※日本語版のインタビューは英語記事下に記載


During
Anime Expo, we had the chance to speak with Sumire Uesaka, a voice actor better known to her fans as Sumipe. She has been a veteran voice actor for over 10 years voicing many hit animes such as Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, Urusei Yatsura, SHAMAN KING FLOWERS, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian to name a few. Uesaka recently visited America as a guest at Anime Expo and even participated in a Q&A panel in a packed room full of her international fans. She was gracious enough to share some time with us to talk about herself and reflect on her career!

Kawaii Kakkoii Sugoi: Hi Sumipe, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! Is this your first visit to America? How are you enjoying your time here?

Sumire Uesaka: I’ve been to Las Vegas and Hawaii when I was little. However, this is my first time coming to America for work, so I’m happy that I’m finally here!

KKS: Earlier today, you held a panel and interacted with many of your Western fans. Did you have a lot of fun with them?

Uesaka: Of Course!

KKS: What’s different about interacting with Western fans compared to Japanese fans at events?

Uesaka: Japanese fans are a little more shy. They have a lot of things they want to express but because it’s a public event, they don’t express it outwardly. On the other hand, American fans are very expressive when it comes to things they love. I was very happy to directly receive the love and support of my fans.

KKS: Did you expect such a large turnout for the panel?

Uesaka: Not at all! When I got to the room, I was amazed to see so many people cheering and giving me a warm welcome! It made me incredibly happy!

KKS: You asked the fans which of her characters they liked. Were you surprised by the number of responses?

Uesaka: I was thrilled to hear not just about the recent characters I’ve voiced, but also those from a while ago. I was impressed by how well everyone knew them. Some fans even brought gooods related to those characters! Even those without any goods were excitedly shouting out the character names, which made me feel that Japanese anime is truly loved here.

KKS: With your 10th anniversary best album, “SUMIRE CATALOG” released on July 24th, is there anything in particular you’d like to reflect on as you look back over the past decade of your career?

Uesaka: I love Hello Project! idols, and for fans of Hello Project!, Nakano Sun Plaza was considered a sacred place. Although Nakano Sun Plaza is now gone, having the opportunity to hold a concert there was a significant milestone in my journey as an artist.

KKS: This is my first time hearing that Uesaka-san is a Hello Project! fan. 

Uesaka: Yes! Juice=Juice is my favorite group!

KKS: Do you approach live performances differently when you’re performing as a solo artist compared to when you’re part of an ensemble cast, such as in Idolm@ster or Uma Musume?

Uesaka: When I perform as a character from a franchise, it feels like I’m taking the stage alongside my character. In contrast, when I’m performing solo, my focus is on making sure that everyone is having fun. If I feel like the crowd isn’t as energetic or excited as I’d like, I’ll do my best to hype them up and create an enjoyable experience for everyone. My goal is for everyone, from the front row to the back, to have an amazing time!


KKS: Will you hope to perform in America one day?

Uesaka: Of course!

KKS: You recently worked on the newest Uma Musume movie that recently premiered in Japan which was a huge success. Do you recall any fun moments or memories from the recording of the movie?

Uesaka: I’ve been involved with Uma Musume for about 7-8 years now. Agnes Tachyon, a character that I voice, didn’t have much airtime in the television anime, but suddenly she had an important role in the latest movie. I feel she’s very dear to me, like a friend, and I was happy to see her shine on the big screen.

KKS: Lastly, After interacting with American fans in person, please share a final message for them!

Uesaka: I’m so happy to meet all of you. I see a lot of comments on my social media from Overseas fans. Meeting you all in person and talking directly was very special to me. I would love to come back again soon!

 

Sumire Uesaka
Sumire Uesaka made her debut as a voice actress in 2011.
Played Nagatoro in “Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro”, Lum in the new TV anime series “Urusei Yatsura”, Alya in “Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian” and many more. As a recording artist, her 1st single release was the opening song for the TV anime series “Muromi-san” in 2013. Her 9th single “POP TEAM EPIC” released in 2018 became a smash hit in Japan, and her 11th single “EASY LOVE”, released in 2021, spread the audience worldwide, including US & South America. From classic J-POP to metal music, Lolita fashion, to pro-wrestling, her variety of knowledge makes her an unrivaled voice actress artist, and is loved by fans around the world.

Website: https://king-cr.jp/artist/uesakasumire/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/uesakasumire
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uesaka_sumire/
X: https://twitter.com/uesaka_official

King Records
Website: https://kingrecords.net/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/kingrecords
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingrecords_en/
X: https://twitter.com/kingrecords_en

 

今年の7月にロサンゼルスで開催されたアニメエキスポにて、すみぺの愛称で知られる声優、上坂すみれさんに取材をさせて頂きました!上坂さんはキャリア10年となるベテラン声優で「イジらないで、長瀞さん」、「うる星やつら」、「SHAMAN KING FLOWERS」、「時々ボソッとロシア語でデレる隣のアーリャさん」などの数多くの大ヒット作品に出演されています。上坂さんはアニメエキスポにゲスト出演し、海外のファンで満員となった部屋でトークショーが行われました。今回はKawaii Kakkoii Sugoiに少しお時間を頂き、今までの目覚ましいご活躍についてインタビューさせて頂きました!

Kawaii Kakkoii Sugoi: 上坂さん、この度はお時間頂きありがとうございます!今回は初めてのアメリカでしょうか?実際にいらっしゃっていかがですか?

上坂すみれ: 小さい頃に旅行でラスベガスとハワイに行ったことはあるんですけど、お仕事でずっとアメリカに来たかったので実際に来れてすごく嬉しいです!

KKS: 先程のパネルでも沢山のアメリカ人のファンの方と交流されていましたが、楽しんで頂けましたか?

上坂: もちろんです!

KKS: 日本のファンと比べてイベントでのアメリカ人のファンにはどんな違いがありますか?

上坂: そうですね、日本の方はどちらかと言うとちょっと照れ屋さん。きっと沢山言いたいこともあるけど、やはりイベントなのであまり個人が主張をされない。でもアメリカの皆さんは好きなことや伝えたいことをその場で言ってくれて気持ちがダイレクトに伝わるので、すごく嬉しかったです。

KKS: 大盛況のパネルでしたがこれだけ沢山の方が来てくれることは予想されていましたか?

上坂: いや、全く!会場に入ってすごく沢山の方が大きな声で歓迎してくれているのを見てとっても嬉しかったですね。

KKS: パネルではファンの方に過去に上坂さんが演じたどのキャラクターが好きか問いかける場面もありましたが、沢山のキャラクター名が出たことには驚きましたか?

上坂: 最近演じたキャラだけでなく結構前に演じたキャラの名前も呼んでくれたり、すっごい皆さんいろんな作品に詳しくて!グッズも持ってきてくれた方もいたり、持ってなくてもキャラ名を叫んでくれたり、日本のアニメがすごく愛されているんだなーと感じました。

KKS: 10周年記念ということでベストアルバム「SUMIRE CATALOG」も7月24日にリリースされましたが、この10年間を振り返った時に一番印象に残っている出来事は何かありますか?

上坂: 私はハロー!プロジェクトのアイドルが大好きなのですが、今はもうなくなってしまったんですけど、ハロプロの聖地と言われる中野サンプラザというライブ会場のステージに初めて立つことができた時に、自分も少しは一人前のアーティストになれたかなと思って嬉しくなりました。

KKS: 上坂さんがハロプロのファンだというのを今初めて知りました!

上坂: はい!Juice=Juiceが一番大好きです!

KKS: ソロアーティストとしてライブする時、また作品グループのキャラクターとしてライブをする時と比べて違ったアプローチはありますか?

上坂: 作品のキャラクターとしてライブをする時はキャラクターと一緒にステージに出るという気持ちです。でも私一人の時は会場の皆さんに楽しんでもらう!ということをいつも意識しています。あの辺をもっと盛り上げたい!とか、元気になってほしい!という気持ちで最前列から最後列までみんな同じ気持ちでパワーをもらえるようなライブにしようと心がけています。

KKS: いつかアメリカでライブしてみたいですか?

上坂: もちろんです!

KKS: 最近公開されたウマ娘の映画が大ヒットだったと思うのですが、ウマ娘のアフレコ現場でのエピソード等なにかあれば教えてください。

上坂: ウマ娘という作品はアグネスタキオン役として7, 8年演じていますが、タキオンというキャラクターはアニメではなかなか登場しなかったので、今回の映画で急にとても大事な役どころを作って頂きました。タキオンは私にとってすごい大切なキャラクターなので、そんな彼女が映画で活躍するのは友人のように嬉しかったです。

KKS: 海外ファンと実際に交流した上で、最後にアメリカのファンの方へのメッセージをお願いします。

上坂: まずは会えて本当にうれしかったです!私のSNSでも海外のファンからコメントは見ていたのですが、実際に会ってお話をするというのはとても大切な機会でした、またすぐに戻って来たいです!


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