Anime voice actress Trina Nishimura says Australia's pop culture expo Supanova is a "cultural phenomenon" and salutes “weird people” all around the world.
Trina say the evolution of pop culture conventions is a fascinating process, and is equally astounded by the amount of people who find themselves caught up in the hype that drives the industry. "It's funny to watch in smaller towns the first year of conventions where everyone says 'oh that's weird, they're the weird people', and then the second year they're like 'hey, I wonder what's really going on over there'. By the third year they're in cosplay as a ninja turtle.
"It's a cool thing to watch people accept one another and embrace each other's individually, and include one another. Nobody's ever sad at a convention."
Brandishing her voice just as Mikasa wields her blade, Trina has sliced her way through the anime world over the past few years, primarily working with FUNimation Entertainment. From meagre beginnings as the little, hungry girl Namiko in 'Desert Punk', to her much anticipated and lauded appearance as Mikasa Ackerman in 'Attack On Titan' and 'Attack On Titan: Junior High', Trina’s agile voice has brought her critical acclaim.
Trina says meeting George Takei (American actor, director, author and activist) was a fantastic moment in her career. "He is an inspiration for film on so many levels. Not only for what he's done in the community of gays, lesbians, transgendered and for marriage equality, but also for his actions in helping to memorialise the injustices done during World War II to the Japanese people.
"[Also], all the things that he has done in his personal life, philanthropy, and his career, his professional life, it's all very inspiring. So as a human being, I just really wanted to meet him."
Image © Facebook
George invited Trisha to New York to see the screening of his documentary-style musical, 'Allegiance'. The production, which chronicles the many obstacles the 77-year-old had to overcome as a closeted Asian-American actor, also delves into his imprisonment during World War II. "The musical is about Japanese internment and their family story, so the entire time I was falling to pieces. After the show George gave me a massive hug and said 'I've told our story now', and I just wept, and wept and wept. He's an amazing human being, and it was a great experience."
Trina is almost as big a fan as the fans who attend conventions. "It’s really cool to be able to talk to other artists [about] how their life is going, and what they're doing with their career. It's always really inspiring."
Meet Trina at the Supanova Pop Culture Exhibition at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre 8-10 April as well as Melbourne Showgrounds 15-17 April.
