New voice actress unit "Run Girls, Run!" makes its CD debut with "Slide Ride", the OP theme of "Death March Kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku"! Interview in commemoration of the release (Part 1)

I think 2017 was a year of upheaval, but I'm still going strong," said the three members cheerfully! The three members cheerfully told us, "2017 has been a turbulent year, but we're still going strong! s debut single, "Slide Ride," the OP theme song for the TV anime "Death March Kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku," will be released on February 28, and we spoke with the three members about it in depth in the following sections.

First, we asked them about their path from passing the audition to the present.

This year, I hope we can continue our activities while valuing "our character" and what each of us is good at (Atsugi).

Let's talk about the position of Run Girls, Run! 　We are Run Girls, Run! We are Run Girls, Run!

─ ─ Thank you very much for your cooperation!　RGR will be making its first appearance on this site, so please introduce the unit!

Atsugi: Yes. We are a unit formed by the three successful applicants of the "avex×81produce Wake Up, Girls!

Please introduce yourselves !

Morishima My name is Yuka Morishima, and I am from Kyoto. I'm Yuka Morishima from Kyoto, and lately I'm becoming more and more in charge of comedy (laughs). (Laughs) I've been reading Akiba Research Institute's article on Wake Up, Girls!

Thank you very much . Why did you decide to audition?

Morishima: I have wanted to be a voice actor since I was in high school, and I had been auditioning for it. I also watched the TV anime "Wake Up, Girls!" and saw the unit's performance at Anisama, so when I heard there was an audition for a new character, I thought, "I'll definitely audition! So when I found out there was an audition for a new character, I thought, "I'll definitely apply!

─ It seems that you also like anime. What kind of anime do you like?

Morishima: This season, I watch "Idolish Seven," "Gakuen Babysitters," and "Poppetepic. I also record a lot of other anime and watch them whenever I can!

─ Next, let's talk about Ms. Hayashi.

Hayashi I am Koko Hayashi, a 15-year-old from Shizuoka Prefecture. My favorite food is French fries.

─ Your father was an anime fan, wasn't he?

Hayashi: That's right (laughs). (laughs) So I grew up watching anime from a young age, and I became an anime fan myself. I have always had a yearning to be a voice actor, and when I was looking for an audition, my father brought me information that there was an audition for a new character in Wake Up, Girls!

─ Did you say anything when you were auditioning?

Hayashi: He said, "Make sure you get it! (laughs). Even now, when I go home after recording, he asks me, "How was WUG-chan today? (laughs).

─ ─ Do you have any memories from the postrecording sessions?

Hayashi: Since I am from Shizuoka, I seem to have more of an accent than I thought, so I had WUG-chan teach me her intonation. Also, Kiyono Anno taught me how to turn the script around, so I learned a lot!

─ ─ Lastly, Ms. Atsugi, please tell us about your experience.

Atsugi: My name is Nanami Atsugi. My favorite thing to do is to dance. I play the role of Martha in the TV anime "Death March Kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku" for which this song is the OP theme.

─ What made you decide to audition?

Atsugi: Ever since I learned about voice acting in elementary school, I had always wanted to be a voice actor, but when I went to college, I thought, "My dream of becoming a voice actor is over now. But during the winter break of my first year of college, I found myself unable to give up on voice acting. That's when I happened to find this audition, and I decided to take it for the last time.

─ Did you do any training to become a voice actor?

Atsugi: I didn't study acting, but I have been doing classical ballet since I was 3 years old. So I have been dancing since I was a child.

───Singing and dancing are often required of voice actors these days.

Atsugi: When I first wanted to be a voice actor, I was longing to perform with my voice, so I didn't really think about singing or dancing. But when I saw "Pripara" for the first time, I got to know i☆Ris and thought it would be wonderful if I could be a voice actor like them. That's when my image of what I wanted to be as a voice actor changed.

Q: I'm sure the members of i☆Ris would be happy if you told them that.

Atsugi: If I have a chance to tell them someday, I would like to do so.

I was nervous about the recording and meeting WUG all at once. The recording of the first episode of "New Chapter" left the strongest impression on me (Morishima).

─ Did you experience postrecording and performing live as RGR last year, and did you have any new goals?

Hayashi: As RGR, I would like to have more opportunities to stand in front of people. Last year we were able to do showcase live performances, but I would like to do more live performances on a bigger stage with the three of us.

Morishima What Hayamaru (Hayashi) said is our goal as a group, but as for me, I would like to improve my individual activities as well, and I would like to increase the number of people who are interested in Ranga from there.

─ Do you want to improve your acting and become more and more active as a voice actor?

Morishima Yes. At first, I was worried about doing a radio show without the two of us, but after a year of radio experience, I am now able to tell my own story on the radio. I think I am gaining confidence little by little.

Atsugi: Last year was a dash year for us as RGR, so we really didn't know what was right and what was left, and the three of us just ran and did our best! We were just running and trying our best! This year, however, we are a little calmer and will make each live performance and recording more important, setting goals as we go along.

Morishima Last year, I was like, "Let's just give it our all! Last year it was like, "Let's just give it everything we've got!

Atsugi That's right. So this year, I hope we will be more active while valuing what is unique to us and what each of us is good at.

─ You must have experienced many things such as postrecording, live performances, and recording, but what was the most memorable thing for you in the last year?

Morishima For me, the postrecording for the first episode of "Wake Up, Girls! I had always wanted to do postrecording for anime, and until then I had been doing it at home with the sound off, transcribing the script and acting it out myself, but I was really happy to be able to do it for work!　I met WUG for the first time there, and I remember being nervous about the recording and nervous about meeting WUG all at once.

Hayashi: I remember the showcase live performance we did from September to November. That was where we performed our first original song "Kakeru x Kakeru". Until then, we had only performed covers of WUG's songs, but we were happy to perform our own song in front of everyone, and it was very memorable that everyone chorused to our song.

─ After you passed the audition, did the three of you practice dancing and singing together?

Hayashi: We did!　Mocchi (Morishima) and I are from a regional group, so we had to concentrate our lessons on Saturdays and Sundays, but the dance lessons were the hardest!

AtsugiMorishima It was physically demanding (laughs).

Hayashi: That's right!　We have to keep moving for an hour and a half. When my arms would go down, I would ask them to raise them up to this level! And so on.

Atsugi: When my legs stop coming up, I ask them to lift my legs more! And so on.

Morishima It was harsh.

─ ─ So it was through those lessons that you were able to sing the WUG songs!　It was because of those efforts that you were able to perform "Kakeru x Kakeru". How about you, Atsugi?

Atsugi: I was impressed by the performance at "Wonder Festival 2017". Until then, I didn't really feel that I had passed the test, and I wondered if I had really passed the test. I felt like, "Did I really pass? We had two months of rigorous lessons, and during that time, I was still a little anxious. But when I sang "Tachiagare! on stage at the One Festival, Wagner (a nickname for WUG fans) was very kind to me and said "Run Girls, Run!　That's when I realized, "We are Run Girls, Run! That moment was really memorable. That moment was really memorable.

─ That was very moving. But I'm sure it was a memorable year for you, no matter what you did.