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legend voice actor Chiwa Saito She walked out Friday afternoon to cheers and applause as crowds lined up eagerly to hear her talk about her life and experiences. She has played several notable roles, including the eponymous character in “Yona.” Yuna at dawnHita Senjougahara Story Series, Tamamo Mae Destiny/Grand Orderand of course from Puella Magi Madoka Magica. she skipped one Madoka The event in Japan was changed to participate in Anime NYC.
The mother of three travels frequently with her children and brought her seven-year-old son to New York. She later joked that her husband would tell her, “I can’t take care of three kids on my own! You need to take one!” When asked how she felt about her trip to New York so far, she commented wryly, They tried to go sightseeing yesterday but only walked about three minutes from the hotel before her son asked to go back to use the toilet. She added that they planned to visit more sights later in the weekend and wanted to eat some typical “New York” food. “We just ordered beef donburi on Uber Eats last night,” she said with a smile. Her son loves Japanese food.
Considering all of Saito’s stories about her children, it’s fitting that she’s taking on so many motherly roles these days. When asked about this question, she revealed that in fact, many protagonists in Japan tend to choose younger and more junior actors, not only because they often have the physical strength and vitality required by the protagonist, but also because this allows more experience Rich actors become the protagonists. “People with a lot of experience would play supporting roles so we could support each other and the younger actors. Now that I’m older, I’m excited to play those roles and support other people.”
Another way more experienced actors help their protégés is by showing them the ropes of microphone work, which Saito describes as part of the recording process where characters have to know when to reach for a shared microphone. Unlike American dubbing, which is mostly recorded individually, Japanese actors tend to be recorded in groups so they can interact with each other. During the coronavirus pandemic, this practice was disrupted, with recording sessions moved to individual actors. Since then, things have basically gone back to the way they were before. Still, Saito said the transition has been difficult for new actors who debuted during the pandemic, and whose only experience with recording was doing lines alone.
“Some people were not familiar with sharing mics, so it was hard at first, but it’s much better now. When I started, I learned mic work from my seniors. I watched how they positioned themselves and how they acted. That’s how I learned to share mics . She laughed at the thought of being scolded. “If I made a mistake and used someone else’s microphone, one of the meaner seniors would have clicked. At this point, she snorted. “I would be scared, but now everyone is better. People aren’t so strict anymore.”
As for how young actors can use microphone work to their advantage, Saito said she likes how the microphones are placed. “If we have multiple microphones in front of us, when I play the role of talking to the person on the right, I’ll put the script on the right so I can look at the person next to me and make eye contact. That way, I can talk to the person next to me. The person on the left has the real conversation, this is my secret tip, but it’s important to me that I can share with those who are starting out in their voiceover careers that we can all watch when making eye contact with the person next to me. To the change in acting, that’s what I learned from that. Saito added that while there are voiceover schools, she thinks the most important lessons are just experience: “Get a job, do a good job, and understand your surroundings. You are working with people, so communication is important. “
When asked how she prepares for a new character, Saito said she reads manga or source material to understand who the character is. But she revealed she didn’t always do this. When she first started acting, she played roles blindly because she didn’t want to undermine herself in the story, especially if it was a long production with a lot of lines. “Assume a character is going to die at the end. If I knew that from the beginning, it would give me a sense that maybe I need to play the character more carefully,” she explains. “It changes the way I behave.” Now that she has a more supportive role, she feels more confident reading source material for inspiration.
Saito was also asked to share some of her favorite anime or manga series. She said that when she first debuted, she didn’t watch much anime or read many comics, but one of her favorite memories was seeing voice actor for dragon ballof Wukong, Masako Nozawa. “I told her Goku was my first love,” Saito laughed. “She was very warm when she heard it. She said -” At this point, Saito stood up and took a deep breath. 「——Card ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah! That was the most unforgettable thing. The animation I am watching now is PAW Patrol”.
Talking more about her family, she said her children have no idea what she does for a living, even though they’ve seen her in TV shows. Transformers: Earthsparkbut they didn’t know she played the character Twitch in the Japanese dub. “I used to ask them, ‘Hey, what do you think of Twitch?’ and they’d say, ‘Well, Twitch is too noisy. I don’t like it. Transformers: Earthspark Christmas. “I thought, ‘Yeah! They’re going to ask for the Twitch!’ They all wanted the Bumblebee. She laughed and said they now have three Bumblebees and only one Twitch, which she bought for herself. “Now, All three hornets attack Twitch when they play at home. ”
Saito concluded the panel by reading lines from some of her most iconic characters. She started with Yuna Yuna at dawnfollowed by Boudicca Destiny/Grand Orderbut it was her next role that drew the biggest cheers from the audience – Tamamo Mae. Destiny/Grand Order. After the lines are read out, Hitagi Senjougahara Story Series, ending with Akemi Homura Puella Magi Madoka Magica. She even did multiple versions of some characters, showcasing her impressive range. It was surreal to hear Saito bring these characters to life in front of everyone’s eyes. Judging from the enthusiastic applause and cheers, it seemed that the entire audience felt the same way.
