Mai-HiME/Otome interview Series Part III: Kara

Welcome back Mai-Multiverse! In our third entry in the Mai-HiME/Otome interview Series, we talk to Kara Melvin. Or just simply "Kara". Best known for her famous Mai-HiME Abridged Series and having the body of a mature 18 year old. She is one of the longest lasting MM Valkyries and we're proud to present her interview to you.

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Q: - Tell us your real name, age, preference and which planet you come from.

The name's Kara Marie Melvin. I'm 15 and I<3Men, sorry ladies. I come from the far away planet of...something more creative than Earth. Uh...PLUTO—Wait, that's not a planet anymore... Sad


Q: - You are the creator of Mai-HiME Abridged! How did that idea manifest itself?

It started out with me and my siblings laughing ourselves to tears being weird, that transformed into Strawberry Panic! Parodies. And from that, I really wanted to make a whole series out of it, but SP! Already had an abridged series and Katie, my older sister, voice of Mai, didn't want competition so, being the DIVA she is told me she wouldn't do it unless I picked another series. At that time, I had just finished Mai-HiME, so I opted for that since there were no on-going series for it. And VOILA! MHA was born.

Q: - Is there any creative differences during the making of MHA?

Nothing creatively, since the only work anyone else puts in besides me (other than recording) is when I have Katie go over the script for an episode and sprinkle in some of her hilarity. That's not saying we don't argue over recording time, when people need to get in an record and-- well, pretty much everything. You won't believe how many 20 minute recordings I have of us just yelling at each other hahaha.

Q: - How long did it usually take to edit one of your past episodes together?

Usually in editing, if I work it straight through, it takes about 4-5 hours. But that was during the summer when I could hop on the computer when everyone went to bed when there were no distractions to keep me away from doing my work!... nao it's the school year and I can't really do that.

Q: - MHA Mai Tokiha. She's the most "normal" character on the show! Was this intentional?

In a way, yes. Mai really was the most normal in the series, you know. Other than that, Mai is Katie's 'main' character, so I guess Katie made Mai into someone she could semi-relate to.


Q: - The MHA theme song! What made it stand out?

Well, I was looking for a really cool opening theme that wasn't some Japanese song and wasn't a rock song. The only thing that made it stand out was that it had a great beat, really. But I like to pretend I put some thought into it Wink

Q: - Who voiced Shizuru and Natsuki? THEY'RE SO AWESOME!

I voice Natsuki and my little sister voices Shizuru. Thank you! Initially, I was going to do both and Natsuki was going to have a really deep voice...I think we did everyone a favor by not going with that idea...

Q: - Someone told me you're not a fan of the Mai-Series. ;_; Is there any shred of truth to this? SAY IT AIN'T SO!

Whaaaaa--? I am a fan of the Mai-Series! Why do you think I do all this fan work for it? It's like, the one anime I'm holding onto!

Q: - When did you first discover your talent for art and writing?

I never really discovered it, per se. I always remember drawing and that was just something that's been a work in progress since pre-school, I've only recently gotten actually okay at it.

As for writing...well, you can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, this is an exclusive, just for you. The whole reason I started writing for recreation (and fanfiction is really the only type of recreation I use it for) was because of Fanfiction. I would read these great Inuyasha fics and just think, “Wow...I want to do something like this.” Of course, this was 3rd grade, so I wasn't actually going to attempt it until about 5th grade. And man, let me tell you, I was horrible in the beginning, I had the basic idea, except I had little to no sentence structure, no capitals, no plausible plot, it was just embarrassing. Plus, typing was a chore, so that didn't help. If you check out my really old videos and check out the replies on there from years ago, you can see how I used to write. I wrote stories like I typed slang. I'm getting better though Smile

Q: - Which Mai-Series character/s do you enjoy writing for the most?

Natsuki, Nao, Reito and Shizuru are my favorite to write for.

Q: - Would you say your artwork continues to evolve?

Oh yeah! Completely! I'm trying to get into a more realistic art style rather than cartoon-y.

Q: - ShizNat. Overhyped and Overrated?

Yeah, they are, very, very much. But I see why people like them, I myself like them. It's really the only Natsuki pairing I like (other than NatsukiXTate, but that's only when we're talking about the manga).

Q: - On YouTube, you're famous for your Mai-HiME AMVs and parodies. Have you done anything for another anime series?

Yes, before Mai-HiME, it was Strawberry Panic! And before that, it was Inuyasha. (Hence my username, Mirokusangorule...yeah...I was 11, okay?!)

Q: - What makes the Mai-Series stand out more than other anime/manga titles? You put forth more effort in them more than anything else.

Well, the thing is, I don't really know. Honestly, the only anime fandoms I've ever delved into was the Inuyasha fandom and Strawberry Panic! Fandom (and that didn't hold my interest for long because I was pretty much only there to find more awesome things about Chikaru) and recently, Mai-HiME. I guess it was just one of those things?

Q: - Is it healthy to go 'against the grain' in the circle of Mai-HiME fanfiction? Shizuru and Reito could actually work!

It is VERY HEALTHY, DR. KARA PRESCRIBES IT YOU! Really, we need more than ShizNat. It's nice, but it's getting old. ShizRei is such a great pairing, I think. I'm starting to fancy it more than ShizNat, actually.

Q: - Have any authors in the fanfiction community inspired you?

In the Mai-HiME community? I don't think any of them have really INSPIRED me as in, they made me want to go write something. Except for the person who wrote this one story that was really awesome and scary but they haven't updated in like two years. It was like, 13 little HiMEs and 5 others? Something like that. That made me want to write a suspense story. But most of my inspiration to write something after reading a fic was back in my Inuyasha years. However, I'm sure there have been authors in Mai-HiME fandom that have inspired me in tiny ways that not even I noticed. After seeing a beautiful work of art, you may feel the same when you walk away from it, but it effected you in a subtle way. Does that make sense?

Q: - Which is better overall, Mai HiME or Mai-Otome?

Mai-HiME was better for me. Mainly because politics and subtitles led me to not understand a thing going on. I like shows where the characters are the main topic, social life, interactions, and challenges of love are things that pull me in. Fight scenes really bore me. :/

Q: - Reito or Tate and why?

It's kind of an unfair comparison because they're two completely different people who play completely different roles. However, if I had to choose, I would go with Reito. It's not that Tate wasn't a cool dude, it's just that he was a little bit too wishy-washy for my liking. And, he was the good guy, I tend to root for the villain.

Q: Is there any character in the Mai-Series you can relate to on a personal level?

Umm. I kinda relate with all of them in some small way. Like, Mai, who's essentially just a normal teenage girl with boy troubles. Shizuru, because you get the vibe that she probably doesn't like some of the kids that hang out with her even though it's never shown. I do that, I don't like some of the kids I hang out with since moving to TN, but I hang out with them because, number one, you don't want to be rude and number two, connections in high places get you high places. Natsuki in the sense that sometimes you just really have things to do and you need people to hop off. Nao, because, I'm badass, she's badass. And at Mai-Multiverse, I feel for Sister, because I'm SURROUNDED MY SINNERS! :O haha jk Smile

Extras:

Q: - The socially retarded, how do you feel about them?

There's no reason. No reason at all you should be socially inept to the point where people avoid you. I could, I really could go into a rant about this, but I don't want to bore you.

Q: - Is Manly-dub Natsuki really a little gay man on the inside?

We think so. That's why she doesn't see that Shizuru's a lesbian, she's too much of a gay man...

Q: - Favorite video game?

It will forever and always be any type of Mario and/or Legend of Zelda game. Those are really the only games I can finish without getting bored. Persona 4 would be up there in my favorites if it wasn't for all the fighting. I was on level 14 fighting level 20 monsters, but my social stats and friendships were really strong! I ended up just watching Katie finish the game...

Q: - Your favorite type of music?

Rap and Hip-hop. Also, little known fact, I also like classical. That's right. Betcha never thought of that.

Q: - Describe your siblings in a nut-shell!

Probably really squished. I don't know how I could fit five humans into a nutshell. Maybe if it was a big nut...Fumi, I'd have to blend them in a blender, even then it might be too much to fit in a tiny shell of a nut. Razz

Q: - Are you really a narcissistic person?

Not really. I mean, I front like I'm full of myself. And, I mean, I check my reflection in everything, but I don't really think I'm some kind of supreme goddess who is high above everyone in the world.

Q: - Can you successfully do table flips?

As long as it isn't too heavy. My mom can! You should see her when she's mad.

Q: - Not really a question, just spend the next five sentences shooting on Jersey Shore.

OH! Ok, usually, I love reality television, but no. Jersey Shore can suck my big, black-- ahem. First of all, there's only one person from that show actually from Jersey and she doesn't count, 'cause where's she from? Hazlet? Up in north Jersey? None of them are from the shore, you can't throw a bunch of bennies onto a show called Jersey Shore! That's just stupid! And these assholes parade around with giant hair, fake tans and huge muscles to over compensate for their small penises. I'm glad we always went to the Point Pleasant boardwalk rather than Seaside, I've never had the pleasure of seeing it for myself, but my mom said it had a lot of drunks at night. I'm just glad the show's over. However, here's a fun fact, my Uncle Steven used to work as a bouncer at one of the bars they show on the show when they're in Seaside.


Q: - What significance does a panda have to you?

Nothing really, I don't remember why pandas were important. I just remember me and Kenzie, like, laughing about them. And then we turned one of our conversations into that episode 4.5.

Q: - Closing comments for the Mai-fanbase?

THANK YOU FOR READING MY INTERVIEW, STAY HOT AND WATCH OUT FOR THE NEXT MHA EPISODE!!!

Wonderful interview Kara! As a doctor for writing, you need to prescribe something to the fanfiction community, srsly. Like nao. >< Everything is so 'stock'.

Kara's interview has been such an entertaining experience. :) We should make a "WE HATE KATIE" club in her honor. <3

I hate to call Mai-fanfiction "stock", but then you realize it's mostly made up of ShizNat. She may have taken the best of what others have done, but Kara mostly inspired herself. By the time Mai-HiME Abridged came out, Mai-HiME was way past it's prime. It was her hilarious quirky show that breathed some new life into the fandom. The point I made in the opening of Cathy's interview that we're an entertainment based group who breaks rules and tradition to celebrate this series. Anyone who felt MHA was a bastardized version of the series is a traditionalist with zero sense of humor.

Oh! You guys, I didn't even see your replies! Blonde moment, much? haha

@Vicky: I will be getting back to the fanfiction community...soon! Haha, I just need to get back to writing.

@ Luu: I already have an "I HATE KATIE CLUB" including 5 members. :) You wanna joooiinn?

LMAO! Sure, sign me up immediately! :lol:

Hahaha, ok! You're now an official member!