[TGS2015] Voltage Special Stage – Tokimeki Renai Talk Show With Hiro Shimono

Voltage is a producer of interactive romance novel apps for iOS & Android.  These are Japanese romance sim games that have been translated to English for the overseas fans. It features handsome selectable male characters, with different personalities, background and quirks as well as many minor characters that give the stories a sense of realism. The games have selectable options that will determine your ending with your favorite characters. Voltage actually produces two versions of apps. One is “Visual Romance Apps” which is the English-language version of the original Japanese release. The other is “Graphic Novel Romance Apps” which is created for a North American audience. They are available for download in the App Store and Google Play.

At Voltage, all contents are produced under the theme of “Drama on Love and Challenge”. The definition of “Love” is not only as a relationship between man and woman but also as affection for family and friendship/ Meanwhile “Challenge” refers to all the challenges one faces in life. So it just like a story-based original content. For romance apps (81 titles in total) it separated into “Social Type” and “Personal Type”. They also translate some apps into English and French. Beside that, Voltage also released “Suspense Type” which can be enjoyed by men and women alike. As usual, the game is basically free to play, but some in-game items require payment.

Basically the application and prologue is free but each character’s route costs $3.99 USD/CAD. The games also have epilogues, sequels, and spin-offs of varing prices. These exclude the GREE versions of Be My Princess, Celebrity Darling and My Sweet Bodyguard, which are the “free-to-play” model, with the player able to read five short “chapters” a day, as well as play events and interact with friends via social media. Paying for in-game currency allows the player to read more chapters and accesses better items in the social media portions of the games. Main stories outside the GREE games range from 13-17 chapters, each about 10-15 minutes long, while sequels tend towards 8-12 chapters and epilogue and spin-offs range from 2-5 chapters. Updates are frequent and are spread across all the games, usually coming to Android users a day ahead of the iOS release.

This time at Tokyo Game Show,  Voltage has set up a space that’s set to make your heart beat even faster than last year by building a “3D picture book booth” with various “pages.” other than the 3D picture book booth they’ve set up where the “pages” will set your heart racing with each turn. You’ll also be able to take a commemorative photo with the hot F4 guys who appear in Hana Yori Dango with an AR (augmented reality) camera. On stage, the comedy duo Zabunguru and with Hige Danshaku will be the guest MC. Also, F4 will be making their first public appearance as the cast for Hana Yori Dango: The Musical. It’s a really packed programme that fans will need to check out. Last but not least, special stage that you’ve been waiting for! Seiyuu, Hiro Shimono will set your hearts racing by whispering a monologue in the “Tokimeki Renai Talk Show”.

Hiro Shimono is a japanese seiyuu (voice actor). He works for seiyuu agency “I’m Enterprise”, debuted in 2001 and got his first main character role in “Rahxephon” in 2002. His latest radio program “Shimogame” in Club AT-X ended on March 2015. Recently he is hosting “OmotenaShimo” which is recorded into DVD and the latest episode will be released on November 27th 2015.  That day, Shimono-san came to Voltage special stage talk show as he voiced out character Zeno in Akatsuki No Yona within collaboration event Akatsuki no Yona X Mafia-A-More which was published by Voltage.

Let’s check the talk show content together!

Good afternoon Shimono-san! Is it your first time coming to Tokyo Game Show?
Yes! This year is my first TGS stage!

Then welcome to Tokyo Game Show! How is your feeling today?
Thank you very much for the warm welcome! Actually I’m kinda shy but wow! I’m bit surprised! So many female audience gathered here today. They make me nervous! LOL

Let’s go to the first question! Please tell us how you became seiyuu?
Simple! There are some reasons, but first of all, it was because of an anime. I know seiyuu from anime, then I was listening to seiyuu program in radio. I wanted to become seiyuu because I think it’s interesting. You can do many things (characters) for your work.

And that anime was?
It was an old anime, I’m sure that most of you never heard this title. It’s “Musekinin Kanchou Tylor”. The main character’s behavior is so interesting for me. He never gets angry although many things happened. I wanted to grow up like him. A very cool person that always smiles and never cares about what other people say about him. That anime was my first reason for aiming seiyuu career.

I think all audience here know that Shimono-san often take part in this kind of otoge app on mobile phone, for example this Voltage app. And Shimono-san must be very expert in saying “mune-kyun” words for sure, now let us know your impressions or thoughts about those “mune-kyun words”!
Humm.. What to say.. This is not the kind of words you will use in everyday life, right? Basically, you will be alone in recording place. I mean, everyone related to the recording session will stay outside and you don’t have to look at them. Then you should try to imagine the script and the situation in your own world in details,  such as location, position, outfit, etc. It’s like to decide where you are now, what you are wearing, or is it day/night time, and so on, to get the best expression for your character. One important thing beside all of them is to imagine the girl(s) in front of you. So you can decide which words to say to which girl(s) or how to say “this” mune-kyun words to this kind of girls and “that” mune-kyun words to that kind of girls. Sometimes it will be very difficult LOL.

So have you ever said any “mune-kyun” words in your real life? 
Unfortunately never! Haha.. Since I think it needs special occasion in special event to say that “mune-kyun” words, so it’s not like I will say it many times in any circumstance. Honestly until now I never got any chance to experience that “lovely” situation LOL. Everyone here perhaps love to hear “mune-kyun” words in otoge, right? But, just try to imagine if I say it directly right here right now, the atmosphere must be very unpleasant, isn’t it? Or you all just can say that I’m disgusting and laughed at me! Anyway I just can do it when I’m acting as one character not as myself. I absolutely can’t say any “mune-kyun” words in real life.

Regardless of “mune-kyun” words, have you tried another experience related to this kind of activity? Like “kabedon” or “atama ponpon”?
For this question, I should answer yes! When I just started my seiyuu career 13 years ago, we had some like handshake session after event, and I did “atama ponpon” to some girls who came at me. Only once and it was when I’m not as busy as now.

Thanks for today Shimono-san! Could you greet audience here for closing this stage?
Hi everyone! I’m Hiro Shimono! Thanks for coming  and I hope all of you enjoy this short talk show at Voltage Stage today. What to say.. I’m kinda shy.. Lots of people gathered on today’s stage make me so nervous, but actually I’m happy to be here and thank you for the opportunity that I could say some “mune-kyun” words just now in front of all of you. Maybe my expression was not really good but I’m trying better to bring my character to be loved by all of you.  Once again, thank you very much and see you later!