Interview: Miku Ito Charms 'BanG Dream!' Fans at Anime NYC

Miku Ito is a rising star, finding success as a voice actress, musical artist, and performer over the better part of a decade. Her breakout performances include portraying Kokoro Tsurumaki of multimedia franchise BanG Dream!'s idol group "Hello, Happy World!" and Misuzu Moritani in last year's Fragtime OVA.

In 2013 Ito landed her first voice acting role, and debuted as a solo singer in 2016. Her sixth single, "Plunderer," was released on February 12, and a blu-ray release of her fifth live performance, "5th Live Miku's Adventures 2019 ~PopSkip Life~," will hit shelves on April 22.

Ito was a special guest at Anime NYC 2019, opening the convention's Masquerade cosplay event with a solo performance as Kokoro, and holding a BanG Dream! panel and Japanese-style meet and greet for her fans. MyAnimeList was able to participate in a group Q&A with Ito to discuss her roles in the BanG Dream! franchise and Fragtime, as well as her journey toward a career in voice acting.


This is your first time in New York; you've met many eager fans who have traveled far and wide to see you. What have you seen and experienced in your weekend here so far?

Because this is my first time visiting New York, I did a bit of sightseeing the day I arrived. From the moment I saw the city, I thought New York was a super cool and stylish city.

In BanG Dream!, Kokoro has a card that reveals her family name, as opposed to how much money is left on the card. If you had such a card in Japan, where would you go?

A card you can buy anything with… If I had that sort of card, I'd want to go to a big island and get in touch with nature.

How would you say you are similar and different from Kokoro? If you had a big mansion like her, what would you fill it with?

Kokoro and I are similar in that we both like picture books and seeing people smile. An aspect that differs between us is that she is extremely positive. I'm not saying I'm negative, just not as positive as she is. If I had a huge mansion, I'd want to start an ice cream shop in it.

What kind of preparation did it take to perform the role of Kokoro in BanG Dream!?

I had many discussions with the [BanG Dream!] staff regarding Kokoro prior to voicing her character, so by the time we recorded I was prepared. She's a rich girl, so she's a bit out of touch with society; she's positive, but there are particular feelings/sentiments she holds that differ from other people, and I took care in bringing this to the role.

Hello, Happy World! has an expansive library of songs, both original and covers. Which are your favorite to perform live and are there any that you haven't performed yet that you'd like to one day?

"High Five ∞ Adventure" is a fun song to sing and perform. Especially with live performances—I hear the fans shouting back, and it's a lot of fun to sing together with them.

Is there a particular band or song from overseas that you'd like to cover with Hello, Happy World!?

I'm not very familiar with overseas music… happy, happy, happy… a song that makes me feel happy would be nice. I do like the show Hannah Montana and would love to sing one of her songs.

Is Kokoro's love of reading a trait you share? If so, what's a book you've read recently?

Books I've read recently would be Japanese, if that's okay. There was one story about a pianist. I'm not familiar with piano at all, but it was interesting. I really love reading books.

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

A characteristic of Hello, Happy World! songs are melodies which make you want to have fun. Singing as Kokoro, I also have a lot of fun while recording. I think that transmitting that happy feeling to everyone who hears the music is a great thing.

As lead vocalist, which one of Hello, Happy World!'s songs was most challenging, and conversely, which came most naturally to you?

There are many Hello, Happy World!'s covers that I have to sing lots of words very quickly; those are difficult. I think the hardest one was "GO! GO! MANIAC" from K-ON!!.

Other than Kokoro, there are so many wonderful BanG Dream! characters. Do you have any favorites from the game?

I like everyone, it's a difficult question. She's in the same band but my heart throbs for Kaoru-chan, I think every girl shares this opinion.

An appealing aspect of BanG Dream! is that the seiyuu will perform the same instruments live as their characters do in the show, but Kokoro doesn't play an instrument. Supposing it was okay for Kokoro to play an instrument, what would you want to play?

If I could play an instrument it'd be the bass. It seems pretty cool and really popular.

Like your character from BanG Dream!, do you also find great motivation in seeing smiles and making fans happy during your performances?

I always do. I'm glad to hear that people find the productions interesting and have fun listening to the songs. Because I receive smiles from everyone, I want to work my best to give smiles to them, too.

You and producer Yusuke Tarada premiered the OVA Fragtime at Anime NYC. For those who couldn't make it to the panel, what can you tell us about the story and your role in the anime?

Fragtime is about cute girls getting along really well, and that's nice and all, but there's also a very human darkness present in the work, and I think that will stay in everyone's hearts after watching it. My character, Misuzu, is a very shy girl, and she can't really speak her mind well. But she's also mentally strong, and watching her grow is one of the main attractions of the work. I hope people will like that aspect.

Regarding Fragtime, could you give us any details or discuss any experiences from joining the project? Any memorable moments you'd like to share?

Typically during the recording process for anime, you sync the voices with the art, but there's a scene in Fragtime where we had to act without images. They were later added to our acting, it was such a cool experience.

When did you realize you wanted to become a performer? Was it a dream from your childhood? And what steps did you take to make that dream come true?

It's a long story, but as a kid I loved watching dramas and plays. Later, when I was a student, I had an anime-loving friend. That friend taught me many things about anime, and at this time I discovered that you can have a career as a voice actor. I was charmed by their singing and acting, so I wanted to make it in voice acting.

I took part in an audition, I don't know how or why but I passed (laughs), and then I started voice actor training for about a year. From there, I attended more newcomer auditions, and around a year after I started, I landed my first role. And now I'm here.

You talked about how, after you passed your first audition, you spent about a year working on your voice acting. Can you talk about what you learned during that year?

I started by building my body. It might not look like it from what you see here, but first I built my body. To be able to speak skillfully I also needed to practice my articulation. I wasn't very persuasive when I spoke, I needed to train (laughs). Every day was difficult because we only worked on things I didn't know about.

In Fragtime, your character's girlfriend, Murakami, often asks Misuzu to use her powers for her (Murakami's) benefit. What would you say the positive aspects of their relationship are?

Something I like about Murakami is that she's mysterious. She's a very kind person who tries to appeal to everyone around her. From the beginning I thought she should have had more confidence. That's how charming she is as a character.

After working on Fragtime, which moments are you most proud of that you'd really like the audience to see?

At the very end of Fragtime, Haruka and Misuzu sort of collide emotionally. Because I put everything into performing that scene, I definitely want the audience to see it.

The characters you portray in Fragtime (Misuzu) and BanG Dream! (Kokoro) are very different. What do you do to prepare for the different roles?

Between the two, I have a lot more in common with Misuzu, so it took a lot more time to prepare for my role as Kokoro. Because Misuzu and I are fairly similar emotionally, I was speaking from the heart.

If you could stop time for only 3 minutes, what would you do?

If we're talking about this moment—because I'm famished right now, If I could stop time for three minutes, I'd go to the catering section downstairs and eat some cookies.

Do you have a favorite genre of anime?

Battles! I like heroes, and really anything with battles and explosions, I like that sort of action in anime.

Is Anime NYC different from events you've attended in the past?

Probably above all, guests at events in Japan are different. There are a lot of shy people in Japan, but in New York everyone is super energetic and talkative.

Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans in New York?

To all my fans in New York, thank you so much for such a warm welcome during my first trip to NY. I'm so happy. While I want to return for work, I'd also really like to spend some free time here on my own.