Shibuya De-chu! Post-Recording Interview - Pre-2001

This is the translation of an interview Kyoy on Maayas.net discovered through...to be honest I am not sure how he stumbled upon it as the interview and webpage are at least eleven years old. Maaya is studying for her university entrance exams which puts her at around 18 years old. She was 32 this year!


View the original interview and photos here.


To put the interview in some sort of context, it looks like this was the post-recording interview from one of Maaya's rare TV broadcasts - they do exist, mostly from her early career. It has only been more recently that she seems to have been on TV more often. So Maaya was on a TV show with a comedy duo (Manzai!) and someone called Ikezawa-san but I can't seem to find any more information about the broadcast on the original website apart from the TV show being called Shibuya De-chu.


However, I DID stumble across the Maaya Sakamoto section of the Seiyuu Collection (Voice Actor Collection) event from 1997! If you do your maths you'll realise Maaya was very, VERY young. I was still in primary school when this was happening, which is weird.


OK! So, with that, here is the translation of the interview Kyoy requested an English summary of. Enjoy!


Note: In the original interview, the interviewer's name is a short-hand version reading Dai but I don't know who this refers to so I have just turned it into 'interviewer' below.

EDIT: Thanks to roxfan, this interview can now be dated to October 17th 1997.


* * *

Interviewer: First of all, can you tell me what you thought of the program?

Sakamoto: I was nervous as this is the first time I’ve recorded a show with an audience like this.

Interviewer: How did it compare with Voice Actor Collection (Seiyuu Collection)?

Sakamoto: Well, Voice Actor Collection didn’t involve TV so I was able to just be normal but…I’m glad that there were others with me!

Interviewer: How are your university entrance exams going?

Sakamoto: I’m studying! But I have to go to bed early tonight as tomorrow’s our sports festival (laugh)

Interviewer: What did you think of Jarhythm? (the comedy duo)

Sakamoto: They were really nice people… Watanabe-san (Atsumu Watanabe) looks like Ken Morita, doesn’t he! (laugh)

Interviewer: Is there anything left you’d like to say?

Sakamoto: No, not really…oh wait, I have an announcement! I’ve been invited to my first university campus festival. On Sunday, November 22nd I will be performing for the Kyushuu Institute of Technology’s Information Technology Department. If you’re nearby please come along!

Interviewer: This is the first time you’re going to a campus festival?

Sakamoto: Yes. I’ve always daydreamed about what campus life would be like. I’m really looking forward to it, I want to have lessons in a big lecture theatre with someone talking into a microphone!

Interviewer: What is the school festival like at your school?

Sakamoto: Each homeroom does things like open coffee shops, or their drama club puts on performances, or we create a haunted house…My class made a pancake stand which was really popular (laugh).

Interviewer: Today you look very grown up with all that makeup.

Sakamoto: Usually I don’t wear make up so when it’s heavy it really stands out! The make-up artist did it for me but to be honest even I’m surprised at how I look! (Laugh)

Interviewer: OK, finally, please give us a message for your fans.

Sakamoto: When I’m talking by myself I can just go at my usual pace but when I am in front of people I get really nervous and can’t really be Maaya Sakamoto. I think I relied on Jyarhythm and Ike-zawa-san too much…

Interviewer: You don’t need to worry about it too much, your good points definitely came across!

Sakamoto: Really?

Interviewer: Definitely! We hope to see you again in future. Thank you very much!