Miyakawa Wakana KanColle Interview: Comptiq Janurary 2018

Miyakawa Wakana, Seiyuu of the Asashio-class Destroyers and Chitose-Class Carriers

The following interview was conducted in the Comptiq Magazine January 2018 edition (released on December 10th, 2017) in which seiyuu Miyakawa Wakana discusses her involvement with KanColle.

Within this 2 page article, Miyakawa Wakana does an interview and talks about her experiences with doing the voices of the destroyers of the 8th Destroyer Division and her overall impression regarding them.

KanColle Seiyuu Bulletin: Miyakawa Wakana

An interview with Miyakawa Wakana, seiyuu of Destroyer Division 8's Asashio, Ooshio, Michishio, and Arashio. We asked for her thoughts, as a woman who has been involved with KanColle since service began, on Kanmusu, the product, and more!

Portraying the Kanmusu with empathy for their backgrounds

Interviewer (I): Miyakawa-san, you've acted for KanColle since the very beginning, five years ago. What kind of thoughts do you have on it, having done so many kanmusu?

Miyakawa (M): This year be the fifth since I received the offer to work on KanColle. From the beginning, I always looked at the history of the kanmusu I performed. I would think things like, "I'm sure Michishio's protesting attitude comes from an event in her history" as I acted. It was a lot of fun, and the more I learned about kanmusu the more beloved they became to me.

I: Miyakawa-san, a fair number of your Kanmusu have Kai Ni. How does that moment their Kai Ni are implemented feel?

M: It sort of feels like a mother watching her children as they grow up. Especially with the destroyer girls, their graphics and lines start to leave a more adult impression, making that feeling all the stronger.

I: Who do you think especially changed with her Kai Ni?

M: All the destroyer girls change like that, but I think Michishio stands out. You might say she's less tough, and that, despite the boldness you can see in her proud pose, she's smiling and her attitude's softened a bit. Kasumi herself became a little gentler with her Kai Ni, but I think Michishio's case is a bit different from hers. Kasumi's "tsun" was always about her conversation partner, but Michishio's stemmed from low self-esteem, perhaps, or that she's a little too aggressive because she has something she has to protect, so she's all "tsuntsun" to those around her. I think with her Kai Ni, Michishio has definitely overcome what weighed her down, which I find really heartwarming.

I: Michishio, of course, is a member of the Nishimura Fleet featuring in the fall event, "Showdown at Operation Shou-Gou! The Battle of Leyte Gulf (Part 1)". How did you feel about the fall event?

M: I played it myself, of course, but I love to watch others play as well, so I watched many playthroughs. Everyone had such an intense passion for the Nishimura Fleet as they played! In history, Michishio was abandoned during the Battle of Leyte Gulf and sank alone... but seeing the seven members of the Nishimura Fleet assembled and fighting had me on the verge of tears.

I: Destroyer Division 8 and Nishimura Fleet quest lines were added in October. Please tell us how those felt during recording.

M: Ordinary lines are almost exclusively meant to be directed toward the Admiral, so it was quite a new experience recording a conversation between Kanmusu comrades. For Destroyer Division 8 it was really heartwarming seeing the relationships between Asashio-class sisters, and for the Nishimura Fleet it was refreshing seeing the always-tsuntsun Michishio show a surprising amount of concern for Shigure. I myself really want to see more exchanges between kanmusu comrades.

I: Besides those lines, what other recordings left a lasting impression on you?

M: I really love Arashio's MVP line. That line, "The goddess of victory is right here~ Hurry up and catch me~!", makes me think, "What's this girl doing, calling herself the 'goddess of victory'!" - it's really cute.Asashio's rainy seasonal seasonal too. Saying "Shall we start a teruteru bozu-making mission?" during rainy season totally fits Asashio's serious attitude.

I: We also had Michishio Kai Ni's voice for the TV commercial for this issue's Comptiq. Please tell us how you felt about doing that narration as well.

M: Michishio was the last member of Destroyer Division 8 to get her Kai Ni. I think Michishio was anxiously wondering when she would get her Kai Ni, so I found it deeply moving to do my first commercial narration as her. It was my first time in an announcer role as a shipgirl, so for myself it was something I looked forward to give it a shot.

I: Incidentally, what Kanmusu do you like, besides the ones you perform?

M: The one I like the most is actually Asashimo! Her appearance, personality, and voice all struck me. I've actually got a thing for silver hair, so I also like Kashima, and basically the rest of the silver-haired shipgirls. Recently, my dream has been to form an all-silver hair fleet. I like Kiyoshimo and the other girls in the Rei-gou group as well. I've heard that Kasumi Kai Ni just got a new figure, so I totally want to assemble the figures for all of them now

I: If you have another opportunity in the future, what kind of kanmusu would you like to portray?

M: I'm really thankful I was given the chance to act for eight kanmusu, but if I get another opportunity, I'd like to take the chance to do a type of girl I haven't done yet. There aren't that many boyish shipgirls like Mogami either if you think about it, so I'd love to try that. Even better if she had silver hair! (laugh)

I: I hope you do get a chance to do a silver-haired girl! Lastly, do you have a message for the Comptiq readers?

M: KanColle is already plunging through its fifth year, but I'm really happy that a single work captivated hearts for so long. It's thanks to the support of all the Admirals that it's continued for this long. It's really encouraging for me hearing people talk about KanColle. I'd love to continue to express my thanks to all the Admirals by continuing to perform, and for us all to walk onward together. Thank you for your continued support!

Bonus: Miyakawa Wakana's Kanmusu Roles.

In this section there is a series of small panels showcasing all the Kanmusus Miyakawa Wakana has voiced, and within each of the panels she explains in her point of view about her impression of each of the girls she has voiced.

Kanmusu	Miyakawa Wakana's thoughts regarding that Kanmusu
First of the Asashio-class, Asashio	A solemn girl with a strong sense of responsibility. I tried to convey that she faces her duty to fight the Abyssals head-on and puts her complete trust in the Admiral. While she might be a little too serious, that's sorta cute too.
Second of the Asashio-class, Ooshio	Obviously her smile is cute and she's an energetic girl. She never says anything negative and is in all likelihood the life of the party among the sisters, sort of like a spiritual support. Acting out Ooshio gets even me pumped up.
Third of the Asashio-class, Michishio	At first she was all tsuntsun and no dere, but I somehow got the sense that wasn't her true self. Various lines reveal how she is actually sensitive, making her a girl I want to protect.
Fourth of the Asashio-class, Arashio	An always smiling and polite, yet somehow aloof girl. Despite being fourth ship, she's mentally the most like an elder sister. Whether it's cause she seems to watch her sisters from above, or that she's watching from an angle, it feels like she's watching over everyone.
Ninth of the Asashio-class, Arare	At first glance Arare appears frail, as if she would break if you touched her, but she has a strong heart, and her "ncha" reveals a surprisingly playful side to her. I think she's the most mysterious and enigmatic of the girls I perform.
Tenth of the Asashio-class, Kasumi	While she seems extremely tsuntsun, Kasumi's tsun stems less from her own anger and more out of a strong concern for her conversation partner. While it seems rough, I think it's a meaningful part of what makes Kasumi cute.
First of the Chitose-class, Chitose	Her archetype is "an older sister who loves sake", so at first I acted her out as this total drunk. I was told I was overdoing it (laugh). I toned it down a bit. I have many lasting memories of recording her.
Second of the Chitose-class, Chiyoda	She loves her older sister Chitose, something that comes through keenly. While it seems she might consider Chitose even more important than the Admiral, I definitely don't think she dislikes him, but rather that she's the type of young lady to quietly harbor warm feelings toward him.

Special thanks to User:-a-nonymous for his translation work