An Incomplete Japanese cast for Mass Effect “Shepard vs. Reapers” Trilogy
Chapter Three Space Warriors’ Final Fantasies
Let’s talk about Final Fantasy. Where I reside, once upon a time the unofficial translation of the series title can be translated back into English “Space Warriors”, which was strange since the series never actually venture into space. Then, the flop known as Final Fantasy Spirits Within had inspired Mass Effect series, a RPG jam packed with space warriors.
“Final Fantasies” was a joke the comic Gintama made as its endgame commerce, referring to how characters got “shipped” in stories’ final arcs. The list would not be short on that front, one for others and one for me style.
Final Fantasy is also referred to what yours truly going to do in the future. This blog series is intended as a exercise to get my wishful thinking out of my system. Wishful thinking is a danger thing to have in life and in this final installment I finally get all mine towards video games. By hooker by crook, it all ends here.
The beefy lad
Yoshimasa Hosoya as James Vega
Guess I did hit rock bottom now with the reason to head cast someone being their involvement in Attack on Titan. Yoshimasa Hosoya played Reiner aka the Armored Titan in AOT and his voice basically match the image of Vega, someone probably imported from Gears of War series into Mass Effect.
Yours truly mostly know Mr. Hosoya as a party member in Atlus’ Toyko Mirage Sessions, there he played a musical actor he is very cocky. He is Oleg in Mobile Suit Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans, a bulky and brown lad who is actually the brain of the whole operation. I listed those 2 mainly to wash off the reference to AOT so let’s move on, shall we.
Getaway driver 3.0
Soichiro Hoshi as Steve Cortez
Just because Bioware include LGBTQ+ characters in their games, it did not mean that they actually care about them queer folks. Just like how even though King Record keeps funding anime with mainly female ensembles, it does put the company in any of feminist light. Take Symphogear for example, the show featuring super weapon wielding girls, but the story always has a ninja man voiced Soichiro Hoshi as their getaway driver.
Speak of Mr. Hoshi, you might hear him as someone’s lord and savior Kira Yamato in Mobile Suit Gundam Seed and its sequel Destiny. Some ever see that Gundam boy as a queer icon. With Steve Cortez being a confident gay shuttle pilot in Mass Effect 3, Mr. Hoshi would almost have a homecoming voice the bone Bioware and EA gave gents who are into gents.
Queer icon, kinda, sorta. Not really
Minako Kotobuki as Samatha Traynor
Samatha Traynor is not high on anyone’s favored Mass Effect characters lists. But, in 2019 playing Mass Effect 3 along side Strike Back season 7 on Cinemax does give yours truly new appreciation for the lady. The show also has brown and British analyzer of information to point the commando to where they should go, like how Traynor would open the Grisom Academy side quest in Mass Effect 3. Still, dumping Liara for her is most insane run I had in Mass Effect 3, not only because I played that run on the highest difficulty “Insane”. At least the young asari’s head on the commander’s shoulder scene is nice.
Anyway, Minako Kotobuki is anyone who usually plays highschool girls having crush on other highschool girls in anime, the most famous one being Bloom Into You. Which is fitting given that Traynor is also someone who is bit shy and would back off when asked “So, you into me?” by a girl. Ms. Kotobuki played Elisa, a prototype of Lacia in Beatless, hearing her being roasted by Ms. Toyama(EDI) in Citadel DLC should be fun.
Guess you are struck with this dude, Mr. Baker
Satoshi Mikami as Kai Leng
Time to address the elephant who also is a ninja in the room.
No, not you, Zo Ninja created by Stan Sakai. I’m of course talking Kai Leng, a nothing berger henchman wannabe. I mean seeing the interchangeable bosses talking shit then getting shot is more fun than seeing this asshole in Mass Effect 3. It’s quite a waste that Bioware went the length to cast Troy Baker in the role.
Anyway, Satoshi Mikami is a two-time collaborator of Hideo Kojima and both time he dubbed Troy Baker. I’m waiting confirmation that he would go for the third time by TGS 2023 in Death Stranding. He actually act with aforementioned Mr. Nakamura (Male Shepard) in a dark sci-fi movie titled Genocidal Organ. Nakamura played a death commando named Shepherd there and Mr. Mikami voiced his colleague then turned hostile by the end. Almost a foreplay for Mass Effect 3 wouldn’t you say?
My “Final Fantasy”
Yuko Kaida as Eve
Yuko Kaida is someone who actually did dubbing for foreign to Japanese games, she was the voice of Lara Craft in the Tomb Raider trilogy started in 2013. Yours truly mostly know her as Tsukiyon, a lady ninja brothel bouncer in Gintama. Imagine Saber aka Queen Arthur in Fate series grown up a bit so she is full-breasted on top of being long-legged, then it’s basically Tsukiyon.
I cast him as the lady hope for korgan here because Tsukiyon is someone has nice chemistry with Gintoki (Mr. Sugita, someone I cast as Wrex). Apparently someone working in that industry thought so too. Ms. Kaida and Mr. Sugita had guest starred in 2021’s Heike Story as historical power couple, Masako Houjyou and Yoritomo of Minamoto. Being a sci-fi power couple with those two almost a must.
Someone’s “Final Fantasy”
Atsuko Tanaka as Kahlee Sanders
I got to admit that Mass Effect 3’s inclusion of Kahlee Sanders, a character appears in all 4 Mass Effect tie-in novels is a weird bit of fan service. But apparently I was the fan that would eat that shit up back then so not much complaint to see Anderson’s girlfriend here. For this role, I would introduce Akio Ostuka(Anderson)’s long term Ghost In the Shell co-star, Atsuko Tanaka. To hear those 2 bouncing off each other is the only reason yours truly went through the abysmal whole of Standalone Complex 2045.
Ms. Tanaka here played a teacher who would protect her Gifted students by hooker by crook in A Certain Scientific Rail-gun. A role would land her on the mark of Sanders here.
One of us?
Shoko Nakagawa as Diana Allers
The even weirder bit of Mass Effect 3 is the casting of former even by then IGN personality Jessica Chobot. If the inclusion of Sanders is to please readers of the tie-in novels, then have a game journalist playing war journalist is just weird. But apparently she is a potential love interest for Shepard so she stays and there is somewhat of a counterpart in Japan.
Shoko Nakagawa is a voice actor and vocal artist lays heavily into “I’m one of the audience as well” camp. Her music output is packed with licensed covers. But she is obviously talented and lucky enough for sing for hits like Gurren Lagoon and Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood as well. You knows? She as might out act Ms. Chobot in the role.
Omake!
Ayane Sakura as Mara Brooks
I had stated in 2 separateoccasions that I wanted to hear Ayane Sakura as Samatha Traynor, but that was almost three years before the time of writing and yours truly actually started listening to queer folks’ thoughts on weeb stuff. But Ms. Sakura is one of those with range, that fits this joke of a character. After all this joke is quite layered and Ms. Sakura is someone can go from “sweet and innocent” to “the coppest cop ever” on a dial, a la her role in Psycho-pass Shimotsuki. Hanazawa as Tsunemori never talks shit about the younger lady cop, but as Miranda Lawson, she can go the nuclear option in Citadel DLC.
(the End)
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