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Japanese voice actress Chie Nakamura holds meet and greet event in Dubai

Naruto fans in the UAE were very pleased to get autographs and take pictures with the Japanese voice actress. (Supplied)
Naruto fans in the UAE were very pleased to get autographs and take pictures with the Japanese voice actress. (Supplied)
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18 Dec 2024 05:12:32 GMT9
18 Dec 2024 05:12:32 GMT9

Amin Abbas

DUBAI: Chie Nakamura, the veteran Japanese voice actress who is known as Sakura Haruno in the Naruto franchise and Sophitia in the Soulcalibur video game franchise, was a special guest in a wonderful meet and greet event held from Dec. 14 and 15 at Dubai’s Times Square Center in her first visit to the United Arab Emirates. The event was organized by Speedy Comics Middle East and Popcon Middle East.

Naruto fans in the UAE were very pleased to get autographs and take pictures with the Japanese voice actress.

Nakamura shared exclusively with Arab News Japan her inspiration to start voice acting. “I was inspired by singing and dancing with the aim of performing on stage at a young age. I had to give up because I was not good at dancing. Then, I was advised by my sister that “voice actors can do many things,” and I was motivated and decided to pursue a career as a voice actor.”

“I have liked anime and foreign drama series since I was young and I was inspired by them to study and practice voice acting in high school and I officially debuted at the age of 20,” she added.

Nakamura mentioned that her first role as a voice actor in anime was Ellis for DT Eightron (1998).

About her role as Sakura Haruno in the Naruto franchise, Nakamura said, “At the beginning, I was among different voice actors and actresses for the audition of the Naruto anime series, which is a manga series at the famous Weekly Shonen Jump magazine by Masashi Kishimoto. I thought it was related to ramen as Naruto’s name refers to Japanese narutomaki, a cured fish surimi and then I was informed about the story of the ninja world and got interested. I didn’t have the confidence in my performance at the audition, and then I got the news that I was chosen for the role of Sakura Haruno for the Naruto anime series.”

“At the beginning, I thought the heroine character Sakura was a cute and beautiful image for the series, but then I was informed by the production team of the series to have a more straight and serious voice for the character as the story progressed, and I have been reading and studying the character reactions in different situations and representing her in a very admirable way, as she is more than just a girl who is falling in love with Sasuke Uchiha, but a ninja who needs to prioritize her missions and that’s one of the important elements of Sakura’s character in the anime series.”

Moreover, the actress reflected on her role in Soulcalibur, saying it was a very important role for her. “This one started as the previous voice actress Sophitia has been changed and it was a big pressure for me as a starting point and making sure of not having gaps for the character’s performance. However, it has become more comfortable to me as I’m going through the process of performing Sophitia and bringing her essence and character to the games.”

“Even though Sophitia and Sakura are from different franchises, there are some common characteristics between the two as a woman who fights but keeps the femininity and gentleness within her strength,” she added.

Nakamura mentioned that she was amazed by the number of people who are big fans of anime and Japanese culture in this part of the world. She believes that anime can bring all people from different countries together and she is very grateful to be part of it. “I was very pleased to meet different people during my visit to the UAE, and I believe that the quality of the anime project is what attracts many people to it.” 

Rashed Al Farooq, Group CEO of Speedy Comics, commented on the event, saying, “We are thrilled that we have achieved another milestone by bringing a veteran Japanese voice actress to Dubai. As Speedy Comics, we are an Emirati local family-owned business that promotes pop culture in the GCC region, including anime and manga. We are committed to building on this success and will continue to strive to please our fans.” 

“We are committed to bridge the gap between UAE and Japanese culture, which we are doing and our government is doing a great job and we are honored to play a part in this amazing initiative between the two countries. We will have Hiroaki Hirata (Sanji in the One Piece franchise) next month and we will have someone from Hunter x Hunter, which will be a big surprise for everyone. Our next main event will be in November 2025, where we will bring major celebrities from movies, TV series, anime, video games, and more, as well as many activations,” he added. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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