Sayonara Lara Interview: Kawaiishi Nana on Voicing Ootsu Mari

In the September 2026 issue of Megami Magazine, the Megami’s Voice interview series spoke with Kawaiishi Nana, the voice of Ootsu Mari in the original anime Sayonara Lara. The following long interview includes portions that could not fit in the magazine.

First Impressions and a Girl Who Does Not Know How to Express Herself

What was your first impression of Sayonara Lara?

At the audition stage, the materials I received had only Mari-chan’s character design and lines, with no storyboards. It looked like a fantasy work, but the setting was Shiga, so I could not predict what kind of story it would become.

Did the episode 1 script reveal the worldview and Lara’s goal?

Yes. Still, episode 1 was mostly set in the sea where Lara had lived, and it felt close to Andersen’s fairy tale The Little Mermaid. After Lara arrives in Shiga, I remember recording while wondering how she would move around.

Once recording began, what did you find interesting about the work?

The unpredictable developments, of course, but also the growth of Lara and Mari-chan. Their feelings change little by little, so that is another highlight.

What was your impression of Mari as a character?

The audition materials had almost no smiling expressions for Mari-chan, so I thought she was a cool girl. But as the episodes went on, I began to think she was not emotionless; rather, she simply did not know how to express her feelings. Through meeting Lara and spending time together, she learns about many different emotions.

At the beginning, Mari does seem to have little emotional ups and downs.

Compared with the expressive Lara, Mari’s range feels especially narrow. But even if she seems calm and mature at first glance, I think of Mari-chan as a child. She tries to handle things she does not understand all by herself. Lara, whether intentionally or not, scoops up each of Mari-chan’s ‘I don’t know’ moments, so I feel Mari-chan is able to grow little by little.

Mari feels isolated in the boxing club, but in episode 3 Lara barges in and her relationships with the club members seem to improve a little.

I think so. Mari-chan is probably a girl who could live on her own. Even without meeting Lara, she could do what she needed to do. But because Lara was with her, parts of her began to change.

How did you approach the role of Mari?

I am normally the type whose emotions show easily, so I worried about how to express a character as calm as Mari-chan. Mari-chan and I are similar in how we perceive and feel things, but completely different in how we let out what we receive. Things I would say out loud, Mari-chan does not put into words. I constantly had in my head why she would not do that, so during recording I built the performance by breaking down the reasons for her actions one by one. In the studio, I also learned the basics of voice acting and how to broaden my expression by watching my seniors.

Shiga Dialect, Boxing, and Getting Closer to Mari

Mari uses Shiga dialect. As someone from Shiga, was the language familiar to you?

Yes! But when I was attending training school, dialect was forbidden, so once I was told I could use it in acting, it actually felt difficult. Standard Japanese and dialect also place emphasis on different parts of speech, and that was a struggle. Shiga dialect feels closer to Kyoto dialect. It is not as sharp as Kansai dialect and is a little more relaxed, so I performed while hoping Mari-chan’s words would have a gentle sound.

Was there dialect coaching?

It was basically left to me. However, there were points where I disagreed with director Koide Takashi. While coordinating, I also made suggestions like ‘Kids today might not say it this way’ or ‘This might be better.’

Were there other difficult aspects of playing Mari?

Mari-chan boxes, but I am really bad at sports. (laughs) Sound director Yamada-san once told me that my breathing sounded like someone who was bad at sports. So I thought about differences between Mari-chan and me, such as lung size and muscle mass. During recording, I woke up at 5 a.m. and jogged, ate the same things as Mari-chan, and tried to live in a way that brought me physically closer to her.

What do you find wonderful about Mari?

She is stoic. If it is for the boxing she loves, she can diet and train while attending school. I think it is wonderful that she can be single-minded about what she loves.

Even so, when Mari is with Lara, we see another side of her.

As she spends more time with Lara, we see many glimpses of Mari-chan’s true face. I also kept discovering expressions, thinking, ‘She makes a face like that.’ I believe it is because Lara loosened Mari-chan’s heart that she was able to change.

Did the staff give you any other direction?

I have a habit of overthinking everything, but sound director Yamada-san told me many times, ‘For now, try acting without thinking about anything.’ That let me take my time and work carefully. Outside the booth, too, Yamada-san explained Mari-chan’s performance in different words until I could understand. I feel that led to my current acting, and it was a truly valuable and important time.

You said earlier that you are similar to Mari. Where especially do you feel that?

Being single-minded about what I love. When I focus, I lose sight of my surroundings. But I think both Mari-chan and I should probably fix that.

On the other hand, what do you want to learn from her or admire?

How she can focus only on her goal and go straight toward it. Being able to stay true to herself is my ideal.

Lara, Hishikawa Hana-chan, and the Recording Room

What is your impression of the protagonist, Lara?

Lara came alone to a completely unknown world, and I think it is amazing that she can act without fear like that. I of course feel this way, and I think Mari-chan probably loves Lara’s positive, hard-working willingness to try. Lara falls many times, but she has the strength to stand back up, and when Mari-chan is feeling down, that strength lifts her up. Hishikawa Hana-chan, who plays Lara, carefully performs that strength, and I was pulled along by her as well.

What is your impression of Hishikawa-san’s acting?

I got the impression that she is an actor with real passion in her performance. I always wanted to stand beside Hana-chan and act in a way I would not be embarrassed by. In our exchanges, performances came out that were completely different from what I had practiced at home. That was the first time I had experienced something like that, so I think Hana-chan is truly an amazing actor for drawing it out of me.

Please tell us a recording memory.

I was the most junior person on set, but everyone was very warm and considerate. Also, when Hana-chan and I were concentrating, they did not call out to us and left us alone. I felt glad to be part of this team.

Now that the story has reached episode 4, are there characters other than Lara and Mari who interest you?

I really love the warmth of the Ootsu family. The actors at the recording sessions were also lively in a way that felt just like the Ootsu family’s atmosphere, and I truly feel I met an important family.

Lara’s sister Lisa has also appeared in human form. What can you tell us about future highlights?

The early part has many slice-of-life scenes, but as the story progresses, it develops rapidly, so please do not miss it. Also, Luka, who resembles the prince Lara fell in love with, and what is happening with Lara’s family will be revealed going forward, so I hope everyone will check that out. There are no bad people in Sayonara Lara, so I think viewers will be able to love every character.

Megami’s Voice Q&A

Q. Your charm point
A. Smile
I studied abroad in Hungary during high school. Once I became able to communicate more, a local friend told me, ‘Nana was always smiling, so I wanted to become friends with you.’ Every day was so fun and I laughed a lot, so I think my smile is my charm point.

Q. Your nickname
A. Nana, Nana-chan
On the set of Sayonara Lara, Hana-chan gave me the nickname ‘Nanapyon,’ but in the end she never called me that. (laughs) Still, I like my given name, so I would be happy if people called me Nana or Nana-chan.

Q. Feature of your voice
A. Transparent
I am not very aware of it myself, but people around me often say my voice is clear and beautiful. I also want to be transparent in the sense of being able to be dyed any color.

Q. Your personality
A. Stubborn
I have decided that I will absolutely keep to what I have decided for myself. For example, when I was studying abroad, I wanted to learn the local language, so I absolutely did not use Japanese. Also, while attending training school, I wanted to save money for moving to Tokyo, so I worked part-time jobs before and after taking the night bus to training school. It was physically hard, but I kept going to make my dream come true.

Q. What are you into now?
A. Sticker exchange
I have always had a collecting habit, and once I start collecting, I cannot stop. I think I have more than 10 sticker albums now. However, there are not many people around me who exchange stickers, so I am looking for people to trade with.

Q. A sport you are good at
A. I am bad at sports in general, so I will do my best cheering
In elementary school I played basketball, and in middle school I joined the soft tennis club, but my motivation could not keep up with my athletic ability. (laughs) So at sports festivals and ball tournaments, I put all my effort into cheering.

Q. Could you live with someone else?
A. I want to live alone!
I do not want other people to see how messy I can be. (laughs) If I lived with someone, I feel I would do all the housework by myself, push myself too hard, and explode. Living alone is nice because I can do everything at my own pace and take it easy.

Q. A catchphrase for this work
A. Love
I think Sayonara Lara depicts many different forms of love. It shows many kinds of love, including things people want to cherish and feelings of affection, so I hope viewers will watch while feeling that love.

Profile

Kawaiishi Nana. Born September 27. From Shiga Prefecture. Affiliated with Kekke Corporation. Major appearances include Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu and others.

Work Information

Sayonara Lara is currently airing every Sunday at 12:30 a.m. on TOKYO MX and other channels.

Official site: https://goodbyelara.com/

Once, a mermaid princess named Lara fell in love with a human prince, but she could not find true love and disappeared as sea foam. Two hundred years later, Lara revives in Lake Biwa. After meeting a high school girl named Ootsu Mari by chance, she stays at Mari’s house while trying to find true love this time.

(C) Kinema Citrus / ‘Sayonara Lara’ Production Committee

Interview and text by Noshita Nao (I Planning)

Megami Magazine Editorial Department