Anime Anime Global

Jun. 23 is voice actor Taketatsu Ayana-san's birthday.

She debuted in the mid-'00s and received the Best Musical Performance for depicting the work through singing as “Houkago Tea Time” from “K-On!” at the 4th Seiyu Awards.
She will take part in new summer 2020 TV animes, such as “Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!” and “Peter Grill and the Philosopher's Time”.

To celebrate her birthday, we at Anime!Anime! conducted the same survey as last year asking “Who's Your Favorite Character Voiced by Taketastu Ayana?” We received 145 votes during the voting period from Jun. 11 through Jun. 18.
There were more male voters with a gender ratio of 70% male to 30% female, and the age range tilted to the younger side with 40% being under 19 and 30% in their 20s.

■Leafa from “SAO” was at the top with a new series scheduled to be broadcast.
1st Place
1st place went to Leafa from “Sword Art Online” with roughly 15% of the votes rising to the top from 2nd place in last year's survey.

Kirigaya Suguha aka Leafa is the protagonist Kirito's (Kirigaya Kazuto) sister. Her act as the younger sister was praised in comments such as, “I have the impression that Taketatsu-san takes on many younger sister characters, but how she got in the role for the dialog between Suguha and Kazuto was the best,” and “Her voice talking to Kirito has this affectionate, teasing tone, which well portrays a younger sister. It is so cute!”
“I'm looking forward to seeing her in the last chapter of ' Alicization – War of Underworld',” shows that having a new series coming up was one of the reasons that she moved up a position.

2nd Place
Coming in 2nd was Nakano Azusa from “K-On!” and Nakano Nino from “The Quintessential Quintuplets” with the same number of votes. They were just a few votes shy from the top.

Nakano Azusa is the new member of the high school girl band Houkago Tea Time. She received comments, such as “I love how she starts off so square but gradually gets affected by Yui and the other members,” “She's a strong-willed kohai but it's so cute how Yui-senpai fondles her,” and “Her voice well portrays the personality of Azu-nyan and I love it.”

Nakano Nino is the second sister of the quintuplets with a strong personality. She received comments, such as “I love the gap between her being Tsundere and her strong affection towards her sisters! I think her straight forward, aggressive love towards Fuutarou is well portrayed. She's a cute character that makes me want to root for her,” and “I love how she is true to her affection and feelings towards the protagonist.” There were also fans looking forward to the 2nd season of the TV anime which is scheduled to be broadcast in 2021.

■Here are some comments for other characters!
For Takasaka Kirino from “Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai”, “Her skill to draw out Kirino's Tsundere at 100% was amazing. Taketatsu-san nails the Tsundere voice!”
For Sawatari Fuu from “Tamayura”, “I was impressed by her performance as an ordinary high school student living in Takehara City, Hiroshima, depicting the 3 years of the character with her friends and others.”

For Ueda Azusa from “Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion”, “Though she didn't physically fight, I was fascinated by her supporting everyone with her power as a YouTuber, cheerfulness, and inquisitive personality.”

For Alina Gray from “Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story”, a title broadcast in 2020, “She is one of the most important characters in 'Magia Record'. Though she has an over-the-top personality, I thought her pursuing her art was cool and I love her for it.”

Various characters from her debut title to the latest titles have made it in the overall ranking.

■Top 10
[Who's Your Favorite Character Voiced by Taketastu Ayana? 2020 Edition]
1. Leafa (Kirigaya Suguha) “Sword Art Online”
2. Nakano Azusa “K-On!”
2. Nakano Nino “The Quintessential Quintuplets”
4. Takasaka Kirino “Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai”
5. Kooizumi-san “Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles”
6. Shidare Hotaru “Dagashi Kashi”
7. Itsuka Kotori “Date A Live”
8. Alina Gray “Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story”
8. Sumie Ako “Kiss×sis”
10. Gauche Le Mede “Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger”
10. Koshimizu Sachiko “The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls”
10. Shimada Alice “Girls und Panzer der Film”
10. Wakana Ui “My Wife is the Student Council President”

(Voting Period: Jun. 11 to Jun. 18, 2020)