Through ups and downs, Chiharu Shigematsu is slowly making a name for himself as a talented voice actor.
Chiharu Shigematsu
KANJI: 重松千晴
BORN: May 20, 1990
OCCUPATION: Voice actor
HEIGHT: 170 cm
Chiharu Shigematsu was born on May 20, 1990, in Tokyo and is currently represented by Haikyo.
Seiyuu
Before becoming a voice actor, Chiharu Shigematsu worked as a kindergarten teacher. Until then, he had no interest in becoming a voice actor however, due to the children’s influence, interest in becoming one has sparked his interest.
With that objective in mind, Shigematsu enrolled in AIR AGENCY’s Voice Actor Training School. After graduating, he joined AIR AGENCY in 2015.
He was represented by the talent agency until 2021. Since then, he has been represented by Haikyo.
2015 –
Making a name for himself
Shigematsu made his debut as a voice actor in 2015 however his path in the industry has been more irregular than most seiyuu.
Usually, the first couple of years – 1 or 2 – are all about trying to get the most minor roles as possible to start building a repertoire. After that, seiyuu start getting their first supporting roles in anime and if everything goes well in the path as a voice actor, after 5 years, they finally get their first leading role in an anime series or movie.
In Shigematsu’s case, his path as a voice actor has been quite unpredictable, and surprisingly without many roles to his name despite having more than 7 years of activity in the industry.
In 2015, he was cast in a minor role in the action anime series, Concrete Revolutio: Choujin Gensou. But after that, he didn’t get any roles in anime for 2 years.
2017 arrived and things seemed to change slightly. Up until the time of writing this feature – December 2023 -, this was the busiest year for Shigematsu.
In that year he got minor roles in anime series such as Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism, CHAOS;CHILD, and Onihei.
And yet again, it took a couple of years before Shigematsu was back to voicing characters in anime.
In 2020, he finally got his first supporting role as Hiroto Suzuki, a shrewd and mysterious hacker in the fantasy anime series, Kamisama ni Natta Hi.
Although the anime didn’t get that big of a fanfare – being even criticized for its story, or lack thereof -, Shigematsu got a well-earned opportunity at more than just random noises in the background. He was voicing a sly character with quite a narcissistic streak about him.
As a result, he delivered a solid performance showcasing those nuances while putting his name in the spotlight – properly – for the very first time in his career.
In the same year, he voiced a minor character in the popular idol/drama anime series, IDOLiSH7 Second BEAT!.
Soon after, Shigematsu went quiet again, only to return to voicing characters in anime in 2022.
In that year he reprised his role as ALKALOID’s Mayoi Ayase in the movie, Ensemble Stars!! Road to Show!!.
Besides voicing the character he joined the special unit SCREEN10 to perform “Life is so Dramatic!!“.
Also in the same year, he got a minor role in the popular anime series, Kingdom.
In 2023, Shigematsu didn’t get any new roles in anime series.
Radio
At the moment, Chiharu Shigematsu has had very few opportunities to showcase his talents as a radio show host however, it was in 2021 that we got the first taste of what a solo radio show of his could be.
MAN TWO MONTH Radio Shigematsu Chiharu no hare nochi hare (2021)
In 2021, Shigematsu was invited to be the host of MAN TWO MONTH RADIO, show in which seiyuu can handle their own radio show for two months before switching to the next seiyuu.
MAN TWO MONTH Radio Shigematsu Chiharu no hare nochi hare (MAN TWO MONTH RADIO 重松千晴の晴れのち晴れ) was hosted in August and September 2021.
This was the first time he hosted a radio show, showcasing his friendly self in a wholesome series of episodes meant to put a smile on your face.
Other radio shows he has participated in include:
- Ensemble Stars! ! “ALKALOID” & “Crazy: B” Radio Square!!
Games
Making the best use of his sweet and gentle voice, up until now Chiharu Shigematsu has voiced a couple of characters with that voice quality.
Interestingly enough, most of the characters he has voiced in games are airheaded yet charming in their own unique, quirky way.
He’s lent voice to characters such as:
Mayoi Ayase in Ensemble Stars!! Basic / Music (2020 -)
Ensemble Stars!! is a story-driven game – also with a rhythm game component since 2020 with the launch of the dual game Ensemble Stars!! Basic / Music – that easily shot to popularity with its solid story and rich music released outside of the game.
In the game, Chiharu Shigematsu voices ALKALOID‘s Mayoi Ayase, the selfless yet cowardly idol with an angelic voice.
Talia in Another Prince ~Ushinawareta Monogatari~ (2020 – 2021)
In 2020, Shigematsu voiced the sweet airhead Talia in the smartphone otome game, Another Prince ~Ushinawareta Monogatari~.
The game ended distribution in 2021.
He also voiced characters in the following games (list is not exhaustive):
- Sky Galleon
- Icchi Banketsu
- Monster Strike
- Technoroid Unison Heart
- Jack Jeanne
- FINAL FANTASY XVI
Drama CDs
When it comes to drama CDs, Chiharu Shigematsu already has a couple of credits under his belt. He is more active in Boys Love (BL) drama CDs but you can also find him in drama CDs tied to manga.
Some of his credits include:
- The Ancient Magus’ Bride,
- 5-Ji kara 9-ji made,
- Hinadori wa Shiokaze ni madoromu,
- Kisu de tokashita sono ato ni,
- Terano-kun to Kumazaki-kun,
- Mukatsuku aitsu ni nade raretai,
between many more.
Reading plays
Since 2018, Shigematsu has been active in reading plays.
From traditional Japanese stories to original pieces and even classics of world literature, he has lent his reading and acting talents to various reading plays.
Some of those include:
- The Portrait of Dorian Gray,
- Henmi Masatsune,
- The Chronicles of Handel,
- The Count of Monte Cristo,
- Mitsu no Ai to Pandemic,
between many more. For more on the reading plays he has participated in, please refer to the Japanese Wikipedia page.
Music
Although Shigematsu already has a couple of years in the voice acting industry, he is still taking careful steps when it comes to 2D music projects.
He has a delicate tenor voice that can both sound cute and angelic.
At the moment he is active with ALKALOID in the Ensemble Stars!! franchise, Franky ♡ Note in the Technoroid franchise, and as a member of JAMROCK.
ALKALOID (2020 -)
In 2020, Chiharu Shigematsu joined the cast of Ensemble Stars!!. He joined ALKALOID, one of the most popular groups within the franchise.
ALKALOID consists of Gakuto Kajiwara, Kouhei Amasaki, Chiharu Shigematsu and Masatomo Nakazawa.
Since their debut, ALKALOID has released 5 CDs:
- Ensemble Stars!! Unit song CD ALKALOID (2020)
- Ensemble Stars!! ES Idol Song season1 ALKALOID (2021)
- ALKALOID ✕ Valkyrie “Artistic Partisan” Ensemble Stars!! FUSION UNIT SERIES 03 (2021)
- ALKALOID ES Idol Song Season2 Vol.10 (2022)
- ES Idol Song Season3 Vol.6 (2023)
- Trip Vol.7 (2023)
In 2021, ALKALOID teamed up with Crazy:B to hold their first live show Ensemble Stars! !! Unit song CD ALKALOID & Crazy: B release live ~ Kiss of Party ~.
The group’s performance was later released on Blu-ray for everyone to enjoy.
In 2022, he joined the cast of the shuffle group, La Mort.
La Mort consists of Rei Sakuma (CV: Toshiki Masuda), Ritsu Sakuma (CV: Daiki Yamashita), Kouhaku Okawa (CV: Tasuku Kaito), Ran Nagisa (CV: Junichi Suwabe), and Mayoi Ayase (CV: Chiharu Shigematsu).
The shuffle group released the song “Noir Neige“.
Still in the same year, the group participated in Ensemble Stars!! Starry Stage 4th -Star’s Parade- August.
In 2023, ALKALOID joined the ALBUM SERIES “TRIP”, releasing “Trip Vol.7“. The CD includes previously released songs as well as new ones and solo tracks.
As Mayoi, Shigematsu performed the solo song “Raise the Velvet”.
STATION IDOL LATCH! (2021 -)
Still in 2021, Shigematsu joined the cast of the mixed-media project, STATION IDOL LATCH!.
STATION IDOL LATCH! is the name of the mixed-media franchise created by AOI Pro., Amuse, and Origamix, supervised and in collaboration with JR East.
This franchise features a 30 character cast, with characters representing the 30 stations in the Yamamote line, the iconic train line that circles central Tokyo.
Each character has its design and personality inspired by each of the 30 neighborhoods.
Shigematsu doesn’t sing in this project as he voices Kai Sakurada (桜田カイ), the secretary of the Ministry of Railway Improvement that also manages LATCH!
At first glance, he appears to be polite and reserved, but in reality, he has a dark and cunning personality.
Franky ♡ Note (2021 -)
In 2021, Shigematsu joined the cast of Technoroid, a new generation mixed media project created by Noriyasu Agematsu (Uta no Prince-Sama, GHOST CONCERT, and VISUAL PRISON) in collaboration with RUCCA and Elements Garden.
He is a member of the EDM trio, Franky ♡ Note alongside Daiki Kobayashi and Taichi Kusono.
The group released a preview of their debut song Frank♡with you in 2021.
In 2022, the group released “Technoroid Unison Heart CLIMBER CD SERIES vol.4“, its first CD, part of the CLIMBER CD series.
The CD included the new song “Vanquish!!!” as well as drama tracks to give a little bit more context into the backstory of each character as well as the group.
In 2023, the franchise released its first best of album titled “UNIZON MIND”.
The CD includes all the digital singles released by all the groups in the franchise, compiling them into a neat package that was perfect to introduce to new fans.
SCREEN10 (2022 -)
In 2022, Chiharu Shigematsu joined the lineup of the special unit SCREEN10.
SCREEN10 counts features the singing skills of Kouhei Amasaki, Tasuku Kaito, Soma Saito, Daiki Yamashita, Toshiki Masuda, Junichi Suwabe, Showtaro Morikubo, Yuki Kaji, Chiharu Shigematsu, and Masami Ito.
The unit was formed to perform the theme song for the anime movie “Ensemble Stars!! -Road to Show!!-“.
SCREEN10 performed “Life is so Dramatic!!“.
JAMROCK (2022 -)
In 2022 a reggae 2D music project joined the industry.
JAMROCK is a project all about reggae music, being the first ever project to fully focus on the music genre, showcasing its charm and good vibes to an audience that may as well be coming across this music genre for the very first time.
The project brings together world-renowned reggae artists and voice actors.
The cast for this franchise is star-studded.
Makoto Furukawa, Kishow, Junya Enoki, Yuki Ono, Ryohei Kimura, Yuto Uemura, Chiharu Shigematsu, and Sho Karino take the stage for this project.
Shigematsu voices Tsumiki Tamayura.
A former child actor now a popular actor, Tamayura is really popular among women. His singjay name is MILK BOY.
So far, the franchise has released 4 mini-albums and is slowly bringing attention to itself.
As Tsumiki, Shigematsu participated in the ensemble single “JAMROCK ANTHEM”.
And by the end of 2022, he teamed up with Ten Hakumo (CV: Sho Karino) to perform “Baby Girl” in the joint single of the same name.
The project was practically inactive in 2023 after a scandal erupted with one of the pro reggae singers – performing as one of the seiyuu – who was booked for drug possession in the last quarter of the year.
Variety
Although he still has very few variety and talk show appearances, Shigematsu already has his own talk show and participated in the horror story-themed show, Seikowa.
Chiharu Shigematsu no Dokutachi Lab (2021)
Chiharu Shigematsu no Dokutachi Lab (重松千晴のどくたーちーらぼ) is the title of his first talk show, hosted monthly in Nico Nico douga.
In this show, he acts as a doctor and takes on various challenges, trying out all sorts of things!
The live broadcast is scheduled for 40 minutes in the first half and 40 minutes in the second half, totaling 80 minutes.
In the first half of the episodes, Shigematsu addresses the letters he received and makes various decisions.
Not only are the episodes recorded with a regular microphone but fans also get a taste of dummy head mic action.
Seikowa 3rd act (2022)
In 2022, Shigematsu joined the cast of 声優が語る怖い話 (Seiyuu ga kataru kowai hanashi) or, in short, Seikowa for its 3rd act (call it a 3rd season).
This show revolves around scary ghost stories – written by professionals – told by seiyuu in an immersive experience for fans of the genre.
The show is produced by MBS and features a total of 12 episodes (each seiyuu is featured in only 1 episode).
As a fan of horror stories, Shigematsu was in his element for this series.
Facts
He was a kindergarten teacher
Before becoming a voice actor, Chiharu Shigematsu was a kindergarten teacher. He holds two types of kindergarten teaching licenses.
He mentioned that it was actually his students that inspired him to become a voice actor.
Pure tenor voice
Although it is fairly obvious as soon as you listen to his singing or talking, Chiharu Shigematsu has a pure tenor voice (the highest voice range for a man). This is confirmed in his profile on Haikyo’s official website.
Has artistic hobbies
Shigematsu not only loves storytelling and childcare – the core of his work up until he became a voice actor – but he also loves playing the piano, singing, and drawing.
With this, THTFHQ wraps up another Seiyuu Digest. In the meantime, don’t forget to check past Seiyuu Digests (some of those recently updated) – HERE.
