5 Voice Actresses Who Were Affected by Their Own Characters
Sometimes certain roles end up affecting the lives of the voice actresses who play them.
Today, I’m bringing you 5 such cases: characters who gave their voice actresses more confidence, got another one recognized in public, helped a voice actress relieve stress, and even one who ended up appearing in the actress’s dreams.
So, let’s check them out?
5 Voice Actresses Who Were Affected by Their Own Characters
Kita Helped Ikumi Hasegawa Gain More Confidence in Singing
Although she already loved singing, Ikumi Hasegawa revealed that she had always lacked confidence in her own vocal abilities.
That changed after she played Kita in Bocchi the Rock!.
During the project, Hasegawa saw the extremely positive reaction from fans to the Kessoku Band’s songs and also received praise from the staff. This made her start thinking that maybe she could have more confidence in her voice.
She explained that before this, whenever she felt she wasn’t singing well, she would tend to think, “Well, I’m just like that.” After Bocchi the Rock!, her attitude changed to something closer to, “I still have a lot to improve, so I want to learn how to do even more things.”
In other words, Kita didn’t just make Hasegawa sing A LOT. The character also helped change the way the voice actress viewed her abilities as a singer.
Liyuu Started Bringing Tang Keke’s “Desu” Into Real Life
Liyuu is a Chinese singer and cosplayer who also works as a voice actress in Japan. In Love Live! Superstar!!, she plays Tang Keke, a character known for her peculiar way of speaking Japanese and her famous “desu” at the end of sentences.
And, to get used to this way of speaking, Liyuu even started talking like Keke outside the recording sessions while preparing for the character.
In other words, the character’s way of speaking ended up rubbing off on the voice actress herself.
Keke starts saying “desu”…
And so does Liyuu.
source: official Love Live! Superstar!! radio
Mayumi Tanaka Was Recognized as Luffy While Ordering at a Store
Mayumi Tanaka has voiced Luffy for decades, so it’s not exactly difficult to recognize that voice. But she was once recognized while doing something completely ordinary.
Tanaka said she was at a convenience store buying oden. When she asked for “daikon,” the employee immediately recognized her voice and asked:
“Are you Luffy?”
The funniest part is that she told the story as if she had been caught red-handed.
She even joked that, at that moment, she thought she should have bought some meat too, and mentally apologized for being such a “tiny old lady.”
Definitely one of the most random ways to be recognized for your work.
Kana Hanazawa Discovered That Foul-Mouthed Characters Help Relieve Stress
Kana Hanazawa became famous for playing many sweet and gentle characters, but she also discovered an unexpected benefit to playing characters who speak more aggressively.
During an appearance on the show Ueda to Onna ga Hoeru Yoru, Hanazawa explained that she realized playing foul-mouthed characters was a great way to release stress.
She also revealed that, when she is alone at home, she sometimes simply swears to let her tension out.
Hanazawa even gave an example during the show, shouting something along the lines of:
“Ah, I’m tired! The world sucks!”
Yuko Natsuyoshi Had a Nightmare After Recording Yani Neko
Yani Neko is a surreal comedy about a smoking, lazy neko girl with all kinds of questionable habits. The character is voiced by Yuko Natsuyoshi.
And apparently, recording this anime can be quite difficult to forget.
During an interview, Natsuyoshi revealed that one of the most memorable parts of the recording sessions was the “Nicotin Juyōtai Taisō.”
The problem?
The song actually appeared in the voice actress’s dreams after the recording.
She literally said that the “Nicotin Juyōtai Taisō” appeared in her dream after the recording.
And keep in mind that the Yani Neko recording sessions already had plenty of other bizarre moments, including characters making sounds while sucking alcohol through a tube and even completely absurd improvisations.
I guess the anime got into her head.
Literally.