Puerto Rico Expo Anime: Natsumatsuri(September 2 -3, 2023) was an amazing experience! I was able to join the event thanks to Onix Fuente-Nevarez, he invited me to join him as a member of the “El Koki Otaku” team. We had the opportunity to work as press and interview some wonderful voice actors. Personally, I was thrilled to meet Adam McArthur, Kaiji Tang, and Ray Chase, and to hear about their work in the industry.
Adam McArthur, who is known for his role as Marco Diaz in Star vs. the Forces of Evil and his roles as Yuji Itadori in Jujutsu Kaisen, was a delight to interview. It was an honor to interview him, he shared some fascinating insights into the world of voice acting. It was also our honor to interview Kaiji Tang, who is known for his role as Guts from Berserk and his roles as Satoru Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen. He has worked on numerous anime and video game projects, during the interview he was incredibly passionate, and I’m so thankful that I was able to ask him some questions about voice acting in the video games industry. Lastly, Ray Chase, who is perhaps best known for his role as Noctis in Final Fantasy XV and his role as Ryomen Sukuna in Jujutsu Kaise, was just the best! (Sorry your lunch got scheduled during the interview time) He had a wealth of knowledge about the industry, and he was happy to share his experiences with us. He also gave me a custom video voicing Alphen from Tales of Arise; I will treasure it forever.
Sidetracking a little, if you are interested in watching the full interview, stay tune. El Koki Otaku will be posting all the content we were able to create at the Expo Anime: Natsumatsuri on YouTube. If you don’t follow them already you can do so here: El Koki Otaku – YouTube.
Overall, Puerto Rico Expo Anime: Natsumatsuri was a fantastic event, and I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of it. My feet and back are killing me right now, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. The interviews with Adam McArthur, Kaiji Tang, and Ray Chase were definitely a highlight, but we can’t forget about the wonderful vendors and cosplayers. The cosplay contest to the artist exhibitions, there was something for everyone. I can’t wait to attend next year’s event and see what exciting things are in store!
-SoZetta
