AWanderingSorcererFor #SeiyuuSaturday, we're going to be looking at #AzumiWaki (b. 1994), who began her voice acting career in 2015.
The earliest role of hers I'll be covering is Galko from 2016's #OshieteGalkoChan. The titular protagonist, Galko is seemingly a loose girl who doesn't care too much for school or those around her but who turns out to be an incredibly thoughtful friend with a deep sense of empathy and a need to help others, all while looking damn good. Even at this early stage and with a major role, Waki showed off how compelling she could make herself in such an extraverted role while still giving her character the needed depth for a series about looking past first impressions.
Going to 2017, we have another star making role of Waki's, Maika from #BlendS. A girl from a traditional family who struggles with her scary looking face, Maika eventually finds her place as a themed cafe where she plays the resident sadist... perhaps a bit too well. Waki is a voice actress who can't be easily pinned into one type and Maika in contrast to Galko shows this; while Maika is still a sweet schoolgirl type, her rougher edges give Waki more room to play in.
In 2018, Waki joined the supernatural side of things with her role as Ellie in #tonarinokyuuketsukisan. A vampire friend of main character Sophie Twilight, Ellie was someone who lived with a strong sense of curiosity, of wanting to see everything the world has to offer (in particular their women). Waki gives Ellie a elegant playfulness, appropriate for a centuries-old vampire who takes immortality as a excuse to enjoy herself the best way she can.
Also featured last week, Waki showed up in 2020's #mynextlifeasavillainess as Anne Shelly, the loyal yet often bemused maid to protagonist Katarina. Despite serving as a deadpan reminder to Katarina about how she appears, the actions her mistress takes allows Anne to genuinely care for the girl. While not featured greatly, Waki is still able to use her deadpan skills with ease here.
Keeping with the isekai trend, 2021 saw Waki in #SlimeTaoshite as Flatorte, an aggressive blue dragon who finds herself joining the Aizawa family after becoming enslaved to protagonist Azusa, continuing the personal feud between herself and red dragon Laika. Waki plays her voice in a tomboy fashion here, giving Flatorte a constant energy in her actions, while still being able to downplay as need be and show the genuine care that even a blue dragon can have.
Going to an anime that some may have thought was an isekai, 2022's #BeastTamer saw Waki playing Kanade, a superstrong catgirl who contracts herself with protagonist Rein and joins him on his physical and emotional journeys. A stalwart companion, Kanade can be gleeful, vengeful, and compassionate, traits that Waki shows in spades with this exuberant performance.
Finally (and on the opposite end of Kanade), the fall of 2022 saw Waki staring in #DoItYourself, playing the docile bookworm Takumi. Starting off as uncertain of what she truly wants, Takumi blooms throughout the series and finds her true calling, reflect in Waki's soft and gentle performance that is quite different from most of what we've seen so far.
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