If not for the single reason that Yui-sama is the lead, I probably wouldn’t have taken a second peek at this, and as she usually does, Yui-sama brings this series to more than just watchable fodder.

*spoilers warning begin here*

Ikito, a teenage boy with some father-inferiority issues, is stranded on an island strictly inhabited by females, mostly of the young, teenage variety (except the obaba, who is everyone’s “grandma”… kinda…). With no way of leaving this island because of some funky currents, Ikito is now blessed/cursed to live with these ladies with, um, a healthy dose of libido. One of them is Suzu (Yui-sama), the typical innocent, pretty girl with long hair, et cetera, et cetera, who takes him into her own home. Lots of embarrassing moments occur (at least in Ikito’s mind), and other girls try to win him for herself. There is Machi, the local shrine’s miko, who is apparently into voodooism and all sorts of torturing; the silent but deadly type. Her younger sister, Ayane, is the self-proclaimed rival of Suzu, but always loses to her. There’s Rin, the tomboyish one who calls Ikito her “danna” (husband), there’s Yukino, the youngest one who has a special bond with her animals, and Chikage, who is obsessed with scientific experiments and probably just wants Ikito for research purposes. Hilarity ensues over the chasing of the single male but usually Suzu comes out on top.

*spoilers end here*

Okay, let’s talk seiyuus (talk to me about seiyuus and you’ll never hear the end of me lol).

Suzu: Yui Horie. I don’t think I have to say anything else. Another amazing performance, just as expected. I love it when she becomes ecstatic when someone mentions “mame-daifuku” (red-bean made little desserts), yappari Yui-sama totemo kawaii na! You can call me biased (and I’ll freely admit that I am) but there is no one that is probably more fitting for this role than she would. The only one who comes to mind that would be suited to this sort of role is Mai Nakahara, but side-by-side Mai-chan (who has my utmost respect as one of my favourites) does not really come close to Yui-sama. Natsuko Kuwatani (in her Sister Princess voice) is also a possibility, but she hasn’t led a series since… well, Sister Princess, and that was way back in ‘01 (wow, has it been that long already?). N.B. She is the only one retained from the Drama CDs released from way back in ‘04 and ‘05.

Machi: Mikako Takahashi. Ahh, it’s also been a while since I’ve watched her work, namely in Excel Saga and Hand Maid May. And who doesn’t like Excel Saga? ^^ I felt she is very suited for her role as the sadistic and soft-spoken Machi, a much better choice than from the Drama’s Masumi Asano. Score this one for the new cast.

Ayane: Saeko Chiba. One look at the Drama’s original cast of Yukari Tamura, you would’ve thought this was definitely a downgrade. Not so. Saeko Chiba (who, admittedly, I have not heard much of except from Kujibiki Unbalance OVA as Ritsuko) does a wonderful job as the annoying brat who constantly tries to derail Suzu. Lovely job, though I’m positive Yukari-chan is no slouch and could probably do this just as well, if not better. Let’s call this a draw.

Chikage: Shizuka Itou. Tama-nee, you grace us with your presence. Gotta love Tama-nee, there’s just something about Shizuka that works well for Chikage. This is certainly a very different choice when compared to Ai Nonaka, the original Chikage. While it seems like every character Ai-chan does is always my favourite character (Mikan-chan, Tokino, Konoka), I wouldn’t think she would fit this sort of character like Tama— I meant Shizuka. This one goes to the new cast.

Yukino: Shizuka Hasegawa. The only time I’ve heard her is from Futakoi Alternative as Ruru, and that doesn’t really count since that show kinda blows. She is decent as the young child Yukino, but that’s just it, average, ordinary. The original is Rie Kugimiya of Shana fame, and also casts currently as Nagi of Hayate no Gotoku. No contest here, Rie takes this one easily. P.S. I’m oh-so-disappointed that she wasn’t retained as Iori in iDOLMaster: Xenoglossia from the Xbox variety.

Rin: Ryoko Shiraishi. This is your typical tomboy voice, but for the first 2 episodes, I thought this was done by Marina Inoue (Getsumen to heiki Mina’s Mina, Mucchi in Manabi Straight), and I would’ve been much happier if that was true. Still, Ryoko is Ryoko so it ain’t all bad. Ryoko could probably pull off Ikito and possibly come out on top lol. The original is the similarly-voiced Yuu Asakawa, and frankly I’m tired of hearing her voice. Ryoko by a few lengths.

Score:
3 for the new cast
1 for the original cast
1 tie

There you have it: a comfortable victory for the new cast. Kudos on the casting crew who looked for the seiyuus (and retaining the most vital one ^^). Because of the seiyuu work, this series becomes very enjoyable and definitely deserves a look; yes, the story is cheesy and overdone, but there are laughs to be had and, if like me, you appreciate high-quality seiyuus, then this is worth seeing. Who knows, maybe the plot will unfold into something good. I’m still only beginning the manga (there are already 9 volumes) so I’ll get a better sense of what that’s like, but all in all, Airantou is an above-average series which would make for good viewing; just don’t expect surprising plot-twists or anything.

~Seitokaicho Manabi~

Tags: nagasarete airantou, seiyuu, yui

Category: Episode Synopsis