Minori Chihara
Have you been to Australia before?
It’s my first time!
Have you tried vegemite?
No! What was vegemite again?
It’s something that you put on bread, like a jam.
No, not yet, I just flew in today, got to the hotel, slept for 2 hours, had the rehearsal and here I am. I’ll have free time tomorrow so I’ll look for them. Where can I find them?
Supermarkets, convenience stores for example. I should warn that the taste is a bit…
… Not good?
Not exactly, but it’s kind of acquired…
Really? I don’t want to eat it anymore… (laughs)
Maybe it’s a bit like nattou, which is a taste you come to like after having it many times in childhood.
I see, I see. I’ll look for it!
I personally think that your role as Yuki Nagato in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya brought you a great deal of recognition. She was a very tough character to voice. How were you able to convey so much emotion despite staying almost toneless throughout?
It was not long after my debut and I didn’t have much experience. I haven’t done a serious character like Yuki at all, so when I was cast for the role I was really surprised, that I was picked amongst all the other voice actors out there, as it was my first major role. I was really happy with the fact that Yuki supported me in my journey. Let’s just do our best for the time being. In terms of emotion, I was just really careful to say Yuki’s lines in the most correct way possible as scripted, without raising my voice or being too excitable.
Apart from her, you have had a long career and have voiced many different characters. Which role, in any medium, was your favourite and why?
This is a really hard question, but if I really had to choose, I have to go back to Nagato Yuki. I guess for me, it was the first time I voiced such a character, and because of her, people found me and discovered me. Even now I when I’m being offered a job, I still get asked to do voices in Yuki’s likeness. I really am glad to have had the chance to meet Yuki. She was so influential for me and gave me so many opportunities. Furthermore, young people who watched this title in the past and have entered the industry after me, want to work with me because of my role as Yuki.
Since you are both a voice actor and a singer in your own right, is there a difference in approaching these two roles?
When I’m singing a character song, I take it as an extension of the anime script, so I’m still acting as the character. When I’m singing as Chihara Minori, I can go out and be myself. It’s a very different feeling.
You have had a history of performing overseas, in the US, Malaysia, China, etc. For you personally, what are the things you like and dislike about performing overseas?
It’s always exciting to visit another country! I can experience so many things I can’t in Japan: see scenery I couldn’t see, eat food I couldn’t eat, hear new things, smell new things. As for the not so nice, probably going through customs… every time I go through, I get nervous about what they’re going to ask me… I would be happy if customs just disappeared. On a side note, when I went into Singapore today, the lady was really kind! She didn’t ask me a single thing; what a wonderful customs officer. Wait sorry, did I say Singapore? I mean Sydney, I’m really sorry!
Have you achieved everything you wanted in your career, or is there an end goal?
A goal…? Where is it I wonder? Actually, does it even exist? I don’t know… I’d just like to keep going and do my best!
Since this is the Sydney Manga and Anime Show, what are your top three manga and anime?
| Anime | Manga |
| Ranma 1/2 | Video Girl (Den’ei Shoujo) |
| Meimon! Daisan Yakyuubu | Zetsuai 1989 |
| Sailor Moon | Meimon! Daisan Yakyuubu |
The Indonesian Anime Times | Interview by Robert Setiadi | All pictures courtesy of SMASH!. Reproduced with permission.
