Veteran voice actress Yuko Miyamura, legendary for her roles as Asuka Langley Soryu in "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and Kazuha Toyama in "Detective Conan," is still crushing it in the industry and has recently been connecting with fans on social media.
Recently, she dropped a bombshell on her official YouTube channel, sharing some wild behind-the-scenes secrets from her "Neon Genesis Evangelion" audition back when she was just starting out – and fans are absolutely buzzing!
Miyamura revealed that the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" auditions took place around autumn 1994. Back then, she was a total rookie in the voice acting world, with barely any credits to her name. Her demo reel, submitted by her agency, actually pitched her as an "orthodox heroine." So, get this: her agency didn't even send her to audition for Asuka; they set her up for "Rei Ayanami"!
Miyamura recalled how seriously she took the audition, delivering her lines in a quiet, composed manner. But then, mid-audition, the director suddenly threw a curveball: "Would you be willing to try out for another character?" And yep, you guessed it – that character was Asuka.
The instructions from the staff were super simple: "Just be yourself, but with a bit more energy!" Miyamura laughed, admitting, "I honestly didn't think I was acting particularly energetic or anything..." She was a little puzzled, sure, but she went with it. And the rest, as they say, is history – she landed the role and became the iconic voice of Asuka.
She also spilled another tidbit: at the time, "Neon Genesis Evangelion" wasn't even confirmed for TV broadcast. It was being planned as a "26-episode OVA series." When she went in for the audition, she had no idea what kind of project it even was! Talk about flying blind.
Who knew that an unexpected character switch during an audition would ultimately lead to one of anime's most iconic characters and become her signature role? What a twist of fate!
Her video isn't just about Evangelion, though! It also dives into her entire voice acting journey since her debut, including some fascinating tidbits you probably never knew, like how she even voiced sound effects in games back in the day. Definitely worth a watch!