Summary
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards will be held live from Tokyo on March 2, 2024 and promises to be an event more spectacular than ever. Sally Amaki is very excited about organizing this event and the series she participates in is also on the nomination list this year. Sally Amaki reflects on the experience of voicing Carol in Tomo-Chan is a Girl! and how she was able to connect the character to the experiences she had as an idol.
In front of Crunchyroll Anime Awards on March 2, a massive celebration of all things anime featuring guests and presenters from every corner of the industry, We spoke with one of the event’s hosts, Sally Amakiabout her experience returning to the event for her second year, as well as what it’s like for her to work as a Japanese and English voice actress on series like Tomo-Chan is a Girl!, and how she was affected by her time working as an idol.
The The 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards will be streamed live from Tokyo on YouTube and Twitch on March 2, 2024, at 6pm in Japan, 4am EST, 3am CST and 1am PST. This year’s event promises to be more spectacular than previous awards ceremonies, with the participation of a series of famous guests including Megan Thee Stallion, DeMarcus Lawrence and Yaeji.
Sally Amaki returns to the Crunchyroll Anime Awards for a second year
The voice actress enthusiastically discusses what she’s looking forward to and why anime fans should tune in
For you, what is the most exciting thing about returning to the Crunchyroll Anime Awards?
Watching the awards show in person was a life-changing experience! Being able to look back at all the amazing shows that aired that year and being able to see how much anime was loved around the world made me so emotional. I’m also very happy because this year, one of the anime nominated in the “Best Romance” category is a show that I can participate in! (Tomo-chan is a girl!) Being a presenter in an awards show and having one of your shows nominated is truly a dream come true.
Can you share anything unique about this year’s event that fans can look forward to?
I heard there will be a live orchestra playing during the awards ceremony. I can say that this year’s awards ceremony will be even more exciting than last year’s! However, that’s just a rumor I heard, so you’ll have to watch the movie to know if it’s true or not. I think everyone can also expect great artists to perform this year.
Sally Amaki on her experience as the English and Japanese voice of Carol in the hit anime romance Tomo-Chan is a Girl!
Tomo-Chan is a girl! produced by Lay-duce, based on the original manga by Fumita Yanagida
Having previously voiced both Japanese and English for Carol in Tomo-Chan is a Girl!, did you have any unique challenges or experiences while recording?
Personally, my voice changes when I speak in Japanese and English. The tone I used for Carol in the Japanese version felt more natural to me because my Japanese accent is naturally higher. At first, trying to sound like myself in another language was a challenge. I also never realized how difficult acting can be when you switch languages. Sometimes, emotions are easier to convey in a language because words flow more easily. It was an eye-opening experience for me to realize that just because someone can act in one language, [it] doesn’t mean they can easily act the same way in another language.
When playing Carol, did you find any aspects of her character relevant to your own life experiences? Does this make you feel more connected to your performance?
Carol tells jokes with such a straight face, sometimes people around her can’t tell if she’s serious or not. I feel like it’s the same way I joke around with my friends. I also think that my experience as an idol really helped a lot in the process of voicing her. During the story, it is revealed that she will joke and laugh a lot to hide her true feelings. I think, as an idol, I also do it a lot to hide my emotions from the public because a “bubbly personality” is what people expect from me. There are so many things that I can relate to, and I think that’s what makes me love her more and makes me want the whole world to love her. [too].
Tomo-Chan is a girl! is one of the nominees for the “Best Romance” category at this year’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards along with series like My Happy Wedding, Skip and Loafer and Horimiya: The Missing Pieces.
For the rest of this year, do you have any new projects in the works that you can share? Can you provide any interesting details or hints for fans?
I have a big project that I’ll be working on but I can’t reveal it yet! Please follow my X (Twitter) and wait for more updates!! ( @sally_amaki ) But other than that, I’m planning on going to conferences abroad this year, so hopefully I’ll [will get] to meet everyone there.
Special thanks to Crunchyroll and Sally Amaki for taking the time to answer our questions. Be sure to tune in to the Crunchyroll Anime Awards when they air on March 2nd, and watch Tomo-Chan Is a Girl! on Crunchyroll.