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Voice acting in Japan is acting as a narrator, or as an actor in radio plays, or as a character actors in anime and video games. It also involves performing voice-overs for non-Japanese movies and television programs. As Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world, voice acting in Japan has a far greater prominence than voice acting in most other countries. Some voice actors—especially certain voice actresses—often have devoted international fan-clubs. Some fans may watch a show merely to hear a particular voice actor. Some Japanese voice actors have capitalized on their fame to become singers, and many others have become live movie or television actors. There are around 130 voice-acting schools in Japan. Broadcast companies and talent agencies often have their own troupes of vocal actors. Magazines focusing specifically on voice acting are published in Japan, with ''Voice Animage'' being the longest running. The English term ''character voice'' (or ''CV''), has been commonly used since the 1980s by such Japanese anime magazines as ' and ''Newtype'', for a voice actor associated with a particular anime or game character. Conversely, the Japanese term ''seiyū'' is commonly used among English-speaking anime and game fans for Japanese voice actors. ==Actors and seiyū== Initially, dubbing and doing voice-overs was a performance of an actor who used only his voice. When doing this job, they were called . For convenience, the term was shortened to a new compound consisting of the first and last kanji to make . It was only after the voice acting booms, however, that this word became widespread. For this reason, elderly voice actors resent being called ''seiyū'', because, during their time, the term had a different (and minimizing) connotation. The renowned Chikao Ōtsuka, who dubbed Charles Bronson among others, was quoted in a special issue of ''Animage'' saying "We are actors. Even if a performance only requires the use of our voice, we still remain actors, and it is therefore incorrect to refer to us as just voice actors, isn't it?". He was opposed to the new trend of separating actors and voice actors, even in the face of emerging voice actors like Genzō Wakayama, who learned how to act using their voice and never set foot in a theater. There are three main factors that set voice actors and actors apart. * Their professional upbringing by the , formed by NHK and other private networks during the golden age of radio dramas. * Due to the lack of Japan-made movies and dramas, TV networks were forced to air foreign shows, and that raised demand for voice actors. * The boom in the anime world market, which produced a wave of young talents who wanted to become voice actors rather than actors. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Voice acting in Japan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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