As the term voice actor becomes more and more exposed, many young people also have a longing for this industry. So how exactly do you become a voice actor? How did a well-known voice actor get to where he is today? To this end, some Japanese media specially invited well-known voice actors in the industry to launch the "Voice Yumi" program. In the show, those veterans will tell us about the path they have traveled. In this issue, we see the Mizuda Wasabi who has made outstanding contributions in works such as "Magic Milu Milu Wonderful" (Octopus Master), "Armed Alchemy" (Angel Imperial Service), and "Doraemon" (Doraemon Service).

Because Masako Nozawa, who longed to voice "Dragon Ball", he made a voice actor a target

The first time I envied the job of voice actor was when I was in my third year of junior high school. At that time, it happened to be the period when Dragon Ball was popular. I don't watch much anime, but Dragon Ball is an exception. Every time I finish club activities and go to cram school, I watch anime while eating, and I really like it. At that time, a friend showed me a photo of Ms. Masako Nozawa, and I was very shocked: "This person voiced Goku!?" It's not a boy! Then I suddenly woke up to my understanding of voice actors: "There is such a great profession!! I remember that in the anthology of junior high school, it was written, "I like Ms. Masako Nozawa so much!! ”

After graduating from high school, I thought about "going to Tokyo and aiming to be a voice actor". Although my parents objected to me going to Tokyo, my uncle, who lives in Yokohama, offered a helping hand: "My home is not far from Tokyo, so it's fine. "I don't think I would have been able to make the trip to Tokyo without my uncle's help. Eventually, I made a promise to my parents, "If I don't achieve anything in four years, I'll give up," and I went to Tokyo.

When I arrived in Tokyo, I joined SUGOROKU, a theater company owned by Kenichi Ogata and Shunji Yamada. There was nothing special about the auditions. I went to see a performance by the theater company SUGOROKU and casually gave an interview (laughs). I was asked a lot of things there. The first is from the question "What do you think of today's performance?" He started and then asked, "What kind of work are you doing?" If you join the troupe, will you be able to make ends meet? Can you be in charge of behind-the-scenes work such as large props and costumes? Love singing? Can I wear a kimono? Something like that. After this "interview", I initially started working as a behind-the-scenes staff.

I made my actor debut as a substitute for my senior! Awaken to the joy of acting

After joining the troupe, I worked behind the scenes for a while. However, because of an incident, my senior could no longer continue to play roles, so I suddenly made my debut as an actor. Although it's a ** character, the character's skin is very fair, and maybe other people will think "This girl comes to work every day, so she can also understand the actor's movements, right?" It's not impossible to let her take over. "But if it hadn't been for that, probably I'd have been working behind the scenes. Looking back now, it was also a big turnaround.

Suddenly, I decided to perform on stage for the first time, and there was very little time before the official performance, so I entered the role with a feeling of "I can't do it anymore". Because it is a ** character, there will be a picture of being touched by a person who plays a rival role in some plots. I was only about 20 years old at the time, so I was very shy when I performed, thinking "I hate it~" But when I stood on the real stage and bathed in the lights, I didn't feel ashamed at all, and I thought "So happy!!" "Playing a role can make people feel so comfortable." It's incredible. At this time, the staff will even remind, "Your boobs have been seen!!" "(laughs) I'm starting to get bold in my performances.

The first time I performed on stage, I learned the joy of acting. Since then, he has been working behind the scenes and standing on stage as an actor. Not only my own troupe, but I also went to other troupes to help, but I just went to see each other's performances. "It's lucky to be able to watch the show like this every day!!" At that time, the works were very interesting, so I gradually became obsessed with acting.

I was discovered by Kazuya Tatekabe, and I want to advance in the voice actor industry that I dreamed of

I was able to work as a voice actor thanks to the stage. When I was standing on the stage of the troupe, Mr. Kazuya Tatekabe happened to sit in the audience and talked to me. I was painted brown and played a horse role, and I was called "horse" without being remembered by name at first. When we were drinking together, someone said, "Horse, fill it up for me" (laughs). At that time, he said to me, "There's an audition for the voice of a fat boy, do you want to try it?" "Then I auditioned for animation and got my first voice actor job. That was in 1996.

I didn't know anything about the work of a voice actor, so I was initially confused. Unlike a stage performance, you have to use your voice to express it, and I don't know where to stand on the microphone, I don't know how to hold a script book, I don't know anything. Luckily, Mr. Kenichi Ogata was also there, so he told me, "It's good to do it." I was given unreserved guidance. I really got a lot of help on the dubbing scene, and I learned a little bit about the job through the experience I gained from my seniors. I haven't been to a voice actor training center, but I feel very fortunate to be able to get direct guidance from my seniors on site.

When the dubbing work is over and the seniors take them for a drink, it is often the seniors who treat them and say, "Wasabi-chan doesn't have to pay for it." At that time, it was great to go to dinner with everyone, but when I opened my wallet, it was often empty. I was anxious and thought, "Oops! What am I here for? At this time, the seniors took good care of me and said, "It's okay." Let's help Miss Mizuta pay for it today. "Everyone is very nice people, and for me, I didn't meet any terrible seniors. I think, "The voice actor industry is so warm." ”

Because of the stage play, I got an audition for "Doraemon".

The biggest turning point in my voice actor career is probably "Doraemon". I went to the audition without knowing it. At that time, I was the only one who was suddenly called to the recording studio and gave me a copy of the Doraemon script and said, "Can you try to read it?" At that time, I had played boys A and B in "Doraemon", so I thought to myself, "This might be preparing for the next job?" ”

This was the original Doraemon audition I attended. A few days later, when I knew it was an audition, I thought "It would be nice if I could do it a little harder~" After all, I was the only one at the time, and the staff didn't know where to go, so it was not so much a recording sample as a simple pronunciation. So I can feel relaxed, I don't need to imitate others, just use my own voice. If you are too nervous, it may become a parody show of Oyama Enyo.

I went to auditions several more times. On that day, I went to record TV Asahi's "Our Family", and they said to me, "Can you please come to the studio about 30 minutes early?" "After I went, I was asked, "Can I match Doraemon's voice again?" "It's the second round of auditions. I always feel like I'm being attacked suddenly (laughs). And by the third and fourth times, it became more and more like an audition. And there were also some performances with dialogue.

Then it was called to the final audition, first to perform, and then to be interviewed. I waited in the waiting room, watching one person go and two people go...... I thought, "Is it true that the hired person has already gone to another room?" I really want to go back soon. At this time, the door was suddenly opened, and someone came in with a camera and said, "It's you!" "It was a report of the audition, and the footage was shown on the evening news. I was surprised. Usually I get a phone call from the office a few days after the audition, but I didn't expect to be told about the job on the spot. I also think that the camera is a camera for a spoof show. And this kind of particularity is only available in "Doraemon".

I later heard that this audition was also given because of my performance on stage. At that time, the director of "Doraemon" asked, "I heard that there is a strange girl in the theater group SUGOROKU, right?" I wanted to hear that child's voice," that's why I was called. The audition for "Doraemon" is kept secret by the name, age, and office of the voice actor, and the staff can only select based on their voice, which is also very rare. And the director also said: "I didn't expect you to stay". Of course, I was surprised (laughs).

Every day, I tremble, thinking, "When will I be fired?" ”

Since I took over Doraemon in 2005, I've been dubbing Doraemon for 10 years now. Doraemon is a national-level character, but after the role was decided, it was very rare that I didn't feel too much pressure. First of all, I read a lot of books, including the 45 volumes of original works by Fujiko F. Fujio and books related to Doraemon, and learned from them. And I had to deal with all kinds of interviews related to Doraemon. In addition, all the Doraemon voices in toys and CM have to be re-recorded, and because of the heavy workload, I am always chased by the schedule, and to be honest, I don't even have the time to feel the pressure.

When the TV anime started, I didn't feel anything particularly realistic. At that time, I thought, "Anyway, let's do it for half a year." If you are fired for squid in half a year, you can only say that you are not suitable. "I also mentioned these things in a conversation with the five people I co-starred with Megumi Ohra (Nobita), Yumi Kasuma (Shizuka Minamoto), Kimura Pleiades (Takeshi Tsukada), and Tomoichi Seki (Koo Orukawa). We discussed, "After all, this is a 25-year-old show, so I'm afraid it will be sprayed by people." As long as it can last for half a year, it would be fine. Half a year later, almost one year later, I got the opportunity to dub the theatrical version, which finally gave me some realism, and for the first time, I thought, "Okay!! I've got the role of Doraemon. ”

Before that, I was trembling for quite some time, thinking, "When the hell am I going to get fired?" "Even though everyone on the dubbing scene was very gentle, sometimes the great producers in suits would come over and tell us to pay attention to all these things. After all, this industry still values numbers (ratings), and once the numbers drop, they will be reminded to "everyone, please work hard!!" "After all, it's a work that gets so much attention. Heck, speaking of which, it doesn't mean that just because our performance has changed, the numbers will increase (laughs). But in the face of such a request, the scene will also be cheered, and then answer: "Yes, work hard!!" "Fujiko F. Fujio-sensei's original work was read over and over again, and I listened to the teacher's words on CD and created the character with a new mood.

And at the scene of "Doraemon" like Tongguò, the bond between our 5 voice actors has become stronger and stronger. The five of us sometimes cry together and overcome various difficulties together. Oh, although on the surface I am the leader, but in fact, Mr. Guan is the real leader, and he belongs to the hidden boss (laughs). As soon as I was confused or stopped, I would definitely get Mr. Guan's phone instructions: "Since it's the paddy field version of Doraemon, how about doing it?" "This is a very gentle person. And I've been dealing with Mr. Guan for a long time, and this time I was able to star in "Doraemon" together, which made me feel very confident. Sometimes I even think, "If it's not Mr. Kwan, who should I rely on?" ”

It's been 20 years since I made my debut as an actor in the theater company SUGOROKU. Sometimes people ask, "What's the secret to your long-term survival in this industry?" "Actually, I want to know the reason for this (laughs).

But the most important thing is to put health first. I sometimes act with young children in vocational schools, and I feel that it will be very difficult for sick children. No matter how good the acting is, if you catch a cold all year round, then it is still very worrying.

It's not that I'm boasting (laughs), but before I graduated from high school, I didn't be late, skipped, or leave early. No one ever told me what it meant to "rest". In the troupe SUGOROKU, I was able to be a substitute for my seniors, and in fact, it had something to do with the fact that I was never absent from work. Someone said, "You are clumsy, but you come to the venue every day." The important question is: "Health, no rest".

In addition, it is also important to behave in the world. Nice people, funny people, clever people, people who feel healing with each other...... These types of people will be liked by those around them and will be prone to opportunities. In addition, it is necessary to have a strong sense of curiosity and be able to take an interest in various things. While it's not a bad thing to do an in-depth study of a thing, it's important for an actor to have a broad and brief understanding of various aspects. I always liven up the atmosphere, but that doesn't mean "if you don't know baseball, you can't be funny in baseball anime" and so on.

I don't know where the opportunity will roll back from!!

I looked at the young people recently and had some thoughts. Everyone is very good at acting. I've been learning a lot from you. I'm even worried that if they can do everything, will it make me seem incompetent and useless.

However, it's not that the acting skills are good, and everything is OK. An excellent child who graduated from a vocational school and was not promoted from a reservist to a full-time employee at a certain office said to me, "Ms. Wasabi, I can't be promoted." I was also thinking, "Such a good kid can't be promoted." Why is that? "No matter how good the performance is, if there are many people like her in the same office, then there is probably no future. This is very important in terms of luck and timing.

It's a bit rude for me to say that, but I really got to this point by luck (laughs). Somebody you meet at some point - that's very important. In my case, most of the opportunities came from the stage. I appeared in the stage play of the theater company SUGOROKU, and then I met Kazuya Tatekabe, so I became a voice actor. In addition, because I was seen by the director of "Doraemon", I was called to audition. In addition, I have heard that some people have a bad life at the training center, and when they go to work at an izakaya, one of the customers is their senior, and they say, "Are you working?" It's a shame. Do you want to go to the stage play? Then the man appeared on stage and entered the office. I really don't know where the opportunity will roll back.

Therefore, I hope that you will not always go online or play games, but go out and interact with people. I still work after my baby is born. After all, if you keep waiting at home, there is no way the office will call you. If you leave your life blank and forget about work just because you have a baby, then you can't just wait for someone to call you. Even if I force myself, I have to go to the show, thinking "I have to play even a small role", and then walk to the stage. This approach is more likely to be favored by opportunities.

Part-time job, theater troupe, voice actor job, childcare...... The so-called pedal four boats......

After giving birth, I took my baby back to the theater and was resurrected on stage. When I got to know him, I used to work part-time, theater troupe, and voice acting "on three boats", but after I had children, I became a part-time job, a theater troupe, a voice actor job, and childcare...... The so-called pedal four boats too. If I had relaxed after giving birth, thought "I'm ready," and just waited there for a call from the office, I might not be the person I am today. After giving birth, I still felt like I wanted to continue working, thinking that I didn't come to Tokyo to get married and have children, and that I wanted to be able to work. To be honest, I was troubled by this, but after thinking about it calmly, I came to the conclusion where I am now. In the case of women, everyone should be faced with such a choice. Whether to choose family or work. But I think every choice is the right one.

After becoming a mother, it also has a good impact on work. For example, when I watched "Doraemon" with my children, I was able to experience that "children like this kind of depiction" and understand the real reaction of young audiences. This also helps a lot. In addition, children will have their own unique rhythm when they read. It's a rhythm that adults can't do, and only children can achieve. So, looking at my own children, I would think, "If I get the voice of the child's character, I'll do it." ”

Two years ago, I forced myself to appear in at least three stage plays a year, but if I did a production, I had to let other people come to see the children, so I caused a lot of trouble. Knowing this, it's time to take a break. But if I still have the chance, I want to continue to stand on the stage. I am now able to get to where I am today, thanks to the blessing of the stage. That's why I'm grateful for the stage, and I don't want to forget the story.

Broadcast to Tencent**