Amin Abbas
DUBAI: Miyu Irino, the veteran Japanese voice actor of Sora in the ‘Kingdom Hearts’ video game series, Haku in ‘Spirited Away’, Duke Fleed/Daisuke in ‘Grendizer U’ and the new voice of Sabo for the ‘One Piece’ franchise, was a special guest in a wonderful meet and greet event from Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at Dubai’s Times Square Center in his first visit to the United Arab Emirates.
The event was organized by Speedy Comics Middle East and Popcon Middle East. Fans of anime and video games in the UAE were very pleased to get autographs and take pictures with the Japanese voice actor.
Irino told Arab News Japan that he was very thankful to be the voice of the protogonist of ‘Grendizer U’, which aired last July.
“I saw some episodes of ‘UFO Robot Grendizer’ before the audition and I was informed by the producers about the popularity of the original series outside of Japan, especially in Europe and the Middle East,” he said.
About being the new voice of Sabo for the ‘One Piece’ franchise, the Japanese voice actor said that he entered an audition for the character role along with other voice actors and he was very pleased to be chosen for it.
Regarding his role in Studio Ghibli’s ‘Spirited Away’, the actor said that after the Japanese actress Rumi Hiiragi was chosen to be the voice of the Chihiro Ogino/Sen, he spoke to her and decided to audition for the role.
Moreover, Irino shared that he was pleased to be chosen for the role of Sora in the video game series ‘Kingdom Hearts’ as he had played the game in his childhood. He is looking forward to his role in the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 4 game.
The Dubai meet and greet marked the actor’s first time in the UAE. He was thankful to meet the fans and try authentic Middle Eastern dishes.
The event has also featured various artists and entrepreneurs, such as acclaimed American illustrator Chad Hardin, who showcased and sold handmade items and new products of their creations.
Local collectors have displayed and sold various collectables and merchandise, such as retro games, Funko pops, comics, trading cards, and other pop culture memorabilia. Other activities such as trading card game workshops, Tamiya mini 4WD cars racing, woodworking workshops, and gaming tournaments were also introduced.
One of the fans said about the event: “It’s great to have these kinds of events where fans have the opportunity to get pictures and signatures from voice actors of their favorite anime and video game series as well as meet other friends, artists, and collectors to learn and exchange information about their favorite hobbies and pop culture fandom.”
The Speedy Comics team is committed to organizing more activities and events for UAE’s pop culture community, with an upcoming meet and greet event for Chie Nakamura (Sakura Haruno in Naruto) from Dec. 14 and 15 at Dubai’s Times Square Center.