Kyōka - "Mekurumerukume"
Kyōka: visual novel voice actress, apparently.
That’s not me saying it, that’s her.
She bills herself as a galgame voice actress, but I’ve run into very few of the roles she’s actually played. The most famous are probably Hana Kana Hanahira
She’s billed as a galgame voice actress, but I’ve run into surprisingly few roles she’s actually played. The big ones are probably Hana Kana, Otomedomain, and more recently Tamayura Mirai. She also does bit parts in a bunch of games, and even in those she left an impression on me.
Why’d she leave an impression? Because I genuinely have no idea what her voice sounds like.
Every character she plays has a different voice, and the drama CDs she’s on use the voices of those characters, so there’s no way to tell what her real voice is like. And from what I know of voice actors, being able to do that only means one thing: she’s just that good.
That good, and all she gets is bit parts. Kind of rough.
She’s also got a hobby: singing. She actually went and released her own album, Mekurumerukume. I bought a copy, and I’ve been listening to it for over half a year now. Two words: goated.
Probably the best singer I’ve heard among galgame voice actresses — and no, Nanjō and Sakakibara don’t count.
So what makes this album so good? Let me pick out a few tracks.
Kyōka to wa Bishōjo Game Seiyū de Aru
Probably her most widely known song, and it’s sung in her most recognizable voice. As for what it’s about… just watch the MV. Yes, there’s an MV, low budget and all.
The lyrics are basically Kyōka describing what it’s like to be an eroge voice actress, plus a whole lot of snarking. It opens with what sounds like a job description at a blind date:
“My job? Uh… I do voice work for games… as a voice actress.” “What kind of games? …Uh… dating sims, I guess?” “Titles you’ve been in? …Well… that one… uh…” (a pile of game titles drifts by in the background: XX Slut, XX Milking, etc.) “You can’t say that stuff here!”
There’s plenty more in the song about how rough the job is:
“Voice acting looks easy, but it’s actually insanely hard! You have to get into the character, and with just a few lines you have to imagine the scene and what’s happening…” (followed by her sucking on her own finger — the standard way eroge voice actors fake it)
The whole thing is catchy as hell, full of parody, and has a real “making the best of a shit job” energy to it.
This one’s sung in Kyōka’s actual voice, I think — it’s the most relaxed her vocals get on the whole album.
The arrangement is genuinely great. It builds this Showa-era disco feel, and the arrangement and vocals sit together so well you’ll be bobbing along before you notice.
It also exposes her limits as a singer, though — the high notes and the runs on them are, uh, a struggle.
Can’t blame her, really. For a voice actress this is already plenty.
A straight-up J-pop track, and one of my favorites. Also sung in her own voice.
It’s an easier song, so she sounds completely comfortable on it.
Not much point in me describing it further. Just listen.
Close to anime-song territory, and it proves she can handle that style just fine. The song itself is okay — not as striking as the ones above, though.
Honestly, she tries something different on almost every track: rock, moe electronica, the works. Most of it just doesn’t land for me. Not bad, just not as standout as the rest. What I like best is when she sings in her own voice — she sounds like a rookie singer who just debuted, not like “a voice actress who pivoted.”
As far as eroge voice actresses go, Kyōka can really sing. Laser Beam especially, I could loop that all day.
Sample the album here: https://www.xiami.com/album/yhRS9Sd5404
Oh, right — why am I writing this up half a year later? Simple. I forgot.
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