Attack On Titan's Trina Nishimura Faced This Huge Challenge When Voicing Mikasa
"Attack on Titan" is one of the biggest shows on the planet. Though the series has always been popular among anime fans, during its final seasons it achieved numbers that rivaled those of best offerings from HBO Max, Netflix, and Disney+ (via Anime Galaxy). That's an impressive feat for a show in a medium that's still considered somewhat niche.
Weaving together a complex tale of royal ascension, political intrigue, and government corruption with shonen anime tropes like battling giants and high-flying action, the bloody, brutal world of "Attack on Titan" is packed with jaw-dropping revelations and world-shaking plot twists.
Still, it's the compelling cast of morally gray characters that keeps fans coming back for more. Viewers have been watching the central protagonists, Eren Jaeger (Yuki Kaji/Bryce Papenbrook) and Mikasa Ackerman (Yui Ishikawa/Trina Nishimura), grow and change since the very first episode of the series. No matter which language you watch the show in, it's clear that the voice actors who bring these characters to life go above and beyond for their roles.
Trina Nishimura has to fit a lot of meaning into quick lines
Trina Nishimura, who provides the voice of Mikasa in the English dub of "Attack on Titan," sat down with Rolling Stone to talk about some of the hurdles she must overcome when voicing the character. "I think the biggest challenge in voicing Misaka is that you have to fit a lot of context into very few words," Nishimura said.
She went on to explain how much behind-the-scenes discussion goes on between ADR director Mike McFarland and other cast members as they prepare to deliver their often-brief lines. Nishimura illustrated this process and its unique challenges by telling a story about a recent recording session.
"Mike and I were talking about the scene, and he was explaining some things, and we were going through all of these different scenarios and all of this information," Nishimura recalled. "And then it was like okay, and now it's the line. And it was a two-word line. I was like, I need to say all of these things in two words."
When she puts it that way, delivering lines for "Attack on Titan" sounds downright daunting. Still, given that the series takes place in a complicated world that's full of nuance, it's understandable that the team behind the adaptation would want to get every element exactly right. Hopefully, fans of the show appreciate all of the time and effort that goes into bringing these characters and this world to life.