SEIYUU LOUNGE

Shoya Chiba released his first conceptual EP "Invention" in July 2026. The hype was real. Chiba is an amazing singer, extremely versatile and all of the songs up until then were pretty much rock-centric. But "Invention" arrived with a clear concept with an unclear execution that makes this EP extremely entertaining as it is and a bad conceptual EP for how hard it is to notice a...

The music is not easy to purchase digitally. The new music is not available on streaming platforms. The franchise barely releases any music nowadays. What is happening to DIG-ROCK, once one of the most exciting and active 2D rock music projects?

IXIS, new seiyuu unit debuted under Kiramune in 2026 and consisting of Motoharu Ono, Taichi Ichikawa, Yuki Sakakihara, Taichi Kusano, Daiki Kobayashi and Sohei Horikane, released their debut mini-album "Roots Of" and I'm actually surprised it's that good. In this episode let's talk about this mini-album and why I decided to review it and, even after not liking "STARTLINE...

Popular singer-songwriter Kent Ito is set to release a new EP by the end of this year. “Breeze” will hit stores in November, following up the stellar EP “ ShAdow “, released earlier this year. Is Kent Ito going for 2 for 2 perfect EPs in 2026? I'm all in for it so let's talk about that and more in this episode of SEIYUU LOUNGE.

Popular singer-songwriter Soma Saito is back this November with his 5th EP, "nameless". And the vibes are quite interesting just from the promotional photo which mixes the flower-heavy imagery from "in bloom" with the delicate vibes from one side of the "Yin/Yang" promotional photos, the pastels of "Nuance" and the nostalgic undertone from "Fictions&quo...

Announced in February 2026, Dear Vocalist's 9th CD season, Rise, left fans excited for what's to come with CIEL making a comeback to the franchise. However, 8 months later and there are no news about this new season coming from Rejet. What's happened to this season? Why is Rejet keeping quiet about this while focusing on merchandise only? This and more is discussed in this episode of S...

With rising costs of music production, a want to try new things but too afraid to commit to them for a big release, and keeping fans occupied while they work on big album or EP releases in the background, seiyuu artists and 2D groups have opted for releasing digital singles. This is not a new thing but has increasingly become a trend among artists to ensure fans are well fed and that artists are n...

Two of the most respected singers among male seiyuu - now veterans - have decided to change things around in their career as solo artists and give it a chance to creativity, new vibes and a more mature approach to who they are. Yes, Mamoru Miyano left KING RECORDS and Miyu Irino left Kiramune and in this episode, let's dive a little bit into each situation and see what their new music labels c...

This year has been a rollercoaster of emotions: two big solo artists changed music labels - surprising everyone -, some 2D music projects announced their end or are going on a hiatus, solo debuts came out of nowhere (yet one was long overdue), some seiyuu released their first conceptual CDs and many more things. This is just a round up of everything that happened in 2026 so far and it seems this i...

Time to review Shouta Aoi's latest new album, LIMITLESS. This is the follow up to DETONATOR and comes after the release of the stellar mini-album Collage so expectations were super high. Did Aoi meet those expectations with LIMITLESS? Did this album bring new things to the table? This and more in this audio review of one of the most anticipated albums of the year.

Smart. Key. The core of a performance. While, on paper, it may not look like Kotaro Nishiyama will be key to any 2D music project he's a part of, the truth is, the groups he's a part of, without him, would sound completely unbalanced. Yes, Kotaro Nishiyama has a hidden power that he brings to his performances, and that has both made him essential for the 2D groups he's a part of and al...

One of the most impressive growth spurts as a singer among male seiyuu belongs to Tetsuya Kakihara. While he struggled with pitch and control in 2010, now he's dazzling in acappella projects and even in his own music, delivering several iconic performances - demanding and extremely technical - on the vocal end that you would never expect he'd pull off back in the day. Music suggestions:- T...

Owner of one of the effortlessly sexy voices among male seiyuu, Takuya Sato is no stranger to singing in 2D music projects and even had his own solo career (and it was genuinely solid). However, something was missing in his singing that acappella music - and namely, the Aoppella franchise - unlocked for him in 2019. Since then, he has been a show stealer in all 2D music projects he is a part of. M...

Makoto Furukawa has impressed since the start with his powerful vibrato and unique, fancy brand of jazz-pop. However, since his solo debut, he has been perfecting his control and bringing new tools to his arsenal that have elevated his singing from "good" to "stellar", making Makoto Furukawa one of the best singers among male seiyuu. Music suggestions:- BAD SKUNK "Violet L...

Yuichiro Umehara has had one of the most impressive transformations as a singer in the past decade. Originally lacking confidence, he's evolved into a singer who steals the show if needed, going toe to toe with some of the best singers without disappearing in the mix. This was something we couldn't say a couple of years back but now, Umehara has managed to consistently impress with Sir Van...

In this episode, we cover Shoya Chiba, popular seiyuu who has been a sought-after talent in 2D music, particularly since 2020. He is the perfect example of why vocal direction in 2D groups can make a seiyuu either shine or not. Music suggestions:- Shoya Chiba "Kanjouron"- Shoya Chiba (as part of SparQlew) "Criminal"- Shoya Chiba "You/Me"Thanks to M L for inspiring thi...

In this episode, we cover Tsubasa Yonaga, a popular seiyuu who has lent his talents to 2D groups such as IDOLiSH7 and HEAVENS, as well as a member of the iconic seiyuu unit, Trignal. We cover his struggles with dysphonia and how that may have hindered his singing since the start, when everyone assumed he was just struggling due to a lack of technique. Music suggestions: - IDOLiSH7 "DAY NIGHT...

We start our series of 8 episodes focused on seiyuu who have improved their singing skills to a level that they are unrecognizable now (yes, because they now sing amazingly!). In this episode we cover Ryohei Kimura, one of the most popular seiyuu in the past decade and one of the most sought after seiyuu when it comes to portraying unique and wacky characters in 2D music projects. Music suggestion...

I've been reviewing music and following the careers of male seiyuu for 16 years, and over time, I've noticed some seiyuu going from being a disaster as singers to becoming some of the best singers we now have in the industry. In this episode, inspired by regular viewer M L, let's talk about some of the male seiyuu who have improved a lot over time and what could be behind those improve...

Popular seiyuu, artist, and lyricist Shoya Chiba has announced the release of his first conceptual EP, Invention. This is his first-ever conceptual album that, according to King Amusement Creative, is packed with many brilliant ideas that showcase the evolution of Shoya Chiba as an artist. More details: https://www.handthatfeedshq.com/shoya-chiba-to-release-conceptual-ep-invention-in-june/

July 2026 is going to be packed with new music releases - and will cause some damage to your wallets. Makoto Furukawa, Shouta Aoi, Yuya Hirose and XlamV are just some of the artists that will be releasing music this month, making it the very first exciting - and incredibly busy - month this year. Are you excited about any of these CD releases?

It's been 3 years since popular seiyuu and solo artist Shouta Aoi has released a full length album. The wait is over as he has announced the release of "LIMITLESS", his 4th album, set for release on July 1. This is big news, as Aoi doesn't release albums that frequently, and if he is even remotely in the same vibe as he was in "Collage", we may have one of the standout...

When I started The Hand That Feeds HQ, seiyuu units were the big trend. 16 years later, we can count on the fingers of one hand the number of seiyuu units that are active. In this episode, let's talk about the probable reasons why seiyuu units aren't a trend anymore, what they could have done, missed potential and the biggest ones at the moment.

What a milestone! SEIYUU LOUNGE has reached 300 episodes since its launch in 2020 and this time around we celebrated that with a special livestream. In it, I talked about upcoming projects, website updates, potential podcast episode topics, 2D music projects that are ending, others that I'm excited about and are fairly new as well as the upcoming jam-packed summer that is ahead of us (filled w...

In December 2025, Anthos* wrapped up its activities with the release of "Answer". And little did everyone know that this CD would wreck everyone with its final tone and perfect bittersweet ending. In this episode, let's talk about this CD and why I believe it is quite possibly the most heartwrenching CD I've ever heard.