From AKB48 to the role of Kate in "Kotobuki Flying Squadron in the Wilderness"--From an idol to a voice actress, Akika Nakatani took a leap of faith and entered the world of voice acting with a backwater attitude! Interview with Akika Nakatani [From Idol to Voice Actor Part 4

In this installment of "Idol Kara no Seiyu Dou (The Way of Seiyu from an Idol)," we interview people who have come from a different world as "idols" to give a different perspective on the profession of voice-over acting.

In this fourth installment, we are joined by Akika Nakatani, a former "AKB48" member.

Along with Mayu Watanabe and Yuki Kashiwagi, Akika Nakatani entered AKB48 as a third term student. In 2011, she was selected as a voice actress for the popular anime "AKB0048," which was created by Yasushi Akimoto and Shoji Kawamori, and in 2012, she was selected as a voice actress for the anime "AKB0048. After graduating from AKB48 in 2013 and turning to voice acting, she recently appeared in "Idol Jihen" (Momoi Ume) and "CHAOS;CHILD" (Kouzuki Hana), and in the last season she played the role of Kate in "Wilderness Kotobuki Flying Squadron". In the previous season, she played the role of Kate in "Kotobuki Flying Squadron". Having aspired to be a voice actress since she was a child, one wonders how she felt during her AKB days and how she sees herself today.

If I didn't have the ability, I joined AKB with the intention of adding on to my skills.

--I heard that the reason you wanted to become a voice actress was because of "Pocket Monster.

Nakatani That's right. I was just 5 years old when the "Pokemon" (anime) started. When I was watching it, even as a child I thought that there was a job for me to be the middle man, or Pikachu. I asked my mother about it, and she told me that there was a profession called voice acting, and that there was a person who played the voice of Pikachu. Then I declared that I would be Pikachu someday (laughs). (Laughs.) Then I started researching voice actors and auditions at a manga café. But the earliest I could audition was around age 12, so I kept going to Mangakissa thinking, "I can't audition yet. I didn't know what a child actor was.

--So you always wanted to be a voice actor?　Did you ever yearn for other jobs?

Nakatani: I never had any aspirations to be a voice actor. But for some reason, I wrote in my graduation album that I wanted to be a florist. Maybe I was keeping it a secret.

--Nakatani: There is a slight difference between "becoming Pikachu" and becoming a voice actor, in other words, becoming a performer.

Nakatani It's strange to hear you say so, but I always had the simple thought that if I became a voice actor, I could become Pikachu. But as I grew older, I somehow realized that I could never become Pikachu. The same voice actor has been doing it for a long time.

--I was too big to be Pikachu - Ikue Otani.

Nakatani Still, I thought, "If I become a voice actor, maybe I can get closer to Pikachu. That's why my dream has always been to be a voice actor.

--Nakatani Did you take any specific action to become a voice actor?

Nakatani I was 14 or 15 years old when I joined AKB, but I entered a training school before that. But I quit after only a short time.

--Nakatani Did you enjoy the classes to become a voice actor?

Nakatani It was fun, but I was watching "great plays" called animation every day, so when I saw the performances of the people at the training school, I thought, "I want to be better than that. That sounds really arrogant (laughs). (laughs) I entered the school because I thought the basics were important, but I wanted to absorb more and more acting techniques. At that time, my mother told me that she could no longer pay my tuition, so I quit.

-I guess you were disappointed with the level of the people around you, but is that why you were confident that you could do more?　You were not troubled by your inability to perform.

Nakatani No, it wasn't so much confidence, it was just a strong desire to be better.

--Nakatani So it was more like a passion that came from within?

Nakatani Yes, that's right. That came out first. But I certainly wasn't troubled by it.

--Nakatani After that, why did you decide to pursue voice acting through the AKB route?

Nakatani Around that time, there was a lot of talk about Aya Hirano and others.

--I auditioned for AKB in 2006, the very same year that "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" was made into an anime.

Nakatani Also, Yukari Tamura and Yui Horie were very popular, and there were many people who were both artists and voice actors. Seeing that, I thought, "It would be advantageous to be able to dance and sing as well. That was the beginning.

--So you didn't choose the direction of gaining acting experience.

Nakatani: I knew from looking around me and watching anime that I wasn't particularly good at it. So I wanted to create something that would be a weapon. Even if I wasn't a good actor, I thought that if I could add singing and dancing to my performance, then maybe I could make it to .......

--Nakatani When you joined AKB, did you have a plan for how long it would take you to become a selected member or how long it would take you to become a voice actor?

Nakatani: Actually, I didn't plan to become a main member. I wanted to move up if I could, but my goal was to absorb the skills (of singing and dancing). That's why I thought I would learn and become a member of ...... in about three years.

I was going to quit if I wasn't chosen as a voice actor for "AKB0048.

--How was it when you actually joined?　I hear that you enjoy being an idol.

Nakatani: At first I was really bad at going out in front of people, and I often got a stomach ache and said "I don't want to go out (to performances)" (laughs). (Laughs.) I don't know when that changed to "looking forward to it. But when I was told at a handshake session or something that "I will always support you," I thought, "Okay, then I will do my best for these people.

--Nakatani: Is that the reason why you have been a member for twice as long as you have been a member for over three years?

Nakatani The people who supported me certainly had an impact, but I stayed because I felt that I wasn't stepping up, that I wasn't in a position to make the jump.

--Nakatani On the contrary, what was the direct reason for you to quit?

Nakatani When I was allowed to work on "AKB0048," I wanted to get out of the warm place and do it alone like the voice actors. I also wanted to work with them.

--Nakatani What made you want to do that?

Nakatani Simply because everyone was so nice (laughs). They taught me things and were kind to the members.

--Nakatani Did you find it difficult to actually experience voice-over work?

Nakatani It was everything from standing in front of the microphone to turning the book around. For the microphone work, I kept looking at the voice actor's buttocks and thinking, "Wow! But the most difficult part was that there were many times when the lines inevitably sounded too light. I tried to create a voice for her because she was a cute character, but I couldn't get into the emotion of the character, and I had a filter in my mind that said, "This is how this girl sounds like. The sound director told me that it sounded like I was just making up a voice. I even did a detention by myself.

--Nakatani: Was there a lot of guidance?

Nakatani Yes, I did. But the sound director and the supervisor were more like guiding me, and rather than telling me what to do, they just gently said, "Why don't you do it this way? They were very gentle in their approach. It was the same with the voice actors.

--They were treated like customers. Was there any advice you received that left a lasting impression?

Nakatani When one of the members had a line that he just couldn't say, a senior voice actor who was working with him said, "You can say it if you are aware of the next letter. For example, when I couldn't say the "られ" in "serareru," I told him to be aware of the next "ru," and he was able to say it without hesitation. I said, "Oh, memo, memo!" I was like, "Oh, memo, memo! I remember that very well.

--Nakatani: How did you feel when you found out that the voice actors for "AKB0048" were going to be selected through an audition?

Nakatani I thought it was an audition for me. I had always said I wanted to be a voice actor. At the same time, I felt that there would be no next time. If I wasn't selected, I was going to quit (AKB). But I recorded my first audition tape in a quiet car after arriving at the handshake event by car (laughs). (Laughs.) The staff said, "Okay, we'll record it. This is an audition, so do your best. Okay." The staff said, "Well, this is an audition, so do your best.

--It was a very difficult environment to show off your abilities.

Nakatani That's right. But I felt like I had to show enthusiasm.

--The members who participated in the audition also wanted to be voice actors or were anime enthusiasts, and I felt that such people were chosen for the audition.

Nakatani That's right. I thought we had a group of motivated people. I knew that Shawako (=Sawako Hata) and Maokun (=Mao Mita) liked anime, and so did Amina (Sato).

--Nakatani: At the time, did you ever discuss your aspirations to become a voice actor with anyone in the group?

Nakatani: Not at all. I was the type to think for myself. I would get advice from other people, but I didn't really talk about it with myself.

--So you decided to quit AKB all by yourself?

Nakatani Yes. There was an audition that was the direct reason for my graduation, and the application requirements were that the applicant had to be "not affiliated with an agency. I decided to quit in order to apply for it.

--Who did you report it to?　Was it Akimoto-san?

Nakatani I e-mailed Akimoto-san (laughs). I didn't have a chance to meet her. （I talked to the president of AKS when he came to my concert. He said something like, "You want to graduate? He said something like that (laughs). (Laughs.) The president knew that I had always dreamed of becoming a voice actor, so he just told me to go for it.

I don't think too much and I have guts.

--Nakatani: Was there any possibility that you could have continued auditioning in a way that would have allowed you to combine your career with AKB?

Nakatani: The record company would sometimes introduce me to auditions, saying, "There's this kind of audition," so I felt that if I could do it, I would. But I felt like I wanted to throw it all away. I think that's why I took that audition. Besides, that audition was to get me into an office if I passed.

--Nakatani But if I failed, I would have been disappointed if I failed.

Nakatani But if I didn't pass, I was going to go into business on my own or find someone I knew who could help me. Also, to tell the truth, the reason I joined the agency at that time was because they had a promise that they would contact the record company for me, or that they had a friend of mine who could help me make my solo debut someday, but in the end nothing came of it. So I decided to make my own move, and that's how I found the audition.

--Nakatani: So it is difficult to find an audition for a voice-over agency, even if it is an entertainment agency, right?

Nakatani Yes, yes, that's right. But I think there were ways to do it. I could have used my feet and made the rounds. But I didn't have that either. It was stubbornness (laughs).

--(laughs) - If you couldn't do it, you wanted me to tell you you couldn't do it?

Nakatani Yes, that's right. I even asked him if he wanted to do it, but he said something like, "My schedule is a bit tight, so I'll have to go to ......" (laughs).

--(laughs) - Did you ever think of entering a voice actor school again?

Nakatani No, I never thought about it. As I said before, I knew that the basics were important, but I felt that I would end up doing the same kind of acting ....... I thought it would be nice to see my rugged self being rounded off in various environments. So I didn't think I would go back into it.

--Did you ever take acting lessons during your time at AKB?

Nakatani: Not at all. They gave me singing lessons once in a while. There were no lessons on acting.

--I don't mean to sound rude, but you have a lot of guts not to feel anxious or afraid of your inexperience.

Nakatani I think I have a personality of not thinking too much (laughs). When I was in AKB, I gained a lot of courage. I gained a lot of courage when I was in AKB, not only in singing and dancing, but also because I was able to experience many other things.

--Nakatani: Do you mean that you gained confidence in yourself?

Nakatani: I guess you could say that I gained confidence in myself, or rather, I felt that if I gathered all of my experiences together, I could make one big ball, so I felt like I should take it and run with it.

(Laughs) -- You mean you felt like you had created something called "Akika Nakatani"? (laughs).

Nakatani Yes, yes (laughs).

(laughs) -- What other things were good about joining AKB?

Nakatani I think the most important thing is that I have guts, but I also have the mindset that it would be a waste if I got nervous (laughs). (laughs) When I got nervous at a live performance and didn't do well at all, I thought it would be a waste if I couldn't make the most of myself in a good place. I guess I have a stingy personality (laughs).

--I think it is a valuable experience to be on a big stage. If you have that kind of personality, did you ever feel nervous or self-conscious after that?

Nakatani: I was never nervous. I had done plays and failed auditions, so I knew that I couldn't do what I couldn't do. On the contrary, I did everything I could do to the best of my ability.

--Nakatani: The audition that led you to quit AKB was unsuccessful, but did you have any difficulties after you quit?

Nakatani: Difficulties?　Well, I'm not really ...... (laughs), because I'm a very positive person. (laughs) I thought I would look for an office for now, so I contacted some people I knew, and the president (of AKS) introduced me to Amulate. But I don't think he was an acquaintance, and I think he went out of his way to find me. When I went to greet him, he welcomed me with open arms and let me in.

Seeking a place to act in a tense environment and on stage

--Nakatani: Is there anything that you realized when you started your career as a voice actor?

Nakatani: When I started working on set, I was often asked, "Why did you quit when the environment was so good? Why did you quit when the environment was so good? The pay was better than voice acting, wasn't it?" (laughs). When I told them that I quit because I wanted to do acting properly and that I had more to learn in the field, they said, "Well, good luck. I also thought that many of the people there were kind. They are strict, but kind.

--The catchphrase from your AKB days was "Half of me is made up of kindness" (laughs).

Nakatani That's right (laughs). But I was already an old member of the 48 group, and the only person in the first and second terms who would get angry with me was Takamina (=Takahashi Minami), so I didn't have anyone to say harsh things to me anymore. It was a very fresh feeling to start from scratch again.

--Nakatani What were some of the things you learned on the job?

Nakatani I wonder (laughs). (Laughs) But even for one breath, I realized that each person's performance is different, such as where to put the breath, or whether to put it in or not.

--Nakatani Is there a voice actor who left a strong impression on you?

Nakatani This is before "0048," but when I did the anime "Moshi Dora" ("Moshi Koukou Yakyuu no Joshi Manager ga Drucker no 'Management' wo Mitaeru"), everyone left a strong impression on me. Once, the voice actor got too emotional and cried, and I had to ask him to stop (the recording) and say, "I'm sorry. The voice actor who was on the spot said, "You shouldn't have stopped the recording! I said, "You shouldn't have stopped! When I was told that the microphone was recording not only the voice but also the entire air, I felt that I was actually performing. The booth was like a stage. That really left an impression on me.

-Before your new start as a voice actor, you had played many roles with names, but now you are starting over with a role without a name, like a mob. How did you feel about that?　Did you feel like you were aiming for the top?

Nakatani Yes, that's right. I was always greedy and would say to my manager, "Do you have any work for me?" "I don't care if I'm a regular on the show or in the mob. However, since my name was well known from my time in AKB48, the managers seemed to have given a lot of thought so that I wouldn't lose that name.

-But for me, I feel like I want to gain experience. What did you feel was missing from the play?

Nakatani Isn't it all of it? (laughs) That's why I started acting on stage. I wanted to be more in touch with the tense atmosphere of the work site, so I asked for a lot of stage time because I wanted to do a lot of stage work as well. I learned how to be flexible and responsive on stage. I was always nervous when I was working with voice actors. I told myself that it was a waste of time to be nervous, but I still get nervous when I haven't been on stage for a long time.

--What was your most memorable experience on stage?

Nakatani Recently, I worked with a director named Hekihito Tani (of Gekidan Jikan Seisaku) on "Private: What I Believe is My Secret" and when I read the script from a plan I had made, he asked me if I could not act.

--I was like, "Oh, that's a difficult thing to do.

Nakatani Yes (laughs). (laughs) I was troubled when I was told, "You are already a person named Tomoko Kurio. I thought it meant that I had to remove the filter of acting, so I took on the challenge.

--But I took on the challenge because the stage is a different kind of performance from that of voice acting.

Nakatani Also, I am not good at memorizing scripts. One of the reasons I wanted to become a voice actor when I was little was because I didn't have to memorize a script. But I also think, "After all, I'm memorizing them" (laughs).

Dozens or hundreds of adults gathered together for the children.

--Nakatani: Did you suffer or have any problems after becoming a voice actor that were different from what you had imagined?

Nakatani Not at all. I guess I am a laid-back person. I'm more like, "Wow, this is fun!

--Nakatani: You enjoy playing the characters in the anime?

Nakatani Yes, and the atmosphere on set is great. I've heard from my seniors that there are some strict directors, but I haven't encountered any deadly scenes yet.

--Nakatani: Did that happen when you were working for AKB?

Nakatani: Not at all. But maybe everyone was just minding their own business (laughs). (laughs). In AKB, there was a strong sense of individuality. I think the sense of unity onsite was stronger in the anime. That's exactly how we felt during the recording of "Kotobuki Flying Squadron in the Wilderness": we were all laughing and enjoying each other's company.

--Nakatani: Was there ever a time when you felt you had encountered a difficult role?

Nakatani Hmmm. I don't know. There are rather a lot of quiet or mild-mannered roles. What was difficult then was that I couldn't move in front of the microphone. I'm the type of person whose body moves with the lines, but I don't have much emotion, so I can't move, and I think I shouldn't move to suppress my emotions.

--Nakatani: That's the same with Kate in "Kotobuki Flying Squadron in the Wilderness.

Nakatani That's right. （If I showed too much emotion, the director would say, "Hold it back a little more," or "It's okay for Kate to be more 'nothing'".

--Nakatani Have you ever experienced a situation where your image was completely different from what was expected of you?

Nakatani: Yes, I have experienced that. I played the role of Kaname Makiishi in the anime "Triage X," but I couldn't do it at all. That was the first character I had to do detention for after becoming a voice actor. I had imagined a soft, but firm, atmosphere as a smart girl, but when I entered the scene, I was told to be more squishy and unmotivated, and I couldn't break out of that mold at all. So, as Ken Tsuda (Kenjiro Tsuda), who I also worked with on "Moshidora," told me, I think it is better to bring a variety of patterns to auditions and onsite performances. If I were offered a similar role now, I would bring a squishy, floppy one as well (laughs).

--Nakatani So you are saying that you prepare various patterns of your own image, such as back and forth, left and right, etc.

Nakatani Or it could be the exact opposite. I think you have to think about it and take it into consideration.

--Nakatani Now that you are a voice actor, what kind of work do you feel voice acting is?

Nakatani Well, I think it's a job that I can do at ....... What do people say about it? (laughs)

(laughs) -- Mr. Hata said that voice acting is just one of the tools. Like paint in a painting.
⇒A triumphant return with "POPTEPIC"?　The passion for voice acting that Sawako Hata has been harboring since her days at SKE48! The Road to Seiyuyuu from an Idol Part 2

Nakatani That's not such a pretty thing to say (laughs). But one of the reasons why I originally love anime is that dozens or hundreds of people come together to create a single work. When you look at the ending, you see many different names. I liked that sense of unity. I was also attracted to the fact that adults were working hard to create this work for children. So I think that voice actors are just "parts" of that.

--Nakatani Yes, it's fun to create by yourself.

Nakatani Yes, it's hard to create alone (laughs). (laughs) I think there is fun in making things by yourself, but there is also something interesting about being part of a collective.

I hope I can perform each piece with love for a long time.

--Is there any role you would like to play now?　Other than Pikachu (laughs).

Nakatani That would be a fairy or a monster. I've never done a really cute voice for an anime, so I'd like to try my hand at so-called "moe" characters.

--Nakatani: There is a certain joy in being a voice actor, in being able to play roles that are far removed from your real life self.

Nakatani: I think that is something that is unique to anime.

--After AKB, you have fulfilled your long-held dream of becoming a voice actor.　What is the image of a voice actor you are aiming for in the future?

Nakatani I wonder what that is (laughs).

(laughs) -- Have you thought about it at all?

Nakatani I'm the type of person who always crushes what's in front of me. But I would like to continue (as a voice actor) forever.

--Nakatani - Was there a voice actor that you admired?

Nakatani That would be Akiko Yajima, who I worked with on "Kotobuki. I think she is amazing because she can play cute characters and also beautiful older women like Madame RuuRuu, who is the complete opposite. The same goes for Ikue Otani. She has many different sides. I think that is a must for voice actors.

--You said that you "want to continue to do this for a long time," and both of you have the ability to create characters that will be loved for a long time, don't you?

Nakatani That's right. I hope to grow together with the characters and the works. I love each and every one of my works. I don't mean to say that they are expendable, but today's anime is over quickly, another anime starts, and then it's over again, and the cycle repeats itself. So I would be happy if I can put my heart and soul into my work for a long time.

--Nakatani: There are many idols and celebrities who aspire to be voice actors, but would you recommend this job to others?

Nakatani It depends on the personality of the person (laughs).

(laughs) -- What kind of personality do you think is suited for this job?

Nakatani I don't know. But I think that if you are too serious, you might get tired. My personality is like this, so I think it would be better to be a little easygoing.

(Interview and text by Koji Shimizu)