After years of amazing solo artists and 2D group debuts, 2023 arrived and was… a year almost to forget. As the year comes to a close, it’s time to revisit the solo, seiyuu unit, and 2D group debuts.
Time to look back at 2023 and go over in a bit more detail the big solo artist debuts, whether those were successful or not, as well as new groups joining some of the highest-profile 2D music projects.
A note that new groups from new projects are not mentioned in this feature as everything in those is new instead of just a new addition to an already active project.
There will be a special feature including all the new 2D projects of the year for you to check.
Let’s first check the:
Solo debuts
Well, we got a solo debut announcement
I start by cheating in this category. Shoya Chiba announced his solo debut in 2023 however, it will only happen in 2024.
Think of 2023 as his pre-solo debut year.
Chiba is going to make a solo debut in January 2024. This has been a long-awaited solo debut since he departed from SparQlew in 2021.
The talented seiyuu is finally going to make his solo debut under King Amusement Creative, a music label best known for housing Mamoru Miyano, Soichiro Hoshi, Shouta Aoi, and Yuma Uchida.
According to what was confirmed in the announcement livestream held in October, Chiba wrote the lyrics to the title track in his 1st EP, “Blessing”, which is an exciting update given how King Amusement Creative seldom lets their seiyuu artists write lyrics or even compose their songs.
I’ve already covered a lot about his solo debut, why Shoya Chiba is the most exciting talent to become a solo artist in the last couple of years, and the potential he has to become a star.
For more on that, check episode 169 of SEIYUU LOUNGE.
I believe that, if King Records lets him create the music he loves – rock music – and be a part of the creative process, we may have in Shoya Chiba a hybrid of Gakuto Kajiwara – for the pop-rock music – and Soma Saito – for the intricate, carefully planned creative process.
I feel and I’ve said this before on an episode of MONTHLY REVIEW that I consider Shoya Chiba the next big thing in the music industry among male seiyuu artists.
He has the potential and the right music label to have a long and successful solo career. It will all depend on how much in control he is of his concepts and creative direction.
He has the potential to follow the steps of Soma Saito and really set out on a unique journey with music that only he has, with lyrics that are his and a creative direction that is interesting, and intricate yet still welcoming for fans to dive into.
Later in 2024, for a feature similar to this one, I will be talking extensively about this solo debut as it is technically a 2024 solo debut, not a 2023 one. I’m curious to see and hear what his 1st EP “Blessing” will sound like.
I am aware it may be a safe bet but already the fact that he is going to release an EP leaves me with high hopes his music is going to be good and that he is taking this really seriously.
He wants to show us through 5 songs his work and world as a lyricist and performer, and I honestly can’t wait for it!
Seiyuu unit debuts
Nothing on this front as seiyuu units this year were particularly quiet or not active at all. This is something that illustrates pretty well how weak 2023 was music-wise.
There were no solo debuts, seiyuu units were mostly inactive besides SparQlew and TRD as well as Trignal’s comeback. Sir Vanity, GRANRODEO and Isla・la (a band featuring vocals by Soichiro Hoshi) don’t count here because they are bands, not seiyuu units.
There were no new seiyuu unit debuts. Some of the biggest male seiyuu artists were not active or barely released new music and then, we only got 3 group debuts and 3 2D music project launches.
All of this shows a year in which music wasn’t necessarily a priority for male seiyuu artists, seiyuu units seem to be in a decline and, at the moment, aren’t something that seiyuu want for their careers.
Will this trend continue? I believe so.
With more and more music labels open to helping male seiyuu make their solo debuts, why debut with another seiyuu, have no creative freedom, share the spotlight with someone else and, most likely have no one interested in their music?
And even though making a solo debut may look or sound appealing, in 2023, most, if not all the rising star talents among male seiyuu, avoided making a solo debut.
Of course, I mentioned Shoya Chiba’s solo debut but it doesn’t even count as it will only happen in January 2024.
All this to say that while solo debuts are appealing, no one made a solo debut in 2023. And while seiyuu unit debuts were usually a good way to start and showcase seiyuu’s singing skills – look at UMake, Kashicomi, and TRD (once called D.A.T) – it seems to be less and less appealing to become a seiyuu unit these days.
Unless something odd happens that shifts this panorama, I predict seiyuu unit debuts will continue to be on a decline in 2024.
I, for one, feel that seiyuu units were perfect for showcasing new talents but were often badly managed or signed to music labels that did not support them at all. Minus some exceptions, most seiyuu units were or are tied to a radio show, and nowadays, even if a radio show has a seiyuu duo of hosts, they don’t opt for making a debut as a group or perform songs as opening or ending to their shows.
Understandable.
Again, radio shows may not attract everyone and when there are two seiyuu, chances of someone being a fan of both and wanting to purchase their music are slim. By not making a debut as a unit, seiyuu radio duos avoid wasting time just to please a few.
2023 was a strangely poor year for seiyuu unit debuts, with none appearing.
2D group debuts
ULTRAS
The B-Project franchise made its return with a 3rd anime season and bringing a breath of fresh air to it is the new group, ULTRAS. The group features vocals by Kent Ito (as Bunta Kashiwagi) and Tasuku Hatanaka (as Eisuke Kurata). They will release their debut single “Update” in December 2023.
With a lineup such as this one – Kent Ito and Tasuku Hatanaka are among the best singers you can find among male seiyuu – there is hype surrounding the group and for sure the release of “Update” can deliver a lot to fans of good vocals and groovy pop music.
Is there potential to impress further? Yes. I want to see where this group goes, especially because it is arriving at an odd time for the B-PROJECT franchise which already had a well-defined set of groups with distinct music styles and quite a massive backlog behind itself.
ULTRAS may have certainly arrived out of nowhere, at least for me, and I am speaking as someone who hasn’t watched the B-PROJECT anime series past the first season, but they certainly brought in a level of quality that is condensed – which makes the group instantly sound good – and, at the same time, by bringing two ridiculously talented seiyuu to the lineup ended up making a big impression right from the start.
After all, it’s not hard to impress when you have Kent Ito and Tasuku Hatanaka in a 2D music project, regardless of its core music genre.
I’ll be following ULTRAS with a lot of curiosity from this point on. I hope the group gets to release an album soon instead of just thematic songs for drama + music CDs, like the B-PROJECT franchise has been doing.
ST//RAYRIDE
To celebrate its 5th anniversary, the ARGONAVIS franchise has welcomed a new rock band to its ranks. Embracing rap-rock, the dual-vocal band ST//RAYRIDE (Read: stray stride) features vocals by voice actor and SCREEN mode’s frontman Yuu Hayashi and solo artist SHIN.
Yuu Hayashi is in charge of rapping for the band and SHIN is in charge of the vocals.
The duo released its debut song “STRAYDASH//STARTDASH“, featuring lyrics by ZAQ and composition and arrangement by GRANRODEO’s e-ZUKA and it was bloody amazing.
While the band hasn’t released any digital single or physical CD, their debut song certainly piqued the interest of many fans of the 2D rock mixed media franchise from ARGONAVIS.
I am particularly excited about this band as rap-rock was pretty much my introduction to fusion rock genres back in the late 90s and then to the heavier side of rock – hardcore, metalcore, heavy metal, doom metal, and more.
I want to see what they can pull off and will be certainly checking more of their work soon.
At the moment I am not reviewing any digital singles that aren’t part of a series because those will, eventually, end up in a full-length album so I want to avoid removing all the magic behind their music. However, as soon as they release an EP of a physical single, I’ll be all over it.
After all, it is rare to get rap-rock bands among 2D music projects, and as much as the genre has been heavily criticized for being overly simplistic and predictable, I continue to have a soft spot for it and I am curious to see how this band will actually tackle it.
XlamV
After a full year of activities as a 14-member group, XlamV officially debuted with the final 7-member group in 2023. And honestly, out of all the group debuts this year, this was the one that got the most fanfare.
And why was that?
The group has a unique take on the 2D idol music concept by making fans vote for the final lineup of the group. Their music doesn’t follow the sound or vibe that most – if not, all – 2D music projects are following. It is stylish, mature, and not at all cheesy.
Their vocals and cohesion are already quite impressive for a group that debuted in 2023 and has only 1 year of experience working together. Also, on the vocal end, you have a really strong lineup that is not only about mixing experience with novelty but also about having the right voices for the group instead of just packing it with stars just because.
I feel that looking at this group, VS AMBIVALENZ – the franchise – has managed to check all the right boxes when it comes to creating a 2D music project with quality and a refreshing take on an already tried and true concept.
As you can see, for example with the fan voting through CD purchases in the Hypnosis Mic franchise or the fan voting on social media by Paradox Live fans, keeping a fanbase engaged and part of the decision-making – story-wise, especially – is an amazing way to make a project exciting and nurture at the same time a loyal community that wants to follow the group and its members more closely.
Bringing in fan participation to this project, especially having fans choosing a final lineup – with the seiyuu already chosen, of course, was a big deal and the very first time it happened.
It was refreshing and made the final lineup all the more precious to fans.
And when it comes to music, the group made its debut in April 2023 with the digital single “From Me”, the first out of 3 digital singles that would culminate in one of the best albums of the year “Climb”, which was impressive.
The group raised and, in my opinion, exceeded expectations with its quality from the vocals to the instrumentals.
Stylish music like theirs doesn’t come often by 2D pop groups.
For all these reasons and more, I talked extensively in all the reviews I wrote this year about their singles, XlamV was the best 2D group debut of 2023.
2023 was a surprisingly weak year for fans of seiyuu units, new solo debuts, and, in some way, new groups joining already established 2D music franchises.
Still, there was some good to take from this year, with some of the debuts on the 2D music side making quite a big impression.
So, what were your favorites? Share those in the comments!
You can find all the content in 2023 in review with the first entry on episode 174 of SEIYUU LOUNGE, The Hand That Feeds HQ’s official weekly podcast in video format.
If you prefer content on the go, you can also find the content in this feature in the audio-only version of SEIYUU LOUNGE.
You can find the podcast on the following platforms
