At Anime Frontier 2023, veteran voice actress Chiwa Saitou appeared and shared with fans about her path to becoming a seiyuu. Anime Trending and several media outlets had the opportunity to dig deeper and ask about her important roles in many films, her difficulties in the voice acting industry and what she wants to act in the future. . Surprisingly, she has a strong desire to become the AllSpark from the Transformer series!
Over the past 20 years, the voiceover landscape in America has changed a lot. How has voiceover work in Japan changed over the past 20 years?
Chiwa Saitou: Compared to when I first started working 20 years ago, when I was doing really well performing or whatever, [công ty] would say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah!”But there are a lot of things you could do 20 years ago that you can't do now, so in that way, it's changed a lot. That's what I mean by “softer”, which is a good thing! However, today it is more like “I have to restrain it”. You can't say certain things, even if you feel something. So in a way, maybe my voice is a little weaker because I'm not used to the old-fashioned way of coaching or teaching, which is very Japanese.
You said in an interview that you originally auditioned for a different character instead of Hitagi Senjougahara in Bakemonogatari. Can you tell us which character it is?
Back then, I played a lot of small, cute characters so I thought it would be Hachikuji.
It was the same thing when I made Puella Magi Madoka Magica—I thought it would be the guy Sayaka likes (Kyousuke) and Kyubey! Those were the first offers given to me. When I auditioned at the studio, they said, “Can you keep auditioning for Homura?” So that's what I did.
Maybe the reason they asked me to play Homura was because the character evolved. There were a lot of development cycles at the start, so I've had a very long career. So [studio] said, “Let's ask you to be Homura too,” because of my ability.
You mentioned that you felt a connection to Senjougahara in Bakemonogatari. What is it about the character that you feel connected to?
So the reason I feel connected to Senjougahara is because the other characters think Senjougahara is scary. But when I read the script and voiced her, I thought, “Oh! Senjougahara is a cute and adorable character [cô ấy] very feminine! She has a feminine side but people don't see that.”
Finally, as the season got underway, people started to see it. So if I had really approached Senjougahara as a scary character, that part might not have permeated the role. At that moment I almost saw that vision.
Through your experience and voice acting, what do you like the most? Is it dubbing for anime, movies or video games?
First of all, I don't have much time to do this because I'm a very busy mother of three. Needless to say, there wasn't much personal time, but one of the things I always liked to do was go to the cinema on my own and explore that world.
Second, I don't get to do it much, but in terms of work, it would be animation. The reason is that you get to become something you're not—you get to embody a character and experiment. I love being a character!
Homura is a complex character who becomes more and more complex as each installment of the Madoka series comes together. Do you view her differently now in 2023 than you did in 2011? And how?
As I mentioned before, I had no intention of even auditioning for Homura. Usually, when I audition, I do a lot of research on the original novel and have a little information about the character. But I have nothing for Madoka. So I started following the script and just doing it without any background knowledge. With the first script, I almost didn't know if there would be a sequel or not. But it really is a “gradual” thing, right?
The only thing I'd say though that's different is you've got the game now, right? And so there are three [phiên bản khác nhau] Homura's go in different directions, such as Megane Homura-chan, Akuma Homura-chan, and regular Homura. However, they are both different requirements so I have to differentiate between them. There was a time when I didn't want to do it — it didn't feel authentic.
Although, after taking different directions for Homura, I gained new fans and a lot of people fell in love with that character. I really don't think much or worry about it much anymore.
Anime Trends: You once again voice Homura Akemi for the upcoming Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie-Walpurgisnacht Rising-. You previously reprized your role for the Magia Record spinoff. How does it feel to return to the character in a proper sequel?
I'm super excited for that! However, I have no information about it. We did a teaser and that was all I knew. I tried to get more information but couldn't. There are so many people involved so much so this is definitely going to be an amazing project.
I was also thinking about my character Homura, like “What would Homura do? Homura is now evil, so will her character destroy the world? Will she take a turn for the worse? Will she become a heroine?” I don't know, but I'm excited about it!
Obviously you've been working in this industry for a long time, and you voice a lot of characters. Which character have you had the most difficulty voicing in your 20-year career and why?
Not only is the character the most difficult and challenging, but the character that gives me the most motivation is Yona in Yona of the Dawn. Not only is her name in the title, Yona also “pulls” the whole world on her back. She has all these guys with her, but not all of them love her or anything like that. She is “pulling” everyone with her, so she is a very cool type of character.
I felt a lot of pressure because I had to make sure I gave a strong performance to really answer that. This is truly a girl's shoujo adventure, right?
Can you tell us how you got into voice acting and what your first role was?
I actually talked a little bit about this in today's seminar. Growing up, I never really thought I wanted to be a voice actor, but I told my mom I wanted to buy a fashion magazine. Back then, fashion magazines would be displayed on counters or kiosks and weren't printed well or had plastic covers to protect them. My mother said: “I will not choose the one from above! I'll take the one at the bottom that no one can touch!” She took a sheet from the bottom and it happened to be Seiyuu Grandprix magazine. That was the first time I discovered this world existed. Until then I had never known it. I said, “Oh, that's interesting!”
Do you remember how I said I loved movies? I read about this world they call “voice acting” and I said, “I love actor Harrison Ford. Hmm… So it's a voice actor, or the voice of someone working with Harrison Ford! Somehow I can actually participate in the project and we can work together!” That's how it started! That was when I was 18 and in high school—we all had dreams then. Basically, it all started with Harrison Ford.
Can you tell us about the moment you are most proud of in your career?
Honestly, I've actually been to these countries where the people are not native Japanese, but they know about the Madoka and Monogatari series. Even if the Monogatari series is very Japanese and confusing, people outside of Japan still know it, can relate to it, or just feel a lot about it. So, [có thể truyền tải nhân vật và bộ truyện] was one of my proudest moments.
When you think about it, if you're just in Japan, you really don't see much of what other people love. So you don't understand the power of your voice, that character or that anime series can influence others. For example, we just did an autograph session—while signing autographs, I asked each person, “Who is your favorite character?” and of course it was Madoka from Puella Magi Madoka Magica and two characters. in the Monogatari series appears the most.
Is there a series or production you'd like to be a part of? Like a Disney IP, an Indiana Jones series or even something with Harrison Ford?
No, I wouldn't want to do Indiana Jones because when you love something so much, sometimes it's better to keep your distance a little bit. This is a difficult question!
But I want to be in the Transformers franchise as AllSpark – I want to be a toy, that's a fun thing. It's like a stuffed animal or an anime figurine, but I want to make more types of robot toys.
AT: You recently voiced the Acting Leader of the Knights of Favonius, Jean Gunnhildr, from Genshin Impact. How were you approached for that role and what was filming during the pandemic like?
Since this is a game, recording is done individually and not as a group. Regarding the process during COVID-19 or not, it is the same.
For this role, it was actually quite easy! It was a seamless process because I saw Jean's photo and I had to [tưởng tượng cô ấy sẽ như thế nào]. Of course, the director and the creators on the other side also have an image of the character—they ping-pong this back and forth until they figure out what they want in that character's voice. But for Jean, there was almost no such thing. It was noticed almost immediately. I didn't think that much because the voice was very direct and straightforward.
One of the things I talk about is breathing, like a child gasping for air. As the character gets older, like an old lady or something, the breathing becomes much slower and more deliberate. Maybe I imagined the process visually, but I wouldn't know it myself because I was just doing it!
Is there anything we haven't asked that you'd like to say? a little more please?
Because it is a very different country, Japan does not have anime conventions. For me, truly coming alone and just focusing on being myself is very, very rare. Only when I go outside of Japan does that happen because usually we only have the entire cast for that one title.
I'm happy to be able to talk about some of my personal stories. Many times, many seiyuu are not allowed to talk about those things. But I have so many incredible stories I want to share. So it's been incredible to be able to talk about these personal things and people have really taken it so well and really accepted it. I also love getting personal questions like this! So thank you very much!