In today's Japanese voice actor world, with the continuous appearance of "idol voice actors", the number of voice actors from "idol background" has also increased a lot compared to the past. In 2012, he starred in "Chitose Getyou!! The role of Chitose Sakuraba in is currently the popular anime "HappinessCharge Beautiful Girl of Light! >> Sing the OP theme song "ハピネスチャージプリキュア! WOW！ Akika Nakatani is also one of the voice actors of "idol-born". Since graduating from AKB48, I have been working as a voice actor for a year. Recently, we can also see her in the CAST list of the mobile game "Idol Incident", which will start distributing this fall. Akika Nakatani's credentials as a voice actor are steadily deepening. And this time, we invited Akika Nakatani, who was born as an idol, to tell you about the real ecology of the current voice actor world.

■I don't want to see the work that I failed in the audition party!?

INTERVIEWER You've been working at Amuleto for over a year, can you tell us about your feelings and growth since becoming a voice actor?

Akika Nakatani: To put it bluntly, I really feel that I have attended auditions more often. I often get opportunities to appear in games, anime, and other works, so I feel more like a voice actor than I used to be. It's hard to say if I've grown as a voice actor, but I often appear in stage plays, so my experience as a voice actor is growing steadily.

INTERVIEWER What did the instructor in the course say about your voice actor?

Akika Nakatani: My teacher is not someone who likes to praise others, but he will talk about my shortcomings, and even if I have grown, I have not received much praise. I was often pointed out in class for being too stubborn about the impression of the character and not being loud enough. The teacher told me that the impression of the character is really important, but it is also necessary to be more flexible. Recently, I have been practicing some overseas works in class, and when I meet mature female characters, the teacher will always say that my voice is always too low and too calm.

INTERVIEWER I recently heard that you're going to star in the mobile game "Idol Incident", so what kind of voice actor activities are you doing now?

Akika Nakatani: "Idol Incident" is not a role that I got at an audition party, but I got a chance to appear in the form of a role assignment. For some busy voice actors, there may be a lot of anime recording work every week, but the recording of the game only needs to be done once, and I will have to find another time for additional voice acting work in future works, so my recent voice actor activities can be said to be more leisurely. In addition, auditions for anime are usually held half a year before the start of the broadcast, so it is not uncommon for unsuccessful works to start playing when they are about to forget (laughs).

INTERVIEWER How do you feel when you look at the unsuccessful works in the audition?

Akika Nakatani: I usually watch works that I really like, or works that I forgot about the characters I chose during the audition, and I usually choose not to watch works that I really want to participate in. Because every time I think that there is a voice actor in this work who is more suitable than me, I always feel very unwilling.

■I felt like I was going to be buried, so I became an idol

INTERVIEWER In recent years, the number of "idol voice actors" in the voice actor industry has been increasing, what do you think of the "idols" of voice actors, as a former idol?

Akika Nakatani: It's true that from the perspective of the anime chefs and voice actors, this phenomenon is very interesting. In order to further promote the work, the voice actors personally presented the opening song and ending song of the album for the work, and even formed a group. I think it's funny, there's nothing wrong with that. But I usually see some people who have a sense of rejection for actors to become voice actors, and in all fairness, since the term "idol voice actor" has appeared in everyone's field of vision, then I think it is also feasible.

- Nowadays, there are many idol voice actors, like Akika Nakatani, or Hatozo Kazuko of the original SKE48, who want to become a voice actor.

Akika Nakaya: There are many idols who like anime and are very interested in voice actors. I've wanted to be a voice actor from the beginning, so I've used "idol" as a ladder because I don't have any outstanding talent (laughs). When I wanted to become an idol, I actually already had idol voice actors, and I love singing myself, so it's great to be able to sing and show off my acting skills at the same time. And that's exactly what I did (laughs). I think the ultimate goal is to become a voice actor, and there are many idols who follow the same path as me.

- Before embarking on the path of idols, did Akika Nakatani consider studying at a voice actor school?

Akika Nakaya: I thought about it, but I gave up because the tuition fee at the voice actor school was too expensive, so I went to the audition for AKB48 as a last resort. But in fact, the main reason why I didn't continue my studies was that I was afraid that I would be buried. If you go to school, you can really start from the basics, and the skills and experience of voice actors will be improved...... I might as well like to go there now (laughs). But there is always a feeling of "losing yourself". Just like people who go to school every day always greet each other energetically, this sense of closeness makes me feel a little scared (laughs).

- It seems that you don't like to go off the beaten path.

Akika Nakatani: But I did think about going off the beaten path, but that would be the same as everyone else. In addition, there are a lot of voice actor volunteers, so I felt that I had to have some other abilities, such as singing and dancing. So I became an idol.

■I think there can be idol voice actors, and it's a longed-for existence

- In the past, voice actors generally only gave the impression of dubbing behind the scenes, and they rarely stood in front of the stage to meet the audience. In addition to anime character songs, recent voice actors have released CDs and sang theme songs under their own names. For me, the voice actors of the past are more impressive, so I feel a sense of dissonance with the form of today's voice actors, but can the voice actor fans of Akika Nakaya's generation really accept this form?

Akika Nakatani: I don't think there's anything wrong with it, I can even say it's my longing. But I also know that it's really a bit inappropriate for Lu Dao to step into other fields at will, because in terms of acting skills as a voice actor, the acting skills that have been honed wholeheartedly will make people can't get tired of listening to them no matter how many times they listen to them. But times change, and I don't think there's anything wrong with today's voice actors.

INTERVIEWER So, with the increase in idol voice actors, will this cause problems for idols in the idol industry?

Akika Nakatani: I think there is a big difference between the fans of "idol voice actors" and "idols". Even if there is some overlap, there are more differences. There will be people who can't accept it, but there will also be people who can accept both. This pattern of restraining and growing each other will continue (laughs).

- Akika Nakatani: What do you think is the difference between an "idol voice actor" and an "idol"?

Akika Nakaya: In the past, idols were often viewed purely by their appearance, but now there are so many voice actors who are cute on the outside, so "how do you act" become a very important factor (laughs)? Idol voice actors give people the feeling that they can sing and dance well and are skilled in acting; And idols give people the feeling of singing and dancing on a glorious stage. As an idol, the star temperament standing in front of the audience is very important, and the voice actor pursues his own acting skills more...... It's hard to think about it (laughs).

INTERVIEWER So, Akika Nakaya, you have experienced the baptism of "idol", what advantages do you have over other voice actors?

Akika Nakatani: I feel like I'm able to be more responsive when I'm standing in front of an audience. But the kids are very active lately, so I have to work hard not to lose to them (laughs). Also, it's okay to just talk, but I get nervous when it comes to singing. If only to sing my "ハピネスチャージプリキュア! WOW！ "That's not a problem because I'm very good at singing and dancing without any uneasiness (laughs). If you want to sing someone else's song, you will always worry about whether you will smash the song, and you will feel very nervous.

- Do you feel nervous when you record in post?

Akika Nakatani: It depends on the recording scene. If it's the first time I've met with all of them, I'll feel a little intimidated, and I'll always worry about whether my voice can get through. But when you get used to it, it won't be like this.,A lot of voice actors are interesting people.,After getting acquainted, the relationship will become good...... But I'm still scared of life after all, and there will be nervousness.

INTERVIEWER Have you ever had any fun with your post-recordings so far?

Akika Nakaya: One of the things that impressed me was the first time I appeared as a full-fledged character in the anime "If the Female Manager of High School Baseball Had Ever Read Dulac" (If Dura). I had the pleasure of starring with some of the more famous voice actors in this work. Later, my mom was happy for me, because my mom is the type of person who gets nervous when she goes to a stage play, but this time she watched "If Dura" with me (laughs). Watching my mom watch the anime, I felt that everything was worth it.

INTERVIEWER How did you feel when you starred with a popular voice actor? Do you want to star with any voice actors in the future?

Akika Nakatani: I'm not that much of a star chaser, so when I meet a famous voice actor, I think "Ah, have you heard of this voice actor?" or "I've seen it in a magazine, and I'm ...... that's it" (laughs). Speaking of the voice actors who want to star together in the future, it's Hiroshi Kamiya. I like Takashi Natsume very much in "Natsume's Friend's Account" that he dubbed. But if I did see him, I'm afraid I'd just say, "Ah, it's Mr. Kamiya," and not "Wow!" Mr. Kamiya, I like you! "Shout it out like that (laughs).

■For current voice actors, "appearance" is also the key?

INTERVIEWER The increasing number of idol voice actors means that "appearance" is also very important for voice actors nowadays, so what is the impression of the appearance of the voice actors who actually gather at the recording site?

Akika Nakatani: I usually only look for the good things in the people around me, and I like to observe the strengths of the people around me, so I don't usually think that people are very uncute. But in fact, every time I go to the recording site after a successful audition, the voice actors of the studio are very cute.

INTERVIEWER Akika Nakatani: Do you think "appearance" is an important factor for current voice actors?

Akika Nakatani: That's true, but I don't know if this trend will end sooner (laughs).

INTERVIEWER I think this is an advantage for Akika Nakatani, the former idol (laughs). After becoming a voice actor, don't you always pay attention to your image?

Ayaka Nakatani: Actually, I don't really care. Because I often let go of my stomach to eat and drink, I will gain weight all of a sudden (laughs). I don't really care, but it's not like I don't do nothing, and I'll do it with minimal moderation. Looks may be important now. I wonder if this trend will be able to dissipate quickly (laughs).

■I'm worried about the criticism of "AKB Black"...

- Akika Nakaya, a former member of AKB48, after you entered the voice actor industry, have you been talked about because of your idol background?

Akika Nakatani: No. Maybe it's because I don't go to the scene very often, but so far the staff and voice actors have been very friendly to me, although my seniors sometimes ask me, "Why did you come to be a voice actor?" idols are treated better" (laughs). But after I said that I wanted to be a voice actor from the beginning, everyone encouraged me to do it together. So I didn't encounter a very unpleasant situation. I may encounter such problems in the future, but even so, I will continue to work hard.

- The world's reaction to AKB48 may be harsh, and you are announcing that you are "HappinessCharge Hikari Pretty Girl! After singing the theme song, how did the "big friends" react?

Akika Nakatani: There were only about one or two criticisms in my tweet. It's really very rare, and it makes me feel that everyone is very gentle and friendly. When looking at the news website, everyone's reply is generally "As long as you can sing and dance, right?" It seems that I will have to work harder in the future.

INTERVIEWER But at first, you still feel uneasy because you are afraid of being criticized, right?

Akika Nakatani: Yes. After all, the pressure of public opinion is very strong (laughs). But no matter what world you are in, this is unavoidable, so just do your part. After starring in "If Dura", most of the replies from netizens were "Huh? Which is AKB48? So I don't think it's a big problem.

INTERVIEWER There are many fans of Akika Nakaya who don't know if you were once at AKB48?

Akika Nakatani: I think so. As far as my blog goes, through the previous "Pretty Girl of Light! event or "Pretty Girl of Light! The theme song has quite a few fans of mine. Children don't have a specific concept of "voice actor", so they only think of me as "the big sister of Hikari Bishoujo". I think that's not bad either.

INTERVIEWER So, how do you feel your current position in the voice actor industry?

Akika Nakatani: Hmm...... If you want to talk about "status", I can only say that I am a voice actor who was "born as an idol" (laughs). So, I hope that I can evolve based on this.

- Akika Nakaya: Do you want to be a "voice actor" or an "idol voice actor"?

Akika Nakatani: I want to sing and I want to dance. But if I want to stand in front of everyone like an idol voice actor, I'm afraid I can't do it...... (laughs).

- Obviously an idol (laughs)? But idol voice actors do give people a feeling of vitality.

Akika Nakatani: yes, I can't keep up with that rhythm (laughs). There are a lot of young idols who are making their debut, and I always pay attention to them while admiring their energy. Also, I've been an idol for a long time now, and I feel like it's time to change myself (laughs). The part of my mind that "keep shining" and "stop here" is like a fight (laughs).