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 Ayaka Asai, who will voice Mio Naruse in "Calimero", "Mourning Girl", and "The Contractor of the New Sister Demon King".

Q: This is your first time doing a photo interview, right?

Asai: Yes. This is the first time!

Q: You're wearing a very refreshing outfit. What is the key to choosing an outfit?

Asai: Because I'm too entangled in the details, I deliberately try to be casual in terms of clothing. I'm not used to photography yet, so neither the feeling of wearing nor the way I work hard is very good...... I tried my best to dress as much as I usually wanted to express my personality, so I chose this one!

Q: Do you like to wear these casual clothes?

Asai: Well, really, it's always been very casual. I have a lot of clothes that are perfect for activities. I don't often wear longer skirts or shorts. And the lower body is generally a short skirt like today.

Q: So, let's ask Ms. Asai about it today. First of all, what led you to become a voice actor?

Asai: I've been involved in animation since I was very young. I have two older brothers at home, so for as long as I can remember, I've been playing movies with boys on TV. When I was in elementary school, I watched "Gundam" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion" with my eldest brother. It's an elite education for animation (laughs). That's why I've always loved anime and grown up (laughs).

Q: When did you first become aware of your job as a voice actor?

Asai: When I was very young, I was very fond of acting. When I was in elementary school, everyone said that they wanted to make haunted houses or coffee shops, but I was the only one who said, "I want to act!" "Even though I was the only one who had such a pitiful vote, I still played tricks on everyone willfully, and in the end I succeeded (laughs). Even so, I didn't learn about acting anywhere, nor did I join the drama department, so I always followed my own style.

Q: For example, have you tried to imitate the sounds in the anime?

Asai: That's right. There were some lines that made me feel very handsome, and then I imitated them with my brother. It is also known as the second disease (laughs). And in the process, I was in a daze, and I had the mood of "I want to be a voice actor~". I'm a very insatiable person. First of all, I thought about doing something related to animation. But work is not easy. No matter what the profession is, there are painful and frustrations. So when I thought about what career I would be willing to work for, I thought I was a voice actor. Even if I encounter setbacks, I think I can still resist them.

Q: How did you take your first steps to become a voice actor?

Asai: When I went to high school, I spent my summer vacation researching questions such as "where to go if I became a voice actor" and "what kind of vocational school is available", and I also enrolled in the school. WHEN I CAME TO AMUSEMENTMEDIA, I HAD A GUT FEELING, "AH, THIS IS IT!" So I decided to enroll here (laughs).

Q: Your debut work was the TV anime "I'm not popular, it's your fault no matter what you think!" ". You played the role of Okada in your work, what type of character is this?

Asai: Okada is the girl with a pineapple hairstyle in the Happy Girls foursome. Her image makes people complain, "Can this be popular!?" However, the protagonist Tomoko (voice actor: Izumi Tachibana) always says that she is "dead and full!" "Anyway, it's a sassy character (laughs).

Q: What was it like to do the dubbing?

Asai: Ms. Tachibana took the initiative to maintain a good relationship with me. We discussed going to eat dumplings together, and then the two of us went! In the evening, they also wait for each other at the station, and then go to eat dumplings and continue to eat dumplings in another place. We went to three restaurants just around the dumplings (laughs).

Q: That's amazing. Have you eaten them all?

Asai: It's almost the limit of eating at the back! At first, I didn't think about it that much, but I just thought it was delicious and ate it, and then Miss Tachibana saw that I was gobbling up what I was eating, so she gave me her share and said, "You can eat this too!" Then I replied, "Thank you very much~!" "I started to do it, but at the end of the day, my stomach was stuffed slowly (laughs). Ms. Tachibana is really familiar with dumplings, and even though this is the first time we have been to the shop, we are able to analyze the dumplings in the store in various ways (laughs)! And we talked a lot about voice actors. Of course, I'm asking questions to "attack" (laughs). She also taught me a lot!

Q: What was the reason for "Dumpling Dating"?

Asai: A ballpoint pen. I took a ballpoint pen and gave it to her, and when Miss Tachibana returned it, she said, "Then I'll treat you to dinner next time!" Then she gave me a nice meal.

Q: You played the role of Lucia in the game Apocalypse II: The Guidance of the Seven Stars and Mazel's Nightmare? So what kind of role is this?

Asai: It's a teenager. It gives a very bad feeling (laughs). There are a lot of girls in this game who give birth to babies and then go through the dungeon with them. And Lucia is a teenager who is closely related to this kind of plot.

Q: By chance, you took over a bad, small-like character after that anime (laughs).

Asai: That's right (laughs). But that kind of bad character makes it easy for me to get started! If it is a daily three-dimensional life, it is rare to come into contact with this kind of bad boy, so it makes people feel very happy and easy to deduce. And these characters are surprisingly very kind at heart. I've always loved bad characters.

Q: What kind of bad characters do you like?

Asai: When I first started watching anime, my favorite was the first enemy in "Tengen Breakthrough Red Lotus Eye". "Tian Yuan Breaks Through the Eye of the Red Lotus" is also a work that I started to watch under the influence of my brother...... It's burning so much, and Billaru slowly becomes a good character in the process of plot development, and finally fights with everyone as a companion! And when I was very young, I also liked Germ Man ("Anpanman"). In other animations, it's often the villains that attract me more.

Q: You will also be starring in the TV anime "Calimero", which will be broadcast in October?

Asai: This is a children's anime that people from my mother's time watched, and now it has been resurrected in the form of CG anime. The Calimero I starred in was a little bird with a shell on top. This is a child who would feel uneasy if he didn't have a shell (laughs). Calimero's grandfather's hut is home to incredible inventions, and Calimero and his companions use the props to help others or play pranks.

Q: What do you pay more attention to when recording?

Asai: It's a non-human character, so try not to be too realistic. The image of the character Tong Guò must not make the audience feel that a human voice has voiced it. It is also important for children to have fun watching it. Its beak is pointy, and its voice and ending words must be like a bird.

Q: So you had a hard time creating characters, right?

Asai: I thought deeply about the epilogue. And this is also the lead role that I got through the audition, so I will perform with the same feeling as when I auditioned. I deliberately didn't watch the previous anime version. Because I am afraid that it will turn into a pure imitation.

Q: Next, we will ask about Ms. Asai's personal information! Name your 3 favorite things.

Asai: First of all, chocolate! I usually come whenever it's food, but I especially like chocolate! There is also a crane machine in the game center. And one last ...... What is it? I love it...... Male collarbones.

Q: Oh, all of a sudden, the topic has become substantial.

Asai: It's true that the style changed suddenly (laughs). I was a clavicle controller when I was a student. Friends agree on this. Ahaha (laughs). It's a little too fanatical (laughs). But I'm just good at observing by myself (laughs).

Q: So what do you think is the minimum requirement for your collarbone?

Asai: I like the collarbone that you can see from the V-shaped neckline the most (laughs). If it's a V-shape, you can see your collarbone from a variety of angles (laughs). Conversely, if it's the kind of high neckline that covers my collarbone, then I'm a little less satisfied...... (laughs)

Q: Is there a big difference in the shape of the collarbone......?

Asai: It's completely different! People who exercise regularly are not the same as people who don't exercise in terms of muscles. In addition, the "bone quality" also varies depending on the thickness of the bone. Some people have thin collarbones, while others have thicker collarbones. So even though it's an anime character, I don't care much about the face and feet, but I just stare at the collarbone (laughs).

Q: So how often do you usually play with the crane machine?

Asai: I go there at least once a week. I care more about the game itself than I want to get a doll. And as long as you start playing, you won't stop until you get your hands on something! If I go back empty-handed, it just means I'm not interested in the game anymore (laughs). So I can't do it empty-handed, as long as I play, I have to get something!

Q: What are the tips for grabbing prizes?

Asai: There are many kinds. I'm pretty good at the round type. That is, the type of plastic grip used to grab the prize with a ring on it. There is also the use of balls to grab the doll, the kind of machine qì will brush down, which is very appetizing to me. On the other hand, if it's just a game console with puppets, I'm not very good at it. So I don't know how to play that kind of thing (laughs).

Q: Do you eat chocolate regularly?

Asai: Of course you have to eat it~ But if you eat too much, it's not good for your skin, so I've been a little bit more restrained recently. And as long as I start eating, I can't stop. I like Alfort's chocolates the most, and I often eat them while playing with my phone, and when I come back to my senses, I am surprised, "Huh? Not anymore! Let's lie to people......" (laughs) When I am hungry, I take two to eat (laughs).

Q: Do you go specifically to buy chocolate?

Asai: Yes. Recently, I decided not to buy it again, but I used to buy a box of chocolates, and when I was crazy, I even bought a box a day. Basically, matcha flavor has become a fixed requirement...... There are also some high-quality milk-flavored chocolates that are on sale for a limited time, and I buy them all in boxes (laughs).

Q: Then please tell us about your recent upliftment!

Asai: Naturally, this is still the role of Calimero! When the agent called me to tell me, my love was so high! "Wow, really! ~Ay! Ay!! The ground makes some strange sounds that are particularly high-pitched (laughs). I was speechless.

Q: Have you had any recent failures?

Asai: Ahhh...... I've been called reckless since I've been told to be reckless, but I've never been sure what it is...... When it comes to making a plan, sometimes it fails. I suddenly wanted to see a lion and immediately ran to the zoo, but there were no lions in the zoo anymore. Also, when I went to the store I wanted to go to, I happened to have a break in the store. But these things are also human, right?

Q: Ah, that's true.

Asai: So, you can't be considered a failure, right......

Q: Maybe Ms. Asai is the type of sister, right? After all, she is the youngest of the three siblings. So do you become dependent on others?

Asai: Ah, there will be. I'm going to depend on others! Hehehe.

Q: Among your voice actors, who have a better relationship with you?

Asai: The one we talked to the most was Ms. Sashiro Ono from the same office. And also...... I'm not an easy person to talk to. I don't know when to speak, and I'm worried about whether people will think it will be weird. I hope to make more friends in the future!

Q: What kind of voice actor do you want to be in the future? Are there any goals?

Asai: Ever since I made a voice actor my career, I've always thought that I want my acting skills to touch people's feelings. I cry and laugh when I watch anime myself, and sometimes I get betrayed by the characters, but overall I get motivation from the anime. So this time, I also hope that my acting skills will motivate the audience, so I want to become a voice actor. Continuing to pass on the feelings I experienced. It would be nice if I could continue to appear in works in the future.

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

Asai: I don't think there are a lot of people who don't know me. Therefore...... How so...... I'm not very good at expressing ...... In short, it would be nice if my acting skills could be remembered by everyone to some extent. Also, I haven't been to an exclusive event yet. If you have the chance to meet, I would be happy if you could tell me, "I've seen your anime!" In order to give everyone such an opportunity, I will continue to improve my acting skills in the future. Please advise!

Q: Thank you for your time today!