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 Shoyo Tani, who has performed well in works such as "Friends of the Week" (Yuki Haseki), "Assassination Classroom" (Sugino Tomotoi), and "Military Girl" (Sohei Yano).

Q: When Mr. Tani was in college, he made it his goal to be a voice actor because of the suddenness of thought. So what was your determination at that time?

Tani: I'm from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, and I was hit by a major earthquake during the winter vacation of my freshman year. Because the ground on the university campus was cracked and impassable, I had the opportunity to think short-term. Then I rediscovered what I really wanted to work for. I think the most obsessive thing in my life so far is the voice actor, right?

Q: In other words, Mr. Tani wanted to become a voice actor before he made up his mind.

Tani: I guess I had a longing, but I heard that voice actors are very difficult, so I gave up. It's very difficult to become a voice actor or rely on this industry for a living, and because of this, there are only a handful of people who can become a popular voice actor. But after all, you only have one life, so I still want to seriously aim for a voice actor. Over the next week, I settled on a voice actor school, communicated with my family, and then went to Tokyo.

Q: It's amazing. And after that, in the second year of your voice actor, you were selected as the role lead in the anime (Yuki Hasei of the TV anime "Friends of the Week"). It took a lot of effort before that.

Valley: After all, this is the path I chose with a strong determination, so I spent two years at the voice actor school very fulfilling. Even if you're a voice actor, you're still worried about which genre to focus on. Some people commented that "narration should be the goal" for my voice, and some people said that "it should be for anime dubbing". I'm interested in both of these aspects, so I have doubts when adjusting the pronunciation.

Q: You've been interested in animation since then, right?

Valley: Because of my older brother and sister, I've watched Doraemon and Anpanman since kindergarten. But then there was a period of time when I was playing outside all day and didn't watch anime. After junior high school, I started to get into late-night animation.

Q: So what was your motivation for watching the late-night anime?

Valley: When I was in junior high school, there was a work around me that made a little splash. Because of that work, I remember watching a lot of anime for about three years.

Q: What is the ...... anime that has made a splash?

Valley: When I was in the third year of junior high school, "The Melancholy of Spring in the Cool Palace" was very popular. The work is centered on various girls. I hadn't been exposed to light novels before, and I realized that there would be such works in the original anime. Therefore, I thought that anime was more interesting than TV series and movies, so I became obsessed with it at once.

Q: So, would you like to tell us about your first starring work, "Friends of the Week". You starred in Yuki Hase-kun...... In one sentence, it's a hero with a straightforward character.

Tani: If you follow the staff, Hase-kun is a person who is "a high school student in body, but an elementary school student in heart" (laughs). They think, "Hase-kun is the same as Nobita-kun on the inside." "(laughs) At the audition, it seemed like I was closer to Hase-kun than anyone else. Ah, if I think about it, I'm not going to be Nobita (laughs).

Q: So what kind of style did you use to play the role during the audition?

Valley: I feel like I auditioned for a very smooth appearance. I usually skim through the original manga and then substitute myself and the characters, and if I feel out of place when I read the original audition, it takes a lot of effort to adjust the mistakes. And in the case of Hase-kun, I was able to achieve a seamless connection from the very beginning. When I auditioned the recording, I thought Hase-kun was having a conversation in my heart.

Q: This is what is called "one mind"? So when you acted, did you also have a situation where you were in sync with Hase-kun?

Valley: It's always been in sync with God (laughs). Rather, I don't feel like I'm acting at all. Regarding Hase-kun, I expressed my inner feelings and performed based on those feelings. If you have to give the most simultaneous example, then it should be that he said to the heroine Kaori: "Please be friends with me!" "When this line is written.

Q: It's the first time I've played an important role and I'm playing the lead role for the first time, so do you get nervous on the dubbing scene......?

Valley: The studio is divided into main voice actor seats and guest voice actor seats, and sitting right in the middle of the main voice actor seat really makes me feel really scared (laughs). However, Mr. Yoshimasa Hosoya and Mr. Shintaro Asanuma, who starred with me, created an atmosphere where we could perform freely, which really helped us a lot.

Q: For example, will they take the initiative to talk to you?

Valley: Yes. I always enter the studio about 40 minutes early, and Ms. Amamiya, who voices Kaori, also came early. We were both very nervous, just silently reading the lines. We didn't know how to communicate with each other. In this way, Mr. Hosoya will interject and complain, "Did you stay up all night!" (laughs)

Q: It's a great way to relax (laughs). So, Mr. Tani is still playing the role of Sugino Tomoto in the currently airing "Assassination Classroom", so how does the dubbing scene of this work give you a feeling?

Valley: The voice of the protagonist is Mr. Jun Fukuyama, but most of the voices for the students are newcomers. There were 20~30 people gathered at each dubbing, and I felt strongly that Mr. Fukuyama had created a space where everyone could get along easily. It's a very gentle and warm scene. As a newcomer like me, I've learned a lot from all kinds of meanings.

Q: Sugino Tomoto-kun is a highlight in the first few episodes. And his premise is that he loves baseball, and you're a sportsman yourself.

VALLEY: Looking back, I practiced swimming, kendo, and baseball in elementary school. In junior high school, it was football, and in high school, it was handball. So I can understand Sugino-kun's feelings about playing baseball (laughs). Someone like him basically is, "As long as you have time, go to the playground and play baseball!" The type (laughs).

Q: I don't think there are many people who have such a rich sports experience, so why does Mr. Gu participate in so many sports?

Valley: I'm a person who is afraid of cold and heat, and I already have asthma, so I seem to be frail and sickly. In order to increase my body, I challenged myself with a variety of sports. In the past, I was envious of my friends who were moving freely, so I thought that if I could be like them, then I should try more things than everyone else. For example, go to all kinds of places, etc. Even if it's just a little bit of a taste, I want to keep getting in touch with things I've never tried before.

Q: That's so? Speaking of which, do you have any other indoor interests? For example, Sohei Yano, who you starred in "Military Girl", is a game nerd.

Valley: Of course, I like to be active, but I want to challenge myself with a lot of things, so I naturally include games. Zong Pingjun just happens to like games, which means that he can only be regarded as an ordinary child. He's surrounded by lieutenants and ensigns, as well as strong girls, so he's always commanded around (laughs). In fact, this boy also has a gentle side.

Q: In the future, Mr. Tani would like to "get in touch with a lot of things". And what's the next thing you'd like to challenge?

Valley: I've said in many places that I want to try skydiving! I haven't tried it at all, though. I've heard that if you jump an umbrella once, your outlook on life will change. And then there's rock climbing. On top of that, I'd like to try a dangerous sport that few people will try~

Q: Dangerous ...... I'm sorry to say that all I can think of is bungee jumping.

Valley: I've bungee jumping in all sorts of places, like flying down from the Macau Tower. (PS: Macau Tower is a 338-meter-tall tower located in Macau.) Bungee jumping can be enjoyed from 233 meters)

Q: Why did you feel like you were involved in these things......?

Valley: I want to expand my inner world. It's often hard to change how we feel about ourselves. Then, try something unusual. It probably won't change much (laughs).

Q: It seems that this philosophical idea can be applied to work as well.

Valley: yes. My predecessor also told me, "Actors have to go through all kinds of things. So as to enrich the life experience. "I want to be able to experience all kinds of things and establish a strong ideology in my heart.

Q: What kind of role would you like to experience in terms of acting?

Tani: I have a lot of opportunities to play as a junior high school or high school student, such as a cheerful boy like Hase-kun, but I want to play a dark character, an evil character, an opponent or an enemy character of the main character, and so on. I've never been exposed to any of these characters. Originally, I admired Mr. Nakao Takasei and Mr. Chiba Shigeru. My goal is to become a unique voice actor one day.

Q: Finally, would you like to say a few words to our readers?

Valley: I may not be able to improve my acting skills all at once, but I hope to achieve this goal slowly. So please give us a lot of advice in the future!

Also, for those who aim to be voice actors and write fan letters to me...... Although you may encounter difficulties and hardships, don't give up, and if you have a clear grasp of the position to do something about it, then I think you will be able to move forward little by little. Sometimes you need to be honest with what others have to say, and be aware of the importance of listening, which may be something you need to think about. In addition, I would like you to pay attention to the core part of your heart, lean forward gently, and work hard.

Q: Thank you for your time today!