AWanderingSorcerer#SeiyuuSaturday is back from hiatus. This week, we're looking at #TakahiroSakurai (b. 1974), who began voice acting in 1996.
The first role of his we're covering is Armand from 2011's #dantaliannoshoka. A fellow military pilot alongside Huey, Armand constantly found himself entangled in Phantom Books - often due to his infatuations. Contrasting most of his roles, Sakurai's performance is more of the tryhard best friend type who often bemoans the trials that his own actions get himself into.
Jumping to 2015, Sakurai voiced the priest Bernard in #JunketsuNoMaria. A man deeply concerned with faith, he turns out to have a more cunning and political side, along with a deep infatuation in the titular witch. Sakurai here is more of the strong authority figure we expect from him while still leaving room for the mask to slip off and show his true feelings.
In 2016, Sakurai showed us a completely different version of himself again in #OshieteGalkoChan. As Charao, he got to play a laid-back schoolboy who also shows a more caring side around the titular Galko.
Jumping all the way to 2020, Sakurai voiced a cutthroat named... Cutthroat in #AkudamaDrive. A killer with hundreds of bodies to his name, Cutthroat was the wild card of the group, his obsession with red and Swindler contrasting with his flighty nature and need to bleed everything he loves. Sakurai's younger-sounding, almost pleading performance makes Cutthroat's actions all the more disturbing.
In 2021, Sakurai got to be a heartthrob as Albert Hawke in #thesaintsmaigcpowerisomnipotent. A military commander, Albert starts as a stoic, aloof ally of the Saint Sei, only to find himself melting the more time he spends with her. While not a deep character, Sakurai is able to expertly Albert's romantic sensibilities with the intensity needed for a military man.
Finally, also in 2021, Sakurai voiced by Shida in #bakuten. The coach for the men's gymnastics team, Shida was always there to lend a helping hand and caring voice to his boys, knowing how easily one slip-up could change things. Sakurai still has the authority his characters normally do, but in a more laid-back fashion, making sure his students learn what they need to on their own time.
