voice
the women behind the girl
The vocal portrayal of a character in anime is vital to their overall characterisation - in the original Japanese language or otherwise. Salvia is no exception and her anime persona is shaped by the actresses who bring her to life: Imai Yuka and T. Lynn Mikeska.
imai yuka
Imai
Yuka (今井 由香) is a seiyuu employed by the Gekidan Moonlight agency. Born in 1970,
Imai-san is adept at playing both male and female roles, with a particular
focus on young men. Imai-san's voice is frequently commanding and deep with a spirited touch. While she continues to work in the industry, most of her leading roles are from the mid-90's/early 00's. These include: Mamiya Otaru from the Saber Marionette series, Kinezono Rio
from Burn Up! W and Excess, Shinohara Wakaba from Shoujo Kakumei Utena, Kitamura Suzu from Peacemaker Kurogane and Uotani Arisa from Fruits Basket.
As Angel Salvia in Wedding Peach Imai-san uses a somewhat deep, powerful voice that sits between feminine and masculine. In more unguarded moments however, Imai-san manages to bring out the softness in Salvia's character.
In addition to portraying Salvia in the anime series, Imai Yuka can be seen representing her character in the FURIL' concert series. In these concerts, Imai-san essentially acts as Salvia - dressing in her love angel costume, shouting her better-known quotes and singing her role in several songs. Imai Yuka also portrays Salvia in a spoken track on the "Memories" soundtrack CD and in the Wedding Peach PC game.
In the "Message of Love from the New FURIL" video originally packaged on LD but included with the limited version of the sixth R1 DVD, Imai-san gives a brief interview about her experience portraying Salvia. Overall, she regards it as a positive experience.
"I entered the show during the last half of the series, and it feels like being able to participate in Wedding Peach has let me take one step further in my own growth. The scene that left the biggest impression on me is the one where Salvia finally feels the love of the others, and they were able to unleash the power of the Saint Something Four. When I saw it, I thought to myself, 'Incredible!' and 'Whoa!'... I'm really glad I was able to be in an anime like this."
t. lynn mikeska
Unlike
her Japanese counterpart, T. Lynn Mikeska doesn't have a long history
of voice acting. Mikeska is predominantly a stage actress and burlesque dancer, who also sings and participates in lower budget films. Her background is quite diverse and this means she brings a lot of variety to her various roles. Mikeska's take
on Angel Salvia is her first (and only) venture into the world of voice acting (to date, anyway).
Although not a seasoned dub actress, Mikeska gives a solid performance
as Salvia in the Section 23 English language track. It takes her a few episodes to get truly comfortable with the role, but once she settles in her voice work is certainly compelling.
True to Imai's original portrayal, Mikeska uses a strong voice, deeper and more mature in its pitching than that of the other love angels. Mikeska's Salvia also has a well-defined sarcastic edge to her, which helps to bring out the teenage qualities in her character.