The 10th anniversary of Cosplay Mania, the biggest J-culture event ever in the country, brought in quite an assortment of very interesting and very renowned guests, which included for the first time a young and talented 2.5D stage actor from Japan. Arkadymac.com has been fortunate to be given the opportunity to have a short interview with the sterling performer and consummate actor, Kousuke Asuma
For many years, 2.5D stage plays have been an engaging and very popular form of entertainment in Japan. These are stage plays and musical adaptations of well-known anime, manga and video games. Even at his young age, Kousuke Asuma is already at the forefront of this performance art, distinguishing himself in performances in Haikyuu!! as Oikawa Tooru, Bleach Musical as Ichimaru Gin, and Onmyouji as Ibaraki Douji.
At our interview, we asked him what kind of preparations he does when he is about to portray a character from an anime. He tells us that he really wants to know as much as he can about the character role given to him. He says that he really makes the effort to do his research. He reads up on the manga, watches the anime series and movies, and studies up as much as he can online so that he can get a good grasp of his character. He tells us that he is very aware that fans of the characters are very demanding and meticulous, which is why he leaves nothing to chance in making his portrayals as best as he can so that his audience will be happy and satisfied.
We also got to ask him about what is the best thing about his job as a stage actor. He tells us that seeing the reactions of the audience to his performances keeps him motivated, and that he enjoys the thrill of having a live performance where everything depends on his accurate portrayal. He also likes it when he travels and goes on performances that he gets the chance to interact with people and that he loves the warm reception he gets at events.
Apart from the interview, Filipino fans got to see him on stage with actor Hiroki Ino as they got to appear on stage at Cosplay Mania, getting to address their many fans, answering questions, and taking part in a game where they endeared themselves even more to the audience. From the level of cheers, greetings and adulation for him, Kousuke Asuma was definitely well-received by his fans here and has gotten many new admirers. They, like we do, wish that he could visit the country again in the future.
Our gratitude to Cosplay.ph for allowing us the rare opportunity to interview this talented actor and we sincerely hope that they will continue bringing in these brilliant artists to meet their Filipino fans and spend time with them and bridging the two cultures together.
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