[Honey's Anime Interview] Reina Ueda (Märchen Mädchen, Little Witch Academia, Bakuon!!)

4:03 AM March 26, 2018

Reina Ueda's voice is very well known in the anime and anisong industry. Currently, she is the voice actress of Arthur Pendragon in Märchen Mädchen. Also she is the singer of "sleepland" the ending theme of the same anime. We cal also find her as Mao in the currently-airing Pokemon Sun & Moon, Rui in Basilisk: Ouka Ninpouchou, and Aishela in Grancrest Senki among others characters.

Honey-chan and Bee-kun are huge fan of Reina Ueda and finally they got to meet her and talk with her about her music and her future works as a seiyuu.

About your career as a voice actress and singer

Fans abroad would like to know what motivated you to want to become a seiyuu.

It started when I was in middle school. I was part of the drama club and one of the girls there said, “I don’t want to be an actress, I want to be a seiyuu.” Those words inspired me. I really respected her, so I thought that voice acting must be a wonderful career if she said she wanted to do it. Even now, that motivates me in my work.

Apart from being a very active seiyuu, you are also a singer. Does being a seiyuu help you with improving your technique a as singer or vice versa? What are the challenges you must face as singer and as a seiyuu separately?

I feel like acting, singing, filming, events, radio, narration… All of these jobs are connected in their technological advancement. You have to really dedicate yourself to every job, so I think that in the future, physical and mental self-care will be a challenge for me.

In 2016 you released your debut mini album titled “RefRain”. Can you tell us about the album concept? What did you enjoy the most while making it?

The concept is “myself right now.” I want to express myself as I am in the present, without lying. I want to make a mini album that will function like a business card. That’s the approach I took.

I also remember that before recording every song, I spent ten months in meetings, thoroughly thinking through the concept and the lyrics. It was a really fun and fulfilling process.

Reina Ueda - Umi no Uta

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"RefRain"
by
Reina Ueda

"First Mini Album"

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"sleepland"
by
Reina Ueda

"Marchen Madchen (Anime)"
Outro Theme Song:
sleepland

About Anime

We assume you like anime. Which are your favorite anime series of all time? And why?

My favourite anime…? It’s pretty difficult to pick just one… Okay, I’ll take this opportunity to talk about one of my most memorable series, one that I starred in. I watched it again for the first time a while recently, and I really do love it! It’s called Hanayamata. The direction, script, art, and music are all really amazing, and the story is a tearjerker. I cried so many times when I was recording the final episode. It’s something I want to watch now that I’m an adult. It’s a story about middle school girls who take up Yosakoi, a style of dancing. Please watch it!

Your latest project is the ending theme for the anime series Märchen Mädchen, the song is titled “sleepland”. Can you tell us what is this song about, and how it relates to the anime?

The theme of my mini album was expressing myself as I am now, but as this song was a tie-up, I wrote it using the charm of Märchen Mädchen as the theme. I think it ended up being a song that reflects the series. It’s delicate, soft, and keeps moving forward even though it’s timid.

Reina Ueda - sleepland

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"sleepland"
by
Reina Ueda
Artist Edition

"Marchen Madchen (Anime)"
Outro Theme Song:
sleepland

BUY IT NOW !

"sleepland"
by
Reina Ueda

"Marchen Madchen (Anime)"
Outro Theme Song:
sleepland

You are also the voice of Arthur Pendragon in Märchen Mädchen. Can you tell us what you like the most about this character?

Arthur seems really mysterious, and you can’t tell what she’s thinking, or if she’s even thinking at all. But in reality, I think she’s a strong person with amazing insight, observational skills, and a strong will. I think it’s this difference that makes her so charming, so I really like it.

About Your Upcoming Projects

Can you tell us about the upcoming activities and events or projects you will be working on? Any new tie-up songs? New album? New anime series? Please give us a heads up!

I’ll be starring in quite a few anime. I play Mao in the currently-airing Pokemon Sun & Moon, Rui in Basilisk: Ouka Ninpouchou, and Aishela in Grancrest Senki. I’ll also be playing Sumie Ayado in 3D Kanojo: Real Girl, Noin and Miu from Last Period: Owarinaki Rasen no Monogatari, Suzu Fuura in Comic Girls, and Shizuna in Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi. They’re all really fun anime, so please watch them!

Here is the opportunity to greet and send a message to all your fans around the world who are looking forward to seeing your work in the anime industry.

To everyone who’s supporting me, thank you so, so much. I’m going to devote myself to improving my acting, singing, and other skills so that I can convey the charm of works and characters to you. I hope that we can love and promote anime together. Please keep supporting works and their characters.

Wow! She has a lot of work this next season. I wonder how she doesn't mix one character into another anime, she must have a lot focus, it's very impressive!

I can hear her voice for days and days and days!

Ha ha ha, I bet you would!