I learned through your voice what it means to fall down the rabbit hole

To Yusuke Shirai

2024 is already coming to an end. Your birthday is coming up soon, isn't it?
I couldn't send you a gift last time, so this time I would like to send you some stationery that I currently recommend.

This year, I was able to watch an anime where you played the lead role of a parent, and it was a lot of fun to get a glimpse of your parental side.
Also, I am very happy that you continue to update your YouTube channel even while you are busy with your voice acting work... I also like that there are videos where a touch of madness can be glimpsed from time to time.

I started liking you in 2019. My heart was stolen by the sight of you singing, dancing, and shining on stage as Yamato Nikaido.
Although it was a digest on CS broadcasting, it was a live performance that made it feel as if the idols of IDOLiSH7, including the other performers, were truly there.

Before I knew it, I had purchased the live Blu-ray.
After putting my child to sleep, I watched the live footage over and over again.
I felt something within me being healed by that sparkling, shining world.

The talk segments were cut from the digest. While there are lines as the characters, you could also see the real sides of the voice actors during the free talk segments.
Even so, it was as if the characters were right there next to them. Even in the free talk, the performers were conversing without ever breaking away from the image of their characters.
There was a space where both the character and the actor truly existed.

Because I watched it so many times, I couldn't tell if I liked Yamato Nikaido or Mr. Shirai, so I decided to check out other content, which ultimately led to me falling even deeper for Mr. Shirai.

Ramuda Amemura from Hypnosis Mic.
Behind the bright, fake-seeming innocence lies the darkness of being used as a pawn by an organization that is the enemy of the protagonists.
My heart was stolen by that voice and singing voice, which were different from the roles I had seen until then and also different from Mr. Shirai's natural voice, and I ended up collecting this live footage as well.

Honestly, in the early days of the live performances, it seemed quite difficult for you to sing live in a voice tone and range different from your natural voice.
Even so, with every performance, your singing voice became more stable, and the effort you never show on the surface has evolved to the point where it is visible to everyone.

In the latest live performance, you were singing while jumping and running around during a song, weren't you?
For the performance, you do what Ramuda would do, and in the talk segments of the live shows or on talk programs like AbemaTV, you speak in a higher tone of voice.
I am happy because I can see Mr. Shirai's love for Ramuda in that.
I can see that you have been researching his behavior and gestures, and it is very fun to watch you embody the idea that 'cuteness can be created'.

I love not only Mr. Shirai's voice and performance but also your acting, and that was confirmed with 'Black Journey,' which was first performed at the live concert in February 2021.

The 2nd Division Rap Battle.
That was a painful time for us fans, but it must have been tough for all the performers as well.
The number of votes determined by your performance would change the subsequent story.
Seeing you carry a heavy responsibility that you wouldn't normally bear as a performer was painful for me to watch as well.

Furthermore, the three of you in Fling Posse, including Mr. Shirai, were also carrying the fate of Ramuda's life.

In the midst of all that, a shock ran through me as I watched the streaming screen.

From here on, I will write using the character names.

My mind went blank the moment Ramuda's solo began.
The moment I realized the strongest song was coming,
'Black Journey'
was the title call. That alone stopped my breath, and before I knew it, it was over, and I was dizzy from being bathed in such intense heat.

Since it was a stream, as I watched it over and over again, I noticed that Ramuda's eyes were glistening at the end of the second chorus.

Probably, just before the second chorus.
The part where Gentaro is singing as if he is speaking to Ramuda

From this point on, I could tell that Ramuda's feelings were being shaken by that address.

Watching Ramuda 'get into it' from around the part where Gentaro and Dice are singing in the chorus.
When I noticed Ramuda's lips trembling at the line 'To the unknown, to the untrodden,' I was also trembling at the strength of the bond between the three of them—Fling Posse—the fragility of life, and the steepness of the path ahead.

　As an actor, perhaps being so overcome by emotion that you cannot sing, cannot act, or cannot speak clearly is something to reflect upon.
But I truly love this performance by Mr. Shirai.

Immersing oneself in a role as an actor.
That fine line between acting and raw emotion when it transcends calculation.
The sight of someone continuing to perform even though their emotions have taken over.

I was drawn in by your voice, came to love your performance, and the gap between that and the natural, adult male persona you show on YouTube—which seems to shatter that dream—became addictive.
I am captivated by the acting expression that hints at the unseen efforts you make, and I love you, Yusuke Shirai, the voice actor.

　　　From

[1995 characters]