Anime Expo - Maria Kawamura
- Saturday, July 6, 2002
Had actor Maria
Kawamura not met one of the anime industry's legendary creators, she might
have become a dancer instead. As Kawamura told the story at Anime Expo,
she was working for a Japanese animation magazine and was assigned to interview
animator and Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. "I had an very enjoyable
interview with him, and then I got a message to call Sunrise (the animation
studio where Gundam was produced) about the interview. I thought `What
will I do and I was very scared to call, but I called him. He said `That's
the voice! I was looking for you - will you come to the audition?" That
was the audition for a part in Aura Battler Dunbine which led to Kawamura's
first role and started her acting career.
Kawamura is
best known as the original voice of Naga the White Serpent in Slayers,
but she's done far more. Japanese voice actors can make a living by dubbing
voices in U.S. shows, and Kawamura has had many of those roles - among
them Tonya in Am American Tail - Fievel goes West and Mokey in Fraggle
Rock. "Now I play mostly roles like naga. I'm either a nice girl or someone
loud like Naga. For a girl's role it's non human, its like a machine. For
something like Naga it's like a queen's role - laughing out loud, very
haughty."
When Kawamura
sang a concert at Katsucon, she got a big surprise when a Naga costumer
suddenly joined her on stage. Kawamura recalled her first thoughts on stage
were "There's a real Naga. When she came up I was singing the theme song
for Naga. When I turned around I almost forgot the song. When she danced
with me, it was fun." As for Kawamura's fate had she not become an actor:
she said she was interested in flamenco dancing at the time, and might
have taken up dancing had not fate intervened.
Had actor Maria
Kawamura not met one of the anime industry's legendary creators, she might
have become a dancer instead. As Kawamura told the story at Anime Expo,
she was working for a Japanese animation magazine and was assigned to interview
animator and Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. "I had an very enjoyable
interview with him, and then I got a message to call Sunrise (the animation
studio where Gundam was produced) about the interview. I thought `What
will I do and I was very scared to call, but I called him. He said `That's
the voice! I was looking for you - will you come to the audition?" That
was the audition for a part in Aura Battler Dunbine which led to Kawamura's
first role and started her acting career.
Kawamura is
best known as the original voice of Naga the White Serpent in Slayers,
but she's done far more. Japanese voice actors can make a living by dubbing
voices in U.S. shows, and Kawamura has had many of those roles - among
them Tonya in Am American Tail - Fievel goes West and Mokey in Fraggle
Rock. "Now I play mostly roles like naga. I'm either a nice girl or someone
loud like Naga. For a girl's role it's non human, its like a machine. For
something like Naga it's like a queen's role - laughing out loud, very
haughty."
When Kawamura
sang a concert at Katsucon, she got a big surprise when a Naga costumer
suddenly joined her on stage. Kawamura recalled her first thoughts on stage
were "There's a real Naga. When she came up I was singing the theme song
for Naga. When I turned around I almost forgot the song. When she danced
with me, it was fun." As for Kawamura's fate had she not become an actor:
she said she was interested in flamenco dancing at the time, and might
have taken up dancing had not fate intervened.
