Behold, The Anime Industry’s Very Own Unicorn Kitty
Whether you know her from her vast array of animated roles or from her prolific Youtube channel, Kayli Mills’ leap into the world of voice-acting has managed to make quite the splash. Specifically, a giant rainbow-coloured splash filled with all manner of delightfully devilish characters, awesome cover songs, cosplay and wholesome fan interactions. It’s no wonder she proudly wears the mantle of best girl!
While she’s well-known for playing the entrancing half-elf Emilia in Re;Zero, Ms Mills has gone on to produce a whole slew of content both in and out of the recording booth that have received praise the world over. From modern anime gems like Kakegurui and March Come In Like A Lion, all the way to video games such as Cyberdimension Neptunia and SMITE, she has certainly kept herself busy. Oh, and she’s also no stranger to the video sharing scene either, providing the the vocals for various cover songs any anime fan will recognise over on her personal channel MewKiyoko.
In-between all of her recent success, she was kind enough to chat with us about her journey from eager fan all the way to leading lady.
First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to let us probe your brain!
“Of course, thank you for reaching out~”
Before we leap into your roles, can you give us a brief recollection of how you found yourself discovering the awesome career that is voice acting?
“Making it brief is tough…I liked anime a lot as a kid and was also interested in acting, though it was only surface level at the time. I remember finding an online community of people on Youtube and Voice Acting Alliance who were interested in these things as well and it opened up a whole world to me. I moved around a lot and didn’t have many friends growing up, so having a community of people I actually had things in common with was amazing for me and really fostered my passion for music and acting.”
As any fans of yours knows, you share an equal passion for singing and music just as much as acting. Were the two always intertwined or did one proceed the other?
“Music definitely came first for me. My mom sang professionally and toured with Bob Seger before I was born. She always sang to me and so I naturally became interested in singing and music as I grew up. When I got into anime, I always found that I really liked the opening and ending themes (Naruto’s especially caught my attention) and from there I decided I wanted to learn how to sing those. That’s why I learned how to sing in Japanese and started writing English lyrics!”
What inspired you to start up a Youtube channel dedicated to anime covers and why should people drop everything they are doing and head over there right now!
“I always really liked creating things and sharing them with others and Youtube seemed like such an easy way to get myself out there. I won’t lie, I lived for praise as a kid and I wanted some of that as well (though I learned pretty quickly that the internet was not as nice as my mom haha). Since I discovered anime, the music has always made me feel really happy and I’ve always been passionate about it. I wanted to be able to write English adaptions that even people who don’t know the original or understand Japanese at all can enjoy as IF it were the original. I want my lyrics to feel natural and real and not like a translation. Please don’t drop things if they are breakable, but I put a lot of love and work into my releases and I hope that they can give you some of the same happiness they’ve given me!”Â
How do you go about choosing which songs to cover? Do they have to strike a chord on a personal level or just be as catchy as hell?
“Usually I just sing what motivated me to sing! If I can’t get a song out of my head or it makes me really happy, I have to sing it~”
Do you have a specific song that to you just encapsulates everything weird and wonderful about anime?
“Although it’s pretty specific to the show, ‘Deal With the Devil’ is such a crazy and out there song. It’s fast, all over the place, and REALLY catchy. My cover of it can be found on Youtube as well as iTunes and Spotify.“
What has been your experience coming into the industry as fan and then making the transition to certified voice actor?
“Honestly it was less scary than I expected it to be. I thought maybe because I was a fan that I wouldn’t be taken as seriously and would maybe not be given a chance, but I was wrong! The community here was SUPER welcoming and made me feel at home. I still don’t know how ‘certified’ I am, but I definitely feel like I’m where I belong!”
While Hinata Kawamoto is undoubtedly a beautiful ball of sunshine, she’s also something of an emotional crutch for Rei to lead on. Did you find yourself surprised at her levels of maturity throughout March Comes In Like A Lion?
“So surprised! Hina is definitely one of my favorite characters and I love her lots! Even though Akari is the oldest and no doubt had a crazy amount of responsibility put on her, Hina has to be SO brave for the sake of both of her sisters. She doesn’t want to be a burden on Akari and she wants to be strong for Momo. That’s really hard to do when you’re such a young girl, she’s so strong! I would protect her with my life. “
Fate/Apocrypha is filled with all kinds of merciless Masters and Servants, though Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillenia’s stands tall as one of the more chivalrous of the bunch. All the more impressive given her handicap. What are your thoughts on her journey, and do you think she emerged from the war a changed person?
“Fiore has the most pure heart of the masters for sure. I think it was really hard for Fiore to give up being a mage. It’s all that she wanted her entire life, but she realized that she just wasn’t built for killing. I think she came out of the war with a better understanding of herself, and I’d be interested to know what she decides to do with her life now that she’s no longer a mage.”
I think we can all agree Kakegurui’s Runa Yomozuki was nothing short of a demonic bundle of fun. What was it like playing the pint-sized puppeteer? Some of us still have nightmares about getting on her bad side.Â
“It was some of the most fun I’ve ever had with a character! I loved her bratty behavior and creature-like voice. She’s never afraid of anything or anyone and just does what interests her, which I can get behind. I felt so free every time I got to ‘nyahaha!’. I also love playing characters with multiple sides to them, so getting to switch from cute and bratty to scary and serious was great.”
The ladies of Re;Zero have gone on to become modern anime icons, especially when it comes to everyone’s favourite half-elf. In your mind, what makes Emilia such an endearing character?
“I feel like what makes Emilia special is that she is so incredibly good-hearted. She stops to save Subaru even when the most important item in the kingdom was stolen from her, and she never wants anyone to feel like they owe her. When other people despise her for being half-elf, rather than being angry and hateful back, she feels bad that SHE made them feel that way. She always trusts her friends and also allows them to rely on her. She’s open-minded and is always willing to give someone a chance to do right. I also think that it’s incredible that she is so determined to be a leader and take on the responsibility, even though we know that she is still a young girl finding her own way.”
Kayli, thank you so much for your time! If fans want to message you and tell you how Emilia will always be best girl, where can they find you?
Twitter- @KayliMills
Youtube- /MewKiyoko
Instagram- @kaylimills
Facebook- kayli.mills
And finally, as an honorary member of WatchMojo, if you could choose a subject for a top ten list, what would it be?
“Top 10 Soft Serve Matcha Ice Cream Places.”
07:30
