Making Noise with Trusty Bell
Announced at the Tokyo Game Show in 2006, Bandai Namco’s next generation RPG offering, Trusty Bell ～ショパンの夢～ was a tantalising prospect. Even more enticing was finding out that Hirano Aya had been cast as the female lead character, Polka. But that was then and this is now. Fast forward 9 months, Trusty Bell is out and we, here at seiyuu3, have seen and heard more than enough of Hirano Aya.
There are some roles that Hirano Aya is very suited to. Haruhi springs instantly to mind. However there are roles that she clearly cannot do right now. And Polka is one of those.
Polka is of the tragic archetype. Struggling to be accepted, “make herself useful” as she puts it and most heart-wrenchingly, she’s dying from an incurable disease. You want to feel for her and empathise knowing her situation. But early on in the game Aya’s characterisation, which is to say her “default voice”, starts to become at odds with Polka’s character. Now all those people who love her breathy, throaty, Hirano Aya specific noises will adore this game because that is exactly what Polka sounds like for the entire game. But that’s issue here. We’ve all heard it before. It doesn’t always suit the role she’s given. And after all, we want to hear acting. The hallmark of great voice acting is only realising who played that role when reading the credits at the end. And I’m afraid Aya just isn’t there yet.
This is not to say Aya won’t ever get there. In the earlier parts of Trusty Bell there are glimpses, moments where she hits the mark and shows potential. However, disappointingly, those were few and far between. And so her performance ends up serving as much more of a distraction from the game experience and takes away from an otherwise solid cast.
I wouldn’t say this is entirely her fault. Bear in mind the recording for Trusty Bell was probably done more than 6 months ago and possibly in amongst her many other roles she was cast in. After witnessing most of those over the last few months, I can say this: Aya is getting the variety of roles she needs to develop her acting, but I believe she’s just doing too many at the same time. She simply can’t give enough time developing her voice for a particular role before she’s whisked away to another studio and yet another character. Her schedule is insane. And her hospitalisation earlier this year can probably be largely attributed to that. I blame Kadokawa and Lantis.
She needs a break. I need a break. Some recent moves by Lantis may suggest that they actually realise this and we might all get some much deserved relief. And this will be good because despite the fact that Aya really grates right now, I do want to see her develop her acting and amaze me again. Time will tell.
As for Trusty Bell the game, it has it’s own problems.
Above all else, the music is excellent and the art and character designs are simply beautiful. Other highlights include appearances from Kuwashima Houko and Orikasa Fumiko in the form of Voila and Serenade. Their character designs quickly becoming my favourites.
Beyond that it’s hard to stay positive about this game. The biggest mistake you can make about Trusty Bell is expecting too much. A lot of people rail against this Tri-Crescendo game for being too short and too easy. They do have valid points but I firmly believe that NBGI are targeting a much younger audience than your seasoned RPG gamer. This is reinforced by the ending cutscenes where there is an obvious “message” and “moral to the story”. In that light, the execution makes a lot more sense. The battle system is action based and simple. The world is small and practically guides you where you need to go next. You can pick and choose your encounters and the best equipment is usually given to you. It’s child’s play.
All in all, it’s still an entertaining way to kill 30 odd hours but the story may leave you wanting for substance. The hardcores should definitely look elsewhere.
June 25th, 2007 at 17:27
“The hallmark of great voice acting is only realising who played that role when reading the credits at the end.”
I’m not sure. My favourite is Kawayumi Ayako, who is easy to recognize but just becomes Nodame or Lamhirh (very different roles). Or Nakata Jouji, whose voice I just love to hear despite being always the same.
It’s only Orikasa Fumiko who I regularly fail to recognize (recently in Denno Coil). It just sounds good and familiar, and when seeing the credit I think: of course!
So for me good seiyuu are good at acting but don’t need to disappear if I like their voice. (that’s a double No for Hirano ;-)
June 26th, 2007 at 03:55
Granted, it doesn’t happen all the time and some of the seiyuu do get typecast. But the really good ones occasionally do surprise you and that earns plenty of my respect.
Nana’s done it, Ayako’s done it, Houko’s done it, Fumiko’s done it too. A new one to look out for is Inoue Marina. She’s currently doing Youko in Gurren Lagan, Wataru in Hayate and Erio in Nanoha.
My problem with Aya is not that she can’t do this. She set the bar pretty high with Haruhi and hasn’t quite pulled that off since. But she’s still young and has plenty of time to build her repetoire. My problem is that there is this huge promotion machine behind her that is trying to get her into nearly every single IP that they possible can. Even roles that she isn’t quite suited to. If she was able to pull this off, I’d be there with the rest of them. But she isn’t and so I’m not.
Like I said, those who like the Hirano Aya voice will lap this up. And that’s exactly what the machine is counting on. As a fan, I want to see her reach the next level. To do that she needs time.