Nami Mizuno, who received a Special Award at the 20th Seiyu Awards, which honors the most active voice actors of the year, appeared at the awards ceremony held on March 15th at the Bunka Broadcasting Media Plus Hall (Minato-ku, Tokyo). This award is given to voice actors or works that have performed special activities that do not fit into any other category but deserve recognition, and Mizuno was chosen for voicing Myakumyaku, the official character of the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.
Mizuno said that playing the role of Myaku Myaku was "a series of firsts for me, and there were many times when I was very worried," and she reflected that she "took one step at a time" while having many conversations with the staff. She continued, "As I felt the many voices of support for the character, I felt the definite brilliance residing within the character each time, and that brilliance grew bigger and bigger, becoming a great force that supported me," and she became overwhelmed with emotion and shed tears.
"I'm sorry, but I'm a crybaby, I tend to get easily melancholic and anxious, but the words Myakumyaku weaves are often very positive and cheerful, like 'Every day is full of excitement,' 'The future is bright,' 'I love everyone,' and 'I've made lots of friends.' Those cheerful words gave me so much courage and led me to brighter places. This miraculous encounter and experience is a precious treasure to me," she said, expressing her feelings for Myakumyaku.
The Seiyu Awards, established in 2006, are co-sponsored by KADOKAWA, Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions. Aside from the MVS (Most Valuable Seiyu, the most outstanding voice actor as chosen by fans), the awards are selected by the Executive Committee and the Selection Committee. The 20th awards covered works and voice actors that aired, streamed, or were announced between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025. To commemorate the 20th anniversary, Romi Park, who won the Best Leading Actress Award at the inaugural awards, and Aya Hirano, who won the Best New Actress Award, served as ambassadors.
