Every year, a large number of newcomers emerge in the Japanese voice actor industry, and for this reason, the Japanese media specially produced a program called "New Voice Actor Illustrated Guide". The show interviews and reports on some of the most promising rookie voice actors, to understand the behind-the-scenes stories of their entry into the industry, and their prospects for the future. In the latest issue of the "Rookie Voice Actor Guide", we will introduce Yurika Kubo, who has performed well in works such as "Miss Kotoura" (Hiyoshi Moritani) and "LoveLive!" (Hanahiro Koizumi).

Q: When it comes to Ms. Kubo's masterpiece, I can't help but mention LoveLive!. At the beginning of summer this year, the second season has ended, but I feel that Koizumi Hanayo-chan is also slowly growing.

Kubo: In the first season of "LoveLive!", Hana Yang has just taken her first step, and in the second season, she has also shown her charm to the outside world. From her point of view, I don't think I'm so nervous anymore (laughs). And what she likes...... One is to become an idol, and the other is to eat rice (laughs). And she clearly expressed her thoughts, and her growth can be clearly seen. I think Huayang is a very absorbent child, so every time I look at her, I feel that I have to learn more from her. I'm afraid that all the fans who watched the work will also sigh with emotion after witnessing Huayang's appearance: "People can really change." ”

Q: Is Ms. Kubo aware of her own growth?

Kubo: Every time I meet other members, I feel the growth. In the anime, the members of μ's are working together to save the school, and we, the voice actors, have the idea of "working together", and this idea is growing. I think we were able to do this thanks to the support of our fans.

Q: It's been 4 years since you first came into contact with this character, and you're about to enter your 5th year. Looking back on the past four years, how do you feel?

Kubo: I didn't realize that so much time had passed, and it made me feel like time was a dazzling kind of storage (laughs). We really had a lot to explore for our first concert at the Yokohama BLITZ. Since the anime hadn't aired yet, we were very uneasy and wondered if the audience would point at us and say, "What is this?" ”……

In February of this year, we got the opportunity to sing at the Saitama Super Arena, and I really didn't feel very realistic about it (laughs). Even when I was on stage, I had the same thoughts. It feels like it wasn't long ago that we were standing at Yokohama BLITZ (laughs)! It was not so much that we came to such a large-scale performance venue, but that we were brought here by the works and the guests, "so that we can stand on this stage that is watched by so many people!" ”

Q: You've been dealing with Hanayo-chan for a long time. So in your daily life, do you ever think of her?

Kubo: In the early days, I was very scared of playing the role of a high school girl. And being able to experience life with Hanayang, a high school student, is something that I find unbelievable today. So I thought about the story she didn't depict in the anime before the school concert. It's called anotherstory. For example, does she use that cool toothpaste at home...... and so on (laughs). When I go to a convenience store, I think, "I'm afraid Hanayo-chan will choose this product!" (laughs) I don't think of her every day, but in my life, Hagoyo-chan sometimes appears in front of my eyes suddenly.

Q: What is your favorite part of the anime?

Kubo: Naturally, this is the story of Hanayo becoming a member of μ's in the first season. In addition, the description of her support for Rin in the second season is also very obvious, and I smiled from the bottom of my heart when I watched it. In this plot, Hua Yang-chan cheered up Xiao Rin and said: Rin is also very charming, you can stand in the center! This scene of cheering for my friends made me sigh: Ah ~ youth. At the same time, I also felt the good relationship and growth between the girls in the first year of high school.

Q: What's your favorite song in LoveLive!?

Kubo: I love all the songs. Sometimes, though, I suddenly think, "I love this song!" ”…… Although the second season is over now, there is still a theatrical version to come, which shows that our story is not over yet. Therefore, the ending song of the second season with cheerful feelings "No matter when it will go on" is particularly good. This song is also what I order when I go to karaoke alone. I'm not a very positive person myself (laughs), so when I heard the melody "If it were you, I would definitely be able to do it", I had the courage to "Ah~ Come on". Many of the songs in "LoveLive!" are cheering up.

Q: In the past 4 years, have any members of the team changed their relationship with you?

KUBO: YOSHINON AND I HAVE SIMILAR INTERESTS, AND WE'VE HAD THE SAME SMELL FROM THE BEGINNING. And in the early days, she also taught me a lot of things that I didn't know, and she can be said to be a big sister-like senior. And now, as always, they listen to my troubles, and the relationship between the two is still very close. And it should be RIPI (Riho Iida) that has changed significantly, right? She was still a junior in high school at the time, and now she has graduated from college...... Now, we've really become like the relationship between Rin and Hanayang in the anime. I may still have a bit of a childish relationship in my heart, and I've always made friends with a lot of people who are older than me. And RIPI is a rare example, actually smaller than me...... Heck, I didn't think she was younger than me (laughs). She would call me to dinner in a relaxed tone, and even though she was younger than me, she always seemed to love me (laughs). However, sometimes I suddenly say something I don't understand, and it causes me to complain (laughs).

Q: Next year's theatrical version is also worth looking forward to!

Kubo: From the actor's point of view, considering that the second season ended in a very interesting way, it will be very difficult to dub in the theatrical version. Although it is a "theatrical version", it is the same as the previous TV series...... The only thing we can do in our works is singing and acting. In order not to disappoint the audience who are looking forward to the work, I can only work harder!

Q: In addition to "LoveLive!", Ms. Kubo has also played roles in many other works. One of the first works to challenge the voice acting work as a main character is probably "Miss Kotoura", right? How do you feel about this?

Kubo: It's really "Miss Kotoura". Although "LoveLive!" is also from the same period as this work, in chronological order, the work that actually played the main role and participated in the dubbing was "Kotoura-sama". That's why I feel very nervous! Hi Tsuki-chan (Kanemoto Shouko) and Hanazawa coriander are both my peers, but performing with them also taught me a lot.

Of course, because of the overly strained relationship, it has also led to many times that the recording was CUT...... When it came to dubbing, I thought it was really a lot of trouble for everyone...... But for me at that time, the dubbing scene was a really great place, and everyone I met became mentors. The work itself is a story worth pondering a little, but it also has a funny joke. Hiyori is a completely opposite character to Hanayo, so I also think it is very valuable when I perform it. If I had the opportunity to appear in Hiyori again, I can imagine that I would be able to perform differently than I did back then...... Please make sure to release a sequel (laughs)!

Q: Since April of this year, you've been hosting a radio show titled "Yurika Kubo is babbling on her own and her stomach hurts."

Kubo: That's right. I used to tell people that "I don't usually have a good stomach, but when I get nervous, I immediately get a stomachache", and I came up with this title...... This program is simply called "Stomach Pain Radio" (laughs). However, as the title says, if there is an audience who is in pursuit of "Everyone~! Let's listen to my happy story☆", I'm afraid I'm going to be disappointed, and there won't be such an audience (laughs). And in the letters I received, I could also feel the great quality of the people. The quality of these letters is so high that it feels like they were sent to a regular radio station! This is really rare~

Q: I may have imagined it on my own, but I think Ms. Kubo is a person who is very good at "talking to herself". So when you talk to yourself...... Still have stomach aches?

Kubo: No, no! This one...... Actually, I have a headache too~ I'm not the type of person who is very good at showing what kind of person I am. I'm afraid it's a bit difficult for me to use an opening line like "Oops ~ something happened a few days ago", I'm afraid it's a bit difficult...... Even on the radio, I calmly said, "Huh? Fun thing? Oops, nothing. Nothing happened this week. "That's not going to work~ (laughs) I'm sometimes complained that "hosting a radio is not the same as dubbing, the role is different!" "I'm sorry about that, but that's who I am (laughs).

Q: Is there any column in the "One Person Chattering" broadcast?

Kubo: There's a column for "games" that one person can play, and the other day I watched a video of a person sitting at the front of a roller coaster, and I felt as if I was sitting on it, and I kept shaking my chair...... It was a lot of fun (laughs). As a result, some listeners asked worriedly: Are you okay? However, I am very happy to be able to attract everyone's attention, and I feel that there are many types of people like me in the world who "want to be alone" even though they are lonely, so I hope that my radio can be a partner for this kind of people.

Q: What's been going on lately that has made you feel particularly emotional?

Kubo: Well, it's a job, but I recently got the opportunity to hold an exclusive event in my hometown of Nara Prefecture. The event is supposed to be called "ならこいふぇすた2014", and it is held every year, but there are also some small projects including talks. I've been saying before, "I want to hold an exclusive event in Nara Prefecture!" And that wish came true. Some of the guests came from Hokkaido! I'm glad to be able to let such people know about Nara. At that time, I went back to my own home, and my parents were very happy (laughs).

Q: What does Ms. Kubo think about Nara? Recommend it.

Kubo: Most people say, "I went to Nara on a school trip." However, most of them are tied to Kyoto, so I guess everyone has a deeper impression of Kyoto (laughs). When I was younger, I thought Kyoto was gorgeous and there were many delicious foods, which made me very impressed. However, after becoming an adult, I felt the charm of the temples and shrines in Nara.

At that exclusive event, the prefectural staff took me on a tour of a large shrine called Kasuga Taisha. The staff explained, "In the past, only people with the surname Fujiwara were allowed to enter this torii gate," and I was very amused to hear the origin, and I reflected, "Why didn't you know about it before?" Not only adults, but also young people want to know the history and culture of Nara! And if you come here when you are young, when you come back to Wèn as an adult, you will definitely be filled with emotion: "I felt this way at that time!" ”

Q: Is there anything you've been fascinated about lately?

Kubo: I love walking! Although I also like to read novels and listen to music, I always feel that these things have something to do with work. I thought, "Is there anything that makes people relax?" Then I started looking for it out of interest, and the answer I finally found was "walking". I didn't do anything special, such as deciding on my walking route or buying sportswear, but I would listen to a slightly lighter or healing song without thinking about anything, and walk for 1 to 2 hours. When you come back to your senses, you think, "Where are you now?" "Then look at the map. Sometimes when the station needs to be detoured, I will also get off the train halfway and walk back. That's why I often sweat profusely on the train home (laughs). If you find a bathhouse nearby, you'll be in right away! Then cover your chest with your hands and soak in the bath while sweat runs down (laughs). Anyway, you don't need to wear makeup when you walk (laughs).

Q: Is there anything that catches your eye while walking?

Kubo: When I see that croquettes are sold, I think, "It's delicious~" and buy them (laughs). And it's also good for the body (even though I'm just walking and exercising, laughs). And I also like grilled chicken and stuff like that! For that kind of ** can not be resisted. If I don't have a job, I'll buy some beer or something (laughs). Gollum drank it in one gulp, "It's cool!" He shouted and continued walking. So the beer turned into sweat (laughs).

Q: What are your goals as a voice actor in the future?

Kubo: When I get a role, I want to be able to empathize with the character and perform it. But after listening to other people, I feel like I still have a lot to learn, and I may not be at the point where I have set a goal (laughs). So I want to lay the groundwork from some details. My throat is not very strong, so I need to exercise, make a louder sound, and be able to lengthen the sound...... Don't complain, take these small things seriously. As for what awaits me in front of me, if there is anything I can do, then it will be a problem for me. I think that's very important at all times.

Q: Finally, what would you like to say to the readers who read this interview?

Kubo: I think it's rare to be able to be interviewed in Yurika Kubo's own name like this. So to the readers who were able to read this interview, I am very grateful! And as I said, I will continue to work my true self in the future, and I hope that readers who see this idea will always look at me casually, and I will be very happy. I'm going to work hard. Please advise. I'm Kubo (laughs).

Q: Thank you for your time today!