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 Mayu Yoshioka, who has performed well in works such as "WakeUp, Girls!" (Shimada Mamusu).

Q: So, would you like to ask Ms. Yoshioka for your advice on today's interview!

Yoshioka: Wow!? I'm so nervous (laughs). I'm a person, and once I start talking about myself, it's like a surging river, so I'm going to have to talk about it in this interview (laughs).

Q: Please tell us a little more (laughs). Speaking of Miss Yoshioka, you mentioned the anime "WakeUp, Girls! starred in the protagonist Shimada Mamu, and it is also the center of the eponymous group derived from the story. In addition, the news that the work was going to be made as a sequel to the zuò concert in December last year was very shocking!

Yoshioka: I've been waiting for a long time, so I'm very happy!! At that time, it was also the first time I watched the PV of the sequel, and I was very concerned about the fact that YOPI (Kano Nanase voice actor: Yoshino Aoyama) had her hair cut into a very refreshing short hair (laughs). At first, I wondered: Who is this girl (laughs)? However, although YOPI's image has changed a little, I think that the story of the seven people is about to start again, so I still feel that the previous wait has paid off. I'm also a "WUGER" who supports WUG myself, so I feel that I have been working hard until now, and it is worth it!

Q: So what kind of story does Yoshioka expect to happen in the sequel?

Yoshioka: In last year's theatrical version of "WUG7's Idol" and the 12-episode TV anime, there were too many untold stories. Personally, I am most concerned about what happened to my agent, Mr. Matsuda, in the past. After all, there was a line like "I don't play music anymore" in the theatrical version before, and I was very impressed. Also, among the WUG members, Nanami (voice actor: Nanami Yamashita) doesn't have a very detailed story, so it seems that there are many people who want to see more about her.

Q: I see. So what is going on in the minds of director Hiroshi Yamamoto and the staff......

Yoshioka: That's right (laughs). It seems that the director has begun to diverge his thinking in his heart, and when he meets him, he occasionally suddenly says something like "something like this may happen" (laughs). Ah, but I'm almost sure that I'm going to make a new song for the theatrical version (laughs).

Q: It's worth looking forward to! So is there anything that Miss Yoshioka would like to work harder on in the sequel than before, or something she would like to challenge?

Yoshioka: My role as Mamumi-chan Shimada is probably the most crying of all WUG (laughs). However, when recording, there is always no way to express Xiàn crying naturally. I've already gained some experience in other dubbing scenes, so if there is a crying scene in this theatrical version, I want to cry naturally instead of being contrived. I'm going to do my best to collide with my acting skills! Ah, but Shimada Mayumi-chan should be stronger than before, so maybe the crying scene will also be reduced.

Q: Speaking of which, in the Gaiden anime "WakeUpGirlZOO!", which is known as "Season 1.5", we also saw a slightly different impression of "MAYU" from the anime.

Yoshioka: Yes, Mayu in WakeUpGirlZOO! has a very strong personality (laughs). Among the seven people, she should be said to have changed the most. However, I think the other members have emphasized their own characteristics and their expressions have become richer. FOR EXAMPLE, MIYU (VOICE ACTOR: MISUKE TAKAGI) SEEMS TO BE MORE CLEVER (LAUGHS), WHILE MINAMI (VOICE ACTOR: MIMI TANAKA) WILL NOT SAY ANY LINES EXCEPT "MEOW YOJI" AT SOME POINT (LAUGHS). As for the one that hasn't changed the most, it should be KAYA (voice actor: Kaya Okuno), right?

Q: Speaking of which, in terms of acting, what do you think Ms. Yoshioka has grown? It's been two years since WUG's final audition.

Yoshioka: I'd like to have a 180° makeover, but the biggest change is personality. Am I sure that the way I face myself has changed, or have I found that my opportunities have increased? I hadn't thought much about myself before. So in both good and bad senses, I have more opportunities to reflect, and I am constantly accumulating experience in order to discover a new version of myself.

Q: As a center, do you feel the growth of other people?

Yoshioka: Yes. From an objective point of view, YOPI has grown the most obviously in dancing. Ah, has YOPI's personality also changed? Originally, there were a few people in WUG who weren't very good at dancing. Originally, it was only possible to dance 2-stepgarage, but now it is very natural to dance very intensely. I think it's amazing. Mikai couldn't even train her abs at first. And Shanye is relatively short, and in order to make her look taller, she also invested her own ideas, which I can see very clearly. So you think it's amazing, right......?

Also, for those members who come from remote areas, I think everyone has become very stylish! However, I've always been told that I don't have a taste for clothes, so I'm still working hard to adapt to the Tokyo environment (laughs).

Q: Did Director Yamamoto approve of the growth of the seven of you?

Yoshioka: He didn't comment on a single person, but he would often come to our concerts, gather us together with a sense of "everyone assembled", and then evaluate the whole thing. At the concert last September, he used very rare gentle words to us at the end of the concert. This took me a little aback (laughs).

Q: What do you pay attention to as a center?

Yoshioka: I've often heard people talk about the "burden of the center," but it's actually okay. I feel like I have a position where I can just run to the middle when I can't figure out where I'm standing (laughs), so I think it's a rare thing. As for the dance moves, I am thinking about it, and I hope that everyone can have the opportunity to stand in the middle of a song. Ah, but when you're in MC, you have to look like a center (laughs). I also realized it recently.,Center is like a shadow in the MC.,It's not too eye-catching.,But you have to mobilize everyone to speak.。 However, when necessary, there will also be members who take on the role of reading the atmosphere and helping other members.

Q: ...... do you mean by other members?

Yoshioka: Mikai! Mikai is very good at reading the atmosphere and knows whether she should scream now, or if she should be very reliable. So in MC, once I'm troubled, I rely on Mikai next to me. And Mihae sings very well and works very hard, so she is the most reliable "adult" among the members!

Q: What would you like to tell us about the second installment of the radio drama CD "ドラマ" that is currently on sale? And what kind of role is Miss Yoshioka's MAYUKA?

Yoshioka: I appeared in a radio drama with Nanami (Yamashita), and I guess it's a college student nowadays. Actually, I've been involved in quite a bit of jam sessions. In that sense, I guess this character is a reflection of me (laughs).

Q: After all, the title is "Burst Girls' Meeting!!" (laughs). This time, there are 5 female voice actors, so you can imagine that the jam show is also flying all over the sky...... (laughs)

Yoshioka: yes, almost halfway through, it became an impromptu chorus (laughs)! Nanami's characters and I are both girls who belong to the waka club in the setting, so we have to judge whether what everyone says meets the requirements of 575 and rap. And those of you who played roles from the first bullet can find a sense of language at once. It makes me feel so powerful!

Q: You also played the role of Tenya in the GREE game "REBELLIONBLADE".

Yoshioka: This is a very handsome big sister. It belongs to the craftsman who specializes in repairing weapons. I myself had a great desire for a beautiful woman, so when I found out that I had won the role, I thought, "Great! Then I put on a show (laughs).

Q: And it's Kansai dialect.

Yoshioka: That's it! I'm from Osaka, but I'm always complained by the members of WUG that it's "fake, fake", so this time I want to announce to them, "We're also people who can work in the Kansai dialect, how about it!" (laughs)

Q: So, I'd like to ask Ms. Yoshioka a personal question! If you had to name 3 of Miss Yoshioka's favorite things, what would you choose?

Yoshioka: The first one is to enjoy the stage play. Last year, I starred in "ヨビコー! ~Youbecool!~", so I also got to know a lot of people in the stage play. yes, would you like to see my notepad? I wrote on it the works I went to see, the names of the actors, my impressions, and so on. …… In December of last year, I even watched it once a week. And let me star in "ヨビコー! ~Youbecool!~" is a theater company called "This is the Super Rabbit Empire", and I watch all of their works. In addition, I will also watch works such as the girly stage play "Anthropomorphic Boyfriend". Ah? When I first started talking about stage plays, I couldn't stop talking about them (laughs).

Q: Indeed, I read your impressions in your notebook, and I feel amazing. And the words are also very good!

Yoshioka: This is a bell notebook made in the midst of a fan club type event that we WUG members call "缶バッジ activities". The design of the foil stamping, the type of stickers in the selection, etc., are all made by us together with the fans. At first, I just wrote about what I learned in the course, and then I started to write retrospectives, and then I wrote about my impressions of stage plays (laughs).

Q: Are you the type who keeps a diary for a long time?

Yoshioka: I used to be one of those people who couldn't keep a diary, but I've been keeping it ever since! And the time I put in it is very precious to look back on it (laughs). Compared to the original notebook, the amount of paper used in this notebook has doubled, so I can continue to write (laughs).

Q: What's the second thing you like?

Yoshioka: Let's dance casually. WUG members often complain: I always stand on the platform while waiting for the train, tapping and jumping.

Q: Don't you realize it?

Yoshioka: It seems that my feet move on their own (laughs). Especially when listening to music with headphones, I always act with the rhythm (laughs). I'll also create my own dance based on the music. And the other WUG members don't dance, just me.

Q: What about the last one?

Yoshioka: What is it...... When it comes to food, I prefer spicy chili peppers...... Ah, I'm now obsessed with eating hot pot! It's been less than a year since I started living alone, but this winter, I ate hot pot once every three days (laughs). It's like a kimchi pot and so on, but my favorite is the mille-feuille pot made of pork and cabbage that I once demonstrated at CM! This hot pot doesn't use too many ingredients and is very delicious, so I eat it very often. I wasn't a cook. But since you live alone, you can't cook for yourself. When it comes to winter, it's hot pot, and you just need to put the ingredients in it. That's why I was able to eat hot pot by myself, and I always ate hot pot alone (laughs).

Q: So, would you like to tell us about what you would like to challenge in the future?

Yoshioka: When we participated in ASL under the name WUG, we were able to witness with our own eyes a scene like in the TV anime theme song, where we looked at the past and saw a sea full of glowsticks. It's a very valuable experience. That's why I hope to see the whole audience next time! For this reason, I felt that as a voice actor, I had to be able to take charge on my own. First of all, in order for the sequel to be a success, I have to start accumulating various experiences and improving my skills from today!

Also, my hobby is writing novels, and I've written some narration content in WUG-related videos. Personally, I would like to use my expertise in this area to try my hand at writing a script for a stage play. After all, I've already appeared in a stage play, so it's better not only to watch the work, but also to be able to write the work. With that in mind, I would like to see a wider range of areas as a voice actor. I hope that one day, I can become a person who can show my face on TV!

Q: What would you like to say to our readers?

Yoshioka: The reason why many people know me now is probably because of "WakeUp, Girls! I hope to appear in more works in the future, and I will make everyone realize that this person once played the role of Mamu Shimada in WUG, and I must work hard to achieve this. Mayu Yoshioka will continue to leap forward (promise) (laughs)! Please advise!

Q: Thank you, Ms. Yoshioka, for accepting our interview today!