Minami Tanaka – Long Interview

Translated by Punster

Proofread by Seito Kaichou

Taken from Minami’s photo book, Minyami’s Twenties.

“22 years since she was born, 5 years since she debuted.

The path she took and the hurdles she jumped over as she grew as a seiyuu and idol.

Including all of the fun episodes along the way, we take a look back at the history of Minyami!”

The girl who loved anime was praised for her voice, and set her goal on being a “seiyuu”.

Q: “Minyami’s Twenties” is a collection of what you looked like for 2 years starting from when you were 20 years old. In this interview, we’ll go beyond that and ask questions about your past, present, and future plans. First off, please tell us about your oldest memory.

A: Actually, even though it’s a little choppy, I think I do remember a few things from when I was a baby. I remember not being able to walk properly, just crawling around the house happily, so I think I wasn’t even 1 year old at that time. I don’t remember much before or after this, but there was one time when I hid from my parents and tried to eat one of the cigarettes that my father was smoking. If they were one step too late, it would’ve been a life threatening incident… Of course, they managed to find me right before I put it in my mouth, but I was thinking in my mind that “I want to eat that thing that my dad enjoys eating so much! But I know that’s a bad thing to do, so I’ll just eat it without them seeing.” That’s why I went behind the curtains and tried to eat it without being seen. And when my mom found me, I tried to play it off cool with “Hm? What?” I don’t remember how I knew eating tobacco was a bad thing as a baby, but I remember that specific moment to this day very clearly.

Q: That’s a pretty naughty memory (LOL). Does that mean that you were a pretty active child in the years after that?

A: I can’t remember much between that moment and when I was 2 years old, but I believe I liked to play outside at that time. But apparently I wasn’t a very sociable kid. Whenever I lost my temper, I’d start biting my friend’s arms or legs, so I was naughty in that kind of way. Even though I was that kind of kid back then, I became introverted when I got into kindergarten. I also became a crybaby, and my friends teased me saying that “Minami-chan cries whenever she puts her head down.” Going off topic for a little, I loved anime even before getting into kindergarten. I especially interested in Pokemon back then, I always watched it every week. If I ever got unlucky and missed the weekly episode, I remember I’d throw a huge tantrum. Even then, I wouldn’t give up and rent out the whole season at the rental shop after the season finished airing on TV. Since then, I’ve watched anime without missing an episode. Not limited to just anime targeted at young girls like Ojamajo Doremi and Precure, but also any of the anime that aired in the morning or evening that was aimed at kids in general.

Q: Back then, were you a quiet girl outside, but lively at home?

A: Yeah, until I was in 3rd grade. I would just be the quiet girl that did whatever people asked of me and I didn’t have much of a personal opinion. But I often had fist fights with my younger sister at home, though (LOL). However, my homeroom teacher for 3rd grade was very kind and paid a lot of attention to me. Both my parents were also working at that time, so I made a lot of friends through the daycare I was put in. By playing with those friends and having my homeroom teacher be so kind to me, I eventually became more active. I believe that the “me” from that time is the foundation for the “me” that’s in front of you now.

Q: When did you learn about the profession that is seiyuu?

A: It happened when a friend complimented me saying, “Minami-chan, your voice is cute just like in anime!” If I recall, it was when I was in 4th or 5th grade? The me back then already started watching late night anime like The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi and Lucky Star. I was super into anime at that point. That being said, I was just a big anime fan, and didn’t know who made anime or how anime was made. It was only when my friend said that my voice was “anime-like” that I looked up “how is anime made in the first place?” That’s how I got to know about seiyuus.

Q: At what age did you start thinking “I want to become a seiyuu!”?

A: This happened during my elementary graduation ceremony. There’s a tradition at the elementary school I went to, where we had to announce our future dreams upon receiving our graduation certificate. I said “I want to be a patisserie!” when I was practicing for it, but I started wondering if I really wanted to become a patisserie after listening to the dreams of my fellow classmates. As I kept thinking about that in my head, the job that popped into my head was being a seiyuu. Going with that flow, I announced that I was going to be a seiyuu during the graduation ceremony. I think that was also the first time my parents knew about it too.

Q: That’s a dramatic start.

A: When I thought about my love for anime and when my voice was complimented, I believe it was at that moment that the two pieces clicked together. My future that was clouded until that moment, was suddenly clear in my mind. With the help of that uplifting feeling, I entered the drama club in order to learn acting once I entered middle school. Even though it was basically my first time acting, it was even more fun than I imagined. Time flew by as I continued participating in the drama club activities and I eventually even became the president of the club. There were only 5-6 members when I first joined the club, but we had around 20 members by the time I was in my 3rd year of middle school. I spent my days back then practicing every day for semi-annual plays that the drama club put on. I was so into it that you could say that my middle school days equaled my drama club activities.

Q: To be able to get closer to achieving your dream as you worked hard on your club activities, your passion must’ve been high.

A: Though I did think that I’d give my best in acting because I wanted to be a seiyuu, but I think it was mostly because the drama club activities were fun. The drama club activities played a big part in making me think that “acting is fun”.

Q: By the way, what was the anime that you were into when you were in middle school?

A: It was Hetalia: Axis Powers. I was super into the Hetalia series in middle school. I went to my first Comiket because of its influence.

Q: Did you go with a friend from school?

A: No, I went with my cousin and her friend. To be honest, I always hid the fact that I was an otaku at school. I didn’t have a complex about being an otaku, but there weren’t many classmates or club members around me that liked anime. Since I had my cousin as my otaku buddy, I didn’t need that kind of support from my friends at school. I think I just didn’t have the opportunity to come out with my otakuness, rather than me trying to hide the fact that I was an otaku.

Q: Did you join the drama club again once you started high school?

A: When I got into high school, I started to work part time in order to save money to enter a seiyuu school. So I joined the broadcasting club instead of the drama club. The reason behind that was because the broadcast club only had two days of activities, so I was able to go to my part time job while participating in club activities (LOL). The broadcasting club activities turned out to be just as fun as the drama club’s. I talked about this in the interview on page 57’s titled “X’mas”, but I had so much fun with my club members at parties and events that we started doing things together outside of club activities too. Now that I think about it, I only have fun memories of my school life! I looked forward to going to school every single day.

Q: So you were a Riajuu*, then? (Living the life)

A: Yeah (LOL). I’m still on good terms with all my high school friends now.

She felt the strictness and setbacks everyday after throwing herself into the world of pros.

Q: You were still having your fun high school life during the fall of 2012. The 2nd year high schooler Tanaka-san applied for her debut work the “avex X 81produce Wake Up, Girls! AUDITION, The Second Anisong Vocal Audition”. What made you apply?

A: In the summer of my 2nd year in high school, we had a parent-teacher conference. That was when I said to my homeroom teacher and mother, “I wanted to become a seiyuu, so I would like to go to a seiyuu school.” When my teacher heard that, he was very against it and replied with “Being a seiyuu is not as easy as you think it is. You should think about your future more.” Those words lit the fire in me (LOL). I thought to myself, “I’ll prove you wrong by having my debut while I’m still in school!” That was the beginning. It was coincidence that I saw the audition on the front page of Niconico Douga when I was looking into how to get into the industry. I applied just to test the waters.

Q: Was it your first ever audition?

A: Yes. At the time, I always thought that to become a seiyuu, you’d need to go to a specialty school or training facility. It was really a coincidence. The timing was just perfect. I felt that I benefited from having to audition, since it fit my style at the time. Because of my rebellious feelings towards my teacher, it made me think that there must be an adult who would see the worth in me. Also, I’m very glad that I was a heavy Niconico Douga user (LOL).

Q: Were your parents against your decision?

A: My mother was more shocked at the fact that I wasn’t going to university, rather than the fact that I wanted to become a seiyuu. But she wasn’t against the decision. My father was very accepting and said, “If you found something you want to do, then do your best.” However, I kept the fact that I applied for the audition a secret. I thought I’d just tell them when the results are out. I only told my sister at first, and she helped me out with the paperwork and photos. I told my parents when I passed the first screening, and was invited to go to Tokyo for the second part of the audition.

Q: How was the audition?

A: I was very nervous and uncomfortable. I was so nervous for the whole day during the final round, I had to skip school the next day since my stomach hurt so much. That’s why I wasn’t sure if I would pass. But when I told my friend that I applied for the audition, she said, “Minami will pass,” like it was obvious. My heart was light after hearing those words. That night was also when they told me through the phone that I had passed. Of course I had the feeling of “Yay, I passed!” But I was more surprised at how my friend’s premonition. It was a weird feeling.

Q: And then you went to a training camp to take lessons in order to get ready for your debut. Wake Up, Girls! (WUG) lessons were pretty hard, or so I’ve heard.

A: It was hard in a lot of ways (LOL). I didn’t think that WUG!’s activities would need this much dancing and singing at the time. I could only say “Yabai…” to how hardcore the singing and dancing lessons were.

Q: Was it your first time learning how to sing and dance?

A: It was pretty much my first time. At first, I couldn’t even dance while singing. So I had to learn starting from the basics of the basics. To talk about my seiyuu lessons, I had a hard time with them as well. I thought I’d at least meet the lowest expectations, with all the drama and broadcasting club activities under my belt, but I couldn’t do much at all. They had to especially guide me through the techniques of expressing my emotions. Seriously, I got dizzy with how many things I had to learn at once. The teacher of the camp also said this to all of us, “The things that you usually take years to learn at school and training facilities, you will have to learn them all within a few months. Of course it is going to be hard.” The pressure was always there. When I think back to it now, I feel like what they said is impossible (LOL). But the me at the time thought, “I have to do my best. If I can’t do it, I’ll cause trouble for everyone else.”

Q: It seemed like your back was to the wall.

A: That’s how harsh the pro world is. Every weekend I had to go take seiyuu lessons in Tokyo, and I self-practiced all the assignments given to me on weekdays. Whenever we had a training camp, it would be a whole day of singing and dance lessons. My schedule was like that for over six months. There were so many things that I couldn’t do and was lacking in. This was a time I felt the most frustrated.

Q: How was the first time you stood in front of a microphone and acted?

A: If I remember correctly, the first time was when all the members had to record the sample voices for our self introductions. The lines themselves were not hard at all, but I still had a lot of trouble with them. I remember having to do a lot of retakes to get the “OK” from the staff. There was also a member who was so nervous from the pressure that she couldn’t breathe properly. The whole recording session was canceled as the result… That was a rough memory.

Q: After that, the first WUG! Movie came out, followed by the recording for the first WUG TV series. How long did it take you to get used to recording?

A: To be honest, I felt like I wasn’t used to it even after the last episode of the first WUG! TV series. At this point, it’s been almost a year since I passed the audition, but since there was so much going on, I only realized everything ended after the fact. WUG!’s activities aren’t only limited to being a seiyuu, so I felt like I was playing “catch-up” every day. Rather than getting used to it, I only felt less overwhelmed when the TV anime ended, and WUG! Activities calmed down. I think it started when I was recording Pripara and Hanayamata.

“Seiyuu Tanaka Minami standing alone by herself”

“Returns to WUG!, sees improvement”

Q: Both of those works are not part of WUG!, so they’re Tanaka Minami’s first solo titles.

A: Hana N. Fountainstand from Hanayamata is the first role that I was given from auditioning as a seiyuu. I was trying for Sekiya Naru or Sasame Yaya at first. I couldn’t imagine Hana’s voice, and felt that it wouldn’t be right with my voice. That was when my manager told me to challenge myself. So I auditioned for Hana too, even though I wasn’t confident at all. I was still overwhelmed with work at the time of my audition, so I accidentally left the building with the indoor slippers provided because I was so nervous and happy that the audition was over. I realized this quickly and ran back to the studio, apologizing with, “Sorry! I almost went home with the indoor slippers!” The door to the audition booth just happened to be open at that exact moment, and the staff that heard my voice laughed at how clumsy I was (LOL). From what I heard after I passed, apparently they thought that clumsiness was “very Hana-like”. Of course I don’t think that was the only reason I was picked, but in the end, I feel like I was very lucky to have gotten the role of Hana.

Q: How was working on Hanayamata?

A: Since it was an environment with a lot of brand new seiyuus, including my fellow WUG member, (Okuno) Kaya, our director Ishizuka Atsuko, sound director Fujita Akiko, and the other staff all watched our acting very carefully. I was able to face Hana properly and act because of that. I only remember trying my very best when I was acting out Katayama Minami-chan from WUG!, but I slowly created the role of Hana through trial and error. I think it helped that I wasn’t as busy because around then, things were calming down, but it was also because I had a lot of reliable senpais that gave me advice. I was able to freely create the role of the girl named Hana because of those factors. Around the same time, I was recording for the Pripara anime as the protagonist’s sister, Manaka Non. She was a supporting character and she didn’t appear too much in the anime, so it wasn’t a role where I had to stand in front of the microphone the whole time. But I’m very grateful for that experience, since I was able to watch the main characters acted out by i☆Ris-san and other senpais up close. Since there were no WUG! Members in the Pripara studio, and the staff were all different, I felt like I participated as a solo seiyuu. I was a little lonely at first, but i☆Ris-san and all the other seiyuu senpais were all so kind, I was able to learn a lot despite being nervous.

Q: Hanayamata and Pripara. Through those two recording experiences, “Tanaka Minami” was able to take another step up.

A: After leaving the home that is WUG!, those two are important titles that allowed me to stand on my own as a seiyuu.

Q: After that, you took on numerous different roles, but do you have a title that felt like a turning point for you?

A: I have deep memories with all my roles, but it would have to be WUG!’s Katayama Minami-chan. I especially remember the recording session for the 2nd movie that aired in 2015. It was a session that started one and a half years after the first TV series ended, but when I acted out Minami-chan again, I realized I was able to understand the staff’s guidance and quickly fix my acting this time. I think it was because I acted out so many different characters within that year and a half. I really felt that those experiences helped me out. At that moment, rather than feeling like my effort paid off, I was glad that I worked hard. Since it was Minami-chan that let me realize this, I have very deep feelings towards her.

Q: And then for the “11th Seiyuu Awards” in 2017, you were one of the recipients of the “Best Rookie Actresses” award. How did you feel when all your hard work was recognized by so many fans?

A: Actually, I still wonder if that was a dream (LOL). I was so surprised by the sudden call from my agency that I thought I did something wrong when they were telling me the news. It only started to sink in a little when I lined up in the ceremony and said my piece.

Q: Did anything change inside you after receiving the “Best Rookie Actress” award?

A: Not much, if at all (LOL). The only thing different was that I told myself, “This is not the finish line. Don’t be satisfied and keep working hard.”

Minami’s speech at the “11th Seiyuu Awards”

The competitive personality that she inherited from her father helped her grow as a seiyuu.

Q: From here on, we’ll focus on the Tanaka-san of the present. First off, what else is important on top of being able to act?

A: To be able to see, touch, and feel everything without being intimidated. Also to get myself to really understand the feelings I had during those times. I think this is this input part that happens before acting. For example, when I watch a movie and cry during it. Why did I shed those tears? What feelings did I have when I cried? How exactly did I cry? I work hard to try and understand all those small details about my own feelings and actions. I’ve heard that other seiyuus also do similar things, so in a way, I think it’s a training method that all seiyuu and actors have to go through.

Q: So in order to know you own feelings more, you’ve deliberately increased the amount of chances for your emotions to sway.

A: Yes. Of course I watch anime, but I also played a lot of games, and watched a lot of movies and stage plays, as well as going to different places and experiencing different things. Once I think of something, I would act upon it quickly. For the output part, I try to not have my acting stiffen up, and try to have fluidity in my acting. I was able to this consciously since that time I spoke of earlier, when I acted out Minami-chan during the 2nd WUG! Movie.

Q: What do you exactly mean by “fluid acting”?

A: We get our scripts before the recording session, so we have until the day of recording to plan out our acting. We have have a test recording right before the actual recording to show off what we had planned to all our staff. But sometimes they give instructions that are completely different to what we thought our characters were supposed to be like. I think fluid acting is when we are able to incorporate those instructions into our acting properly. I also had recording sessions back then when I was very stiff and only stuck to my own plan. But since I was so stiff, I couldn’t change my acting at all once the staff started giving me instructions that were completely different to what I had imagined for my character. It might have simply been that I wasn’t up to par at the time, but it also made me realize that all the planning and practicing before the recording sometimes narrowed my vision. After that, I thought to stop deciding on the acting plan by myself, and start bouncing off opinions with the staff to arrive at the correct answer. In order to do that, I thought that I needed to be able to act out a lot of different roles. One of the keys that helped me do this was what I spoke of earlier, “to know my own feelings.” Right, right, I only realized this when my members told me about it during the recording session of the 2nd TV series, WUG! Shinshou. But apparently, the amount of notes I wrote on my script was little compared to other seiyuus. When I checked again, I saw that, just as they said, I didn’t write much in my script at all. Even though I remember writing so much in there back then. I didn’t consciously write less. Just that through me trying to keep my acting fluid, my attitude towards the script and the way I wrote my notes changed a lot. I feel like it was more that I found my way of acting rather than something inside me changing.

Q: This is a little off topic, but is there anyone who influenced you as a seiyuu/actor?

A: The word “influence” isn’t the right word for this, but recently I’ve been blown away every time I go to record for Kakegurui. It was a studio with prominent members such as Hayami Saori-san and Sawashiro Miyuki-san, who have the role as Jabami Yumeko and Momobami Kirari respectively. Everyone’s acting was a level or two above what I had imagined in my mind. Every character in Kakegurui was very unique in their own way, and everyone did such a good job that I couldn’t envision anyone else being able take their place. Of course the staff also did their part by giving general acting advice throughout, but there were also a lot of hard times where the actors were given very detailed instructions for characters who have strong quirks. Even so, my senpais were able to easily change their acting according to those instructions. I kept wondering, “how many different types of roles can they act out exactly?”, while being very impressed the whole time. The one that left the biggest impression on me was Ise Mariya-san, who voiced Ikishima Midari. Even within the colourful cast, that character was on another level of crazy, so apparently many experienced actors wanted that role. It was that hard of a role, but Ise-san still took the audition with the thought of “only I could act this character out”, and was able to show off her best. Her acting was so convincing that it made me think she was her character. When I asked Ise-san about this, she said, “I feel like this is how acting should be.” I honestly thought that was so cool. It made me think about working hard in order to be able to reach the point where people think “this character can only be voiced by me.”

Q: Tanaka-san also played Saotome Meari, who was a very different character compared to any of the other roles that you’ve voiced so far.

A: From talking about her feelings in a low voice, to making the gap between her outer and inner self, I was able to experience acting in a way I’ve never experienced before. I remember acting out Meari was very hard, but I was mainly focused on learning from the vastly superior acting of my senpais. Because of that, I feel like I’ve gained another treasure inside me.

Q: From everything you talked about so far, it feels like Tanaka-san is a very competitive person.

A: It maybe so. Since my father is also very competitive, and many people say our personalities are alike (LOL). When I look back at my life, including the time when I decided to audition for WUG!, there were a lot of times where I kept pushing on even though people kept telling me that it was impossible. In that way, I think me being in the Kakegurui studio is thanks to all the valuable experiences that I’ve acquired so far.

Q: The job of a seiyuu isn’t just about acting, but it also includes being a radio DJ, appearing in events, and the singing/dancing that WUG! Is known for. What was a job that was especially fun for you?

A: All of it is fun, but if I were to pick one, I think it would be radio. I liked to listen to radio since I was younger. I listened to “Zero no Tsukaima on the radio ~Welcome to Tristan Magical Academy~” and “Hetalia WEB radio ~Hetalia~” since middle school. The radio show I’ve been doing the longest is the WEB radio that has video included, “A&G NEXT BREAKS FIVE STARS”, and since I like to talk, I’m always excited to do it.

Playlist to subbed Five Stars videos

Q: Is there a job that you want to try to do in the future?

A: In terms of further developing my acting, I would like to try acting in a movie. Recently, seiyuu who voice anime have also started to do narrations now, right? I think that narrating uses a different set of skills compared to acting, so I would like to give a shot at that too. After that… I would also like to try appearing in anime aimed at children. I would be happy if I can get a role in works that got me excited watching when I was a kid.

Family, friends, members, fans.

The important people who support Tanaka Minami.

Q: It feels like you’ve been running ever since your debut 5 years ago in 2013. What is the source of your power?

A: The happiness of getting involved in something I loved since I was a child, and the existence of all the people who support a girl like me. Since I recently moved out and started living by myself, I feel extremely very thankful to my family.

Q: It seems like you get along very well with your family.

A: Yes. I’m very happy about the strong bond I have with my family. My hometown is in Kanagawa, so I often go back to see them anyway. That’s why I never felt lonely. It’s just that whenever I have to do chores and cook at my own house in Tokyo, I think back to the days I was living with my family (LOL).

Q: Are you frequently in touch with your family?

A: I don’t try to get in touch with my parents that often. My mother makes up for that by calling me that much more frequently. But I communicate frequently with my sister. Since my sister also likes anime and games, we talk about otaku stuff and play online games together. I just played Monster Hunter: XX with her yesterday.

Q: Other than your family, who else supports you?

A: My highschool friends, senpais from my agency, and the WUG! Members. WUG! Members are already as important as family to me now. Maybe because of all the time we spent together since our debut, but I can’t call them friends or rivals. Whenever I see a member’s face, I’m able to feel at ease, so I think family is the best word that fits their description. One more group that’s just as important as the groups above are all my fans. All the fans who support the seiyuu Tanaka Minami give me power. There are people who have been my fan since my debut, so I feel like they’re right next to me watching me warmly. They’re an irreplaceable existence to me at this point. That’s why I don’t want to take them for granted. I never forget to say thank you to the fans, and want to have as many exchanges as I can with the fans whenever I’m given the opportunity to meet them at events.

Q: Finally, a message for the fans who are reading this photo book.

A: Thank you so much as always. I will keep trying hard to meet everyone’s expectations, so I would be happy if you continued to support me. Ah, but please don’t over do it (LOL). Since I think supporting people is a tough thing to do. Just do what you can, I’ll be happy as long as you think about me. Please continue to support Tanaka Minami from now on.

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