Suzuko Mimori's Seiyuu Princess Interview (Part One)
- brittb92
- Aug 14, 2018
- 4 min read
This is the interview that can be found in the January edition of the magazine Seiyuu Princess.
This interview was particularly long, and is going to take me a bit to translate probably. So, I will try and release it in about three or four parts.
I will do my best to get these released in a timely manner!! But for now, here's part one!
-Forgive me if this sounds a bit rude, but when someone would speak of the seiyuu "Suzuko Mimori," I only knew of Love Live. So, hearing about you performing in theater this year and last year was really surprising. But after researching a bit of your history, I found out this wasn't anything special for you. Mimo: Yes, that's right. -But it's been awhile since you have been in theater, right? Mimo: Yes, it's been awhile. It's been quite some time since I last performed on stage, and my seiyuu history has since become a bit lengthy. The stage play "Cardfight!! Vanguard ~Virtual Stage~" that I was in last January was the first time I had performed in 5 years. But I was in two stage plays this year, "Cardfight!! Vanguard" and "Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight, The LIVE-#1." I didn't really feel uncomfortable, but last year was a bit of a blank for me. So I was really worried if I was going to be ok. -But because this isn't unknown territory, were you able to recover your perception of things quickly? Mimo: As I was performing I was gradually able to remember it, as Cardfight!! Vanguard was the first time I had been challenged with with 2.5 dimensional stage. This is a very new type of stage, so I really wanted to begin challenging myself with it. -Well, perhaps doing something different was a good thing. Mimo: I agree. I had voiced the role in the anime as well, so I didn't feel a whole lot of discomfort. -Tell me about Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight. Mimo: Because it was an original stage play, there was a feeling of "I will be able to do this freely!" The director is Akiko Kodama, who has been engaged in directing for a long time at a Takarazuka Revue Company. I've always loved Takarazuka girls, so I was very happy to test myself with this and be able to work together with Kodama-sensei. She is a very passionate sensei, and was quick to answer any questions I had about my role. Because all of the cast are girls, it felt like we were in an all girls school and was a really good environment. -It is also like a Takarazuka production, right? Mimo: Yes. Even sensei is a woman. -Is it different than an opera? Mimo: Looking at both the singing and the dancing, I think that it gives off more of a musical vibe. Also, there are many sword fights. And because it was my first time challenging myself with this, it was a bit difficult. -I hear that a lot of people are really into the stage play sword fighting. Why do you think that is? Mimo: Having genuine thoughts of, "I want make this look even cooler!" makes the scenes even more extreme, I think. -The play will make a reappearance early next year, right? Mimo: That's right. I will challenge myself once again, so I feel like I will become even better than I was before. -Shortly after the replay of the show is over, the anime will broadcast. Mimo: Yes, that's right. It's a strange feeling (lol). There is a big difference between the play and the anime. The anime draws up a lot more details about the story, and those details are divided precisely within 12 episodes. Even if you perform the play dozens of times, and we say the performance time is about 3 hours long, we won't reach the intended result. I think that all of the detailed parts that cannot be conveyed in the play will definitely be understood in the anime. I'm also really looking forward to it. The role that I'm playing, Hikari Kagura, is very mysterious. Like, "I wonder how much more in depth this girl will go....." -So it feels like you haven't firmed grasped her character? Mimo: Because of that, I thought, "Maybe once it comes time for the anime, I will be able to grasp this character more perfectly." -Did you have an interest in performing even when you were small? Mimo: I really liked dance when I was little, and I was always practicing ballet. During that time, I also seen a Takarazuka performance for the first time and thought, "Ahh, singing is nice too." -Who influenced you when it came to Takarazuka? Mimo: That would be my grandmother. I wonder if they still perform the Rose of Versailles? Once every so often, they would reenact this popular work. I was very interested in it, and was already casually reading the manga, then my grandma took me to see the play. I was in middle school at the time, and you can take the test when you are in your third year. I wanted to take it, so that’s when I began singing lessons. -If you had not went to see that Takarazuka play, you probably would have just taken the path of dancing. Mimo: Probably so. Up until then, I really wanted to become a ballerina dancer, and I would always say that I would do my best in ballet.
That's it for part one! Part two will talk more about how she got into acting, how she started with Bushiroad, and will even talk a little about Love Live!
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