On Saturday, November 7, Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2024 (AFA SG) welcomed Oshi no Ko voice actors Yurie Igoma and Takeo Otsuka, who lend their voices to the characters Aqua and Ruby respectively.
While in Singapore, they held a meet-and-greet session with fans and participated in a daytime panel, where they answered questions about the anime series.
The panel was hosted by a Japanese idol, making it even more exciting for fans. Sally Amaki, a member of the idol group 22/7 and a bilingual voice actress fluent in Japanese and English, expertly facilitated the discussions.
In the panel involving Kadokawa series producer Shinpei Yamashita, fans found out about the reading habits of the Oshi no Ko voice actors with respect to the now-completed manga series.
By the time some Oshi no Ko voice actors were advised against reading the manga, it was already too late for one
Both Yurie Igoma and Shinpei Yamashita were last seen at the Anime Expo 2024, which took place in Los Angeles in early July.
Otsuka discussed how his first action in joining AFA SG 2024 was renewing his passport. Singapore marked his second international journey since initiating his voice acting career, with his previous visit being to Hong Kong.
Speaking about her Singapore visit, Igoma expressed her excitement and eagerness to see the famous Merlion. She eventually fulfilled this dream and shared a picture alongside the iconic landmark with the Marina Bay Sands as a backdrop on her Twitter.
During the panel discussion about Oshi no Ko, the attendees expressed surprise at the international reception of the anime, given its focus on the Japanese entertainment industry. Idol Sally Amaki shared her belief that the show accurately represents real-world experiences in the industry.
Yamashita, the producer, spoke about his decision to flout conventions and extend the debut episode to a 90-minute feature.
“I had an inkling that Oshi no Ko would gain some popularity since it’s authored by Aka Akasaka, who also penned Kaguya Sama. That show had a blend of comedy and seriousness,” revealed Yamashita.
“I chose to deviate from the conventional 30-minute format for the first episode because I didn’t want to chop up scenes leading to Ai’s death. Although the anime’s second season aired its final episode on October 6, 2024, the manga series concluded on November 14, 2024, with Chapter 166. To fans’ surprise, Igoma hasn’t read the manga while Otsuka has.
When asked for her opinion on Aqua’s character, Igoma replied, “Aqua is someone that I really want to see happy,” which led to an immediate reaction from the audience.
The session closed with live readings from the Oshi no Ko voice actors. Otsuka chose a scene from the 16th episode of the second season where Aqua uses his trauma in his acting while Igoma selected a scene from the 23rd episode of the second season which encapsulates Ruby’s character.
READ MORE: Exclusive: Saori Hayami on Rachel’s evil laugh, how her friendship with this seiyuu swayed a Tower of God scene
