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", Saori Onishi, who has performed well in works such as "Bloodthirsty Attack" (La Fulia Lihavain) and "The Sword Dance of the Elven Messenger" (Fiana Ray Odisia).

Q: What did you mean to become a voice actor?

Onishi: I came up with the idea of wanting to be a voice actor when I was in the fourth grade of elementary school. My parents both work, so I mostly watched TV from the time I got home from school until I had dinner. And when I casually browsed a series of TV shows, I slowly thought, "Anime is a very interesting thing!" This naturally made it clear that I wanted to be a voice actor.

Q: What's your favorite anime?

Onishi: When I was an elementary school student, I liked works such as "The Most Travelogue" and "Little Heroes of the Seven Seas", and then I liked "Doraemon" and so on, but basically I would watch any anime. In short, from about 5:30~7:30, I constantly changed the TV station and watched the broadcast anime.

Q: So, when did you start becoming a voice actor?

Onishi: When I was in elementary school and junior high school, I always participated in wind music activities, and I didn't go to any voice actor training institutions, so I naturally went to high school. However, when I got to high school, I didn't go to the club, but went to the training institution to study in the summer of my freshman year of high school.

Q: Tell us about your first job.

Onishi: My first job, I remember, was dubbing a radio drama CD. When I got the script book, I was taken aback when I looked at the unbound bundle of paper made up of copy paper. I wondered uneasily, "Do you have to fold and bind this yourself...... (laughs) "But the agent told me that the lines were actually in this state. Then I went to the recording studio in a heartbeat. I still remember the scene vividly.

Q: What did you learn from your first time working in a voice acting scene?

Onishi: I watched the performances of my seniors and learned a lot of knowledge. For example, the way to say hello, to remember things through your own feelings, and so on. And when I participated in the live dubbing for the first time, I received a lot of care from my seniors.

Q: Tell us about your work. How did you perform the voice of Piluluku in WIXOSS?

Onishi: This is the opposite of Chixia Akasaki's scene, she hardly shows her feelings, and she is a relatively mouthless character. Therefore, it is also very difficult. If it's a cheerful and expressive character, then I feel like I'm able to perform with momentum and neatness, but Piluluku has very few words and is very quiet...... For this reason, I thought about it for a long time at the beginning, and I studied how to play this role.

Q: Is there anything particularly difficult?

Onishi: Piruruku is able to see through his opponent's weaknesses when attacking. And say something that the other person doesn't want people to know. And when she said these things, should she keep a calm tone like chanting nirvana, or should she be a slightly dark-bellied cousin? It is difficult to adjust the change in feelings...... And each sentence is very short, and I practice it many times at home.

Q: It's true that this is a character who has a hard time seeing through feelings.

Onishi: Piruruku seems to be very submissive to Akira, and when facing Akira, she is much softer, so it can be said that she is a character with a lot of mysteries. I wonder if she has some secret hidden in her heart? Since this work is original, I also performed it with a lot of mysteries in mind, and I wanted to understand Piluluku.

Q: Then in "The Will of Silver", which aired in July, you also played the role of Jamie Hathaway. So how does this character make you feel?

Onishi: Jammie belongs to the corner corresponding to Piluluku. She will say what she thinks very clearly, and her feelings are overflowing, I think it is more similar to my own personality. I actually needed to adjust to make a deep sound, and I was able to overcome that somewhat when it came to voicing this kid. Jamie is a more mature character from the perspective of the heroine, so I don't try to create, but use my voice to perform with a very happy mood. It's great to be able to meet this work.

Q: Also in "The Sword Dance of the Elves", which aired in July, you also played the role of Fiyana Ray Odisia. And what are your thoughts on this?

Onishi: Fiana is a relatively calm character, like a big sister. Both the appearance and the voice have strong sister elements. But unexpectedly, she also has a childish side, and this contrast is cute. And in the original work, she feels like a 17-year-old.

Q: That light novel has now been published in 13 volumes.

Onishi: That's right! Because it is a popular work, I felt the pressure while looking forward to it. While reading the original work, I tried to get as close as possible to the image of Fiyana that fans remembered.

Q: I have a very straightforward idea, and I feel that many of Miss Onishi's characters are written in katakana.

Onishi: I also resonate when I look at my resume! Even in "Bloodthirsty Attack", the character I played was a girl named "La Fulia Lehavain" (ラ·フォリア·リハヴァイン). And she is also the queen of a country with silver hair. It's similar to Fiana. However, although Fiana is also noble, she has a variety of pasts and seems to have lost her original status......

Q: Miss Onishi seems to like singing very much, so do you go to karaoke to sing?

Onishi: I'll sing it. I love anime songs, so I often sing them at karaoke!

Q: It's a good idea for you to work in a singing-related job.

Onishi: I started singing impressions related to the work under the name "にーそっくすす" from "The Sword Dance of the Elven Messenger". In addition, in "Bloodthirsty Attack", he also sang Frya's character song.

Q: Speaking of which, have you been obsessed with anything lately?

Onishi: I don't have much interest, but lately I've been really interested in "Miss Miriko Kamiko". Although this was launched two years ago, I have only recently become obsessed with it. And I'm going to promote this thing to my peers as well (laughs). Also, I watched a lot of anime for study purposes!

Q: Do you have a voice actor you dream of?

Onishi: Ms. Maaya Sakamoto and Ms. Saae Kobayashi. Maaya Sakamoto is not only admired as a voice actress, but also deserves my love for her singing. The teenage character played by Miss Saae Kobayashi is so handsome that I can't give up my obsession with her. Oh, this is the first time I've said it today.

Q: I think there will be more and more people looking forward to Miss Onishi in the future...... Let's do it! Do you have any types of roles that you would like to play in the future?

Onishi: I don't have any special sound quality, but I feel that there are still a wide range of types of voices that can be dubbed. In terms of mood, I want to try out a variety of roles, but if I want people to know "this voice is Saori Onishi" as soon as they hear it, then I try to play roles that are as close as possible to my voice. I'd be happy if people could hear me.

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

Onishi: I don't think there are many people who don't know me, so I want you to get to know Saori Onishi as a person and meet you at some exclusive events. That's so gratifying. In March of this year, I attended animeJAPAN's event as "にーそっくすす", which was my first time participating in an exclusive event, but I was able to see the faces of everyone on the stage very clearly! It would be nice if people could hear my voice more and rejoice in it. I also hope that there will be more such opportunities in the future.

Q: Thank you very much for your time today!