Good morning, Troper-san. Please describe a 17-year old seiyuu named Kikuko Inoue, if you would, please? Oi, oi... Anyway,
Kikuko Inoue is a voice actress best known for her motherly, dignified, angelic voice, which lends well for her to get picked to play
Yamato Nadeshiko,
Team Mom,
Hot Mom or
Onee-sama roles. She also specialized in playing mega-bitches like I-No from
Guilty Gear,
Grace,
Lust,
Louise's big sister Eleonore and even a Tokusatsu example
(Insarn). She is also married and has a young daughter, Houko. She's a member of the Goddess Family Club singing club, and like
Megumi Hayashibara, she is also part of the singing club DoCo.
If you think mega-bitches are her only "other" role, how about a
Badass Action Mom, to the tune of The Boss in
Metal Gear Solid 3?
Some of her notable roles:
She always refers to herself in public as "17 years old" even though she was born in 1964 and no longer looks anywhere
close to 17. This is used as a
Shout Out in
Mai-HiME in regards to Midori Sugiura's dubious age; and by Maria in
Hayate the Combat Butler who actually is 17
but is constantly mistaken for someone older; and by Virgilia, who is obviously not 17 years old but is voiced by
Kikuko Inoue, in a
Umineko No Naku Koro Ni preview. Some seiyuu like Yukari Tamura (who voices Midori) have picked up this habit.
It's also worth noting that despite being
THE archetypical
Yamato Nadeshiko seiyuu, she's also often landed with
Lethal Chef roles, where said
Yamato Nadeshiko isn't so complete due to her lack of quality in producing good, edible food. Examples include Cecile Croomy, Tytti Noorbuck, Sanae Furukawa and Rosemary.
In a strange twist of art imitating life, Kosuke Fujishima (creator of
Ah! My Goddess) became so impressed by Ms Inoue's portrayal of Belldandy that subsequent chapters of the manga use her characterization as the character's base personality, including quirks such as liking sunfish and touching fake food.
Despite her very common surname, she is not related to any other
prominent Inoue seiyuus.
- Follow the Leader: Her "17 years old" shtick started when she hosted a radio show and her co-host was known for declaring herself "16 years old!", so she followed and evolved when said co-host is 17 years old. Later on, while her 17-years old cult is still growing, there's also similar movement such as 'Forever 23' (spearheaded by Chiaki Takahashi) and 'Forever 29' (spearheaded by Yuko Goto).
- Happily Married: And has a daughter.
- Hot Mom: Both in fiction and real life.
- Lethal Chef: Usually as a countermeasure to her Yamato Nadeshiko roles.
- Not Really Seventeen Years Old
- Old Shame: Before Kasumi Tendo and Belldandy propelled her to fame and respectability, she was known for her role as a "naughty nurse" in the original video animation Ogenki Clinic..
- Onee-sama: It's even her Fan Nickname amongst the business.
- Phrase Catcher: "Oi oi", usually in response of her "I'm 17 years old" stitch.
- Pigeonholed Voice Actor: Although justified she's the Trope Codifier of Yamato Nadeshiko for voice actors.
- Playing Against Type: If you think she can only do sweet, pure, angelic women, wait until you hear I-No, Grace O'Connor or Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
- Running Gag: "I'm 17 years old."
- Spiritual Successor: She's somewhat the Spiritual Successor to Sumi Shimamoto, who's the Ur Example for Yamato Nadeshiko voice actors. Also, Sayaka Ohara seems to be her Spiritual Successor.
- The casting crew for Umineko sure seems to think so.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: Let's be honest: this woman defined this trope because of her voice.
For her American equivalent (who's more subtle about her age), see
Bridget Hoffman.
Inoue-san
in GPS form
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