July 28 is Nakamura Shugo’s birthday.
Nakamura Shugo made his debut as a voice actor in the 2010s. He won the Best New Actors award in the 13th Seiyu Awards. In 2021, he appears in “TSUKIPRO THE ANIMATION2” and other titles, and he is in charge of MC on “WEEKEND” of “Say You to Yoasobi”.
He debuted as an artist in 2019. He has released his 1st album “NATURAL” and 4th single “Kowareta Sekaii no Byoushin wa” on his birthday this year.
To celebrate his birthday, Anime!Anime! conducted a reader survey titled ‘Who is your favorite character played by Nakamura Shugo?’. During the survey period from July 11 to 18, a total of 179 responses were received. For the gender ratio, the females were the majority with about 90% while the males were about 10%. For the age distribution, we received the majority of responses from readers of young ages: about 40% were teens, and about 40% were in their 20s.
■Anime, games, stages… Various characters have been ranked in!
1st place
1st place went to Tendou Teru from “The Idolmaster: SideM”. The support rating was about 55%.
Tendou Teru is an idol who has a background as a lawyer and belongs to “DRAMATICSTARS”, a unit of three. His strong sense of justice seems to fascinate the fans, and the comments received are, “Shugo-san’s warm voice and his convincing play, inspired by his rich life experience, perfectly matches Teru”, “His name itself well represents his personality just like the sun that brings to light, and Shugo-san’s voice matches such personality. His stable singing voice is wonderful and leads other idols as a center”, and “Teru-san is straightforward and enthusiastic, but gentle and supportive at the same time. I like his voice and performance”.
Since this was Nakamura-san’s first work, some readers see him in the character, saying, “Teru is the first character for Nakamura-san to play, so I feel as if they were working together in their life”, “Nakamura-san’s wonderful singing skills and him leading other members to liven up live performances are just like Teru”.
The character topped the list, showing the overwhelming strength of the winning majority of votes.
2nd place
2nd place went to Kuga Issei from “TSUKIPRO THE ANIMATION”. The support rating was about 10%.
Kuga Issei is a member of QUELL, a unit of four. The readers seem to be attracted by his cool but passionate feelings, saying “He initially seemed inexperienced and quiet person, but he actually has various aspects such as giving his opinions on the theme of his interest, having an inquiring mind, and taking good care of Ichiru, his twin brother”, “Shugo-san’s play perfectly recreates Issei’s delicate and gentle personality. On the live-performances, I can catch a glimpse of his strength in his kindness”.
The TV anime “TSUKIPRO THE ANIMATION 2” is currently on air.
The characters with completely opposite personalities have been ranked top-2.
3rd place
3rd place went to Nakatani Shuji from “AD-LIVE 2020”. The support rating was about 8%.
This is a character that he played in “AD-LIVE”, an improvisation stage play. The readers seem to be surprised by his performance, saying “I was surprised by the development of this improvisation story and the fact that Nakamura Shugo-san himself had created this role”, and “I cannot imagine that this character is an improvisation character. I want everyone to watch this to see Nakamura-san’s talent”.
Let’s Go Nakamura, who he played in “AD-LIVE ZERO” held in 2019, also won some votes. The characters from stage plays have ranked top3, which is rare for the Anime!Anime! surveys.
■Let’s introduce other comments!!
Takashima Tomoki from “Outburst Dreamer Boys”
“I like his gap that he can only love 2-dimensions even though he has a good-looking. I was glad to see his reaction just like ours.”
Stork from “Caligula Overdose”
“His looking and way of speaking are extremely odd, but I somehow got attached to him while playing the game. The featured song ‘Love Scope’ has a right degree of weirdness, and I love it.”
Shinkai Fukami from “aoppella!?”
“I like the gap that he is in charge of vocal percussion and good at karate, even though he looks calm and speaks in a gentle manner.”
“I knew that he was good at singing, but I did not imagine that he was also good at vocal percussion!”
Frank from “Find Me in Paris”
The readers also voted for an overseas drama, with comments like “This is a dubbed version of an overseas drama. His voice and perfectly matches the performance, and I really like it.”
In this survey, various characters have ranked from a game, drama CD, and stage play, as well as anime.
■Ranking Top10
[Who is your favorite character played by Nakamura Shugo?]
1. Tendou Teru “The Idolmaster: SideM”
2. Kuga Issei “TSUKIPRO THE ANIMATION”
3. Nakatani Shuji “AD-LIVE 2020”
4. Shinkai Fukami “aoppella!?”
5. Takashima Tomoki “Outburst Dreamer Boys”
6. Chatannakiri “Touken Ranbu -Online-”
6. Kirisaki Shidou “MILGRAM”
6. Stork “Caligula Overdose”
9. Inui Tomomi “Riajuu no Ore ga, Inkyara no Geboku ni Natta Hanashi Suru?”
9. Orikawa Yuuri “Maison Half Dozen”
9. Tenjin Haruto “On Air!”
(Survey Period: July 11 – July 18, 2021)
*This survey is intended to research the readers’ “interest in anime and characters today”. It is not intended to discuss the relative merits of each character nor work. I would be glad if this article can help you develop an understanding and interest in the anime and characters.
■All the Characters that Won Votes
[Who is your favorite character played by Nakamura Shugo?]
Tendou Teru “The Idolmaster: SideM”
Kuga Issei “TSUKIPRO THE ANIMATION”
Nakatani Shuji “AD-LIVE 2020”
Shinkai Fukami “aoppella!?”
Takashima Tomoki “Outburst Dreamer Boys”
Chatannakiri “Touken Ranbu -Online-”
Stork “Caligula Overdose”
Kirisaki Shidou “MILGRAM”
Inui Tomomi “Riajuu no Ore ga, Inkyara no Geboku ni Natta Hanashi Suru?”
Orikawa Yuuri “Maison Half Dozen”
Tenjin Haruto “On Air!”
Momose “Otogi No Uta: Chronicle”
Tandrion “Atelier Online: Alchemists of Braceir”
Fuckshit “Mid90s”
Frank “Find Me in Paris”
Let’s Go Nakamura “AD-LIVE ZERO”