Former idol Rena Hasegawa “graduated” from NGT48‘s Team G last 18th May, following the alleged assault of her friend and team member Maho Yamaguchi. However, the idol is now pursuing a creer in becoming a seiyuu! She recently signed with talent agency, Crocodile, with that in mind.

She is currently training at sound company BloomZ to hone her skills in voice acting. In a statement last 10th June, Crocodile stated that she will be doing anime event appearances, hosting, and event coverage in addition to voice acting. Her first job will be as the “official reporter” for the second season of the Dropkick on My Devil! TV anime.

In an interview with Sankei Sports, the former NGT48 idol says she wants to be a seiyuu for a long time. She also admitted that she already has some roles lined up for her. Unfortunately, she did not specify what these roles will be. She is going long term on her career plans, and wants to voice both male and female characters.

Idols trying to break into the seiyuu industry is not unprecedented. Koharu Kasumi, the only 7th generation member of the Japanese idol girl group Morning Musume, also tried her hand in breaking into the seiyuu industry. However, she would later pursue a career in modeling and live-action acting after her role in Kirarin Revolution ended. Meanwhile, there are those who started out just as singers, such as Nana Mizuki, who was classically trained as an Enka singer before pursuing a career in voice acting. Another notable example is Aya Hirano, who was a child actor, often appearing in commercials, before becoming a seiyuu.

Source: CrocodileSankei Sports