As of when this post is published, I have been an seiyuu/idol fan for about six years now. While I did get my start from gateway things such as the Love Live and iDOLM@STER fictional franchises, I feel as though now that I have started to achieve ‘veteran status’, as cheesy as that sounds. Getting to know certain idols, occasionally watching concerts, listening to music, following their activities online… it’s really become a daily routine or habit for me, and while it can seem like a bit of a time-waster, I do genuinely enjoy learning more about this industry and supporting a ton of talented people (even if it means getting one heck of a reality check by watching Oshi no Ko lol).
And even though there are certain idol-related events that I will probably never get the chance to experience like watching a live in-person or shaking hands with an oshi of mine (the latter of which, I’d most likely never do anyway with my lack of Japanese language skills and how nervous I’d be), there is one thing that’s always peaked my interest: autographs. Specifically autographs you’d receive from buying something that your favorite voice actor or idol is selling, whether that be a new music release or just a piece of merch. It’s a cool way for fans to get their hands on some goods, especially when it’s personalized with your name and/or a short note being written alongside the signature. Obviously this is nothing that is exclusive to Japan or the idol scene but I feel like this is truly the first time where I’d actually love to get an autograph from someone, compared to how I don’t really care for celebrities here in the West other than maybe a sports figure I admire.
Another big reason why I became intrigued is because I’ve seen many foreigners get numerous opportunities to obtain said autographs; mostly from seiyuu who hold online autograph sessions for a new single/album they’ve come out with or a photobook release. And from what I can tell, most of these are lottery or raffle-based, meaning that only a select number of lucky fans are able to get a signed copy of whatever. That said, despite the ‘reassurance’ that someone like me has with participating in this type of thing, the added obstacle of the lottery system made me not bother most of the time… until an opportunity opened up.
One seiyuu I’ve recently come to like is Tanda Hazuki, who is mostly known for voicing Sakurada Miyu in the D4DJ franchise. With Lyrical Lily (the group she is a part of) being one of the units that got me more hooked onto D4DJ, she’s pretty much the first seiyuu I got to know from the project, other than the ones I was already familiar with (i.e. Sato Hinata, Koizumi Moeka, Tsumugi Risa, etc). Obviously she is incredibly beautiful and that’s most certainly a reason why I came to like her (lol), but she just seems like a cool and talented person in general and someone that’s worth knowing/supporting.
And after a year or so of becoming her fan, I recently found out about something she occasionally sells, it being a keychain and an autographed cheki (essentially, a polaroid photograph of herself). And as I found out that you didn’t need to be in any type of fanclub or have to make an exclusive account or hope and pray that you can have a chance of obtaining those, I pretty much jumped at the opportunity to get one of these lol
And to be quite honest, it was a bit nerve-racking. A few reasons being one, this is the very first time I’ve ever done something like this; two, I had to let a proxy service purchase it for me rather than using a site like Tenso where I could buy it and fill in certain details myself; and finally, I was worried about inputting my name in full English/romaji since I didn’t know if it would be too much of a hassle for her to say and write my name… as you can tell, I am proficient in overthinking.
But thankfully, all three of those worries worked out in the end. The proxy made no mistakes, and while Ha-chan struggled a bit with pronouncing my name, she made a pretty good attempt and had a chuckle about it (it kinda felt embarrassing for me, not gonna lie lol). Plus, there were other people who requested their name to be written in the English/Latin alphabet so… I felt a bit relieved by that.
So yeah. I think it’s pretty amazing that I managed to get an autograph from a seiyuu/idol I genuinely admire, since I’ve been interested in obtaining one for the longest time. The question I’ve been pondering though is, will I do this again?
Well, the main reason why I wouldn’t is because this stuff is quite expensive. I don’t wanna mention the numbers, but the export fees for this one small photograph were stupidly high (one could blame the proxy I used, yes). But in terms of getting another cheki from Tanda Hazuki: possibly, especially with how easy it was to buy. But, without-a-doubt, does this make me want to try to get one from other seiyuu or idols, even if it’s more difficult to get my hands on them. Maybe if Takane no Nadeshiko does something like this, I might jump at that chance to get a Momona or Saara signature lol
That’s kinda it for the post 😛 Just a fun little story I had, and I am super grateful for Ha-chan and her management for giving me the chance to experience this. Probably one of the coolest things I’ve be able to do as a seiyuu/idol fan.
Also, since we’re talking about D4DJ and Lyrical Lily, please allow me to suggest a great song from them. They’re a solid and fun group, both character and seiyuu-wise!
Have you gotten an autograph from an idol/seiyuu/celebrity you like? Definitely let me know in the comments, cause I am actually really curious about how people manage to get their hands on some of these goods haha
Thanks for reading!! 😀
-al
omunibasu 
Oh nice! lol, the timing of this post is funny for me since I’m trying for Riru’s Signing Event which is happening the next day from today (wish me luck) It’s rough though because the proxy service I’m using won’t be able to tell me if I ‘won’ or not so I won’t know until the actual thing if I got picked which… is quite nervewracking XD
I like how you didn’t have to go through deciding if you wanted to use your Internet handle or your IRL name, haha!
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The process is definitely tough for us outsiders 😅 On my end, I couldn’t use my American card to buy the thing (I guess it was just that one site cause I was able to purchase something from a different store) so I’d just had to let someone else do it for me. But absolutely, best of luck, hope you end up being one of the lucky few!!!
‘Al’ was pretty much the only other option I could’ve done but since it was my first time doing something like this, I figured I’d go all the way (lol). That said, hearing Riru say ‘Leap’ would be pretty rad tho 😛
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Omgggg that’s so cute!! I’ve never used a proxy, NGL , it makes me nervous as heck. I think I’ve mainly only gotten signatures from like cosplayers who go to cons (i was mega in love with reika a few years back!!) so yeah, super expensive to get myself there (diff state) but worth it in my heart 😂😂
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Proxies can definitely be a little worrying but in my experience, I never had any major problems with them! One of the few downsides though (at least, IMO) is that shipping fees can get quite expensive, even for smaller items. But I think that depends on the proxy itself, as some offer cheaper prices compared to others.
Also, that’s really cool! I’m sure seeing cosplayers in-person just feels a whole lot different compared to their online presence, and an autograph from them is a nice thing to go home with. 😀
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Bruh that is a life goal alright
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now i gotta get an autographed thing from shuka 🤔
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Rooting for your success man!
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Congrats on getting her signature!! I’ve never been a fan of the raffle-style signature stuff, so this is really sweet that she puts this sort of thing together regularly! Also I 100% know the feeling of “oh god it’s English I hope this doesn’t put them on the spot…”. They’re usually pretty good sports about it. And it’s a wink and nudge that they have a fan base outside of Japan as well…
It’s been a little weird for me to read this since I currently have been going through and adjusting my current collection. I’ve never gone out of my way for signed stuff aside from a twitter giveaway or two (never won one lol). But I have accumulated a fair amount of signed stuff, admittedly less idol and more of my favorite bands.
Your comments about in-person events are 100% valid though. They’re super nerve-wracking. I did an in-person event with the group iScream and ended up blurting out “OMG You’re all so cute!!” in English, including then burying my face in my hands immediately afterwards (it was true!!!) which scared the crap out of the poor staff. The girls were super sweet about it though. They at least giggled over looking freaked out. I recovered when I went again and put sentences together, but god it was a whirl-wind. Still 10/10 wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Fingers crossed that another group you like does this again so you can continue to expand your collection!!
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Thank you! I’d consider myself lucky for being a Ha-chan fan, cause this might be the first time I’ve seen a seiyuu or idol do signatures in this manner so… I’ll forever be a fan of hers for that reason haha. I believe a couple of the other D4DJ VAs do something similar, such as Aipon/Negishi Ai (whom I also really admire) so maybe I’ll go for hers next time.
When you put it like that, it does feel a lot less nerve-wracking to input your name in English. I’d imagine they don’t get a whole lot of foreign names when they do these sorts of things (especially with someone like Ha-chan, who’s on the lesser known side) so if that thought process happens to go through their mind, then it might be worth the nervousness/embarrassment lol
I’m sure getting autographs from anyone you genuinely like, idol or musical band, is a pretty special thing to experience so I’m already super impressed by your collection!!
That’s a pretty funny story 😛 I fully understand how you reacted tho! Sometimes I see foreigners getting the lucky chance to take a photo with an oshi of theirs, and it amazed me how they all manage to keep their composure. But I’m glad to hear the iScream ladies had a chuckle about it (and the fact that you actually got to meet them!)
And appreciate it! I may end up trying for a lottery one if there’s a group/person I really really like but we’ll what happens 🙂
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You’re most welcome! Ha-chan now has a slot as an extra special oshi of yours! And because I’m an enabler, I say you should totally go for an Aipon one next time! (If it’s reasonable to do so of course!)
Nerves/embarrassment come and go; a personalized signature lasts way longer. At least that’s what I tell myself when that comes up online or in-person with these sorts of things. I think Ha-chan was pleasantly surprised to see your name pop up!
Thank you, I laugh about it now but at the time I was SO embarrassed. The other fans were super nice about it though. Very supportive, and yeah might have laughed at me a little, it was more a laugh with me since everyone had been there before at least once. I can tell you for sure that while they’re smiling, they’re probably freaking out on the inside lol.
You’re super welcome! And best of luck if the raffle ones come up!!
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