From Anime To The Stage: Aya Hirano Reflects On Her Illustrious Career

It's not every day you get to meet a legend of the anime industry. If you grew up in the early 2000s, it would be very hard to miss Aya Hirano- from Lucky Star to the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, she basically did two of the most iconic roles of that era.

Aya herself says it took time for her to realize just exactly how big the roles she played were- when we spoke to her earlier this year, she shared about how it felt to be that young and receiving recognition on that scale.

When I played the role of Haruhi, I was actually still in my teens, right, 18 years old", she says. "So to be part of this and to have this work be so beloved was very new to me. So of course, because I was still young also, and just started working suddenly, I had to get to know the society. To adapt into her new fame, and then to understand how people look at the role, it took time for to digest it".

While she's definitely more used to the fan attention now that she's older, that's not the only thing that's changed. Look, if the last time you watched Haruhi was when you were a teenager, you owe it to yourself to check it out now- just because your perspective on Haruhi in particular might change. Aya said the same thing basically happened with her. 

"When I first played Haruhi I was 18, so I was a similar age right, so I was going through my youth together [with Haruhi]", Aya says. "Things like whatever that she was feeling at that time and understanding things from Haruhi's point of view".

"I understood Haruhi's point of view but you know as time grows older you know you get older and then the character stays there,I started to like shift my perspective to more of understanding why people around her behave like that towards her and why other characters become like that around her", she explains.

However, this wasn't necessarily a negative take. Instead, Aya said looking back on The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya as an adult added a new layer of appreciation to it. 

"It's more of like understanding the depth of other characters and also like seeing this story in another way”.

Aya has never been one to rest on her laurels, however. While still doing anime voice roles she's also been taking an active interest in the stage too- fans might recognize her as the stage version of Makima in the Chainsaw Man stage play. 

"Besides the singing and voice acting, I've also been doing stage plays", she says. "I feel like whatever skills I get from all these three elements is something that I use interchangeably"

"Whatever I've learned, I use", she explains. She goes on to paint a vivid picture that her triple-threat experience as a voice actress, performer and now stage actor has become one of her greatest strengths.

As for anime, it's not like Aya has left it in the past, either. One Piece fans might recognize her as Vegapunk Lilith, and she's still actively interested in playing more roles.

 "I'd love to get more opportunities to pursue roles. Personally,I like to read manga and [I'm excited] when it becomes anime, so I hopes to get the chance to participate more and join some of them", she says.