Tomokazu Seki has made a name for himself as a deep-voiced, hyper-masculine
leading man in voice roles such as Van Fanel in Vision of Escaflowne.
He's also turned himself into a comedian as Sagusa in full Metal Panic.
And he's played children in some series, and even has a role in the
revised version of the long-running, beloved Doraemon childrens' show.
So Seki has to be ready for nearly any sort of role that is suited for
his voice. "The strangest part of being a voice actor is that you
interact through the character you play," said seki. "Fans say you're
the guy who performs your favorite character, and I've been blessed
with good characters." Van from Escaflowne is one of those characters
that is played as a hero, and Seki's comments pointed him in the
direction of those who say the best Japanese heroes are people who are
not superheroes. "My idea of a hero is someone who is a very ordinary
guy. When at times of crisis people need help, he can stand up with his
head above the crowd and use his powers to the fullest. That's what I
saw in Van - it's more than the appearance, it's the strength of the
inner self to be very masculine and macho. That's what I thought of
doing."
By
contrast, Seki's role in Full Metal Panic (where Chris Patton has the
dub role) is played as a guy who wants to be macho, but doesn't quite
understand what's going on. "What's ordinary for Sagara Sosuske is what
he's known form his days on the battlefield, but that's what not what
can be considered normal for most people. That's where the comic relief
comes in. I play the character so he has his own pace and can keep that
pace intact." Pacing is the key to comedy, Seki said, noting that it's
too easy to make a minor error that takes the humor out of a line
reading that's intended to be funny. While English-speaking fans know
Seki best from his leading-man roles, in Japan he's part of the new
voice cast for Doraemon, the long-running tale of a boy and his robot
cat that is one of that nation's most popular series. "Since it's been
a long time favorite in Japan and I started watching it as a child,
it's strange to perform a role in a show I've been watching all my
life." As has happened with long-time American animation, the actors
who originated the roles have been replaced as they've aged with
younger performers, including Seki. "The mental factor i n that is that
I don't feel different, but I feel the pressure from the viewers, since
people know what the role sounded like before." Seki's approach to the
role is to add his own interpretation to a voice that sounds like the
original performer.
Tomokazu Seki has made a name for himself as a deep-voiced, hyper-masculine
leading man in voice roles such as Van Fanel in Vision of Escaflowne.
He's also turned himself into a comedian as Sagusa in full Metal Panic.
And he's played children in some series, and even has a role in the
revised version of the long-running, beloved Doraemon childrens' show.
So Seki has to be ready for nearly any sort of role that is suited for
his voice. "The strangest part of being a voice actor is that you
interact through the character you play," said seki. "Fans say you're
the guy who performs your favorite character, and I've been blessed
with good characters." Van from Escaflowne is one of those characters
that is played as a hero, and Seki's comments pointed him in the
direction of those who say the best Japanese heroes are people who are
not superheroes. "My idea of a hero is someone who is a very ordinary
guy. When at times of crisis people need help, he can stand up with his
head above the crowd and use his powers to the fullest. That's what I
saw in Van - it's more than the appearance, it's the strength of the
inner self to be very masculine and macho. That's what I thought of
doing."
By
contrast, Seki's role in Full Metal Panic (where Chris Patton has the
dub role) is played as a guy who wants to be macho, but doesn't quite
understand what's going on. "What's ordinary for Sagara Sosuske is what
he's known form his days on the battlefield, but that's what not what
can be considered normal for most people. That's where the comic relief
comes in. I play the character so he has his own pace and can keep that
pace intact." Pacing is the key to comedy, Seki said, noting that it's
too easy to make a minor error that takes the humor out of a line
reading that's intended to be funny. While English-speaking fans know
Seki best from his leading-man roles, in Japan he's part of the new
voice cast for Doraemon, the long-running tale of a boy and his robot
cat that is one of that nation's most popular series. "Since it's been
a long time favorite in Japan and I started watching it as a child,
it's strange to perform a role in a show I've been watching all my
life." As has happened with long-time American animation, the actors
who originated the roles have been replaced as they've aged with
younger performers, including Seki. "The mental factor i n that is that
I don't feel different, but I feel the pressure from the viewers, since
people know what the role sounded like before." Seki's approach to the
role is to add his own interpretation to a voice that sounds like the
original performer.
