voice
Sonozaki Mie (園崎 未恵) is a seiyuu with the Remax agency. Born on February 7 1973, Sonozaki is a talented but low-key actress with several important anime/game/dubbing roles to her name. She frequently portrays softly voiced women with a mature edge. Sonozaki's notable anime roles include: Sakuraoka Sei from Gantz, Gertrud Barkhorn from Strike Witches, Sode no Shirayuki from Bleach, Shoukun from Saiunkoku Monogatari and Yazakura Hazuki from Happy Lesson.
Sonozaki Mie also portrays some popular television, film, and game characters in their Japanese language versions. These include: Ashe from Final Fantasy XII, Dr. Tenenbaum from Bioshock, EVE from Wall-E, and Lois Lane from Smallville.
To learn more about Sonozaki Mie, why not visit her homepage? (Japanese text only)
as reina
When portraying Soho Reina, Sonozaki Mie employs a voice that sounds both sultry and distant, beautiful yet inaccessible. Several members of staff (including the sound director and character designer) praise Sonozaki's portrayal of Reina in their DVD booklet interviews, noting how "great" her performance is on several occasions. Her subtle acting as Reina draws the viewer in, engaging them on a deeply emotional level.
dvd interview
Sonozaki Mie was interviewed about her work as Reina for the fifth Witchblade R2 DVD. The interview was released on the fourth Witchblade DVD released in the United States. The interview offers viewers an insightful look into how the actress both views and portrays her character. I won't republish the entire interview here (go buy the DVDs!) but here are some of the most relevant snippets about Reina and Sonozaki's overall experience with the Witchblade anime. The following translations are taken directly from FUNimation's subtitle track.
Question from Koyama Rikiya (Takayama): We can only imagine what happened between Reina and Takayama. Who knows, maybe there'll be a 'Witchblade Begins', but where do you think they went on their first date? And if they could go somewhere again, where would it be?
He's really cool! We've been in many shows together, sometimes as parent and child, sometimes as spouses, and this time I thought we were colleagues... but he was actually from my past! 'Where was their first date?' Probably the most orthodox place... the seaside. Not the beach, but a place where you can see the harbor. Not necessarily a place with a nice night view, but a place where you can see light from the beach. I can see them watching the sea, with very little talking. Plus he has a yacht! They'd probably want to go some place usual again, like maybe have dinner together at a restaurant on that beach.
What is your impression of Witchblade?
When I saw the pictures and the explanation of the story, I thought it was a coarser, scarier, darker anime. But once we started I realized it had less violence and more heart.
What charms and qualities does Soho Reina have?
She's honest. She's very honest about what she's thinking or feeling. She's smart and skilled... I'm jealous!
How was it actually playing her?
It was hard! She has a very unique way of expressing her feelings. It's not that she doesn't have feelings -I'm sure she has all sorts of feelings deep inside her- it's that she doesn't know how to express them. Trying to convey that in her character was really tough. I received the role after auditioning but once we began, the director explained the details of her character. But it took a lot of work until I could digest it all.
Your most memorable scenes in episode 13-15.
I really like the scene where Reina dies and Takayama is there, but more than that, I love the scenes where she and Riko live as a family and try to figure things out. The idea that they're doing the same thing is really interesting. I did those scenes with the mindset that a situation like theirs is entirely possible. So I hope people can pick up on that.
A message to the viewers.
Thank you very much for purchasing Witchblade Volume 5. If you're renting or borrowing this, please buy a copy too! Volume 5 is right at the turning point of the story. A lot has happened so far, and Reina has turned into powder, so it's a little heartbreaking for me, but I really enjoy the show and how it touches on deeper issues, like family love. The story will get deeper and there could be a fanservice episode. Though you already know if you've seen the broadcast version. I'm sure there will be such scenes, so I hope you continue to watch! Soho Reina has gone to pieces, but please don't forget her!
in english
In the English language dub Soho Reina is voiced by prolific voice actress, Colleen Clinkenbeard. Clinkenbeard, a long-time performer, has also worked in various other capacities for FUNimation (primariily as an ADR director and line producer). Known for her wide range, Clinkenbeard has dubbed many popular anime characters over her time with FUNimation. These include: Nice Holystone from Baccano!, Galatea from Claymore, Toa from Dragonaut -The Resonance-, Riza Hawkeye from Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, Asogi Rin from Mnemosyne -Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi-, Esther Blanchett from Trinity Blood, and Ichihara Yuuko from xxxHOLiC/Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.
As Reina, Clinkenbeard employs a mature voice not dissimilar to the one she uses for both Riza and Rin: gentle in tone with hints of intelligence and emotional fortitude.