We had the opportunity to speak with Japanese voice actress and singer Aya Uchida at Anime Weekend Atlanta, where she appeared as a special guest. Uchida is best known for her role as Kotori Minami in Love Live! School Idol Project, a franchise that helped define a generation of anime idol culture. Beyond Love Live!, she has appeared in numerous anime, games, and music projects, balancing her work as a voice actress with an active career as a J-pop artist.

During our conversation, Uchida reflected on her approach to character creation, how singing and acting intersect in her work, and what it has meant to connect with fans across cultures.

LastLooks: First of all, thank you so much for being here today.

Aya Uchida: Thank you very much.

LastLooks: You’ve played many different characters throughout your career, such as Kotori Minami in Love Live! and Yuria in Space Battleship Yamato 2199. How do you approach each role to make sure every character feels unique?

Aya Uchida: For Love Live!, the story focuses on a group of nine characters, so I thought a lot about Kotori’s position within that group and what made her appealing in comparison to the others. I wanted to emphasize her cuteness and aimed to make her feel like the “number one cute” character.

We spent a lot of time researching and thinking about how to express that properly, and since Love Live! became such a popular series, I feel that approach worked well.

LastLooks: When you start a new role, do you begin by focusing on the character’s personality first, or do you look at their place within the overall story?

Aya Uchida: With Love Live!, it was an entirely original work, so there wasn’t any source material to rely on. I started with the idea of cuteness and built the character from there.

For other roles, I usually read through the story and plot first. I think about how the story progresses and how the character changes over time before shaping my performance.

LastLooks: Since Love Live! involves so much music, and you’re also a professional singer, how did that role influence the way you approached singing?

Aya Uchida: When singing as Kotori, I wasn’t thinking about technical skill in the way I would for my solo music. Instead, I focused on expressing the character properly through the song.

In the story, another character, Umi, is known as the serious and technically skilled one, while Kotori is more innocent and cute. So I thought, “Kotori isn’t necessarily a perfect singer, but she’s very charming.” I tried to sing in a way that felt fresh, youthful, and innocent rather than overly polished.

LastLooks: More broadly, do voice acting and singing influence each other for you?

Aya Uchida: Yes, very much so. Especially through Love Live!, I learned how much my voice acting skills could be applied to singing.

In the franchise, we performed in many different formats—songs, live concerts, and various events. Rather than focusing on technique, I think of it as singing from the heart, with emotion and passion.

I also believe it’s important to really read and understand the lyrics. You need to know what each part means and how it should feel, so you can express that properly. In that sense, singing is also a form of acting.

LastLooks: You’ve met fans through anime, concerts, radio, and live events. What have you learned from their reactions, and how has that shaped your understanding of the characters you play?

Aya Uchida: I know that I have fans all over the world, many of whom discovered me through the roles I’ve played. I can’t meet everyone, of course, but being here and meeting fans directly has been very meaningful.

Yesterday, during the autograph session, I spoke with many people face-to-face. Some were crying as they shared their feelings with me, which was very moving. Even though I can’t speak English fluently, the fact that my work has been translated allows us to connect in a similar way.

I also met fans who told me they made new friends or learned new skills because of Love Live!. I even watched an idol stage performance where fans danced to Love Live! songs and came to meet me afterward. Seeing how my work inspires people to create communities really touched me.

LastLooks: You’ve also performed in virtual environments using motion capture. What was the most difficult part of that experience?

Aya Uchida: Honestly, the motion capture suit itself is very difficult to put on. It’s extremely tight and covered with tracking markers, so that alone is challenging.

More importantly, my main work is voice acting, where only my voice and facial expressions are recorded. In virtual performances, I have to use my entire body. It felt more like performing in a stage musical, where every movement matters. That gave me a greater sense of responsibility, and I had to be much more conscious of how I acted physically.

LastLooks: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today. We’re honored to have you here and hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Atlanta.

Aya Uchida: Thank you very much.