Top 10 favorite Japanese actress/voice actress

[LordChiakiTani]

#1
Yuka Hirata ( Mele Sama ) Jyuken Sentai GekiRanger
#2
Morita Suzuka ( Kotoha Hanaori ) Morita Suzuka
#3
Irie Saaya ( girl from Hell Girl)
#4
Sayuri Iwata (Enma Ai- Hell Girl)
#5
Erika Sawajiri ( Kaoru Amane - Taiyou no Uta)
#6
Miyuu Sawai (Sailormoon - Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon)
#7
Miyu Azama (Sailor Jupiter - Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon)
#8
Shibasaki Kou (Rin From Shaolin Girl)
#9
Chieko Kawabe ( Naru - Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon)
#10
Nakama Yukie( Yamaguchi Kumiko - Gokusen Live action)

[PyronIkari]

You realize most people on here can't name 10 actresses in Japan. And what is this a measure of, how much you like them only?

Because realistically, your list is horrid. Most of those girls can't act worth crap and the fact that they're all from ota-shows, is only more proof of that.

[LordChiakiTani]

By the way, so what if they are horrible, they are bad at acting so that means they will still get better in the future, come on if you complain about them sucks then why don't you act and let other people criticized you jeez i am just saying any 10 of your favorite Japanese actress couldn't be that hard right? I bet you haven't even saw half of the actress in my list and you already probably criticized of what they said because they might be pretty.

[Jun-Watarase]

By the way, so what if they are horrible, they are bad at acting so that means they will still get better in the future, come on if you complain about them sucks then why don't you act and let other people criticized you jeez i am just saying any 10 of your favorite Japanese actress couldn't be that hard right? I bet you haven't even saw half of the actress in my list and you already probably criticized of what they said because they might be pretty.

I'm a bit confused by what you've said... Criticizing them because he hasn't seen them, and that they might be pretty...?

Though, really, you can like what you like-- Everyone's taste differs, but most of the shows you've listed are immensely sub-par, along with the actresses you've listed within them. You realize, most people wouldn't even watch these shows if it weren't for their anime-related counterparts.

Everyone on your list barely has done any other role than the series you've mentioned. Morita Suzuka is barely even considered an idol. The only one who probably has a recognizable following would be Kawabe Chieko. And even then, most of her fame is from Sailor Moon and her anime theme songs, and the fact that she's "foreign", and she's possibly the more attractive one on your list in comparison to everyone there. I don't even know why a lot of these would be on anyone's top list. Iwata Sayuri, her most notable role was probably in Jigoku Shoujo, which had a decent following in China because of the animation, it was because of the content. Not because of her. A role as Enma Ai doesn't ask much of her. She's a young actress, which is understandable, but she is far from what would be called a "skilled actress".

So with that, you put up an opinion on a public forum... on the internet, you're not in the position to expect a void of the possibility of criticism-- especially when you're making a thread on... favorite actresses, where you'd assume someone would list actresses based on their actual acting skill.

[cortana]

Oh god. he listed saaya irie. the girl whose main claim to fame is that she had HUGE BREASTS at age 12. At least he got Nakama Yukie in the list, at least she's an actress and not a gravure model making some cash on the side. Shibasaki Kou and Sawajiri Erika are real actresses too. The rest, not so much, if at all. Sure, they're pretty. But watching them act is like watching a bunch of 8 year olds try to play doctor. A bunch of naked and nothing really happens.

[Meirin]

lol y so srs
Ueno Juri
Ueno Juri
Ueno Juri
Ueno Juri
Ueno Juri
Ueno Juri
Ueno Juri
Ueno Juri
Ueno Juri
and Horikita Maki

As for seiyuu, in no particular order
Tanaka Rie
Kuwashima Houko
Inoue Marina
Shiraishi Ryouko
Sawashiro Miyuki
Hirohashi Ryou
Itou Shizuka (lololol masterful yuri-harem oneesan)
Chiwa Saito
Mizuki Nana
and of course, Chihara Minori. ハァハァ

[mDuo13]

I think I'll inject a little more serious seiyuu discussion into this thread. Though, really, Tsubasa is more of an expert than I am in this sort of thing; I've only started being able to put names together with faces relatively recently.

My top three are Noto Mamiko, Makino Yui, and Nakahara Mai.

Noto Mamiko has done a lot of roles. The ones where I first remember noticing her incredibly gentle, delightful voice were Nodoka from Mahou Sensei Negima and Nina Fortner from Monster. (I also realized she had played Yuuka in Elfen Lied, and a few other roles here and there.) Since then, I've spotted her in a lot more roles, including Ichinose Kotomi in Clannad, Shimako from Maria-sama ga Miteru, Rin from Mnemosyne, and other roles of varying importance. She has one of the most unique voices I've heard, with a distinct softspoken quality, but she's still able to take on different roles for different characters. I say she singlehandedly made Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu a watchable show by providing the title character such a wonderful voice.

Makino Yui is a voice I don't get to hear nearly often enough. I heard her in her modern debut role as Sakura from Tsubasa Chronicles, where she has a really authentic voice. She also has a really gentle quality to her voice, though it's different from Noto Mamiko's, and she's a great singer (as demonstrated in Tsubasa Chronicle insert songs and ARIA OPs).

Nakahara Mai caught my attention by voicing Mai from My-HiME. I later found out she also played Rena from Higurashi and Nagisa in Clannad, a diversity of roles that I find fascinating. She has, then, a great range while maintaining the qualities that make her voice pleasing to listen to as well. One of my frustrations with Tales of Vesperia is that the American release doesn't include the Japanese voice tracks wherein she plays my favorite character, Estelle. She's less softspoken than either Noto Mamiko or Makino Yui, because she has a bit more vigor to her voice.

Other names whose voices I'm able or learning to recognize and appreciate include Inoue Kikuko (voice of Belldandy and a host of similar roles), Kugumiya Rie (whose typecasting is practically enough to create an entire genre of shows including Shakugan no Shana, Zero no Tsukaima, and arguably even Hayate no Gotoku!, though I think her more serious roles in ToraDora! and as Touko in Marimite - especially the 4th season - demonstrate that she has more versatility and skill than the previously-mentioned shows demand of her), Saito Chiwa (Aika from ARIA, Hazuki from Tsukuyomi ~Moon Phase~, and Mami from Marimite), Hirano Aya (Haruhi, Misa from Death Note, and Yuki from White Album, among others), and Ueda Kana (Tohsaka Rin from Fate/stay night, Yumi of Maria-sama ga Miteru, Hayate from Nanoha A's and StrikerS).

I'm encountering familiar seiyuu more and more these days, and paying more attention to them than before, so there are a lot of voices I currently sort-of-know that I'll eventually learn by name.

Also, I've neglected to mention any dudes. I have to confess, the first voices I learned to name upon hearing were actually guys - Nakata George (Alucard, the Count of Monte Cristo, and Melty Blood's Nero Chaos to name a few) especially; his incredibly deep and profound voice is a favorite of mine. Wakamoto Norio (Onsokumaru from 2x2=Shinobuden, the narrator from Hayate no Gotoku, and the Emperor from Code Geass) is another really distinctive voice; he's just such a ham that you can't help but love it. In fact, Wakamoto Norio may be the voice most easily recognized in any and every side-role he gets. Then there's Sugiyama Noriaki, whose name I tend to forget but whose voice is consistent in many roles including Sasuke from Naruto, Ishida from Bleach, Shirou from Fate/stay night, and the opposing team's pitcher in Ookiku Furikabutte. He has an obnoxiously nasal voice, which is not to my liking, but he does some OK work here and there. Sakaguchi Daisuke (Sunohara from Clannad) is a little more likable and also sounds identical when he appears elsewhere. Nakamura Yuuichi also sounds pretty similar from role to role (Okazaki Tomoya in Clannad, Alto in Macross Frontier, and Abe in Oofuri) but I actually like his voice a lot so that's OK in my book - he has a sort of reassuringly friendly quality to it.

So there you have some voices who are best known as voices - in fact, one of my least favorite things is to see the faces behind the voices. (Generally, they're just... not that good looking. And why should they be? They're voice actors for a reason.) I mean, on occasion some of them are actually attractive (Hirano Aya for example), but that's not why I appreciate them.

[Sunara Ishi]

I'm slowly learning which ones I like. But I tend to notice now which ones I tend to like over and over again.

My tops are Miyano Mamoru, Mizuki Nana and Noto Mamiko.

Girls:
Mizuki Nana: Lots and lots of fave roles. Lydia, Allison, and others.
Noto Mamiko: Many fave roles including Rin, Enma Ai, and Hecate.
Hayashibara Megumi: Pai! <3 Lime, and other awesome roles.
Hirohashi Ryou: Alice~ and others.
Kozakura Etsuko: Ryo-ohki!!! and Coquelicot. >.<
Sakamoto Maaya: Fave roles Chrona, Ciel and Shiki.
Kobayashi Sanae: Ennis, Rahzel, and Reiko. >.<
Nonaka Ai: Fuko and Ichijo. XD

Guys:
Miyano Mamoru: Death the Kid, L.A., Kiba, etc.
Sakurai Takahiro: Kusuriuri, Alzeid, Loki, etc.

Of course there are other voice actors I like;

Additional guys:
Ishida Akira (Xellos)
Kiuchi Hidenobu (Hei and Ren)
Morikawa Toshiyuki (Sephiroth and Keifer)
Koyasu Takehito (Il Palazzo and Ukyo)

Additional girls:
Sawashiro Miyuki (Mint, Puchiko, and Aruruu), Tamura Yukari (Rika), Sanada Asami (Vita), Horie Yui (Hanyuu and Ayu), Kugimiya Rie (Taiga and Shana), Saito Chiwa (Aika), Kanai Mika (Shiina, Vanilla, and Normad), and some others.

Its really hard for me to decide on my top 10. @.@ It seems I like a lot of the popular ones... >.>; But not because they are popular. But certain ones I tend to like their music more; even if I like their voices in their seiyuu roles.

[Tsubasa]

My seiyuu tiers:
S+: Minami Omi, Noto Mamiko
S: Itou Miki, Ochiai Yurika, Makino Yui,  Kadowaki Mai, Fuchizaki Yuriko, Goto Yuko, MAKO
A: Tamura Yukari, Ueda Kana, Mizuki Nana, Nakahara Mai, Sakamoto Maaya, Kuwashima Houko

It'd be kinda worthless to go below A, so I'll stop there.

Top of top has to be Minami Omi.  Long time favorite of mine.  IMO, quite possibly the cutest voice ever.  There's just something about her voice that's so compelling.  She's more of a 90's seiyuu, but in more recent years, she had some major exposure in Geass as Euphemia li Britannia.

Noto Mamiko.  I don't really need to say why I like her cause everyone likes her, probably for fairly similar reasons.  Something I respect about her is that she has a wider range than most people initially give her credit for.  Fumoffu hotsprings episode.  Shinji.  Amazing performance.

S tier are basically voices I love without need for any associations.  They are in no particular order.

A tier are voices that those that are really boosted by character associations.  They are, likewise, in no particular order.

Male seiyuu don't have such a structured ranking as my female list.  All I know is top is Midorikawa Hikaru.  Notables: Nakata George, Fukuyama Jun, Seki Tomokazu, and Sugita Tomokazu.