Interview with BanG Dream! Voice Actress Miku Ito

Voice actress and singer Miku Ito made her first U.S appearance at Anime NYC 2019 between November 15-17. She hosted a special concert as her character Kokoro Tsurumaki from BanG Dream! at the Anime NYC Masquerade and was also here to premiere Fragtime – an anime OVA based on the yuri manga of the same name.

In addition to performing and participating in her own panel, she also had a chance to meet her fans individually and hand them an Owatashi-Kai gift to a select few. MANGA.TOKYO had a chance to ask her a few questions about her time in New York, Fragtime, and her experience playing Kokoro.

Note: This interview was conducted in a press conference setting with journalists from many outlets present to ask questions. 

This is your first time in the U.S for Anime NYC. What have you seen and experienced over your weekend here?

It’s my first time in New York, so it was my first time seeing the town. I did a lot of tourism and sightseeing. I thought it was a very fancy and cool town to be in.

Producer Yusuke Terada and yourself were present at the premiere of the OVA Fragtime. Can you tell us a little about the story and the role your character plays in the anime?

Fragtime is very much about cute girls getting along very well and that part is very nice. There’s also a human darkness present in the work and I think that will stay in everyone’s hearts after they watch it.

My character, Misuzu, is a very shy girl and she can’t really speak her mind well. But, she’s also very mentally strong and watching her grow is one of the main attractions of the work. I hope that people will like that part.

One of your most popular roles is as Kokoro Tsurumaki from BanG Dream! Like your character, do you also find great motivation in seeing smiles and making fans happy during your performances?

Always. I enjoy hearing when fans tell me that they liked a certain work or one of my songs and it makes me very happy. So I want, as part of my work, to make that happen.

How would you describe Kokoro’s musical style in BanG Dream!?

I think all of the Hello, Happy World! songs have a melody that communicates having a lot of fun. When I sing as Kokoro, I try to have as much fun as I can when I’m singing for the recordings. So I hope that that fun feeling comes across.

Miku Ito gave a final message to her fans as the press conference ended. She thanked everyone for giving her a warm welcome and was happy about her overall experience, even though it was her first time in New York. She said she’d love to return to represent more of her characters that she played and would like to hopefully visit the city personally.

Special thanks to Bushiroad, Pony Canyon, and Anime NYC for the opportunity.