Otaku Blend was able to participate in a group interview with Coco Hayashi and Chiemi Tanaka at Sakura-Con 2024 in Seattle, WA! Both guests of honor were in attendance at the convention for their roles as Setsuna Yuki and Rina Tennoji, respectively, from Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club.
Q1: Can you tell us about the school idols who you voice from Love Live! and their charm points?
HAYASHI: I play a girl called Setsuna Yuki, who has two sides to her: her school idol identity and also her student council president alter ego, Nana Nakagawa. When Setsuna is a school idol—how should I put it—she’s, like, a perfect school idol and super sparkly, but when she is the student council president Nana, she is a bit too serious sometimes and sort of stern. That’s the kind of girl she is; her duality is her charm point and I think that’s what’s wonderful about her.
TANAKA: I play Rina Tennoji and she has a tough time expressing her emotions on her face. She’s not very good at communicating with other people, but it’s not like she dislikes or hates talking to people. Rather, she loves connecting with others and she works super hard at making these connections. So she uses this mask called “Rina-chan Board”, which emotes for her, because she wants to talk and connect a lot with people. She’s truly a cute, admirable, and hard-working girl who pours all her heart into just about everything.
Q2: Were you fans of the Love Live! series before you started your roles in Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club?
HAYASHI & TANAKA: YES! [Laughter]
TANAKA: I encountered Love Live! when I was in high school. It started with my friends singing karaoke songs from it. I thought the songs were cute, and the karaoke featured animated footage of cute girls being school idols singing these cute songs and I fell in love with them. After that, the mobile game Love Live! School Idol Festival got released and I ended up watching the anime and Love Live! became a big part of my high school life growing up.
HAYASHI: My dad really liked Love Live!, so I ended up watching it and listening to the songs together with him. We also went to μ’s concerts together. So I guess I found out about it through my dad [laughter]. I played the mobile game, too, and fell in love with the anime and the voice actresses. I learned that they are people who do lots of things beyond just acting; they have to perform live, sing, and dance as well, and I started respecting their work. It pushed me to want to become a voice actress myself.
Q3: If Setsuna and Rina were to sing a duet song, what type of song would you like to sing?
TANAKA: We were actually just discussing this! Most of Setsuna’s songs are rock and Rina’s are chiptune denpa and synth-pop (a lot of her solos are in these genre), so we were thinking they could harmonize well together. They can do a synth-rock or electronic rock song, something very catchy.
Q4: Are there any differences or challenges you face when performing or voicing your roles as the school idols in different forms of media, such as TV anime, movie/OVA, songs, and games?
TANAKA: [Interpreter note: This applies to all of her roles in general] Rina is very mellow and calm in her daily life. She does have her own opinions, but she mostly keeps them to herself instead of involving other people, but when she’s singing, she becomes very assertive. She’s able to voice her thoughts vividly and she puts what she wants to tell everyone in the lyrics. Rina is normally quiet and reserved, but she becomes very bright and energetic when she’s singing. So I think there’s quite a difference between the normal Rina and the school idol Rina.
INTERPRETER: Is there any difference between recording for the anime vs. the game?
TANAKA: In my mind, I’m playing the same Rina, so there isn’t much of a difference. Though I guess in the game, Rina has her board from the start, whereas in the anime, you get to see her interact with her friends for a while before she puts her board on. So that’s the difference [between the anime vs. the game], but I don’t feel like I act any differently than she does.
HAYASHI: I joined Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club in the role of Setsuna Yuki and Nana Nakagawa just last year, after she’d come out as Setsuna in the anime. Setsuna went through inner strife as the student council president and an honor student, when she hadn’t opened up to her parents about her love for school idols. She worried a lot about being candid and her hidden side. I got to play her after all this struggle was over in the anime, after it was already established that she is both Nana Nakagawa and Setsuna Yuki.
HAYASHI: There’s a song Setsuna sings at her concerts that reflects more about her feelings as Nana Nakagawa, called “MELODY”. I found it harder to play that part and perform the song on stage since I didn’t actually have to go through the conflicts myself. I had to start by learning about Nana before she came out as Setsuna and I really felt this timeline gap in myself when I acted. Overall though, I feel like I have a lot in common with Setsuna (and Nana) and it wasn’t very hard to play her role. I feel like we are one in mind and spirit.
Q5: It’s been 14 years since the start of Love Live! series and 7 years since the start of Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club. How does it feel to be a part of a huge franchise as a member of Nijigasaki? Tanaka-san, can you tell us about your thoughts and feelings, looking back on the years you have been active in Nijigasaki? And Hayashi-san, please tell us about your thoughts and feelings from joining Nijigasaki last year to now.
TANAKA: When Nijigasaki first started, there was already a legacy forged by those who came before us at that point in time. Rather than a burden, I’d say it was kind of nerve-racking to live up to the greatness of our senpai groups. And until when we debuted, Love Live! always had 9-member groups. I think that’s what everyone expected of us, but that’s not what Nijigasaki is. We’re a group of 9 solo acts (eventually 12). Because of this, I had 2 worries: Would we be able to live up to the great expectations left by those before us? And would we be able to try something new in those footsteps?
TANAKA: But in the 7 years of doing this, Nijigasaki has gradually become a part of the Love Live! series. We realized that more and more fans grew to like the solo acts and the members, and that lots of people have been able to embrace Nijigasaki. I could really feel this at the concerts and events, and now we’ve had TV anime series aired and movies announced. At first, I felt so worried, but now, I’m so happy to be loved by so many people as one of the groups in the Love Live! series and being able to join the family.
HAYASHI: So yeah, my family and I, we all love the Love Live! series, so I was super happy when I was asked to be Setsuna. When I put on concerts as Setsuna, I had so many people come see me and thank me for taking on the role and tell me things like “thank you for being Setsuna”. So it feels like everything has been so exciting and filled with sparkles everyday.
HAYASHI: All the Nijigasaki cast members are very close and we all love the series and the members who we play. I feel that the staff who run the concerts and the fans all cherish Love Live! as a series and are very passionate about it.
Q6: What are some similarities and differences between yourself and the school idols you voice?
HAYASHI: I think I’m very similar to Setsuna. I was originally the student council president at my high school, so we have that in common. I also like rock music and idols, and I’m also an otaku like her. Our biggest similarity is that we’re both into the same things, like anime, idols, and gaming. In the opposite vein, it’s tougher to say what’s different about us. I think I’m always very much like the person Setsuna is.
TANAKA: What’s similar about me and Rina is that I’m also very shy with people, but I love talking to people, and once I become close to someone, I enjoy staying in touch. As for what’s different, I think there’s a lot… Rina is good with machines and STEM subjects. When something breaks down or runs into trouble during the concerts for the Nijigasaki school idol club members, Rina is the one who usually ends up fixing them. She does a lot of things… It’s pretty amazing that she already made her Rina-chan board. If the school idol club didn’t have Rina, they’d be in pretty big trouble, without someone to fix the machinery and stage production issues. I have a tough time with machines, so I’m different from her in that way.
Q7: Your new movie, Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club: Final Chapter Part 1 will be released in Japan on September 6th, 2024. This movie will be the first of the 3-part film series. Is there anything about the movie that fans should be excited for?
HAYASHI: The currently released key visual depicts an Okinawan town and Okinawan food that leaves a deep impression. In this movie, six girls, Ayumu, Kasumi, Shizuku, Kanata, Emma, and Lanzhu, travel from Odaiba to Okinawa. I hope you’ll look forward to seeing the members in the film.
TANAKA: Yeah, that’s right, this movie will be released as a sequel to the TV anime series and the OVA (NEXT SKY). I think everyone is very curious about why the next part of the story is in Okinawa. So why do the girls go to Okinawa? [Interpreters Note: The synopsis has been released in April, 2024] I can’t give out details now, but I think you’ll find out once you watch the movie. Please look forward to what goes on there.
Q8: What are some things you like about Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club?
TANAKA: I like the part of Nijigasaki where it focuses on each of the members as a solo act. Each girl has her own charm points and gets to show the audience who she is. During concerts there are group performances, but also solo performances where everyone is watching the solo girl on stage and she gets to have all the attention to herself. I think that’s what is unique to Nijigasaki.
TANAKA: Though they’re solo acts, all of the members are friends and also rivals who are strong-spirited, overcoming trials together. Watching their coming-of-age story makes me want to work harder myself. I think “you’re all on your own but you’re not alone” is the strong message that Nijigasaki sends to all viewers. How do I put it… I’m sure at times you’ve thought that you’re all by yourself, but Nijigasaki exists as a collection of stories and songs that give you support, about how you’re not alone. I think that’s the appeal of Nijigasaki.
HAYASHI: Yeah, my answer is similar, that each member of Nijigasaki has her own distinct personality and the solo songs don’t sound like each other’s. All members have their own genre and they are completely different. You might say that they’re kind of spread out, where each person is on a different path and I think that makes it super interesting. It makes it easier for fans to find their own oshi. That’s what makes Nijigasaki great and what I like about it.
HAYASHI: Though with all this individuality, when all the Nijigasaki members get together, you get this new, explosive force (power), which is another great thing, in my opinion. We’re able to have all sorts of ways to show off, such as the solo acts, units like A·ZU·NA, QU4RTZ, DiverDiva, and R3BIRTH, and songs that involve the whole group. Nijigasaki is this great team that has a lot of freedom and variety.
Q9: Were you surprised by the number of overseas fans that the Love Live! series has? Do you have any messages for overseas fans?
HAYASHI: It’s not like it’s unexpected, like… Nijigasaki has international members, such as Emma, Mia, and Lanzhu, and lots of international fans come to our concerts. Rather than being surprised, I’m so happy! I want to create more opportunities for people in America to consume Nijigasaki. We’re mainly here this time to host talk events at Sakura-Con, but we’d want to hold concerts in America, too, like, “We love you all,” type of thing [laughter].
TANAKA: After I joined the Love Live! series and Nijigasaki, I’d always been aware that we have lots of international fans. I really wanted to meet the fans as soon as possible. When we have concerts in Japan, lots of people come to see us, but I want to go out and see them instead. I’m glad that the two of us were able to make it to the US this time, to a place where many people truly appreciate the Love Live! series.
TANAKA: If there’s one thing to be said, international fans are super passionate and pour their whole souls into telling us how much they love us and we want to return those feelings. It may be just the two of us visiting this time, but someday we want to come back with all of the members. I hope we can put on a large event of some sort, maybe a concert. The support from international fans is truly a source of strength for us. I hope you’ll keep enjoying the Love Live! series and Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club.
*Interpretation by Michelle Yumi Tymon
©2022 PROJECT Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club
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