Miyu Tomita is one of the most in-demand voice actors in anime production, with a wide range of characters that include the young and determined Riko from Made in Abyss, the cheerful idol Yume Nijino in the Aikatsu Stars! franchise, the unpredictable Ebisu in Dorohedoro, and the rough but reliable Chuchu in Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury. This fall, Tomita stars in Uncle’s Obsession with Cute Things as a character unlike any she’s played before: PAGTARO.

A rotund yellow pug, PAGTARO is an in-universe mascot and the obsession of protagonist Mitsutaka Oji. As a mascot, PAGTARO’s speech is limited to his catchphrase, “Paguuu!” We met with Tomita and mascot PAGTARO while covering cons this summer. Find out how Tomita adds emotion to her performance and learn a little more about PAGTARO.

In the upcoming series Uncle’s Obsession with Cute Things, the main character has a surprising interest in the PAGTARO mascot. What is something you collect that people may be surprised to know?

Miyu Tomita: Yes, I voice PAGTARO in that anime series, and I really feel exactly the same as the protagonist. There are so many cute anime characters in the world! People may think I’m a cool person rather than cute and happy, but actually, I love cute stuff—stuffed animals included! When I get home, I have so many cute stuffed animals on my sofa!

For a character with limited speech, like PAGTARO, how do you communicate different emotions?

TOMITA: In the script, the written line will be just “Paguuu!” But I’m sure the “Paguuu!” by PAGTARO has emotions, so on top of the script, I always write a note saying, “Oh, I’m hungry!” and, ”Oh, I love this guy!” and all the little tips related to emotions, and using all of my imagination for the character. Also, a lot of times I play out the ad-lib, and whenever I see in the top corner that there’s a PAGTARO in the shot, then I try to ad-lib and add lines saying, “Paguuu!” Sometimes the director loves it: “Okay, I’ll take that cut!” I try to add “Paguuu!”’s emotions as much as I can.

There are all kinds of mascots that have different kinds of appeal. How would you describe PAGTARO’s appeal?

TOMITA: I would say PAGTARO is both cute and cool. His physiology is very rounded, and people who love dogs, or even people who don’t love dogs, I’m pretty sure all of them would think that PAGTARO is so cute! That’s my take.

Having performed themes for anime you’ve starred in, do you approach singing a character song differently than your solo artist releases?

TOMITA: When I sing as a solo artist, I place a lot of importance on self-producing; I can best express what makes me uniquely Miyu Tomita. When I sing as a character that I play, I usually approach the song with the character’s personality in mind, like “this character may not be a good singer,” “this character has a special feeling about singing, so I should sing well.” Depending on the character, I try to figure out whether they’re good or poor at singing, and I also think about technical things, like “maybe I should avoid using vibrato for this character.” So I differentiate between singing as Miyu Tomita and singing as a character I play.

When reading a script for the first time, what is the very first detail in a character description that usually tells you how their voice should sound?

TOMITA: First of all, looking at the character, I think through these things myself, like “A small character like this wouldn’t have such a big voice,” “With this kind of body shape, this character couldn’t produce this kind of sound, no matter how hard they tried.” And then I decide what kind of voice I would use. Another thing is, when I look at a character’s profile or background, if I find something in the character’s experience that I’ve experienced in my own life, I can relate to how the character feels; conversely, there are also times when I find it difficult to relate to the character. I use both to help create the character.

​Is there a specific character trope or genre you haven’t had the chance to voice yet that you are dying to try?

TOMITA: Yes. I haven’t been able to share any details publicly yet, but recently I had a chance to play a taller, older-sister-like role than the characters I’ve played before. That really opened up the door to a whole new world for me—I realized that I might actually be capable of being this kind of person—so I’d like to expand on that even further and develop it into one of my areas of strength.

PAGTARO’s infectiousness is something that has to be experienced in person. He is round, wide-eyed, and oh-so huggable. He’s also surprisingly tall in person for a pug! Jacki Jing got the chance to put the mascot in the hot seat and find out burning questions, like what PAGTARO’s favorite food.

Hey PAGTARO, who are you? Can you tell us about yourself?

PAGTARO: Pagu! Pagu Pagu! (Translation: Hello, everyone in Los Angeles! I’m PAGTARO! Thanks for having me today!)

Are you having fun at AX?

PAGTARO: Pagu! Pagu pagu pagu!! Pagu! (I’m having so much fun! I’m amazed by how many people are here! So many people have come up to talk to me as I walk around the venue, and it makes me really happy!

What do you think of our stage and all these people!?

PAGTARO: Paguuu!! Pagu!! (It’s amazing! I want to be friends with everyone!)

What do you want to tell people about Uncle’s Obsession with Cute Things?

PAGTARO: Pagu! Pagu pagu! (I heard it’s coming out in October! Please make sure to check it out!)

What is PAGTARO’s favorite food?

PAGTARO: Paaagu! Pagugu! (Yogurt! The Yogurt land here was so good!)

What is PAGTARO’s favorite hobby?

PAGTARO: Paaaguuu! Pagu pagu! (Napping! I’m actually getting sleepy now…)

What makes PAGTARO go ICK!?

PAGTARO: Pagu…! (Being told to wait before I can eat makes me sad…)

ANN’s coverage of Anime NYC 2026 is sponsored by Yen Press. Whether it’s light novels, manga, or manhwa, Yen Press has everything you might want to add to your reading shelves! Visit Booth #1701 or YenPress.com for more information!

The staff for the television anime of Umikaze Minamino‘s Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden (Kyōran Reijō Nia Liston: Byōjaku Reijō ni Tenseishita Kami-goroshi no Bujin no Kareinaru Musō Roku) light novel series announced four more cast members on Tuesday:

Saeko Kamijō as Essera Blanket, personal maid of the Silver family’s youngest daughter Reliared

Hitomi Ueda as Raffine Silver, eldest daughter of the Silver family

Azusa Tadokoro as Riculvitar Silver, second-oldest daughter of the Silver family

Ayaka Ōhashi as Lilimi Silver, the third-oldest daughter of the Silver family

J-Novel Club releases the novels digitally and describes the story:

A great hero lies undefeated on her deathbed, regretting that she never found a foe who could take her down. She never intended to meet her fate anywhere other than on the battlefield, and her peaceful demise has her wishing desperately that things could have been different…But when she suddenly comes to in the body of the young, frail Nia Liston, she’s got an all-new fight ahead of her. Nia is a sickly child, meaning she has a long way to go before she’s in fighting form. Now that she’s been given a second shot at life, however, she’s determined to get what she wants. She’s going to live—and die—for battle this time! Make way for the Merciless Maiden!

The anime stars:

Motoki Nakanishi (Love Is Indivisible by Twins, Summoned to Another World for a Second Time) is directing the anime at KONAMI animation with Haruta Segi as the assistant director. Gigaemon Ichikawa (Himitsu no AiPri, PuniRunes three seasons) is in charge of series scripts, Yūki Itō (Mob Psycho 100 II OAV key animator) and Kana Tosaoka (Kantai Collection -KanColle- film in-between animator) are designing the characters. Naoki Endō (Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, Nijiyon Animation) is composing the music, and Hiromi Kikuta (Aikatsu!, Blue Period, Haikyu!!) is directing the sound.

VTuber Tsunomaki Watame performs the opening theme song “Respawn!!.” Magic Vision Girls Party (Magic Vision Hirome-Tai) ̌— the musical unit formed by the characters Nia Liston (voiced by Honoka Inoue), Hildetora Altoir (voiced by Rina Honnizumi), and Reliared Silver (voiced by Rina Hidaka) — is performing the ending theme  “Tokimeki Un・Deux・Trois♪” (Heart Fluttering 1, 2, 3♪).

The anime will premiere on October 6 on Tokyo MX at 9:25 p.m. JST, then on the BS NTV, and MBS channels, and will run for two consecutive cours (quarters of a year). The anime will also stream on ABEMA, d Anime Store, and U-NEXT after its broadcast. HIDIVE will stream the anime as it airs.

Minamino launched the story on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in 2019, and ended its run there in 2021. Hobby Japan started publishing the novels with illustration by Jishaku in September 2022. Katana Canata started drawing the novels’ illustration from its third volume in 2023. (The anime credits both illustrators for the original character designs.) Hobby Japan will publish the 12th volume on October 1.

Kabuto Kodai launched the novels’ manga adaptation on Square Enix‘s Manga UP! service in 2022. Square Enix published the manga’s first compiled book volume in May 2023, and will publish the ninth volume on October 7. Square Enix‘s Manga UP! Global service publishes the manga in English.

Sources: Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden anime’s website, Comic Natalie

Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.

Tegoshi to appear in upcoming anime’s 12th episode

The official website for the anime of Dr.Poro and Nabana Naba‘s The Vermillion Mask (Shuiro no Kamen) manga announced on Tuesday that the T.N.T rock band’s vocalist Yuya Tegoshi will voice a character in the anime’s 12th episode. (That episode will be the final episode of the anime’s first part.) T.N.T, which is also the anime’s PR ambassador, will host a special program for the anime on October 7, and a simultaneous watch party with the broadcast of the anime’s second episode on October 17.

Yomiuri TV describes the anime:

At the center of the story is Peru, a young apprentice mask maker who loses control under the influence of a cursed mask, slaying both his master and comrades in a tragic outburst. Wracked with guilt, Peru sets off on a journey to destroy the legendary masks his master once crafted, crossing paths with unlikely allies and deadly foes. What unfolds is a gripping battle for redemption, as both the fate of Peru’s soul and the world itself hang in the balance.

The anime stars:

Tetsuaki Watanabe (BLUELOCK season 1) is directing the anime at 100Studio (WOW Studio). Gai Hazako is the assistant director. Daisuke Ōhigashi (Fate/strange Fake) is in charge of series composition. Hisashi Higashijima (Mashle: Magic and Muscles) is drawing the character designs. Fumiyuki Go is the sound director. Arisa Okehazama (The Apothecary Diaries) is composing the music.

MAN WITH A MISSION performs the opening theme song “Firestarter,” and yutori performs the ending theme song “Koe.”

The anime will premiere on October 10, and it will have two parts or cours (quarters of a year). Crunchyroll will stream the anime as it airs.

Dr.Poro and Naba launched the manga in Shōnengahōsha‘s Young King Ours magazine in February 2021. Shōnengahōsha published the manga’s ninth compiled book volume on July 6.

Orange’s emaqi e-bookstore platform publishes the manga in English.

Sources: The Vermillion Mask anime’s website, Comic Natalie