Saiga Mitsuki, How GAR Thou Art…
I’ve been rather amused by recent comments on my Seiyuu Awards posts referring to Saiga Mitsuki’s physical appearance. The general consensus seems to be that she’s more ‘handsome’ than most of the male seiyuu population. Rather bishonen, if you like.
Mitsuki’s not the original ‘reverse trap’ though – Ogata Megumi was the one who originally made sleek pantsuits her trademark during the late ’90s and early ’00s. Then she shattered the cool dyke image by getting married.
Which leaves us with Saiga Mitsuki. She came to public prominence around 2002 after getting cast in major roles in a bunch of shows including .hack//Sign, King of Bandits Jing, Pita Ten and Get Backers. What did all of Saiga’s roles in those anime have in common? Yeap, they were all male characters. I immediately filed her name in a mental box alongside people like Paku Romi & Minagawa Junko, the fine ladies who voice a disproportionately large number of young/teenage male characters.
Unlike Paku-san & MinaJun (who both give off a ‘womanly’ air) though, Mitsuki’s public image is very similar to what she sounds like – it’s always T-shirts and jeans and hairspray and no lipstick. I think Namikawa Daisuke wears more make-up than Mitsuki does.
The most common terms I’ve heard being used to describe Mitsuki throughout the early part of the 00s were 男前 (otokomae, manly) or イケメン (ikemen, handsome) but thanks to 4ch (circa 2006) I’m now able to just able to call her SaiGar Mitsuki (最GAR) which honestly, is the most fitting nickname I’ve heard for a seiyuu ever.
Anyway, here’s 6 random thoughts I got from randomly thinking about Saigar:
1.Y-you don’t have to spread your legs so far apart!
By-product of being too used to wearing trousers I guess? I used to get scolded for sitting like that but I think people were actually more irritated by my foot-tapping habit than my perceived unladylike behaviour. Or that’s my excuse anyway. Since having to wear skirts for work and formal events, I’d like to think I’ve stamped out the habit. My knees are bunched up together tightly as I type this…
2.Questioning your sexuality
Girls liking Saigar – Let’s face it, you’re just gay. Don’t place your hopes on Saigar though. She’s a Johnny’s fan & Nagano Hiroshi of V6 is her ideal man (or so she claims).
Guys liking Saigar – You like reverse traps? Or just into dyke-types? This isn’t the same as a guy liking Hideyoshi obviously. It’s more like a guy admitting he likes Sailor Uranus.
3.Is this the kind of DFC I desire?
DFCs (that’s delicious flat chest to you, martians) and petanko are most often associated with underage girls so when you’re faced with somebody like Saigar, do you suddenly lose your appetite for DFCs? Or do you just take the D away from DFC, or change D from delicious to disgusting?
4.If Saigar was a 2D character, she’d be voiced by…
…Kaida Yuko. She’s got a stranglehold on those ‘older, much-admired’ princely onee-sama types – Ryuuken-sama in Maria Holic, Ootori ‘I love horses’ Amane-sama in Strawberry Panic, Tomoe onee-sama in Taisho Yakyu Musume etc etc. Somehow when I try to think of Saigar voicing similar characters the only face that pops into my mind is Maria Ross from Fullmetal Alchemist, and that is ewww.
5.So she’s a reverse trap who voices traps…
…that’s referring to Wolfram (Kyo Kara Maoh!) and Kei (Moyashimon). I think the one character that best represents Saiga herself is Yoite (Nabari no O). Who’s a hermaphrodite. Lovely.
6.Uncyclopedia is wonderful.
Its seiyuu articles are so wrong, yet so right. 性別は不明 (gender is undetermined) and 日本声優界屈指のふたなりである (err, futanari is probably the only word you need to pick out from that) are just some of the colourful phrases found on Saigar’s page.
What you can’t doubt though, is her immense talent. This is the person who did the voices of Makoto in Genshiken and Rossiu in Gurren Lagann after all. Not to mention the raging lesbian Hazuki Mina in Darker than Black, who had the hots for Misaki. Whoops, now I remember why I kept thinking Saigar + Nana was hawt – it was my brain subconsciously thinking Hazuki + Misaki…Hazuki + Misaki…Hazuki + Misaki…
Who wanted to do the Pocky Game with Saigar again?
Themocracy
NabaIto (or ItoNaba) should so “encourage” SaiGar to join their circle. There won’t be much there to grope, but at least with SaiGar they’ll get something that they don’t have yet….. a manservant (j/k):D
I’ll probably die from too much squeeing if SaiGar joins the NabaIto circle but the fanservice! OMG the fanservice!!! Highly appreciated!
Haha. Well they’re good friends anyway (same agency) but the idea of Saiga in a butler suit does seem rather appealing…
Was that Nana Mizuki or Yui Horie in the pocky game? Her hair makes me think Yukana
I really can’t tell based from the angle.
That aside, quite a helpful post in helping me identify Saiga Mitsuki. I guess most of my anime preference doesn’t have her cast as a major character which makes me quite unfamiliar with her, personality and talent-wise (my preferences are usually after rookie seiyus). At the least, I understand why ‘SaiGAR’ fits her well.
It’s Koyama Kimiko actually, refer to http://www.kurukuru.cc/new.html
Johnny fan? Ugh. Won’t stop me from kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-ing over her though.
harhar. There’s an unofficial Johnny’s/KAT-TUN fanclub amongst the female seiyuu where Naba is the leader & ppl like Sato Rina and Hirohashi Ryo are fervent members…so yeah.
Don’t remind me. ;_;
They should just be fans of each other and hang out more often. Moar fanservice-y pics!
>> I think Namikawa Daisuke wears more make-up than Mitsuki does.
- Man, the dood does his eyebrows. ffffff.
>> I think the one character that best represents Saiga herself is Yoite (Nabari no O). Who’s a hermaphrodite. Lovely.
- … Did you spoil me again… ;-;?
Oh Saigar, you make me believe that I could one day turn girly and wear sweet lolita outfits with how ikemen you are~
The Yoite thing is never mentioned in the anime AFAIK. It’s not a biggie anyway & doesn’t really make a significant plot point tbh
SaiGar was one of the first female seiyuu that actually tricked me into thinking she was male. Her role as Kyosuke in Soul Taker and Ten-chan in Pita Ten had me convinced that a teenage boy voiced them.
Later, I saw her on Nico Nico Douga being interviewed by Takahiro Sakurai, and she was flirting with him like a schoolgirl. SaiGar confuses me. Kei from Moyashimon is still my all-time favorite trap, though.
I’m thinking for just one day, just for a goof, just for shits and giggles, she give herself a complete makeover and try to look like a woman. Just for a good laugh. BTW(To partially quote Aerosmith) DADA DADA Lady looks like a duuuuuuuuuuuuuude.
“1.Y-you don’t have to spread your legs so far apart!”
Errrr… I think I normally sit like that. Is that wrong ?? *bricked*
me too, if that makes you feel any better.
actually, i do much worse, i do the sophisticated-man-legcross (http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/82637859.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=B3B7071D257FC0393CDF59E8D75BA5F106C158406E3E2AF1ACE41C1A6CE9B085), the foot tucked under my thigh legcross, and i tend to put my feet up on chairs and tables.
and i’m a girl. otokomae indeed…
Female seiyuu who do male voices fascinate me. You’re right, Paku Romi is attractive in a feminine way in real life, while SaiGar… well, she’s also attractive, but wow, what a male presentation.
I enjoyed her Rossiu and Wolfram quite a bit.
Had an “EEEEEE” moment when I saw the title. Saiga has such a unique voice which unfortunately is typecasted for boys even if her female roles are more than decent. Thanks for the addition facts about her.
(Is it weird I dream of the day when she wears a skirt?)
Hum I don’t remember this scene in Darker than Black 2. Could someone tell me which episodes ????
It’s in episode 4
For the longest time I thought Saiga-san was male. Probably few months after joining MAL club, I just realized that Saiga-san was a “she”