She is very active in the age of "with Corona" with home recording, distribution, and DTM! Long interview with voice actress and multi-creator, Kotori Koiwai, who is gaining attention in the age of remote work

The period of self-restraint from going out continued, and various restrictions began to emerge in the world of anime and games, including those on voice recording. Writers and editors around the world were whispering, "Could this be the coming of Kotori Koiwai's era? Ms. Koiwai is known as "Kotori Koiwai.

Ms. Koiwai has played the role of Renge Miyauchi in "Non no Biyori," "THE iDOLM@STER Million Live! Theater Days" and "Jyoshiraku" as Gurumo Nami-Ukiteiki. At the same time, she is also known as an expert in MIDI and DTM, writing lyrics, composing, and arranging her own music, and as a collector of earphones and headphones (......). He is also known as a sound expert who collects earphones and headphones. He has his own professional-quality studio at home, which is nothing short of amazing.

In April 2020, Ms. Koiwai released her first photo book "Kotori Pictorial Book of Earphones and Headphones" (Ichijinsha), for which she did almost all the photography and production herself. In addition, the crowdfunding campaign for the "KPro01" earphones she developed and produced with OWLTEC has raised over 160 million yen.

In this interview, we asked the popular voice actress to talk about how she is spending her time now and her stance on creating something unique and appealing as "Kotori Koiwai".

Recent Voice Actor Situation

─ ─ I will be interviewing you remotely this time. Are you doing more interviews remotely?

Koiwai: Yes, since the period of self-restraint, I have been doing more interviews for magazines and TV shows remotely, and I also do some work for commercials, but I usually do those at home.

──With the release of your first self-authored photo book "Kotori Pictorial Book of Earphones and Headphones" and the great success of the crowdfunding for your original earphones "KPro01," there are more opportunities to hear about you, and as a voice actor, you are also getting happy news such as the decision to broadcast "Non no Bi Yori Non Sutup (3rd TV anime season)". You are also getting a lot of good news as a voice actor.

Koiwai: That's right. The stories that are being released in the world today are stories that have been in the works for some time before that. It's a difficult time right now, and I hope that the situation will settle down soon, but I am very grateful that I am able to do various things even in such a difficult situation.

─ I hear that the production of the anime, especially the recording and dubbing, has been greatly affected, but what do you think from the standpoint of the voice actors?

Koiwai: (As of the end of May) I am unable to do regular anime recording, so it is like a long vacation period. Re:Dive" in which I am a member was not directly affected by the recording. Re:Dive" and other anime that I appeared in were not directly affected by the restraining period. I think that the works after the July season will be affected the most, but after the restraining period is lifted, I think that we will be able to make up for it in various ways.

─ Have you also stopped recording games?

Koiwai: In my case, I have been recording remotely and sending the recordings.

───I was surprised to hear that you record the audio for games on your own.

Koiwai: Some of the work that I can do by myself, such as game audio and narration, I do myself.

───Are there many voice actors doing this kind of work nowadays?

KoiwaiI can only say that I have received such requests (laughs). (laughs) However, I have received requests from various voice actors to consult on microphones and home recording, so I think they are working individually in some way. As far as I am concerned, I make suggestions to the extent that I am able to, and I try to match the environment to the person's needs. I make suggestions to the extent that I can, based on the person's environment.

─ We have also increased the number of programs that are distributed remotely. The number of "THE iDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE! Theater Days' "MILLIONSTARS Special Live Broadcast - Handmade Thank You!

Koiwai: It was a lot of fun!　It is a very rare experience to have people chatting in a program. Usually, when someone speaks, the people around them tend to listen attentively. So it was very interesting to be able to talk to everyone at the same time at any time.

─ ─ In the program, there was a project called "Handmade Thank You! In this project, Mr. Koiwai used Pioneer's digital music player "XDP-20" and a collaboration model of "Million Live! collaboration model, which he used as a microphone.

Koiwai: You noticed that very well (laughs). I thought it was a loving collaboration item, and I really liked this DAP (digital audio player), so I thought that if I was going to sing "Thank You!

─ ─ The regular "XDP-20" does not have a recording function, right?

Koiwai: Yes, that project was "Let's all record remotely," so I used my iPad for recording (laughs). (Laughs) I usually sing with a microphone at live performances, so I felt uncomfortable using a free hand. So I was holding it instead of a microphone.

I see!　That show was for work, but do you communicate with other actors or friends online in your private life?

Koiwai: I have never had an online drinking session. I have exchanged voice chat while playing games, but that was normal before I got into this situation.

─ ─ I sometimes hear that "voice actors' voices can be heard clearly even in voice chat.

Koiwai: The other day, Chouzu Kiritani made a remote appearance on a radio program called "Kotori no Oto" (The Sound of Kotori), and I really felt that the sound was very clear because voice actors have a very active tongue.

When I was a child, I used to collect pine cones.

─ Mr. Koiwai is known for his multiple skills, especially in the field of sound, but I would like to ask you about his roots. As an entrance, what kind of child were you, Mr. Koiwai?

Koiwai: Childhood, huh? Well, I was always picking up pine cones!

─ ─ Is that like a collection?

Koiwai: Yes. I wanted to collect them after I realized that there were many different types and shapes of pinecones. But one day I thought, "Oh, I can't collect all of these," and stopped (laughs). (Laughs.) Looking back now, I think it may have been a hobby that was very much like me.

─ ─ The episode has a strong "Non no biyo" feel to it.

Koiwai: Yes, it does have a bit of a Renchon (Renge Miyauchi, played by Koiwai) feel to it (laughs). I still like to collect headphones and other things, so my collection habit may have its roots in Matsubokkuri.

─ ─ As you have grown up, I have the impression that many of your interests are related to "sound. Could you tell us how you came to be interested in it?

Koiwai: When I was a student, I was in a brass band. My main instrument was the euphonium, but I liked to borrow one from a friend and try out different instruments. It was the anime "Pokemon" that sparked my various interests. Pikachu in "Pokemon" does not speak human language, but I thought it was amazing that he could still convey the meaning and emotions of what he was saying. That's what made me want to become a voice actor, and I think that's how I became interested in sound as well.

───Is there any particular reason why you became interested in DTM?

Koiwai: At first, I wanted to practice with equipment similar to that of a studio in order to become a voice actor. For that reason, I bought a microphone, a computer, and music production software called "Cubase" and so on. After that, I thought, "If I have a production environment, I might as well try composing music. That was the start.

─ ─ You have taken on many interesting challenges outside of music, such as becoming a member of MENSA (an international group for people with an IQ in the top 2% of the population) and obtaining a diving license.

Koiwai: I think I am interested in many things. I hope to do many things in my short life. But for me, I am not interested in talking about MENSA, but rather, "I ate a meal. I was surprised that everyone was surprised, and I was surprised too.