A Triumphant Return with "POPTEPIC"?　Sawako Hata's passion for voice acting that she has been harboring since her days at SKE48! The second installment of "The Road to Seiyuyu from an Idol".

In this series of articles, we interview people who have jumped into the world of "idols" from a similar but different world, and look at the profession of "voice actors" from a different perspective.
In this second installment, we interviewed Ms. Sawako Hata, a former member of SKE48.

When she was a member of SKE, she was selected as one of the "Under Girls" in the general election along with Aya Yamamoto and Haruka Shimazaki, but she graduated from SKE to become a voice actress. So far, she has appeared in the anime "Battle Spirits Double Drive" and "Konohana Kitan" and the game "Girls Band Party! and the game "Girls Band Party! We asked her to tell us about the sense of discomfort she felt as a member of a national idol group, and how she feels about voice acting now that she is in her dream job.

The joy of being someone other than yourself who lacks self-confidence

--Could you tell us how you chose to become a voice actor in the first place?

Hata: I had wanted to do acting since I was in elementary school, and I even auditioned for an acting job, even though I didn't get it in the end. Then, when I was researching various aspects of acting, I learned that anime characters are voiced by someone else.
I thought it would be interesting because a voice actor could be anything, and since my parents worked and I spent a lot of time at home watching anime, I wrote in my sixth grade graduation book that I wanted to be a voice actor.

--So you thought that joining SKE48 was a step toward becoming a voice actress?

Hata Yes, before joining SKE I attended Nichinare (Japanese Narration Acting Institute), but I couldn't get a job in my first year, so in my second year I thought, "I have to find a chance," and I tried to apply for various auditions such as "Seiyu Award" (audition for new talent). 48 group had a strong Akiba flavor, so I thought I'd try my hand at voice acting. I also saw that Yui Matsushita, who had expressed an interest in voice acting, was able to appear in a game and guest voice acted in "Sergeant Keroro", so I thought, "If I join, I can work as a voice actor! I thought, "If I get in, I can work as a voice actor!

I was born in Osaka, so I didn't know much about SKE, and after I joined I thought, "I have to sing and dance" (laughs). So in April, about six months after I joined, I told my manager, "I feel like that's not what I'm aiming for. I couldn't go to the training school because of work, so I thought, "Maybe I should quit and go to the training school one more time. But just then, one of the SKE members was given an opportunity to appear on the radio program "Akemi Kanda's My Favorite Things. I was told, "Why don't you try a little harder? I was told, "Why don't you try a little harder?

--So you were attracted to acting, not to the idol-like aspects of voice acting?

Hata: Yes, I was just thinking, "I want to be in anime! That was my feeling. I liked Yukari Tamura, and I also liked the idols Halo Pro, but if you ask me if I wanted to sing or dance, I was rather resistant to being seen. I wanted to become an actress because I wanted to establish an identity that I could be proud of.

Actresses are special, and it was appealing to me to be able to be someone other than myself, who I wasn't confident about. When I was in nursery school, I really enjoyed performing in a play, and when I was in elementary school, I gathered 10 students by myself and formed a drama club. But when I was allowed to act in dramas during my time at SKE, I felt very restricted by the way I looked, by being a woman, and by being "myself. I felt resistance to being seen, so I couldn't concentrate, and I thought, "I'm fundamentally not good at being in front of people. I really enjoy voice work because I can immerse myself in it. I don't have to be seen as myself.

--So you didn't realize that you are not good at standing in front of people when you were in the theater club?

Hata That's right. I didn't have much experience performing in front of people (laughs). I was the head of the department because I was the one who started it. Once a year, when we were given the opportunity to perform a play in front of the students in the gymnasium, I failed an audition for the role of Alice in "Alice in Wonderland" and played the role of the five of spades. I wore a big playing card, and my lines were limited to "The queen is in trouble" or "The queen is in trouble. In other plays, I played the role of an alien who only said "pipopapopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopopop.

--In other plays, I played the role of an alien who only said "pipo-pa-pa-po.

Hata: I wasn't blessed...when I joined SKE, there was a commercial that ran, "A place where dreams come true.

--Sunshine Sakae! Sunshine Sakae!

Hata Yes, that's right. I think SKE is actually that kind of group. If you say "I want to do it," they let you try your hand at singing or performing on stage, etc. Even though I was in SKE, I was allowed to do voices for video games and anime, and there are many girls whose dreams changed after they tried it. There are many girls who have changed their dreams after joining SKE. I am really glad that I joined SKE.

I felt "the world is different" when I was working with voice actors.

--What made you decide to graduate?

Q: I had been thinking about it for a long time. I've been thinking about it for a long time. I've reached the age of 24, and it's time for me to quit as an idol. I also thought that a group without a new generation would not last. Thankfully, I was selected for the group, but if I didn't leave, new members would not be able to join.

Also, when I worked with professionals on the "AKB0048" anime, I thought I needed to study again. I was planning to quit around August, but Hiroshi Yuasa, manager of the SKE48 Theater, told me, "I'll introduce you to someone else. I was hoping that I could belong to an office somewhere, so I was hopeful, but I hadn't heard anything from him for about six months, and I thought, "This person is no good! (laughs).

--(laughs). That's why you decided to graduate.

Q: Akika Nakatani's resignation was also a big factor. When I heard that she was going to quit the office and the group and rejoin a different office, I thought, "Even if I stay in this group, I won't be able to get a job as a voice actress. I didn't have any desire to be an actress, so I didn't want to end up joining (a talent agency) (laughs).

(laughs) -- What was it about working with voice actors in "0048" that made you feel a sense of crisis?

Hata: First of all, the technique. Even if I had an image of how I wanted to act, I didn't know how to convey it. When I listen to your performance, I can feel the emotion just from your voice. I am still inexperienced, so I think I have not learned enough about the fundamentals, such as what the character is trying to say and under what circumstances he/she would say it. I think I still need to improve my ability to think out of the box, or my Japanese language skills.

Also, I think there is a difference between what you want to say and what you don't want to say, which is also present in everyday conversation. This is especially true when you don't have many lines, but you can't help but put a lot of effort into your own lines. But I also thought, "The world is different" and "I can't go on like this. If I could go back to the days of "0048," I'd like to scold myself (laughs).

--(laughs) - Within the 48 group, you are treated like a "butterfly, flower," right?

Qin I felt that SKE in particular was a very protected place after I quit. There were many restrictions, but the managers took us into consideration and cared about us, and we were very much valued as products. However, it tended to lead to misunderstandings, and I regret that time very much. So when I became attached to the voice acting scene, I felt uncomfortable and realized that I was being spoiled. Voice actors are basically sole proprietors, so I had to do everything myself.

--After you decided to graduate, did you also choose your own voice acting school?

Q: Yes, I chose it myself and went to auditions (laughs). But I decided to quit in mid-February, so it was difficult because many of the schools had already closed their doors. I had to rush out to take pictures. It brings back memories (laughs).

--How was your time at the training school?

Q: I had no contact with boys for the previous three or four years, so I didn't know what kind of distance I should have with them. We didn't exchange contact information, and I think I was a pain in the ass because I communicated with them through the girls (laughs). (Laughs) However, I was blessed with two friends, Rika Hayase and Ayana Amago, who were my greatest assets. When I was in the main program, the three of us would go out to karaoke and read scripts to each other, and we would correct each other's mistakes.

Even after I joined my first agency, we had a study group once a week, and we practiced in the park on our own. We were bitten by the bug, though (laughs). I had never been to an izakaya before, and at first I was too intimidated to join a drinking party. I thought, "I'm not supposed to go there.

--I thought, "I'm not supposed to go there.

Hata: Yes, that's right. But at the end of the training school, the week before the results of my affiliation were announced, we all went on a trip together. We took the train after lessons finished at 9 p.m. and stayed overnight on the Boso Peninsula in Chiba. It was really fun.

--How did you feel when you graduated from the training school and started working as a voice actor?　It was a different transition from your days in the 48 Group.

Q: Hata: There was nothing particularly different, but when I was a student at the training school, I was worried about whether I would be able to find an agency, so I was relieved when I was chosen by my first agency. I started to show up at drinking parties (after recording sessions, etc.) on my own, and I was able to tell them where I belonged.

I hope it can be a tool that is easy to use but has personality.

--Q: The other day, you co-starred with former AKB48 member Amina Sato in the third episode of "Poppetepic.

Hata: It's partly because I usually don't talk to people at all on set. ......

--(laughs). (laughs) So you just said hello?

Hata: Yes, when we were leaving, we would say "long time no see" or "I never thought I would meet you like this" when we were in the elevator together. I had played the role of sisters in the game "Tenka Hyakken-Zan" (Saya Left-Mononji and Ezuki Left-Monji), but I couldn't meet them. But I was still very happy.

But "POPTEPIC" is produced by Kamikaze Animation, and when the anime adaptation was announced, the poster was a parody of the work "COCOLORS" (produced by Kamikaze Animation). I had played the role of Fuyu in "COCOLORS," so I was talking with Yuuki Takada, who also played Aki in "Mouse," and we were wondering if we would be able to appear together. But no matter how long I waited, there was no such talk. Then one day, I saw "POPTEPIC" on the schedule. When I got the script, it was just one word, but Amina was there, and the storyline was also based on .......

--I knew the industry well (laughs).

Hata: It was produced by King Records (AKB48's label company), and I had the feeling that it was a complete prank (laughs). But, well, it was fun (laughs). It was my first time doing an anime like that, and I got to see a lot of different plays. I worked with Uesaka Sumire, who was very free, even though she was a bit confused.

--Q: Since becoming a voice actor, have you noticed anything about the job of voice acting?

Q: Lately, I feel that voice acting is just another tool. It is like the paint that the creators use to create the work they are aiming for. I started out as an aspiring actress, so I had a strong image of an "individual" like "I'm going to play the role! I had a strong image of an "individual" like that, but I really felt that was not the case.

But at first, it was more like a direction, or I just entered into the "form" that was created, but once I realized, "I see, this character moves like this," I had the feeling that I was no longer Sawako Hata. That's what makes it fun. For example, if I play a character who has a strong bond with a girl she is close to on a regular basis, there is a kind of affection that is born only when I play the role. I'm still in my infancy, but it shows me that I have feelings inside me that I didn't have before.

--You mentioned "inexperienced," but is there anything you are doing to improve your skills?

Hata: Apart from basic things, I watch more anime these days than before. In particular, I try to follow and trace the lines of the actors who are going in the direction I want to go, while playing their plays all the time. I try to imitate the actors and make it my own. At first, I was worried about whether it was a good idea to imitate others or whether I would lose my individuality, but I was relieved when my manager told me, "As long as you are who you are, no matter how much you imitate others, you will never lose your individuality. So now I try to imitate. So now I try to imitate others.

--What is the direction you are aiming for?

Hata: This is a bit presumptuous of me, but I hope to play the role of a kind mother like Kikuko Inoue. She has a good personality, and I worked with her for a while before, but she really is like a goddess.

--She is just like Belldandy (from "Oh My Goddess!").

Qin: He is a wonderful voice actor, but I felt that perhaps our work was connected by his personality as well. So I hope I can be like that.

--Did you have a role in mind for this character by Kikuko Inoue?

Hata: Not necessarily. I just thought, "If it were "Ranma 1/2," I would be the big sister Kasumi" (laughs). (Laughs.) There are very few roles as mothers or older sisters, so I think it's a narrow gate, but I also think about the fact that I can't play a cute little girl all the time.

--Recently, I've seen many Sayaka Ohara in such roles. I also have an image of Sumi Shimamoto.

Hata: I took classes with Ms. Shimamoto once a week for six months when I was at my first agency, and she was very charming. She was a mysterious person (laughs). (Laughs.) She told me, "Women lose their jobs when they get married. Even Shimamoto-san? I was shocked, and I began to think that I needed to find something that only I could do. As I mentioned earlier, I think voice actors are parts or tools, but they need to be a unique tool, like a brush that can unexpectedly create a tasteful picture. It has to be a unique tool. It also has to be easy for the director to use. In that sense, I think it is important to have individuality, not only in terms of technique but also in terms of personality.

--I think Ghibli is close to the kind of work you are aiming for, and that may be why you use people who are not voice actors in their own right for such works.

Hata: Having celebrities do the voice-over may be for entertainment purposes, but when you have an actor and a voice-over actor around him or her, the main character in particular stands out. It makes the main character seem more natural. I think that there are certain types of acting that only celebrities can do.

--Q: Is there any job you would like to do in the future?

Hata: I would like to do any kind of voice work. I am enjoying the outside work I have been allowed to do since I came to Mouse. But when I have had the opportunity to do a few readings, it is a different kind of time from anime, and it is nice to have people listen to my voice in a relaxed way. So I would like to do more readings, and I hope to release a reading CD.

(Interview and text by Koji Shimizu)

<Profile

SAWAKO HATA

Born on September 14, 1988 in Osaka. Born in Osaka. Belongs to Mouse Promotion. Passed the "SKE48 3rd term member audition" in 2009, and was a member of SKE48 from 2010 to 2013. Since graduating, she has steadily built up her career as a voice actor.