"Being Able to Play Hinoshita Kaho Makes Me Very Happy" ── Love Live! New Series "Hasunosora Girls' High School Idol Club" Cast Interview Series Vol.1: Nirei Nozomi, the Voice of Hinoshita Kaho
March 29, 2023
As a new project in the Love Live! series, details were announced on February 10th during the unveiling livestream for Hasunosora Girls’ High School Idol Club. A new “story to be realized by everyone (school idol project)” begins at the private Hasunosora Girls’ High School, located in a secluded area of Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture.
The debut mini-album Dream Believers was released on March 29th, and will be followed by a release commemorative event at Toyosu PIT in Tokyo on April 21st and an opening live event at the Pacifico Yokohama National Hall on June 4th! The app Link! Like! Love Live! is also currently accepting pre-registrations.
Starting today, we have a series of interviews in which each of the six cast members portraying the members of the talked-about Hasunosora Girls’ High School Idol Club discusses the appeal of Hasunosora!
The first installment features Nirei Nozomi. We talked to her about her character Hinoshita Kaho, her subunit Cerise Bouquet, her personal life, the songs she sings in the debut mini-album Dream Believers, her enthusiasm for the release commemorative event and opening live just about a month away, and more.
Please enjoy the interview along with keyword talks inspired by Love Live!.
“Keep moving forward” and “Everything will work out”
First, please introduce yourself.
Nirei Nozomi, the voice of Hinoshita Kaho (hereinafter, Nirei): Nice to meet you. I’m Nirei Nozomi. I have a twin sister, and we’re both Geminis, born on May 21st. Coincidentally, Kaho-chan’s birthday is May 22nd, just one day apart.
My hobby is reading books, and when I have time, I like to wander around bookstores, impulsively buy interesting books, or go to the library and read books that catch my interest based on their spine design.
Recently, I bought the complete 12-volume collection box of Psychic Detective Yakumo COMPLETE FILES. I found the stories in COMPLETE FILES interesting because they show the protagonists’ lives after the main story.
I also love singing. My bathroom is my concert venue (laughs), so I sing a lot. Lately, my sister and I have been watching the anime City Hunter, so I often sing “City Hunter ~Love! Don’t Disappear!~" (Kahoru Kohiruimaki) and “RUNNING TO THE HORIZON” (Tetsuya Komuro) from City Hunter 2 by myself. By the way, I’ve been watching the series in order and have made it up to City Hunter ‘91 (laughs).
Your profile also mentions that you enjoy handicrafts.
Nirei: I do handicrafts with my mom. She’s good at it and makes sponges for washing dishes. I’m currently working on knitting flower earrings.
You seem to have a knack for working with your hands.
Nirei: I should be good with my hands, but I’m not good at cooking. I think I can do it if I try, though…
(Next to her, Kokona Nonaka, the voice of Murano Sayaka: “But it’s dangerous! Scary!”)
Nirei: The other day, I injured myself peeling a radish. Nasu-chan is good at cooking, so I’m thinking of learning from her while we do it together.
You’re also good at swimming, right?
Nirei: I wasn’t very good at swimming in elementary school. But I was frustrated that my swimming test levels in school weren’t improving, so I started attending a nearby swimming school where my friends were going. In two years, I became able to swim freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly.
After that, I quit swimming when I became able to swim the individual medley because I wanted to learn English. I could swim fast during my high school swimming classes, but I don’t know about it now since I don’t have a chance to swim at full strength (laughs). But I’m good at swimming.
And you’re also good at Hip Hop dancing.
Nirei: I started Hip Hop dancing when I was in middle school, but before that, I was doing rhythmic gymnastics. Though it wasn’t very serious, more like “Did my body become more flexible?” (laughs). Then I got into dancing and started learning Hip Hop dance.
Do you have a personal motto?
Nirei: I have two: “Keep moving forward” and “Things will work out.” If I combine these two, things will mostly work out. I always act with the mindset that “It’s okay to fail, so let’s try moving in the direction I want to go.”
That fits perfectly with the concept of “Love Live!”
Nirei: Thank you! I think that’s something Hinoshita Kaho and I have in common. Joy and gratitude for being a part of my debut work
Joy and Gratitude for the Debut Work
Please tell us how you felt when you were chosen for the role of Hinoshita Kaho.
Nirei: I loved “Love Live!” so much that I cosplayed with my friends since middle school, but I didn’t pass the audition for “Love Live! Superstar!!”.
After a while, I learned about the audition for Hasunosora and thought, “I absolutely want to pass.” I wondered how I could pass and decided to showcase my dancing skills.
Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be someone who could sing and dance, but my love for anime came from my anime-loving father and the impact of watching “Love Live!” when a friend recommended it in middle school.
After that, I started going to the Animate Ikebukuro main store every week with my friends. But at that time, I didn’t think about becoming a voice actor yet, because I thought acting might be too difficult for me. However, as I continued watching “Love Live!”, I learned about the feelings of the actors behind the characters and thought, “I want to be one too!”
From there, I became a voice actor and searched for ways to act. I was filled with joy and gratitude for being able to appear in a work I love and for it to be my debut work. It made me determined to give it my all.
Please tell us your impression of Kaho, who you play, the similarities and differences between you and her, and what you find charming about her.
Nirei: Kaho is always energetic and cheerful, and she enjoys everything with a positive attitude. She can be friendly with anyone, and I think her charm lies in the fact that there’s no barrier between her and others.
She can immediately take action if she thinks something looks fun, but she never leaves anyone behind. Instead, she has the power to involve others and hold their hands, saying “Let’s go!” with both of her hands.
She can also empathize with those who can’t take the first step and allow them to do so. I think that’s the kind of girl she is.
As a newcomer to voice acting, I have a lot to learn and work hard on. But someday, I hope to be like Kaho and become a stepping stone for those who aspire to be voice actors.
The difference between Kaho and me is in the way we approach challenges. Though we both end up making strange decisions (laughs).
(Hanamiya: Kaho often starts acting and then wonders if she’s doing the right thing, but Nonsuke might think first and then act differently.)
Nirei: That’s true (laughs). But even the positive-thinking Kaho gets down after failing, I think it’s amazing that she can think about what to do and have the power to stand up again. I admire her while playing her.
Your birthdays are close, and you both enjoy reading as a hobby.
Nirei: Our heights are the same, too! But whether it’s a coincidence or fate, please remember us as a set.
(Nonaka: It’s scary how similar you are (laughs).)
Nirei: Actually, I didn’t tell my sister about being cast as Kaho, and she was really surprised when she watched the reveal livestream on February 10th (laughs). When she saw Kaho’s illustration, she asked me, “Isn’t this you? Did they design it with you as a reference?”
Kaho sometimes runs late because she’s reading a book, but I don’t. I do read right up until the last minute, though (laughs).
Another difference is that Kaho is from a farming family in Nagano Prefecture, while you are a city girl from Tokyo, right?
Nirei: I’m not that sophisticated (laughs). I think Kaho is somewhat used to snow, but I am extremely bad at dealing with the cold. There was a four-panel manga on the official Hasunosora Twitter where Kaho appeared wearing a hanten (short winter coat), and I was a little curious about whether it’d be warm enough.
Ah!? Also, I’m not as outgoing as Kaho (laughs). But since I started playing Kaho, I feel like my gestures and hand movements have gotten bigger.
What are the Features and Charms of Kaho and Kozue’s Unit “Cerise Bouquet”?
Please introduce the unit your character belongs to and share its charm and appeal points.
Nirei: The unit “Cerise Bouquet,” consisting of Kaho-chan and Kozue-senpai, can be described as classic idols in a nutshell. They sing songs that emphasize hope for the future and radiate the happiness and excitement that they feel.
While all the units are comprised of first-year and second-year pairings, Cerise Bouquet might have the strongest sisterly bond. I think it’s a unit that layers the feelings of the two and creates an atmosphere where they take everyone’s hand and move toward the light.
As for my partner, Kozue-senpai, she’s like an older sister, but she thinks of Ui-chan [Hanamiya’s nickname] as her mother.
Hanamiya: I’m the one who gave birth to Nonsuke (Nirei’s nickname) (laughs).
Nirei: It’s a classic exchange (laughs). She has an older sister vibe, and I want to follow her lead. Kaho-chan probably wants to catch up with Kozue-senpai and stand beside her, and it’s the same way in real life, I’m inspired by her.
She puts on amazing performances, so I think we need to be on equal footing, and I want to work hard to keep up with her as a partner.
I feel like her strict guidance is somewhat similar to Kozue-senpai’s (laughs), but when I voice my concerns about whether I did poorly, she comforts me saying, “That’s not true. You’re okay.” She’s my emotional stabilizer.
While there are comedic moments where Kaho-chan reacts wildly to Kozue-senpai’s strict guidance, deep down, she loves Kozue-senpai and believes she’s the best. I hope to continue showing that sense of trust in the future.
Could you please share your impressions of singing the debut song “Dream Believers” and any highlights for the listeners?
Nirei: It was my first recording, so I was very nervous, and I didn’t know much about Kaho-chan’s inner thoughts at the time. So, I sang with the excitement I feel as a member of Hasunosora Girls’ High School Idol Club right now.
I like the phrase “Dream Believers, I believe!” that appears several times in the song. When I sing this song, I think of the members who are chasing their dreams together and the people who listen to this song while pursuing their dreams, and I believe in them.
I hope that everyone can feel the wonder of chasing dreams as we all connect through this song, and during live performances, we want to convey our emotions wholeheartedly through our singing, facial expressions, and choreography.
In the solo parts, I imagine passing the baton to the next person, and I hope the listeners can enjoy everyone’s harmony, the charm of the subunits when the two of us sing together, and the lively energy of the first-year students and the elegance of the second-year students in the respective three-member parts.
Please introduce “Suisai Sekai”/”Watercolor World” by Cerise Bouquet, which will be included in the debut mini-album.
Nirei: Kaho-chan is always full of energy, but in this song, she sings about her worries and anxieties, such as being alone and worried after school in the first verse.
However, as we move on to the second verse, I consciously sang with the feeling that Kaho-chan’s emotions can create a world that gradually spreads like watercolor paint when she says “So I’ll take off and go forward my way.” You can feel the two characters’ worlds gradually expanding through the lyrics, and it’s beautifully expressed in the lyric video.
This song encapsulates my desire to move forward and the emotions Kaho-chan experienced leading up to her decision to become a school idol.
I like the chorus part, “The world changes, from the moment we reached out our hands,” because it conveys the feeling of taking a step forward, thinking that if Kaho-chan is with Kozue-senpai, they can create any kind of scenery. It can also be interpreted as Kozue-senpai realizing she’s not alone. I think this song captures the emotional changes of the two characters, and I hope the listeners can feel that.
Getting to Know More about Hasunosora and Kaho
The mini-album release event is scheduled for April 21st at Toyosu PIT, and the opening live event is set for June 4th at Pacifico Yokohama. Please tell us your enthusiasm for these events.
Nirei: I’m grateful that our first performance as a cast will be at a large venue like Toyosu PIT for the April release event, but I’m also feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety.
Since there will be a talk segment, I hope people can get to know our true selves, and during the live part, I want to deliver a great performance that makes them think, “I want to support these girls.” As a group of six and as Cerise Bouquet, we want to do our utmost at that time.
As for the June opening live event at the even larger venue, Pacifico Yokohama, I’m really looking forward to it.
Of course, we want to deliver a fantastic performance as a group, and by then, Cerise Bouquet’s first single will be released, so we want to convey our unit’s color and worldview. We also want to create a completely different atmosphere with the six of us.
All three units have unique colors, so I hope everyone can find their favorite color. We’ll do our best!
Please give a message to everyone.
Nirei: I’m incredibly happy to be here as Hinoshita Kaho. I’m grateful to those who have encountered “Love Live!” and Hasunosora, and I’m determined to work hard so that as many people as possible can learn about the charm of our work and members.
To those who have read this article, I want to say thank you for getting to know me, Kaho-chan, and Hasunosora. The story of Hasunosora is just beginning, so please walk this journey with us. Let’s join hands and move forward together!
