Aitai☆Chat Special Interview with Jimmie Yamaguchi

Our 4-hour-long interview with Jimmie Yamaguchi, along with the guest appearance of Harada, was a success! Thank you so much to everyone who joined us and asked intriguing questions. We always have a lot to learn from each other, and Jimmie was more than happy to bond and share his message and experience with all of us. But for those of you looking for a refresher summary of our best moments, don’t worry! As always, we've got you covered!

For all our newcomers, Jimmie Yamaguchi is a voice actor based in the East Coast, most notably having voiced Hugo from Zenless Zone Zero. He’s not only talented, but also has a long story of how he got to where he is now. Whether you’re looking to get into the voice acting industry or just browsing, we could all learn a bit from him. We ought to ask ourselves, do the things we consume affect us for the better? Fruits Basket’s Tohru Honda was Jimme’s main inspiration, after all. Her kindness, strength, and selflessness reminded him of the goodness of humanity. “Am I doing my part?” We should all ask ourselves that once in a while, shouldn’t we?

Like all of us, Jimmie began somewhere - having worked with special needs kids, he also attained a certificate for substitute teaching. This allowed him to be an assistant teacher and become a jack of all trades in a variety of subjects! This includes his experience working in STEM as a proficient carpenter, when he taught a blind student how to use a power tool. You never know how your kindness can affect those around you. And besides, knowledge is power, as they say! Though he was encouraged to get a teaching certificate, Jimmie’s heart always yearned for the life of a voice actor. 

Honesty and Friendship

Friendship and honesty are key, not only in life, but in the industry. Some of his most notable experiences were hosting trivia and setting up concerts, which allowed him to build rapport with people and get some good voice acting experience in! As a host for trivia games, he was able to project and “train” his voice in such a way that felt both authentic and passionate while onstage. This also helped him get used to “using” different voices for a length of time. Even during game nights, there’s still a degree of “getting into character”. 

But there’s also the importance of building bonds and being able to relate to those around you. When Jimmie worked backstage, he had the opportunity to meet Hollywood celebrities, and curated a lot of fun memories from it. But what’s most notable? The fact that he worked almost every role as an assistant. This allowed him to empathize with each of his co-workers, which granted him both perspective and patience. What’s better than a teammate who understands you?

The Voice of the Actor

This brings us to today. “Sub vs dub”, that’s one of the biggest debates in the anime community, but the reason we usually give are, “well, it just sounds better!” The language barrier isn’t the only thing that sets it apart. Introducing, “small efforts” - the small gasps and groans you hear characters make. Eastern animation focuses more on sounding guttural; whereas Western style is more “breathy”. Makes you wonder if this means we all “grunt” differently in real life? And speaking of real life, Jimmie uses his ability to empathize well in his work. Some of the characters he enjoys working the most with are villains. Why? Because a good villain doesn’t believe they’re a villain. To put yourself into the shoes of a character that genuinely believes they’re in the right, helps you understand their motives a bit better.

Ah, but we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves. Unlike our favorite anime characters, we can’t sustain an injury that will heal immediately the next day. As a voice actor, you must always warm up. Without proper training and practicing, it’s physically possible to “fry” your vocal chords, and have permanent damage - Jimmie can confirm. However, with every mistake that happens, there’s always a lesson to be learned. We all need to remind ourselves that it’s perfectly okay to mess up! In Jimmie’s words, “The only time you truly fail, is when you decide to stop.”

The Big Break

On one auspicious night, Jimmie was preparing to host trivia again, when he got a phone call that would change his life. That was his big break, his time to shine. His very first role in the AAA game, Yasuo from 2xko! But here’s the catch: they gave him a script, but Jimmie had no idea what he was auditioning for. Luckily, he rose to the challenge and voiced his heart out. The rest is history.

But what about what it’s like to voice characters, such as Hugo? Well in order to get the perfect dub, frequent listening and watching is a must. Memorize the scene, memorize the script, dub it, match the audio, rinse and repeat. However, you can’t get a good dub without a feel for the character. Beforehand, scripts and brief summaries are given to actors to help them create well-rounded interpretations of their assigned characters. An already existing IP such as Zenless Zone Zero, allows the actor to do prior research - which of course, makes it much easier. If not, use your gut and trust that the director knows what they’re doing. To be Hugo is to be patient.

Here’s where it gets extra interesting. Voice acting isn’t just talking into a microphone, it’s an art. Not only do you have to change the pitch of your voice but you also must know how to retain a natural tone, while still keeping a character’s individuality. For example, famous characters such as the Joker have a large range that varies from low to high, albeit in a subtle way. In his words, that’s how you make a well-rounded character. And this goes for commercials too - as Jimmie has also debuted his voice in Hello Fresh commercials (as a dog nonetheless). All skills are good skills, so you never know when you’ll need them, after all.

Getting a headstart on your career is always exciting, but there’s obstacles you need to avoid: scammers. Usually seen on college campuses, they’ll offer a workshop for a “reasonable” price, give you some background, have you read a script, insist you’re the best, and a guarantee they’ll get you into the industry with an amazing demo…all for $4,000! If it’s too good to be true, and they aren't giving you any worthwhile feedback, don’t fall for it. Always be your own advocate.

Words of Wisdom from Harada

Additionally, Harada, being an industry professional himself, has words of wisdom. Having mentors and people you can learn from will only help you; and a great way to do that is by attending workshops! For those in the Southern California area, there are workshops hosted by professional voice actors (such as his good friend, Ray Chase). And to ensure you get the full and authentic experience, always look up who is hosting said event and reach out to build rapport beforehand. The professionals are here to help!

Both Jimmie and Harada provide excellent insight into the life of a voice actor and the industry as a whole. Let’s do our part and make the world (and the industry) a better place!