The "sophomore album curse" is a well known worry for musicians around the world. After a strong debut album, expectations rise, labels start being attached to an artist and there's a lot of pressure to perform on the same level to avoid disappointing fans. And while most 2nd albums face that curse or a difficult release, these seiyuu artists actually turned things around and ensured their 2nd album was not only better than their first, but easily one of their best albums ever.Join me for this episode of SEIYUU LOUNGE covering:

- Yuma Uchida "Equal"

- Soma Saito "in bloom"

- Toshiki Masuda "Origin"

- UMake "Tripper"This is an unscripted episode of the podcast.

He dazzled with a beautiful acappella for the anime NO.6, he was dazzling everyone performing live songs from the Prince of Tennis character song series, he was impressing everyone for Rejet's Wolves Saga character song CDs. He was on par with Mamoru Miyano and KISHOW in his prime, before a health scare pushed him away from singing for years to focus on recovery after a particulary sensitive procedure to his vocal chords.In this episode, join me as I revisit what made Hosoya Yoshimasa, my favorite singer among male seiyuu in the early 2010's and how I believe he was bound to get a solo debut and that, today, he'd be the face of aoppella?!.This is an unscripted episode of the podcast.

Time to talk about Sir Vanity's first compilation EP, "Timeless". This collection of rock tunes featured as the theme songs for the stage play for "Tokyo Revengers" is filled with bangers and some of the coolest rock songs the band has released so far.This is an unscripted episode of the podcast.

Let's dive into Shoya Chiba's 1st album and explore why it's one of my favorite releases of 2025! Get ready for an laidback album review that highlights the standout tracks and must listen moments (but really, go check the album out, it's amazing!)

We're already well in the last three months of the year and there are so many artists I hope will grace us with new music before we welcome 2026.This episode was recorded a week before Soma Saito announced the release of "Nuance", his 4th EP - so you'll hear a ton of excitement there but little did Vanessa from the past know that, in the week after, Saito would announce the EP hahahaThis is an unscripted episode of the podcast.

What if you could listen to your favorite seiyuu artists for the first time? A pity that is not possible so the closest thing I can bring you is my friend Kotaro Nishio  @konbini.nihongo.podcast  to discover seiyuu artists and 2D groups and share what he feels about them, details about the writing, the music composition and even cultural details that may have gone under the radar for most of us.This is part 5 of 5.This is an unscripted episode of the podcast.

What if you could listen to your favorite seiyuu artists for the first time? A pity that is not possible so the closest thing I can bring you is my friend Kotaro Nishio  @konbini.nihongo.podcast  to discover seiyuu artists and 2D groups and share what he feels about them, details about the writing, the music composition and even cultural details that may have gone under the radar for most of us.This is part 4 of 5.This is an unscripted episode of the podcast.

What if you could listen to your favorite seiyuu artists for the first time? A pity that is not possible so the closest thing I can bring you is my friend Kotaro Nishio  @konbini.nihongo.podcast  to discover seiyuu artists and 2D groups and share what he feels about them, details about the writing, the music composition and even cultural details that may have gone under the radar for most of us.This is part 3 of 5.This is an unscripted episode of the podcast.

What if you could listen to your favorite seiyuu artists for the first time? A pity that is not possible so the closest thing I can bring you is my friend Kotaro Nishio  @konbini.nihongo.podcast  to discover seiyuu artists and 2D groups and share what he feels about them, details about the writing, the music composition and even cultural details that may have gone under the radar for most of us.This is part 2 of 5.This is an unscripted episode of the podcast.

What if you could listen to your favorite seiyuu artists for the first time? A pity that is not possible so the closest thing I can bring you is my friend Kotaro Nishio  ⁨@konbini.nihongo.podcast⁩  to discover seiyuu artists and 2D groups and share what he feels about them, details about the writing, the music composition and even cultural details that may have gone under the radar for most of us.This is an unscripted episode of the podcast.

Time flies by! The Hand That Feeds HQ (THTFHQ) celebrates its 15th anniversary in August and to celebrate this big milestone, let's hold a 1h30 livestream to answer your questions, talk about what's going on at THTFHQ and talk about male seiyuu and 2D music.We've talked about best singers among male seiyuu, best 2D groups vocals quality-wise, a random story of I saw Yuya Hirose while I was in Japan in 2019 and many other things.

Makoto Furukawa's newest mini-album has arrived to sweep me off my feet with the perfect blend of jazz, R&B and rock music! In this episode of Seiyuu Lounge, let's talk about "Catch me if you can" and how this is - currently - my album of 2025.

Fans of 2D groups and 2D music project dread this conversation: a project or group ending.

But one thing is the project or group ending when they are in a negative trajectory - be it popularity, quality of the music or interest about the project or group - and another is ending on a high and being remembered for all the awesome things they did and how amazing they sounded.

In this episode, let me share when I think is the right time to end a 2D music project or group and give you some arguments from the business, marketing, storytelling and fan perspectives.This is an unscripted episode of the podcast.

If you're new to male seiyuu music and wondering where to start, this episode is your go-to guide. In the final part, I'm going to introduce you to the intricate singer-songwriters and conceptual artists you should check (and will make you stop to think, study and theorize) - Toshiyuki Toyonaga, Makoto Furukawa and Soma Saito - covering their styles, career highlights, and unique qualities. Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:05 Diving into Technical and Complex Music01:56 The Art of Singer-Songwriters03:38 Introducing Toshiyuki Toyonaga11:34 Makoto Furukawa: The Jazz Virtuoso24:17 Soma Saito: The "Final Boss" of Male Seiyuu Artists40:09 Conclusion

If you're new to male seiyuu music and wondering where to start, this episode is your go-to guide. In part 2, I'm going to introduce you to citypop, pop-rock and acoustic rock artists you should check - Kent Ito, Shugo Nakamura and Shoya Chiba - covering their styles, career highlights, and unique qualities. Timestamps:00:00 Introduction and Overview01:50 Exploring Kent Ito's Musical Journey08:16 The Warmth of Shugo Nakamura's Acoustic Pop Rock15:41 The Bold Debut of Shoya Chiba24:27 Conclusion

If you're new to male seiyuu music and wondering where to start, this episode is your go-to guide. In part 1, I'm going to introduce you to easy-listening pop artists you should check - Mamoru Miyano, Yuma Uchida and Shouta Aoi - covering their styles, career highlights, and unique qualities. Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:11 Overview of Must-Listen Artists01:32 Diverse Music Styles and Recommendations02:40 Starting with Easy Listening: Mamoru Miyano08:02 Yuma Uchida: Emotional and Versatile12:50 Shouta Aoi: The EDM Pop Sensation20:16 OutroThis is an unscripted episode of the podcast.

In this episode, let's talk about my passion for collecting physical CDs, especially from my favorite male seiyuu artists and 2D groups. This is an unscripted episode in which I will be geeking a lot about the joys of collecting and the significant details that make physical media special to me.Timestamps00:00 Introduction00:19 Why I Collect CDs01:04 The Value of Physical Media03:31 Challenges and Arguments Against Physical Media08:10 The Joy of Collecting14:04 Digital vs. Physical Media24:37 Supporting Artists Through Purchases28:30 Conclusion

Yuki Kaji, Junichi Suwabe and Jun Fukuyama have been advocating against AI as it starts proliferating in Japan without any regulations whatsoever.Picking up from last week, we're joined by Emmanuelle, an AI and Digital Law expert currently writing her thesis on AI and its impact in the Voice Acting industry.In this episode, we explore the legal ramifications surrounding AI and copyright, the dangers of scams utilizing voice cloning technology, and the need for regulation in the face of deepfakes.This is an unscripted episode of the podcast. This is part 2 of 2.

Yuki Kaji, Junichi Suwabe and Jun Fukuyama have been advocating against AI as it starts proliferating in Japan without any regulations whatsoever.

With that in mind, in this and the next episode, I'm joined by Emmanuelle, an AI and Digital Law expert currently writing her thesis on AI and its impact in the Voice Acting industry.

In this episode, we delve into the implications of AI voice cloning, discussing its eerie nature, cultural impacts, and the challenges it poses to the creative process. This is an unscripted episode of the podcast. This is part 1 of 2.

Thanks to Emmanuelle for guesting on this episode of the podcast!

Kotaro Nishio, a friend of mine who's also a Japanese language tutor - has been teaching with me for a year - and content creator with the podcast  @konbini.nihongo.podcast  joins us to talk about the visibility of seiyuu music, the typical workday for Japanese people, and cultural practices such as bathing and etiquette. We highlight the differences in fan engagement between seiyuu and J-Pop, as well as the unique experiences of living in Japan compared to other countries + answer your questions. Thank you so much for sending your questions!👉 Get a 70% off on your first lesson with Kotaro if you sign up from this link: https://preply.com/en/?pref=MTUzOTcyNDU=&id=1749306274.182591&ep=w1