I think that the current me is something that Mari has bestowed upon me.

Because I have liked anime ever since I was an elementary school student, I hoped that someday I would be able to be part of the industry. It’s just that I thought that my voice was unfit for a seiyuu, so even though I was interested in becoming a seiyuu, I withdrew myself because I wasn’t confident. But that changed when I was in my second year of junior high. Up until I was a high school student, I had practiced singing folk songs only, so I used the experience from that in the 7th All-Japan Anisong Grand Prix, and made it to the finals, which increased the strength of my love for anime and anisong, and resolved to myself, “I will definitely become an anisong singer!”, and immediately moved to Tokyo after I graduated high school to train.

In the training school’s after-recording lessons, even though I wasn’t very proficient then, I still felt like it was really fun. And after the recording, I heard that Horikawa Ryo-san listened to them and praised me, saying, “She has good intuition”. But I had all along felt like my voice wasn’t suited for a seiyuu, thinking, “It would be difficult to become a seiyuu”, but my teacher encouraged me, saying, “That’s not true. Anyone can become a seiyuu. Any type of voice is alright.”,  and so I received the courage and confidence to think, “I can also aim to be one.”. After this happened, my heart was once again flamed with the passion to become a seiyuu. And so, this was the first time after I moved to Tokyo that I had the dual aim of becoming both a seiyuu and an anisong singer.

I have always really loved Love Live!, so when I heard that I was chosen to be part of Love Live! Sunshine!!, I was so happy that I sobbed tears of joy (laughs). I was deeply moved by this; at that time it felt like I was floating in a dreamland, barely able to feel the real world around me.

When I first read the member profiles, Ohara Mari-chan was the one who caught my eye the most, and I thought really hard about how I was going to perform her. She is a mixed race lady whose looks are very cute, and leads everyone else with her cheer and energy. She has a positive nature, so when everyone else is hesitating, she is able to push them forward in a sense. I thought that she was also someone who is able to read the atmosphere well. In the Kimi no Kokoro wa Kagayaiteru kai? PV, there was a part with a scene of Mari-chan standing still for a long time and looking at all the other members. I thought that this scene was like as if Mari was holding everyone tightly in her arms. Mari wasn’t always as strong, and I will carefully pay attention to all her feelings and think over them before performing them. If you think carefully about the procession of the events while watching that scene, I think that maybe, you will be able to experience Mari’s inner strengths and weaknesses.

Among the 9 of them, Mari is the one who takes on the role of taking care of the others. One year ago, I myself was still doing my best for my own sake, but I didn’t pay attention to my surroundings. In the middle of everyone doing their best together to improve in dancing, singing and the like, I finally noticed that everyone else had skills that I did not, and now I am slowly learning from them. I worried about how to get everyone closer to each other, and they also said to me, “Right now, like this, it isn’t bad, isn’t it?” and other similar words, and so I felt that the connections between the 9 of us began to get deeper. Because of taking on the role of Mari, I was able to think from her point of view, and I was also able to become aware of my surroundings. You can say that the me right now is bestowed upon me by Mari, so I also want to use a part of me to bring about Mari. And if the audience who watches Mari is able to think, “It’s great that Suzuki Aina is playing the role of Mari”, I will be happy. For the sake of bringing cheer and energy to everyone through the live broadcasts, radio shows and others, I will also perform happily, and in the future, I think I also want to yell out on stage: Shinyー☆