Satoshi Sakurai, popular voice actor of the 1990s, looks back on his retirement period when he realized that "I want to be Satoshi Sakurai"! From Idol to Voice Actor - Part 5

What aspects of voice acting emerge when we look at voice acting as a profession? In the series "From Idol to Voice Actor," we will take a look at the characteristics of voice acting by welcoming voice actors who have changed careers from "idols," which is a different occupation, but also a popular business.

The fifth installment features Tomo Sakurai, who once appeared in many magazines as an idol. He is one of the legends of the idol group, having appeared in many magazines as an idol and remaining in the top group as an idol voice actor after turning into a voice actor.

Satoshi Sakurai first came into the spotlight in the anime "Midnight Anime Lemon Angel. While starring in the show, he also played the center role as Tomo in the idol group "Lemon Angel," which was born from the work. After the group disbanded, she began her career as a voice actress, and her breakthrough role as Milene Genus in "Macross 7" and her role as Mei Haneoka (Saint Tail the Phantom Thief) in "Saint Tail the Phantom Thief" cemented her popularity, and she also released CDs and photo books. She is also known for her role as the voice of the idol "Sainte Terre".

Satoshi Sakurai, who gained fame as an idol voice actress while at the same time acquiring her acting ability through steady experience, talks about "voice acting" as he traces back a series of nostalgic works.

Even now, when he takes off his Satoshi Sakurai mask, he is still shy.

--When you were in junior high school, you went to see a Shonen-tai musical, which is how you got your start in the entertainment industry. Were you interested in the entertainment industry even before that?

Sakurai: Not at all. I was so out of my element that I couldn't even raise my hand in class at school. I would blush if the teacher pointed at me. But that musical changed me in an instant.

--What was so shocking to you?

Sakurai: At the end of the show, they sang a medley of songs as a fan service, and the audience who had been sitting quietly before suddenly stood up and started shouting in yellow voices. I was overwhelmed by that. At that moment, I thought to myself, "These people are amazing.

--So you were surprised by the enthusiasm of the audience, rather than just knowing how great they were when you saw Shonen-tai?

Sakurai: That's right. I had thought Shonen-tai was great, but I was shocked. It was amazing. I was like, "Wow!

--I was shocked.

Sakurai: But I think I had a hidden ego even back then. Even now, when I take off my Satoshi Sakurai mask, I'm still shy, but I wouldn't want to be if I didn't really want to be.

--What happened after that?　Did you consult with your parents?

Sakurai: No. I immediately went out and bought an audition magazine on my own, and went to three auditions that month.

--What were the results?

SAKURAI I passed all of them. But the first one I was contacted by said it would cost money, so I entered the next one that contacted me and offered free lessons.

--And then you went to lessons?

SAKURAI: I learned jazz dance and mime. But I started practicing right away. I was the youngest member of the group that was formed within the office, and the first time I stood on stage was at the Washington Hotel in Shinjuku. But it was more like a mascot girl start than a debut, and in my mind it was more like a club activity. There were a few sisters dancing on either side of me and singing original songs.

--It wasn't like a job, but rather something I just liked to do.

SAKURAI Yes, that's right. I remember it was kind of fun.

--Did you have confidence in your singing?

SAKURAI No, I was not. So, life changes in just a day, an hour, or a few minutes, doesn't it?

You starred in an anime even though you had never taken a lesson.

--That was when I was in the third grade of junior high school. After that, I debuted as Lemon Angel not too long after that. Can you tell us how you joined the group?

Sakurai: It was decided that there would be a grand prix winner, a semi-grand prix winner, and one other girl who would join the group, but one of them didn't get in. I didn't audition, but I was approached by the president of the office.

--I remember that the anime that was the mother of the project was in the vein of "Kuriimu Lemon," and from the time of its debut, it was a unit that attracted a lot of attention.

Sakurai: The anime was a late-night show, but there was a time when the ratings surpassed those of "Sanma no Mamma"!

--You must have suddenly become very busy.

SAKURAI: I became busy. I simply didn't have time to hang out with my friends anymore, and when I would be up late talking with my friends at school, they would ask me "Where have you been? If I was late because I talked with my friends at school, they would say, "Where have you been? It was like an athletic club.

--We released singles at a fast pace. You must have had a lot of events.

Sakurai: Yes, we did. I really had the opportunity to travel to many different regions. But as soon as we finished work, we would all go back to our hotels. Even if we all went out for dinner together, we would go to a place near the hotel and come right back. We never went out for fun together.

--Were you still feeling like it was an extension of club activities?

SAKURAI: No, I was indeed very busy, and I was also a high school student, so it felt like work.

--Did you enjoy the work?

SAKURAI It was fun. Of course it wasn't just fun, but I guess there was a part of me that did enjoy it. It felt great to be in the spotlight and to be cheered on.

--What was the hardest part of being a lemon angel?

SAKURAI: The postrecording. I used to do the voices for the Lemon Angel animation, and it was very difficult. When I look at the old videos, I realize that I would never be able to do it now! I couldn't do it now!

--(Laughs.) But you were a 15-year-old girl, right? You had never even had a lesson before?

SAKURAI: No, I had never had any lessons. I had never had a lesson before, so when I was asked to say "an" or "uh-huh," I didn't know what to say. I was told to "stretch a little," but as a 15-year-old girl, I was not comfortable with that. I felt at first that it wasn't supposed to be like this. I think the other two girls probably knew what they were doing to some extent because they had auditioned. When I was asked to join, I was aware that it was a soft sex piece, so I told them that I wouldn't do that kind of voice. But I ended up doing it (laughs). (Laughs.) But from the middle of the job, I understood that this is what being a lemon angel is all about.

I was running because I couldn't hold back on food.

--Can you tell us about the postrecording process at that time?　Were you guessing along with the pictures?

SAKURAI: The pictures were sometimes attached and sometimes not. But I think the pictures matched the lines. We didn't have long lines, and even if we did, they were spoken in a narration-like voice without lip-synching, so I think it was different from recording in the true sense of the word.

--Did you have a lot of NG?

Sakurai: I think there was a lot of NG...not just NG, but I think the staff had a hard time because we were complete amateurs. They must have thought we were not up to the level of instruction.

--So you didn't have much time to enjoy your job as a voice actor?

SAKURAI: It was hard for me to grasp the idea of acting. I think it was more like I was in a slump than having a hard time.

--When you entered the entertainment industry, did you have an image of becoming a performer?

SAKURAI I did not. I think I had a vague image of being a singer or an idol. Even in the group, we rotated the parts we were good at: I was in charge of singing, the other one was in charge of talking, and the other one was in charge of acting. Of course, we all worked together.

--So it seems that stage work was more fun.

Sakurai: That's right. I was excited when a lot of people came to the events. It made me happy. At that time, there were so many camera kids. There were "submitted photos" and so on. Punching your pants was also common, wasn't it?　If you were photographed, you were considered one of the idols. The more pictures I got, the happier I was.

--There were also many fan letters and gifts from fans, right?

Sakurai: Yes, yes. When I said, "I like anpan," I really received a lot of anpan. But I was a chubby high school student at the time. My weight was only 2 or 3 kilograms the same as it is now, but since the members on both sides of me were thin, I looked very chubby. So I really wanted to eat everything they gave me. ......

--I know it's easy to gain weight during the teenage years.

Sakurai: It was really hard to control my body. It was hard. And I was also scolded by the office. I was the only one who couldn't fit into the costumes that the costume designer brought (laughs). (Laughs.) It was pathetic, wasn't it? But when I had to shoot a week later, I felt like eating even more, because I was so stressed. So I would eat when no one in the office was looking, and then I would run. I couldn't stand food. But I still gained weight. That's why I still can't stop running.

--You also post pictures on Twitter, don't you?

Sakurai: In my case, running is the best way to control my body, and I guess I have the feeling that I don't want to go back to that time.

It's fun for me to be able to be a different person.

--What were your thoughts when it was decided that Lemon Angel was going to break up?

Sakurai: One of the members left the group just before the breakup live, so I already had a sense that it was over, and I think I felt that it would be better if it was over.

--What kind of path did you have in mind for the future?

SAKURAI: To be honest, I wanted to go solo. But even if I became a solo artist, there would be no work, and I was in the doldrums. I thought, "What am I going to do?　I had nothing to do." That's when I got an offer to perform on stage.

--So that was "Ashinaga Uncle"?

Sakurai: Before that, I appeared in "Yellow Submarine - Alice in Slum Land," an adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland. I played the role of a rabbit. At that time, I began to think that acting might be fun.

--What did you enjoy the most?　Being able to be a different person?

SAKURAI That's exactly right!　The real me is nothing at all. I'm a bit vague, and I don't express my opinions. So it was fun to be able to be a different person and go to a different world.

--I was also offered the next "Ashinaga Ojisan"?

Sakurai: Actually, I used to run around the office at night, and the president of the musical company saw me. I thought, "There's a girl running hard, she definitely has guts," and I don't know how he found her, but he called our office. I met him, and he said, "Don't you remember me?" And he said, "Don't you remember me?

--I was suspicious (laughs).

Sakurai: But I recognized him right away. The reason is that while I was running, someone called out to me, "Hey, you. He was a guy with pitch black sunglasses, a punch perm, and a beard. I was so scared that I ran for my life and told the people at the office that I was approached by a scary man (laughs). (Laughs.) So I immediately said, "Oh! (laughs). That's when I was asked to play the lead role of Judy. I am very grateful. After that, a theater company was formed within the office, and we put on one or two performances every year.

--That was the period when you were mainly doing stage work.

Sakurai: I think it was 72 performances.　And we toured all over the country, and I learned a lot. I also learned how scary the stage can be.

--What was scary?

SAKURAI It was the fact that it was live. I was afraid that if I made a mistake, the actors and the audience would become just the way they are. I never made a big mistake.

--If you had to evaluate yourself at that time, how would you rate yourself?

SAKURAI I think I did my best. Even now, I sometimes look back at the VHS recordings. I don't mean to say what was good about it, but it was very energetic. It was that kind of role, though. I think so.

--I think it was a good start for you.

SAKURAI It was a really good experience. After that, I received offers to play the role of Beth, the third daughter in "Wakakusa Monogatari" and Shizuka Gozen in "Yoshitsune and Benkei".