AnimeNYC 2019 Panel Recap: VIZ’s World of Voice Acting Featuring Voices from Sailor Moon and Boruto

 

On of the final day of AnimeNYC was a big panel for both the curious and the nostalgic, the Voice Actors panel. Joining the fans was Viz’s Uriah Brown, who leads the panel along with three key speakers: Maile Flanagan (the voice of Naruto), Amanda Miller (the voice of Boruto/Sailor Jupiter) and Erika Harlacher (the voice of Sailor Star Maker). First on stage were Miller and Harlacher, to start off talking about Sailor Moon.

Brown started off asking the two what their voice-acting origin stories were.“I was bitten by a radioactive voice actor,” Miller said. She went on to explain that she attended Tony Oliver’s Adventures in Voice Acting workshop, where he then suggested that she go into voice acting. Later she moved to Los Angeles, where she interned at a voice-over studio, where she eventually got small roles and moved up. Harlacher said they had similar origin stories, minus her moving to LA as she was already in the area. She wanted to do something with cartoons or games, but then she took Oliver’s class and he also gave her the same advice. They also interned at the same place, where she started her internship around the same time Miller was finishing her session. Miller commented, “He (Oliver) is the radioactive voice actor.”

The second question was how Jupiter is the muscles of the group, so is it fun playing a toughie? Miller said yes, especially since Jupiter was her favorite character growing up. She was tall and athletic but also had a tender heart, and Jupiter showed her that it’s possible to be a booth. “You can throw giant men over your head and then bake them a cake.” 

Harlacher was asked what’s it like being the hottest boy band around. She replied that playing Taiki gave her the opportunity to be an awesome magical girl warrior and a hot guy in the boy band at the same time. Truly the best of both worlds. 

Brown asked if Miller still remembered her first recording session. Miller admitted that she was so nervous because Jupiter was her favorite, and she didn’t want to mess up her favorite character. Stephanie Sheh (Sailor Moon) ended up talking to her post-Anime Expo, giving her some advice to calm down. Sheh said she was picked for a reason, so (Miller) shouldn’t give anyone any doubt about why she should’ve been cast, and to own it. The panelists went on to praise Sheh’s work on the dub.

Taiki is very cool and aloof, so Brown asked Harlacher if she was the same way. She admitted that she isn’t– she’s very high strung. “Taiki is much cooler than me.” However, she went on to say that Taiki also has his moments of panic, and that felt very relatable.

The subject was then directed towards the two’s favorite wacky monsters. Miller said there was one they call the “Katy Perry monster” in R, because it resembles the aesthetic from Perry’s California Girls video. The director kept calling her ‘Katy Perry’ during scene cues, and it stuck. Harlacher said hers wasn’t a monster per se, but rather the episode where Seiya gets yelled at by the director. 

Brown noted that the Starlights appeared only in one season, but they have a lot of popularity. He asked what Harlacher thought their appeal was. Harlacher said that yes their fashion sense is on point, but their whole arc feels big for one season. They have an intense villain, one which she didn’t expand upon for spoilers. Miller added that they also feel like forbidden fruit, as StarS was never part of the original dub. Harlacher agreed and said it was exciting to be part of a dub that never aired originally. 

On if she and Jupiter would ever hang out in real life, Miller quickly responded yes. She has a high opinion of the food, and felt that Jupiter would be able to satisfy that. 

The Starlights being stylish had been brought up casually, so it was asked if Harlacher got any fashion ideas from them. She said once in awhile she cosplays her characters, and she’d like to one day cosplay the Starlights’ oversized suits. “I aspire to be as fashionable as them, and I’m waiting for that style to come back so I can rock it every day.” Jokingly, she described Maker’s sailor uniform as a “second date outfit.”

Brown inquired that since Jupiter is an inspiration, is that a lot of pressure? Miller responded yes, but the fanbase has been so receptive and welcoming, so she hopes she hasn’t disappointed. 

When asked about what it was like to sing as a male, Harlacher explained that singing in more contexts is one of her goals. In college, she always was a soprano, so singing as the lowest voiced man in the group was a bit daunting. They originally wanted to record the singing as Taiki’s regular voice, the lowest of Harlacher’s possible range, and she suggested that she sing an octave up so she’d have more range. “It’s definitely a thing I don’t know if I’ll get to do again.” She admitted that she probably can’t do so for karaoke, because she’s very shy about singing in front of other people. 

The two were asked if they had any basic and practical advice on becoming a voice actor. Miller says while it’s not a very sexy answer, it’s good to be an actor first. “Voice acting is I think the hardest form of acting, because you have to use your imagination more than any other medium,” she says, contrasting to theatre or on camera where there’s a set or other actors to play off up. For anime, voice actors get to see the scenes, but for games or original animation, the directors animate to the voice actors, so the actors have to imagine it. Harlacher added that sometimes the directors aren’t sure what the final product would look like yet. Singing or theater training lets one access one’s full range. “Improv is super important.” Harlacher explained that while improv is scary, it’s important because sometimes directors will tell actors to change direction on the spot. Miller said that most of the time, actors don’t see the script beforehand, so recording sessions tend to be the first time one is exposed to those lines. Harlacher added that acting classes also help one learn to listen to direction, a crucial skill as one really has to rely on the director. 

At this point, Harlacher went backstage, and Flanagan came out as the panel segued into talking about the Naruto franchise. Brown asked Flanagan how the journey has been for her over the course of 20 years. Flanagan joked that she’s aged, but on a more serious note, she explained that the series has only gotten larger, not smaller. She said it’s great to grow with the character, and do events, and meet people across generations. 

For Miller, Brown asked what it was like jumping into the world of Naruto? Miller said it’s been interesting. Sailor Moon has been around for a long time, but it hadn’t been airing consistently like Naruto had been. People have grown up along with the series, so fans are very passionate and protective.  

To Flanagan, Brown asked how she got into voice acting. Flanagan explained that she didn’t originally want to be an actor; in college she was a political science/math major, but was part of an improv group. She moved to Minneapolis and later to LA, where she got an agent for a commercial. Said agent used to be a former voice acting agent and recommended classes for her. Brown followed up by asking what her first recording session for Naruto was like. She admitted that when she sees the old episodes, she wishes she could do them again. Any series takes a while to get to know the characters. She was nervous because she’d looked up what Naruto was, but it was still fun to dive in. 

When it came to what Miller’s experience was like voicing Boruto, she said she didn’t try to mimic Flanagan. Hilariously, Boruto is similar to her more natural voice as opposed to her female characters. She tends to end up using that voice when she’s making fun of people. 

Brown wondered if Flanagan liked Naruto better as a boy or an adult. She said likes him all the time, but in Shippuden she had much more to do. In Shippuden, she was able to use more range, whereas she hasn’t had much comparatively to do in Boruto. 

Brown followed up with if she likes Sasuke, to which Flanagan replied in her Naruto voice, “Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. Why does it always have to be about Sasuke?” On Yuri Lowenthal, Flanagan explained that they are friends. Recently, the two of them and Kate Higgens (the voice of Sakura) had met up, and the three of them hadn’t been together for years. Higgens is rather elusive, as she doesn’t go to conventions very often. Brown then asked if Flanagan considered Yuri a voice acting rival, to which she said quickly, no. She doesn’t consider any of her peers her rivals. “Let’s face it, the dudes get a lot more work… in that sense, I don’t like the inequity, but it is getting better. Credit to all the Japanese creators, there are lots of shows with lots of women, and that’s a plus.”

Miller was asked the rival question as well. “I can hear this,” Flanagan whispered. Miller there’s a certain voice actor that she loves, but always get jealous when she gets roles. They have a good relationship, but inside there’s always that jealously, which is a little different than a rivalry. 

Brown noted that Boruto started as angry boy, but wondered if Miller thought he’d grown. She agreed that he’s maturing. Before Naruto was hokage, Boruto had full access to his dad, and the bitterness comes from the fact that Naruto isn’t around anymore. He doesn’t hate his dad, but he is gaining more respect for him. 

Since Flanagan had been playing Naruto for so long, Brown wondered if the two of them had any similarities. “I fly with my arms behind my back.” Flanagan said she does eat a lot of ramen now, also his confidence sometimes rubs off on her. 

To Flanagan, Brown wondered if there was any advice she wished someone had given to her about voice acting. She says she goes into every job confident. “If you don’t have confidence going in, you’re never going to get that job.” 

At this point, Harlacher came back out, and the trio thanked the audience for coming as the panel segued into some brief audience Q&A.