Megumi Ogata has long been a major player in the anime world, most recently bringing to life Yuta Okkotsu, the main hero of the prequel film. Jujutsu Kaisen 0as well as Shinji Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion notoriety. As Ogata recently won Best Voice Actress at this year’s Seiyu Awards in Japan, the comedian took the opportunity to discuss some gender issues facing the industry, as well as talk about his work from the past.
Megumi began her quote by stating that she was surprised to win the “Best Actress” award, especially since roughly “70%” of her roles in anime are for characters who are young men:
“I never really thought of myself as an actress, per se. These days we live in what is called a genderless society, and in the world of comedians there are people who have come out [as LGBTQ+]. There are also a lot of people, like me, who hardly see themselves as ‘women’ in their daily lives.”
Ogata added that she was happy to receive the award for her past work within the anime industry:
“I think accepting the award will have meaning in this industry, so I decided to sincerely accept it. I’m sorry for being pompous. I am really very happy.”
Finally, Megumi added that she was more than proud of the work she had done on Neon Genesis Evangelion and the Rebuild series films, with Ogata playing the role of Shinji Ikari for decades:
“I think accepting the award will have meaning in this industry, so I decided to sincerely accept it. I’m sorry for being pompous. I am really very happy.”
In addition to playing roles in Jujutsu Kaisen and EvangelionOgata has also had roles in many other anime properties such as Cardcaptor Sakura, Bleach, Assassination Classroom, Persona and Detective Conan to name a few.
Are you excited for Jujutsu Kaisen 0 to arrive in North American theaters later this month? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Jujutsu Tech.
By ANN