<![CDATA[A-to-J Connections - Patreon Content]]>Sun, 22 Dec 2024 06:30:33 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Evolving Into Oneself: An Interview with VampyBitMe]]>Wed, 17 Jul 2024 04:04:52 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/patreon-content/evolving-into-oneself-an-interview-with-vampybitme
Picture
Spreading positivity in both the cosplay and Gundam communities for over two decades, VampyBitMe is no stranger to longtime attendees of FanimeCon. She is a cosplayer and Gunpla builder who believes that anyone can express themselves through the love of creativity and their passions. She works within the games industry, and has been a host for various events. If all that weren't enough, her #MechaMonday streams are a hit on her Twitch channel as well. As referenced earlier, she was once again a guest at this year's FanimeCon, and we were lucky enough to interview her! We discussed everything from her recent activities, her cosplay horror stories, and even what it's like hosting a panel on a fandom you're passionate about. This interview is sure to delight already existing fans of Vampy, and those discovering her for the first time! As always, check out the interview, and be sure to follow her via the social media links at the end!
A-to-J: Thank you for the interview! For those who may not know you, could you give us an introduction and tell us a little about yourself?
Vampy: Funnily, I came about my name from gothic forums. In Myspace they would call me “vampire something”, because I was part of a community called "Vampire Freaks" from two or three decades ago. I don’t remember and that ages me. I was part of the cosplay community as well, and they would be like: “Oh, you’re so pale like a vampire.” And the artists and I, we joked around and said: “Hey! We should just call you ‘Vampy.’ It’ll be funny. It’s a joke.” So, I was like: “Oh yeah, 'Vampy like Bit Me?'" and he’s like: “Yeah! We can found a website Vampy Bit Somebody. It’s not gonna get big.” After I posted a few pictures, it blew up on the Internet back them, and I didn’t even have a Twitter at that time. So it was super embarrassing to be known as “Vampy”, and I’m still stuck with it. Yeah, that’s how I started out: Just being a regular person posting on forums, finding friends. I always went to conventions, and I still go to conventions to meet people. I always find that community is why I stay. Ever since then I started cosplaying more within the community and working with game companies, trying to involve more of the community in things I do. I even started working for game companies. I’ve been with Bandai for a few years. I don’t really like talking about that side because it’s kind of like numbers and stuff like that, but I deal with the community quite a bit still. All in all, I just love people and that’s why I’m here at FanimeCon 2024 again.

A-to-J: We interviewed you back in 2018 when you were a guest at Fanime back then as well. Could you fill us in on anything exciting that has happened since 2018?
Vampy: Oh yeah! A lot of things have happened since then. I’ve found a new hobby which is hosting. I get very nervous around people, and just talking in a big crowd, so I wanted to perfect my hosting skills during the pandemic since there was nothing going on. I got to host for Crunchyroll, and also Bandai, for a few gaming launches and some Sentai stuff. Then I kind of found my calling to do things more within the community, without costume, because I usually have a costume on. So I would say: “I evolved into myself,” because I used to hide behind extravagant things, but then they just wanted to hear me. That was really fun and I think it strengthened my community as well in Discord and Twitch. I felt more human, and not like a robot speaking. Because when you’re cosplaying, you tend to be like: “I’m playing the character. I AM that character. I’m gonna try my best to not smile because that character doesn’t smile.” So being myself was kind of interesting. Finally showing that side of me, and I like that a lot more. So that’s kinda the news, I guess with my character online. I use my real name now, Linda, which is nice. Then I worked for a game company. I was community managing and project managing during that time. It was a lot. I changed a lot and I was less afraid of being myself online because I’m very secretive very quiet.

A-to-J: It’s not super common for guests to host panels about other fandoms, versus simply hosting Q&A panels about themselves. What is it like putting on a panel that’s about one of your fandoms?
Vampy: I think that ever since I first started social media, it was always about the artist. I think when I was growing up, individuality was very niche for me. Growing up in Oklahoma, there were no Asians. There was no individuality. It was kind of like: “Outside. You go outside and crush cans for preschool and then they collect the cans. All the kids they look the same.” And I was like: “I don’t know what I am.” I think during that time I became a little bit rebellious. When I moved to California, I was like: “Oh, there’s other people that look like me and they listen to not the same music, but they look like me! They’re Asian!” So I was like: “Okay. How do we relate then?” How do I relate to these people that look like me but we don’t have anything to relate with. And I’m like: “Do you watch anime?” And they’re like: “Yeah! I love anime!” I’m like: “Well, do you play Earthbound for the SNES, or do you like Mario Paint? Do you have that?” And they’re like: “Yeah, I have that!” And I’m like: “Oh! I can relate with these people!”
So, I think that for me, relating with others was always: music number one. I love rock. I love metal. I love thrash. Being a Bay Area girl at that time, there was thrash everywhere. I will relate with people with fandoms and also culture. It’s not about me all the time so I think that after 20 years of doing that, it’s easier for me to talk about a fandom to relate with others initially and then, down the line, you’ll get to know them. So it’s a good way to get to know people through music, games, and other cultures and stuff. It’s not always about me. I feel like everyone’s the same. I mean, we’re relatively all the same. Do you go to sleep? Yeah. Do you eat? Okay, that’s awesome. Do you have pets? Okay, I have three. You know what I mean? I think it’s more interesting to know about what drives people. First and foremost, it’s always the artists for me.  

A-to-J: We understand that very soon you’ll be hosting a panel on the history of mecha anime. Can you tell us a bit about your love for that genre?
Vampy: Oh yes. I’m actually very lucky because my significant other is very, very much a mecha guy, but he’s more into Super Robots and I’m into Real Robots. There’s a huge, drastic difference in that, and I’m really happy that he’s pretty much spearheading the panel because he’s very, very passionate about mecha. I am too, but I come from 80’s mecha... Well, he does too but I derive my passions in 80’s and 90’s mecha, and he’s more like... everything. It’s going to be a really good panel. I hope to be able to do more panels like that across the U.S. or maybe in Asia. I really love mecha because it sounds really silly, but I think it’s fun. It’s a little bit silly too. I think a lot of the anime, even though it has a serious tone, I think a lot of it is hilarious because it’s really, really... There’s deep undertones about war, but as a kid I always thought it was funny to see Voltron forming or Transformers. Soundwave was my favorite. I broke my G1 Transformer toy and my mom screamed at me: “Do you know much this cost!? Never again!” So I pieced together my Soundwave over and over again after breaking it and my mom’s like: “That’s all you get!” And, I’m like: “Oh no I messed up.” Luckily I liked He-Man too, but that’s another thing. Definitely, mecha anime is really fun for me. I think it’s hilarious. Whit a lot of mecha fandoms, people fight with each other online, and I think that’s funny too because I like fighting.  

A-to-J: What are some of your favorite mecha anime? Do you have any recommendations for someone just getting into the genre?
Vampy: Yes, something not boring. Let’s see here, because I feel like a lot of recommendations that I give initially scare people. So they’re like: “Ok... This is too deep or scary or annoying.” So I always tell them: “What do you like?” And they’re always like: “Something more fun.” I would say that new anime right now like The Witch from Mercury is really good from Gundam. Iron-Blooded Orphans that’s a really good one too. My favorite is Zeta but that’s... One of the characters getting slapped all the time, or a bunch of characters getting slapped all the time, and I don’t think people find that fun. G Gundam. People love G Gundam. It’s fun I think. My favorite is Bubblegum Crisis. Women in combat suits, and they’re badass. I think I would recommend that.   

A-to-J: We’re curious on your thoughts of fans of mecha anime who don’t necessarily care about the technical aspects like the stats.
Vampy: The stats? Like how big they are?
A-to-J: Like the character models.
Vampy: They don’t care about that? They care about the personalities?  
A-to-J: They just care about the story without...
Vampy: Oh, that’s totally the ones I mentioned before. Just to reiterate, a lot of the anime now, it’s more so... I mean, Real Robots are all about the pilots, so you would stick with the Gundam series a lot of times. Because, it’s about the pilots and everything around it, the wars and things like that. So I think if you want something like that, The Witch from Mercury or Iron-Blooded Orphans would be a good recommendation. What do I think about that part of the fandom? I shouldn’t say. I don’t want to get flamed online. 

A-to-J: Do you have any other types of fandoms you’d like to host panels of in the future?
Vampy: Oh, there’s too many. I would love to do others panels about creating your own wardrobe, but I don’t know how that would fit into anime stuff. Maybe anime inspired wardrobe things that you see online. People do that often. Also creating a wardrobe or cosplay out of anything that you have. Those kind of things like makeup, just reusing the things that you have already. I think that would be a really cool panel.
We kind of have something like that tomorrow: "Cosplay on a Budget". I feel like spending a lot of money for cosplay is not realistic nowadays for a lot of us, even me. I’ve used a lot of things even bedsheets for stuff, and I would dye it and make it into my fabric for cosplay. I think really, really streamlining my panel to be more focused on fabrics and materials you can use. Not "Cosplay on a Budget", more so "Cosplaying Using Things Around the House". I’ve seen that online and I think it’s really cool so maybe, something like that.

A-to-J: Can you tell us about any recent big cosplays you’ve done?
Vampy: I wouldn’t say they’re huge because after I moved, I realized that I can’t fit a lot of the costumes I made before. I ended up throwing away a lot of them which makes me pretty said. I would spend 800-1000 hours on something and I’m like: “Oops! I guess I don’t have space!” and I’ll throw it away because I have three cats! And their fur is everywhere and you can’t paint anything. So now I would say the biggest to my heart cosplay is G Gundam, and also Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy VII. I really liked his “disgruntledness” again. I really like how he is. Also he’s very loving and he never got a chance. I feel bad for the guy. Turmoil. I like those characters so kinda like that. So those were the bigger costumes that I wore.  

A-to-J: Do you have any cosplay horror stories?
Vampy: Oh! Every show! Every show is a cosplay horror story! It’s in my hotel room right now, but it's about my Vincent Valentine cosplay. I might as well tell the story here. After I wore my Vincent Valentine cosplay for the first time. Well, you know how cosplay is. It’s tiring. Everyone’s like a mess. You’re hurrying up. Glue all over the place in your hotel room. So I was finishing up my cosplay, like the bandana on his head that wraps around. I secured it with sticky tape. And then, after a few hours, when the sticky tape gets undone, it starts becoming sticky... [mocking herself] Like: “sticky tape becomes sticky?” No, but it melts. After the panel was done, I was like: “I don’t care about this!” I took it off and I threw it in the trashcan after spending two hours on that bandana sewing it. I brought the cosplay for this show and my friend’s like: “Hey, so are you ready?” And I’m like: “Oh! The bandana’s gone. I threw it away last show.” So what’s happening now is that my friend is going to buy me fabric, and I’m going to finish the bandana by tomorrow for my panel. So that’s a horror story for right now, but every show has a horror story. I don’t usually admit this stuff, but that’s what happened. It will get done. We always finish. Cosplayers finish. Either we just say: “another day”, or we finish but tomorrow.

A-to-J: Do you have any crazy convention stories in general?
Vampy: Not that I want to share, because legally they’re so crazy I probably don’t want to talk about them. Anything crazy? Not really. I’m pretty boring when it comes to shows. I just stay in my hotel room except for Fanime. I always go outside. People are like: “Oh you’re actually going outside because it’s San Jose.” I’m from San Jose so I try to do stuff, but horror stories? Not really. No. It's pretty tame.

A-to-J: You’ve been a guest a Fanime quite a few times now. Is there something you like about this con that makes it different than others?
Vampy: Everything! I love this con! So I don’t do a lot of shows anymore because I started doing more streaming and just doing more community stuff. But the reason that I always come back to Fanime is because, people are just cool here. I love the Bay Area. I love people from NorCal. I’m a NorCal girl. Every time I see someone here, I get them. We’ll look at each other like: “Oh, you went there? Yeah.” Everyone’s chill here, and I like that. It’s not like people are going crazy. It’s not a Hollywood vibe. I’m not saying any other place is Hollywood, and they’re nice people too, but everyone is so down to earth here. The show, everyone at Fanime, treats you so well. The staff? The best that I’ve seen in the US ever. And that’s a lot because I’ve been to a lot of shows. Everyone’s super nice and interviews are cool. People are awesome. Panels are awesome. The head of staff and the people that put the show together, they’re insanely good. So, everyone should be learning from Fanime I think. Sorry to other cons, but please learn from Fanime and how they do things. That should be a tutorial: "How to Run a Con Properly with Guests". I appreciate that.  

A-to-J: You mentioned streaming earlier. What kind of content is it that you're streaming?
Vampy: I mainly stream Gunpla [Gundam Plastic Models] building every Monday. I call it “Mecha Monday” and I’m really glad that it caught on, as in on Twitch, because it was never really that popular. So now a lot of people use the hashtag #MechaMonday for their Mondays because I’ve been streaming Gunpla, I think almost eight years now on Twitch. I should be moving that to YouTube, but that’s another editor I need, and I don’t have that. I kinda would much rather keep it on Twitch. Eventually I will be on YouTube with that as well. Slowly. I have to build out my Gunpla area. I also play a lot of games on there.  Retro RPGs. I really love RPGs. Monster Hunter. Huge one. Can’t wait for Wilds. If you guys want to play any games, any of you guys out there, if you want to join in on my hunts, I’m a hammer main. I also play hunting horn and switch axe. So if you want to come through, I’ll cut some tails for you. I’ll bonk some heads, get you some fangs or whatever, and we’ll have some fun.  

A-to-J: What are some of your current favorite anime? Not necessarily mecha, just favorite current shows right now.
Vampy: One Piece! I just caught up with a lot of the episodes and it’s insane. Like I don’t want to do any spoilers, but Oda is crazy. I felt like Wano was pretty interesting, and it kinda dragged after a while. I’m sorry but it was dragging. And then, when I got into the new Egghead Arc, the intro was crazy too. I had to watch it like 10 times.   

A-to-J: What about anime in general? What are some of your favorites?
Vampy: My favorite? I tend to like serious tones. I also like friendship building anime. Also, I love action, so a lot of good fight scenes are some of my favorites. I’ve been rewatching anime lately. Even old cartoons I’ve been rewatching. Even old movies. But those are my favorites. Either really serious, really deep tones, or things about world-building. I think those are my favorites. So the new ones right now, they’re good, but they’re too cute for me. And I’m not saying I don’t like cute. I love cute, but it’s a little too lovey-dovey.  

A-to-J: What are some of the ones you’ve been rewatching?
Vampy: God, there’s too many. In my Discord, I’ve been re-watching just cartoons like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers. It’s funny. GI Joe is a cartoon not anime, but that cartoon is so cheesy. Watching it as an adult, I was like: “What the hell was I watching at five?” I didn’t like it. Anime-wise, I rewatched some Evangelion. It’s okay. As an adult, I understand it more. I liked it more when I was younger when I didn’t understand it. Now I understand it and I’m like: “Eh, it’s okay.” So like, every time someone asks: “Do you like Evangelion?” I say: “It’s alright. It’s not bad.” I’m sorry if you guys like it. Rewatching anime as an adult, overall, it’s hard because you kind of look back and you’re like: “Uh, what was I watching?” You can kind of imagine what I was watching, like all the old series. I can’t think of them now, but if you join my Discord, we tend to watch it every week.

A-to-J: What are some of your upcoming plans after Fanime? Anything exciting?
Vampy: I’m going to stay home for all of June, and that’s fun because I have three stray cats that I love spending time with. I’m possibly going to dress them up in Mobile Suits, because I’ve seen that going viral and I really want to make little cardboard suits for them. Just little fun stuff like build Gunpla. I have a stack like everyone else here. We have a stack of model kits that we need to build. And then, streaming a lot. And then, finishing a bunch of Like a Dragon games because I love the Like a Dragon series. 

A-to-J: Lastly, can you give a closing message to your fans?  
Vampy: Oh yes! It’s so funny. I’m a troll so I’m like: “Think of something nice.” I do appreciate you guys always being there for me as a community. If you’re listening, you’re probably a part of my community and I just want to say: “Keep doing what you love because life is too short to be basic.” Just go crazy. If you want to do something, you should do it now while you’re young and your back’s not hurting. You don’t have to get extra hours of sleep every night! That’s all I’ve got to say. 
A-to-J: Thank you!

​​We'd like to thank VampyBitMe for the interview, and we strongly encourage everyone to check her out via the links below. As always, keep an eye out for more from her in the future! Also, special thanks to FanimeCon for this opportunity!

For More Information on VampyBitMe:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VAMPYBITME
X: https://twitter.com/vampybitme
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/vampybitme

The above interview was conducted by Tom Halbert. Transcription by Jeffery Kelly. Photography by Ivan Aburto. 
Picture
]]><![CDATA[Performing Beyond Borders & Cultures: An Interview with ASH DA HERO]]>Tue, 09 Jul 2024 18:29:20 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/patreon-content/performing-beyond-borders-cultures-an-interview-with-ash-da-hero
Picture
ASH DA HERO is a band that formed in September 2021. It consistst of vocalist ASH, guitarist Narukaze, bassist Sato, drummer WANI, and DJ Dhalsim. Their music crosses several genres, including, but not limited to, rock, punk, and hip hop. Fans of the anime Blue Lock may have heard their recent singles, "Judgement" and "Beast Mode/Octave", within the popular show. We recently had the opportunity to ask them some questions regarding their formation, the creation of their most popular songs, and lots more. This interview is sure to be a treat for existing fans of ASH DA HERO, as well as for those discovering them for the first time. Check it out, and be sure to give their music a listen via the links at the end of the interview!
A-to-J: Hello and thank you for the interview! Can you tell us a bit about yourselves and your music?
A-to-J: こんにちは！あなた方とあなたの音楽について簡単に教えてください！
ASH DA HERO: ハロー。ASH DA HEROです。僕らは日本の音楽と、国外の様々な音楽をミックスしているロックバンドです。
ASH DA HERO: Hello. We are ASH DA HERO. We’re a rock band that mixes Japanese music with various international music styles.

A-to-J: Can you tell us a bit about the formation of the band and your early history?
A-to-J: バンドの結成とこれまでの経歴について少し教えていただけますか？
ASH DA HERO: それぞれミュージシャンとして活動する中で、COVID19をきっかけにバンドを結成したんだ
ASH DA HERO: Each of us was individually active as a musician, and we formed a band as a result of COVID-19.

A-to-J: How would you describe ASH DA HERO's music? Is there any song that you feel truly encompasses your sound?
A-to-J: ASH DA HEROの音楽をどのように表現しますか？自分たちの音楽を最も体現していると感じる曲はありますか？
ASH DA HERO: 日本の音楽の多様性と、国外の様々な音楽をミックスして、常に俺たちのオリジナリティを尖らせているよ。最も体現しているのは Judgementだと思う。
ASH DA HERO: We mix the diversity of Japanese music with various international music styles, constantly sharpening our originality. I think this is best embodied in our song “Judgement”.

A-to-J: Your recent single, "Beast Mode/Octave", dropped just days ago, can you tell us a bit about it?
A-to-J: 数日前にシングル「Beast Mode／オクターヴ」がリリースされました。この曲について簡単に教えてください。
ASH DA HERO: Beast Modeのダンサブルなビートは、人間が覚醒する時の心拍数を表現している。そしてサビのコールアンドレスポンスは、"自問自答"を表現しているんだ。オクターヴは凪と玲王の2人の感情の交錯を歌詞で描き、また主旋律とハーモニーで2人の気持ちのすれ違いを表現したんだ。元々1曲の予定だったが、いくつかDEMOを投げると監督から「2曲使わせて欲しい」と言われて、2曲になったんだ。とても光栄な事だよね。大好きな作品だったから、作品への愛が歌詞に溢れて止まらなかった。純粋に僕も作品のファンだからね。だからこそ責任も感じたし、とても苦労したよ。
ASH DA HERO: The danceable beat of “Beast Mode” represents the heart rate of a person when they awaken. The call-and-response in the chorus represents “self-questioning.” “Octave” depicts the emotional interplay between Nagi and Reo through its lyrics, and the main melody and harmony express the misunderstandings between them. Originally, it was supposed to be one song, but after submitting several demos, the director asked to use two of them, so it became two. It was a great honor. We love the anime, and that love overflowed into the lyrics. Because we’re fans ourselves, we also felt a sense of responsibility. That was tough.

"Beast Mode" MV

"Octave" MV
A-to-J: Since your music has been featured in it, are you a fan of the anime Blue Lock? Or soccer in general?
A-to-J: アニメ「ブルーロック」のファンですか？それともサッカーそのものが好きですか？
ASH DA HERO: ブルーロックのファンだし、サッカーの大ファンだよ。時々プレーもしているんだ。
ASH DA HERO: I’m a fan of Blue Lock, and a huge fan of soccer. I still play occasionally.

A-to-J: Outside of music, what are some of your favorite hobbies?
A-to-J: 音楽以外で何か好きな趣味はありますか？
ASH DA HERO: サッカー観戦かな！イングランドのプレミアリーグが大好きなんだ！
ASH DA HERO: Watching soccer matches! I love England’s Premier League!

A-to-J: What are some of ASH DA HERO's goals for the future?
A-to-J: ASH DA HEROの今後の目標は何ですか？
ASH DA HERO: 僕らは国や文化を越えて活動したいと思っている。言語や文化、国を越えて全ての人々が俺たちの音楽を聴いて１つになる事が夢であり、目標だよ。
ASH DA HERO: We want to perform beyond borders and cultures. Our dream and goal is for people from all languages, cultures, and countries to come together by listening to our music.

A-to-J: Are there any messages you’d like to give your fans, especially those from overseas?
A-to-J: ファン、特に海外のファンに向けてメッセージをお願いします！
ASH DA HERO: 僕らの音楽に触れてくれてありがとう！君の住む街の近くでショウをしたいと思っているからこれからも熱い声援をよろしくお願いします！
ASH DA HERO: Thank you for listening to our music! We hope to perform in a city near you, so please continue to give us your passionate support!

We're very grateful to ASH DA HERO for taking the time to answer our questions, and to all of you for checking them out! Be sure to check out their music, as well as all their social media, which can be found below!

For More Information on ASH DA HERO:
Website: https://ashdahero.com/
X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/ashdahero
Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/ASHDAHERO 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashdahero__official/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashdahero_official
LINE: https://lin.ee/dVPCVHz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASHDAHERO
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ASHDAHERO
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2XKXvzE0lpnqHcqu5l2lyT
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/jp/artist/ash-da-hero/987304750
]]><![CDATA[Guided By The Light of The Stars: An Interview with Tei]]>Tue, 09 Jul 2024 06:40:09 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/patreon-content/guided-by-the-light-of-the-stars-an-interview-with-tei
Picture
Tei is a singer and songwriter who has been turning heads recently with their unique style of music and powerful voice. While their skills extend to playing many instruments, they can be seen playing the mini-harp on some of their recent songs. Anime fans may recognize their music from Tsurune: Tsunagari no Issha, where they providing the ending theme "Hitominaka", and The Weakest Tamer Began A Journey to Pick Up Trash, where they provided the ending theme "because". We recently had the opportunity to ask them some questions regarding their start in music, their unique sound, and lots more. This interview is sure to be a treat for those familiar with Tei, as well as for those discovering them for the first time. Check it out, and be sure to give their music a listen via the links at the end of the interview!
A-to-J: Hello and thank you for the interview! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and a bit about your work as a music artist?
A-to-J: こんにちは！インタビューの機会を頂きありがとうございます！あなた自身とアーティストとしての活動について簡単に教えて頂けますか？
Tei: 私は日本出身のミュージシャンです。シンガーソングライター、record producerです。3歳のころピアノ教室に通い始める。幼少期はクラシック音楽やオペラ、バレエ音楽、劇伴を中心に聞いて育つ。ポップスの音楽を最初に耳にしたのはEnya。2014年ごろから独学で作曲を始める。
2021年2月に活動開始する。SNSにギターやピアノでの弾き語りの動画を投稿していた。2021年8月 ミニハープで弾き語りを始める。演奏動画が大きな反響を得た。2022年12月12日に初のEP 「羽化」をリリースそして２０２３年にメジャーデビューとなり、そこからはアニソンを続けて3作担当しています。
Tei: I’m a musician from Japan, a singer-songwriter, and a record producer. I started piano lessons at the age of three and spent my childhood listening mainly to classical music, opera, ballet music, and theatrical scores. The first pop music I ever heard was by Enya. Around 2014, I began teaching myself how to compose music. 
I kicked off my career in February 2021 by posting videos of myself performing songs with the guitar or piano on social media. In August 2021, I started performing with a mini harp, and my videos received significant attention. On December 12, 2022, I released my first EP, titled “Uka.” In 2023, I made my major debut and have since performed three anime songs.

A-to-J: You have a very unique musical style, how would you describe your sound to those who haven't heard you before?
A-to-J: あなたの音楽の雰囲気はとてもユニークですね！まだあなたの音楽を聴いたことのない人に対して、あなたの音楽の特徴をどのように伝えますか？
Tei: これが丁の音楽です！といいます。Jpopでもないし、アニソンでもない新ジャンルです。と紹介します。確かに、アニメの主題歌になっていますが、アニソンジャンルの曲とは少し違うと思います。これが私よ！といつも思っています。
Tei: I would say, “This is Tei’s music!” I introduce it as a new genre that is neither J-pop nor anime music. Of course, my music has been used as anime theme songs, but I think it’s a bit different from the typical anime song genre. I always think, “This is me!”

A-to-J: We understand that some of your early popularity grew through social media. Can you tell us What was it like connecting with fans through SNS?
A-to-J: あなたの初期の知名度はソーシャルメディアを通して成長してきたと聞いています。SNSを通じてのファンとの交流はどのようなものでしたか？
Tei: とても心が温かくなります。たくさんのコメントやＤＭも来ます。時々返信するようにしていて、いつも聞いてくれてありがとうと感謝を伝えています。私は活動の目的は動画を作って投稿することで、その他は私にとってはすべてがプレゼントのようなサプライズです。だから、ＳＮＳの色んな反応が私にとって宝物です。
Tei: It’s very heartwarming. I receive many comments and DMs. I try to reply sometimes, and always express my gratitude by saying, “Thank you for listening.” My main purpose is to create and post videos, so everything else is like a wonderful surprise. That’s why all the various reactions on social media are like treasures to me.

A-to-J: You've released songs for the anime series "Tsurune: Tsunagari no Issha" and "The Weakest Tamer Has Begun a Journey of Trash Collection". Can you tell us a bit about these tracks?
A-to-J: あなたは以前、アニメ「ツルネ -つながりの一射-」や「 最弱テイマーはゴミ拾いの旅を始めました。」の主題歌をリリースしました。これらの曲について簡単に教えて頂けますか？
Tei: ツルネの「ヒトミナカ」は私の初アニメタイアップ、そして、メジャーデビュー曲です。2023年2月のリリースで、とても大きな反響を得ました。日本のメジャー音楽シーンでは、あのタイプのミニハープを背負って歌う人がいなかったから、とても驚いた人もいると思います。最弱テイマーの「because」はタイアップ二作品目で、全編英語歌詞で書き下ろしました。この曲は私の中で最も長く制作時間がかかりました。4か月ほどです。私は大体一日で曲を作り、一週間あれば、ｍｉｘまで仕上げるペースで曲を作ります。それがそこまでかかったのは、新しい挑戦をしたからです。この曲は最初の９０秒はハープで弾き語れるのですが、後半は全く弾けないのです。Harpから離れて曲を作ってみてという提案があったのです。これは私のポリシーに反すると強く思いながらも、とても大きな葛藤をしていました。そうしてできた曲がbecauseなのです。だからいまだにこの曲の何がいいんだろうと自問自答している時があります。それでも、あのエンディングになって、聞いてくれる人がいて、好きと言ってくれる人がいたから、私はとても救われました。
Tei: “Hitominaka” from Tsurune was my first anime tie-in and my major debut song. It was released in February 2023 and received a very strong response. I think people were surprised because no one else in the Japanese major music scene was singing with that kind of mini harp. “because” from The Weakest Tamer was my second tie-in work, and I wrote it entirely in English. This song took the longest time for me to produce—about four months. Usually, I create a song in a day and finish mixing it within a week. The reason it took so long was that I was trying something new. I can play the first 90 seconds of the song with the harp, but I can’t play the latter half at all. I was suggested to try making a song away from the harp. This went against my policy, so I felt conflicted about it. And that’s how “because” came to be. Sometimes I still wonder what’s good about this song. Even so, it became an ending theme, and there are people who listen to it and say they like it, so that’s very reassuring to me.

"because" MV

"Yobigoe" MV
A-to-J: Are you a fan of any of the shows you've provided music for? What about anime in general?
A-to-J: あなたは自身が楽曲を提供した番組のファンですか？またアニメについてはどうですか？
Tei: もちろんです。毎度そうですが話をいただいて、すぐに原作を一気読みします。そして、知れば知るほど、各作品とても魅力的で、こういう歌を作りたいと思わせてくれる力があります。だから毎度全力で魂を削りながら曲を作っています。その作品のファンの人たちのためにも。
Tei: Of course. Whenever I receive a request, I immediately binge-read the entire original work. The more I learn about the story, the more captivating it becomes, and I find inspiration for the type of song I’d like to create. That’s why I pour my heart and soul into making each song. I do it for the fans of the work as well.

A-to-J: You have a new EP that's soon to be released titled "YOBIGOE". What can fans expect from this release that's different from your previous body of work?
A-to-J: あなたはもうすぐ新EP「呼び声」をリリースしますね。いままでの作品とは少し異なると思いますが、ファンの方々にどんな作品か教えて頂けますか？
Tei: まずこの呼び声という曲について話します。
この曲は運命の引き寄せる力と、複雑な想いが絡まる愛の物語です。私は原作を読んで、原作に沿ってこの曲の構成を決めました。そして私はミニハープ弾き語りの人なのですが、この曲は全くミニハープで弾き語れないのです。転調もたくさんあるし、リズムも変わるし、全く丁っぽくないと自分で思っています。けれど、きっとこれがこのアニメの作品の曲になるから私も成長しなくてはと必死で作りました。原作ファンの一人としてもパワーを出し切れた曲だと思います。
 さてＥＰ全体についてですが、これは七つの曲の物語になっています。それぞれの曲が星座になっていて、その様子はＣＤの冊子の中で見つける事ができると思います。私にとって星の光は迷った時の導きの星です。ファンネームもｓＴａｒｓなんです。星や月は私にとってとても重要なテーマです。
Tei: First, allow me to talk about the song “Yobigoe.”
This song explores the power of fate to bring people together and tells a love story filled with complex emotions. After reading the original work, I decided to structure the song in a similar way. And while I’m known for my mini harp playing, I can’t play this song on the mini harp at all. It changes keys frequently, the rhythm shifts, and it doesn’t feel like typical Tei music at all. However, I knew it would be the song for this anime, so I desperately worked on it, sensing that I needed to grow.  As a fan of the original work, I think I was able to pour all my energy into this song.
Now, as for the EP as a whole, it tells a story through seven songs. Each song represents a constellation, and you can find out more about them in the booklet that comes with the CD. The light of the stars guide me when I’m lost. And my fans are called “sTars.” So, the stars and the moon are very important themes to me.

A-to-J: Is there any message you’d like to give your fans, especially those from overseas?
A-to-J: あなたのファンの方々、特に海外のファンに向けて、何かメッセージをお願いします。
Tei: アニメをきっかけに丁というアーティストを知ってくれた人が多いと思います。私はミニハープを時々使いながら、曲を作っています。そしてＳＮＳで発信しています。いいねやコメントにいつも感謝しています。
Tei: I think many of you may know me through anime. I occasionally use the mini harp when creating music. I also share my work on social media. I’m always grateful for likes and comments.

We're very grateful to Tei for taking the time to answer our questions, and to all of you for checking them out! Be sure to check out their music, as well as all their social media, which can be found below!

For More Information on Tei:
Website: https://teihinoto.com/
Blog: https://heart-company.co.jp/2022/08/28/teihinoto/
X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/TeiHinoto
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teihinoto/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@teihinoto
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FBCBROCrxXD4tC6TmA8t4
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@teihinoto
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@teihinoto
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teihinoto/
]]><![CDATA[Nice Spike! An Interview with Voice Actor Yuu Hayashi]]>Sun, 30 Jun 2024 20:04:16 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/patreon-content/nice-spike-an-interview-with-voice-actor-yuu-hayashi
Picture
Yuu Hayashi is a voice actor affiliated with Ken Production who has voiced many characters you're all sure to be familiar with. Notable roles include Ryunosuke Tanaka in Haikyuu!!, Manjiro "Mikey" Sano in Tokyo Revengers, Michizo Tachihara in Bungo Stray Dogs, and Takumo Ino in Jujutsu Kaisen just to name a few. We were lucky enough to catch up to them during their time at FanimeCon for an interview. We discussed their start in voice acting, their love for basketball, their favorite roles, and lots more! Fans of Yuu Hayashi will definitely want to check out this interview, as will those discovering him for the first time.
A-to-J: Thank you for the interview! For those who may not know you, could you please give us an introduction and tell us a little about yourself?
Yuu Hayashi: My name is Yuu Hayashi. I am a voice actor from Japan.

A-to-J: Can you tell us a bit about how you got into voice acting?
Yuu Hayashi: I actually started voice acting at the age of five with a group called Gekkidan Himawari [Himawari Theatre Group]. That was the beginning of my career. In order to enter the group, I had to pay a very high entrance fee. At the time it was 300,000 yen which works out to about $3,000. My family wasn’t really that well off and under normal circumstances I wouldn't have been able to join the group. However, my father bought a lottery ticket and we were lucky enough that my father won 500,000 yen. We were able to use that money to help me get in and that was the very beginning of my eventual career as a voice actor.
When I was a fifth grader, I became very interested in basketball. I actually left the group to focus on basketball because of that interest. I continued with basketball all through middle school, and it wasn’t until my second year of high school that I was thinking about what I wanted to do with my life; what direction I wanted to go in. That’s when I thought back to my time with Gekkidan Himawari as a child. I had a very good time when I was a kid and it made me want to pursue that of my own will, so I re-entered Gekkidan Himawari.  

A-to-J: Interesting that you’re into basketball because one of your more popular roles is in Haikyuu!! which features volleyball. Do you ever wish that maybe you were cast in shows like Slam Dunk or something similar?
Yuu Hayashi: I actually was influenced to start basketball because I loved Slam Dunk! I didn’t get the audition for Slam Dunk. I wish I could be in a basketball show but it didn’t work out that way. When The First Slam Dunk came out, I saw it and I was moved by it. I did actually appear as a more minor character in Kuroko’s Basketball, so I was technically in a basketball anime. The character I played was Shigehiro Ogiwara, who was Kuroko’s senpai, so I’m glad I got to be a part of that project. I also sang one of the ending songs so I do have some basketball roles.

A-to-J: Speaking of your voice acting roles, what are some of your favorite roles that you’ve done over your career so far?
Yuu Hayashi: One of them is Manjiro Sano known as “Mikey” from Tokyo Revengers. He’s got kind of a childish side to him, but he’s also stronger than everyone else at the same time. He has a lot of facets to him. There’s that boyish side to him, there’s an ultra strong fighter side, and also this charisma that he needs to lead a whole group of delinquents. That’s another facet of his personality. I feel like Manjiro Sano is a very worthwhile character to voice act because he has so many faces that essentially act like different facets to him. Scene by scene, I have to decide which part of this character am I going to bring out. I also think because of the complexity of this character, he’s one of the most difficult characters I’ve ever had to grapple with in my career. It’s been a great experience for me.

A-to-J: Speaking of characters again, is there a particular role that you prefer to be cast in? Is there a particular type of character that you think you work best at?
Yuu Hayashi: Many of the roles I’ve taken on have been gangsters or delinquents. Mikey is a delinquent. Ryunosuke Tanaka from Haikyuu!! is also kinda like that. Another person that’s kind of a delinquent, or kind of a gangster, is my character from Paradox Live. I, myself, am not at all like a gangster. I’m not a delinquent type of person, so I’m actually surprised that I’ve done so many of these roles.

A-to-J: Interesting. Out of curiosity, are you a fan of any of the shows that you’ve been a part of? Especially the long running ones?
Yuu Hayashi: Anything that I’ve been in. I think my work on it is equivalent to love for the work. I’ve watched everything that I’ve been in as a fan as well.

A-to-J: You’ve played the same character, Ryunosuke Tanaka, in Haikyuu!! for a while now. How have you seen that as a character evolve and how have you added your own interpretations to that character evolution over the years?
Yuu Hayashi: In the world of Haikyuu!!, there are many characters that have genius level abilities. The character that I play, Ryunosuke Tanaka, doesn’t actually have any special, super, almost god-like abilities.  He’s not a genius in any way really, but he continues to show his character development and growth through his pure guts and his straightforwardness. I actually feel it’s very fateful that I was able to play Tanaka because as a voice actor myself, I didn’t immediately succeed in my early 20s. I know many voice actors who do really well, and they start doing really well in their early 20s. I actually didn’t land the role of Tanaka until I was 30. That feeling of having to take step-by-step improvements, and slowly getting to where you want to go. I really identify with Tanaka in that respect. He’s had to work hard too.
It's not just the lines the character has in the script that are important. Let’s take a situation for example: there is a match going on. In the latter half of a long match, some of the other characters might be tired. They might be feeling dejected. They might be losing heart. I think it’s very important as the voice of Tanaka to show that he is the one who is still hanging in there.  He’s the one cheering on his teammates. So as Tanaka, when other characters are doing moves such as serving or spiking, Tanaka’s on the sides saying “Nice serve!” or “Nice spike!” And that’s definitely part of what I think is very important about voicing Tanaka. A lot of the time these are not in the script. I’m actually adding in these ad libs as we record, and so it’s a way to fully embody that character.  
I’m continuing my role as Tanaka with this in mind: “How do I make this a better performance? How do I add onto it?” One of these things is by adding these things that are not necessarily in the script, but I think add on to increasing the appeal of Tanaka and adding to his character.

A-to-J: In addition to Haikyuu!!, you’ve also joined other really popular series like Vinland Saga and Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush. How do you feel when you join a series that’s really popular already?  
Yuu Hayashi: In Japan, the voice acting community is actually not that large. There aren’t actually that many voice actors and voice actresses. So I don’t feel that weird joining a new production in a sense because I’ve already worked with a lot before. So it’s like teammates that I’m already familiar with. Even if it’s a new project that we're working on together, I’ve already worked with a lot of these people before. Of course, even in these situations, I have to spend some time really understanding the character that I need to portray. So of course at the beginning there is some nervousness and wanting to get it right but in terms of coworkers, but I don’t really have that nervousness.

A-to-J:  Another interesting thing you do is a lot of dub work, like dubbing overseas projects. You’re the voice of Theodore in Alvin and the Chipmunks and you were Peter Pan in Kingdom Hearts and several Disney attractions. How do you find that different from doing voice work for anime?
Yuu Hayashi: For Western movies, where there’s an existing production where you have the actor on screen, I am able to see the actor’s expressions and their movements. I basically try to become that person in that scene and think about what this person would do. In Kingdom Hearts, Peter Pan is probably not me*. I played Peter Pan for the Disney movie, the second one.
A-to-J: Oh? It was our understanding that you were one of the official Japanese voices for Peter Pan.
Yuu Hayashi: I did do the parade at Tokyo Disney. The animation that I did the voice acting for, it was similar to Japanese anime in the sense that when I was working on it, it wasn’t fully finished yet. I was working with the unfinished visual part. Just like with Haikyuu!! and Tokyo Revengers, these have existing storylines in manga. It’s very important for me as the voice actor to read the manga and really grasp what’s happening in each scene. In terms of how they make anime, because the visual parts are unfinished in the script, they have a description of the scene and what’s supposed to happen in it at the top. Using that description and my imagination to fill in the gaps and then, I’m performing the role in that scene. A game is also like that.
When they were doing the parade recording, the music was already done for that. Actually, they hadn’t determined what the actor was going to be doing in terms of movements so I had to use my imagination once again to fill in the gaps, like “How would the actor behave in this scene?”, while listening to the music. That is actually how I performed the vocals.  
For the Western films that are already done, it’s taking something and it’s a little more of a passive progress.I’m taking that and I’m trying to portray it actually. Taking it in and trying my best to be faithful to that original creation. But for anime and other things, I receive them in an unfinished form so it’s much more of a creative process. I’m creating the character in some sense with my voice. It’s kind of different.

A-to-J: What are some of your upcoming plans and projects following Fanime?
Yuu Hayashi: Obviously, I can’t tell you about anything that hasn’t been announced but I’ll continue working on projects I’ve already been in. I’ll also be doing live rap performances. For example, with Paradox Live, I'll become one of the characters for that and perform live.  Sanrio, the company that makes Hello Kitty, is creating something called Fragaria Memories. I’m going to be a character in that and will be singing live. Not only working as a voice actor, I’d like to continue working as a live performer in terms of music. I’ve got a lot going on.

A-to-J: Can you leave us with a brief closing message for your overseas fans?
Yuu Hayashi:  I’m kind of blown away by how many fans there are of the Japanese animation that I’ve been in and as well as just anime in general. It’s been very surprising for me. I’m actually having a lot of fun. American fans are very casual. They’ll come up and approach me and talk to me. It’s actually increasing my own love of anime. So I want to continue my work and continue having opportunities to connect with my fans over here!
A-to-J: Thank you so much for the interview!
Yuu Hayashi: [In English] Thank you.

We'd like to thank Yuu Hayashi for the interview, and we strongly encourage everyone to check him out via the links below. As always, keep an eye out for more from them in the future! Also, special thanks to FanimeCon for this opportunity!

For More Information on Yuu Hayashi:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yuu_hayashi42/
X: https://twitter.com/voice_singing
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2JtvgddOpcaTDNQflkHjRg

The above interview was conducted by Manuel Figueroa. Transcription by Jeffery Kelly. Photography by Ivan Aburto. 
*Multiple sites including Wikipedia and ANN list him as the voice of Peter Pan in the Kingdom Hearts games. He’s listed as an actor reprising his role from previous Disney productions in the Japanese credits for Kingdom Hearts II but his specific role doesn’t seem to be listed. He had previously played Peter Pan in Return to Neverland and on the television series House of Mouse.  Other Disney roles of his include Young Bambi in Bambi and Christopher Robin in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.  
]]><![CDATA[Doing Things Out of A Passion for Fun: An Interview with Kaho Shibuya]]>Sat, 27 Jan 2024 04:54:35 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/patreon-content/doing-things-out-of-a-passion-for-fun-an-interview-with-kaho-shibuya
Picture
Kaho Shibuya is a content creator, DJ, singer, and published author. She's probably best known today for her very popular streams over on Twitch, and for her various convention appearances, where she can be seen cosplaying a variety of characters. She recently her first book, “Everything Girls Should Know About The JAV Industry”, was recently released in English, and it hit the top of the new release charts on Amazon. We previously interviewed her back in 2018 and 2019, and we were lucky enough to catch up to her again at Anime Los Angeles. This time around we discussed her recent streaming activities, her appearances on various other creator's YouTube channels, her future plans for writing, and some her goals for 2024. Having quite the varied career, there is sure some aspect of it that you'll want to check out! Fans of Kaho, or those who are discovering her for the first time, will definitely want to read on and check out her social media via the links at the end!
A-to-J: Thank you for the interview today! It is really great to see you.
Kaho: Likewise!
A-to-J: For those who may not know you, would you mind giving us a little introduction, like who you are and what you do?
Kaho: Okay. My name is Kaho Shibuya, and I enjoy cosplaying for fun. I enjoy streaming for fun on Twitch. I do enjoy coordinating and helping make content on someone else’s YouTube channel. I do enjoy a lot of things so people might find me from different places, but mainly YouTube even though I don’t have my own YouTube channel. It’s fun working with different talents. Yeah, I’m here at Anime Los Angeles 2024, and I think this is my fourth time being a guest. It’s nice that they keep bringing me back. I feel like this is kind of like home.

A-to-J: We interviewed you back in 2018 and 2019, can you give us a small recap of what you’ve been up to since then?
Kaho: I started streaming on Twitch because of the pandemic so it’s only been three years, four years this year. I’ve been enjoying that. I do almost all the things out of passion for fun, and business kind of comes along, so it’s just very, very lucky. I have been planning to go to more conventions in different states. COVID didn’t really help, but now it’s back on. I think I get to travel a lot this year, so I wanna try to watch my health and make sure I’m physically capable of doing that. That’s my, I guess, 2024 resolution: To try to be healthy.  
A-to-J: That’s a good resolution.
Kaho: I need to start working out. I’ve been getting used to staying at home so I get tired so easily.

A-to-J: Speaking of which, you’ve done so much: singing, book writing, cosplay, Twitch streaming, all of these things. What would you consider to be your favorite activity like work and fun that you do?
Kaho: That’s tough because I like to change things up. I really have a short attention span, so I like to change things up so I don’t have to get tired of it. Also, I don’t want my fans to get tired of me so I wanna keep bringing something new. I have been enjoying designing clothing. I just got the [makes a heart symbol with her hands over her chest] open-heart shirt, [mimics buttoning a shirt] a button up shirt, or [mimics smoothing a skirt] the cow pattern that has hearts and it’s got a pocket on the skirt.
A-to-J: I always like pockets on skirts.
Kaho: Right? Also, now I’m working on bathing suits so we can make it on time for summer.  
A-to-J: Oh, that’s very exciting. I’ll look forward to that.
Kaho: Thanks to collaborations, and appearances on conventions which has younger generations and also a lot of girls. I used to have more older, and mainly a male audience, but now I’ve got a broader audience so I can try clothing geared toward more feminine things. Now I feel like I can reach out to more people so I can try more and different things. I appreciate that.

A-to-J: That’s really nice! You’re not only voicing Yue Kurumizawa in the anime Modaete yo, Adam-kun!, but also singing the opening song for the series, and serving as a brand ambassador. What’s it like to have such an impact on the show?
Kaho: That was such an honor. It’s like all the jobs. They were like: “Can you do this? Can you do that?” Okay. What? Well, it’s just such an honor. I don’t know what part of me.. I really appreciate that they chose me and they let me handle the voice and the song. Especially voice acting, I’m not that trained as a voice actor. It was such an honor to be involved in that professional process. I definitely want to do more, maybe some English voices too. We’ve been talking about, not the anime, but we have been working on a game appearance. I’m going to be a game character. I want to fight with bread. I’m choosing bread as my weapon.
A-to-J: [mimics swinging a baguette like a sword] A baguette?
Kaho: Yes, baguette, and also croissant [mimics throwing a shuriken] as shuriken-style.  
A-to-J: That’s very cool!
Kaho: And also, I want to have toast of course, because that’s an anime thing.
A-to-J: That’s pretty nice, yeah.
Kaho: I wanna have a rolling toast attack. Just as creative. Juice coming out.  
A-to-J: I see that. It’s really nice!
Kaho: With this game, of course, I want to voice it too in both languages; in English and Japanese. I’m very excited about that.

A-to-J: Yeah, that’s cool. You can just be used for both. Would you like to do more singing as well, or are you more interested in the voice acting aspect of it?
Kaho: I got into singing mainly so I can avoid copyrights on my streams. Now I have my own song. Whenever I’m making commercials, or my own products, I need some songs but okay, what if I just make my own songs.
A-to-J: Especially for Twitch.  
Kaho: Yes, right? I do enjoy that. I haven’t performed it in front of people, so maybe the next step would be feeling comfortable enough on stage. I don’t know if I’d ever be, but that might be fun because I do enjoy idol concerts and that kind of vibe.

A-to-J: I think your fans would be very excited for that! From Kit Kats to Cat Cafes, you always have some new zany idea to focus on in your videos.
Kaho: They just come to me.  
A-to-J: [laughs] And you always seem to have these connections with people too. Where do you get your ideas like from your connections? Or do you just decide that you want to do something and you find the people involved in that?
Kaho: Definitely the latter. Sometimes it just comes to be, or sometimes I try to do brainstorming. But definitely whenever I think: “How about this, or how about that?” and I start digging and doing more research, then it will just come to the end and think: “This might be good for this YouTuber.” That’s why I like hopping on different channels because I feel like: “This is definitely for her, and this shines more for his channel.” I like to be kind of creative. If I had my own channel, I guess it would be a little parochial. It would probably be focused on just one aspect. Because I work with different people, I get to enjoy different sides of me too. Like bento boxes, we made cute bento, it’s called charaben, character bento. You make like Pikachu with eggs or... You know. It’s like a cute bento, a very luxurious, kawaii one. I thought it would be cool for an English audience, especially nerds, otaku. For that I immediately though of Emirichu because she’s an artist and she likes kawaii stuff. Even though I film often with Connor (CDawgVA), that’s not his [style]. It’s too comfy for him. He has to be more like... muscle girl bar kind of extreme. So I do have this image like: “This must be good for this channel, this person.” I kinda of enjoy being creative, just not for my own thing but to be involved with others.  
A-to-J: That’s really cool!
Kaho: Thank you.

A-to-J: The characters you’ve cosplayed... You’re cosplaying as Nino Nakano from The Quintessential Quintuplets. It’s a big part of your thing.
Kaho: I don’t know. I feel like cosplay is a big thing at convention scenes, especially in the United States. In Japan we have strict rules about not being able to wear your cosplay from the hotel. Except, there’s one event in Nagoya that’s like: “Oh, you can just wear cosplay and come here.” but most of the places you have to go to changing rooms. Like ComiKet, you have to get into a changing room. You have to get permission. You cannot just wear cosplay from your hotel room or home. It’s kind of hard to just casually do cosplay there. Here, it’s just like people enjoying dressing up. Even though it’s not necessarily cosplay, like just wearing the straw hat, it’s kind of cosplay. There are a lot of genderbend cosplay too. People are enjoying their freedom and that’s very American. I do really enjoy that.
A-to-J: That’s great! You’ve done cosplays from modern series like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen as Mitsuri and Nobara respectively, and you’ve done a lot of older things like Macross 7 and Ranma from Ranma ½. How do you choose the characters you cosplay? And who are you looking forward to cosplaying in the future? 
Kaho: To be honest by mainly type, even though I have done some characters I just like and aren’t necessarily my body type. But then I don’t really have a lot of positive vibes from social media reactions. There’s always somebody like: “That’s not really fitting your look.” There’s always someone like that and it kind of brings me down. I try to just find a character that’s more fitting body-wise because face-wise, I can kind of use makeup. Also, I’m short but you can’t really tell from the photos, so I can kind of fake the height.
A-to-J: Right. Get that lower angle.
Kaho: So definitely more body type, mainly in the chest area.

A-to-J: That’s cool. Not everyone has those. So, between in person events and streaming, what is it like to interact with your fans at a convention face to face versus streaming?
Kaho: Although I do enjoy streaming and interacting with the chat, sometimes, especially in the beginning of my streaming days, I was kinda doubting that they actually existed. Maybe there was one person who’s a big fan of me, or it could be my family member. I don’t know. They don’t speak Japanese but I was like: “Maybe that’s somebody who’s related to me, or a big fan of mine trying to be different people." You know, logging in to multiple accounts. "Maybe, there are not a lot of people watching me. Maybe it could be one person.” And then I get to see them in person like: “Hey, I’m [This Account Name] and I actually showed up,” and I think “Oh wow! You do exist.”  
A-to-J: You’re not a bot! You’re real!
Kaho: It just feels much more special. That’s why I want to go to different conventions, like even in other states so that I get to see as many of my chat as possible.  
A-to-J: That’s so nice.
Kaho: Though they do help each other.

A-to-J: What has been your favorite game to stream been so far?
Kaho: Hmmm... Well, I do stream a lot of games. I don’t stream a lot of popular, popular games. Like, I never played FPS or online games; I don’t even know how to use Discord that much.
A-to-J: That’s understandable.
Kaho: [laughs] I’m such a boomer when it comes to gaming. I like really old style games. I have recently finished Octopath Traveler II. Even though it’s game two, it’s a standalone game like Final Fantasy, so you don’t really necessarily need to know Octopath Traveler. It looks like retro-ish, but it’s got depth like 2.5D. It looks like Final Fantasy VI, but with amazing visuals. Like, you can see what technology we have behind it. So I like JRPGs, typical turn-based ones. I have been enjoying the Yakuza series, but especially Yakuza 7 because it’s a turn-based RPG. I think I love RPGs a lot besides beat ‘em ups. Even though I like watching fighting game matches, I’m kinda scared trying it for myself. I’m scared of fighting real people. I like to just do it against the CPU. I like computers. I like just beating up bad guys like in beat ‘em ups. 
A-to-J: That sounds good! That’s very nice of you. [Kaho laughs] You don’t want to beat anyone up.
Kaho: Yeah. I don’t wanna feel bad, or I don’t want to start hating someone just because they beat me. I think that’s going to happen. [both laugh]
A-to-J: It’s good to know your limits. So, are there any games you’re looking forward to in the future? Since you like the Yakuza series...
Kaho: Right. It’s coming this month. Definitely Yaukza 8 [Transcriber’s Note: Since the release of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the series formerly known in the West as Yakuza has officially been renamed Like a Dragon. The game referred to here as Yakuza 8 is actually titled Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth in the West and simply as Like a Dragon 8 in Japan.] Hmm... I’ve been just waiting almost forever for the remake of Dragon Quest III. I think they announced it three years ago but haven’t updated much about it. Just a little bit. III is my favorite of Dragon Quest by the way so I’m definitely looking forward to that.

A-to-J: That’s awesome. Your book released in English last year, and you actually had a hand in translating it, right? You helped with the translation process?
Kaho: Yes.  
A-to-J: What is that like? Being able to use your English degree to help readers in a wider audience get to know your words for yourself?
Kaho: I’m glad it finally happened. I’ve been wanting to do it because people wanted to read it in English. Because I do read English and speak English, I sometimes felt: “Ah. This is not how I sound. This is not how I talk in real life.” so there was this kind of trying to negotiate with the translator/editor. It was a tough process. I’m glad it’s finally out there. I’ve been getting good reviews from fans. Well, they’re fans; they’re nice to me. [both laugh] Hopefully a lot more people get curious. I don’t think there are any books about the JAV industry in English. I’m hoping that more people have a chance to choose my book for their reference.
A-to-J: I think you’re doing another book coming out. Is that true?
Kaho: We’ve been talking about it. Just because I have so many ideas...
A-to-J: Hard to narrow it down?
Kaho: Yes. What should I prioritize? It’s really tough. I’ve been wanting to have this BL... Do you know like a BL posing book?
A-to-J: Yeah.
Kaho: Oh yeah, okay. A Boy’s Love posing book. There’s a posing book in Japan and I was like: “That would be a cool idea if I could produce that with...” Yeah, people can guess who I’m gonna bring to that too. [interviewer laughs] Yeah, I was like: “I wanna do that in English too.”
A-to-J: I think people would appreciate that. Everyone loves a good posing book.
Kaho: Yes. I really wanna make that happen too.

A-to-J: As you’ve said, you’ve done all these kinds of things. Are you looking forward to trying any new avenues in the future? Like: “I’m getting into acrylic painting!” or something?
Kaho: I wanna definitely get better at drawing. When I was little, I wanted to become like a mangaka or artist. And I was like: “Ok. I just found my limits,” and that’s it. I definitely want to, if I have the chance and time, learn how to draw. Maybe taking online courses. I’m not sure if I enjoy going to school with younger people. I didn’t enjoy school. I liked the education part, but I didn’t like the socializing part of school. I have been like a typical introvert, a kinda nerd type. I definitely want to take some online courses because there are some animation schools in Japan that have online courses.
A-to-J: So that would be pretty perfect for you?
Kaho: Yes.

A-to-J: It is the start of the new year, what are you most looking forward to professionally and personally for 2024?
Kaho: This year? The game project. I think it can be finished by the end of the year, so I wanna definitely make that happen. We have one whole year, so I’m very excited about that.
A-to-J: Awesome. Where can fans go to learn more about you like your Twitch channel or Twitter?
Kaho: Yes, definitely Twitch. I’ve very active on Twitch. Also, Twitter / X. I’m just still not used to calling it…
A-to-J: Oh yes. I can’t do it either.
Kaho: I hate it. X or Twitter, whichever you prefer calling it. Instagram. I have recently started using TikTok, but I’m still trying to figure out the algorithm for that. All those things.
A-to-J: All the things. Very good. And then, do you have any last-minute words for your fans? A little closing message?
Kaho: Okay. Well, thank you so much for supporting what I do now even though I’ve kinda been doing different things. Maybe for some people, it might look like I’ve been changing. Thank you for accepting who I am and who I have become. Because of you, I get to stay who I am. Thank you so much for the support, and I’d like to see all of you in person eventually.  
A-to-J: Thank you!

We'd like to thank Kaho Shibuya for the interview, and we strongly encourage everyone to check her out via the links below. As always, keep an eye out for more from Kaho in the future! Also, special thanks to Anime Los Angeles for this opportunity!

For More Information on Kaho Shibuya:
Website: https://www.kaho-shibuya.com/
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/shibuya_kaho
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shibukaho
X: https://twitter.com/Shibukaho

The above interview was conducted by Megan Smith. Video, transcription, and editing by Jeffery Kelly. Photography by Ivan Aburto. Additional editing and assistance by Manuel Figueroa.
Picture
]]><![CDATA[Bringing VTubing Into the Future: An Interview with Serina Maiko & Abi Kadabura of V4Mirai]]>Mon, 22 Jan 2024 02:43:19 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/patreon-content/bringing-vtubing-into-the-future-an-interview-with-serina-maiko-abi-kadabura-of-v4mirai
Picture
(Left: Abi Kadabura, Right: Serina Maiko)
V4Mirai is a Virtual YouTuber agency who is also the first English-language project from Japanese company, Brave Group. Bringing together members & talent from around the world, V4Mirai strive to spark something new within the world of VTubing by creating their own future, or "mirai". They recently attended Anime Los Angeles as guests of honor, and they held a special live concert on one of the evenings. We were lucky enough to sit down with first generation "Crystalis" members Abi Kadabura and Serina Maiko. We discussed their start in VTubing, the recent live concert, V4Mirai's plans for the future, and lots more! Whether you're already a fan of theirs, of if you're hearing about them for the first time, you'll want to read on and check out her social media via the links at the end!
A-to-J: Thank you for joining us today! Can you give us a brief introduction about yourselves?
Serina: Of course! Thank you for having me, I’m from V4Mirai’s first generation Crystalis. My name’s Serina Maiko, and I’m the Dancing Princess because I dance a lot and I act like a princess!
[Laughs] I have a very music-focused creation style, and I really want to do more music going into 2024. I’m really excited to bring R&B and jazz, and I guess the more subtle music genres into VTubing. I think it could be a really cool crossover to see. Especially because when I debuted, I debuted with an original R&B song, and I did not expect it to do as well as it did. It really motivated me and encouraged me to do more R&B because I’ve always been trying to adapt to what’s more popular like J-Rock, anime-style music. I’m excited!
A-to-J: Awesome! Thank you, and then, Abi?
Abi: Hi hi! I’m Abi Kadabura. I’m also from Gen 1 Crystalis. I am the stand-up comedy idol of V4. I’m excited to be here! I had a great time at the concert, and I’m so excited to talk to you guys!

A-to-J: Thank you so much! Perhaps we can start with you guys telling us what got you into VTubing.
Serina: For me, I’ve always been interested in idol culture. Growing up I’ve always wanted to be a singer, and then when I got into middle school/high school, I got really into K-Pop and so I wanted to be in a dance group. And then I got really into streaming, and VTubing was kinda like all of that plus a whole new magical world I could create. So I was really excited to become a VTuber. I kinda just stumbled across it. There wasn’t really any big moment where I was like: “This is it!” It was more like I had a bunch of different dreams that I wanted to do, and then VTubing gave me the option to do all of them. Because I was like: “Oh. I don’t wanna have to choose between doing music, or just streaming, or going into voice acting, or just focusing on dance.” I could just do everything as a VTuber. Of course I would also like to be an IRL idol, but with VTubing I feel like I could reach more people which is my main goal: To share my music, and my performing creativity, with as many people as possible. Of course, there’s also the added character building and worldbuilding. Just making a world where people can escape to is a really important part of it for me, and I think having animation and all the flashy colors, character development, and creation is a really big part of that.
Abi: For me, I’ve been kind of idol-trained since a very young age. I probably started my first ballet and acting classes when I was three. I’m from Brazil where there’s very little arts. I wanted to find a place where that was the case. I’m a big gamer as well. It’s been like the anime and gaming community has given a home. I love that, I also love performing, and I also have really bad stage fright. I’m pretty talkative, but I am a huge, huge introvert. I’ve always tried to find communities that would take me in. I love making people feel accepted, and feeling accepted as well. Like in school, I would find the people in the corners, and I would assemble us all together so no one would be alone. That’s kinda what VTubing feels like to me. I get to do everything that I love in a space that I’m much more comfortable in. It helps me a lot and I also get to not only find a home for myself, but also make a home for others. I'm also really interested into bring comedy and stand up to the VTubing space. I think there is a lot of potential in comedy that is not reached, and comedy in the anime culture is so, so special and so hilarious, and the VTubing is so hilarious. I love trailblazing like back home there’s no arts, and I kinda created a space for artists and performers and comedians. I kinda want to keep doing this here as well, like see what people love; whether it’s comedy like I love, or whatever they love that they feel like there isn’t room for, and help them push the walls and keep expanding within this amazing unique community.

A-to-J: Well, on that note, since you guys are really big performers and you love spreading your joy to everyone, how was it doing your concert at the convention?
Serina: It was so much fun! I know I mentioned before that I wanted to be in a dance group. I love group activities so, so much. I did also think about being a soloist one day, but for me I think I’ll always choose group stuff over solo activities any day. I don’t know... It made my heart swell getting to be onstage and dance and interact with the girls. That feeling of unity. Doing a concert together, you really connect with each other in a way that you’ve never really experienced before. I really, really enjoyed it. I loved every second of it. I was really happy, especially when you see the penlights, which was really, really exciting, on the monitor. It was a really good time. I’m really happy. I grinded a lot both vocally and choreography-wise. I was practicing the choreography up until the day of the concert just over and over and over again. It like haunts me now. I can’t listen to the music without dancing to it.
A-to-J: That’s awesome.
Abi: For me, it was so, so, so special. I’ve been working a lot on believing in myself and just seeing how many people were there and excited for all of us. It was so, so nice. I have a lot of stage fright. I’ve been idol-trained since I was three, but it’s very hard for me to actually perform live, so I have all of this... honestly, technique that I can’t show the world. It was so nice because it was the first time that I felt really enthusiastic. I was telling our CEO: “From now on, the world is my oyster,” because I feel like after accomplishing that, I have the support of V4 and all the girls and I feel like: “Wow! I love where I’m at. I love my community. I love these girls. I can actually enjoy this and do this.” It was a pivotal moment. It was like my change, like it’s my protagonist arc. I’ve now crossed over that bridge and it’s exciting. The world is different.
A-to-J: That really great to hear! So, V4Mirai is a group focused on the future. What does that mean exactly to you? What do you think the future looks like?
Abi: I love that question.
Serina: To me, the future is more diversity, not just in creators, but also the type of content that we do. As it is right now, VTubing is getting very, very popular, and a lot of what you’d more commonly see in VTubing would be J-Rock or anime music or J-Pop, stuff like that. I know I mentioned it before, but something that’s really important to me is not only introducing new genres, or like fusing new genres into that, but also being here as a Black corporate VTuber and standing out for them; representing that community in a space that I haven’t seen a lot of others. There are a lot of other Black VTubers, especially in the independent scene, but when I look at corporate VTubers, there’s definitely a much smaller percentage than there is of other types of VTubers. For me V4Mirai is about pushing boundaries, trying new things, showing that you can grow even if you’re not the same as everyone else, showing that you don’t need to do what’s like “VTuber meta." Regardless of how fast or slow that you grow, you should stick by it because I see VTubing as only ever getting bigger and bigger, and more popular. And the more popular it gets the more people are gonna want to do new things and take more risks. I think it’s entirely worth it.
Abi: I love, love, love this question. V4Mirai is a Japanese company so we have great roots in the tradition of VTubing and management that is an expert in so many aspects; all of it. Something that we admire and we study. Our goal coming here to the US and abroad is really to just keep pushing boundaries, and I think supporting each other in our dreams. I think it’s very easy to distance yourself from creators who are doing different things because you don’t necessarily want to be associated with pushing boundaries; like it’s hard. I think that us all supporting each other and reaching our dreams toghether is super important to me. When Serina wants to bring her new music and anything she wants to talk about, being there for her is super important to me because that’s what the organization is about: supporting each other in our dreams and pushing boundaries.
Also, personally, I really do wanna bring comedy to this space, and I am really cherishing that. I am from Brazil, and I have a good Brazilian following, and VTubing is even newer there so kind of just helping spread that around and bring more joy to different people is super important to me. E-sports and gaming has been getting huger in favela [Brazilian working-class neighborhoods], as in Brazil, and it’s been a great way for people to escape their current circumstances, and find hope in a place where a lot of things can seem hopeless. The education in those places can be weaker and it can feel like the world is not your oyster, but it should. There are so many talented, amazing people. So I think that continuing to spread the culture, push boundaries with my genmates, push boundaries in comedy, but also push boundaries for my Brazilian followers I think, is super important to me. Bring VTubing to new people, bring VTubing to new spaces, and bring new opportunities through VTubing to everyone who desires them.

A-to-J: As Gen 1, did you feel nervous about becoming senpai and being good role models for your kouhai when Gen 2 was announced?
[Abi laughs]
Serina: Yeah. I feel like, especially with how soon everything happened, I was like: “I was just born! Now I’m a senpai? I don’t know how to mentor people. I don’t know anything. I’m still figuring out half of this stuff myself. I can barely get Vtube Studio running half the time.” [Everyone laughs] I was very nervous especially coming into this as someone who has a very, very different perspective on VTubing, and a very different goal and expectation for my personal content. It does feel like there are some times where I can’t be as helpful to them as they might either expect or need me to be just because of how different I am, but regardless, senpai, kouhai, whatever, we all get along really well. I think that’s the most important thing; just being able to work together. Especially because I know our goal right now is that we really wanna try to combat gen division as much as possible. That’s why we have the sub-units for the concerts, which are kind of mixed up between Gen 1 and Gen 2. I kinda just see us all as just a six-member group right now. I try not to worry too much about my senpai duties, and it has nothing to do with me not knowing what my senpai duties are... I swear.
[Serina laughs and then Abi laughs]
Abi: Yeah, It’s different because we’re the youngest so it’s interesting. We want to be respectful as well, so we’ve been trailing it very mindfully. That is the outcome of our organization. Part of pushing the boundaries is us having just one big group that is supporting each other, rather than just sub-units. Mainly considering Serina and I are a two-person generation. So as much as we can all feel like a big family, it gives us all a greater sense of home, so it’s been scary. Also, again my content is very particular. I am very focused on comedy, and I have huge bilingual Brazilian content, so I could teach them that. But we’re all just supporting each other, and I think the emotional support is a huge chunk of it. Just having someone to talk to at any hour of the day to be like: “Oh, I’m dealing with this or I’m excited about this,” and knowing someone is there, it’s less of a responsibility, more of a delight that we have more people to share that with now.

A-to-J: This question is for Serina: I know you’re more comfortable on stage than you are in a castle. What did you have to do to escape your princess duties in order to be able to perform for everyone?
Serina: Y’all, a lot of people died! [Everyone laughs] So basically, what happened... There was a demon army that attacked my village. It was very sad so I got sent to V4 Academy to cope with it, but also to really get to express myself. You know, I grew up the youngest of four. I’ve always been kind of like sheltered, and like it gets kind of stuffy. I didn’t really have anybody to perform for. Things kind of just fell into place for me which makes me really happy. I’m really, really grateful to V4 for all the opportunities they give me and I’m very excited because they’re always learning new things about me. [Laughs] They’ll always be like: “I didn’t know you dance. I didn’t know you do that. I didn’t know you do this,” and I’m just like: “Yeah. I have a lot of things I’ve never really got to show anybody before,” so it’s a really big opportunity for me.

A-to-J: This question is for Abi. I noticed that you have an incredible buff model. I’m very impressed with your hard work! Can I ask what your workout routine is like to be able to maintain that physique?
Abi: [Pants] Okay. I’m gonna be honest with you. I’ve just been a dancer and a gymnast since I was a very young kid. This is such a horrible answer. The way I grew up, I developed a lot of muscle. I used to be bullied for my abs in like middle school. At this point, all I do is kind of maintain it. Cringe Honesty: You’ve gotta overload yourself. If you don’t go ‘til failure, your muscles won’t grow. Eat well. Rest well. Creatine. That’s not steroids. A lot of it is dancing. Dancing surprisingly keeps you very strong. In ballet training, arms are out for hours. I would take like nine hours of ballet. Those big boys are there. Yeah. No steroids. Natty.
A-to-J: Awesome! Thank you. In honor of the new year, what are some of your goals and resolutions for 2024?
[Error 404: Serina Not Found]
Abi: Thank you for your questions! They’re really great questions!
[Serina reconnects]
Serina: I really, really, really wanna do more music. My goal is to do something musical at least monthly, but I don’t wanna like oversell and underdeliver so if it doesn’t happen, that’s on me. I really want to do significantly more music. I wanna do both high effort, low effort, just anything even if it’s just a one take Live2D karaoke thing. [Laughs] I really just want to show off my voice more. This one’s a little bit more difficulty accessibility-wise, but I want to do more dancing stuff. 3D is scary, but I really want to be able to do more dance stuff. I wanna do more dance covers. I gotta figure out a way to do that in a way that’s a little more efficient. For me, it’s mostly more performing stuff. The biggest thing for me... I guess not to get like emotional, but I really want to talk about being Black more, like being a Black creator. I feel, when I first debuted, I was very intimidated talking about it. I was kind of under the impression that there would be people who consume my content and just convince themselves that I’m just tan, or I’m just gyaru, because that’s the only way that they would accept it. As I get more confident in myself and my content and my creations, I feel more accepted with the girls and the community that I do have. I feel like I don’t really need to worry about it as much. I was scared that I was like: “Oh, if I talk about being Black, my numbers’ll go down because people don’t want to consume that, or they don’t want to think about it. It ruins things for them,” and I’m like: “Honestly, if me being Black ruins VTubing or anime for them, then I don’t need that community.” I wanna be more open about it. I want other Black creators to feel being open about it as well.
A-to-J: Yeah, that’s a really great point. Abi, how about you?
Abi: Oh my god. Goals for 2024? I was just so excited by Serina talking I forgot the question. For 2024, my goal is to get to do a standup comedy special as a VTuber. I am hard at work on it. There’s a lot that goes into doing it. To do a good stand-up set, you basically have to run it a million times, and run it with different audiences. How you do that when the tech doesn’t allow you to see your audience, and stand up involves crowd work so heavily, so that is something we’ve been working on, ever since debut really, trying to figure out how to optimally do it in a way that the essence of VTubing is still there, as well as the essence of stand-up comedy. Because it’s very close to streaming. They are very tightly knit, but the matter of seeing people's reactions and calling them out with lags and all of that is a fine art to tune. Perfecting that in the next year is super important to me. I really do love comedy, and I really desire to do that. I will also be doing more comedic covers in the next few months. I think it’s a nice way to merge my idol ambitions and my comedy ambitions. I will keep trying to do at least once a month “A Poorly Portuguese Stream.” I have subtitles on my stream and I really try to switch up. I’m from Brazil. I just moved here and a lot of the Brazilian followers have been super supportive of me and really trying to help me out. I wanna make sure that I don’t go like: “Oh my gosh! Thank you for helping me grow. Goodbye!” I want them to feel appreciated every step of the way, whether it’s helping them learn English so they can consume more different content, whether it’s just helping other VTubers from Brazil reach worldwide demographics, or just doing my best to do more Portuguese streams and just bringing their culture abroad. I wanna make sure I’m grateful for how kind they have been to me. Also, you know, Brazil-mention. Whether it annoys people or not, I would love for my culture to be more meta in the online space. It is. We all know about it, but there are still many cool things that I still wanna share. Those are my main goals, but also for us, it’s so important that the V4 girls help each other out, so another goal is just to make time to also help my fellow creators, not prioritize myself so much and my goals that I can’t be there for them.

A-to-J: We are just about out of time, but would you guys like to give a short little goodbye to your fans?
Serina: Abi, you should go first. I’ve gone first every question so far.  
Abi: You know I love it when you go first. You’re doing this to me on purpose! [Laughs] Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll do it. I’m so grateful to all of you whether you came, whether you’re watching the concert later on, you’re just reading this interview, you just comment a sticker in chat every two months, I love all of you guys. I really appreciate your support. I hope I bring you joy and please, please check out all of the girls. Every one is so unique and special. Serina is my best friend for life, but so are all the other ones. I love every single girl, and they’re so unique so please, if you enjoy our content, check us all out and share us with your friends. Help grow the V4 family.
A-to-J: And Serina?
Serina: For me, I just want to say thank you so, so much. Not just to my community but also the V4 staff, all the V4 girls. Like Abi said, we’re besties but I also really, really like the second gen girls as well. They’re all so, so sweet and they’re so different in their own ways. I love getting to like squeal with them if that makes any sense, and do late night karaoke, and hang out with them, and share our interests. I just want to say thank you so much to the community for making me feel so comfortable and accepted. I know how much I gush about the company all the time, and how much I love being in V4. The management’s also so, so, so accommodating, and they’re always so welcoming and it makes me really happy. Because I know that not a lot of Black people working, especially in corporate jobs, can say that they feel genuinely like they’re equal with everybody and that they feel genuinely really comfortable. It’s little things like when we’re getting art done , and one of the managers will call out: “I think Serina’s looking a little light. Can we take her a couple shades darker?” They just do so many little things to make me feel genuinely seen and cared about and it makes me really happy. I know this is supposed to be a thank you to the community so yes, thank you to the community as well. Because they also make me feel so comfortable being myself and feel so accepted being myself, and I hope that we can tap into that and we can really expand the community, not just in VTubing, but just in streamer culture in general. I really wanna reach out to like the IRL viewers especially the people that like watching other Black streamers. I really wanna tap into that community so if you’ll have me, I’m on my way.
Abi: They will have you.
A-to-J: Awesome! Thank you guys so much for the interview!

We'd like to thank Abi Kadabura, Serina Maiko, and V4Mirai for the interview and we strongly encourage everyone to check them out via the links below. As always, keep an eye out for more from V4Mirai in the future! Also, special thanks to Anime Los Angeles for this opportunity!

For More Information:
V4Mirai Site: https://v4mirai.com/
Abi Kadabura Twitter: https://twitter.com/AbiKadabura
Abi Kadabura YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AbiKadabura
Serina Maiko Twitter: https://twitter.com/SerinaMaiko
Serina Maiko YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SerinaMaiko

The above interview was conducted by Megan Smith. Transcription by Jeffery Kelly. Photography by Ivan Aburto.
Picture
]]><![CDATA[Making Weebs Laugh: An Inerview with Lemar "The Con Guy" Harris]]>Fri, 19 Jan 2024 11:39:18 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/patreon-content/making-weebs-laugh-an-inerview-with-lemar-the-con-guy-harris
Picture
We at A-to-J Connections have been trying to expand our horizons when it comes to our interviews at events and conventions, and this one is quite a bit different than the ones we usually do. No stranger to conventions, Lemar "The Con Guy" Harris has hosted several interactive panels at conventions across the country, and can often be found at karaoke and comedy events. He's graced the legendary stage at the World Famous Comedy Store, and has been featured at conventions like Kawaii Kon, Level Up Expo, Anime Expo, and Anime Los Angeles. He's also taken part in several TTRPG streams including The Imitative Order, New Age Geeks, Creators Assemble, Open Circuit Studios, Guild Superior, FaeWildnOut, and many more. We caught up to him at Anime Los Angeles recently, and we discussed his start in the convention scene, his TTRPG history, and some of his thoughts regarding playing versus DMing. This is an interview you don't want to miss, so read on and be sure to check out his social media via the links at the end!
A-to-J: Thank you for the interview! Can you please give us an introduction and tell us a little about yourself?
Lemar: Yes. [Irish accent] Top o’ the morning to you, lads! [Normal accent] My name is Lemar Harris AKA Lemar the Con Guy, “L-E-M-A-R The Con Guy”. You can find me on all social medias made before 2023 as LemarTheConGuy. Anything after that, I don’t care. I wanna care but I can’t because I’m tired.

A-to-J: We’ll keep that in mind. Thank you. As you said, you’re known as Lemar the Con Guy. How did you get started doing cons and panels?
Lemar: It’s a hilarious story. My very first convention, at least in California, was in 2016. I went to Anime Expo because my friends tricked me into going. What happened was that they have a comedy competition called the Late Comedy Showdown. I accidentally joined, and I accidentally won. From there I made friends, and they said: “Go to Anime Los Angeles.” So, I went to Anime Los Angeles, and the first day I saw someone getting pulled out by a stretcher from the Rachetson. [Transcriber’s Note: This was apparently a nickname for the then-Radisson hotel rented out by Anime Los Angeles for congoers to stay and party at all hours.] But from there, what happened was I then took a class about how to do panels from a guy named Victor Frost. I won that class, and next year I was able to do more panels, and I just kinda snowballed from there. I think the greatest number of panels I’ve ever done was 18 in 2019 for ALA.  
A-to-J: Wow! That’s a lot of panels.
Lemar: It was a few.

A-to-J: [Laughs] Do you have any advice for someone who wants to get into doing panels at conventions?
Lemar: Yeah, if you want to do something for panels for conventions and stuff like that, here’s my greatest advice: 
1. Do a panel on something you have some form of passion about. Most of my panels are on karaoke and comedy and stuff like that. Just make a panel about something and just be passionate about it.
2. Try and tailor it, kind of like for the theme of the convention. Not just sports or isekai, but if it’s an anime convention, make it about anime or Japanese, comic book stuff like that.
3. Be professional. That’s the last thing a lot of people forget. When you do a panel, you are presenting something for a con which is a company, and they want to make sure what you do is of quality and not going to make people feel bad. So always stay professional. Be on time. Ask the right questions. Be grateful and humble because everyone here is mostly volunteers, right? 
So, that’s the thing.

A-to-J: I actually volunteer at a lot of conventions. I can definitely say that being professional is important.
Lemar: Yeah, be nice to the volunteers, dude. They’re here because they have a passion. First thing, if you’re treating people who work for you like shit, you’re a bad person. Don’t treat the volunteers who are also twelve hours sleep deprived like shit because your badge didn’t get here fast enough, or you couldn’t touch the one cosplayer that said: “Please don’t touch me.” You’re an asshole! Be nice to volunteers!
A-to-J: Yeah, it’s just a simple thing.
Lemar: Yeah.

A-to-J: Going off all the kinds of panels you do, what’s your favorite type of panel to run, and what kind of energy do you bring to your panels?
Lemar: My bread and butter for panels, the ones I love the most, are interactive panels. Something where the audience or other people get to do something. Rather, they’re building it or singing or acting or performing or actively learning something other than the history of stuff. I really enjoy those the most so for all the panels I do, I like to have some sort of interactive stuff. Like I do one panel on karaoke which I have people do a little bit of singing so they can figure out what their vocal range is. And then we play music, we move around, we stretch around stuff like that. There’s a place for interview and talking head panels and stuff like that, but I bet people like to break it up and physically do something while they’re here.   
A-to-J: Yeah, I understand. My favorite kinds of panels are game shows. Like, you do Family Feud, and I do Um, Anime & Anime Connect.
Lemar: Oh, yeah. I love my game shows because they’re always randomly wild.

A-to-J: Yeah. Actually, you bring a very great energy as host from what I’ve seen of Family Feud [at San Diego Anime Con]. In addition to cons, you’ve done a lot of Tabletop RPG (TTRPG) adjacent work. If you were a TTRPG character, what kind of stats would you have?
Lemar: [Slaps table and picks up his phone] Give me one second. I know this is not planned in the interview but I actually did this to myself a few days ago.  I actually have myself in DNDBeyond.  Give me a second. Hold on. Because I was looking at myself and I was like: “Okay, Lemar. What would you be if you were a legit D&D character?”
A-to-J: [Laughs]
Lemar: “With the respect of, you’re a human and you’re a superpower." Okay.  
  • Because I’m a big man but I can still move, so I gave myself a 14 in Strength. Superhero strength.  
  • Dexterity 0.  Don’t worry about it.  
  • I don’t get sick that often so I gave myself a +1 for Constitution but if you punch me, I’m gonna cry so +1 in Constitution.  
  • Intelligence I’m dumb as shit so I got a -1.  
  • Wisdom +4 because while I don’t know that a tomato is a fruit, I know not to put that shit in a sandwich. [Transcriber’s Note: I think he means fruit salad. At least that’s the version I’ve seen.]
  • And then, Charisma +4 because, yeah.
I don’t know why I put Cleric as my class. You would think Bard. I think I’m going to move that to Bard. Yeah. I’m not even lying to you. It’s right fuckin’ here. I put myself in DND Beyond. [Shows phone with character sheet to camera] I actually made myself as a character.
A-to-J: Could you send us that afterwards please? [Transcriber's Note: Can be viewed above & on-screen the video version!] I was like: “Okay. I’m going to make the stats for this as he’s saying them and edit them in but oh, he’s already done it for me.” Thank you!
Lemar: I’ve already done it.  I got my Saving Throws. Did I set my spells? I think I set my spells? Guidance, Spare the Dying? I gotta make myself a Bard. I don’t know why I have Command and Cure Wounds. I can’t heal shit. I dropped out of Boy Scouts. I have one badge and it says: “You showed up.”
A-to-J: So you can’t be a Ranger either?
Lemar: [Laughs] No! I hate nature. I work with computers for a living. Don’t put me outside. I’ll die immediately.
[One minute of laughter later]

A-to-J: Obviously, there are a lot of big RPGs like your D&Ds, Pathfinders and Worlds of Darkness. Are there any smaller or lesser-known RPGs that you like to play?
Lemar: Oh my god. Yeah. Actually, this weekend, I’m on an actual play for a TTRPG called Fabula Ultima... Fab... Fabu... Fabula Ultima? Yes, that's it.
A-to-J: The JRPG [Japanese Roleplaying Game] inspired one?
Lemar: It is a JRPG-inspired RPG that is... The people who make it are going to be mad I say this, but it is Cortex-adjacent [Referring to the Cortex family of TTRPGs] where you use a plethora of dice not just your D20s [twenty-sided dice] primarily for your different stats, and try to beat a number and stuff like that. That’s a lot of fun, and then, I can’t think of ‘em, but I’m really starting to enjoy one-pager TTRPGs. There’s one Reindeer Games or something like that...
A-to-J: Oh, the Christmas one?
Lemar: Yeah!
A-to-J: I’ve been trying to run that for a while.
Lemar: And there’s one more I have to mention because I love this idea so much. It’s still in beta. It’s not out yet, but there’s a TTRPG called Jukebox and it is a karaoke-based DM-less TTRPG where basically you and four friends make a musical live based on songs you’re singing, and the success and failures is based on pulling cards from a deck. It is the greatest thing I’ve ever heard of. I have been playing it by myself. I’ve been waiting for four of my friends to be nerdy enough to do this shit for me but that’s what I’ve really been looking into and stuff like that. Because, I met the creator at a different con about it. Karaoke TTRPG? Yeah, give it to me! This is mine. This is mine now! And so, that’s another one I’ve been looking into. Yeah, World of Darkness, D&D that’s [sic] the big ones that everyone’s playing.

A-to-J: You DM as well as play, correct?
Lemar: I also Dungeon Master as well as play. I’ve been doing that for a while now.
A-to-J: What are some of the differences you’ve encountered especially on your end? Because, I’m sure you play very differently than you DM.
Lemar: Yes. So, DMing vs Playing. When you’re a player, you’re a brat. You’re just a big brat and you say: “I wanna do this!” and your Dungeon Master saysL “You can’t do this!” and you go: “But, I wanna roll for it!” and then the dice decides who really does it. And also, it’s a pure enjoyment. Being a player is so much fun because you can sit back and you can enjoy, and you can watch it play out and stuff like that, and you are going with no expectations except for what’s in front of you.
As a Dungeon Master, you are a tough sub really because they’re telling you everything you’re supposed to do. Dungeon Masters always have plans that will never happen, right? So when I’m Dungeon Mastering, I know what’s supposed to start [things], what’s supposed to happen in the middle, and how I’m supposed to get to the end. When I first started, I was like: “Oh, they’re going to do this. Then, they’re going to do that. They’re going to do this. Then, they’re going to do that.” And my players go: “Go fuck yourself! I’m not gonna do any of that!” and I have to figure out how to get there. So, you really have to be good with improv and stuff like that, but with DMing, your fun, it’s edging, right? With players, your fun is a long stretch out because everything is new for you. As a Dungeon Master, you know what’s supposed to happen, but you’re waiting for all the things to line up perfectly to get to that big explosion moment, and that’s what we live for. The time-to-time is still fun, you’re [improvising] and stuff like that but, you’re really just trying to keep a sinking ship afloat until you can blow the ship up.

A-to-J: [J.D.] Yeah, I DM for our channel’s campaign right now. You’re perfectly describing how Manuel and some of the other ones play. I don’t mean to get too much into self-promotion but in our most recent episode [Manuel] and one of the other players were basically plotting to kill two NPCs’ parents just so they could take over.
A-to-J: [Manuel] It sounds funny out of context, but yeah.  
Lemar: Out of context? In context, it makes sense?
A-to-J: [Manuel] It’s funny because it leads me to the next question perfectly. I’ll admit I’m that player sometimes. You know, THAT Player, and I’m sure you’ve experienced THAT Player in your own campaigns. Everyone has THAT Player if you’ve DMed. You have any horror stories of things like that that have happened to you?
Lemar: Oh god! Well, here’s the thing. I like causing emotional damage. Let me think about it because there’s a lot of... Ooooh! [slams hands on table] So I made a campaign, which I’m still writing out so other people can play called The Dice is Right in which I made basically a game master dungeon, right? So, you play different games and stuff like that. We had one player that was like the Shadowheart [a companion from the video game Baldur’s Gate III]. “Me! I’m the special character. It’s all about me!” It was driving me crazy because they would go on these five-minute monologues that had nothing to do with what was going on. I was like: “Okay,” and I let them do it for like two episodes, and at some point I was like: “Here’s the next game: You have five words to accomplish what you want to do. If you go over five words, you will take 1d6 [one roll of a six-sided die] damage for every word above what you did.”
[Everyone Laughs]
Lemar: And so it was great because I had a quiet person at the table who was apprehensive, having fun, but apprehensive, and they had to do stuff. And the one who would not shut the [pops lip] up almost died because they could not not monologue. That’s what I did. You just gotta... You gotta... The hard thing is to make sure that everyone at the table is having fun, but also make sure you just snip them in the bud a little bit, and then keep them going. If you’re having a problem with a player, kill ‘em. Kill ‘em. Kill them with their own actions, right? Just like I did. If you won’t stop talking, I’ll do something to make you stop talking.  
[Laughter] 

A-to-J: Sorry. It was that and you talked about having to plan for player shenanigans which is my other campaign that I run not for A-to-J. Sometimes, I have plans but recently, it’s just been: Here’s the setup. Here’s how it’s probably going to end. Player shenanigans somewhere in the middle.   
Lemar: So many people get worried about DMing because they put DMs on a pedestal which we belong there, but still, the hardest thing is if you’re nervous about improv or “saying something wrong”.  Because that’s the thing that a lot of new players and DMs get is that there is technically nothing that is wrong in the world. Even in established lore and stuff like that in Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder, where we have things like Kingmaker [a Pathfinder adventure path that was also turned into a video game] and the Feywilds. You can still say: “I’m from Cleveland.” No one’s going to say you’re wrong. I used a Luxodon [elephant person] in the Feywilds. Do they belong there? No, but I still did that. Once you’ve realized that there’s no such thing as something intrinsically wrong with your character, or as a Dungeon Master, you are lore. The Dungeon Master is the lore. I don’t care what happens. It's actually not in the book. We used to say this all the time but one of the first rules of D&D is that this book is a guide. It’s not in there but it’s true. You can technically play any TTRPG and say: “Fuck the rules!” as long as you all agree to what is happening there. As long as everyone’s having fun, and says what your words are, that’s fine. So you are canon.

A-to-J: I think that’s a great way to look at that. Making sure that the rules don’t get in the way of the fun and the story.  
Lemar: With that said, I do wanna say I loved the new Dungeon & Dragons movie [Honor Among Thieves], but as a Rules Lawyer, it drove me in-fucking-sane. I have no idea what level that Druid [Doric] is, but it’s not any level that should be in this game. How many Wild Shapes did you do in five minutes? You can fly, swim, and crawl? Okay. That’s a level 12 Druid here. I don’t know why you’re having difficulty doing anything. You’re an owlbear? Okay. You’re full of shit.  
[Transcriber’s Note: Going by her official character sheet, she’s probably level 16 with a special form of Wild Shape called Change Shape that allows her to transform into an owlbear in addition to the normal forms five times per day rather than the usual two.]
A-to-J: It’s just a reflavored bear.  
Lemar: Baldur’s Gate [III] really reformed my idea of owlbears, because I’m playing a Druid in Baldur’s Gate right now and I’m trying to make a bear group right now. So, it’s me, Halsin, my Druid is three points in Ranger so I have a bear companion, and he also turns into a bear so there’s four bears [Laughter] in the party just walking around, and Shadowheart to keep us alive.
A-to-J: I’m just imagining the Sir Barrington story about that bear with really high Deception and the one guy who saw through it.
Lemar: I saw a TikTok of a guy who was like: “I’m down. Oh, you fall out of Wild Shape? No, I’m just a bear. What? Yeah, I’m just a bear. You’ve just been following us as a bear this whole time? Yeah.” [Laughter] That’s amazing.

A-to-J: Well, circling back since we’re going to wrap up in a second, back to panels and conventions and what not, out of curiosity is there any panel that you have not done that you hope to do one day?  Like, as panelists, I think we all have those panels on the backburner.
Lemar: Oh god! Yeah, I’m going through my rolodex of panels. Because, what I’m trying to do... What I want to do is more panels. My goal is: I want to do a track of panels, right? So, I have two panels about karaoke. One’s about the history, one’s vocal performance, and I want to do one that’s like actual physical performances at some point. But what I’m really trying to do is make guests at these cons do Hollywood Squares or Family Feud. I’m trying to do that stuff, and what else do I have? It’s all game shows right now. Oh, I want to do a lip-syncing competition at some point. But yeah, that’s what I’m trying to do. Everything else has kinda came true. I can’t believe I got Make Weebs Laugh. It’s a “Try Not to Laugh” challenge. That’s all it is. It’s one of the better panels I do at this con. It’s always fuckin’ full room of people just trying to make people laugh and it’s hilarious.

A-to-J: What are some of your plans after ALA?  What else you got lined up?
Lemar: So, after ALA, I have a bit of a lull actually. The next one I’m slated to do is... I’m running karaoke and doing some comedy at a convention called TsumiCon in Vegas, and then I might return to Las Vegas for Lvl Up Expo to do comedy, and I’m desperately trying to get them to allow me to do karaoke for them. Other than that, this year I’m trying to slow down. I did 13 cons last year, some of them out of state, and I need to calm the fuck down. [Laughs] ‘Cuz I’m tired. But, those are the ones slated so far, and if you want to see everything I’m doing, follow me @LemarTheConGuy on Instagram, Twitch, Twitter, Bluesky, Hive... Uhh... TikTok, Facebook [Looks at his hands and gestures exasperatedly] 
    
A-to-J: Anywhere! Closing words, last closing message.
Lemar: Last closing message: Whatever you do in life, you have about 75 years, only about 65 of them as your own mobile life, so do some shit and have fun, and if someone tells you: “You can’t do it!” Fuck ‘em!
A-to-J: [Laughs] That’s very good advice. Thank you so much for the interview.  
Lemar: Hell yeah!

We'd like to thank Lemar Harris for the interview and we strongly encourage everyone to check him out via the link below. As always, keep an eye out for more from Lemar in the future! Also, special thanks to Anime Los Angeles for this opportunity!

For More Information on Lemar Harris:
https://linktr.ee/LemarTheConGuy

The above interview was conducted by Jeffery Kelly and Manuel Figueroa. Video, transcription, and editing by Jeffery Kelly.
]]><![CDATA[Kitty Kitty Meow: An Interview with Voice Actress Kari Wahlgren]]>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 10:00:29 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/patreon-content/kitty-kitty-meow-an-interview-with-voice-actress-kari-wahlgren
Picture
Kari Wahlgren is a voice actor whose first role is also one of her best-known: Haruko from FLCL. Besides that groundbreaking role, she's also voiced characters like Fuu (Samurai Champloo), Saber (Fate series), Kagami (Lucky Star), Tayuya (Naruto), just to name a few. Not limiting herself to just anime, she can also be heard in several American animated shows. Some of her well-known characters in that field include Starfire (Teen Titans movies), Jessica and Rick's Spaceship (Rick And Morty), Emma Frost (Wolverine & The X-Men), and many more. Video game enthusiasts might also recognize her as Aranea (Final Fantasy XV), Ashe (Final Fantasy XII), Raine (Tales of Symphonia), Kitana (Mortal Kombat 11), and many others. We were lucky enough to catch up to her at Anime Los Angeles recently, and we discussed some of her favorite lines, various roles, her thoughts on getting to revisit Haruko in the FLCL sequels, and even her jazzy music covers. Fans of Kari, or those who are discovering her for the first time, will want to read on and check out her social media via the links at the end!
A-to-J: Thank you so much for meeting with us today! Would you mind introducing yourself? 
Kari: Yes, I’m Kari Wahlgren, and I’m a voice actress.

A-to-J: Wonderful! So, my first question for you today is: You’ve played some pretty vicious characters throughout your career...
Kari: [Mock Surprise] Who? Me? [Both Laugh]
A-to-J: ... such as Magness in ATOM and Harley Quinn in Gotham Knights more recently. How do you get in the mindset to play characters for preschool shows like T.O.T.S. and Pupstruction?
Kari: You know, it’s so funny; I just became a mom 11 months ago, so the whole preschool age shows have taken on a whole new kind of specialness to me, so I definitely tap into that. But I think we all have kind of a dark side, and even if we don’t flip someone off in traffic, or even if we don’t say what we really want to say to the person that we get snubbed by, somewhere all of that is inside of us. So with the villain characters, it’s just a fun excuse to let that darker side out. People always ask me: “Is it more fun to play heroes or villains?” It’s always villains.
A-to-J: It makes sense. You get that nice relief. Then you can look at your baby and go: “Alright, it’s toddler time!”
Kari: [As if to her child] Don’t act that way! [Both Laugh]

A-to-J: That’s cute. Thank you. You just released an awesome jazz cover of “Nothin’ But a Good Time” on Spotify and other platforms. I really enjoyed hearing that. What inspired you to do that version instead of the original? It seems like that soft rock is more of your thing, and this felt very natural so I would love to know how you came up with that.  
Kari: Yes. Thank you. Honestly, I loved hair bands when I was younger, but I wasn’t allowed to listen to that music really. When I was an adult, probably back in about 2016, I started going to concerts and I just fell in love with it. So I found like: “I’m in love with this hair band music,” but I can’t sing it necessarily like the original singers. So I was like: “How do I sing it? How do I make it my own? And how do I do it in my own special way?” I’ve always loved jazz. I grew up with jazz, and I grew up with musical theater. So I started hearing some of these songs in my head in jazz versions. So I started releasing a couple of songs like that, and it’s been really fulfilling. It’s been a lot of fun.

A-to-J: You’ve reprised very popular roles like Saber from the Fate series as well as Haruko from FLCL so many years later. Have you had trouble getting back into these voices or has it been more of a natural thing to revisit them after so many years?
Kari: Oh, that’s such a great question. You know, especially with FLCL, I never thought we would do a sequel. People would ask over the years, and after a certain number of years I would think to myself: “Just give it a rest, guys. They’re never gonna make a sequel.” Right? Thirteen years later...
A-to-J: After a decade, you kinda want to give up at that point.
Kari: You just kinda think: “Well, it’s just never gonna happen.” But when we went back into the studio for the FLCL sequel, one line in and it felt like putting on your favorite old sweater that was just so comforting, and even if you hadn’t worn it in a long time, it just immediately felt good. Everyone in the studio just kind of looked at each other and was like...
A-to-J: “Oh, we’re back, baby!”
Kari: “We’re back!” Yeah! So with that one very much, it felt that way. And with Saber, every time I’ve gotten cast again to be able to play her in one of the titles, they keep some voice reference. Usually it’s just [Saber voice] “EXCALIBUR!” and then we’re back. Like: “Oh yeah! Back in the headspace.” So it’s kind of like just slipping on that fun sweater.  

A-to-J: That’s awesome. On that note, are there any lines from characters you’ve voiced that you just use in your daily life? Like something that just resonated with you; it was just really funny and quirky that you like to use?
Kari: Oh my gosh! I do, in fact say: [Haruko voice] “Kitty kitty meow!” a lot from FLCL. That one has just crept into the vernacular and I have cats. 
A-to-J: So very fitting.
Kari: I love cats so the snarkiness of it is just great.
A-to-J: For me, it would be you as Raine [from Tales of Symphonia] saying: “You know the word ‘avaricious’? Wow! That’s such a good word!” Any time I hear someone say like a big word, awe that’s... [Snaps]
Kari: That’s amazing! You get major points for that one! [Finger Guns]
 
A-to-J: I know you like some video games, more old school stuff, but I was wondering; since you’ve done so many video games yourself like Mileena and Kitana in Mortal Kombat 1 and Aranea in Final Fantasy XV (as a DLC character, you can use her), do you ever play yourself in these video games just to get a taste of the other side?
Kari: I do, but I play badly. Like I play so badly that if I... I like to do it just so I can see how the gameplay turned out, but if I want to get any further in the story or the level, I just have to watch clips on YouTube or something. Like of people playing or doing the cutscenes because I’m sure a bad gamer.

A-to-J: Ah, that’s totally good. So what are the kinds of games that you like to play normally?
Kari: As far as video games, I’m super old school. There’s just something just very comforting to me about Ms. Pac-Man and Mortal Kombat 3. That was my gateway Mortal Kombat game. They have the consoles now where they’ve got the old, classic games built in there, and that kinda takes me way, way back to childhood.
A-to-J: I was playing Mortal Kombat 3 in Texas Roadhouse before dinner.
Kari: [Points at herself] Pizza Hut! Pizza Hut! [They high five] Oh my god! Okay. Oh my gosh! You know. [Whispers] She knows! You’re my spirit sister on that so absolutely!

A-to-J: Thank you very much! That’s about all the questions we have, Do you have any final words for your fans? Any upcoming events that you’d like people to check out? And anything you can tell us on future projects? I know you usually know more than you’re entitled to say but anything that you can say to have people look out for.
Kari: Because it’s out right now, I can say that the most recent season of Rick and Morty is out right now and I’ve got some really fun stuff in that season which is great. 
A-to-J: Because, you normally do Jessica and the ship as well.
Kari: And the ship, but without giving any spoilers, there is another character that comes back in this season. That was a really fun episode to do. The rest of the stuff, I’m under NDA [both laugh], so I can’t talk about it. Fans can find me on social media. I’m @KariWahlgren on Instagram, I have a Facebook Official page. I’m on TikTok. I’m on The Artist Formerly Known as Twitter. I really do love hearing from fans, and connecting with fans there, so follow me and let’s keep in touch.

A-to-J: Awesome.  Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate you spending your times with us today!
Kari: Thanks a lot. Thank you, guys!

We'd like to thank Kari Wahlgren for the interview, and we strongly encourage everyone to check her out via the links below. As always, keep an eye out for more from Kari in the future! Also, special thanks to Anime Los Angeles for this opportunity!

For More Information on Kari Wahlgren:
Website: https://kariwahlgren.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KariWahlgrenOfficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kariwahlgren
X: https://twitter.com/kariwahlgren
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realkariwahlgren
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KariWahlgrenOfficial

The above interview was conducted by Megan Smith. Video, transcription, and editing by Jeffery Kelly. Photography by Ivan Aburto. Additional editing and assistance by Manuel Figueroa.
Picture
]]><![CDATA[A Career That's Reached Drinking Age: An Interview with Voice Actress Caitlin Glass]]>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 01:00:30 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/patreon-content/a-career-thats-reached-drinking-age-an-interview-with-voice-actress-caitlin-glass
Picture
Caitlin Glass is a voice actor and ADR director that has been in the anime industry since 2004. She is probably best known for portraying characters like Mina Ashida (My Hero Academia), Damian Desmond (Spy x Family), Vivi (One Piece), Vados (Dragon Ball Super), Saki (Zombie Land Saga), and Miria (Baccano), just to name a few . She can also be heard as the voice of Cammy White in the Street Fighter series. Beyond voice acting she's very active as a director for Crunchyroll (formerly Funimation), and her credits there include Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Fruits Basket (2019), One Piece, Love Live! Sunshine!!, and many more. We were lucky enough to catch up to her recently at Anime Los Angeles, and we discussed their various roles, plans for the future, and the differences between directing and voice acting. Fans of Caitlin, or those who are discovering her for the first time, will want to read on and check out her social media via the links at the end!
A-to-J: Thank you for the interview.  Can you please introduce yourself?
Caitlin: Sure, I’m Caitlin Glass. I’m a voice actor and an ADR director for Crunchyroll, as in that’s where I direct, but voice acting I do all over the place, in both anime and video games. I’ve been doing it for about 20 years. Most people know me as Winry Rockbell from the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise or Haruhi Fujioka from Ouran High School Host Club. Currently, I’m Mina Ashido in My Hero Academia, Princess Vivi in One Piece, Damian Desmond in Spy x Family, and video game-wise Cammy White in Street Fighter.   
A-to-J: Yes, quite the prolific actor.
Caitlin: [Laughs] Thanks.

A-to-J: Speaking of that, last year, you played two video game characters: Returning as Cammy in Street Fighter 6 and Higan in Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless for the first time. How does your approach differ from the well-loved, well-voiced Cammy to a new character like Higan?
Caitlin: Well, with Cammy, I’ve been playing her since 2007 and there’s a team of people that I work with that have always been there. The director has shifted, but the producer is always there. Capcom reps are there, and it’s just nice to come back and revisit the character however many times now. Technically it’s like the third game, but there were also some other iterations of Street Fighter IV, so I feel like I’ve probably recorded for Cammy just, I don’t know, maybe 10 times or less over the last 10 years or more. Anyway, that feels like kind of a reunion. This time, in Street Fighter 6, Cammy has grown a lot. She got the redesign that everyone knows about. I didn’t know until we started recording and they’re like: “Hey, we’re going to show you what she looks like.” I’m like: “Oh my gosh!” I couldn’t believe it. I was so excited. I’m like: “My baby girl’s got pants on!” I don’t know! We have very good rapport with one another after all of these years. They could say: “Here’s what the line’s been adapted as,” and if I felt that it was really strange for me, like I felt that it was out of character, they’re open to me going: “Can I say this instead? Or do this, that, or the other?” You know this or that Britishism that we wanted to add or something. We have that type of working relationship.
Higan was brand new and I had a lot of fun when I auditioned for it. And, I’m like: “This is crazy, and I don’t really play this type of character so whatever, here it is.” And of course that’s what I was cast as. It was different. I was working with a director I hadn’t worked with before, but the method of recording when you’re localizing a game from Japanese to English is very similar to doing anime. Even working on Street Fighter, it’s the same: I listen to the Japanese seiyuu [voice actor] and then, I do Cammy’s version... the English Cammy’s version, my version. So Higan was the same way: we’d listen in Japanese and then, I’d do my take over and over. She’s just a lot more boisterous. [Laughs] A lot more boisterious.

A-to-J: You’ve tackled, as you mentioned, so many different voices from young snobby boys, to vicious fighting femmes, do you have a favorite type of character to voice?
Caitlin: Oh, man. Do I? Nowadays, I just like to do any acting at all. I feel like I’m chained to the director’s chair most of the time so, any time I get to voice act is a dream... I don’t even know. Like, I’m flabbergasted. I feel like I should be able to say: “Yes, it’s this type!” but it really isn’t. I just literally do enjoy any time I can be in a booth and be anyone at all. Very energetic characters are always really fun and wacky, and there’s a lot of that in anime. But just the opportunity to be spontaneous is wonderful, and that’s what it’s like when you’re dubbing anime. You know you see it for the first time; that’s when you’re reading your line for the first time is when you’re watching in Japanese and then, a moment later, I’m going to perform it. And that’s just fun. I don’t think twice really about what I’m going to do, just whatever comes out, and then we work with that. So whether I’m playing a really evil villain or an awful person, which I’ve done in the last few years, or somebody who’s just crazy or somebody whose voice is a lot like mine but they have a different life than mine, that’s fun to be someone else for a minute. That’s great, and I care what type of character they are.

A-to-J: That’s awesome! Thank you, and on that note, between voice directing and voice acting, you’re hearing and doing all of these voices all the time. How do you separate from that and just hear your own self think?
Caitlin: Hmmm. How do I? [Both laugh] A lot of what I do as a director, I’ve put in so many hours on it that I just kind of do it. I don’t know. I just go into work mode and I don’t really think much about hearing. There are times where I really get into a good rhythm, where I kind of marvel at how I’m doing one thing, hearing another thing, talking to an engineer, like the multitasking aspect of directing cam be pretty intense. When you get into a rhythm of it, there are times where I’m like, “This is wild that I’m doing 48 things at once, but okay. Here we are.” I’ll say after a day of that and then step into the booth at night to play, say Damian in Spy x Family for example. It’s so great because when you’re an actor all you have to think about is the one character you are. When you’re a director, you’re thinking about the character you’re directing right now, all of the other characters in the scene with them who may or may not be recorded yet, and then you’re also dealing with the other things that just go with the job of directing. So you may be over here in between takes working on another show or sending an email. There’s just so much more. Doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Like the challenge is great, but it’s great to get into the booth and just be like: “It’s just me and Damian for the next hour. Awesome! Great! Let’s do that.”

A-to-J: As you’ve mentioned, you’ve played some very well-known characters in popular shows like Damian in Spy x Family and Mina in My Hero Academia. What’s a character you’ve voiced that you don’t get asked often about but just love talking about?
Caitlin: Oh, man. I feel like I know what this is but I can’t think of it.
A-to-J: I know you really love Cammy, but I know people ask about her a lot.
Caitlin: I do really love Cammy especially now. I feel like it’s taken all of this time of playing her and she’s just really exploded in popularity this year with Street Fighter 6. It doesn’t hurt that we were named Fighting Game of the Year [By the Game Awards]. Hooray! So there’s that. Hmm... I just like it when people find the underappreciated show. It isn’t so much like how much effort I put into it, how big or small my part was in it but just the show that’s just like: “Oh, you watched that and you liked that? Thank you so much!” It’s really easy of course for fans to get into the big shows, and they’re big and good for a reason. So everyone knows My Hero Academia, and Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen, and all of those. But at the same time those are being made, dozens of other anime are being dubbed with just as much effort and love and care by everyone involved, so it’s really great when fans come up and they wanna talk about, you know The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague, or something which was a show I did just a year ago. As everybody kind of reminisces on what they did the past year when, you know, the year wraps up, I’m like: “Oh! That was last year. Man, I loved that show!” Talk about a respite from the busy day to step into the booth and be this office worker who is literally just my voice. It was so fun because it turns out she and I, Komori, have a lot of things in common.  

A-to-J: Is that fear of thunder?
Caitlin: No, I don’t have that, but stuff like the toy collecting and the theme park going and all of that. I just had the best time with our director Michelle Rojas and our engineer. So anytime people just pick up on a little thing like that, it’s like: “Ah, man. Thank you so much for watching.”

A-to-J: That’s awesome! It is the start of the new year, what are you looking forward to most professionally and then personally for 2024?
Caitlin: Professionally, I’m looking forward to most the release of Solo Leveling which is the show that I’m currently directing based on a popular WebToon and manhwa of the same name. Super popular, very highly anticipated anime coming out. Let’s see. It comes out... umm... tomorrow. Tomorrow! Check that out! [Transcriber’s Note: This interview was conducted on Jan 05, 2024. Solo Leveling is now available on Crunchyroll.] 
A-to-J: Check it out!
Caitlin: So, that’s pretty great and I’ll be working on that for the foreseeable future, and that’s probably my biggest thing this year directing-wise. Acting-wise, I look forward to whatever acting work I get. Right now we’ve still got Damian going on, and we’ve got the Spy x Family movie which will be really fun to do. But otherwise, I don’t know from season to season what I might be cast in. I just look forward to auditioning more and trying to get in more stuff. I’m still a working actor who has to grind like everybody else. I guess those are the professional things. Personally, I look forward to maybe getting to travel not for work. My husband and I were just talking about that last night. I do a lot of convention going, and it’s fun and it’s all part of the job, but I realize that I’ve got like there’s this little chunk of time. I’m free; you’re free, and I don’t have a con. Maybe we should go somewhere that isn’t Disney or a con. We like Disney a lot, so it’s really hard when we have a break to go somewhere that isn’t there. Yeah, that’s it.

A-to-J: Thank you for that, I really appreciate your time. Do you have any closing messages you’d like to give to your fans?
Caitlin: Oh, wow. Sure. Hi, fans! Thank you so much for your support over all these years. 2024 actually marks the beginning of my 21st year of voice acting, as I started voice acting in January of 2004, twenty years ago. We’re entering into year 21 where my career becomes of drinking age, so bring me drinks. No. Just kidding!
A-to-J: [Laughs]
Caitlin: Just joking. For real though, thank you guys so much. I don’t think I could have ever imagined when I began this twenty years ago that it would be what it has become, not just for me personally, but just for everyone, like how anime in America is what it is now. It’s wild, and that is thanks to all of your support. Thank you so much. Thank you for supporting dubs legally. Thank you for going to movie theaters, and seeing anime in movie theaters. Keep it up. We appreciate you very much, and... That’s it. That’s all I got.  

A-to-J: Great! Thank you so much for your time again.
Caitlin: You’re welcome.
A-to-J: This has been Caitlin Glass! Yay! [Claps] Thank you!

​We'd like to thank Caitlin Glass for the interview and we strongly encourage everyone to check her out via the links below. As always, keep an eye out for more from Caitlin in the future! Also, special thanks to Anime Los Angeles for this opportunity!

For More Information on Caitlin Glass:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caitlinsvoice
X: https://twitter.com/caitlinsvoice
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caitlinsvoice
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@caitlinsvoice7941

The above interview was conducted by Megan Smith. Video, transcription, and editing by Jeffery Kelly. Additional editing and assistance by Manuel Figueroa.
]]><![CDATA[Like Winning The Lottery: An Interview with Voice Actor & Musician Paul Dateh]]>Fri, 15 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMThttp://a-to-jconnections.com/patreon-content/like-winning-the-lottery-an-interview-with-voice-actor-musician-paul-dateh
Picture
Paul Dateh is an actor, singer, songwriter, and voice actor. He is probably best known to A-to-J readers as the voice of Wakana Gojo from My Dress-Up Darling. Other than that role though, he's an accomplished musician who went viral with the video "Hip Hop Violin", and whose work can be heard on Miley Cyrus' albums "Younger Now" and "Bangerz". He also recently released his third album, "Healing". We were lucky enough to catch up to him recently at San Diego Anime Con and discussed his start in voice acting, his other projects, and the differences between creating music and voice work. Fans of Paul, or those who are learning about him for the first time, will want to read on and check out all the links at the end!
A-to-J: Thank you for the interview! Could you please introduce yourself?
Paul: Hello, my name is Paul Dateh. Thank you for having me.

A-to-J: Thank you so much, Paul. Glad to have you here. What motivated you to do voice work or voice acting?
Paul: I’ve always been interested, and I finally got a chance to try it, so I’m really happy to be here.
A-to-J: That’s cool. So, you would say you wanted to broaden your horizons; try to expand your scope?
Paul: Yeah.

A-to-J: Were you doing more acting work or behind the scenes work in the entertainment industry before getting into voice acting?
Paul: Yes. I’m originally a musician. I’ve been a musician for most of my life and I’ve done a lot of different work in the entertainment industry as a PA for commercials, audio engineer for theater, and now I get to be on the acting side as talent so I’m excited to be here.

A-to-J: That’s great and it’s great getting to meet you. I got more familiar with you when I heard you as Wakana Gojo in My Dress-Up Darling. I wish I could pronounce the Japanese title better as I feel like it fits more for Gojo’s character in the original Japanese title. 
Paul: Yeah, Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru.
A-to-J: How was your audition for that? Was there any particular character you wanted outside of Gojo? How did that work out?
Paul: I didn’t know what to expect. It was an open call audition so I just submitted for…. The only role to audition for was Wakana so I just submitted thinking: “Hey, at least you’ll get to hear my voice. This is my first time auditioning, so if I get called in for a bit part with just a couple lines I’d be happy. Like that’s the start of my career.” But, when I got called in, they told me I was gonna be Wakana so I was like: “Oh! Okay.”
A-to-J: Oh, wow!
Paul: We really hit the ground running with the very first thing so it’s been magical. It’s been a beautiful experience.

A-to-J: That’s incredible! I’ve heard a little bit here and there about how different people approach their auditions which is why I asked. Sometimes, I hear that there’s people that go in for very specific characters, and then they get a different character all together. How many projects would you say you’ve auditioned for related to anime that you’ve gotten into? This one is also a mouthful of a title in Japanese, but I know it’s the zombie anime that’s currently on Netflix. 
Paul: Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. I’m not part of the anime; I’m part of the live-action film for that.
A-to-J: You were part of the live-action film for that?
Paul: In the dub. I’m very fortunate to voice Akira Tendo in the live-action version of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead.

A-to-J: In terms of your work as a musician, is there any particular project that you’re really proud to have been with, or that you know is really popular that you’ve contributed to?
Paul: As a musician or even as a voice actor or in general?
A-to-J: Yes, as a musician or in general.
Paul: Sure. Honestly, the first job I ever got booked for was My Dress-Up Darling so that’s a really special event. It’s like winning the lottery. Everyone only gets one first time, and I’m so lucky that it’s an incredible first time. It’s a really big highlight moment for me, and it inspires me to keep going, keep trying because I’m just lucky to have a job voicing an amazing character like this on an amazing show with a great team of people. Emily Fajardo, our director, is a genius and AmaLee is amazing. It’s just wonderful, and I would love to keep going.

A-to-J: I feel like you also bring a real wholesomeness to the character himself. Do you feel that there’s any difference when you’re getting ready for a character, like when you’re in the sound booth versus when you’ve done work as a musician?
Paul: Sure. Overall, I think my commitment to doing the best I can is the same, but of course the skill set is different so rewiring the things that I know to help me in acting has been what I’ve been practicing and really working on. Thankfully, because of music I have good instincts, emotional instincts to inform the character choices, but learning the actual skills to refine them and to really dial things in is something I’ve wanted to improve on. I’ve had some great teachers that have taught me a lot of really amazing techniques. So I’d like to say that I’m even better than I was on my first day. I mean, I hope so. I better be.  
Yeah, I’m really excited. I hope there’s a season two for our show [Editor’s Note: A continuation of the anime was announced in September 2022. No word on what form that takes as of writing.] because I’d really love to show how much more I’ve learned, and I love that I have that in common with Gojo because he was really feeling nervous and hesitant about whether or not he was good at making outfits for Marin. I was also feeling nervous if I was doing a good job for the show. Thankfully, people that watched the show have been incredibly and really encouraging and supportive. I feel very much like Gojo, where everyone is like Marin taking my hand and pulling me into this wonderful community. I feel so welcome. It’s been an amazing experience. I want to keep getting better so I can share that with everybody.

A-to-J: That’s so incredible. Just on some closing thoughts, do you watch a lot of anime?
Paul: I try but there’s so much out there.
A-to-J: I agree. There’s so many shows that even I find it hard to keep up.
Paul: If I have time to watch a show, I want to be able to dedicate my full attention to it because so many people work hard on these things. So I’ve been trying, when I have a vacation coming up, I have a list of shows that I really want to watch and maybe rewatch too, so we’ll see. There’re so many good ones out there but the last one I did get to see the full season was Ranking of Kings.
A-to-J: Oh, I’ve heard about that one.
Paul: Every episode made me cry. That show is so beautiful. It’s beautifully animated. The voice acting is spectacular both in English and in Japanese so it’s worth watching everything twice. I’m definitely Team Subs and Dubs.

A-to-J: Is there any other show that you’re watching that you’d like to become a part of it if there’s more of it to watch?
Paul: I don’t want to be that brave yet. I’m just happy to be here and any team that wants me to be a part of their operation, I would be honored.
A-to-J: You are so humble and amazing. [Paul laughs] Thank you again, Paul.
Paul: Thank you for having me.
A-to-J: Do you have any social media that you would like people to follow you at?  
Paul: Yes, please. @PaulDateh on all the socials. I also have a new album because I’m still a musician so I have a new album that I just put out a month ago. It’s called Healing. I really hope you like it.  
A-to-J: We’ll try to have all that linked up in the description below. [And above!] Healing? We could all use healing. [Paul laughs] Thank you again.

We'd like to thank Paul Dateh for the interview and we strongly encourage everyone to check him out via the links below, especially his latest album "Healing". As always, keep an eye out for more from Paul in the future! Also, special thanks to San Diego Anime Con for this opportunity!

For More Information on Paul Dateh:
Website: https://pauldateh.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/pauldateh
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pauldateh
X: https://twitter.com/pauldateh
New Album "Healing": https://open.spotify.com/album/7snh9MThrhM4k8YxH4YeHi

The above interview was conducted by Josh Cruz. Transcription and editing by Jeffery Kelly. Article photo from Paul Dateh's website.
]]>