Hazuki Senda makes her debut as a voice actress and artist in "Zoids Wild ZERO"! Interview with Hazuki Senda, a newcomer who is heading straight for her dream! Welcome, newcomers! No.15]

With more and more anime being released every day, newcomers are appearing on the scene one after another. In this series, Akiba Research Institute will conduct in-depth interviews with "newcomers" of interest to Akiba Research Institute!　That is "Newcomers, welcome! The interview is called "Newcomers, welcome!

This time, we interviewed a new voice actress, Hazuki Senda.

Chida just made her debut as Sally Rand, the heroine of "Zoids Wild ZERO," a new TV show that started airing in October. However, at the same time as her debut as a voice actress, she also made her debut as an artist singing the ending theme song "Hikari!

Chida is full of energy and smiles, but her passion for the life of a voice actress is even more passionate than one might imagine.

In this interview, we talked to her about the road leading up to her debut as a voice actress, the struggles she faced during her first post recording session, and her hopes for the future. She also talks about her hopes for the future.

Her student days, when she devoted herself to her dream of becoming a voice actress.

─ ─ Nice to meet you! Please begin by introducing yourself.

Chida: My name is Hazuki Chida. I made my debut this year, playing the role of Sally Rand, the heroine of "Zoids Wild ZERO".

─ What made you decide that you wanted to become a voice actor?

Chida: I love to see plays, and I went to see a play called "The Prayer of Elcos" by the Shiki Theatre Company at a junior high school event. I wanted to act in a play! I started to think, "I want to do a play! But there was no such environment at the time, and when I decided to try it in high school, there was no drama club. I even tried to start a club, but no one would join, so I had no choice but to join the badminton club.

─ So you started out on the stage. What made you shift from there to becoming an aspiring voice actor?

Senda: It was the influence of the librarian at the library. When I was in the second year of junior high school, the librarian recommended various books to me, and one of them was the "Bungaku Shoujo" (Literary Girl) series, which I really got into. When I watched the anime adaptation of that work, I noticed that the voice actors who appeared in that work also appeared in various other works. I thought, "If I become a voice actor, I can be in a lot of different works. "I love the idea of being able to live as the character!" I thought, "That would be great! Also, when I was in the third year of junior high school, I had a chance to experience the stage at a school workshop, where I met a person who wanted to become a voice actor. She originally wanted to be an actress, but she didn't want to be in front of people. She didn't want to stand out too much, but she wanted to act, so she decided to become a voice actor. I didn't want to stand in front of people too much, but I wanted to act, so I thought that was a good idea.

My parents told me to go to high school, so I went to high school for a while. However, in the summer of my first year of high school, I decided that it was time for me to go to a training school, so I took the test for a training school on my own. I passed the test, and when it came time to go through the application process, my parents were really against me, saying, "What are you doing? I decided to do my best in high school first.

─ ─ And you endured the three years of high school. ......

Senda: I endured for a long time (laughs). After that, I was promised that if I passed the university entrance examination, I could attend the training school for one year.

They said, "You can go there for one year," but I worked really hard to show them how serious I was about it. I was going to school without thinking about the university.

─ ─ What kind of student were you at that time?

Senda: The high school I went to was an all-girls high school, so there were all kinds of groups, but I was in and out of them without any hesitation.

Chida──You must have been a very good communicator.

Chida: Yes, I was. But only with girls. I went to an all-girls high school, so even now I am concerned about what girls think of me. I wish I could have more girl friends.

───Back to the topic, did you join any clubs at the university?

Senda: I was a member of both the Literature Club and the Broadcasting Society. The broadcasting club made radio dramas, so I could practice my acting skills there, and some of my seniors had attended a famous training school, so I thought I could gain knowledge that I would not learn at a training school. I always wanted to put myself in an environment where there was acting.

I also thought it would be better if I could understand what it was like to be on the writing side of a book, so I joined the Literature Club, but it was quite a serious club and everyone was a writer, so I gradually became a ghost club member because I was on the reader side.

─ ─ What was your life like at that time?

Chida: On days when we had lessons, I practiced vocalization all the time in the booths of the club and in places on campus where I could speak. I was often told how noisy I was. I even did "Gairo Seller.

─ ─ Around that time, you played the role of Rain in the game "Gothic is a Magical Maiden: Make a Contract! 〜You played the role of Rain in the game "Gothic is a Magical Girl.

Senda: That was like an internship at a training school. There was an audition for an anime at the time, and I submitted a sample anyway, and it passed the first screening. Then, during the second screening, I was told that there was also this kind of work, and I passed the audition. It was my first time on the set.

There was a previous cast member, and I was asked to take over the role, so I was told to "sound like that person," but when I heard her voice, I thought, "That's impossible. ....... But when I heard her voice, I thought, "I can't do that.

The first line I finally managed to get out.

─ ─ At any rate, you were able to produce one result within the promised deadline. Your next project was "Zoids Wild Zero." How did you decide to appear in this film?

Chida: I was accepted into the agency in April, and I took lessons until May. The person who was selected there would record a sample and send it to each audition. I heard in July that I had been selected for the audition, and in August I heard that I would be recording the film, and I was like "What? I was like, "What?

───That's an exciting turn of events, isn't it?　So you are going to make your debut as an artist with the ED theme. ......

Chida: During the postrecording of the first episode, I was asked if I wanted to sing. Then, right before the recording of the third episode, I was told, "It's not a character song, it's your debut as an artist," and I thought, "I'm an artist! I couldn't keep up with the situation myself (laughs).

─ What did you think when you first got the role?

Chida: I had a long way to go to be cast in an animation with a role. I thought it would be 3 to 4 years after I had worked my way up through the ranks, but I was extremely happy to be cast as the heroine. The president told me, "This is just the beginning, so you shouldn't be so happy. I tried not to show it with my face, but my hand was shaking the whole time. The moment I left the office, I said, "It's decided! I dashed out of the office (laughs).

Chida: What did your family say?

Chida They were extremely happy and said, "That's great! What do you want to eat today? What are you going to eat today? And since I like meat, I said, "Yakiniku! (laughs).

Chida──Your parents must have been happy too, because you have achieved good results.

Chida: That's right. When I was just a junior in college, I was thinking about auditioning for jobs while also considering job hunting, but in April I decided that I would stop job hunting now that I had joined an agency, and that I would focus solely on this. I decided in April that I would stop job hunting now that I was in an office, and that I was going to focus on this one thing.

Chida: "That's what voice acting is all about!

Chida: I watched an anime that said, "That's a voice actor! I prepared for the postrecording by watching the anime "That's a Voice Actor! I made a list of things to take with me, wrote down all the etiquette for opening and closing doors for newbies, and had a lesson the day before, so I asked my seniors at the office "How should I enter the room? How should I greet people? I asked a lot of questions. I even learned the layout of the studio from a senior who had been there before.

But when I finally entered the studio, I was told, "Sit here," and I was allowed to sit next to a senior staff member, which made me extremely nervous. I was so nervous.

─ Did the recording go smoothly?

Chida: In postrecording, there is a sequence of testing, correction, and the actual recording, but I was never told that the actual recording was about to start. However, I was given various instructions. When I asked the people around me, "What are they doing now? I asked the people around me, and they told me, "We're starting the show now. I was shocked. That was a shock to me.

Also, the set was full of experienced men. In the first episode, there were two or three women, but in the second and third episodes, I was the only woman there. I was scared that if a newcomer like me did something bad, I would be thrown out.

─ I think your first line in the first episode was a scream.

Chida: That was my voice when I thought it was still rehearsal (laughs). (Laughs.) Actually, I didn't have a voice at the time of the test. The first scene was with a mask on, so I actually put a paper cup to my mouth, which was not part of my original plan. So, at that point, I was in a bit of a panic: "If I hold the script while holding the paper cup, how am I supposed to hold the pen?" I was in a bit of a panic. I was just thinking that I had to match the play to the video, but I couldn't speak well. ...... But then the sound director told me, "Just relax and be how the girl feels," and I thought, "I'm just going to run away like Sally," and "Here comes the scary Jamminga! I was thinking, "I'm just going to run away like Sally," and "The scary Jamminga is coming!

─ ─ And in the second episode, there was a long line explaining the world view.

Chida: That's right. I received the script for the second episode the day after the recording for the first episode ended, and there were more lines than in the first episode. I was like, "Wow, I talk a lot! (laughs).

─ ─ At first impression, Sally seems to be a character who doesn't say much, doesn't she?

Chida That's right. She is a kind, ladylike girl, but I wonder if she is a mysterious character who can talk to Zoids. I wondered if she would have much conversation with them. I was wondering what to expect when she suddenly started talking a lot.

─ ─ It was a scene where the audience had to concentrate or they would be left behind in no time.

Chida I also searched for "what is a time slip?" and "what is a wormhole? What was written on top of that was even more difficult, so I thought, "What the heck! What is this? I practiced while thinking, "What the heck is this?

I was thinking, "What the heck is a Zoids Wild ZERO? It's not Earth! What is Zi Forming? Is Jamminga a new enemy? I searched for answers to these questions, but of course I couldn't find anything (laughs). (Laughs.) I started watching "Zoids" to understand the worldview, and I understood that this was the world they were working in, but it was difficult to understand the worldview when I started working in the field. I started from a place where I had no idea what I was doing, and gradually I came to understand the worldview. At first, I spent the entire week reading the script.

Chida: So you are not spoiled just because you are a newcomer?

Chida That's right. But there is a sense of a team that wants to work together to create a work, and I want to do my best as a member of that team.

─ Did you think about being a character in the long series of "Zoids"?

Chida Yes, I did think about it. I am not sure if it is safe to be involved in a series that started right after I was born, and there have been many great people who have participated in the series, so I don't feel any more responsibility than I should, but since I am going to do it, I am going to make it a good work and show my good points every week.

The first episode of the broadcast made me realize that all my hard work up to now was worth it.

─ ─ I would like to ask you about your debut song "Hikari" as an artist. Do you remember your impression when you first heard the song?

Chida: When I first heard it at the office, it was cool and had a core. I thought it was just an amazing song. The melody was especially cool, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to sing along with it. At first, the lyrics were not yet completed, but the lyrics I received afterwards were also very moving, and I could feel the same feelings of "I have just begun" and "I wonder if this is where I will finally blossom", so I was happy to sing this song.

─ ─ What kind of music did you originally listen to?

Chida: I had always listened to LiSA's songs, and I also love Inori Minase's "Ready Steady Go! I sometimes feel anxious or depressed during auditions, but when I listen to this song, it pushes me and I feel like I can skip through the audition. I actually did that (laughs).

I also love summery or refreshing rock songs like "Blue and Summer" by Mrs. GREEN APPLE, and I listen to it when I put on my makeup. I like cheering songs.

─ ─ Do you sing a lot in your private life?

Chida: I don't sing at all. I always lip-synch at choir competitions and other events. I was acting. I was really trying to give the impression that I was doing it (laughs). When I stand in front of people, I get nervous and lose my voice. At any rate, I have been acting as if I were singing since I was in kindergarten. That's why I am an actor (laughs).

───How did you feel when your song was actually played on TV?

Chida: I was watching it in real time, sitting on my knees the whole time. There was a video, and I saw my name in the cast! When I saw that, I realized that I had really done it, and it made me feel a lot of things.

─ ─ I joined an office in April and had an audition in June. From there, I was chosen to play the heroine and made my debut as an artist.

Chida: It was a really intense few months. I used to think that I would move forward steadily, one step at a time, wondering what would happen next, but for the past six months, I had no real sense of what was happening. I was just going ahead with it. But the October broadcast made me realize that I had made something, that it had become a work of art, and that all the hard work I had put in up to this point had meaning.

─ ─ What kind of voice actor do you want to be in the future?

Chida: Right now I am concentrating on a single work, but my starting point was that I longed to be in a variety of works, so I would like to eventually be in a variety of works. I am good at energetic characters, so I would like to play a role with different values from Sally.

On the other hand, continuing to play the role of Sally Rand for a long time means that I can live as her, and that is also something I would like to pursue. Ultimately, I would like to pursue a single character in a variety of works.

Chida: How about as an artist?

Chida: I would like to sing a cheering song, or perhaps I would like to lift the faces of those who are looking down a little. I love rock music!

─ ─ When it comes to ani-song artists, I think that live performances are indispensable nowadays. For example, my goal is to perform on a big stage like Anisama! How about you, Mr. Chida?

Chida: To tell the truth, I have never been to Anisama, but I always listen to the soundtracks on d-Anime Store, and I would like to experience LiSA's live performance. So I would like to go to a live concert as a spectator first. I also want to wave a cyalume! (laughs)

─ ─ Wahaha (laughs). So first of all, you want to go to LiSA's concert someday (laughs). (laughs) And if we can reach the same stage someday, I'd like to go to ....... I'm not sure if that's a high goal or a low goal (laughs).

Chida For me, it is a very high goal (laughs).

(laughs) ──That may be due to the fact that the situation has changed so rapidly in the past six months. You have various goals.

Chida Yes, I do. So, I would like to continue groping my way through the future.

─ Finally, what do you want to be in a year from now?

Chida: I still have a long way to go in terms of acting and singing, so I would like to change so that people will think, "This girl has grown up. I really want to change.

My singing is still a bit rough, and I have been working hard on my acting, so I thought I could do a little better, but it's not at all, and I feel like I'm just acting without emotion. I still feel like I'm dragging the production down, so I want to be the kind of actor who can make the production feel even a little bit better with my participation.

[Music distribution information

Please check the following links for the distribution release and subscription sites for the debut song "Hikari."

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