Without question, J-Pop idol group i☆Ris was one of the strongest presences at Anime NYC. From panels, to meet ups, to a whole concert, their energy was palpable and something fans resonated with quite strongly. We got the chance to speak with them and get their perspectives as idols and voice actors. Even more, they shared some details about their favorite work over the years and favorite anime writ large.
Due to restrictions and impediments from the coronavirus pandemic, it’d been four years since i☆Ris was last in the states for a convention. We wanted to get an understanding of what it was like being both idols and voice actors, as well as what it’s been like balancing the two over the group’s nearly 11 years in action. Yamakita Saki, i☆Ris group leader, explained that their unique dual roles of idol and voice actor complement each other quite well in the anime PriPara. All six of the group’s current and former members are voice actors in the series, which itself is an IP connected to music-involved games, apps, and other series.
“Because the characters in PriPara are also idols, we can sing and dance in that anime work. It actually makes us get a sense of how it feels in that context.”
Obviously though, being a hybrid seiyuu-idol group brings with it its own sets of challenges, tensions, and balancing difficulties. Yamakita noted how spectacular it is that the group works together so well and has only had one member graduation over the course of ten years.
“In the Japanese idol society, or the idol scene, to have a female group that lasts for 10 years without any member change is pretty rare. I think our trick to doing this is that we keep our distances to a certain extent so that we have our own personal space, and that’s how we came so far. This is our 11th anniversary, so going forward we don’t know what’s ahead of us but we want to keep the future fun. Being fun and having fun is what we want to focus on.”
“It’s totally a coincidence that we work so well together. When it’s work, we work. My personal thought is: if we became friends first, then work together, if the friendship breaks up, then it affects work as well. You have to keep your work and your private life separate to a certain extent. It’s important. But, we really trust each other and I trust the other members [of i☆Ris].”
Given the group’s unique hybrid model, busy schedules can certainly pile up quickly and blur the lines between either role and the rest of life. Serizawa Yu explained that one aspect of balancing life as a voice actor and an idol is growing used to it and integrating the schedule into ordinary life.
“Its something that is so daily and normal, and the schedule just comes. Its just life. I don’t know if I see a difference in the two parts [being a voice actor and an idol]. When too much is on our plate, [i.e.] when both the voice acting and the idol schedule is all on our plate, I get frustrated, and I don’t like it. But, when I’m on stage, it’s fun.”
Despite how busy their schedule can be from making appearances at conventions as jam-packed as Anime NYC, i☆Ris expressed that they were glad to be back face-to-face with their fans again. That was the aspect of their career most affected by the pandemic, something Yamakita explained for us.
“The biggest [effect of the pandemic] was the cancellation of our tour. i☆Ris’ live shows have a strong feeling of being made together with the fans, and the fans’ voices are very important, so it was pretty tough to not be able to say anything.”
At this point, i☆Ris has worked on an incredible number of projects and each member themselves has also done lots of work outside of i☆Ris. I was personally curious what each member’s favorite musical projects have been to work on, or in general.
Yamakita Saki: For me personally its going to be “Queens Bluff.” It’s the opening theme song for Kakegurui, the anime series. I’ve always wanted a more adult-like role, so this song really suits me and I’m excited by it.
Serizawa Yu: I’m currently singing the opening theme song for MF Ghost, with MOTSU [“Jungle Fire”]. The car animation is really cool, and the Eurobeat music is really exciting. It’s an opening song that really suits the anime, and I really like it.
Akaneya Himika: My favorite is the ending for MF Ghost [“Stereo Sunset”]. The anime itself is really high-tension, and there’s a lot of action in it. But the ending song is really light and subtle with city pop elements. Its my first single and I really recommend it.
Wakai Yuki: My first chance to sing for an anime is for the anime Kingdom [“Destiny Sky” – the ending song for Kingdom episodes 20 through 30]. Kingdom is a very popular anime in Japan and I feel very proud of myself.
Kubota Miyu: “Ultimate Magic.” It’s the opening song of the anime Wiseman’s Grandchild and the song itself is really energetic. The fans are really supportive and it’s a song that really suits the anime, so I like it.
They also shared a few details about their favorite solo activities so far.
Yamakita Saki: So, it’s not about my solo activity or my idol activity, but I have been very into streaming these days. But, I’m not very good at [speaking] English. I would like to learn more about how to communicate in English and communicate with my fans more.
Serizawa Yu: This applies both to me within i☆Ris but also to my solo activities, but I really enjoy the aspect of having call-and-response during concerts with my fans. During my solo activities I’m really proud to see my own album in front of me. I am often invited to the United States to sing. But I like acting the most. I think acting is connected to various expressions. I think singing is all about expression too, but if I could one day be invited to the United States or New York as an actress, that would be my dream.
Kubota Miyu: One of the things that I enjoy is doing life as a seiyuu [going through life in character]. I do concerts as a seiyuu, but sometimes i do life as my character and I find that really interesting
Since we got to know about their favorite anime songs to work on, I also was curious to hear about their favorite anime, especially recently with how many incredible new series are coming out.
Serizawa Yu: Attack on Titan [she sang “Shinzo wo Sasageyo!” and did the fist-over-heart pose; it was incredible]. I think that’s an anime that will be in history for a very long time. Every morning, I would listen to the theme song of this anime and I would devote my heart.
Yamakita Saki: I like Pokémon. I’m obsessed with the Pokémon card game these days, so I’m very excited to be back [in New York City] so I can buy a lot of Pokémon cards.
Akaneya Himika: I loved Cardcaptor Sakura. This [series] is actually one of the reasons why I got so into anime, and the costumes in Cardcaptor Sakura are really, really pretty, so I really like it.
Kubota Miyu: My favorite anime is Golden Kamuy. I’ve read the manga, I’ve watched the anime, and I even visited the Abashiri Prison in Hokkaido. It’s related to this anime [Golden Kamuy features a raid on Abashiri Prison as one of its major plot points].
Wakai Yuki: My favorite anime is Slam Dunk, and I want to marry Rukawa Kaede.
Every member of i☆Ris noted that they’d love to keep performing more in the United States, and to definitely invite them back. There are particular aspects of concerts and events in America that multiple members pointed out for us.
Yamakita Saki: I’m really excited to see American audiences because they are usually so much more excited [in terms of yelling and cheering loudly] than Japanese audiences. They react a lot more; I’m excited and [always] look forward to it.
Akaneya Himika: I really enjoy seeing the cosplayers in this convention. Sometimes for an anime character, people from overseas probably look better in those cosplays [than the anime character themself]. When I look at them it’s actually just like they jumped out from the screen. So I have a lot of fun seeing them.
Kubota Miyu: On top of having live shows, there’s also autography sessions here, and I’m really surprised that a lot of my fans would speak to us in Japanese, and I saw that they worked so hard in studying Japanese, and that makes me feel really happy.
Ahead of any future performances, there are two ways that fans can interact with the voices of i☆Ris in the near future: the upcoming film i☆Ris the Movie – Full Energy!!, and the mobile game Idol Land PriPara. On the game, and specifically if there was anything about it that fans should know, and on the upcoming movie project, Yamakita Saki had this to say:
“We recorded the voice for this app a long time ago. The production team worked really hard on it, and after a few years, it’s finally been released. The production process is really fun. the production process is ongoing, and I believe there will be updates and it will become more and more fun.”
“Iris, the movie Full Energy is a special work that we, Iris, will play ourselves. This movie is going to be released in 2024. It’s our 10 anniversary project and we are acting as ourselves, so we’re really excited about it.”
“This is the first time that I’m going to voice myself, so I’m really looking forward to seeing myself in the animation. If you just think about it normally, it’s impossible for a person to have their own character, and we’ve made this a reality. And so I feel like the idol side of me can live forever. I want to cosplay myself from the 2D world. What I’m going to focus on is the mole underneath my eye and my cute nose.”
Every member of the group was also quite excited about the idea of being able to buy figurines of their own anime characters, something that admittedly very few people will ever have the chance to do.
Lastly, Serizawa Yu had a message for all aspiring voice actresses out there:
“I think the most important thing is to believe in ourselves. It’s my own motto: believe in yourself. There are a lot of people who look cute and are really really good at acting. But it’s not all about it. It’s all about believing in yourself, being comfortable with your own voice, and liking yourself.
© API・81P / FullEnergy!!Production Committee