Mai HiME seiyuu: Interview with the voice actress of Mai Tokiha

What you're about to read is an interview with the Japanese seiyuu of Mai Tokiha: Mai Nakahara! ^_^ Straight from the Mai HiME manga from TOKYOPOP.

Mai Tokiha-chan seems to me, most of all, a strong girl. Of course, she has her weaknesses, but she feels the pain of others. if I were into girls, she'd be my ideal girl. having a girl like Mai-chan as a close friend would be great, too -- I've grown quite fond of her.

Today, I recorded ep. 14. I feel that Mai and the others at the academy have grown and changed a great deal since the beginning. things haven't been all fun -- In fact, they were often quite difficult--but I feel that a strong girl like Mai-chan will overcome these things as part of the growing process.

When I first read the manga, I was totally shocked at how differently it was. "Why's Mai already at Fuuka Academy?" and "Huh, what's a key?" but the battle scenes were really cool, so I had lots of fun. The "I don't need a child, I'm fine with just an element" line stood out. I thought, "oh, that's too cool~~!"

Though the characters are the same, I think that doing the manga from a different point of view than the anime makes for twice the fun. For those who want even more "My HiME," make me happy and listen to the radio drama, too.

- Mai Nakahara

Quick thoughts (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN MAI-HIME):

Nakahara is truly the essence of Mai Tokiha. Whenever she expresses happiness, concern, sorrow and loss, you can feel it. She delivers an amazing performance in every episode. My personal favorite moments were any time she became furious. More specifically, furious at Mikoto for causing Takumi's brief demise (thanks to the defeat of Gennai, Akira Okuzaki's Child). Also the moment Mai finally becomes honest with herself and says she loves Mikoto in episode 26. Truly an unforgettable performance in the V/A industry.