MaxBoys is a classic seiyuu unit from back when male seiyuu started to team up to showcase their singing skills for radio show opening and ending tunes.
Some, however, got the backing of a big music label and got to perform live before their end. That is the story of MAXBOYS.
MAXBOYS
DEBUT: October 9, 2011
MEMBERS: Yoshimasa Hosoya & Toshiki Masuda
MUSIC LABEL: Sony Music Japan
MaxBoys was a short-lived seiyuu unit, but that at the same time served as a good launching ramp for both members, Yoshimasa Hosoya and Toshiki Masuda.
As you all know by now, when seiyuu units are created there are always the “less known” or “new in the seiyuu industry” members.
This unit has an amazing weapon, Hosoya’s vibrato, and melodic singing skills, and then we have Masuda that sings well but not on pair with Hosoya, none less this unit worked well because when we combine both of them singing they create an amazing harmony.
This unit was created because of their radio show called Hosoya Yoshimasa Masuda Toshiki No Zenryoku Danshi, working as a means to get more attention to the recently debuted seiyuu Masuda and to get even more attention to the, at the time, starting to getting some more popularity seiyuu, Hosoya.
Although it is a pity that MaxBoys ended up disbanding in 2013, we can still listen to their released work and enjoy it.
This unit took its first steps in the music industry with their first single titled 大切なもの (Taisetsu na Mono) which wasn’t badly accepted if we take into consideration that this was the unit’s first release and it was actually able to rank 26th at the Oricon charts.
This first single was more on the pop-rock and also the funky side which in fact suited very well both of them. Vocal wise, however, it was not easy, especially for those having a first listen at both seiyuu, to tell them apart.
For the trained ears it was easy to notice that Hosoya had the most technique and control – despite Toshiki Masuda being a well-known musical actor – but MAXBOYS was all about growth.
You could tell that the focus was on both seiyuu to be on the same level and have fun performing those songs.
Although we could mainly listen to Hosoya as the “main vocal”, Masuda also did his best but still came off a little overshadowed but even so, with their fresh “sound” that was really good, they made people want to see more of their work out.
Heart and Soul was their second release, and this time we had a once again pop-rock single. In this single, both of them worked well together but compared with the first single it somewhat lost its “power” and that reflected on their position on the charts, this placing in 44th.
Although the outcome of this single wasn’t as great as the first, it still showed us some improvement on Masuda’s part and, of course, Hosoya’s continued with his flawless performance.
I must say in this case, when one part of the unit is so talented, it sometimes is difficult to shine, but still, Masuda managed to do so.
Working towards the middle of their repertoire we have the unit’s first album titled Taisetsu na Uta.
And I have to remind you that MaxBoys‘s first releases were all in the same year, 2012, so it was little a storm of releases while the fans still remembered who they were. The album in itself had some new tracks and some of the previous ones like Sakura or Koi no Kiseki.
Still with the same genre, MaxBoys continued with that energy that they brought since their first release, but we already could notice that their chemistry while singing was improving.
One track that you must listen to is ハートブレイカー (Heart breaker), a more laid-back song but still very good.
旅立つ君の横顔に (Tatsu kimi no yokogao ni) was their last release.
MaxBoys started their career with a genre more to the pop-rock, but at times a more funky-oriented one, and they ended the same way.
Tatsu kimi no yokogao ni is a good example of what I just mentioned, with the guitars and bass going on but still with a slightly funky instrumental as background. I must say that it is probably that mix between genres that captivated lots of people.
If after knowing all of these facts about MaxBoys you thought that their career was so short that they didn’t have the chance to have a live concert, then you’re wrong.
In 2012 the unit had their first and only, sadly enough, live concert, and I confess that it got wondering if they were that good in a live setting, but after seeing it I can say for sure that they’re as good as in the studio.
Also, as I mentioned before, the chemistry they had on-stage was amazing, almost like it wasn’t their first time at all and they had been doing it forever.
I hope that you enjoyed this month’s SEIYUU DIGEST and revisited or learned something about this talented unit.
