Aya Hirano -
Anime
Convention Personality of the Week - July 15, 2007
Few
anime characters could be as different as Lumiere and Haruhi Suzumiya.
Lumiere is the gentle, refined, restrained character who saves the day
in many of the episodes of Kiddy Grade. Suzumiya is the nearly
uninhibited schoolgirl who all but bosses around her classmates in The
Meloncholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Despite their differences, both
characters were originally voiced by the same actor, Aya Hirano.
Ability and versatility of that kind are among the reasons Hirano,
still in the early years of her career, has won several acting awards.
While Hirano has had several roles since her debut, including voices in
the popular Nana and Death Note series, she's become best known for
Suzumiya, a character whose appeal has leapt out of Japan and spanned
the Pacific. "I was actually surprised to find out that a lot of
people came to my panel - there were so many people I couldn't see them
at the very back of the room," Hirano said through an interpreter at an
interview session. "Until I came here, I didn't know it was so popular
until I saw all the fans who came to see me at the panel," Hirano said
at Anime Expo. "I know it's very popular in Japan." Hirano worried that
Suzumiya's outspoken nature might hurt the character's appeal, but that
part of her personality makes her more popular among Americans who feel
the same way.
Few
anime characters could be as different as Lumiere and Haruhi Suzumiya.
Lumiere is the gentle, refined, restrained character who saves the day
in many of the episodes of Kiddy Grade. Suzumiya is the nearly
uninhibited schoolgirl who all but bosses around her classmates in The
Meloncholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Despite their differences, both
characters were originally voiced by the same actor, Aya Hirano.
Ability and versatility of that kind are among the reasons Hirano,
still in the early years of her career, has won several acting awards.
While Hirano has had several roles since her debut, including voices in
the popular Nana and Death Note series, she's become best known for
Suzumiya, a character whose appeal has leapt out of Japan and spanned
the Pacific. "I was actually surprised to find out that a lot of
people came to my panel - there were so many people I couldn't see them
at the very back of the room," Hirano said through an interpreter at an
interview session. "Until I came here, I didn't know it was so popular
until I saw all the fans who came to see me at the panel," Hirano said
at Anime Expo. "I know it's very popular in Japan." Hirano worried that
Suzumiya's outspoken nature might hurt the character's appeal, but that
part of her personality makes her more popular among Americans who feel
the same way.