“Let’s get teased by Takagi-san together!” – Takahashi Rie & Ōhara Yuiko who were immersed in their middle school club activities
In a certain middle school, there is a girl named Takagi-san, who sits beside a boy named Nishikata, this story is Skilled Teaser Takagi-san, where Nishikata tries to get back at Takagi-san’s teases. With the change of seasons, they are now 2nd year students, and the “battle of teasing” continues in the 2nd season which will be aired on AT-X and other platforms. Today, we got the voice actor for Takagi-san, Takahashi Rie and the opening theme performer, Ōhara Yuiko for an interview regarding the series and the song.
Kohara Konomi does a Q&A on IG every now and then. Do check out the previous ones here! Also, she answers some questions that are written in foreign languages. For those questions and answers, I did not translate them and left them as they are. They are indicated in MAROON.
Q: You will be reprising your role as Mina in season 2 of Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san, so I’m looking forward to your injection of enthusiasm!
A: I’m getting pumped up! It’s really fun to play Mina, whose behavior is the exact opposite of those kyunkyun (heart fluttering) stories in between! (Eh? Sounds like secretary Fujiwara lol) Please look forward to it!
Q: Do you receive our fan letters?
A: Of course. The feelings behind all the effort and time spent by everyone to write them motivate me to put in my best at work, and I have nothing but gratitude for everyone. I’m sorry that I couldn’t announce the receipt of all these mails, but rest assure that they are previously kept in a box in my room. (●´人｀●) Thank you.
Q: I love Lala! I’ll be glad to hear your stories about acting as her!
A: I’m glad to hear that!! Thank you lun~ ❤️ From her curiosity of wanting acquire knowledge from touching and experiencing, to her serious moments, I drill all these characteristics into my mind and act. Also, I keep it in my mind to incorporate her “~lun” and “oyo~” feelings.
Q: I got to know Kohara-san from your voice as Shiroha in Summer Pockets. The game was really enjoyable ✨ Can you share some with us how the recording was like?
A: Thank you. I’m really happy I got to be involved in a key production. Shiroha is a girl of few words, someone whose emotions are always changing and a girl you feel comfortable to get close to. I did the recording alone with the staff, so I’m really grateful to them for getting this out. In the later half of the game, she goes through various experiences that makes her grow. For those who haven’t played the game, please definitely try it out.
Q: How do you decide on how to do your nails each time?
A: I always end up deciding them on a hunch 💅 Like for an event, I’d excitedly head to the salon with that event as a theme in my mind. I always go to my regular stylist, Kano-san, who always seems to work magic around my intended theme! It feels like I’m labeling her as my personal stylist out of my own whims lol. I wanna go back soon… Do check them out.
Q: Udon? Soba? Or ramen?
A: Eh! What a difficult question! Lol. But I like all of them… But if I have to choose, then ramen maybe ( *´艸｀)✨ Now I’m hungry already. Lol.
Q: I saw spring onion at the place where I parked my bicycle, what was that about?
A: I saw the photo… Lol. I’m sure that was an important message as part of your life lol. Spring onions are delicious. Boil them together with some chicken and you’ll get some nice and delicious soup, so eat them up! Lol.
Q: I’m a 3rd year college student and my student ID is 0628, so I feel a certain affinity with you.
A: Wow! I’m happy to hear that!! I’ll convey that affinity to you and hope for something good to happen to you ＾＾Heh-heh-heh
Q: Recently, I can’t seem to enjoy anything at all. How do I regain back the pure feelings from back then…
A: It’s inevitable we lose some of these feelings little by little when we become adults. Some of this can be attributed to us viewing the things we have seen and the experiences we have gone through as something mundane. This may be a little stretching but when we view something as mundane, then it will be mundane. I feel that our lives will change depending on what we do in this limited time that we get. When something sad happens, we may think about excessive things. As with anything, broadening your horizons is an important thing. I felt the same a while back too. No matter what I do, I could not seem to enjoy acting, and that was really painful. However, if we don’t move, those feelings will not change. Take a breather and go outside for a change of pace, maybe that will help out. I do the same too. Even if it’s just a minor hint, try to search for it within yourself. But, don’t overload yourself and make it difficult for yourself. Everyone goes through a phase like this.
Q: I love hot springs, how about Kohara-san?
A: I love them too. I wanna go if time permits ✨ Do you have any recommendations? Please share them with me!
Q: My Adam’s apple hasn’t developed. Of course, that means that my voice hasn’t changed. I’m 21 this year. I want to become a voice actor, what should I do about this?
A: No! On the contrary, that gives you a character. Also, I feel that there are many things you wouldn’t find out if people don’t hear your voice. I also hated my voice back in school, but I’m using this voice to work as a voice actor now. You never know what happens! I think you should act while you have the fighting spirit. It starts from within yourself ＾＾Fight on.
Q: I wanna see Koko-chan again!|
A: Ahh that makes me happy! Truly. I hope that becomes a reality! Hope that we can meet again.
This Q&A was first published on 6 April 2019 on Instagram. All images and videos you see here belong to their respective owners.
Q: Will you come back to Kawagoe?
A: Sounds good!! Lol
Q: What do you do to avoid getting upset when you discover that the person you like have been bad-mouthing you?
A: Since we live in a time where everyone can speak their minds, it may be out of our hands, but it sure feels sad. When I think about getting angry, I calm down by telling myself that it’ll be a waste of time getting angry at them. Although rumours are unavoidable, I’ll tell myself that I won’t know unless I witness it for myself. That still doesn’t the fact that they said those bad things though. I think it might make yourself feel better if you just tell yourself that there are many kinds of people in this word.
Q: What is the key to happiness?
A: Don’t take things for granted. Never forget gratitude. Also, reminding yourself that life is not a bed of roses, and when you run into hard times, remember to face forward and remind yourself often. While I was doing this Q&A, I also reminded myself while telling everyone to be positive. “I can’t face forwards!” – There will be times like that for sure, but remember, no one is going to do anything for you. Unless it’s by your own hands, nothing will move, so even if you stopped, get up and move again. By your own pace. Smiles are important too.
〇The following questions are from overseas readers〇
Q: Hello. I dont understand Japanese but I hope you have a great day koko chan!(こんにちは。日本語は分からないのですが,ココちゃんが素晴らしい1日だといいですね!)
A: Thank you for commenting on me even though I don’t understand Japanese. I’m so happy!Let’s try to make each day more fulfilling.(日本語が分からないのにコメントして下さってありがとう。とても嬉しいです！それぞれ充実した日々になるよう過ごしましょうね。
Q: Ganbatte Kohara-san.Say hi for me to Koga-san.Thank you. Keep up the good work.
A: Thank you very much.I’ll tell her.I’ll do my best in the future!(ありがとうございます。あおちゃんにも伝えますね。これからも頑張るぞ！
Q: Yeah I don’t speak Japanese but your Instagram is cool , and your voice acting is amazing.
A: Thank you for watching anime and Instagram.I’m really impressed that people from overseas supported me.I was happy with the message.Thank you.
Q: Is it ok for you to read English comments? Sorry for not able to speak in Japanese.
A: Of course I’m reading! I’m so happy.Look at it and even comment on it. Thank you very much.
Q: How do you feel when you got the role of chika? Love from Malaysia.
A: I’m glad that the Malaysian people are happy with it.Thank you! Chika is always playing happily.I look forward to your continued support!
Q:ここちゃんhello！Would you be interested in coming to the U.S. for a con or otherwise?
A: Hello！I have never been abroad!I would love to go if I had the chance!
Q: こはら-さん がんばれ！ PS🇺🇸人です。ありがとう！
A: こちらこそありがとう！嬉しいです！！また声を届けられるよう頑張ります。(Thank you very much!I will do my best to deliver my voice again.
Q: 會不會來台灣 (TN: will you come to Taiwan?)
A: 太想去了! (TN: I really wanna go!)
Thank you for sending in so many questions. I’m sorry that I couldn’t answer all of them. (Cries) Maybe I’ll do this again someday (●´人｀●) I’d love it if you can get to know various facets of me from my solo radio show.
Once again, a big thank you to everyone! It’s all thanks to all of you that I get to be this happy. Truly. I look forward to your continued support.
Kohara Konomi does a Q&A on IG every now and then. Do check out the previous ones here! Also, she answers some questions that are written in foreign languages. For those questions and answers, I did not translate them and left them as they are. They are indicated in MAROON.
Q: Did you do the voice-over for the rabbit in that CM for My Number? What other CMs were you involved in?
A: Yes, I voiced the white rabbit in that CM. Maina-chan is really cute heh. Her eyes are drawn using the number “1” and her face looks really cute “1U1” ♡ . I also did voiced Kanpo-kun in the JP Insurance CM, as well as last year’s CM for Tokyo Mode Gakuen. I love doing narrations.
Q: Recently, what do you feel an affinity with?
A: Because of my roles, I feel an affinity with these 3 things, “Moon”, “Kaguya”, “Literature”. Some of you might get what I’m referring to here ✨
Q: I really like your singing voice!
A: I don’t deserve such kind words. I’m not doing any music-related activities, and don’t go to the Karaoke to sing. I wanna get better at it… But, I did enjoy singing Lala’s transformation song as well as Secretary Fujiwara’s Chikatto Chika Chika lol.
Q: Your long messages on your IG story moved me and inspired me to work hard! Thank you!
A: They really are nothing much. If everyone likes reading them, I’ll continue to talk. As long as we are alive, the stories never end. I like the cheerful ones. But! Overthinking about worries and gloomy stuff makes you tired, and chasing after perfection makes you lose track of yourself. Negotiate with your heart and go about doing things at your own pace okay?
Q: I’ll be going on a job hunt this year, but what do I do if I don’t have confidence in myself?
A: Everyone’s the same, so it’s fine! I believe self confidence comes with experience. But yeah, it’s a fact that the job will often go to a person with confidence overflowing over someone without… That’s why even though I get nervous to the point that I feel like vomiting each time, I’ll try to bear with it and pretend I’m not nervous lol. We’re all the same! Don’t worry.
Q: Job search is just around the corner but I’m troubled over not knowing my strengths.
A: I don’t think there are many people who live each day thinking that “Ah, I’m good at this!” lol. I too, don’t know what are my strengths lol. Even if you are able to judge someone’s strengths and weaknesses objectively, it’s difficult to do the same for yourself. But, I think if you sit down and face yourself properly, you might discover them bit by bit. Also, if you see your strengths and weaknesses as both sides of a coin, your thinking might change. I’m sure the other party wants to hire someone who they want to work with, so it might be beneficial to prepare for the interview by looking up their good points. I’m rooting for you! All the best!
Q: What do you sing at the Karaoke? What songs do you like?
A: ELT-san’s (Every Little Thing) nostalgia and Shiawase no Fuukei(Scenery of Happiness). I also like fragile, so I was really surprised to hear it play in Tsuki ga Kirei. Other than that, I like Kimura Kaela-san’s chocolate. Give it a listen okay?
Q: To what extent can you do “an activity” alone?
A: I have done solo karaoke, ate gyudon by myself! The other day, I was feeling hungry, so I went into a gyudon place by myself. I ate alongside salarymen ( *´艸｀) fufufu. I wanna try eating yakiniku alone too ✨ Also, this goes back some time ago, I was okay with shopping for clothes alone, but not glasses and hats. I felt embarrassed about trying them on… lol. I wonder why. Anyone out there share this same sentiment? Lol.
Q: How does your goal of “Returning back to zero” help you out?
A: I think it’s a good goal. “Returning back to zero” = “Not forgetting my initial resolution” = “Always remember gratitude”, I hope to keep these words in my heart and work hard!
Q: Can you describe each of the StarPre members in a sentence?
A: Naruse Eimi-san = The chosen star | I think there’s no one as cheerful as her. She’s a wonderful person. She’s the one who loves PreCure the most, doesn’t build a wall around others and treats everyone equally. She treasures everyone deeply and is our precious leader.
Yasuno Kiyono-san: An elder sister with an abundance of kindness | Yasuno-san is a kind person with overflowing traits of a mum. I hope to become someone like her. I feel that she resembles Kayano-san (Ai).
Komatsu Mikako-san: The most reliable elder sister | When the 4 of us talks, she always chips in with advice. When she breaks into a grin from her serious expression, I die a little inside. Lol.
Kino Hina-chan: Hanako (Asobi Asobase) hahaha. Sorry that’s a joke. The soothing factor in the studio | She voices a character called Fuwa in the show, and her voice is just so cute! She always looks at everyone’s acting with glistening eye. She sits next to me in the studio and I always feel like an elder sis to her when she talks to me “That’s amazing! ✨”, “Koko-chan ^ ^” “Ah ah ^ ^”.
Q: Did you have any lingering regrets of things you should have done back in school?
A: Yeah, there is. The first one would be, not studying harder than I should have been. Can I reclaim that back in the future? Lol. There are also others. But if I look back at them, I’ll be drowning in them, so I feel that I should be looking forward to do things so I don’t leave any regrets in the future.
Kohara Konomi does a Q&A on IG every now and then. Do check out the previous ones here! Also, she answers some questions that are written in foreign languages. For those questions and answers, I did not translate them and left them as they are. They are indicated in MAROON.
Q: Please share with us some of the memorable events in Gurunavi and Asoraji! I love listening to them ♥️
A: Thank you. I’m glad to hear that ✨ Since Gurunavi was my first radio, Zucchi helped me out a lot. Even now, I have nothing but feelings of gratitude for it. Then, Asoraji was the first radio that had me as the center, and even though I was nervous, the 2 of them were really fun and full of character, and I thought the 3 of us struck a great balance. I’m grateful to everyone.
Q: Who is the real Koko-chan? The one doing the Instalive or the one in KokuRadio? Lol
A: I’m usually easy-going, so I guess I show off my true self when I do those Instalives. Perhaps there are many people who get the impression that I’m scary from KokuRADIO? Lol. Sorry for giving off the bad impression~ I don’t usually blow my lid lol. For KokuRADIO, I receive the mails and postcards to read out from the scriptwriter, and since there have been lots of joke materials sent in recently, I have gotten into the habit of specifically adopting a stance against them. Lol. It takes up a lot of energy hahaha, but it’s fun (●´ー｀●) fufufu
Q: I had the impression that Kohara-san’s and Koga-san’s voices are similar on Kaguya-sama’s radio, but when I went back to listen again, I realised that Kohara-san’s voice is different after all. Are you actually conscious of that?
A: I talked about this on Yuzuraji before, but I tend to consider the balance of the radio and my own position. If I’m older, I’d adopt a “elder sis” kind of speech, so my voice naturally goes lower lol. So you might feel that my voice on Gurunavi and Dotto Ai was different too.
Q: Please teach me the way to avoid colds and sore throat!
A: When I feel my condition is getting bad, I’ll drink Kakkonto (herbal remedy for colds/sore throat). Also, since my throat is sensitive, I always carry a bottle of propolis spray from Yamada Bee Farm with me to avoid getting a dry throat. If it gets really bad, I’ll drink propolis syrup instead. The more bitter and disgusting it is, the better for your throat. Lol
Q: Were there any interesting points that you discovered while acting?
A: My concentration level gets higher during serious scenes. For crying scenes, when all the conditions are in place and I get into the role, I find that there are times where I feel nothing at all when acting. I can’t really explain it well, but it’s like the back and bottom of my throat gets a tingly sensation. It was the same for Akane (Tsuki ga Kirei) as well as Shiroha (Summer Pockets). I like the feel that comes from acting out “humans”, not characters.
Q: What do I have to take note when trying to maintain my condition?
A: Indulge in your favourite food and things, and be easy going. You might think these have nothing to do with work at all, but it is unexpectedly important.
Q: Let’s say you can take a long break, what do you wanna do? Where do you wanna go?
A: I wanna do lots of stuff! There are plenty of places I wanna go within Japan. On top of my bucket list would be Izumo-Taisha! I’m happy to have received photos via DM, as well as protective charms from everyone ✨ Thank you.
Q: Becoming a voice actor, what are the things you value?
A: “Acting is a job that brings joy to people.” Therefore, it’s a job that requires you to enjoy doing too. My manager also told me before “(You) have to bring smiles to the faces of tons of people”. When I put it into words again, it really is a thankful job. I’ll continue to treasure it.
Q: What are some of the encounters that has got great impact so far in your voice acting career?
A: Lots of them. But if I were to single out one of them, for directors, it would be Kishi Seiji-san. As for actors, Ishigami Shizuka-san. In terms of radio, it would be Composition T, the scriptwriter, Tahara (Hirotaka)-san. There are too many things to write so I can’t do it here. If anyone wants to hear about them, I hope to be able to talk about them next time.
Q: What do you keep in mind when acting out your characters?
A: While having fun when acting, I hope that everyone can feel I’ve become the character instead of acting. That’s because I feel that these voices and feelings get conveyed to everyone’s who watching. I become lost when I think of unnecessarily complicated stuff, so I try to insert the notion of the personality of the characters along with the flow of the story and go about with my acting.
Q: I wanna hear Koko-chan voice a young boy!
A: I’m pleased to hear that… Coincidentally, that’s my mum’s wish as well lol. I’ll try my best!
Q: How do one go around finding one’s purpose and dream?
A: That is the huge wall you have to face when making the decision on your future in high school. Even though I’ve talked plenty about wanting to be an actor, I also went through a time when I was lost and confused. Since we have to make a decision, we end up thinking too much about unnecessary things. Maybe we can pull ourselves in the direction of what we enjoy doing and what we like. If you end up thinking “This feels wrong” along the way, I think it’s fine as long as you have the courage to steer in a different direction. There are also circumstances that you find your way somehow, so maybe a shortcut would be to broaden your horizons. (Sorry for replying like this)
Q: Please come to Taiwan!
A: I’ve received many messages like this one ✨ Thank you!! I’ll be glad to! There are many places abroad that I wanna visit as well!
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This Q&A was first published on 30 March 2019 on Instagram. All images and videos you see here belong to their respective owners.
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Q: Please share your tips on cosmetics 🌸 A: I got many cosmetics related messages from the ladies. So happy… tears. Thank you. I’ll share this in a separate post sometime later (＊∩ω∩)♡ Please wait for it, okay?
Q: What skincare products do you use?
A: I use Muji’s high moisture toning water for sensitive skin. For others, I go to to Albion. I apply their moisturizing milk lotion before the facial lotion ( *´艸｀) That way, it’ll leave a nice fragrance.
Q: Japanese food? Western food?
A: Hmm… Eh… I can’t choose hahaha. I like both. But if I really have to choose…. Western… Nope, Japanese!
Q: What are your recent fashion interests?
A: I wore a one-piece dress from KBF from that recent Nico live. I’ve been going around to look for a skirt recently.
Q: For the milk-lover in you ＾＾Although Hokkaido is no.1 in terms of milk production in Japan, I recommend milk from Tochigi Prefecture in Honshu!
A: Thank you for the milk report! “Lemon Milk” from Tochigi is famous heh ✨ I’ll go around and look for the normal milk too!
Q: Thank you for always reading our DMs. Any particular ones that left an impression?
A: It goes without saying that I received many heartwarming messages through DMs. It’s always a case of “Kohara Grinning Grinning Time”. Recently, I’ve received lots of messages, so I think there may be people whose messages aren’t properly marked with “Seen”, and although I can’t reply to them, I’m properly reading them (○´U`○) There are many of them that left quite the impression, but I like reading those warm messages, for example recently, people sending to me updates on their new employment and further studies. Also, recently people even sent me heartwarming messages along with a photo of their own faces. A while ago, I got to see a photo of a married couple supporting me from Kawagoe, I’m glad that I got my feelings across to everyone.
Q: Dogs? Cats?
A: Cats! I love Kuu.
Kohara’s pet cat, Kuu at her parent’s house. From her IG.
Q: “Ah, you can act in such a way!”- In a good way, did anyone shock you like that before?
A: The person who delivered such an impact to me was Kino Hina-chan. She always surprises me in unexpected ways in Asobi Asobase lol. I always have to hold back my laughters on the set lol. I love Asobi Asobase! I hope to get the chance to act as Kasumi again!
Q: What are your hobbies?
A: I like taking photos and crafting ear piercings. However, I haven’t made any piercings recently. I like going to handmade goods exhibitions too!
Q: I’m realizing my dream of becoming a beautician when spring comes! What did you feel when you landed your first voice acting job?
A: Ooh!! Congrats! Do your best kay (ﾉ*´>ω<)ﾉ✨I was super worried for my first studio dubbing session. Even though it was just one line, it didn’t feel right even after saying it many times… However, it was a tremendously important experience for me. I think that no matter what you do, you’ll go through an experience of clashing against the wall. Let’s not get discouraged and overcome the walls together. I’m supporting you!
Q: It’s my first time sending in a question! Have you been to Shikoku?
A: Thank you! I have not stepped foot into Shikoku before. I wanna travel to Kochi! “Kochi Family*” right? There are cafes I wanna visit! So many places I wanna go to.
*Kochi Family (高知家) is a PR campaign launched by Kochi Prefecture and Kochi Prefecture Local & External Corporation to promote Kochi Prefecture. The governor of Kochi launched it on 4 June 2013, with the tagline “Kochi Prefecture is one big family”, addressing the whole of the precture as a “house”. Hirosue Ryoko, who was born in Kochi, was appointed as the daughter of the “house”.
Q: Do you have a switch within you since you have to act out characters who are polar opposites?
A: Maybe… I think I have a different switch for each of them. From Akane to Kukuri, to Erena, they are all different. Even though Kukuri and Fujiwara Chika share a similar voice, they both have their differences which I’m conscious about. Their personalities are different after all. The most complicated ones are acting out both Kukuri and Miucha in Mahoujin Guruguru. Since I’m recording their voices at the same time, I had to bear in mind the small nuances when alternating between them. Zucchi could sense that right away. Hehehe.
Q: I love Koko-chan! How do I become a wonderful lady like you? (T_T)
A: No such thing… I also have times when I’m tardy. I feel embarrassed when typing this. But, thank you… Does everyone have someone you look up to? There is no one person who is completely flawless. I, too have have parts of myself which I dislike. I try to stay positive while trying to fix those flaws bit by bit. Burn positivity into the depths of your mind. I think to go about doing things wholeheartedly is an important thing.
Q: What kind of fans do you have? (For example: overseas fans, young fans…etc) I’m one of them too!
A: Thank you. I’m glad to have fans from all over the world supporting me. I’m really happy. My youngest fan is just 4 years old ＾＾The oldest fan would be a 80 year old senior. I’m really thankful to everyone.
Q: You will be reprising your role as Mina in season 2 of Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san, so I’m looking forward to your injection of enthusiasm! 
Q: Will you come back to Kawagoe?
Q: Did you do the voice-over for the rabbit in that CM for My Number? What other CMs were you involved in?
