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| Touyama Nao (click to enlarge) |
Touya-Man started her career with roles in three TV anime in 2010, when she was 18. She had roles in seven shows in 2011, nine in 2012, and then in 2013 she broke out with a full 15 shows. And that’s not counting her roles in OVAs, movies and games.
At first glance, she seems like a shy person. And her soft, round face and short stature make her look about 14. But on stage and on the radio, she can be a ball of fire.
She seems fairly smart, and more than holds her own on the many radio shows she has helped host. In fact, she tends to take over. She is going to university in Tokyo.
She started in 2010 with two solid roles: Tiger in Star Driver, and Kanon in Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai (The World God Only Knows). The latter show, in particular, has anchored her career: three TV series, three OVAs, and various stage shows have identified her with her character, aspiring idol Nakagawa Kanon. (pics below: Kanon left, Tiger right)
In 2011, she starred in Croisee in a Foreign Labyrinth as Yune, the quiet little Japanese girl living in a shop in 19th century Paris. Fans of Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere will remember her as a very different kind of character: Margot Knight. (Margot left, Yune right.)
In 2012, she played the major role of Ako in Saki Achiga Hen, alongside Yuuki Aoi. Then in her break-out year of 2013 she had roles such as Karen in Kiniro Mosaic, Yui in Teen Romantic Comedy Snafu, and Chiho in Hataraku Maou-sama. (pics below, top: Ako left, Karen right. bottom: Chiho left, Yui right.)
Her special characteristic is to have no special characteristics. She says she wants to be the kind of seiyuu you hear in a show and then are surprised to discover in the end-credits. This high professional ambition may have been part of the reason I didn't really take notice of her work before now. I tend to enjoy seiyuus whose voices do stand out.
Here's a nice video collection of samples of some of her roles: Kanon, Tiger, Isolde (Astalotte), Yuna, Margot, Yuuko (Beelzebub), Noah (Eureka 7 AO), Ako (Saki Achiga), Mana (OreShura), Yuugiri (The Unlimited), Yukiho (Love Live), maid imouto (MaoYu), Peko (Majestic Price), Yui (Love Comedy Snafu), Chiho (Hataraku Maou-sama), Karen (Kiniro Mosaic), Kongou/Atago (Kantai Collection game).
-- born 11 March 1992 in Tokyo. age 21.
-- In middle school, she was just an ordinary girl who liked anime. But in her second year of middle school, she had a friend who wanted to be a seiyuu. They acted out scripts together, and she realized she enjoyed it.
-- During high school, they both went to classes at the Nihon Narration seiyuu school. Eventually, Nao was accepted into Arts Vision, one of the agencies associated with the school. She was studying to do seiyuu work and studying to get into college at the same time. And succeeded at both.
-- Like Yuuki Aoi and Hayami Saori, she is attending university in Tokyo. Strong rumours put all three at the famous Waseda University. Fans are calling them the "Waseda Triumvirate"早大三羽烏. According to posts on the Japanese message board 2channel, Nao is majoring in English. The same sources say she comes from a well-to-do family and attended a well-known high school (Senzoku Gakuen).
-- Her father had lived abroad as a child, and spoke English. At home, he would speak in English and Nao’s mother would answer in Japanese. So Nao's English has always been comparatively good.
Here she is as the boke in a little comedy sketch with Eguchi Takuya, where she "can't read the atmosphere":
-- She was moved by Paku Romi’s work, especially in FMA. It made her want to move others in the same way.
-- She herself says she is timid. But seiyuu Suwabe Junichi says she is “a kid with a strong heart.”
-- She says neither she nor her agency have a definite idea of what roles she should play. She wants to play all kinds of roles.
-- She was 149cm (~ 4’10”) tall in high school, but by college, she had grown 3cm and was 152cm (~ 5’) tall.
-- Her nickname Nao-bou (“Nao-boy”) she got in elementary school, because she seemed like a little boy. Her nickname Touya-Man she got in middle school, referring to her as a superhero.
-- She learned to play electric keyboard, and took dance lessons. These have come in handy. Here is a clip advertising the Blu-Ray of "Nakagawa Kanon's First Concert":
-- She likes beige, and prefers to wear simple colours.
-- She’s nearsighted and wears contacts at work, but wears glasses at school and in her private life.
-- She couldn’t carry a tune when she was younger, but overcame that by singing in choirs in middle and high school.
Here she is singing a quiet ballad:
-- She’s good friends with Yamazaki Haruka, who is the same age and in the same agency. And she’s friends with Hayami Saori, who also went to Nihon Narration and was in some of the same classes as Nao.
Here's a half-hour interview with anime interviewer extraordinaire Washizaki Takeshi:
-- if you're really sold on her, here is a two-hour concert featuring her, Yamazaki Haruka, Itou Shizuka, and Hayami Saori -- a joint concert for World God Only Knows and Hayate no Gotoku. And here is another long Kanon concert, the full version of the Blu-Ray promo above, featuring Nao, Shimono Hiro, and Hayami Saori.
Anime Roles (important roles bold):
2010
Hiyokoi (special) - Misa
Star Driver (TV) - Sugatame Tiger
World God Only Knows (TV) - Nakagawa Kanon
Senkou no Night Raid (TV)
2011
Beelzebub (TV) - Yuuko
Astalotte no Omocha (TV) - Isolde
Battle Girls - Time Paradox (TV) - Girl
Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san (TV) - High-School Girl; Tourist
Blue Exorcist (TV) - Caliburn; Nee
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos (movie) - Karina
Croisée in a Foreign Labyrinth - The Animation (TV) - Yune
World God Only Knows: Four People and an Idol (OAV) - Nakagawa Kanon
Sengoku Otome - Momoiro Paradox - girl
Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere (TV) - Margot Knight
Last Exile: Fam, The Silver Wing (TV) - Félicité Collette
Busou Chuugakusei Basket Army (ONA) - Senami Hikari
2012
Senki Zesshou Symphogear (TV) - Terashima Shiori
Listen to Me, Girls. I Am Your Father! (TV) - Luna Fleur
Saki Episode of Side A (TV) - Atarashi Ako
EUREKA SEVEN AO (TV) - Demo Woman; Maeve McCaffrey; Miyu; Noah
Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere II (TV) - Margot Knight
Code Geass: Akito the Exiled (OAV) - Chloe Winkel
EUREKA SEVEN AO (OAV) - Noah
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo (TV) - Girl A (ep 1); Momoko
Eiga Smile Precure: Ehon no Naka wa Minna Chiguhagu! (movie) - Dog
Blue Exorcist (movie) - Nee
AKB0048 (TV) - Vera
Kokoro Connect (TV) - Enjouji Shino
Beelzebub (TV) - Yuuko
Ijime (OVA) - Kimijima Fumikou
Hana no Utame Gothicmade (movie)
2013
MAOYU (TV) - younger sister maid
Oreshura (TV) - Natsukawa Mana
Love Live! School Idol Project (TV) - Kousaka Yukiho
The Unlimited - Hyoubu Kyousuke (TV) - Yuugiri
Hataraku Maou-sama (TV) - Sasaki Chiho
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (TV) - Yuigahama Yui
World God Only Knows: Magical Star Kanon 100% (OAV 3) - Nakagawa Kanon
Tamayura - More Aggressive (TV) - Tomo-chan
Senki Zesshou Symphogear G (TV) - Terashima Shiori
Kin-iro Mosaic (TV) - Kujou Karen
il sole penetra le illusioni ~ Day Break Illusion (TV) - Meltina Melvis
The World God Only Knows: Goddesses Arc (TV) - Apollo; Nakagawa Kanon
Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru (OAV) - Yuigahama Yui
Ansatsu Kyoushitsu (special) - Nagisa Shiota
Arpeggio of Blue Steel (TV) - Hozumi Shizuka
Galilei Donna (TV) - Karen
Zetsumetsu Kigu Shoujo Amazing Twins (OAV) - Aya
AKB0048 Next Stage (TV) - Vera
Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince (TV) - Yamada Peko, Jane
Ika Musume (OVA) - girl
Code Geass: Akito the Exiled (OAV 2) - Chloe Winkel
Star Driver the Movie - Sugatame Tiger
2014
Robot Girls Z (TV) - Daburasu M2
Nobunaga the Fool (TV) - Himiko
Tonari no Seki-kun (TV)
Magical Warfare (TV) - Aiba Mui
Nisekoi (TV) - Kirisaki Chitoge
Games (number per year):
2010 (3)2011 (1)
2012 (5)
2013 (14)
2014 (1)
Radio host:
World God Only Knows (series 2011, 2013)Ikoku Meiro (series 2011)
MaoYu (series 2011-12)
Touyama Nao no Nao no Koto (series 2012)
Saki radio (series 2012)
Nareru SE Moeru SE Soudanjo (series 2012)
A+G Artist Zone Touyama Nao’s 2 hours (2012, one show)
Saki radio SP (series 2013)
Hataraku Maou-sama (series 2013)
Yahari Ore no Seishun (series 2013)
Mahou Sensou (2013-14)
Internet TV:
Horizon (several shows in 2011-2012)MaoYu (2013)
KinIro Mosaic (2013)
Drama CDs (19)
Music CDs (per year):
2010 (2)2011 (9)
2012 (12)
2013 (18)
Links
Anime News Network pageWikipedia page
agency page (Japanese)
Japanese Wikipedia page
more photos
YouTube
more YouTube
I just found another couple of interesting videos. Nao is the voice of Nanami in a 3DS game called "Study English with Nanami." First, here is a promo for the game, with Nao speaking afew lines of English:
Next, here is a brief interview with Nao about the game. Despite this also being a promo for the game, you get a fairly direct feeling of speaking with her. She has apparently just finished recording the game, and you see the overalls that may be part of her everyday Nao-boy style:
