[Honey's Anime Interview] Miho Okasaki! The Voice Actor for 'Slime' from Crunchyroll 2019

11:16 PM September 4, 2019

The career of Japanese voice actress Miho Okasaki isn’t very long but it doesn’t mean she hasn’t made an impact. She debuted as a professional voice actor in 2017 being cast mainly background roles and side characters. Ms. Okasaki’s first main role was that of Miku Nishio in the anime series Ongaku Shojo as part of an ensemble cast and in anime idol unit. Her big break came when she was cast as the blue and squishy main character Rimuru Tempest in The Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. The now in-demand seiyuu took time from her busy schedule to talk with the Honey’s Anime and the ladies and gentlemen of the Anime Press at Crunchyroll Expo 2019 about her career and the loveable round protagonist that made her famous..

Miho Okasaki

Honey-Chan

Honey's Anime Exclusive Interview with Miho Okasaki

What inspired you to pursue a career as a voice actor?

I was in the badminton club in junior high and wasn’t making many friends. The friends I did make were into anime and music and they introduced me to this wonderful world..

Were you interested in the isekai genre before being cast as Rimuru Tempest??

I actually didn’t know about this genre until working on Slime. I found the idea of being reincarnated in a different world very interesting. I really like the genre now..

Your character in Slime has two different speaking voices, one when he is in slime form and the other when he is in a human form, is it hard to alternate between the two?

In the slime form, the character is much more relaxed as opposed to his human form which takes on a more lordly tone. So, internally I switch between a relaxed mode for the slime and a voice that says power..

Do you prefer one voice over the other?

Slime.

That Time I Got Reicarnated as a Slime has an impressive cast of seiyuu. What was it like working with such a talented group of actors?

I was very nervous. I’m the kind of person that doesn’t tend to show it. I was able to communicate with all my seniors there and they were able to give me a lot of advice.

Is there anything that you are reading that you’d like to see as an anime?

I find that often I’m reading manga and there has already been an announcement that there is an anime in the works. I find the time between a manga coming out and an anime being produced seems to be accelerated. I would love to do a prime time show that kids would watch on a national network. I would love to do a show like Doraemon.

Is it hard to create a voice that carries authority when the character is so cute?

It can be difficult because of this very cute slime character's appearance but internally he is a 37-year-old salaryman. So it was a challenge to make the voice sound cute but also feel as though it has the experience of a grown adult behind it.

How did you feel when the show became a smashing success?

I was certainly happy but think the number one thing that I felt was a relief. We had a lot of fans for the original work and there was a lot of hype for the show. We wanted to live up to the expectations of the fans and were relieved they liked it.

You had a singing role as Miku in Ongaku Shojo do you consider that part of your career or is it just something you do as part of a role?

If I was good enough at singing and performing that would be great. I feel through Miku I was able to gain experience. I generally enjoy singing and would love to sing as a character again.

What do you think makes Rimuru different than other protagonists in the genre?

The initial impression of Rimuru is that of a slime. It isn’t exactly the species that people yearn to become, it is generally one of the weakest in fact. He also doesn’t have a goal and just spends the beginning of the show explores..

What advice have you gotten from your senpai in the industry?

I am very happy to have received the opportunity to be part of this show that has become part of my identity. The advice I’ve received from the veterans has helped because it’s also comforting to know that they too have struggled to find a character’s voice.ters.

You are now in the spotlight as a lead actor. What is the transition like going from background actor to lead actor?

It is very different in the number of lines you have but even if it is a character like “Person A” or “Person B” every character is a person living in that anime universe. So, I don’t give them any less emotion than when playing the anime protagonist.

You played a lot of “Girl A” and “Voice in Crowd” characters. Were you ever discouraged? It must have taken a lot of auditions to get a big break as you have?

Yes, all the time. I’m certainly always worried about the roles and the auditions. When I got the call, I was going to play Rimuru it was really out of the blue. So, despite those setbacks, I want to hang tough and work hard.

It’s something you love so you do it regardless of the size of the role??

Yes, that is exactly how I feel.

Final Thoughts

We wish to thank Miho Okasaki for her giving us her time for this interview. We really appreciate her example of perseverance in the voice acting industry. The genuine understanding that she has about all the voice actors, background or main, being important is a great example for anyone in the field. We look forward to talking to her again when the second season of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime airs. A note for our readers… we wanted to ask about that upcoming second season, but she wasn’t allowed to talk about it, so we didn’t push. We also thank the other members of the press pool for their hard work in conducting this interview.
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Writer

Author: Zeke Changuris

I’m a journalist, writer, photographer, video producer, social media manager and above all a storyteller. I’m located on the east coast of the United States but travel the world with the love of my life. I’ve been a nerd since birth with a love of history and science. I fell in love with anime, watching ROBOTECH and Venus Wars in the 80s when our only source was secondhand VHS dubs. A crazy new thing called the internet changed that, giving me access to new and amazing anime every day. I love to write for work and pleasure. I’m living the dream of every kid, getting paid to watch anime and loving every subtitled line.

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