With Yumiko at a loss and the last recording session not going so well, she finally heeds Mekuru and Otome’s advice. She finally asks Chika for advice.
Finally, Chika, who seems closest to Yumiko, reveals the problem of holding Yumiko’s voice-acting performance back. She is terrible at heeding the people around her, which causes her to cower when confronted by veterans. It’s understandable why Yumiko feels this way, not only because of her inexperience but also because of all the retakes. She thinks that doing all these rakes makes everyone else’s job harder.
However, Chika thinks apologizing for all the retakes is holding Yumika back. Chika believes that Yumiko needs to not worry about what other Seiyuus think about her and give her best performance. After all, Chika gives it her all despite having inexperience in certain areas. As expected, Yumiko didn’t think of this but thinks Chika is cool knowing this.
While heading to the recording station, Chika reveals something about Ono being mad at Yumiko since the first day. It’s because Ono believes Yumiko has it to survive in the industry. After all, Chika doesn’t think Ono would lecture newcomers as the person will end up quitting and squandering their time. Also, Chika wants Yumiko to try “putting the pedal to the metal” like the brakes are broken with her acting while on the train. That scene seems romantic as she whispers, “How piercing that would be.” It’s obvious where this is heading.
As for the recording, Ono and Mori came along. As expected, Yumiko only focused on her performance without thinking about the others in the room. Eventually, she pulled it off as they didn’t need to retake it. Ono surprisingly finds out that Yumiko is 17 years old and then praises her performance. Mori noticed the sweat on Yumiko’s face and offered a handkerchief to wipe it off. She said Yumiko doesn’t need to return it.
Also, the director congratulated Yumiko, saying he was glad to choose her. Of course, he asked why he had decided on Yumiko, although he believed she was 60 out of 100. Yumiko answered that she would eventually give him a perfect 100. Of course, he believes that Yumiko will provide a 120-point performance. I guess she did that.
Also, it’s funny how Yumiko keeps asking Chika about her performance as she acts cold. Eventually, she says, “she hates Yumiko being like this.” Chika’s reaction when she says she will surpass Yumiko’s acting in the final episode means that Chika really liked Yumiko’s performance, as she blushes. As they say, they are closer than it seems.
In the second segment, Mirei notices how cold Chika is. Yumiko mentioned that she was like this from the time she got the role in Phantom up until Yumiko’s final recording. The funny thing is that Mirei wants to make it seem that Yuhi and Utane are closer than they are now by having them do a “lovey-dovey super project” to reverse this trend.
Funny how Yumiko thinks this is obvious “yuri bait,” but is it really yuri bait. After all, there are plenty of moments where Yumiko and Chika seem close despite all the bickering. Some say this is a sign they are near even with the bickering, especially with Chika obsessing over Yumiko’s chest size. While they had difficulty coming up with things for it, they remembered the challenge Chika’s mother put them through but still pulled through. Funny how Chika lost it and yelled at her mother as they got croquettes.
Eventually, they went to that arena. Chika says that she still doesn’t like Yumiko as she will get jealous of Yumiko and lash out. I’m not sure about Chika not liking Yumiko, and likewise, about Yumiko being jealous of Chika. I’m unsure. Chika says she wants to be an eternal rival with Yumiko. After all, some of her moments with Yumiko seem a bit close. If they hated each other, they wouldn’t be able to come up with things they liked about each other, right?
Final Thoughts
Seiyuu Radio no Uraomote is a very enjoyable and interesting show focusing on two Seiyuus, the Gyaru Girl Yumiko and reserved Chika, that doesn’t seem to get along. They do seiyuu activities together, along with a radio program. Of course, the last part may not be 100% true as they eventually develop a bond. That is despite the constant bickering with their rivalry.
It’s interesting to see a glimpse of the Japanese voice-acting industry, as Yumiko and Chika do various jobs besides their radio program. That includes doing live performances and making public appearances. Of course, there is the industry’s dark side, such as baseless rumors and doxing, to the point that it sometimes gets to Oshi no Ko territory.
That said, I really enjoyed this show. However, some people were off-put by Mekuru hating on Chika and Yumiko in public while hushing over them in private. Yes, no matter how much Yumiko and Chika say that they are rivals and they can never like each other, it’s evident that they do. After all, Yumiko went so far as to help Chika when she needed it. Chika eventually did the same as well.
Also, the Seiyuus that voice Yumiko and Chika, Itou Miku and Toyota Moe are part of a Seiyuu idol unit, Pyxis. Unsurprisingly, the writer probably intended to incorporate that idol unit from the beginning. I have read something about it somewhere. That said, I wouldn’t mind a sequel if it happens, as I do wonder where the story goes from here, Yuri-wise.
Despite its manga lure ending our heroines’ relationship told us all we needed to know about their future. They obviously want each other deep down but their brains and egos keep getting in the way. They kind of added an interesting spin to the baka couple formula.
The seiyuu stuff was pretty cool too and most of the cast were fun, except Mekuru. She sucked.
I am always hoping for a sequel of some sort, but of course the manga adaptation of the LN is so behind the LN, and the Anime already surpassed the manga, although it just restarted. Still, Yumiko and Chika is a fun pairing none the less.
Mekuru doesn’t have the greatest personality, but I do wonder if she will ever defrost.