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Anime Expo - Sunday - Rica Fukami
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One of the largest ovations of the Anime Expo weekend
came when voice actor Rica Fukami shouted out a Sailor Venus performance
at the opening ceremonies. Fans loved the sound of her voice, even though
many - if not most - don't speak Japanese and can't understand what she's
saying. "I think the words are just another tool," said Fukami. "Even though
they can't understand the words, I think the feeling and the energy come
across." |
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Dub fans feel that actors in English can't match
the energetic performance of Japanese actors. That energy is part of the
business, Fukami said. "In production studios, the tension is really high
when we're recording a role. It's not overacting for us - it's very natural,"
she said. Part of the tension comes when scripts are late in arriving.
Fukami said it's not unusual for a script to get to the studio on the day
of the voice recording. |
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Sailor Venus is younger than Fukami, of course. "I
thought I was an adult, but after I played this 14-year-old girl for so
many years, I learned how much of a child I am. Myung in Macross Plus is
an adult, however. She's very much different from the 14-year-old Venus,"
Fukami said. In a long series, character portrayals change over time. Fukami
joked that "Sailor Venus changed every time the animation staff had a party." |
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Fukami enjoyed the fans and the fans loved her, to
the point that one costumer in a Sailor Venus outfit cried when she met
the character's original voice. "I think it's great to move across the
language barrier," said Fukami. Language is great as long as you can talk,
and that energetic acting takes a toll on the voice. Fukami recalled a
time when she worked so hard that she lost her voice for two weeks. |
