事務所

事務所 – jimusho. This can be interpreted in many ways — Voice acting agency, seiyuu production agency, talent management firm — but it is often simplified to refer to one’s agency. There are many kinds of agencies, some purely focused on the voice acting industry, others as part of a larger media entity. They scout for talent or hold open calls or auditions to recruit new prospects; for those hopefuls who pass, they will be trained under the agency’s training school (see youseijo) and will most likely become affiliated with them after they graduate.

They may also do joint collaborations with other companies to find talent. One such example is Avex x 81 Produce whose seiyuu-idol projects created i*Ris, Wake Up, Girls! and Run Girls, Run!. Their music is under Dive II Entertainment (Avex Pictures). The voice actresses themselves are managed under 81 Produce. Their projects as a group (and even some unrelated ones) had been sponsored by both in varying capacities.

An agency’s involvement isn’t limited to voice work but it’s not all-encompassing either. Multiple agencies (or record labels and theater companies) can manage a single talent — one agency manages an actor’s voice acting work while they are signed to a different company for their solo music. Multiple aspects of a seiyuu’s career can be managed by a single agency. A seiyuu can also pursue personal endeavors without direct support from their agency. In those cases, they would have to do everything themselves, including promotion and logistics, using personal connections.

An agency’s reputation can help a seiyuu get their names out there but ultimately, a talent’s manager plays a big role in getting job opportunities for them. Some agencies have training courses that specialize in particular a skill set which sets their roster apart from others. And they find ways to showcase that ability through events (such as reading dramas) and programs. Like every company, agencies have their cultures and it is quite entertaining how that manifests in interactions between seiyuu from the same or from different agencies.