Fujita Saki: Her Three Year Path as a Seiyuu and an Admiral

Her Three Year Path as a Seiyuu and an Admiral
Shitty Camrip: https://boards.fireden.net/a/thread/140495108/#140498585

We interviewed Fujita Saki-san, voice of Akagi, Yukikaze, and 6 other shipgirls! We asked Fujita-san, who's also an accomplished admiral, about her feelings toward the shipgirls and the game's appeal.

Interviewer: Fujita-san, you voice 8 of the shipgirls, correct?
Fujita: It was just 7 at first before Tokitsukaze, but I was happy to be doing so many characters at once. I remember having a lot of fun voicing everything from grown-up to childish girls.

I: When you acted, did you rely on scripts to help you see the shipgirls in your mind?
F: Lines and settings were prepared, and some of the illustrations had been finished. I used those to help form images of the characters. Then there are the long lines you can replay in the library, right? For those, I had to rely a lot on the images I had formed of the shipgirls.

I: It's been three years since then, and additional voice-overs and the TV anime have been recorded since then. Have your impressions of any shipgirls changed over time?
F: My impressions per se haven't changed, but if we're talking about new characterization, it has to be Akagi-san. She's one of the shipgirls that, thanks to admirals, has grown in appeal and popularity.

I: When the game launched, she seemed like a girl with very strong character, but then you got the feeling that "there's this side of her too, isn't there". Is that right?
F: Yeah. It's not like she's no longer a reliable oneesan, but I was happy to see this new side of her come up from the excited admirals.

I: Now then, let's discuss your impressions about the other shipgirls you voiced. First of all, please tell us about Fusou and Yamashiro.
F: Fusou-neesama's a bit of an old-school yamato nadeshiko, Sometimes she looks back a bit, and I think that's connected to her fragility. A lot of admirals feel like they want to protect Fusou-neesama. Her sister Yamashiro is the kind of character that wants to protect that Fusou-neesama.

I: Yamashiro's distinguishing trait... well, some could say she's a bit of a "yandere", right?
F: She only shows her "dere" side to Fusou-neesama. She might only really show us admirals her "yan" side though (forced laugh). But perhaps it's because when I was acting out her part I put so much love into her lines towards Fusou-neesama that there's such a difference with her indifferent lines towards the admiral.  It was quite fun.

I: I feel like Yamashiro clings tight to whoever she loves (laugh). Next are the 5 Kagerou-class destroyers. How were your impressions of Kagerou, Shiranui, and Kuroshio, who share the same uniform?
F: Kagerou gives off that MC glow. As expected of the nameship of her class, she has her power as the oneechan to lead everyone along and is the type that's happiest with everyone around. On the other hand, Shiranui's the "cool beauty" type. You could probably sum up her personality as "loyal". She speaks politely and is very loyal to the admiral.
I: It seems some admirals have taken to affectionately calling her by a pet name "Nuinui".
F: She's never referred to directly as "nuinui" in the game itself, but the gap between her cool exterior and her cute pet name is nice. I'm sure many admirals' hearts ached and wanted to call her that too after hearing her cuter side from her seasonal voice-overs.

I: Speaking of heart aches, I think many people absolutely love Kuroshio's Kansai dialect.
F: Well, I actually can't speak Kansai dialect, so Kuroshio's actually a "fake Kansai dialect" girl.
I: Eh? Really!?
F: Yeah, actually... But the production side was aiming for that from the start. During recording, I was instructed "Kuroshio's this sort of [carefree] girl - you'll be fine", and so even I was able to pull it off (laugh). So even when I do additional voice-overs, I actually just wing it without studying the dialect.
I: So there was a story like that, huh?
F: Kuroshio's lines leave quite an impression. One of her attractive features is that, even though she says such motherly things, sometimes she'll act a little childish.

I: Last up are Yukikaze and Tokitsukaze. Please tell us your impressions of them.
F: Yukikaze's a girl full of spirit. But behind her young appearance lies the powerful "miracle ship", survivor of many fierce battles. Even though she talks like a child, she's actually quite confident in herself. When I acted as Yukikaze, I kept in mind that I had to express all of that.
I: Among Yukikaze's lines, many of them show her determination and strength of heart.
F: Even though she looks young, she's taken on so many burdens in fighting, so she's very endearing. And yet in her seasonal voiceovers, many of her lines show a childish cheer. Seeing Yukikaze's cute demeanor feels relieving.

I: In contrast to Yukikaze, Tokitsukaze's sweet image is more innocent.
F: Exactly. Tokitsukaze is really a child (laugh). Tokitsukaze was added after the game was launched, but of all the girls I acted she's probably the one who most wants to be close friends with the admiral. Her charm point is her excessive familiarity, to the point where she's the kind of character you forgive because "that's just how Tokitsukaze is".

Challenging KanColle Events with All Her Might
I: Let's discuss your time as an admiral. When did you begin playing?
F: Sometime around May of 2013, I think. I'm on the Yokosuka Naval District server.
I: So almost from the beginning then?
F: I love games, so I often play any I appear in. For KanColle too, I went in hoping to see the girls I had voiced. And then I really got into it. "Can I really play all this for free!?" I thought, and I kept playing.
I: That's one of the highlights of KanColle, isn't it? Did you do in-game events as well?
F: My first event (the one Yamato debuted in, Summer 2013's "Southern Waters Assault Recon!"), my fleet was quite inexperienced, so I only really got involved starting with "Ironbottom Sound" [Fall 2013].
I: There have been many events, but which one left the most lasting impression?
F: Summer 2014's "Operation AL/MI", of course. If you put in the effort, you could add Tokitsukaze to your fleet. That's why I had saved up my resources and taken on the challenge.
I: And did you meet her?
F: Of course! But it was quite a troublesome affair...
I: And by that you mean?
F: I had voiced one of the Abyssals for Operation MI [the Aircraft Carrier Demon], but at any rate, fearsome enemies loomed ahead of me. I wanted to see the character I had voiced - such is the life of seiyuu (bitter laugh).
I: But overcoming all that surely made meeting Tokitsukaze all the sweeter?
F: Indeed! That's the beauty of KanColle. Sharing info with everyone, then coming up with your own strategy is really fun. That's why, if you haven't played yet, you really should give it a shot.

I: Now then, let's finish with your hopes for the future!
F: If we're talking hopes, then I've been saying this for a while, but I want to voice a submarine someday! Then the "Fujita Fleet" (a fleet composed of shipgirls voiced by Fujita-san) will be all the stronger (laugh). I'm not sure if that'll happen, but I hope to continue to stay pumped about and enjoy KanColle, so please support KanColle until it's 4th Anniversary as well!