One of the events that really got Anime Expo 2001 off to a rousing start was the Guest of Honor Focus Panel for Inoue Kikuko. Inoue is one of the most beloved Japanese voice actresses of our time, having done such roles as the sweet, kind voice of Belldandy in AH! MY GODDESS, Tendou Kasumi in RANMA 1/2 and the powerful, scary voice of Robelia in the new SAKURA TAISEN 3 Dreamcast game.

Suffice to say, just hearing her kick-start the panel with a live, a cappella song performance of the AH! MY GODDESS OVA opening song was a highlight in itself. From there, her panel was a non-stop mixture of praise from fans, questions and answers, and more live songs! By the end of the panel, she had sung so many songs live that her panel literally turned into a mini-concert.

Q: Are there other voice actors that you are friends with and/or support you?

IK: Hisakawa Aya (voice actress for Skuld in AH! MY GODDESS, Kero-chan in CARD CAPTOR SAKURA). And she has a garden full of home-grown vegetables as well (smiles). I have many other voice actor friends as well.

Q: Since the 8th grade, I've always dreamt of saying "Hi" to you in person, you're my favorite voice actress! What did you think of the role of Anju-chan (MARMALADE BOY), since she wasn't that popular of a character?

IK: Thank you for your kind words! (smiles) Anju is also a favorite of mine. She was a sickly, fragile character and I prayed for her health.

Q: Who's your favorite good character and favorite bad character?

IK: All the characters I play are like my children. I could never play favorites amongst my children (smiles).

Q: Were you happy playing a role in SAILOR MOON SAILOR STARS?

IK: I liked playing a role in SAILOR MOON, and I enjoy playing it at home even now. "In the name of the moon, I will punish you!" (laughs)

Q: When is your next personal CD out?

IK: You know of my personal CDs?! Wow. Voice actors sing in two different ways: as an animated character (role), and as yourself. I tend to sing as the characters I play. I'm so busy with work that I don't know when my next personal CD will be out, but please be patient. (smiles)

Q: Robelia in SAKURA TAISEN 3 (Dreamcast) is such a departure from your regular roles. How did you do it?

IK: Well I do tend to get the slow, caring roles, but I do get the occasional scary characters as well. In school, I was taught to use the full range of my voice. So for a character like Robelia, I use the lower register to perform the role.

Q: How did you get the role of Belldandy?

IK: There are two ways to get cast in a role: either the creators and producer meet the cast and decide who plays which role, or they hold auditions. For Belldandy's casting, it was the first way. They decided they wanted me, and that's how I was chosen.

This is something I heard after the fact of getting the role of Belldandy: while I was playing Kasumi in RANMA 1/2, the staff for AH MY GODDESS wanted someone who had the kindness of Kasumi (RANMA 1/2) and the strength of Electra (NADIA) [Ed. Note: Inoue also played Electra], so that's why they wanted me.

Q: Could you answer the next question using the voice of Robelia?

IK: (laughs) It takes a lot of preparation to do Robelia. Normally I'd have no problem, but for Robelia I have too much stage fright. It's probably from my lack of training. Sorry!

Q: You have an excellent range of roles and your performance has always been amazing. But one thing I've noticed is that your acting roles are almost always only the very sweet, kind characters, or the very, very bad, evil characters. Why is that? Is it a form of stress relief for you?

IK: (smiles) Well it just happened that way. You normally can't choose the roles you play, so when you audition you can't choose and say "This is what I want to play," etc. So when auditions do come up, and you get cast for a certain role, that's that; it may not be what you intended, but it ends up that way. But if there is a fight scene when I play a strong woman role, it is a form of stress release. (smiles again)

Q: You have the sweetest voice that has ever existed! Even when I have a down day, if I hear your voice (anime, CD), it picks me up immediately. You say that you are the reincarnation of a sunfish. You even put a little sunfish logo on your merchandise. How did you come up with that? Why?

IK: Since I was a kid, I always felt like I was a reincarnation of a fish. Then, after a while, I wondered what kind of fish I was. One day, my fellow voice actress during RANMA 1/2, Hidaka Noriko (Akane), said that since I was so relaxed all the time, I was probably a sunfish. I just agreed with her, and since then, I've always thought I was a sunfish.

Q: You do a lot of videogame voice-overs as well as anime. What are the differences?

IK: In games, they don't have as detailed artwork as in anime, so for me, I have to internally enhance the acting so that when I play the role, I can sympathize with them more.

Q: Being a voice actress for so many roles, how has it affected your romantic life?

IK: Eh...? (smiles) Well, my romantic life hasn't been affected much, but since my daughter is 3 years old, if she does anything wrong, I can say to her, "In the name of the moon, I will punish you!" (laughs)

Q: What's the number of the Goddess Hotline?

IK: (laughs) I wish I knew.

Q: I heard that you wanted to be a banana?

IK: Yes, I wanted to be a banana because it is a hard-working fruit that is nutritious, good for your health, and easily digestible. (smiles)

Q: How did you get the nickname of "Onee-chan" (big sis)?

IK: During my role as Kasumi in RANMA 1/2, Takayama Minani (Nabiki) kept calling me "Onee-chan" so it stuck with me.