Anime Anime Global

March 8 is Umehara Yuuichirou-san’s birthday.

He debuted as a voice actor in the 2010s and won the Best Rookie Actor in the 10th Seiyu Awards.

In the 2021 winter anime, he takes part in many titles, including “2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team”, “Skate-Leading Stars”, and “Heaven’s Design Team”.
And on his birthday, he released his 2nd photo book “Umehara Yuuichirou Photo Book: Umegoyomi ~Kanbai~”. The first photo book in 4 years is attracting much attention.

To celebrate his birthday, Anime!Anime! conducted the same survey as last year asking, “Who’s Your Favorite Character Voiced by Umehara Yuuichirou-san?” We received 181 votes during the survey period from February 15 to 28.
The voters were mainly female with a gender ratio of 80% female to 20% male, and the age range was on the younger side with 55% under 20 and 25% in their 20s.

■”Twisted Wonderland” Leona, a game character, made the top of the list
1st Place
Topping the list was Leona Kingscholar from “Disney: Twisted Wonderland” with roughly 13% of the votes.

Leona Kingscholar is the dorm leader of Savanaclaw of the prestigious magic training school, Night Raven College. Though having a languorous attitude, he actually is in a noble position as the 2nd prince of his home country.
Fans sent comments like, “I can’t resist the combination of his deep voice and the arrogant attitude!”, “I love how he looks languorous but has that arrogant, classic king-like attitude,” and “I love his acting when he snaps, and I think it complements his deep voice.”
This was a rare case of a character from a game, which hasn’t received an anime adaptation yet, taking 1st place in an Anime!Anime! survey.

2nd Place
Coming in 2nd was Hasumi Keito from “Ensemble Stars!” with roughly 10% of the votes, moving up from last year’s 3rd place.

Hasumi Keito is the vice president of the student council of Yumenosaki Private Academy. He received votes saying how they’re fascinated by not only his character but also his singing voice such as, “Of course, I love the songs of Akatsuki, the group Hasumi Keito belongs to, but how he’s strict to both himself and the people around him yet is kind to others also fascinates me. How he sometimes becomes awkward is also charming (laughs),” and “I can’t resist the gap between his regular deep voice and the higher pitch of his singing voice.”

3rp Place
Kamitani Hayato from “School Babysitters” ranked at 3rd, just a few votes shy of 2nd place.

The classmate of the protagonist Kashima Ryuuichi was popular for his cool looks and kind heart, “He’s awkward and quiet, but cherishes his family and friends.” He received votes such as, “He’s unfriendly, blunt, and is tough towards his little brother, Taka, but is actually very compassionate, and I love it!”, and “He’s a bit scary but I love how Kamitani is kind to his little brother and friends.”

■Here are some comments for other characters!
For Souma Kureno from “Fruits Basket” (2nd TV series), “I was amazed by how he portrays the kindness and fragility of Kureno-san. He skillfully uses his high tone and deep voice, and I love his breathes, tone of his voice, and the way he speaks.”
For Ryuuguuin Seiya from “Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious”, “Though the story itself is mostly comedic, his cool voice somehow matches fits in well. I think Umehara-san is the only one who can pull this off.”

For Mikawa Kuro from “Uchi Tama!? ~Uchi no Tama Shirimasen ka?~”, “A passionate yet, refreshing, likable dog. It was exhilarating like watching the Taisou no Oniisan.” (Taisou no Oniisan is a character in a Japanese children’s TV show)
For the Courier from “Akudama Drive”, “I was fascinated by the Courier, and I couldn’t resist the cuteness he shows from time to time,” and “I loved his cool way of life, and how his mind changed over time was impressing.”
This year’s ranking has changed drastically from last year.

Looking at the overall ranking, there were votes for characters from currently broadcasting titles like Aoki Misao from “2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team”, “It was refreshing to hear the combination of Umehara-san’s deep and stable voice and the Fukui dialect.”

■Overall Ranking
[Who’s Your Favorite Character Voiced by Umehara Yuuichirou-san? 2021 Edition]
1. Leona Kingscholar “Disney: Twisted Wonderland”
2. Hasumi Keito “Ensemble Stars!”
3. Kamiya Hayato “School Babysitters”
4. Souma Kureno “Fruits Basket” (2nd TV series)
5. Yufuin En “Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!”
6. Siegfried Kircheis “Legend of the Galactic Heroes: The New Thesis”
7. Fujii Takuma / Tiger The Dark “Tiger Mask W”
8. The Courier “Akudama Drive”
9. Goblin Slayer “Goblin Slayer”
10. Ryuuguuin Seiya “Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious”
11. Takajou Kyouji “The Idolmaster SideM”
11. Mitsuhide “Snow White with the Red Hair”
13. Kimura “Heaven’s Design Team”
13. Zoltan Akkanen “Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative”
15. Aoki Misao “2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team”
15. Ichijouji Teika “Magic-kyun! Renaissance”
15. Murase Dai “Tsukipro The Animation”

(Voting Period: February 18-25, 2021)