In celebration of Asian-American Heritage Month, we wanted to highlight some familiar faces currently working as professional voice actors in the anime industry. We’re excited to share interviews featuring the English voice of JUJUTSU KAISEN’s Gojo Satoru, Kaiji von Tang, and Nobara Kugisaki, Anne Yatco, as well as long time Magical Girl Christine Marie Cabanos and the hilarious SungWon Cho!
Keep scrolling to read more about their experiences in the industry, their favorite roles, and some of their favorite anime!
Kaiji Von Tang
English Voice Actor of Gojo Satoru in JUJUTSU KAISEN (Twitter, Instagram)
Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in voice acting?
There wasn't actually a moment where I said to myself, "Voice acting, this is what I want to pursue for my job!" I spent all my time in school in drama and theatre classes. I was and am still in love with acting. When I came to Los Angeles I wanted to get my hands on any and all forms of acting I could. It just so happened I fell into VO after a few rounds with television and film. I noticed my foot was far more in the VO door than anything else so I decided to really focus on it. 15 years later I've somehow managed to get the rest of my body in!
What’s something you’d want to tell a younger version of yourself who was just starting out in this industry?
Steal more. That sounds weird, let me explain. When I was younger, as with many younger folks, I thought my way was THE way. I didn't think anyone was doing anything better than what I was doing. And like almost every younger person who thinks highly of themselves, I was hilariously wrong. There's so much talent and perspectives on acting out there it'd be a shame not to loot any of it. It's free! Just turn on a show with an actor you enjoy and just start taking their stuff. And of course you're not going to be able to replicate exactly what they did 100%, but the technique or the perspective on their acting you take can be melded into your own tool kit to create something entirely unique to you. Remember. Good artists borrow. Great artists steal. So steal shamelessly, and often, my friends.
Which role of yours has been your favorite?
While generally this is a hard question for me to answer, I do learn towards my time with Big G on Doraemon. When I was a little kid in Shanghai, Doraemon was the first piece of media I ever interacted with. I've been reading Doraemon my whole life and to be able to be a part of that legacy was a dream come true. While I haven't spent as much time with the character as I have other characters, it'll always have a special place in my heart for that reason. The two Doraemon movies just got released on Netflix if you'd like a sample of our English version!
What are some things you do to prepare yourself for a role?
Often times we don't even know what character we're doing until we show up so often there's little to no time to really 'prepare' for a character. If I'm lucky enough to know that the show is out, I'll try to watch a couple episodes before the session. If I'm given the character's real name (sometimes impossible due to NDA) I'll of course research them online. But the main way any of us prepare for a role is the ten minutes before the first session starts where you have the director and client breaking down your character for you. Voice actors often have to be master cold readers to make a script we've never seen before come alive in a realistic way just a few minutes after encountering it. And that happens literally every day. It sounds daunting but after enough years you get really good at making any piece of written text sound like you've read it forever the very first time you read it.
Which character that you’ve done voice work for do you resonate with the most?
My wife claims Satoru Gojo and I are spirit animals and I don't know how I feel about that.
You have been in everything! From movies to video games is there one you like acting for more?
I love the technical challenge of dubbing anime. I've literally done every form of voice-over there is. Big summer blockbuster films, audiobooks, western animation, audio descriptions, educational, commercials, etc. The hardest form of acting consistently across the board is foreign dubbing. You have to be able to do all that good acting stuff in between two very specific time codes and to very specific lip flaps and still need to make it sound natural. It's an extreme form of rubbing your tummy while patting your head while acting for an audience. Compared to that, everything else is just...a cakewalk. Second favorite is video games because I just love video games.
Last question!! What are your top 10 favorite anime?
- Slayers Next
- Neo Yokio
- Keijo!!!!!!!!
- Food Wars!
- Yu-Gi-Oh! ( specifically the English dub )
- Rurouni Kenshin
- Doraemon
- Berserk
- The King of Braves GaoGaiGar
- Gurren Lagann
Anne Yatco
English Voice Actor of Nobara Kugisaki in JUJUTSU KAISEN (Twitter, Instagram)
Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in voice acting?
I’ve loved performing for as long as I can remember, going all the way back to singing karaoke with my family! I remember being captivated by Disney movies (starting with The Little Mermaid) and Saturday morning cartoons growing up. But it wasn’t until grad school (I got my MFA in acting at the California Institute of the Arts) that I realized I could pursue a career in voice acting specifically. I started really paying attention to who was behind the characters and stories I loved watching, and I started taking voice-over-focused classes. Coincidentally, that was also when I really got into anime.
What’s something you’d want to tell a younger version of yourself who was just starting out in this industry?
I think I’d tell myself to start building my network (of classmates, colleagues, etc.) now. It took me too long to realize the immense value in that. I’d also like to reassure myself that, even though the journey is long and sometimes frustrating (because I had a whole other career as a forensic scientist for several years while I started pursuing voice acting), I will one day be able to achieve a career doing voiceover, so keep going!
Which role of yours has been your favorite?
Don’t make me pick one! It’s hard to choose because there’s something to like in all of the characters I’ve gotten to play. And some roles (like Raiden Shogun) have given me the chance to mine some really deep, wonderful emotional beats. But if I have to—it’s Nobara. Getting to voice her was a turning point in my career, for sure. But more importantly, I really resonate with her: we’re both mercurial and can turn emotionally on a dime. And I just love how funny, cool, and badass she is all at once!
You have been in everything! From anime to video games like Genshin Impact, is there one you like acting for more?
Oh, thank you, but I’ve hardly been in everything—yet! But no, I don’t like acting in one more than the other. It’s kind of like comparing apples to oranges. At the end of the day, I just love performing/creating characters and being able to help tell amazing stories!
What are some things you do to prepare yourself for a role?
I do what research I can in the time I’m given. If a show has source material, I try to read a chapter or two, read the wiki, or watch an episode (if it’s available) beforehand to get a sense of the tone of the show and/or to see the original performance. That’s not possible for every show. And for video games, unless it’s an established/ongoing game like Genshin Impact, there may not be any information available besides what was in the audition sides. So then I just try to be ready for anything!
What is your dream role?
To be the voice of a Disney princess! That, for me, is my holy grail. I grew up on Disney movies, and I just know if I voice a Disney princess someday, I could die happy.
Last question!! What are your top 10 favorite anime?
This is hard! I know I have gaps in my anime knowledge, but in no particular order:
- Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
- Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
- Ouran High School Host Club
- Cowboy Bebop
- Sailor Moon
- Kaguya-sama: Love is War
- Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun
- Mob Psycho 100
- Violet Evergarden
- and…JUJUTSU KAISEN (yes, I am biased)!
Christine Marie Cabanos
English Voice Actor of Madoka Kaname in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Twitter)
Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in voice acting?
Like most children of the 90’s, I watched a lot of cartoons growing up. Before I found out what anime was, I lived off Nickelodeon and Disney animated shows and movies. You name it, I watched it. But the show that made me aware of voice acting was Rugrats. I loved Chuckie’s voice in particular voiced by the amazing Christine Cavanaugh. I saw her name in the credits and realized this was a job that you could have. It didn’t hurt that we had similar names as well! I would memorize the dialogue from rerun episodes and when they would come on again, I would turn down the volume and voice the characters myself. I didn’t realize it then, but it was great dubbing practice!
As far as my influences in voiceover for anime goes, I watched shows like Battle Athletes, Love Hina, Samurai Champloo, Inuyasha, Magic Users Club, and many others. And I watched most of them, if not all, dubbed into English. It’s a huge honor that I have had the privilege of acting and working alongside many of the voiceover actors/directors whose work I admired growing up. It’s kind of mind-boggling when I think back on it. I have so much respect for all of them and they’ve become wonderfully supportive mentors and friends as I’ve made my own way into this industry.
What’s something you’d want to tell a younger version of yourself who was just starting out in this industry?
I give my younger self a lot of credit actually. She was pretty gutsy. I had this long-shot dream of becoming a voiceover actress and was able to make it happen despite being quite timid and reserved growing up. I’m very proud of what I have accomplished in my career and if I were to tell my younger self anything it would probably just be, “Relax and not worry so much because you’re doing great”. And maybe wear more sunscreen and drink more water.
You’ve played a lot of magical girls in your career. If you were to have a magical power of your own what would it be?
Whenever I get asked this question, I usually answer the same way, which is to have healing abilities. Not just for myself but all living things. People, animals, plants. And it seems like it would be so useful now more than ever. The pandemic and climate change have given me (and most people) a lot of anxiety so if I could fix all of that for everyone, that’d be great!
Which role has been your favorite?
I’ve been lucky enough to have voiced a number of awesome and beloved characters. Madoka Kaname, Mako Mankanshoku, Squid Girl, Sailor Saturn, I love them all! But I think my favorite to this day is still Minori Kushieda from Toradora. She’s goofy, energetic, and off the wall but she isn’t one-dimensional. The series explored all of these complex emotions that she hid underneath her happy-go-lucky exterior. She was rainbows and sunshine most of the time, but she’ll also slap you on the school ski trip if you cross her so look out!
Also special shout-out to Lu from Lu Over the Wall! Lu doesn’t speak very many words which was a fun challenge in and of itself. I also got to sing a little bit, which I loved! It was a really special project to be a part of. I loved working with NYAV and GKIDS on that movie. And I was able to see it both at the Sundance film festival with the cast and crew and at the local movie theater back home with my family which was both a treat!
What are some things you do to prepare yourself for a role?
If it’s a show that has already aired in its original language, the first thing I’ll do is look it up and watch some clips to get a feel for the vibe of the character and show in general. It’s rare that we get video and scripts ahead of time when dubbing, so I’ll just go off of what I can find while researching. I revisit my audition to see what I did, but truly, I mostly rely on the director and producers to steer me in the right direction once we have our first session. There’s usually some time in the beginning of that first session, where we’re all finding our footing and trying to nail the sound and feel of the character. I also learned to not be married to anything I did in the audition because they could decide to change it once you’re in the booth.
Last question!! What are your top 10 favorite anime?
In no particular order…
- Cardcaptor Sakura
- Battle Athletes
- Magic Users Club
- Toradora
- K-ON!
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica
- Blue Exorcist
- Lovely Complex
- Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
- The Girl that Leapt Through Time
Fight me. Just kidding, please be nice. Happy AAPI Month!!
SungWon Cho
English Voice Actor for Hyodo from Aggretsuko (Twitter, Instagram)
Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in voice acting?
I used to voice for radio plays in high school that my friend wrote, and doing those really made me fall in love with acting. That, and I'd always been fascinated by voice actors since childhood.
What’s something you’d want to tell a younger version of yourself who was just starting out in this industry?
Take the time to really appreciate everything you achieve. It's very easy to get discouraged in this industry and go, "But I want MORE." Instead, it's best to be grateful for and proud of what you're currently achieving now.
From anime to video games like Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and live-action, what kind of acting are you most passionate about?
Voiceover will always be first and foremost. I'm always looking for rich, fun characters that I can really sink my teeth into.
What are some things you do to prepare yourself for a role?
I actually like to go into a session with an open mind instead of over-preparing. Things can change with a character even as soon as you step into the booth, so instead I make sure I stay flexible and don't get too precious with anything. The best sessions are an open free-flowing collaborative effort between you, the director, and/or the creators.
Which role has been your favorite?
My favorites are the ones that I've gotten to spend the most time with, so characters like FL4K from Borderlands 3, Hyodo from Aggretsuko, or Kage from Ranking of Kings are really special to me. The more time I get to dig into the character, the more invested I am.
Last question!! What are your top 10 favorite anime?
- Chihayafuru
- Monster
- Mushishi
- Cowboy Bebop
- Sound! Euphonium
- Shirobako
- Legend of the Galactic Heroes
- HAIKYU!!
- Silver Spoon
- Full Metal Panic
Source: Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!
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