Interview】The new generation voice actress heroine project "BATON=RELAY" released two EPs simultaneously!

BATON=RELAY is a new generation voice actress heroine project focusing on games for smartphones. The 16 new voice actresses will release their 1st EP "Start me up/Kakedashi no Monologue" and 2nd EP "Mirai=Baton" simultaneously from SACRA MUSIC. We spoke with the cast members Ichika Tachibana (Chisato Kanzaki), Natsune Narumi (Yuri Toda), Hinaki Yano (Hazumi Hyuga), Mariko Takeda (Saki Gojo), and Narikane Hoshiki (Rinka Jingu).

The game "BATON=RELAY" nurtures 16 "voice heroines

BATON=RELAY" is a "voice acting direction game" in which the player becomes the director and guides the "voice heroines. You are also active in real life as "BATON=RELAY," a unit of 16 new voice actors who appear in the game, and have now released a CD. First of all, could you introduce yourself and the character you are playing?

Tachibana Yes, I am Ichika Tachibana. I am a new voice actress with experience in music and stage performances. I play Senri Kanzaki, a 19-year-old university student. She is a very cheerful and nice older sister who everyone can rely on.


My name is Kanon Narumi, and I play the role of Yuri Toda! I am the tallest person in BATON=RELAY, so I am often mistaken for over 20 years old, but I am only 19 years old and a sophomore in college (laughs). I am a graduate of the 6th Anistoteles and made my debut as a voice actress by playing the antagonist Sister Hell in the anime "Robot Girls NEO. My character, Yuri, is an 18-year-old girl who works as a voice actress and a waitress at a concept café in Electric Town. She wears gothic-lolita clothing, has two-tone black-and-white hair, and odd eyes, so from the outside she has a strong impact on the audience. But in fact, she is very caring and kind. She also speaks in the Yamanote language like a young lady.


Yano My name is Hinaki Yano, and I play the role of Sam, the heroine in the Netflix original anime "Canon Busters," and I am also the vocalist in the band DUSTY FRUITS CLUB!　In "BATON=RELAY," I play the role of Hinata Hasumi, a 17-year-old high school sophomore. She is a very bright, expressive and hardworking girl.


Takesada: I am Mariko Takesada, an 18-year-old first-year college student. In my childhood, I was mainly involved in musicals and stage performances, and in recent years, I have been working as a voice actress, albeit gradually, including the role of Tsubame Aise, the heroine of the anime & game "Extended Shoujo Kei Trinary". The character I play, Gojo Saki, is an eighth grader who loves robots and plastic models and dreams of one day becoming the heroine of a robot anime. She is the daughter of the Gojo family, which runs a resort hotel. She is always polite and positive, and her hard-working attitude is so solid that it is hard to believe that she is a junior high school student.


Seiena Hoshiki I am Seiena Hoshiki, who plays the role of Ririka Jingu. I am a voice actress and also work as a member of the anime-loving girls' unit "A-O-P. The character I play, Butsuka, is a 16-year-old first-year high school student. Because she is bright and active, people tend to think that she has no worries or says things without thinking (laugh), but she is insightful and can think things over calmly. I would like you to see the deeper side of Butsuka.


─ Thank you very much. BATON=RELAY" is a large-scale project centered around a game. How did you feel when you were chosen for the role?

Tachibana: "BATON=RELAY" was just a dazzling and exciting game. There were many cute girls and all of them were new voice actors, which was a mass of attraction for me. To tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting to get the role, and when it was decided, I was happy and excited, but I couldn't accept it because it was my first voice acting job. Moreover, Chisato Kanzaki was a character I fell in love with at first sight, so I remember immediately contacting my mother.

Narumi: The character in "BATON=RELAY" is similar to my own situation, so I felt a sense of familiarity with her and thought, "I really want to play her! I felt a sense of familiarity with the character and thought, "I really want to play this role! When I was chosen to play the role of Yuri Toda, I was the character I wanted to play the most among the 16 members, so I was very happy from the bottom of my heart and felt like I was destined to play the role (laugh).

Yano: The first thing that surprised me was that there were so many members (I was surprised that there were so many members!). (laughs). (Laughs.) I was very happy to be given the role, but at the same time I was anxious about whether I would be able to lead everyone since I was the oldest in the project.

Takeda: When I was given the role of the cheerful and energetic Saki, I had a sense of déjà vu, as if I were a junior high school student making my debut. That made me very happy. Saki's words and facial expressions always cheer me up.

Hoshiki: Interesting is good at dancing, so I thought that when she performs live in real life, she must be the best dancer of all the cast members. Also, the setting of ...... is somewhat similar to my own, and I felt that I wanted to play the role with great care.

─ ─ How do you feel about the appeal of the game "BATON=RELAY"?

Tachibana: I think it is a game that makes you feel close to the profession of voice acting. All of the girls in the game are heroines, and each one has a well-developed story, and the small changes in their hearts that occur as a result of the story are appealing. And then there are the many original songs and animations! We hope you will complete the songs that are released as you progress through the application.

Narumi: The wonderful characters designed by Mr. Tamiki Wakaki, the rich story by Mr. Shimezaba, and the many songs that color "Batorelle" are of course just a few of the many things you can enjoy. By getting to know the characters better, you can learn about their unexpected sides. And above all, the cast is made up entirely of new voice actors, so I think the main attraction is that you can see them grow along with the characters in the game!

Takeda: I also find it attractive that the players themselves can do the casting for the animations in the game. I recorded the voice for the game by myself, so I really enjoy hearing how the other players played the characters while playing the game. There are many discoveries like, "This person is suited for this kind of role! I'm always discovering new things.

Yano: The best thing is that the story is great!　The main story has many things that I can relate to, and the struggles of each of the 16 characters are described in great detail. In addition to the main story, there are relationship stories, daily life stories, and many other stories that are worth reading.

Hoshiki: There have not been many voice actor training games before, and I think this is a new sensation. I think it is a new sensation. The game includes many elements of real "voice actor" work that are not usually seen, so I hope that you will enjoy it as well.