Okay, so it's almost 2 am. Just got back from celebrating with friends at their hotel room. Got to meet and befriend Zal and sporkbot today along with some other cool people, especially forum peeps like eerie and dmAL (technically we met yesterday). So I'm really tired, and there's probably a lot of spelling errors, but fuck it. Here's the transcript of the Tanaka panel, with lots of grammatical errors, writing it in third and first person. Enjoy
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Mayumi Tanaka Q&A Panel–
Ace cosplayer in the front asked Tanaka-san to save him. =(
--What she actually thinks One Piece is?
Nakama
--What other Shonen Jump series would she like to voice and who?
For Shonen Jump series, not that many she knows of. But of any manga, something by Akatsuka Fujio. Character she's interested in has a big forehead like Krillin. And when it comes to small monk characters, she's confident that she can do a role.
--Besides Luffy, who else is your favorite character?
Shanks
--Does doing a lot of male roles so well come from her tomboy personality or voice acting skill?
She's often asked this in Japan, and for sexy scenes, she's often asked if she likes women/is a lesbian. But she does like men. [So skill]
–What was your favorite scene to play as Luffy?
Farewell to Vivi scene (sign of the Nakama)
--What are your thoughts on the Strong World movie?
Since it was made by Oda, she thinks it is of a higher quality. Resembles the Nami/Arlong arc. Compared to the Arlong Arc, the feelings of bonds between Nami and Luffy are not a lot stronger, and it approaches in a different way how to solve this problem.
–Will there be a way for Luffy and Nami to actually develop a relationship?
Once you get on a boat, something like that won't happen. But if you don't get on, there could be feelings developed, especially for someone like Vivi, even though she was left behind.
--Over 10 years of One Piece. Do you think it'll end soon?
Oda's been quoted to say, “Well, it's been over 10 years, and I'm just about halfway done.” When I took on the role of Luffy, I wasn't young then. And now that it's been over 10 years, with One Piece only about halfway done, my dream is to live a long life so I can voice Luffy til the very end.
--OP has many heartbreaking moments, which one was the most difficult for you to record?
So many scenes, but to pick one was farewell of Going Merry and the big fight with Usopp. When Luffy is fighting an enemy (for example like Magellan), his body is wounded. But against someone like Usopp, his heart is wounded.
--How do the Seiyuu prepare themselves to be so engergetic and high energy before recording? Something like a warcry or cheer to get in character?
As far as singing, we enjoy when a main character is speaking, the other main characters will be singing/making lots of noise in the background. (Huge and black and large around). Before recording, she does vocal warmups/pronunciation practice (sings “my voice isn't coming out). She does so until they ask her to stop. But the actors don't do anything together.
--(Kuma wants to ask a question; Tanaka-san asks to not be sent away; she wants to meet her nakama soon)Who's your favorite villain?
Buggy
--When you read the current tragedies of OP, did it change how you thought of Luffy and will it change how you act as Luffy in the future?
I try very hard not to spoiler myself by reading ahead. But one of the other cast members (Kappei) teases me. When I have to record a happy scene, he brought me the volume of the farewell to Going Merry before I knew about it.
--Luffy does a lot of eating, with all those sound effects for him, do you record those sound effects by eating or are they just added in?
If it's just Luffy eating, I can make those sounds without eating. If it's lines where Luffy is speaking with food, then it's more difficult. When talking where Luffy doesn't have to speak legibly, it's much easier.
--How much fun do you think it would be if Bon-chan joined the crew?
I do think it would be fun if he did, but it would be tough on Kazuki who voices them both. It would've sort of been a one man show if it happened.
--Have you had any drinking parties with other cast members?
Yes we do go out together often. A little while ago, we recorded OP in the morning, then we had lunch afterwards. And it was so hard to break up, but other people who had other jobs left, but they came back and joined us. Then people who had night jobs went to do those and came back. We pretty much partied all day until we were told to leave. We have too much fun sometimes. Also, we do takoyaki parties at my house. We all have takoyaki grills, and Oda comes to joins us as well.
--Can you sing the Sky Island song?
(she sings the song) When Oda wrote those lyrics, he didn't envision it that way, so when she recorded it, he thought “I didn't know that Luffy liked Enka so much.” Now he's aware of it when he writes the story.
--If you could have any devil fruit power, which one would you have?
If of any possible power, you know how devil fruits need two names with a similar sound, the fruit I would choose is “tou-tou”-no-mi, which is the first syllable of the sound you make in the toilet, but that you don't want others to hear. So, instead of flushing each time to cover it up, there are toilets that can actually prevent that sound from happening. So the fruit I would have would help cover up those sounds. But by having that fruit, people would know that it was me making those sounds.
--Could you, for every member of the main cast of OP, list parts of their personality that are similar and different from their character?
It's difficult to list differences of the main cast and their voiced character. We sort of bring the character to ourselves, and because we've gotten very close to the writers and Oda, over time we sort of are developed as the characters.
--Could you tell us any more interesting stories about working with Oda?
When we all met each other for the first time and introduced ourselves, we went around in a circle and introduced ourselves and who we voiced. “I'm Tanaka and I play Luffy, etc.” Oda was sort of forgotten in the corner, so he came up and said “I'm Oda and I play the author. Now, there's a running gag where they think that the person there really isn't Oda, that he's just a double for the meetings. The real Oda is someone working on the manga all the time.
--Being at Sakura Con, would you be able to say any of the Sakura Wars theme song?
She sings along with the room. :D
--Which VA was one of the most favorite and fun to work with?
I'd have to say that everyone I've worked with on OP has been very fun. We play around with each other a lot. However, when we have small children, we don't see each other very often until they grow up, then they return and we hang out and go out drinking again. Yoriko has a small child right now, so she isn't as available. But Akani-chan has a child that's now in 6th grade, so she can come out drinking with us again.
Yamaguchi Yoriko (Robin)
Akani-chan (Nami)
--What would you say is the most interesting person/place that you've encountered in any of your roles?
It's tough to pick out just one, but right now, Ivankov is pretty interesting, especially with his laugh. I can't really pick just one.
--When you did Sakura Wars musical review stage show, they were very similar to the all-female group shows. Were you interested in doing takarazuka roles or just doing traditional acting/voice acting when you were young?
Yes, I was very impressed with the ladies who played the male roles when I was young, and I would love to play one, if only I was taller. In Sakura Wars, all the characters were women, but some of them played men and some of them played women. For the cast, the ones who played men were all shorter. So for the characters that were shortest among us, they were actually very tall. So it ended up being the exact opposite of what I expected.
--Can you yell out some of Luffy's attack moves?
She did Gomu Gomu no Baka
--Request to join the OP photo gathering after this?
Actually, all of you here dressed up, I want photos of all of you to take back to Oda and the Toei animators, so I would love to take photos with you. Okay!
--Last Question. What do you think of your American fans?
Coming here, all the fans here have a warm and welcoming feeling. I've lived in Japan a long time, and this is one of the first times I've made it over here. You're all very warm welcoming and joyous, I think you'd trample over the other Japanese fans who are more reserved.
There are so many of you here, and there are so many characters. It was an awesome feeling, and I'm going to make a very good report.
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dmAL has a bunch of it on video, so look for her uploads soon, especially on the podcast. Zach, I'm looking forward to hearing and seeing what you guys put together. Now, I sleep, to wake up for her autograph session...which might be raffled like at Comic Con...ffffffff....