#ANIPLUS CAFE x BanG Dream Girls Band Party Online Cafe ft. Rimi Nishimoto and Haruka Kudo

Aniplus Asia hosted the “BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! X ANIPLUS 2021 ONLINE CAFE” on June 16, which featured Rimi Nishimoto, the voice actress of Poppin’Party bassist Rimi Ushigome, and Haruka Kudo, the voice actress of Roselia guitarist Sayo Hikawa. Several media outlets, including Anime Trending, JRock News, Anime Corner, and Akibatan were in attendance. Throughout this event, which saw the emcees asking selected media-supplied questions, both voice actresses shared their thoughts on their characters and experiences, including how they first met and the process of voicing their characters in the franchise.

As the event was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nishimoto and Kudo expressed their interest in conducting more online events in the future, especially for Kudo, who wanted to try such a format with the entire Roselia band. Both felt it was more convenient for fans who could participate from their homes, and they can see the fans’ individual reactions while the event is happening compared to a physical event. During physical live events in Japan, fans had to follow many restrictions, such as “No speaking or cheering.” Thus, Nishimoto and Kudo were still thankful that fans found alternate ways, such as clapping or waving their pen lights to express their excitement and enjoyment at the online event.

When asked about their first impressions of each other, Nishimoto shared that she knew Kudo before working on BanG Dream! and felt that Kudo had a cool vibe around her. Nishimoto eventually realised that Kudo was more like a kind and caring older-sister figure after working together. For Kudo, she felt Nishimoto was really cool because the latter had been playing bass intensely at the Live Stage. Through their working relationship, Kudo’s impression eventually changed, and she saw Nishimoto as a warm-hearted and kind person. 

While their characters do not interact much in the franchise, both Nishimoto and Kudo got along quite well throughout the interview, as they would agree with each other and chuckle at certain comments together. Being members of Poppin’Party and Roselia respectively, both shared that if they had a chance to cover each other’s bands’ songs, they would love to do so. Nishimoto would choose “FIRE BIRD,” as she had previously covered part of the song in a live performance, but never managed to do it fully. For Kudo, she would love to play “Star Beat!” on her guitar as Roselia too had covered part of “STAR BEAT! ~Hoshi no Kodou~,” but never fully covered the song. Upon hearing what Kudo said, Nishimoto excitedly replied she would love to hear the cover as well. 

Nishimoto and Kudo also shared their thoughts about their characters. As the voice actress for Rimi Ushigome, Nishimoto shared that Rimi is a very calm and collected character who tries to express her love for music through playing her bass. Nishimoto, who is from Kansai’s Hyōgo Prefecture, also noted with amusement that Rimi Ushigome would use the Kansai dialect when saying “No!”

Kudo, who voices Sayo Hikawa, described Sayo as a very serious and stoic character, who remains very collected in front of the other characters. However, Sayo has another side to her, where she becomes more warm and personal while with Hina and other members of Roselia. Kudo also shared her favorite in-game line, which was, “Practice like you play, play like you practice.”

Since the theme of snacks is a prominent feature in the BanG Dream! franchise, Nishimoto and Kudo were asked about their favorite treats. Nishimoto chuckled and explained that she would squeeze the thinner end of the choco cornet until all the cream would come out from the top part before eating it, to which Kudo enthusiastically agreed. Nishimoto then shared about her love for maple syrup and any chocolate cafe snack, while Kudo loves ice cream as it gets really hot in the summer.

As a final message to fans, both voice actresses shared that it was difficult to meet fans due to the COVID-19 situation, and hoped that the fans were doing well through current times. Nishimoto and Kudo wished that fans would continue to support them and the BanG Dream! projects, and they will do their best to bring smiles to all the fans through their voices and characters. 

Anime Trending would like to express their thanks to Rimi Nishimoto, Haruka Kudo, Aniplus Asia, and Bushiroad inc.