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!
