The hugely popular anime "Kemono Friends." A year has passed in the blink of an eye since the anime first aired. It remains incredibly popular, and has been the subject of much discussion even after the anime ended. With a stage adaptation, the director stepping down, and rumors of a second season, its popularity shows no signs of slowing down! But do you know the voice actress who played Serval, a popular character from "Kemono Friends"? It's Ozaki Yuka, whose popularity has skyrocketed thanks to the influence of Kemono Friends! In this article, we'll be focusing on Ozaki Yuka and providing a thorough explanation!
Ozaki Yuka's profile!
Name: Yuka Ozaki
Pronunciation: Ozaki Yuka
Nicknames: Ozapyua, Serval-chan
Gender: Female
Birthplace: Tokyo
Date of Birth: May 15, 1993
Age: 24
Blood Type: AB
Height: 150 cm
Occupation: Voice Actress, Actress, Talent
Agency: Hibiki
Personality: Inquisitive
Favorite Food: Ice Cream
Dislikes: Birds
Special Skills: Baking, Can Eat Anything Spicy
Hobbies: Watching Movies, Photography, Mountain Climbing
Favorite Artists: CMBLUE, μ's
Yuka Ozaki's Entertainment Career
Source: ©HiBiKi
In fact, Ozaki has had a very long career in the entertainment industry. Her career began when her photo was used in a pamphlet at the age of 0. Therefore, it can be said that her age equals her years in the entertainment industry!
She began working as a child actress in the third grade of elementary school, mainly appearing on stage and television. Her agency was Sun Music Brain.
She made her debut at the age of 7 as Princess Kazuhime in the NHK Taiga drama "Aoi: The Three Generations of the Tokugawa." Since then, she has appeared in numerous TV dramas and films, including "Dr. Koto's Clinic," "Kunitori Monogatari," and the morning drama "Junjo Kirari."
By the way, it's said that her name as a child actress was "Chiei Ozaki." Although she hasn't publicly stated it herself, it's safe to say that they share a similar voice and facial features, and they share the same hometown and birthday.
In 2015, she left her previous agency and began looking for a new direction in her entertainment career. That's when her current agency, Hibiki, reached out to her. Ozaki officially transferred to Hibiki in April 2015, along with Nishimoto Rimi.
Her first job as a voice actress was in September 2015, making announcements as part of the broadcasting team at "Milky Holmes Autumn Sports Day." Then, in 2016, she made her anime debut, playing the lead role in "We Are the Rakuroji Club!", an anime corner of "Luck & Logic"!
She also formed the voice acting duo "Ayayuka" with Ito Ayasa, who is also from the same agency. She has also been notable for her achievements outside the anime industry, such as reaching the finals of "Kodansha Miss id."
By the way, Miss iD refers to an audition hosted by Kodansha to find "a never-before-seen girl worthy of a new era."
Past winners include Tina Tamashiro, Rie Kaneko, and Shizu Mizuno.
Although Ozaki Yuka did not win the grand prize, she was one of the handful who remained out of approximately 3,500 entries.
Then, in 2017, she was finally cast as Serval in the anime "Kemono Friends." This was Ozaki's first regular role in a 30-minute anime series. From there, she became extremely popular. Ozaki's unique and cute voice was a perfect match for the world of Kemono Friends.
What is "Animal Biscuits"?
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"Doubutsu Biscuits" is an idol group formed from Kemono Friends. Its abbreviation is "Doubisu."
The group is made up of three voice actors who appear in Kemono Friends: Ozaki as Serval, Motomiya Kana as Fennec Fox, and Ono Saki as Raccoon.
By the way, Ono Saki is also a member of the voice actress idol unit "Ai Mai Me Main."
The group is sometimes written as "Doubutsu Biscuits x PPP." This is a collaboration with "PPP," and the opening theme, "Welcome to Japari Park," is sung by this group.
By the way, "PPP" is an abbreviation for "Penguin Performance Project," an idol unit of penguin friends that also appears in the anime. The members are Royal Penguin (Sasaki Mirai), Emperor Penguin (Nemoto Ruka), Gentoo Penguin (Tamura Kyoka), Rockhopper Penguin (Aiba Aina), and Humboldt Penguin (Tsukida Yukiko).
They've also appeared on Music Station several times, receiving a great response! Their songs are exciting and fun to listen to.
There's a legendary scene where Ozaki said to Tamori during a pre-song chat, "Wow! Tamori-san, you're a friend of the iguana!"
After this, they went on to appear on Music Station several times. Kaban-chan joined the group, and they sometimes became "Doubutsu Biscuits + Kaban x PPP."
And at the FNS Music Festival, they even collaborated with Keyakizaka48! It looks like they're becoming popular with a wide range of demographics.
More recently, they've also sung the Vocaloid song "Do Re Mi Fa Rondo." A Kemono Friends-themed music video was also made, and it's really cute. It's a cute song that fits the world of Kemono Friends, so it's a perfect collaboration.
What is "Kemono Friends Stage Play"?
Source: ©HiBiKi
The stage version was also popular!
It had an original story, different from the anime.
Many of the voice actors from the anime appeared in the play, and their voices remained the same, perfectly capturing the world of Kemono Friends.
Ozaki also appeared in the role of Serval. Be sure to pay close attention to the live acting that only a stage play can offer. The fluffy costumes were so cute.
By the way, this stage production also featured characters from the Friends series who hadn't yet appeared in the anime. Anticipation for season two is building!
She also appeared in a FamilyMart commercial!
Source: ©HiBiKi
"Kemono Friends" also collaborated with FamilyMart!
Ozaki Yuka also appeared in a TV commercial, and she was incredibly cute.
"Japariman," a character frequently featured in the anime, is now on sale at FamilyMarts nationwide. It's a steamed bun, available in two varieties: pink and yellow. The yellow "Japariman Cheese Curry" is a fragrant curry topped with popular cheese, wrapped in yellow dough. The pink "Japariman Chocolate (Rum Flavor)" is filled with chocolate made with rum liqueur. A total of 1.5 million servings of the two varieties are limited to 130 yen each, and both are priced at 130 yen.
Additionally, the lottery tickets you can draw every 700 yen are "Kemono Friends" themed, and there's also a Kemono Friends Ichiban Kuji lottery, making this a delightful collaboration for Kemono Friends fans.
Incidentally, Ozaki apparently went to a store to buy a Japariman. He apparently tried his best to sound wild (?) so as not to be identified as himself, but the store clerk immediately recognized him, saying, "That's a Kemono Friends girl!" He fled in embarrassment. What a cute story!
Yuka Ozaki and "Happy New Year Voice Actors"
Source: ©HiBiKi
From 2017 to 2018, a program called "Happy New Year Voice Actors" aired!
Hosted by Takanori Nishikawa of TM Revolution, it was a spectacular show featuring live New Year's Eve chats from various voice actors.
Ozaki also appeared on the show midway through!
She appeared looking incredibly cute in a festive Japanese flag dress. She even did a live voiceover for Serval during the show. Ozaki's expressions changed rapidly along with Serval's, and she was absolutely charming. It was a must-see show for Kemono Friends fans.
Yuka Ozaki Summary
Source: ©HiBiKi
That concludes our introduction to Yuka Ozaki's charms!
Ozaki's popularity is sure to soar thanks to her role in Kemono Friends. Her adorable appearance is also attracting more and more attention.
We look forward to seeing her future success!
