[EN]SEIYUU BIBLE 2017 CAST INTERVIEW - AQOURS

Translation of Cast Interview for Aqours (Group) in Seiyuu Bible 2017, the other Cast Interviews were for the Sub-Units (CyAron!, AZALEA and Guilty Kiss)





Translated from CN by: @kuuxkat​

QC and Translated from KR by: @yujachachacha​

Original TL in CN: Here by 七喵研究所

Original TL in KR: Here

Disclaimer: As this isn’t a direct JP - EN TL, the accuracy of the TL isn’t 100% guaranteed. We did our best to ensure that the context and the TL is as accurate as possible.

TL starts from the cut below:

^Pinup for Aqours in Seiyuu Bible in replacement of the actual Article Image :



The 9 Aqours members’ story of “We’re Really Beginning Now”.







Adorning the cover of Seiyuu Bible 2017 is the school idol group “Aqours”, from the show “Love Live! Sunshine!!” that was broadcast on TV from July to September 2016. As it is a new series from µ’s and its story “Love Live!”, which gained a national presence with its participation in “NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen” and a two-day live in Tokyo Dome, there is growing attention on these girls. We’ve heard their story, with the theme of “We’re Really Beginning Now”





“Love Live!” is a multimedia franchise that depicts the story of teenage girls dedicating their youth to school idols. The group μ’s, which was born together with the project, engaged audiences with music CDs, TV anime, mobile games, and many other forms of media. In 2015, they ran up the stairs of fame and even took part in “NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen” as part of their stage segments.



From a project like 「Love Live!], the second generation being promoted is “Love Live! Sunshine!!”, and the main protagonists are the idol group Aqours. The scrutiny from fans is, of course, great. The first single “Kimi No Kokoro wa Kagayaiteru kai?”, released on October 2015, managed to shine at number 3 on the weekly Oricon Chart, having high potential and answering expectations the group which has lots of potential has met everyone’s expectations.

The 13-episode broadcast of the TV anime concluded in October of this year, and we’re finally welcoming Aqours’ 1st Live. For the group, which will be stepping onto the stage of a concert, what kind of footsteps will they leave behind, and what kind of thoughts are the girls bringing with them onto that stage? From the past to the future, let’s hear them talk about it with us.





Anchan: As I’m not the kind of person who is shy around strangers, I still remember that at that time, I was excitedly thinking,“What kind of people will there be?” as I was going to meet them. The first impression that I got after first meeting them for the first time was, “Everyone is so cute!”

Aiai: Eh— (Laughs)

Anchan: Really, really. It was quite a formal meet and greet, but I was the only one who was dressed super casually, so in comparison everyone looked even cuter.





Penning Down a Memorable First Meeting

King: Speaking of Anchan (Inami Anju), during the meet and greet, you were diligently writing down notes, weren’t you? Did you take them out and read through them again?



Anchan: I did, quite frequently. As the content was everyone’s self-introduction, I thought to myself, “I definitely have to remember this!” and wrote all of it down. I’m not the kind to remember stuff all in one go, so I felt that in any case I should write it down and slowly memorise it. Stuff like where they were born, their age, and what their hobbies are, I wrote all of it down.

Rikyako: I also looked up and did research on the cast. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to memorize them without having some information beforehand…

Shuka: Comparing that time and now, the individual who would have the most contrasting impression would be Aikyan (Kobayashi Aika), right?

Kobayashi: Eh? Is that so?

Shuka: The Aikyan at the meet and greet was super quiet. Although she sat beside me, she basically didn’t speak at all.

Aikyan: It’s not like that, it’s not like that! Back then, I also did research in advance, but you guys turned out to be different from that prior information. I was like, “Oh my, how should I talk with them?”, and was a little shaken.

King: Now that you mention it, it’s true. Shuka did look different from her photos…

Anchan: Ah, I remember. At that time, the photo that I was able to find felt like it was from a passport.

Shuka: That’s true, my hairstyle was different then, too. If you took that photo as a reference point for the meet and greet, you might have actually blurted out “Who are you!?”. I was relieved that this enigma was resolved. (Laughs)

Aikyan: It’s great that the misunderstanding was cleared up!





– When did you feel that the relationship between the nine of you got better?





Rikyako: The first day we only had self-introductions, so we were still in the phase where we were trying to get to know each other better. As to when we officially got in sync with each other, I feel that it probably started when we took part in the training camp together.

Anchan: That’s right. Although it wasn’t a really long camp, I feel that the first time we all became close was after the training camp.

Aiai: If you are asking about “when”, I guess, it was about one year ago during the summer? It’s become somewhat nostalgic now.

Rikyako: Mm. To foster friendships, there isn’t a better environment than a camp where you are totally cut off from the outside.

Ainya: Like what the other two said earlier, regardless of where we were asleep or awake, we were always together. (Laughs)

Rikyako: The dance steps and recordings that we’d be taking on from that point, we experienced it all together.

Ainya: We trained together, and we even cooked together. I felt that we experienced a feeling of “Everyone accomplished something together”. It allowed all of us to feel happy, and it’s really amazing thinking about it.

Aikyan: After that training camp, I really felt that there weren’t any barriers between us. Actually, during the recordings when we appear to be playing around, everyone would have discussed what we would be doing beforehand.

Rikyako: Right, right! When we were muttering in the background, we really added many different things in there. Although we were told, “Everyone can say whatever they want,” we would still sit together and go, “What are we going to say?”.

Aikyan: So from just random mutterings, our background presence became quite distinct. (Laughs)

Ainya: In the preview after Episode 10 “We’ve got Stewshine!”, there’s a hint of a new side story being developed.

Rikyako: If you didn’t notice it, please raise the volume and listen to it again~









– In the many repeated recording sessions, were there any new discoveries or small things that only the members themselves would pick up on?





King: Basically, the recording sessions were done with all nine of us together. Sometimes, we’d discover that the tone of the voices were a little off, so the re-recording sessions might have been interesting.

Arisa: Indeed. Sometimes situations would happen where it became difficult to determine whether our pronunciation was correct. At the scene where we were staying at an inn, there was the word “shirikodama”*. The intonation of the “ko” in “shirikodama” was strange, so everyone went “Eh?” at the same time. Things like that happened. (Laughs).

Suwa: Although in the end, we didn’t preserve much during the recordings. While we do have our own stories to share personally, those incidents were fun, too.

Anchan: Before and during the airing of the TV anime, when we went overseas for events, there hasn’t been a single time when nine of us have gone together, right?

Shuka: It’s mostly a few of us being organized into teams and going to different places.

Things Gained from Overseas Activities





Anchan: The event that the most of us went to was LA’s “Anime Expo”, where six of us were on the stage there. That was when I learned for the first time that Suwawa (Suwa Nanaka) could speak English, so I was shocked.

Suwa: Ahaha. I learned English since I was young, so I feel very happy to be able to use it in a place like this.

Arisa: The responses from the crowd that was there for us were very quick, and the entire atmosphere was very warm. When the PV went on the screen, there were many in the audience who sang along with it. And the audiences would react to the smallest things, so it felt very fresh.





– Besides LA, you went to Asia (Thailand, Taiwan, China)** for events. While the “Love Live! Sunshine!!” anime was being broadcast in Japan, everyone was flying everywhere around the world.





Anchan: When I was overseas, what shocked me the most was definitely seeing the fans in Taiwan cosplay as Yohane.

Aikyan: Seeing that really made me super happy. Everyone was wearing little demon horns to welcome us.

Anchan: As it’s Yohane’s trademark “Little Demon” after all~

Aikyan: It seems that everyone had discussed this beforehand, so it was a specially prepared surprise. I am very thankful that we were able to get such a warm welcome from everyone.

Arisa: During “Anime Festival Asia Thailand”, they prepared a huge signboard, right?

Aiai: It was so big that we could see it clearly even on the stage!

King: Ai-chan and I performed our respective character’s lines in Thai that we memorized earlier… but Thai is a really difficult language.

Aiai: The local staff there taught me that “Ganbaruby!” in Thai is “SuSu Ruby!”, so I said that on stage. I feel very happy that I can connect with everyone even in another country with my lines. The responses from the local fans were great, too. Since I’ve learned how to speak my line in many different languages, from now on I hope to go different places overseas.

King: Then next time, we’ll have to study a little more before we go~ (Laughs)









– Changes after the end of the broadcast of Episode 1





Shuka: The first time I watched Episode 1 with our voices dubbed in, I thought that my heart was about to jump out of my chest. I didn’t know what to feel. For me, “Love Live! Sunshine!!” is the first project that I’ve taken part in, so I felt very uneasy at the start, and I couldn’t watch it in an objective light at all.

King: I think that everyone felt the same after watching Episode 1. I was exactly like you then. (Laughs)

Anchan: The nine of us had gathered together before the broadcast to watch Episode 1 after it was finished, too. Although I felt happy that we could bring the finalised item to everyone, at the same time, I became aware that my own voice acting skills would be on display to everyone from then on. How do I put it, I have very conflicting feelings inside of me.





– As the story progressed, were there any changes in your mental state?





Shuka: How do I put it? Although it’s true that there were some changes, I don’t know whether I can say that it was a constant change throughout…

Aiai: There were ups and downs, right?

Shuka: Right! That’s it.

King: In the story, we’ll have the same actions (as each of our characters), but emotionally we’ll differ because we’ll change according the situation. I guess each member would have their own nervousness about it.

Anchan: For example, in Episode 4 “Two Girls’ Feelings”, as it’s an episode where Ruby-chan and Hanamaru-chan have to make an important decision, I think that the people behind those characters would feel very nervous, right? I totally understand your feelings!

Aiai: But when the scenes actually became completed images, I had the impression that in some way, “I” became “Kurosawa Ruby”, too. Although there’ll be times when I get nervous and ask, “Will it be okay?”, when I’m watching it, I do have the “Ruby is speaking, huh,” feeling, too. How do I put it - I can’t describe it with words, but it feels very surreal.

Rikyako: So everyone felt the same when watching the final product, huh? After listening to it again, I felt kind of relieved, actually. (Laughs)

Arisa: The development of the story in the TV anime did indeed sync with everyone’s feelings. I think it was especially so for the third years. It was after Episode 9 that the Aqours members really gathered together as nine people. So when we are standing on a stage, while I think about myself as “Komiya Arisa”, at the same time I am also aware that I exist as “Kurosawa Dia” as well. I discovered this switch in myself. Of course, before then I did have the self-awareness that I was a member of Aqours, but after Episode 9, this feeling just intensified.





– When was the exact moment that the reality of what you accomplished hit you?





King: When my friend told me that a news program in Atami had a story on the broadcast of “Love Live! Sunshine!!”, that’s when the reality of the popularity of the show hit me.

Anchan: When I see how popular it is locally, I feel really happy that I’m a part of Aqours! I’ve seen it (the news footage) too, and besides saying “Amazing,” there’s no other word that I can use to describe it. I’m really shocked.

King: Previously, I heard that my friends wanted to go to Awashima (Numazu) for a holiday, and I felt that this was a little unimaginable…it felt as if I was hearing someone say that they were going to my hometown for a holiday.

Aiai: It really feels like my own hometown. We’ve visited the place ourselves, and we’ll think things like, “The members of Aqours, are they really living here?”. We did develop feelings for Numazu that made us think of it constantly.

Aina: My hometown is in Hokkaido, but I don’t get the chance to return to my old home nowadays. But every time Aqours releases a new single, I’ll always get a message of “I heard it~” from my family members, and they can even pinpoint which part I performed. Being able to spread that to the people close to me definite makes me very happy. In the song “Sunshine Pikkapika Ondo”, there was a chance for me to showcase the folk singing that I’ve learned from my parents since I was young, but in my heart I grew a feeling of unease that “Mari-chan won’t be the one who’s singing it then, right?” But in the end, the fans accepted it, and my parents were very happy. To be able to see those close to me feeling happy for me because I was able to showcase something I’m good at it is really great.

Episode 13, and the Future.





– When the recording for Episode 13 ended, there was the sound of “Now it’s the real beginning” (of LLSS).





Arisa: After I finished watching the story through Episode 13, that was when I first felt that I really became the “school idol” Kurosawa Dia.

King: Even if the anime has ended for a while, to me, the feeling of “It’s really beginning now” is actually becoming stronger. Perhaps Episode 13, where they hinted that we were inheriting the future, was a big part of it.

Shuka: This series isn’t one to say “The End” to its story, but is actually saying that “From Zero To One” is the “beginning” of the story. After seeing the girls trying their best on the stage of “Love Live!”, I feel that we have to work harder too.

Anchan: That’s exactly it, Episode 13 of the TV anime isn’t the last episode. From Episode 1 to Episode 13, at the start there was only the introduction of the girls and the entire process on how all of them became a group together. What’s shown is their birth. I think Aqours as a group will really start from this point. At the start, I worried, “Would Aqours be accepted by everyone?”, but everyone had a very warm response to us, and from our point of view, that really is the best thing that could happen. So from the 13 episodes of the TV anime, for the fans who were able to accept the Aqours who are our counterparts, all of us are really thankful.

Shuka: You put it so well…

Anchan: Ah, I usually won’t say such embarrassing words.

King: It’s exactly because of this formal atmosphere here that you can, right?

Aiai: It’s very cool!

Anchan: What’s with this kind of development, how do I put it… Right, I’m very clumsy in situations like this! I can’t go on! (Laughs)





–The next event is the release of “Jingle Bells ga Tomaranai”. Besides that, next year there’ll be the 2 days live at Yokohama Arena.





Anchan: The song is super cute. From what I feel, it has the impression of all nine members of Aqours having a noisy and bustling Christmas party. I imagine that even after it ends, it’ll be noisy and lively.

Arisa: The melody has the sound of bells, so it makes you feel that “This is Christmas.”

King: As it’s a song used in SIF, actually singing it makes me feel that I can hear the “shan shan”*** sound all the time, so it feels like I’m playing the game.

Arisa: That sounds super fun. (Laughs)

Ainya: Besides the melody, I feel that the lyrics are super cute, too.

Suwa: About the 1st Live in February (“Love Live! Sunshine!! Aqours First Love Live! ~Step! Zero to One~”)… As it’s the first time that Aqours will be singing on stage at such a big stage, the feeling right now is that I totally, totally cannot imagine what kind of scene it’ll be like.

Ainya: That’s right. Though on the day of the live, for the sake of being able to stand smiling on the stage, and also for everyone to listen to us with a smile on their faces - We’d like to see it through until the very end!

Anchan: I’ve realized once again that the charm of “Love Live! Sunshine!!” is about its “whole”. You can only consider the whole 13 episodes together as “Love Live! Sunshine!!” - it has their thoughts, and the journey that they went through, all condensed into this project. If we put that “whole” together to form a line, and connect all of the lines together, that is their strength. That strength is what they envision for school idols, and for μ’s. If there’s one thing you need to describe the appeal of this project, I think that this point is the most suited of all.





TL Notes:

*Referring to Chika’s line “The Gods of Inns will come and pull your soul out through your butt!” (旅館の神様にシリコダマ抜かれるよ! / Ryokan no kamisama ni shirikodama nukareru yo!).

**They’ve also been to Singapore!

***SFX for the jingle sounds you hear when tapping notes on SIF.