The premiere of the anime Seitokai ni mo Ana wa Aru! (Even the Student Council Has Its Holes!) started strong this season, but beyond the laughs and absurd comedy of its first episode, a detail in the main cast sparked an interesting conversation among viewers. The arrival of Tan Otori, a male character with a feminine appearance who joins the chaotic student council, brought up the ongoing debate about how such roles should be portrayed in Japanese animation.

In the debut episode, we meet Ume Mizunoe, a first-year student with serious science problems who decides to join the Fujinari Academy’s student council to avoid repeating the year. There, he encounters peculiar members, including Tan Otori, a third-year middle school boy with a bold personality and a deeply feminine design. The production confirmed from the start that Otori is a boy, assigning voice actress Hiyori Kouno to play the role.

The dubbing choice ignited comments among those who analyze voice work for such characters. Some viewers noted they prefer male actors capable of soft or androgynous tones, like Ayumu Murase, arguing that when a female actor plays a feminine-looking boy, the character can end up sounding like just another girl. Others defend the production’s decision, highlighting that a female voice’s high pitch enhances the comedic contrast and visual surprise the original work seeks, resulting in a solid and entertaining performance.

Seitokai ni mo Ana wa Aru! is a school comedy manga written and illustrated by Muchimaro. The series began its serialization in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine in April 2022, accumulating 13 compiled volumes so far thanks to its irreverent humor and four-panel gags.

The anime adaptation is by studio Passione, directed by Naoyuki Tatsuwa. Masahiro Yokotani handles script supervision and writing, while Ryo Imamura is in charge of character design. The soundtrack accompanies the comedy with the opening theme by Sangatsu no Phantasia and the ending theme by Nanawo Akari.

What do you think of the voice choice for Tan Otori, and what kind of performance do you prefer for this style of characters?