’d even argue that it’s a case of “the heart knows what the brain knows, but the brain doesn’t want to admit”. They’ve declared themselves ‘eternal rivals’. That’s about as clear as it gets.
The side characters were simply just that, but I did really like Wakana and the radio show writer. Yumiko’s manager was cool too. Overall, I thought it was a great, solid watch, and I’d be happy to get another season, but I’m satisfied if we don’t too.
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Quite right.
Oho. Interesting observation. You could be right about them already knowing but refusing to admit it.
Oh yes. They’re Top 2 for sure. Yumiko’s mom and manager both deserve praise too.
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A really surprisingly solid story from start to finish. Always enjoyable, and had some moments that really stood out. The ending was simple, but it really did work out well with how the series had been up to that point. Another season would be great, but it didn’t leave off on a sequel bait or cliffhanger sort of ending. The staff really did right by this one.
I was a fan of that voice actress, but I get why she has a lot of not fans around. I bet if this got another season, she’d jump up in popularity. Yumiko was the best character though.
Really liked how the show handled drama. I’d always rather it get resolved promptly than get dragged out.
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I really enjoyed this anime. Perhaps I’m biased as I’ve always loved the (positive) “behind the scene” stories about idols, seiyuus etc. The recording scene in the last episode was great fun to watch for me. I’m definitely rooting for Yumiko and Chika to continue their, um, “sworn rivalry” — for life.
“the ED was one of my favorites of the season.” Mine too, along with the ED for the train anime.
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