Interview with 6 Seiyuu: Comptiq June 2018

The following interview was conducted in Comptiq Magazine on June 2018 in which 6 Seiyuus were interviewed about their impression about their work with KanColle along with what their views are about the 5th Anniversary and it's future.

Within the interview article, Saki Fujita, Yuuka Iguchi, Sakura Ayane, Nao Touyama, Iroi Nomizu, and Ootsubo Yuka all answer similar questions regarding their impression about KanColle.

Interview with 6 Seiyuu (2018)

The "Voice Actor Report" column, in which we introduce the actresses who lend their voices to the ship girls, now features a 5th Anniversary special!

This time we picked six voice actresses who've been involved in KanColle from the very beginning and had them tell us how KanColle, which has now reached its turning point, and the ship girls have affected them by letting them answer a list of questions.

The Questions

Q1: "It's finally the 5th Anniversary! Let's start with you sharing your thoughts straight from the heart!"

Q2: "We've now entered year 6. Now that you think about it, what makes KanColle so appealing in your opinion?"

Q3: "If you could thank or congratulate your ship girls, who had to fight countless harsh battles throughout these five years, what would you tell them?"

Q4: "What left a particularly lasting impression among the various recordings and events you were a part of?"

Q5: "In what way did your feelings towards KanColle or the ship girls change throughout these five years, and in what way did they the remain unchanged?"

Q6: "How did KanColle or the ship girls you voiced influence you yourself, or is there anything you 'gained' out of all this?"

Q7: "And finally, a message for the commanding admirals out there, if you will."

The Seiyuus' Responds

Yuka Iguchi's Answers

Yuka Iguchi performed the voicelines to Kaga, Tone, Chikuma, Tenryuu, Tatsuta, Nagara, Isuzu, and Natori.

Below are her responses to the above questions:

A1: "Congratulations on your 5th anniversary! As an original work the number of voice lines was rather limited at first, but by now I've had to record so many more, and furthermore I had the opportunity to sing a character song for Kaga (not to mention it's an enka song), so the franchise and its characters slowly grew in scope and popularity, which makes me very happy! To all the admirals out there, thank you so much!"

A2: "It's because there are so many charming ship girls, don't you agree? The ships were turned into cute girls, and every single one of them has a very unique look and personality! I also find it fascinating that sister ships are voiced by the same voice actresses."

A3: "Good work, but we're not done yet! So let's keep going!"

A4: "The recording of 'Cape Kaga' had a huge impact on me. Getting to sing a character song for KanColle was surprising enough already, but then it was Kaga singing an enka song of all things, which was a whole new experience for me personally. Thank you so much for that!"

A5: "They're all so cute and precious to me, and kind of like my own children."

A6: "I think I've had many more opportunities to voice calm and collected women ever since I started voicing Kaga. For which I'm very grateful!"

A7: "It's thanks to every single admiral that we've finally entered year 6! Thank you so, so much. Please keep showing your support for KanColle."

Saki Fujita's Answers

Saki Fujita performed the voicelines to Fusou, Yamashiro, Akagi, Kagerou, Shiranui, Kuroshio, Yukikaze, Tokitsukaze, and Suzutsuki.

Below are her responses to the above questions:

A1: "'5th Anniversary' looks simple on paper, but I think it's thanks to every single admiral that KanColle has received so much love for so long. And of course the love and efforts of the developers and artists!! It makes me so happy! Thank you so much!"

A2: "A deep story with lots of unique ship girls and historical facts as its charm points. The depth that just captivates you. And the soundtrack is also great!! KanColle keeps evolving even after six years, just like I want to keep playing it!"

A3: "Thank you so much for working so hard during daily exercises, expeditions and events! I think I made you girls worry a lot early on because of my terrible leadership. *laughs* Oh well, that's just how I am as admiral. I'll be counting on you guys! You're always doing so much for me, and that's why I love you!"

A4: "The real-life event that had the biggest impact on me was the 'First Yokohama Naval Review Rehearsal'. For starters, that was my first time doing such a thing, so it was a huge struggle dealing with the preparations and the actual show. But I was really glad that I got to meet admirals in real life for the first time... Even now I still remember that sight. As far as recordings are concerned I still remember my excitement while recording Tokitsukaze's lines due to her surprise factor (i.e. established voice actress voicing a new character). Made me go 'This is so exciting!!' *laughs*"

A5: "We recorded the voice lines, then the game was released, then I became admiral myself, then I tackled my first event... come to think of it, I've spent a lot of time with those girls. I loved the girls I voiced from the start, but I feel like whenever we cleared a map our bond grew stronger, and as I was getting more opportunities to play my girls thanks to the anime among other things I think my understanding of them also deepened. I just want to say 'thank you' for these five years and how they've become so important to me."

A6: "It made me study history. Time-limited events usually mean it's time for the historical ships to shine, so I always do some research in advance. *laughs* And then there's my performance of 'Tsukiyomi' as Suzutsuki, where I got extremely emotional. I made so many precious memories while acting."

A7: "Thank you so much for loving and supporting the ship girls from the bottom of your hearts. KanColle exists because of your support, admirals. I'd like to keep going for yet another glorious year without forgetting that, and I hope you'll do the same!"

Ayane Sakura's Answers

Ayane Sakura performed the voicelines to Nagato, Mutsu, Kuma, Tama, Kiso, Sendai, Jintsuu, Naka, and Shimakaze.

Below are her responses to the above questions:

A1: "I'd say 'slow and steady wins the race', but, at any rate, I think that it's all thanks to everyone's earnest support. I'm very very grateful for that."

A2: "It might be this weird balance between historical facts and human imagination."

A3: "I know it's very exhausting work day after day, but please try to care of your health anyway!"

A4: "I'm glad that the anime recordings allowed me to play out conversations with other ship girls for the first time."

A5: "The franchise and the girls have been precious to me from the very beginning and they still are!"

A6: "I now know a little bit more about my ships' names."

A7: "Thank you so much for your continued support! I really appreciate it!"

Nao Touyama's Answers

Nao Touyama performed the voicelines to Kongou, Hiei, Haruna, Kirishima, Takao, Atago, Maya, Choukai, Ayanami, Shikinami, and Jervis.

Below are her responses to the above questions:

A1: "I deeply appreciate that I get to celebrate KanColle's birthday each year. I feel somewhat like a doting parent as I hope that the ship girls keep succeeding while I get to experience the love they receive from the staff and the entire cast."

A2: "I for one think of the ship girls like they're my own children! It's just lovely when you get to see their deep trust in the admirals or how well the sister ships get along. Also, I find it very profound how their voice lines sometimes provide insight into the history behind the actual ships."

A3: "To my precious ship girls, who met their admirals, got hurt throughout those countless battles, and yet are growing stronger. Thank you so much for always being there for them! Let's keep going. Form even stronger bonds with the admirals, I'll be doing my own part as well!"

A4: "The Naval Reviews were all very memorable. Every year different ship girls appear on stage, and I find it very exciting when I get to meet a new cast member. I'd also be very glad if I could keep performing 'Our Bond With The Admiral' that is becoming a staple of the event each year."

A5: "I never would have thought that I'd get to take care of a new ship girl as my 11th role in this game! I'd like my girls to be loved by everyone no matter what role, and I always voice them while hoping that they accomplish great things in the seas of KanColle that are just as if not more impressive than in real life."

A6: "I have the utmost respect for every single ship girl because of their grave duty for which they keep putting their lives on the line while helping each other. When I see their cheerfulness after having overcome all that it makes me feel tense and restless because I want to keep going as well."

A7: "To all the admirals who've been commanding their fleets throughout these five years, and also anyone who's just become a new admiral, thank you so much! Let's hope that we all get to celebrate many more anniversaries. And that we keep showering our ship girls with all the love they deserve!"

Iori Nomizu's Answers

Iori Nomizu performed the voicelines to Shoukaku, Zuikaku, Hayasui, Kinu, and Abukuma.

Below are her responses to the above questions:

A1: "With all these events and additional voice lines that kept me involved in KanColle every year with its extreme content density I couldn't help but think 'Oh, still only 5 years' but at the same it felt like 'Wait, already?!'. I'm really glad that we've come this far."

A2: "I think it might be because of its consistency. Every single ship girl has her own unique quirks, and also when it comes to the game itself or the events I guess that the core that makes KanColle what it is in the eyes of its fans has been firmly established. I really love this kind of resolution or devotion. Sorry for sounding so pretentious." *laughs*

A3: "Thank you so much for persevering for such a long time. You did a really great job. But I still want to stay with you guys, so bear with me a little longer. Let's work together with the admirals and the staff and keep on engraving our victories on dawn's horizon!"

A4: "There's a lot, but if I had to pick something recent I'd say that the voice line recordings for Zuikaku's 'Decisive Battle' mode were impressive. I still remember how happy but at the same time extremely nervous I was because it was nothing but lines that carried so much more weight than usual. Back then I nailed the lines mostly on the first try, but I was still a bit worried whether I was able to properly express Zuikaku's precious feelings, so when the admirals that listened to them told me I did a great job I was relieved."

A5: "My fondness of them is growing stronger every day. I 've been looking up their history that I didn't know about, and I 'm getting reminded of that giant tortoise called 'Abu'...... *laughs* Also, I like how now that there are more actual conversations with other ship girls you get to experience their friendships(?)."

A6: "I've received a lot more comments from women and children who said that they love KanColle. Many of them told me that they especially love Shoukaku and Zuikaku, so I suppose these two helped someone as shy as me connect with so many people......!"

A7: "Thank you so much for your unwavering support, admirals. I think it's thanks to every single one of you that we could celebrate the 5th anniversary. Keep moving forward together with your ship girls, okay? (You can do it!) Next up is the 10th anniversary! Best wishes to all of you!"

Ootsubo Yuka's Answers

Ootsubo Yuka performed the voicelines to Ise, Hyuuga, Hiyou, Junyou, Furutaka, Kako, Ooi, Kitakami, Hiburi, Daitou.

Below are her responses to some of the above questions, the rest are noted in her Famitsu Interview:

A1: "I love every single ship girl, so I'm really glad that I've been able to accompany them throughout these five years! Thank you so much, admirals!"

A3: "Good job on five years of hard work! Thanks for everything! Let's keep having a great time together, both in combat and in private, 'kay? Love you girls~!"

A4: "Totally the 'Zuiun Festival'! You could really feel the admirals' affection for Zuiun & Hyuuga. It was glorious."

A7: "Congratulations on the 5th anniversary! It's all thanks to the bonds between you and your ship girls. Don't let them down and keep going!"

Special Thanks for Admiral_Mikado for the translation of the article.