Diana Kou emerged from the world of fan dubs into the professional arena by landing the lead role in Synch-Point's English dub of "Tenshi ni Narumon," the titular angel, Noelle. A member of the celebrated Sailor Moon cosplay experience known as Sailor JAMboree, Kou embodies the spirit of the fan in form and function - she even attended Synch-Point's "Tenshi" panel at Anime Expo 2001 adorned in full Noelle regalia, replete with halo hovering six inches above her head. Though pragmatic in her approach to life - securing a pre-university certificate in design before heading off to a four year collegiate run - a child-like curiosity much like Noelle's simmers beneath the surface.

"I ask questions all the time," Kou confesses. "I like to know about people, why they do certain things, how things work. Even though I'm already nineteen, it doesn't hurt to ask, there's always something to learn."

Seiyuu Tomoko Kawakami, who voices Noelle in Japanese, has a similar spirited inquisitiveness about the world, sitting down with me clad in a deep red coat that matched her ginger-tinged hair, which was pulled into two stumpy pigtails. Kawakami has also given voice to myriad other anime characters including the title character in "Revolutionary Girl Utena" and "Outlaw Star's" Hanmyo.

Akadot spent a lunch with Kawakami-san at Mulligan's in Long Beach, against a backdrop of unbearably generic musak, to inquire about this far from generic seiyuu personality.

What is the most common question you get from the fans?

Tomoko Kawakami: That one. I get asked what is the most common question I get asked. But most people want to know what I'm working on at that moment.

So, what are you working on?

TK: Until the company actually lets everyone know that they're going to be releasing something, I can't say anything about it.

("We Built this City by Starship" wheezes through the overhead speakers, the first in a litany of retro-numbers that singers of a bygone age would croon before the interview ends. However, Kawakami-san bops ever so slightly to the joy rock ditty.)

When did you decide to do voice acting as opposed to other types of acting?

TK: I originally thought that I wanted to do both. There was a guy I knew that had a theater, but because I was already doing voice acting I couldn't take the time off for the entire run of a play. Since I had already debuted as a voice actress it would have been difficult to change course.

Where do you want to go from here?

TK: I'd like to continue with voice acting but I've done a little bit of TV and I'd like to do other things. From voice acting I have already been able to involve myself with other projects.

What do you feel you're best known for in Japan?

TK: Probably "Utena." I don't know how big it was, but it was really popular among high school and college age kids. "Utena" was all about the experiences involved with adolescence. And, though this describes a lot of anime, the ideas in Utena were bolder and more captivating.

How do you feel that "Tenshi ni Narumon" relates to the themes explored in "Utena?"

TK: Essentially "Tenshi ni Narumon" is about family love, whereas in "Utena" you rarely see adults. The friendship themes are relatively similar, but "Utena" depicts adolescents in their own context, without adults.

(Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative" begins playing in the background, and underscores Kawakami's description of her process in voicing Noelle.)

Can you talk about Noelle as a character? How did you and the director work to develop Noelle?

TK: At auditions I asked if I could create the character of Noelle myself. The director agreed and put faith in me to develop a role. I envisioned that though she was fifteen on the outside, she was a child within. So I asked myself what a child might do in particular situations, how would a child's logic work. Because Noelle is a child and I've been through the same experiences, it was one of the easier parts I've played. The only challenging part for me was the pitch of the voice because it is so much higher than my normal speaking voice. But I gave it that high pitch in the audition, so when I was hired, I had to stick with it. If I did it for too long I'd find it difficult to return to my normal voice.

What parts of Noelle's personality are also in your own personality?

TK: You know how Noelle is totally focused on Yuuskue, he's all that she cares about, he's all she can see? I'm that type of person. I focus on one thing ... and I hum a lot.

What is the worst thing about voice acting?

TK: Nothing.