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 Shiko Uchimura, who has performed well in works such as "The Mystery of the Devil" (Hankawa Eharu Kishi) and "The Endless Fafnir of the Emperor" (Ren・Miyazawa).

Q: Speaking of Ms. Uchimura, I guess the TV anime that impressed us the most was the TV anime "Devil's Mystery" that aired last year. In it, you voice Haruki Kankawae! Although she is not visible from the outside, she is the eldest daughter of a large poor family, and has to take care of her sick mother and younger siblings...... Such a character also gives people the feeling of a big sister's head.

Uchimura: Yes, she had to get involved in the assassination industry for the sake of her family...... It was my first time acting in an anime, so I was deeply emotionally involved. At first, I didn't know how to interpret Haruki. However, in the six months before the dubbing began, I thought about it repeatedly and decided to act in my true colors. During the first dubbing, my hands were shaking and my lines were shaky (laughs). It's still very hard (laughs).

Q: This is also the role that was auditioned for. And among the 12 Assassins, if you were given the opportunity to play other roles, who would you choose......?

Uchimura: Higashi Rabbit Horn and Inukai Isuke Bar. Anyway, the kind of characters that are more mischievous and have a boyish aura interest me very much.

Q: When did you first become aware of the role of voice actor?

Uchimura: I read aloud a lot in Chinese class, and I think I'm really a type of actor who likes acting. Even when I read a book, I get emotionally invested in the tear-jerking content (laughs). When I was in the fifth grade of elementary school, someone in the class asked, "Do you want to be a voice actor?" "At the time, I thought that the characters in the anime were talking to me, so I was shocked when I learned about the voice actor's existence (laughs). After that, I paid a lot of attention to the ending song of the anime.

Q: Oh, after all, it was when I was an elementary school student (laughs).

Uchimura: No, no, in retrospect, I even think "I'm already in the fifth grade and so naïve" (laughs). I also believe that Santa Claus is a zài (laughs).

Q: When you first became a voice actor, I guess it was the game "ぎゃる☆がん" (released in 2011) that shot at girls and became obsessed with yourself, when you played the role of Crystal Hibukiki.

Uchimura: "ぎゃる☆がん" is also a work of origin in my mind. And among the 4 girl characters, if I had to choose again, I might still have to choose Jing. That's how this character holds in my mind. And she's called the guardian of the school park.,Guarding the safety of girls.。

Q: You've also sung some character songs as a voice actor group. But back then, there weren't as many voice actor groups as there are now.

Uchimura: That's right. So while I was happy to participate in this kind of event, I was a little confused. Looking at the photos of that time...... I feel so shy. My hair was dyed orange, and I wasn't sure how to present myself at the time. Although the clothes are cute, the hair is orange...... It's really a look (laughs). It's so embarrassing, I hope you don't go to see it~ (laughs)

Q: That's what you said...... It made me want to see it even more (laughs).

Uchimura: No, no~ At that time, the clothes I usually wore were all rock and punk black styles. I don't like to listen to that type of music, but I just like butterflies or skeletons. It is also known as the second disease (laughs). If I were to wear that kind of loose clothing, I would probably shout, "How can I wear this kind of thing!" (laughs) But now I don't really care about the type of clothes, I can wear anything.

Q: And the rest of the team is trying this kind of work for the first time. Like Miss Marei Uchida, Miss Nozomi Yamamoto and so on.

Uchimura: We were all newcomers who had almost just debuted at the time, and we were about the same age, so we had a very good relationship with each other~ We often went to dinner together. Also, we go to the KTV to practice how to pose (laughs).

Q: This is the first time in this regard...... But from the roles you've played before, it seems that you have the impression that you are a boyish girl.

Uchimura: For my short height, I can make an incredible bass. It's just that I'm usually afraid of being told that I'm not in love, so I try to raise my voice as high as possible. And when you complain or need to shout, you still reveal the characteristics of your bass (laughs).

Q: Do you have any other roles you'd like to play? For example, ...... is the opposite of boyishness and shows a very feminine character?

Uchimura: No, I still like the role of a boy (laughs)! I've always dreamed of being able to voice boy characters when I become a voice actor. I like to say some lines to a girl's character. Actually, I've been a boy since I was a child. For example, I have a strong sense of justice, and I fight with boys at school to protect girls (laughs).

Q: This is exactly the same as the crystal in "ぎゃる☆がん" (laughs).

Uchimura: That's it! Speaking of which, the reason why I always like to wear black clothes at some point may be that I want to show my boyish side. I've always been short since I was a kid, so I've always been asked to wear something pink-attributed. But seriously, I like blue and green clothes more.

Q: Specifically, what kind of boy role do you want to play?

Uchimura: Well, I'd like to be able to play a boy role in a game that is aimed at women. After all, my pitch is still relatively high compared to boys with male voices, so I have to challenge boys with high voices. For example, junior characters and the like!

Q: So I'm sure it's a junior character (laughs). Speaking of which, in the anime "Fafnir of the Emperor's Endless Iron", which is currently airing, you also dubbed Ren Miyazawa. It's a mysterious character.

Uchimura: Xiaolian is set to be a genius girl, and she doesn't talk much. It's generally "Hmm." Well! Well? This feeling seems to be that all her lines can be summed up in "um". What I need to work on is how to express the character's feelings through guò (laughs).

Q: The worldview of this work can be said to be a school-type fantasy theme, so what do you think is the highlight of it?

Uchimura: The girls are cute, but the dragons are scary (laughs). I can't imagine that these dragons are rivals in their teens (laughs). I think this contrast is also very cute!

Q: So, would you like to talk about your private life? Speaking of which, how have you spent your vacations lately?

Uchimura: It's all about squatting at home (laughs). I won't go out at all~ I also like to play games, as long as I have a smartphone in my hand, then I can live (laughs). I'll be playing with my phone all day.

Q: So you're playing games on your phone?

Uchimura: It's basically a game. I've been playing arcades very rarely lately. Generally, I use my mobile phone or 3DS or PSV to play games.

Q: If you stay at home all day, do you prepare food in advance?

Uchimura: It's a surprise that I don't eat much (laughs). Even if you feel hungry, as long as you continue to play the game, you will forget about it (laughs).

Q: What games have you been playing lately?

Uchimura: Final Fantasy Recorder or Disney Kill or something. THEN THERE'S CARD GAMES LIKE BUDDYFIGHT. Earlier, we used to gather at friends' houses to play card games. And for a while, I especially liked to play darts throwing. Because I'm not tall enough, it's hard to just hit the target (laughs).

Q: In other words, your interests change at any time?

Uchimura: Yes. Whether it is a card game or a dart throwing game, it is started with the introduction of a friend. Whatever it is, I'm going to try to challenge it first. But the movie is to watch it by yourself. In order not to limit the genre I watch, I will choose the next work that can catch up with the time after watching one work...... That's probably how you can watch 3 shows a day in a row.

Q: So, tell us what kind of voice actor you want to be in the future!

Uchimura: I'm going to focus on the present and try to keep myself in this industry as long as possible. Seriously, I'm going to try anything I do. I don't find any aspect of the content to be particularly bothersome...... If I had to say, I guess it would be the punishment game type (laughs). I'm afraid everyone resonates with this (laughs). I'm not very good at it, but if I had to, I'd be happy to do it (laughs)!

Q: Finally, would you like to give a few words to the readers?

Uchimura: I made my first anime appearance in "Devil's Mystery" that aired last year, so I think many people got to know me through that work. Even if you don't know me well, I'm going to do my best to meet people in my work in the future! I would be happy if people could keep an eye on me. Please support me!

Q: Thank you for your time today!