by Samantha H., Staff Writer, Inside AX- Anime Expo
Translated by Naveen

Here at Anime Expo 2011, we have just concluded interviews with all our great Guests of Honor. Today I received the amazing opportunity to interview Miyuki Sawashiro, a prolific seiyuu (Japanese voice actress) who has voiced characters in anime such as Canaan, Durarara!! and Angel Beats!. After 15 minutes of Q&A, here’s what we were able to find out about Miyuki, who is here to promote NIS America’s Arakawa Under the Bridge.

Disclaimer: We were not able to take video, photos, or audio recordings of this interview.

Please introduce yourself for those who many not know who you are or what you do.

My name is Miyuki Sawashiro and I’m a Japanese seiyuu. I came to Anime Expo to promote Arakawa Under the Bridge.

How did you get into voice acting?

I like anime and manga, so my friends saw an audition for a role in an anime and recommended I go. I passed and got a role.

Do you have any tips for those wanting to do voice acting? How do you take care of your voice?

For those wanting to go to into voice acting, they should aim to live a normal life. You can apply what you learn to voice acting. To take care of my voice I don’t smoke or drink and warm up my voice in the morning.

What is it like re-dubbing an anime in English?

I never thought I would get a chance to re-dub my work from Japanese to English. The hardest part was trying to make it successful.

How much English do you know? How did you learn English?

I studied English in college. I studied by listening to the English first and then tried to remember and repeat it.

What character is your favorite?

I like the character Maria (Arakawa Under the Bridge). She is sadistic. It is difficult for me to choose my favorite character.

What was it like singing the theme song for Arakawa Under the Bridge?

It is a bit difficult for me to express, but singing the theme song was my favorite experience. It is more expressive since it describes the relationship between the characters Maria and Sister in the song.

Do you prefer singing or acting?

It is difficult for me to separate the two. I love singing even though I’m not very good. I like it when I get to sing in an acting manner (image songs?).

Are there any role models you look up to?

I really admire Maaya Sakamoto who voiced Nino in Arakawa Under the Bridge. I look up to her. I was very happy to work with her.

Are there any anime directors that she would like to work with in the future?

I would like to work with Shin Onuma, who directed Baka to Test to Shokanju. I admire his direction.

Are there any current projects that you are working on that you can tell us about?

I can’t say anything at the moment.

Do you have anything that you want to say to your fans?

In Japan I talked about how I wanted to thank and meet my overseas fans someday. I am happy to be able to do that here. I hope Anime Expo fans will also come to Japan and meet me as well.

 

 

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Tags: AX11, interview, Miyuki Sawashiro