Tomori Kusunoki: The Path of a Voice Actor and Artist Seen Beyond Breaking Out of Her Shell [Part 1 of 2]

Tomori Kusunoki

Born on December 22, 1999. Height: 155 cm. Hobbies: Writing lyrics and music, playing and listening to music, visiting art supply stores, gaming, and internet surfing. Special skills: Drawing and playing the trumpet. In October 2016, she received the Special Award at the 5th “Anistoteles” anime audition hosted by Sony Music Artists and in 2018, she made her first starring role in the TV anime “Märchen Mädchen.” Since then, she has appeared in numerous works, including the anime “GGO.” In March 2019, she won the Best New Actress Award at the 13th “Seiyu Awards”. In August 2020, she made her solo major debut as an artist with SACRA MUSIC.

Click here to view the second part of this article:Tomori Kusunoki: The Path of a Voice Actor and Artist Seen Beyond Breaking Out of Her Shell [Part 2 of 2]

How a “responsible” student broke out of her “serious” shell in high school

Since her debut in her teens, Tomori Kusunoki has expanded her career, adored by many voice acting fans for her charming looks, cheerful speaking skills, and fresh yet confident performances. One of the words often used by her peers to describe her is “responsible.”

“Being ‘responsible’... is something I hear often. When I was a child, my parents often said I was a 'child with a strong sense of justice.' I think that’s probably because my family was strict. If I did something wrong, I would be scolded properly, and if I played video games too much, they would confiscate them from me immediately (laughs). Having been raised that way, I find it hard to tolerate people who act unfair or dirty, or who are mean to others.”

Her personality is well illustrated by the fact that she served as the student council president during junior high school. She was often asked to be a “representative” in her class since elementary school, and in junior high school, her serious nature was recognized by her teachers, who encouraged her to become a student council officer. However, she had her doubts about it.

“I was already in the brass band club at my junior high school, so if I also became the student council president, I would be like a "bundle of seriousness," wouldn't I? (laughs). I was worried that it might give off a slightly intimidating impression... so I couldn't decide right away.

But... actually, my older sister had also balanced being the student council president and being in the brass band club at the same school. Since my sister had set that precedent, I thought that experiencing being in the student council would be a good opportunity, so I decided to go for it and accepted the role."

It’s easy to understand how her experience in the brass band contributed to her “bundle of seriousness.” It’s often said that while a brass band might seem like a calm cultural school club, the ensemble work is vital, and it actually requires a rigorous daily practice routine. Tomori Kusunoki's musical sensitivity and skills, which she actively engages in now as an artist, were certainly honed during that time.

“I joined the brass band club because of the influence of my older sister, who had done it before me. I have always loved music since I was a child, and I took piano lessons with her... So, I decided to join the elementary school wind instrument club in a carefree manner. It wasn’t a prestigious school by any means, but we did win the gold prize at a competition in my second year of junior high school.”

The instrument she played was the trumpet, which is the highlight of the brass band.

"Trumpets are very popular, but because their sound stands out, it’s easy to tell if someone is good or not. I was often scolded for various reasons (laughs), but I worked really hard for three years."

Tomori Kusunoki worked hard in her club activities, student council, and of course, she continued to be serious about her studies and daily life. However, upon entering high school, a turning point arrived. She distanced herself from the brass band, which she had worked so hard at until then, and the next thing she chose was to participate in the school music club to play in a band.

“From around the second half of junior high school, I started to have a bit of a rebellious phase. At that time, I began to develop my own sense of what was 'right.' I worked hard to get into a prestigious school, encouraged by my parents, but everyone around me was outstanding and had leadership qualities. I felt that I no longer needed to work hard to be a leader, and I didn't think I had to study so hard anymore. So, I thought, 'Well, it’s okay to just do what I find fun!' and I shed my serious character (laughs).”

She then became a vocalist in the band she formed in the school music club.

“I was in charge of vocals and sometimes played the keyboard while singing, but since we were a cover band for anime songs and Vocaloid songs, it was incredibly difficult to replicate the keyboard parts. Therefore, for stages like the school festival, I brought in a support member on keyboard.

The songs we played included, for example, the theme song 'Redo' by Konomi Suzuki from ‘Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-,’ and for Vocaloid, DECO*27's 'Aimai Elegy' and 'Mozaik Role.' We all shared our opinions as members and decided on the songs, so it wasn't just about doing famous anime songs; we really covered whatever songs we liked."

The reasons she admired anime voice actors and anime song singers

When she was little, she said, “I liked anime, but I wasn’t deeply into anime culture.” However, she started watching more anime and developed a strong appreciation for anime songs starting in her second year of junior high school. The trigger was the magical girl squad TV anime “Tokyo Mew Mew,” which aired from 2002 to 2003. For Tomori Kusunoki, who was born in 1999, it is a nostalgic work.

"My mother showed me the opening footage and asked, 'Do you remember this?' At the time it was airing, I was only about three years old, but it left a strong impression on me, so I was curious and rewatched all 52 episodes from the first to the last. It was during that time that I realized anime can be interesting even as we grow older!"

At that time, she was just beginning to develop an interest in otaku culture [a subculture dedicated to the love of interests such as manga, anime, music, and games]. During this period, she encountered a re-broadcast of the anime that would become the catalyst for her blooming into Tomori Kusunoki, the voice actor. That anime was “Kobato.,” which aired from 2009 to 2010 and was based on a work by CLAMP.

"I fell in love with the voice of Kana Hanazawa, who played the main character, Kobato. Of course, I knew that there were voice actors who played the characters in anime, but it was then that I first became aware of 'voice acting as a profession.' Although I had only experienced 'acting' in the school play at my elementary school, I started to develop an interest and began to think vaguely that being a voice actor would be great."

At the same time, she developed an admiration for another “job related to anime,” which was the role of an anime song singer, coming from the perspective of music, which she had been familiar with for many years. However, she says, “There was a bit of a journey before reaching that point...”

"After my sister started listening to L'Arc～en～Ciel, I got into it as well. I began to listen to various Japanese rock bands, such as L'Arc～en～Ciel, SCANDAL, and ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION.

My father was always a big music lover, so I was the kind of child who listened to and sang along to Spitz and BONNIE PINK in the car before I even started elementary school. Then, in junior high school, I encountered the music of HARUKATOMIYUKI, and I was moved by the lyrics that conveyed messages like a letter would, and this made me start to pay attention to lyrics. This marked the beginning of a phase where I delved deeper into my favorite music, and I began to listen to PASSEPIED and other bands with female vocalists more frequently."

It was during that time that she encountered anime songs. The fresh and intense experience of anime songs, unlike any genre of music she had listened to before, made her instinctively feel that this was “music that was uniquely her own.”

"It was around the second year of junior high school when one of my relatives casually remarked, 'You're really influenced by your older sister, huh?' It was probably nothing malicious, just saying something like, 'You two are close!' But it made me realize something. I was walking the same path as my sister in terms of lessons and club activities, and we were listening to the same music. I realized that I had no personality of my own! It was during that time when I wanted to find music that wasn’t influenced by anyone else that I encountered anime songs and Vocaloid.

I loved the unique, uplifting melodies of anime songs, and their rich sound which featured strings. I really enjoyed the intense rock style of LiSA and the powerful tracks by Konomi Suzuki. No matter what others said, I found what I loved within anime songs! That's how I found my dream of becoming a voice actor and anime song singer at the time.”

It seems that the music she delves into changes from time to time, but what kind of music is she currently focused on listening to?

"Recently... after going around and experiencing impactful music, I now enjoy ambient music and electronica. I was inspired by Chouchou, a unit created by the composer arabesque Choche, who arranged my song 'Sankayou’ and I've been searching for and listening to various songs online."

The audition she took during her high school years that changed her life

In high school, she became interested in anime voice acting and anime songs, and she “stopped living too seriously.” It was a time of mental changes, which led to a bold action that would create the current Tomori Kusunoki. In 2016, during her second year of high school, she participated in the 5th competition of the audition project “Anistoteles” organized by Sony Music Artists (hereafter SMA), and won a special award for the contest.

"I have always loved subjects like music, art, and other artistic fields, so I had a vague idea that I wanted to pursue something in that direction in the future. When I became a high school student, I told my parents, 'I want to become a voice actor, so I want to attend a voice acting school instead of going to university!' While my parents didn't strongly oppose it, they suggested that it might be better for me to go to university."

As parents, they thought that wanting to become a voice actor was just a fleeting whim. They believed that once the people around her started studying for entrance exams seriously, their daughter would change her mind.

"They thought that if they provoked me too much, I would rebel even more, so they decided to just wait for the time to pass (laughs). However, I thought, 'Well, my parents aren't directly against me, so why not challenge myself?' So, while I was looking for various auditions, my sister found the call for auditions for ‘Anistoteles.’

When I looked at the application guidelines, it said that anyone who wants to be involved in anime, whether it's singing or voice acting, is welcome! I thought, 'Oh, this is perfect for me!' Since I had no experience in acting, I thought it would be great if I could become an anime song singer. So, I applied. After passing the document screening and the second round screening, when I advanced to the final stage with an audience, my parents seemed to get quite anxious (laughs)."

From there, she became affiliated with SMA, marking the start of a new life for her. However, at this point, she was not in the state of mind of thinking things like, “I’m going to work hard as a voice actor!” nor having a sense of joy and excitement.

"I was still in my second year of high school, and it was a time when I needed to seriously consider my future. Although I became affiliated with the agency, it didn't mean I would immediately get work. Fortunately, starting the following year, I began to receive roles as a background character, but I was still just an entry-level position under the care of SMA. I wondered if I could truly make a career as a voice actor and if it was safe to devote 100% of my future to it. I was a bit scared, to be honest. So, I thought realistically about my situation and decided to also pursue a university with a program in the arts that I was interested in, and I started studying for entrance exams."

However, fate did not let her go!

"I passed the audition, and not just for any role—the lead role! I got to play Hazuki Kagimura in ‘Märchen Mädchen.’ After that, I was fortunate enough to land roles in the game ‘Kirara Fantasia,’ ‘Love Live! School Idol Festival,’ and even the lead in ‘GGO.’ With all these wonderful opportunities coming my way, I realized it would be impossible to continue with my university entrance exams. At that point, my parents said, 'This is your chosen path, so if it's something you want to do, you should go for it.' That's when I decided to seriously pursue a career as a voice actor."

（To be continued to Part 2）

Text by Mika Abe
Photos by Osamu Hoshikawa
Translated by Yumi Hasegawa