One of the most powerful and explosive rock singers among male seiyuu and a passionate voice actor. It’s time to dive into Jin Ogasawara’s career in this Seiyuu Digest.
Table of Contents
Jin Ogasawara
KANJI: 小笠原 仁
BORN: August 16, 1994
OCCUPATION: voice actor, singer, frontman
HEIGHT: 174cm
Jin Ogasawara was born on August 16, 1994, in Kanagawa, Japan, and is currently represented by EARLY WING.
Seiyuu
2019 –
Slowly making a name for himself
Jin Ogasawara’s first work in an anime series was in 2019 (despite him having debuted in 2016 in video games and drama CDs).
In that year, he got minor roles in Namuamida Butsu! Rendai Utena, Demon Lord, Retry! and Houkago Saikoro Kurabu.
His first big role arrived in 2020 as he reprised his role of GYROAXIA’s Nayuta Asahi in the anime adaptation, Argonavis from BanG Dream!.
This was Ogasawara’s first supporting role with decent screen time as the series delved a bit into GYROAXIA and Nayuta’s ties with ARGONAVIS’s frontman.
A year later – in the aftermath of Covid 19 and the production delays – the anime WAVE!! ~Surfin’ Yappe!!~ finally premiered on TV after having a theatrical release as a movie trilogy in 2020.
The anime series was supposed to tie up with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, focusing on surf, a sport that was making its debut as an Olympic sport. However, due to the pandemic, things ended up being worked in a completely different way than expected.
The anime – which premiered in 2021 – ended up getting a trilogy of movies a year earlier, its game was available only for 3 days for the fans to play, and after a long maintenance period, it was canceled, and eventually, the hype surrounding this project went down the drain.
Still, his role as Shou Akitsuki was Ogasawara’s first leading role in an anime series.
Still in the same year, Ogasawara was cast as Jindou Kiriya, the protagonist in the ONA series, AICis the Supernatural.
Before the end of the year, he reprised the role of Nayuta Asahi in the movie, Argonavis Movie: Ryuusei no Obligato.
In 2022, he was cast as the stoic and confident Raika Koshiba, one of the leading characters in the anime series, Cardfight!! Vanguard: will+Dress.
He reprised the role in 2023 for the 2nd season, 3rd season and Cardfight!! Vanguard: Divinez.
In 2023, Ogasawara was cast as Seiji Mukai, the protagonist in the slice-of-life anime series, Kawaisugi Crisis.
A year later, Ogasawara reprised his role of Raika Koshiba in Cardfight!! Vanguard: Divinez
Other anime series in which he’s voiced characters include:
- Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga (2020)
- SSSS.Dynazenon (2021)
- Deaimon (2022)
- 5-toubun no Hanayome Movie (2022)
- Bucchigire! (2022)
- Lehman’s Club (2022)
- Mushikaburi-hime (2022)
- Tsundere Akuyaku Reijou Liselotte to Jikkyou no Endou-kun to Kaisetsu no Kobayashi-san (2023)
- Helck (2023)
- Buta no Liver wa Kanetsu Shiro (2023)
- Classroom of the Elite III (2024)
Radio
Ogasawara’s first steps in hosting radio shows started in 2018, related to the project “WAVE!!” in which he was voicing the main character.
Since then he has been to a couple of radio shows – primarily as a host.
Tomoaki Maeno ・Jin Ogasawara’s WAVE!! Brilliant Time (2018 – 2021)
Stemming from the ambitious project “WAVE!!!”, Jin Ogasawara co-hosted the radio show “Tomoaki Maeno ・Jin Ogasawara’s WAVE!! Brilliant Time” alongside fellow seiyuu, Tomoaki Maeno.
The radio show focused on covering topics related to the music and dramas in the franchise as well as the game.
Up until the time of writing this digest, this was the longest-running radio show Ogasawara hosted in his career.
from ARGONAVIS Navigator Radio (2020 – 2022)
In 2020, alongside fellow seiyuu and ARGONAVIS’s frontman Masahiro Ito, Jin Ogasawara co-hosted the radio show from ARGONAVIS Navigator Radio.
This was a radio program that navigated through various information about the boys’ band project ARGONAVIS from BanG Dream! (now called: from ARGONAVIS).
Other radio shows in which he guested and/or hosted include:
- Ogasawara and Imai’s RADIO ν WING (2019)
- &CAST!!! Hour Love Ten! (2019-2020)
- Vanguard radio+Dress (2022-2023)
- Cardfight!! Vanguard Radio+Dress+ (2023 -)
Games
When it comes to games, Jin Ogasawara has a couple of credits, mostly in RPG, fighting, otome, and sports games.
His first roles in video games came in the same year he made a debut as a voice actor – 2016 -, something rare among rookie seiyuu. Since then he’s lent a voice to over 20 characters in video games.
By far his most popular character in games – at the time of writing this digest – is Nayuta Asahi, GYROAXIA’s frontman.
Nayuta Asahi in Argonavis from BanG Dream! AAside (2021) and ARGONAVIS -Kimi ga Mita Stage e- (2024 -)
In 2021, Jin Ogasawara was cast as Nayuta Asahi, GYROAXIA‘s frontman.
Nayuta is quite abrasive and sharp-tongued, something that serves as a mask to hide something deep inside him that has made him put those walls up around other people.
He’s also quite aloof yet, on stage, he has a power and charisma that blows everyone away.
Ogasawara voiced the character in the first game titled “Argonavis from BanG Dream! AAside” (2021) and was back for “ARGONAVIS -Kimi ga Mita Stage e-” (2024 -).
This was, single-handedly, the role that put Jin Ogasawara on the map for his skills as a singer, especially with GYROAXIA being both a 2D and 3D band.
He also voiced characters in the following games (list is not exhaustive):
- Mary Skelter: Nightmares
- CARAVAN STORIES
- Ikemen Sengoku
- Sengoku Taiga
- Luster
- Ast Memoria
- Black Star – Theater Starless –
- Othellonia
- Captain Tsubasa RISE OF NEW CHAMPIONS
- WAVE!! Naminori Boys
- Vanguard ZERO
- Sengoku A LIVE
- FOAMSTARS
- Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
Acting
Although he’s not a trained stage actor, Jin Ogasawara tried his hand at musical acting in 2021 and 2022.
ARGONAVIS the Live Stage was held in 2021 and later on released on Blu-ray.
This was the first time Jin Ogasawara participated in a stage play, with it being particularly special as it was with a franchise that brought a lot of attention to his talents.
And a year later he joined the cast of ARGONAVIS the Live Stage2, the follow-up stage play.
As GYROAXIA’s Nayuta, Ogasawara performed a total of 5 times, visiting Tokyo and Kobe.
Just like in the first stage, the performances included live band equipment, with the live show parts in the play being actual performances by the cast, just like in their live shows.
Drama CDs
When it comes to drama CDs, Jin Ogasawa has a couple of credits ranging from manga or anime specials, game tie-overs, otome, and Boys Love (BL). He started being active in drama CDs in 2018.
Some of the drama CDs he’s lent his voice to include:
- Oretachi Majikou Destroy
- Connectable Boys
- Twittering Birds Never Fly 5
- No Color Baby
- Seishun Cinderella
- Honeybee Liar
Music
If you’re talking about seiyuu with a natural talent to perform rock music and even go as far as comfortably nailing and delivering screamo, Jin Ogasawara has to be in the conversation.
His singing has been highly praised by fans in Japan and especially among international ones, particularly for his ability to perform technical songs that include rap, shouts, and screams.
While he started a bit shaky in the live performances for GYROAXIA – contrasting a bit with the power and technicality of the recorded versions -, he slowly started to improve. He learned to bring more of his emotional range to the performances and even more energy.
In a live setting, he slowly started to show control in his breathing, unlocking even more power in his screamo and clean vocals.
According to Ogasawa, he had no formal training in singing, he just enjoyed singing alone in karaoke as a hobby. Little did he know that hobby actually made him one of the most exciting rock singers among male seiyuu.
Solo artist (2021 – 2023 – on hiatus)
On May 1, 2021, Ogasawara announced his debut as an artist, launching an official YouTube channel, Twitter account, and official website.
In quick succession, he released two singles: “Only one thing” and “Guns&Loudness”.
It wasn’t until the end of the year that he’d release his debut single “TURBO“.
At the time the CD was released, in my review, I wrote:
“Despite having good ideas at its core – electro-rock and funky – Jin Ogasawara’s debut single “TURBO” ends up underperforming quality-wise. There was a strange focus on making the instrumentals stand out as opposed to putting the spotlight on the vocals and that persists across the 2 new songs in this single.
While this is a debut CD – and debut CDs only on a rare chance are perfect and groundbreaking -, “TURBO” failed at the simplest thing it could achieve: showcasing how good of a singer Ogasawara is. I believe that the focus in a debut release should pass through that and even if Ogasawara didn’t, let’s imagine, feel comfortable singing, there were ways to mask that in post-production instead of burying his vocals in loud instrumentals that, at times, don’t even add anything new to the songs in question.
So, my criticism is directed towards the music and how the producer decided to put Ogasawara in the backseat for the new songs when he should be the star. Hopefully, this was just an experiment of sorts and the next release will have the production quality of “Only one thing” or even “Guns&Loudness” because those two songs are still, to date, his best releases, songs that actually highlighted his singing skills and musical sense. As with any new talent – or even experienced or veteran talents – I’m wishing he’ll get to fully display the type of singer he is in further releases. The future is bright however Ogasawara needs a concrete sound and direction to start standing out.“
A year later, in 2022, Ogasawara decided to give a new twist to his solo career. He started experimenting with music genres, writing lyrics and showcase different skills on the vocal end.
A series of 6 digital singles were released that year.
“AQUARIUM” was the first of those digital singles. At the time I reviewed the digital single, I wrote:
“Jin Ogasawara adds an elegant and mature new chapter to his solo career, impressing with his versatility as a singer. “Aquarium” is a welcomed detour from Ogasawara’s nostalgic brand of pop-rock/punk-pop sound. Jazz takes over and with it, Ogasawara unleashes his singing skills – which have vastly improved since the release of “TURBO” -, delivering a memorable performance.
This is the type of song that makes me ask for more music in this style from Jin Ogasawara (actually, more music in general) at the same time it shows just how talented he is as a singer, giving us all a glimpse of the talent he has left to tap onto.“
After that, he released “Yuurei“. In the review, I wrote:
“Jin Ogasawara showcases more of his singing talents with a stunning performance in the slow-paced, emotional R&B song “Yuurei”. This is yet another impressive performance by Ogasawara that comfortably explores new music genres, bringing some variety to his repertoire while, at the same time, making good use of those changes in sound to showcase his singing skills that include not only what fans already know – screamo, clean singing, and rapping – but also R&B riffing and clean head voice, which is a first.“
“Yogaakeru” followed and impressed. Out of the 6 digital singles, this one and “BLACK CAT” really raised the bar of his singing skills and fusion of music genres.
In the review, I wrote:
“Intoxicating, classy, and warm, “Yogaakeru” is a song you won’t help but have on replay with no end. The good vibes, the slight decadence underneath, the mature and emotional tone, and the lullabyish vocals by Jin Ogasawara are more than enough to grab the listener’s attention.
This is yet another song with an R&B sound with hip-hop influences (that 808 sequencer beat) however, jazz takes over with beautiful piano melodies, a smooth rhodes piano setting an elegant, slightly dreamy tone to this song, and guitar riffs. Everything about “Yogaakeru” is downright addictive.
And Jin Ogasawara continues to showcase his range and versatility as a singer, still bringing his raspy screams but with a gentle, deliberately alluring twist as he lowers and adds more air to his performance.“
“DandeLION” was released next and introduced fans to a retro style of music with strong hip-hop influences.
In the review, I wrote:
“Retro 90s vibes bringing citypop, hip-hop, and funk into the mix, “DandeLION” is Jin Ogasawara’s resident groovy tune. This is a song with many new things happening in it. Starting from the sound, minimalistic yet insanely groovy and loungy, to Jin Ogasawara’s performance – which stands out for sounding oddly different from usual, fans will find in “DandeLION” a well of awesome discoveries about Ogasawara’s potential as a solo artist.
I find this pivot to a groovy sound to be unexpected yet, once again, it suits Ogasawara’s vocals, especially now that he has shown he can control his vocals to the point that he can “mask” his singing quirks and change his singing tone to better match the vibe or concept of a song.“
Fans didn’t know what was awaiting when “Tenbin” arrived. The digital single brought jazz to the spotlight, something Ogasawara had never tried before in his solo career.
In the review, here on the website, this was the verdict:
“Jin Ogasawara continues to push himself as a singer, trying new things, slowly showcasing what he can do on the vocal end – without pushing his vocal cords to the limit. I find his performance in “TENBIN” to be insanely catchy yet I’d be lying if I said this would be a performance I’d instantly say that belongs to Jin Ogasawara. Not only does he not sound anything like what regular listeners and fans are used to, but he’s also approaching his performances from different perspectives. There is a big focus on being impactful yet while being subtle about it.
This is something that contrasts with his image and sounds in his debut CD “TURBO”, which was all about making a big impact with intense songs and performances that were a little bit all over the place. Going simple and focusing on showcasing his range ends up being more impactful than any showy, over-the-top performance you can think of. At least I believe so. A classy performance that showcases something new and doesn’t need to be loud about that showcase is the best way to make an impact.
For sure Jin Ogasawara has been making such an impact, standing out as a talent to follow after what are – so far – 5 perfect digital singles that highlight his singing skills and versatility as a solo artist (performing more than just rock music or trendy hip-hop music). “TENBIN” has a special place in Ogasawara’s repertoire for its mature presentation and unique performance. It was like having a glimpse of 1920s jazz while listening to a groovy contemporary jazz-pop tune.“
Expectations were yet again surpassed as Jin Ogasawara brought forward “Black Cat”, easily his best single. For this release, he counted on the help of renowned composer Shinnosuke and what fans got was… mesmerizing as synthwave and hip-hop joined hands in a truly unique performance.
So what did the review here say?
“Jin Ogasawara has now created the perfect ramp for what can be a full-length album on the horizon – given the number of new songs he recently released that have yet to be released in the physical version. “Black Cat” is a flawless single that is all about its unique composition, a perfect showcase of Ogasawara’s eclectic tastes as well as the perfect stage for what is a complete performance that explores his range – baritone and bass -, vocal control – with several tempo changes in his performance -, and versatility – performing clean singing, rapping and even narrating.
Ogasawara is the real deal as a singer. Once again, his solo debut may have been rushed but no one predicted Ogasawara would grow this fast as a singer and lyricist. What you and I are listening to – and, in a way, seeing – here is a singer growing a lot in a short amount of time, and doing so through an experimental digital single series (within minimal risk to sales in case something would have gone wrong with fan reception of the songs).
Now that Ogasawara showcased his range, skills, and technique, not to mention versatility, he’s ready for his next steps as a solo artist. And those look more exciting than anything before.“
This was the perfect wrap-up to a series of songs that left fans craving for more while admiring the range, growth, and improvements on the vocal end for Jin Ogasawara.
As a Christmas present to fans, in that same year, Ogasawara released “Slime“, digital single that had a completely different feel.
How good was it?
“Jin Ogasawara’s “Slime” showcases his experimentation with various music styles. The single combines rock, hip-hop, jazz, and R&B, demonstrating his versatility as a singer. The title track features a mysterious tone with impressive transitions between singing styles, while “Dokuro” impresses with its raw and aggressive rock sound. Ogasawara’s intense performance and unique songs make this single a must-listen for fans of his rock singing and unexpected music choices.“
Fans would have to wait 6 months until Jin Ogasawara made a comeback with a new digital single in 2023 titled “TOKYO HOLLYWOOD“.
This was a different step, still in line with the whole focus on improving and showcasing his versatility, influences and growth as an artist.
At that time, I wrote the following in the review:
““TOKYO HOLLYWOOD” is another experimental chapter in Jin Ogasawara’s solo artist career. The title track showcases fancy rapping and a slow-paced, mocking style of performance. “BATTLE GROUND” surprises with its dark and heavy tone, excelling with a thunderous rock-style performance. The mixing in the chorus could be clearer, but Ogasawara’s power and emotion shine through. Overall, Ogasawara’s talent and versatility make him a compelling artist, and fans of rock and hip-hop will enjoy this single.“
While it seemed that his solo career was heading in the right direction and he was finding his “voice” and “style”, Ogasawara arrived with bad news.
Jin Ogasawara announced on his artist website the suspension of his solo artist activities effective December 31, 2023.
To close a chapter, he released the 1st album “Sokai Gyouretsusha” (蒼海行列車).
The CD included all the songs released in his solo career up until then as well as a new song titled “Sokai Gyouretsusha“.
The song features lyrics by Jin Ogasawara and composition by Shinnosuke (who worked with Ogasawara in “Black Cat”).
At the moment of writing this digest, Ogasawara has his solo career on hiatus.
But if you love his voice and still want to enjoy his powerful, charismatic performances, you can still find him in a couple of 2D music projects (most likely in rock projects).
Some of those include:
GYROAXIA (2019 -)
In 2019, Jin Ogasawara would join the lineup of what is, currently, his most iconic body of work as a singer and frontman.
He joined the FROM argonavis franchise, mixed media project that, at that time, was called ARGONAVIS from BanG Dream!, as Nayuta, the frontman for the rock band with post-hardcore and punk-rock influences, GYROAXIA.
The band consists of Jin Ogasawara (on vocals), Shinichi Hashimoto (guitar), Takumi Mano (guitar), Hiroto Akiya (bass), and Kousuke Miyauchi (drums).
The band was formed as part of the activities of the multimedia project “from ARGONAVIS,” where the members not only voice their respective characters but also perform the same instruments as their characters and participate in live performances.
The band consists of members from diverse backgrounds, including those whose primary careers are acting or voice acting and who started learning instruments upon joining the band, as well as those who were musicians first and began acting as part of their involvement in this project.
During anime recordings and other acting activities, the voice actors guide the group, while the musicians take the lead during band practices, creating a mutually supportive environment.
According to the band members, the band holds studio practices on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, aiming to go beyond merely replicating their characters’ performances, striving to grow and solidify as a real band. This is a big reason why the band got its major debut outside of the project later on.
The songs are primarily created based on the storylines of the project and the emotional states of the characters, with contributions from various composers and well-known artists such as ASH DA HERO, Takuya Yamanaka (THE ORAL CIGARETTES), and Miya (MUCC).
The band’s sound is heavy, mixing nu-metal, hardcore, punk-rock and metalcore. Some of the bands that helped shape the band’s sound include ONE OK ROCK, MY FIRST STORY, coldrain, ROTTENGRAFFTY, and SPYAIR.
The band officially debuted in 2020 with “MANIFESTO“, but the first track actually produced was “REVOLUTION.” ASH DA HERO, who was responsible for its production, significantly influenced the musical and genre direction of the band.
The song instantly made an impact of how different, powerful, and aggressive its sound is in comparison with the flagship band in the from ARGONAVIS franchise.
And Ogasawara quickly left a mark with his singing skills.
Still in the same year, the band released its first single, SCATTER.
The band went heavy and deep on this track, bringing a powerful rock sound with an eerie undertone at the same time that Jin Ogasawara brought forth a mix of clean singing with rapping.
To top up the year, the band released two digital singles.
“IGNITION” brought an interesting twist to their sound as nu-metal influences started to show, being an appetizer for what the band would soon bring forth in its first album.
In the review, I wrote the following:
“GYROAXIA continues to be pretty entertaining as a rock act. Their brand of punk-rock continues to have hints of nu-metal here and there. There was a lot of ambition in the covers in this release, all from Ao no Exorcist: “CORE PRIDE” by UVERworld and “IN MY WORLD” by ROOKiEZ is PUNK’D. GYROAXIA reinvented themselves for the acoustic cover of “IN MY WORLD” and struggled a bit to grasp the main points of “CORE PRIDE”, still these were 2 solid covers that showcase the band’s talents beyond Ogasawara’s vocals.“
“EGOIST” was released soon after. The digital single left quite an impression on me:
“EGOIST is quite an impressive single. GYROAXIA fired all cylinders, delivering a set of high-octane punk-rock tunes that were made to be played live. To top it all off, Jin Ogasawara continues to impress as the frontman for this band, having the charisma and confidence whenever needed.“
Still in 2020, the band held its first live show “GYROAXIA ONLINE LIVE -IGNITION-“.
2021 kicked off with the release of the digital single “FAR AWAY“. The song would be included in the band’s 1st album “ONE“.
“ONE” is a high-octane punk-rock album with shades of metalcore, bringing forth a darker, more intense, and grittier rock sound from GYROAXIA. It compiled previous singles and brought to the spotlight new songs that left fans wanting more.
In the review, I added:
“Filled with headbangers and high-octane punk-rock tunes, ONE is a testament to GYROAXIA’s massive talents. Shredding guitars, outstanding drums and bass work and powerful, versatile performances by Jin Ogasawara make “ONE” already one of the best albums released in 2021. An absolute masterclass from the talented band, and a treat for rock fans.“
Soon after releasing its 1st album, the band participated in a joint single with ARGONAVIS. “Kitto Bokura wa / Hibana Chiru” was released, including the band’s new song “Hibana Chiru”.
Soon after, the band held the live show “GYROAXIA LIVE 2021 -Hibana Chiru-“.
And wrapping up the year, the band released the single “WITHOUT ME/BREAK IT DOWN“.
Things would change completely for the band in 2022.
On February 23, 2022, the band made their major debut by releasing the mini-album “Freestyle” under Virgin Music, a label of Universal Music.
The mini-album was a resounding success, entering Oricon’s Album chart at #8, the highest a CD of theirs has ranked up until the moment this digest was written.
At the time the mini-album dropped, I wrote the following:
“GYROAXIA turns a new page in its journey, now signed to the major music label UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN. The band is back with a muscular, intense rock sound in which all members shine at all times.
As you go through the songs in “Freestyle”, you’ll encounter banger after banger, plenty of songs made for the moshpit with an infectious energy that suits the band like a glove. Hard to pick a favorite track in this mini-album. Really, if you’re a rock fan – especially aggressive, fast-paced rock -, “Freestyle” is a treat.
If on top of that, you’re a fan of GYROAXIA, then this mini-album will blow your mind. Consistent, cohesive, experimental to some extent, “Freestyle” is GYROAXIA’s best CD to date.“
In the summer of 2022, GYROAXIA held the final performance of their first national tour, “GYROAXIA TOUR 2022 -Freestyle-” at the TOKYO DOME CITY HALL, the same venue where they made their debut as a band in 2019.
The stage setup was nearly identical to that of the earlier performance, and they performed the same songs (the cover of “Genjou Destruction” and “MANIFESTO”) during the encore.
While the band making a major debut under UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN was exciting and could open doors for GYROAXIA to become massively popular… what happened next was odd, to say the least.
In 2023, the band was back to releasing music however, fans quickly noticed that they were back to releasing music with Bushiroad Music and that, indeed, they were not working with UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN.
Up until now, there is no explanation as to why GYROAXIA is not publishing music under UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN again, seeing as their massive marketing budget (for promotions, ads, music video quality, and music quality) could be beneficial to the band as opposed to Bushiroad Music’s comparatively more modest budget.
With that being said, the band released a couple of digital singles in that year.
The first of those was The Last Resort.
“GYROAXIA’s “The Last Resort” presents a softer, synths-infused rock sound. Relentless verses with unceasing drums and bassline lead to a tension-filled chorus with low, dirty guitars. The bridge highlights synths, followed by an intense break with Jin Ogasawara’s screamo and shredding guitars. This evolving approach showcases GYROAXIA’s experimentation and versatility beyond its heavy punk-rock trademark. The drums stand out as the heartbeat of the performance (and I wanted more and more of that). GYROAXIA’s ability to surprise within diverse rock subgenres is quite awesome. Overall, “The Last Resort” demands your attention, offering high-throttle rock music enjoyment.“
MILESTONE was released soon after, bringing a melodic and slightly softer sound.
In the review I added:
““MILESTONE” bursts open with dirty guitar riffs and groovy drums. Despite the intense intro, the verses are energetic, driven by commanding drums and background ballistic guitars. The chorus surprises with a self-contained, groovy feel, accompanied by Jin Ogasawara’s captivating lead vocals.
The 80s-style rock influence is evident, especially in the chorus where the drums become wild. The song takes a melancholic turn with a spotlight on the piano, followed by a classic rock guitar riff before returning to the energetic instrumental. This raw and emotional segment showcases Ogasawara’s soft, passionate delivery. Overall, “MILESTONE” reveals GYROAXIA’s musical evolution, leaving listeners eager for more.“
In September 2023, the band released, easily, their best song to date, ALL MY PARTS. This was the first time GYROAXIA released a song fully in English, with Jin Ogasawara impressing with his power, even performing in a foreign language.
“The sound and overall flow in “ALL MY PARTS” is akin to a crossover between bands like One Ok Rock, Nothing’s Carved in Stone, and Bring Me the Horizon.
In a departure from their earlier style, GYROAXIA embraces synths and employs various effects on the guitars, crafting a futuristic rock sound that’s both substantial and aggressive, yet not overly so.
Violent, incredibly raw and emotional and perfect for a mosh pit, this is the type of song I was expecting the band would release and thankfully they did! “ALL MY PARTS” is exactly the perfect direction for GYROAXIA, the follow-up that I have been waiting for to “Freestyle”, a song that shows the band’s maturity and picks up perfectly from where they left things off in that massive EP.“
The band was back to touring live with “GYROAXIA LIVE TOUR 2023 KICK-START“.
And to wrap up the year, the band released the digital single “Fighting Spirit“.
The song was featured as the theme song for the wrestling event “Belc presents WRESTLE KINGDOM 18 in TOKYO DOME“.
Through the years, the band has participated in various franchise joint live shows – alongside all bands – as well as acoustic performances alongside ARGONAVIS.
Gambét (2021 -)
In 2021, Jin Ogasawara joined the cast of GAMDOL, an original mixed-media project that puts on the same stage idols and gambling.
The project follows the idol groups Gambét and Raise through voice dramas + music releases.
Character illustrations are by CHIMOTA, script is by Hanan Koi (ARGONAVIS from BanG Dream, FAIRY TAIL, PSYCHO-PASS), and the world-building is by Yanio Nakamura.
Gambét consists of Junta Terashima, Shoya Chiba, Yuki Sakakihara, Jin Ogasawara and Taito Ban.
He voices Yuusei, member of the idol group, Gambét.
In that same year, the group released its debut single “Boku x Kimi Checkmate”.
The single had compositions and lyrics by Honeyworks, featuring an interesting contrast between a sweet and bubbly tone and an aggressive, intense vibe in it.
Jin Ogasawara went all out for his performances, from his rapping to his clean singing in “STAYBACK”.
In 2022, the group released its 2nd single “Tokimekiss LOVE“. Soon after it was announced the group was going on a hiatus.
The title track features lyrics, composition, and arrangement by Saku (best known as Soma Saito‘s arranger and guitarist).
MAD FANG (2022 -)
In 2022, Jin Ogasawara joined the cast of the visual-kei rock mixed media project, MAGATSU NOTE.
MAGATSU NOTE is an original mixed media project created by DONUTS Co. Ltd.. It features character designs by Kazuki Yone (Hakuoki and Hiiro no Kakera).
This project has a near-future Sengoku (Warring States) concept crossed with a dark story, music, and manga.
The franchise released its first song “DEVIL ASYLUM” in August 2022.
The franchise released a couple of band songs alongside covers of popular visual-kei songs to bring more interest to the project while showcasing just how talented is the cast.
In 2023, the MAGATSU NOTE franchise released its 1st album “Tamayura“.
The franchise features drama tracks – available for free on YouTube – and has held live shows in a unique format: the 2D bands perform first, leading the way for the real-life visual kei rock bands to perform as well.
Asta Executioner’s (2023 -)
In 2023, Jin Ogasawara joined the cast of Executioner. And what an addition he was to this lineup, bringing a versatile skillset – clean vocals and screamo – and an emotional range that had been polished by then due to his work with GYROAXIA.
Executioner is an original mixed media project created by HOTZIPANG and features character designs by Ajichika. The music is distributed by UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN.
The 3 bands, “Beelze Executioner’s“, “Asta Executioner’s“, and “Balbe Executioner’s“, each contract with demons and engage in a death battle for the future of humanity.
The franchise’s frontmen perform the song. For reference, they are:
- Beelze Executioner’s Akamaru Akatsuki (CV: Masaaki Mizunaka),
- Asta Executioner’s Momiji Beniyashiki (CV: Jin Ogasawara), and
- Balbe Executioner’s Monica Shumon (CV: Shunichi Toki).
The music uses the latest original works by Japanese visual-kei rock artists, and the members’ stories unfold around the powerful and refined music to be released.
Ogasawara voices Momiji Beniyashiki, Asta Executioner’s frontman.
The franchise released its first single “V-kei Sentai Executioner” in 2023. For this song, all screamo is performed by Jin Ogasawara.
He also dabbled in clean singing and rapping, delivering a complete performance that had a lot of people turn their attention to him in this franchise.
A couple of months later, the franchise released “MEIZU”. This digital single strayed a bit away from the sound in the debut one, bringing more electronica and trap music to the spotlight.
“MEIZU” features distinct phases, with each verse having unique instruments and layers. While this deliberate stylistic choice is interesting, it sometimes resulted in odd transitions between segments, such as moving from a full-throttle chorus to slower verses or from heavy rock to a trap-influenced bridge.
This song ended up not matching the quality of “V-kei Sentai Executioner”.
A couple of months later, the franchise started releasing band songs.
Asta Executioner’s released 堕天のディスガイズ (Daten no Disguise). And a month later released 世界の夜を盗んでしまえば (Sekai no yoru o nusunde shimaeba).
At the time of writing this feature – August 2024 -, it’s been 7 months since the franchise was last actively releasing music and drama tracks.
NOIR BOUQUET (2023 -)
In 2023, Jin Ogasawara joined the cast of the ambitious mixed media project by Sanrio.
Fragaria Memories (フラガリアメモリーズ) features a new generation of authentic fantasy presented with humanoid characters (the characters in this franchise represent characters from Sanrio).
The franchise includes 3 groups of “knights”: Red Bouquet, Blue Bouquet and Noir Bouquet.
Jin Ogasawara voices Chaco, one of the vocals in Noir Bouquet.
The group officially debuted in 2024 with the digital single “ALL SO BAD“, bringing to the forefront an interesting deep bass-driven rock sound.
And in “Charcoal White“, the group’s 2nd single, Jin Ogasawara leads the way in the performance. The song is softer in tone but still with hip-hop and rock influences.
Variety
Ogasawara’s energy on variety/talk shows is something that instantly makes others feel comfortable around him.
He doesn’t overreact to get a laugh, he’s usually calm and collected – although there are still some occasions in which he partakes in crazy shenanigans.
Over the years he’s been a guest on some YouTube channels. Some of those include (this is not exhaustive):
Comic BAR RENTA! (2020)
In 2020, Jin Ogasawara guested on Shuuta Morishima‘s Comic BAR RENTA!, show that airs on TOKYO MX.
Following the premise of the show, the guest performs alongside the host a short part of an online comic/manga. He guested on episodes 202 and 203.
Gakutomo Channel (2019 and 2022)
In 2019, Jin Ogasawara was a guest on Gakuto Kajiwara‘s YouTube channel: Gakutomo.
They had never worked in the same projects before so Kajiwara actually went on Wikipedia to know more about Ogasawara. This led to talking about nicknames, hair treatments, and creativity.
Actually, I’m from the countryside, you know. I’m not a big spender or anything like that, so I don’t often buy things impulsively.
And in 2022, they got together for a free talk video covering topics such as driving, parking, visiting Omotesando, food preferences, and reminiscing about past conversations.
This was an unfiltered talk between both without the focus on entertaining an audience (as stated by Gakuto Kajiwara early on in the video).
Kodai Sakai × Jin Ogasawara “Say U Play” (2021)
In 2021, Jin Ogasawara teamed up with fellow seiyuu Kodai Sakai for a special episode set in Shimokitazawa, one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Tokyo.
Alongside guest Yusuke Shirai, the 3 of them walked around the neighborhood, visited a toy shop, played games, and had a lot of funny banter going on.
There are more episodes on Say U Play with the Ogasawara x Kodai presenter duo. You can start with the one below.
Facts
Designed clothes for an apparel brand
In 2021, Ogasawara teamed up with Japanese apparel brand LIVERTINE AGE to design hoodies for a collaboration collection.
Despite being one of the best rock singers among male seiyuu…
Jin Ogasawara is not a trained singer and does not have any music experience. However, joining GYROAXIA opened the doors for him to learn how to play keyboards – at least for one song played live in 2023 – and he often oversees the band’s performances.
With a band of professionally – or experienced – trained musicians, Ogasawara struggles a bit to use technical jargon. Still, he ends up communicating what he wants from the performances with gestures, sounds, and imagery. This is actually something that shows commitment to bridging the gap between professional musicians and him as a seiyuu and frontman with no prior experience.
Like a man possessed on stage… but not quite
It goes without saying that Jin Ogasawara has a powerful and charismatic stage performance. If he’s performing rock, it’s instantly obvious just how “at home” he feels during the performances.
For GYROAXIA’s performances though, some fans believe he embodies a persona – Nayuta – however, Ogasawara has mentioned he is not a method actor – an actor that gets into a role by being that role they’re portraying – and, instead, thinks about what the character would do if they would be on stage instead of him.
So he’s more the type to pay close attention to a character’s quirks and behavior and channel it instead of embodying a persona from start to finish.
His versatility as a singer comes from his varied music tastes
Jin Ogasawara loves to go to karaoke, performing almost any kind of music genre, particularly rock music.
He mentioned that some of his favorite artists include B’z and Michael Jackson, influenced by his mother, and ONE OK ROCK and SOUL’d OUT, who inspired his singing and rapping.
It is particularly noticeable in his performances with GYROAXIA how much of ONE OK ROCK’s Taka he channels so, it’s safe to say the band is not only a favorite but helped him shape himself as a frontman.
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.
