Two
of the female lead roles in two radically different kinds of sci-fi
animation shows were played by the same person, Ayako Kawasumi. She was
Melfina in the space faring adventure Outlaw Star and Mahoro in the
battle android maid series Mahoromatic. Each role took some study, but
they didn't reflect any major changes in the voices she used. "I try to
use my own voice, Kawasumi said at an Otakon panel. "If it sounds
different, it's because of the character and not the voice. I do need
some confidence that I know the character, but if I'm overconfident, I
can't handle things in a collaborative manner." To Kawasumi,
collaboration means working with the director and the other actors to
work out her performance and the way she responds to others. Japanese
productions are recorded radio-play style while American dubs (and
Japanese video game dialogue) is recorded in separate sessions, and
Kawasumi says that the Japanese system works best because actors can
respond immediately to each others' performances.
The
English-speaking fans at Otakon liked Kawasumi's performances so much
that they asked her, over and over again, to read the lines they liked
the most from her performances, and she graciously consented, getting
applause each time. A voice actor's life is a dream come true for
Kawasumi, a self-described "crybaby" as a child who also loved anime,
especially Dragon Ball. It's also a dream made real for Kawasumi to
have the chance to sing some of the closing themes in the shows where
the appears, because she liked the themes as much as the shows when she
was young. Kawasumi has even written some of the lyrics for those
songs, since she has come to know the characters as well as anyone else
through her performances. Some of those voices reflect the unique
cultural habit of women speaking in high-pitched voices. "I tend to do
that myself," she said. "Women do tend to do that subconsciously, and
put on an act when they're speaking in front of someone and want to
look good - perhaps that's not limited to Japanese women."
Two
of the female lead roles in two radically different kinds of sci-fi
animation shows were played by the same person, Ayako Kawasumi. She was
Melfina in the space faring adventure Outlaw Star and Mahoro in the
battle android maid series Mahoromatic. Each role took some study, but
they didn't reflect any major changes in the voices she used. "I try to
use my own voice, Kawasumi said at an Otakon panel. "If it sounds
different, it's because of the character and not the voice. I do need
some confidence that I know the character, but if I'm overconfident, I
can't handle things in a collaborative manner." To Kawasumi,
collaboration means working with the director and the other actors to
work out her performance and the way she responds to others. Japanese
productions are recorded radio-play style while American dubs (and
Japanese video game dialogue) is recorded in separate sessions, and
Kawasumi says that the Japanese system works best because actors can
respond immediately to each others' performances.
The
English-speaking fans at Otakon liked Kawasumi's performances so much
that they asked her, over and over again, to read the lines they liked
the most from her performances, and she graciously consented, getting
applause each time. A voice actor's life is a dream come true for
Kawasumi, a self-described "crybaby" as a child who also loved anime,
especially Dragon Ball. It's also a dream made real for Kawasumi to
have the chance to sing some of the closing themes in the shows where
the appears, because she liked the themes as much as the shows when she
was young. Kawasumi has even written some of the lyrics for those
songs, since she has come to know the characters as well as anyone else
through her performances. Some of those voices reflect the unique
cultural habit of women speaking in high-pitched voices. "I tend to do
that myself," she said. "Women do tend to do that subconsciously, and
put on an act when they're speaking in front of someone and want to
look good - perhaps that's not limited to Japanese women."
