《WakeUp,Girls！ As a work that was released in January 2014 as both a theatrical anime and a TV anime, there have been countless topics of conversation until now. The project was not limited to the anime, but also selected seven newcomers to form a realistic version of "WakeUp, Girls!" through an all-Japan audition event. ”。 And this summer, the group will also participate in the anime song festival for the first time, AnimeloSummerLive 2014. So as far as the chief planner Yamamoto Kan is concerned, what does he think of these girls? Recently, the official website of "WUG" has launched a series of special reports, in which Uncle Kuan will comment on these girls who are gradually maturing one by one.

There are a total of 7 reports, and the first comment object is the leader among the WUG members, Aoyama Kichino

Q: So, I'd like to ask Director Yamamoto to comment on each of the WUG members. Let's start with Aoyama Yoshino. So what kind of girl does Director Yamamoto think Yoshiyoshi Aoyama can be?

Yamamoto: It's the cutest one on the team. By cuteness here means that she is very likable. I think she's stupid, and she's the worst at hiding what she thinks (laughs). And I really didn't imagine that there would be such a 100% innocent girl. But including this kind of can't hide the words in her heart, her childish appearance is very cute. She's going to have a very obvious expression like "Ah, I'm hurt now."

Q: Is that the type of person who can be honest about what is going on?

Yamamoto: She'll show it! This is true no matter what the case may be. Of course, I didn't let her be the leader because of this trait. In terms of the structure of the work, the Nanase Kanno she dubbed is the role of the leader, so she has to be the leader in reality, but judging from the results, I think it plays a very good role. When we were considering the composition of WUG members, we also thought of having Mayu Yoshioka or Kaya Okuno as leaders. But in the end, Ji Neng, the most unreliable child who likes to say inexplicable words, was chosen to take charge of this role.

Q: In other words, a leader like Yoshino Aoyama is very good at making the surrounding area lively?

Yamamoto: That's the kind of thing. I think as long as she leads the team, there will be absolutely no mismatch between the members. I've heard them quarrel once or twice, but the center of the argument is basically Ji Neng himself (laughs). And if that continues, I feel very good.

Q: It seems that Yoshioka Mayu and Aoyama Yoshino had a fierce conflict.

Yamamoto: We used that incident as a plot reference, and the final product was the eighth episode of the TV series. Originally, when we were thinking about the plot, we wanted to have such a paragraph, and it happened that the quarrel between Ji Neng and Mo Yu happened. Then I immediately asked the two of them about the situation with Ms. Doko Toda, who was in charge of the script, and then further enriched the plot of the anime. So when it came time to record, I asked them, "This should be easy to express, right?" The two of them smiled wryly. "WUG" is a work that is very interactive and there are some plots that we add deliberately, and there are also incidents like this that become the key to supporting the plot.

Q: According to director Yamamoto, I think I want the real-life members to experience some things, and at the same time, I want to transfer these things to the work, so that the characters in the story can experience similar experiences.

Yamamoto: That's right. It's still relatively easy to create a sense of overlap between reality and the work, but in terms of their respective experiences, they are still a little different from the characters in the anime. In this story, WUG is in the parking lot.,Concert in front of a group of teenagers playing with ball.。 But in reality, WUG has not encountered such a cold scene, and perhaps this lack of this aspect will also become a bottleneck for them.

Q: Could you please tell us about your impressions of seeing Aoyama for the first time during the audition, and how you decided to make her a candidate?

Yamamoto: As for Yoshino, it's not so much about me as it is for Ms. Toda's strong recommendation. To be honest, I wasn't particularly interested in her at first (laughs). And my impression of her changed in the final selection stage. At that time, in the selection process, there were about 40 applicants for the roles of Kanai and True Dream. Then I asked the girls a very uncomfortable question: "There are only two of you who can make it to stay." There are 38 unsuccessful candidates, so what will happen if you lose the election? Among them, only Ji Neng resolutely said: "I am determined to continue on this road, so even if I lose the election, I will not feel frustrated." The tone of her voice at the time was unforgettable, and I thought, "Ah, this person is Jia Nai." And at that time, she also encountered the situation that she had to go back to her hometown in Kumamoto, so she quit once in the middle. But her kind of "I've said everything I want to say anyway, can I go?" The attitude is very impressive, not only me, but everyone thinks that this child is the candidate for Kanai. And then I remember that the thing about her was so determined. When she said that, Ji Neng straightened her waist and spoke neatly, and this image also constituted our entire impression of her. But in fact, she's just a big fool (laughs).

Q: How do you think you should evaluate the growth and changes of Yoshinoshi Aoyama after being selected? What kind of issues should she face in the future?

Yamamoto: Has she changed? Maybe it's a little bit different, but I wonder if she's using that stupid personality as a weapon? In the midst of several arguments among her team members, she may have realized that through her personality, she can actively promote the incident and bring everyone together. Of course, you may not realize it. It's just that no matter what, in reality, the WUG led by her is indeed condensed into a rope. As for the future, please take care of your studies first (laughs). But just from the question of working the path of voice actor, I think she still has room to grow. After all, her personality is able to make the people around her feel pity. And if she feels worried, it is that if her psychological changes fluctuate badly, she often does not seem so resilient. So I hope she can maintain a balance of mind in the future.

Q: I think the character of Kanno Nanase is based on the personality of Yoshino Aoyama himself.

Yamamoto: yes, it's almost exactly copied. Ms. Tokita often says, "Yoshinoh is so interesting, so funny." In the story, the original Kano is a perfectionist with an unapproachable personality, and the most annoying thing is to give in, and he can't tolerate any small mistakes. If you use the metaphor of the members of I-1, this characteristic should be closer to Mai Kondo. And as the plot unfolds, her personality has also changed significantly. I can't make decisions about anything, and I always waste my efforts, and when I came back from Lanli in the seventh episode, her methods were just an emotional offensive of crying. When dealing with the Lanli incident, True Dream is more rational, and Jia Nai purely uses feelings and his own thoughts as weapons. And being able to make Jia Nai have such a character image is also thanks to Ji Neng. Because of her, we created an interesting character.

Q: For a new performer, crying and shouting can be said to be the "ghost gate" in the acting process. However, in the seventh episode, the performance effect of the role of Kanai is still very good.

Yamamoto: Oops~ How do you say this (laughs). It's true that there is no layman's feeling, but the acting skills are more superficial, and the two people are Ji Neng and Mo You. I often say to her herself: "You don't care about any acting problems, you have to integrate your own mood into the dubbing!" Ji Neng has also had the experience of singing and acting before, and is an animation nerd, so she also has her own opinion on the finished form of acting in her heart. But if you can't break this point of view, you won't be able to show real acting.

Q: In other words, do you want her to be able to show her most authentic self naked?

Yamamoto: Yes, so I was very strict about her performance in episode seven. After the end, she really performed while crying, and she couldn't even bother to wipe her tears. But that part of the plot, if you look at it from a higher level, you should be able to show such an effect without crying. But at that time, I was really just forced to be anxious, and then I cried to complete the dubbing. In my performance plan, if I can't show the acting skills of crying, then I can only really cry. I heard that it was probably in the "Three Evil Men in the Dark Castle" directed by Akira Kurosawa, and the heroine Misa Uehara couldn't cry at all, but the staff made her cry bitterly, and the filming of that plot was completed. And I'm the same type as director Kurosawa. However, it is not possible for all directors and sound directors to ask for this, so at least I hope that Yoshino can learn how to incorporate his own emotions into the dubbing.

《WakeUp,Girls！ As a work that was released in January 2014 as both a theatrical anime and a TV anime, there have been countless topics of conversation until now. The project was not limited to the anime, but also selected seven newcomers to form a realistic version of "WakeUp, Girls!" through an all-Japan audition event. ”。 And this summer, the group will also participate in the anime song festival for the first time, AnimeloSummerLive 2014. Recently, the official website of "WUG" has launched a series of special reports, in which Uncle Kuan will comment on these girls who are gradually maturing one by one. There are a total of 7 reports, and the second one is commented on by Airi Nagano, who voices Ranri Hayashida among the WUG members.

Q: So, let's turn our attention to Ranri Hayashida and Airi Nagano, who voices her. Director Yamamoto thinks that if you want to become an idol, is talent or literacy more important, or is the desire to become an idol more important?

Yamamoto: I think it's the latter! In some of my previous interviews, I mentioned that "idols are inspiring beings." And if you just want to "cheer people up", then people like me can do it, and so can you. Therefore, in other words, there is no so-called talent for the existence of idols. As long as you can make someone else happy, then you are an idol to that person. To put it more exaggeratedly, maybe even the "feeling of wanting to be an idol" doesn't seem so important. As long as you stand on this platform, then I think there will be opportunities in front of anyone.

Q: Speaking of Lanzai, the plot between her and Hayasaka is impressive. So did you consciously make Hayasaka appear very talented when you were creating, and correspondingly make Matsuda's agent seem ordinary?

Yamamoto: Speaking of the two of them, they actually just play a role in making the plot take a turn. It can be said to be a device or a prop. As for Matsuda's incompetence, I'm a little sorry for Mr. Shintaro Asumuma (Matsuda's voice actor) (laughs). But I didn't have any ideas for these two characters. All adults, including President Tange, are like this. To tell you the truth, what the lives of these adults are like is not something we should be concerned about, and I am not obligated to add any depth to their lives. These idols are the only ones I should be responsible for. Also, the character of Matsuda reflects the difference between an agent and a producer. If it's "Idol Master", then the agent also takes on the work of the producer, so it becomes a superhuman existence, but if we do this, won't it also become "Idol Master" (laughs)? Matsuda has been an agent since the beginning, but there is nothing that an agent can do. And as the plot develops, a genius producer appears. The producer actually kept a certain distance from WUG, and he didn't stick to the idols all day long like the agent. He's a genius producer who doesn't get close enough and only comes over once or twice a week. In other words, we divided the agents in the so-called idol works into two roles.

Q: I see. So I'd like Director Yamamoto to talk about what you think of Airi Nagano as a girl.

Yamamoto: Maybe what I'm going to say next will hurt her, but I have to say it. Airi is the worst acting officer of several people. Sometimes I bring it up to her. And from the time of the audition, I was a little uneasy about her acting performance. Of course, in order to make her acting skills mature, I will also give some guidance.

Q: She didn't do very well initially, so you let her pass the audition anyway. Looks like she must have something to shine in, right?

Yamamoto: First of all, after all, this is a work set in Sendai, so if there are no girls from Sendai among the members, it will not work. The other thing is my instinct (laughs). In fact, she was competing with another girl until the bottom of the game, making it difficult for us to make a decision. And what made me up my mind the most was that I had a flash of inspiration in my mind, thinking that "she is Lanli", right...... We set the character of Lanli as an ordinary child with no features, and at first glance, Airi was perfect in terms of both the impression and the fit with the character, so it was decided.

Q: In terms of the feeling, do "Airi Nagano" and "Lanri Hayashida" coincide?

Yamamoto: Naturally, there is overlap in this aspect, but from the heart, the two are perhaps the most obvious gap among WUGs. First of all, let's talk about the common point: they are all "mothers" in the team. And when it comes to the difference, Lan Li is a girl who can't calm down if she meets the eyes of fans, but Airi, who voices her, is never disturbed by the outside world. I think the two have built a good system in this kind of similarities and differences. Her acting skills are still very bad and very problematic, but from the perspective of hard work, I agree with it very much. Before the anime was broadcast, I was ready to be sprayed by someone because of her poor acting skills, but after it was really released, I found out that it wasn't like that, and her fans increased. I think the kind of posture she worked also fits the role perfectly.

Q: I remember that director Yamamoto used to say "new material", so did you mean Airi Nagano?

Yamamoto: I do think the person who best embodies this name is Airi. Although she's still good at dancing, she's a voice actor after all, so she can't do it if she doesn't improve her acting skills. In fact, I once mentioned to her, "When I look at you, it reminds me of Hanazawa parsley a few years ago." "In the early days, Miss Hanazawa was also said to be good at reading, bad pronunciation and so on.

Q: Ms. Hanazawa has been a powerful person since her early days. And in WakeUp, Girls! She also played the role of Anna. In terms of voice acting, it's so good that I don't know what to say, and I can't believe it's her voice.

Yamamoto: I was taken aback, too. It's a big change from before. But it's because I know about her example that I'm going to support Airi. Once an existence like this pupates into a butterfly, the destructive power that emerges in an instant is unimaginable. Kana Hanazawa, who can now be called a leading young voice actor, doesn't it prove this for us?

Q: It seems that Uncle Kuan's intuition is at work again. At that time, you actively used Haruka Tomatsu and Kana Hanazawa, who were still newcomers, in your work, and finally proved your vision. So this time, when it comes to Airi Nagano, you're going to show your vision again, right?

Yamamoto: It would be nice if that were the case (laughs). Of course, if I say this kind of thing myself, then I will definitely be angry and complain, "They weren't raised by you!" But in fact, Ms. Tomatsu and Ms. Hanazawa did quickly become popular after appearing in my work, and I guess I saw how they transformed in a more or less up-close way. And I hope that the feelings I felt about those two people at that time can be passed on to the members of WUG today.

《WakeUp,Girls！ As a work that was released in January 2014 as both a theatrical anime and a TV anime, there have been countless topics of conversation until now. The project was not limited to the anime, but also selected seven newcomers to form a realistic version of "WakeUp, Girls!" through an all-Japan audition event. ”。 And this summer, the group will also participate in the anime song festival for the first time, AnimeloSummerLive 2014. Recently, the official website of "WUG" has launched a series of special reports, in which Uncle Kuan will comment on these girls who are gradually maturing one by one. There are a total of 7 reports, and the third one was commented on by Mikai Tanaka, who voiced Minoru Katayama among the WUG members.

Q: From Director Yamamoto's point of view, what kind of girl do you think "Mikai Tanaka" is?

Yamamoto: If you want to start with the audition, then there is actually a possibility that Mikai Tanaka will become a center. We were hesitant to let Mo Yu or Mihai be the center, but in the end, because of Mo Yu's existence, Mihai took on the role of Shibo today. In fact, whether it is Moyu or Mihae, they all challenge the role of Mayu when they audition. In other words, the strong sense of presence exuded by Mihae makes us wonder if Lu Dao should let her be the center.

Q: If it's really Mikai Tanaka, then the style of the center will be a small sun type. Now that Yoshioka is in charge of the center, it has become a moon type with a strong appeal. Which one to choose is also a major decision for the style of the entire work.

Yamamoto: That's right. That's really the case. At that moment, I had to choose between "yin" and "yang". In this sense, Mikai's aura is really very powerful. What to say, her little devilish appearance...... It's really an incredible guy. As a cute character, she's too perfect, and it turns out to be uncomfortable (laughs). How to say it, she is full of cute spots all over her body, including shortcomings. So as far as Mikai is concerned, I think it should be better to add some more cheesy attributes to her, such as trying to get her to say "I also released a lot (in the toilet) in the morning" and something like that. But it's incredible that she can even perform this kind of vulgar thing perfectly.

Q: So, as a voice actress, does Miss Tanaka have a shadow of Minami in terms of personality?

Yamamoto: There are some attributes that we deliberately keep them together, but there are also some parts that are naturally connected. For example, she is a sister-like existence in the team, loved by everyone, and is still a foodie, etc.

Q: Does the director think that even if he is an idol, he should be an "existence that needs to go to the toilet"?

Yamamoto: Absolutely, it's a must! Idols should also be seen as ordinary people. Of course, you don't have to show it to the fans (laughs). In fact, AKB48 has done something similar. At present, the changes in the idol industry are constantly increasing, and almost all of these changes are brought about by AKB48. As for saying things like "idols don't go to the toilet", it's long outdated, and I think the thinking of idol fans has gone further.

Q: After all, compared to idols in the 70s~80s, people's perception of idols has changed by AKB48.

Yamamoto: Actually, a long time ago, idols deliberately gave fans the impression that "we will go to the toilet", and they were able to calmly say some pornographic jokes in media such as radio. The Castaways did some radical things back then. As for idols not going to the toilet or something, it's almost part of the trend of the 80s.

Q: In this regard, there is a difference between the culture spread by magazines controlled by the office and the agent and the culture spread by idols in live broadcasts.

Yamamoto: I think so. The image of idols created by magazines is sometimes broken in TV and radio programs, so that we can see the real side of idols.

Q: The role of Shibo has not changed in a certain sense. As long as she smiles, everyone will feel at ease. But has Miss Tanaka grown and changed?

Yamamoto: I usually think that Mikai doesn't have the ability to be all-encompassing like Minami, but sometimes it seems that there is, no, or not...... What an incredible guy (laughs). Mikai has some kind of powerful trait (laughs). When I say this, I don't say it as a director, but from the point of view of an ordinary person. Sometimes I think, "There must be some dark side hidden in Mihae, there must be!" "But Mikai Tanaka is really a kid who looks the same and looks like it. I don't think it's possible for someone like Mikai to be in this world. But there she is! So I think it's incredible. And from this point of view, the beauty of the sea is also like a real wave.

Q: As far as I can see, the duo of Ms. Tanaka and Ms. Takagi often appear as guests on other radio shows to promote "WakeUp, Girls!" ".

Yamamoto: Absolutely. They are meant to play their part in such situations. I don't know if what I said is appropriate...... But no matter what is good or bad, I like to direct Miyu and Mikai to do it. Meiyou is very clever and can hold up the scene, which is like a panacea. Mihae, on the other hand, can make her unique voice. These two people can be perfectly matched in terms of function, and they should both belong to the "yang" attribute.

Q: Do you have any issues to consider for Ms. Tanaka in the future?

Yamamoto: I don't think there's anything to worry about for the time being. But the voice actor profession itself can't stand on a foothold through a voice. If you don't have more specialities, you won't be able to. If you are in the position of an idol voice actor, then I think a person's influence can last for about 10 years. But there will definitely be a day when her attributes as an idol will slowly fade. That's when you need to show something different from what you do now. Therefore, for the voice actors I have met before, I will definitely let them play some different types of roles. I asked Shimono to play a dead house and let Haruka Tomatsu and Kana Hanazawa play the roles in their 30s...... This allows them to show a different style. Since I will be with WUG for a long time, I naturally hope that they will be able to speak differently from the previous ones, considering their future development. As for whether the U.S. Sea can be induced to develop this potential? I'm still a little worried, but I'm still exploring it.

《WakeUp,Girls！ As a work that was released in January 2014 as both a theatrical anime and a TV anime, there have been countless topics of conversation until now. The project was not limited to the anime, but also selected seven newcomers to form a realistic version of "WakeUp, Girls!" through an all-Japan audition event. ”。 And this summer, the group will also participate in the anime song festival for the first time, AnimeloSummerLive 2014. Recently, the official website of "WUG" has launched a series of special reports, in which Uncle Kuan will comment on these girls who are gradually maturing one by one. There are a total of 7 reports, and the fourth comment is directed at Miyu Takagi, who voices Miyoshi Okamoto among the WUG members.

Q: So, let's talk about Ms. Miyu Takagi. From the director's point of view, what kind of girl is Miss Takagi?

Yamamoto: Miyu is very close to the character she voiced, very close. It's a complete otaku.、And I like to cry nose.。 I think the similarity with her character is very high. Now I'm a little confused: did we deliberately make these two people so similar, or did they have something in common? In this regard, there is a sense of combining the virtual and the real, that is, the "super link" between the characters.

Q: What was Miss Takagi like when she auditioned?

Yamamoto: I feel like I've basically decided to make Miyu a cut. From a comprehensive point of view, the person who can be suitable for this role has no other choice but her. It can be said that her level is very high, whether it is at the audition or now, if you ask "which child in WUG is the most capable", then the answer is Meiyou. She was able to improvise, and in fact in WakeUp, Girls! In this animation, she already has some improvisational parts. From my point of view as a director, the "best" is Miyo. I'm still a high school student, so I have to control her activities a little bit, but I think she's a type of person who can do any voice role. She can make all kinds of sounds, even the voice of an adult. So we are not afraid to be too talented when choosing people, but we are afraid that we are not very bright. If we study Miyo from multiple fields, we will surely dig up a lot of useful things. She has a lot of energy and dances very well. It's amazing, it's an all-powerful existence (laughs). I think that a person like her, no matter in any work, there will definitely be a role for herself.

Q: You mentioned that Miss Takagi is a good cryer, but have you ever been made to cry by Director Yamamoto?

Yamamoto: After the concert, I reprimanded her, "I sang the lyrics wrong!" Then she immediately burst into tears and apologized: "Wow~ I'm sorry......" Although I didn't plan to make her cry, she also belongs to the type who raises her hand and surrenders as soon as she is bullied (laughs). But lately I've felt that her crying nose has been decreasing, and I don't see her very often. I don't know how much I've gotten stronger, or if I'm used to this environment. She's a very frank and good boy, and when it comes to that, I think she's the perfect match with Nanami.

Q: In your work, you asked Weixi to sing "The Sun Said: Burn!" Chaos (TV anime "Let's sneak! Naiako" theme song) so what is the purpose of this song?

Yamamoto: It's for the sake of the storyline. Because Weixi is set to be the type of "working in a maid café and being used to singing in front of everyone", it is definitely necessary to let her sing something. Some of the songs I have participated in are not bad, but considering the copyright issues, I thought about whether there were any good related songs on the side of Ibex, so I naturally decided to use "Naiako". We asked Miyo to sing the song on the recording, and at first I wondered if she would be nervous, but she sang very well. I think she's a very bold child.

Q: In the theme song and ending song, the center and leader naturally have to take the main position, but you gave Ms. Takagi a solo opportunity to sing solo in the chorus, and it turned out to be a great result. That's really impressive.

Yamamoto: I think Miyu is really amazing. Speaking of the role of Weixi, it is basically the type that is in a state of selling cuteness 24 hours a day, for example, compared with Zhenmeng and others, this role is slightly easier to play. This is also considered a good thing about the character. However, I found that there was a seamless connection between the character and Miyo. Weixi is a character who is easy to give up halfway, and usually the result of giving up halfway will lead to deficiencies when singing, but Miyu's character and dead house spirit overcame this problem and won a big victory. She's also the real No. 1 of the WUG members.

Q: In previous interviews, you mentioned that Ms. Yoshino Aoyama often used her wealth of knowledge to deal with problems and gave negative judgments. And now that Miss Takagi is being affirmed, how did this difference come about?

Yamamoto: Unlike Yoshino, Miyu can fully digest the knowledge of the house and come up with her own interpretation. Also, she can get a lot of results through her house knowledge...... If I had said to Gynen, "That's not right," it would have been difficult for her to give any other answer. And when Miyo is faced with the same problem, he often says, "Then it should be like this, right?" That is, to be able to give another answer right away, so that I can see more of her characteristics. Also, there is a qualitative difference in the acting skills required for the two roles of Jia Nai and Weixi. In the future, it may be that Weixi or Miyu will face an extremely serious plot and require her to show realistic acting skills. What kind of response she will make at that time is also a topic of concern to me.

《WakeUp,Girls！ As a work that was released in January 2014 as both a theatrical anime and a TV anime, there have been countless topics of conversation until now. The project was not limited to the anime, but also selected seven newcomers to form a realistic version of "WakeUp, Girls!" through an all-Japan audition event. ”。 And this summer, the group will also participate in the anime song festival for the first time, AnimeloSummerLive 2014. Recently, the official website of "WUG" has launched a series of special reports, in which Uncle Kuan will comment on these girls who are gradually maturing one by one. There are a total of 7 reports, and the fifth comment is directed at Nanami Yamashita, who voices Nanami Kukai among the WUG members.

Q: So let's turn our attention to Nanami Yamashita. What kind of girl do you think Nanami Yamashita is?

Yamamoto: Seriously, I'm not wary of Nanami at all. At that time, we wanted to have a tsundere character, so I was looking for a strong girl who matched the tsundere characteristics. But in fact, the child Nanami Yamashita really doesn't make people feel any vigilance at all. The shape is more villager.,Speaking of which, it should belong to the innocent type of Shibo.。 However, her face shape and hanging eyes were very much in line with our requirements, so I thought: why don't you choose her......?

Q: Please tell us what you thought of Ms. Yamashita during the audition.

Yamamoto: Recently, I got the image from my second audition and watched Nanami's performance...... I feel like I'm still a village girl (laughs). Considering that she is a country child like Tokushima, she looks more rustic. I think she's just an ordinary girl. And why did she keep it until the final selection? Actually, I don't remember it at all. I just remember that she was supposed to be ...... at the time Let's tie a ponytail. So he once said to her: "You are still more suitable for wearing a ponytail." Actually, it seems that Akatsura Kamimae and Ms. Tokuda, who was in charge of the script, particularly admired her appearance, and perhaps this is the real reason for her selection.

Q: Did your impression of Ms. Yamashita change after the audition? If so, please let us know.

Yamamoto: I guess so: Nanami has a new look! We went to Chicago together a while ago, and she was sitting next to me. Then he was able to shout very boldly: "Director~Is this true~?" "The feeling of trevering that I used to have is completely gone. In every sense of the word, I feel like she's already on the road. But it's still a very frank and innocent and romantic child by nature.,It's not a fancy type.。 She generally doesn't show her ambitions, and if she doesn't use very good words, it's easy to go with the flow. But I think she's finally been able to express herself lately, and that's a kind of growth.

Q: When Miss Yamashita appears in front of fans, she gives us the feeling of "a beautiful girl who is extremely beautiful", and few people think that she has the atmosphere of a village girl.

Yamamoto: She used to be really rustic. Didn't Hayasaka say something like "making a first-class dish from a small potato that doesn't look very good"? This is the mystery of idols turning into butterflies. In reality, Nanami was really like a country girl when she first started her course, and I was worried about what I would do if I went on like this. Since the girls in WUG have some experience in acting, Nanami is a complete layman in comparison. It seems that at the beginning, she didn't even know what "tsundere" meant.

Q: According to Director Yamamoto, it seems that she is also the farthest away from the otaku culture among the members.

Yamamoto: She used to play the flute in the wind club. She longs for a performance group called AAA, and she seems to want to be a singer too. In the end, however, WUG was chosen. Nanami's real-life trajectory is also very similar to the experience of Nanami in the work, who longed for Mitsuka, but eventually became an idol. This aspect is not something we deliberately set. Perhaps it should be said that it is the relationship between "the actor chosen by the character". The role of Nanami is just a signpost for her career as an idol, and such a role has also attracted Nanami. In retrospect, choosing her really hit the jackpot.

Q: Previously, WUG and Director Yamamoto were invited to participate in AnimeCentral in Chicago. And how did Miss Yamashita behave when she was in the United States?

Yamamoto: Nanami, who used to be so bad at words, would suddenly shout "PleasecallmeNanamin!" when he made his closing speech. 3、2、1，Nanami~n！ "I was startled and thought: What happened to this kid? It can be seen that her mood is also very high. She is also very talkative during autograph sessions and other activities, not only communicating with WUG fans who have come from Japan, but also in front of local people, she can communicate in English that is not very bright. I think it's really remarkable.

Q: So, how has Ms. Yamashita changed or grown in her technique?

Yamamoto: She's made a lot of progress in the course and she's getting more and more radiant. When I first took a still photoshoot, I was a little moved to see Nanami wearing makeup and school uniform. Perhaps it is the truth that "Buddha depends on gold and people rely on clothes", and Nanami was the cutest at that time (laughs). But she still looked up at me and asked, "Director, is this okay?" "That tone of voice is like a lost puppy. But after the filming began, I sighed countless times: it turns out that she can make such an expression. I wonder if there is something on his body that has awakened? Nanami's performance has been very consistent during her public appearances, and I rarely reprimanded her. She was perfect and confident. What a frank and tenacious kid in nature.

Q: This kind of stability has also been brought to the voice role Nanami. But as far as the plot of the animation is concerned, a "stable and unchanged child" is actually very disadvantaged.

Yamamoto: That's a problem. Due to the uneven distribution of roles, the popularity of Nanami's character has also been affected to a certain extent, and if there is any opportunity, I hope to be able to make some remedies. She herself once complained to me: "Let Nana Mei appear a little more~!" "(laughs) I felt guilty for neglecting Nanami on the issue of the proportions of the characters, but at the end of the day, I decided that I wouldn't tell the story of seven people in equal roles. After all, the plot comes first, and when we set up the character scenes, we must also follow the development of the plot as the main premise. Luckily, Nanami himself is very popular. I think that's more or less a compensation now. She also wants to sing more songs, and I think that as long as she can not forget about the fact that she is still a voice actress and take care of the balance between the two, then she will definitely be fine.

《WakeUp,Girls！ As a work that was released in January 2014 as both a theatrical anime and a TV anime, there have been countless topics of conversation until now. The project was not limited to the anime, but also selected seven newcomers to form a realistic version of "WakeUp, Girls!" through an all-Japan audition event. ”。 And this summer, the group will also participate in the anime song festival for the first time, AnimeloSummerLive 2014. Recently, the official website of "WUG" has launched a series of special reports, in which Uncle Kuan will comment on these girls who are gradually maturing one by one. There are a total of 7 reports, and the sixth comment is directed at Kaya Okuno, who voices Natsuya Kikuma among the WUG members.

Q: Director, what kind of girl do you think Ms. Okuno is?

Yamamoto: Kaya is a weak character, isn't it...... When we were in Chicago, we all went to a club together. There's something like a music carnival going on in that club. And the moment she opened the door of the club, she said, "Ah, I can't do it......" and went back alone. I said to her, "You're too weak." And she replied, "I can't stand that kind of environment...... "Xiangye is a very weak child!" She always cares about a lot of things, but she is still very strong inside. But this kind of personality also leads to some of her being unsociable. She and the character Summer Night in the play are both types who have some ideas in their hearts, but Summer Night is very bold and unrestrained, which also forms a complete contrast with Xiangye. After all, Xiangye is a girl who makes people protect.

Q: What was your impression of Miss Oye's acting skills?

Yamamoto: Among the WUG members, Kanon is the only one who changes her voice to voice the voice. Her voice is very sharp and cute, but in order to dub Summer Night, she had to repeatedly lower her voice to perform. Therefore, I think that in terms of "playing a role that is different from my own personality", Xiangye's level is definitely the highest. Although she is the oldest sister in the team, Shanye's own personality is obviously far from the type of big sister.

Q: Tell us about Miss Oye's performance at the audition.

Yamamoto: Actually, when she auditioned, she was placed in the group of the future. However, at that time, in the Weixi group, Meiyou prominently showed the characteristics of Weixi, so it was determined that Meiyu was selected early. However, we felt that it would be a pity to let Shanye lose the election. Although she has a cute sound quality, considering that she was 22 years old at the time, she was put in the older Summer Night group. After all, the Summer Night Group wants to choose a character with a very adult aura, so there were also many girls with a strong and charming aura in the group at that time. But we were thinking at the time: for a character like Summer Night, it's okay for the voice actor to overlap with the character from an animation point of view, but as an idol, is this setting reasonable? So we deliberately let the children who are different from Summer Night Summer Night enter this group to try. When I actually asked her to try the role, she was able to perform Summer Night under the premise of "keeping herself", so it was decided that it was her.

Q: There seems to be a time when Ms. Okuno didn't want to be treated like an elder person.

Yamamoto: That's right. However, at a very early stage, I decided that she was not suitable for the position of leader. There are actually many types of leaders, and among our WUG, a type that is easy to be tricked on is more suitable for being a leader. If Shanye is the leader, then she will be swaying from side to side because of her heavy responsibilities. But after all, she is the oldest in the team, so she can still exist as a gentle big sister. She doesn't need to decide what to do, but she can play a coordinating role in the team, similar to a sub-leader. I think it would be a lot easier for her to be in the position of being able to look at everyone gently.

Q: I've heard that team members have talked to Ms. Okuno about their troubles, so it seems that the current positioning is more in line with Ms. Okuno's personality.

Yamamoto: That's the part where the virtual and the real are combined. I'm afraid that the members of WUG have unconsciously overlapped their relationship with each other's relationship with the relationship between the anime characters. If anyone who has watched the anime should understand: if you want to choose an object to confide in your troubles, then the character of Summer Night is very suitable. But in reality, Shanye also played such a role. If the anime overlaps too much with reality, I don't think it's a good thing...... Of course, there are also children who are completely different from WUG in reality and in the anime, for example, Ji Neng in reality is a fool worthy of everyone's pampering, and the characters in the anime have no effect on her at all (laughs).

Q: When I'm on stage, I always feel that Miss Okuno is smiling and standing a little further back than everyone else, but does she want to take a step forward? Or do you think she's a type who doesn't like to show herself?

Yamamoto: Which one? I can't see through Xiangye. I think she's a contradiction. She has both the urge to take a step forward and the fear of being horrified if she moves forward, and these two states of mind alternate almost every second. And the interweaving of ambivalence is what constitutes the person of Shanye. She's kind of a kid with a lot of personality (laughs).

Q: When it comes to multiple personalities, it's not very stable.

Yamamoto: She's a kid who'd rather marry a wall. She herself once said: "I love the wall very much, and I want to be with the wall forever." "I'm not a stable person, but I want to live with the unshakable existence of the wall. Isn't that a multi-personality idea (laughs)?

Q: What are your future issues for Ms. Okuno and in which direction she should grow?

Yamamoto: There are a lot of veteran voice actors who have given me some advice on this. All in all, take good care of her and let her continue to exist as a voice actress. Of course, it's also important to hone her skills. This is very critical for those of us who use voice actors, and besides, voice actors are an industry with a very narrow path, and those who can survive in this circle must be of a very high standard. If you have a very capable voice actor, then you will naturally get a lot of work. Therefore, a voice actor's adaptability to people is also very important, she must learn how to deal with others, how to make herself look attractive, and how to sell herself to others. If you are still hesitant in this regard, it will definitely not work. At this time, it is necessary to shout twice even if you lie to yourself, but if you don't do this, then it will be difficult to be used. Shanye is already excellent from a performer's point of view, and all she needs to do after that is to make her voice heard. She's too quiet. I think the most important thing that will determine Shanye's future is whether she can gain enough self-confidence.

So will Kaya Okuno be able to show us her confidence? Perhaps through the newly announced "WakeUp, Girls! "The cover of the first photo book can be glimpsed one or two. On the cover, we see WUG's 7 girls facing the camera with a very youthful attitude and making their signature gestures. And whether it is this cover or a photo of sneaking away, Shanyes shows a bright smile. Although her smile is still a little stiff, from the point of daring to show it, it also makes us look forward to her future.

《WakeUp,Girls！ As a work that was released in January 2014 as both a theatrical anime and a TV anime, there have been countless topics of conversation until now. The project was not limited to the anime, but also selected seven newcomers to form a realistic version of "WakeUp, Girls!" through an all-Japan audition event. ”。 And this summer, the group will also participate in the anime song festival for the first time, AnimeloSummerLive 2014. Recently, the official website of "WUG" has launched a series of special reports, in which Uncle Kuan will comment on these girls who are gradually maturing one by one. There are a total of 7 reports, and the last one is aimed at Mayu Yoshioka, who voices Mamu Shimada among the WUG members.

Q: What kind of girl is Ms. Yoshioka from the director's point of view?

Yamamoto: Lately, Moyu has been often said, "I think you are very similar to Mr. Yamamoto." She didn't realize it herself, but she was more stubborn and sometimes very middle school (laughs). There are some things about her that she can't adapt to her surroundings. When the people around her suddenly "wow" lively, she will feel a little disconnected for a moment. But on the other hand, when the people around her are a little panicked on stage, she thinks "I have to do something!" Once the conditions of the people around her have been adjusted, she will naturally turn off her "performance switch".

Q: Did you decide to have Ms. Yoshioka as the center from the beginning?

Yamamoto: At first, I didn't have any idea about that. However, at the audition, she once said, "I'm looking for myself." I was like, "Huh? What is this kid talking about? But it soon turned out that her words were completely consistent with Shimada Mamu's lonely and reserved character. I had a gut feeling that there was no one else but her who could be the center. From that time on, I decided to make Shinmu Shimada a character who was saddled with "the karma of an idol who once became popular in I-1club", so it matched what Moyu said.

Q: This is also a requirement of the director for the center. That is, you have to be burdened with some kind of deep cause.

Yamamoto: Anyway, the ideal type of center for me would be Atsuko Maeda. The most important reason why AKB48 has grown into such a terrifying monster group is the strong sense of presence that Atsuko Maeda exudes. This may be my personal fetish, but I want idols to not only be glamorous, but also tragic in some places. Candy Choir (a trio from the '70s) announced "We want to be normal girls again" when they were at the height of their popularity, and I was obsessed with that.

Q: For example, Summer Night makes us feel the isolation and emptiness that exists in her work, so we can understand her desire to make up for these shortcomings. But Mamu himself is saying, "What do I want from my idol?" This is surprisingly incomprehensible.

Yamamoto: In this regard, it's about finding oneself. What the hell am I? What is sacred? Her words were a question of herself. She has been working in idols since she was sensible, and she gave up this profession for a while, but in the end she couldn't leave the idol world, so she announced her resurrection. I think she's asking herself: Why did she choose to come back? It's the same thing with me, I used to say "I'm tired of anime, I'm tired of anime", questioning myself why I'm still messing around in this industry, but in the end, I made "WakeUp, Girls!" This work. I said before that Moyou is very similar to me, and her performance is really exactly the same as the real dream. I didn't analyze them in such detail during the audition, but I intuitively thought that their aura was close.

Q: Could you tell us a little bit about Ms. Yoshioka at the audition?

Yamamoto: She's wearing a frightening outfit (laughs). The dress is neither punk nor lolita, gorgeous but very subtle. And this matter is still a topic of ridicule for WUG members to tease her. If they pass by some of the more spectacular buildings, they will complain, "This is Mayushi's villa, right?" "Ahhh She explained that it was because of her mother's interest, but she was the one who really blinded everyone (laughs). It wasn't what I wanted, but it made me stand out from the crowd. I'm afraid that her kind of dress, subconsciously, not only hopes that everyone will pay attention to her, but hopes to desperately find herself through clothing. Among the members of WUG, I don't think anyone is more desperate to live than Moyu, and this sense of presence is also unique. This kind of mentality has the feeling of a seeker, but after all, there are some parts that are not very good, and it is better to take it easy in this regard.

Q: Looking for a way to relax yourself is also related to acting.

Yamamoto: There is a saying that "people are swordsmen, I am fish and meat", but for female celebrities, sometimes there is nothing wrong with being fish. To a certain extent, maintain a relaxed mentality, occasionally show a little flaw, and give your own inadequacy to the director and performance staff to correct. In this way, many times you can achieve a very good performance. But Moyou is the type who can execute the performance plan perfectly. Therefore, this aspect cannot be corrected. I don't think she'll give up if she can't be perfect.

Q: I think this can be explained by words like idols' strong sense of self.

Yamamoto: That's right. Therefore, I think it would be nice for her to continue to be herself like Atsuko Maeda and continue to exist as the center of the team. However, she still needs to take a higher step. If you want to survive as a voice actor, you must discover yourself from the crowd. This aspect may take some time, and I feel like in WakeUp, Girls! After the end, she will also face an extremely difficult test. That's why I hope she'll be able to play in WakeUp, Girls! The beautiful memories she gained from her allowed her to be interested in WakeUp, Girls! >> Have a sense of gratitude.

Q: Did Ms. Yoshioka make any special impression on you during the dubbing process?

Yamamoto: She seems to be a child who insists on never crying, but I made her cry twice. This is more or less a tear of remorse (laughs). The first is the drama in the theatrical version where Mamu cries while watching I-1club sing "Little Challenger" ("リトルチャレンジャー"), and the other is the ninth episode of the TV anime. In the theatrical version, I think she just had the emotion of "if you can't cry well, then you really cry", so from the perspective of crying, the weight of the ninth episode is heavier. When Mamu confides in her past in the face of Summer Night, I don't feel that she is involved in the plot. So when the music director, Mr. Kikuta, called her to the staff area, I completely denied her previous acting skills. Then she herself must have been annoyed and thought, "What the hell was I doing", so she cried and didn't stop crying for a long time. At that time, she finally managed to successfully complete the dubbing, but later she confessed her thoughts at the time in an interview. i.e. "bastard!" I have to convince the director! "That's what happened to me (laughs). I think it's such a lovely kid.

Q: If you want to dig deeper into your approach, then it should be for her future and look forward to her development, right?

Yamamoto: She's going to be even more brilliant than she is now. For this reason, what can be done to make her break her shackles? As it stands, she's pretty much good enough now, but that has its limits. I hope that she can grow up even better, and even become a leader in the field of idol animation. Because of this, I made a difficult request for the role of True Dream. But after all, if you want to become the voice of an ace, then these are all necessary.

Q: At the end of this series, let's wrap it up. Can you give any constructive words to the seven of them?

Yamamoto: Anyway, "WakeUp, Girls!" "I still have to do this project, and I have a responsibility for it. I've been talking to them about this from the beginning. No matter how their mood changes in the future, they will eventually get tired of "WakeUp, Girls!" "One day, right? But I hope they will endure for at least six years and continue to follow me during that time. I mentioned this last year. I don't think it matters what happens in the future, but in the remaining five years, I hope they will be able to create new stories with me. I've said before that hopefully they'll eventually get to the top, and it's going to take time to get there. Until then, I have an obligation to support their growth, and it is my responsibility.