Uesaka: I thought to myself that a happy maid robot with sophisticated emotions would be really adorable when I wrote it.

──Are there any particular phrases in the lyrics that you put a lot of thought into or that you really like?

Uesaka: Starting the song off with the “Daisuki” (I love you) was sort of a challenge I took on this time. Up until now, I’ve never really used straightforward phrases like that in my own song lyrics before.

──The phrase “Kaisetsu funou na kanjou ni memori oitsukenai” (My memory can’t keep up with these indecipherable emotions) also sticks out. It gives the character a certain innocence unique to a maid robot.

Uesaka: I thought that if a maid robot fell in love, this kind of thing might happen. The thought processes within a human brain are even more complicated than AI, after all. She’s trying her best to understand what’s going on, and I hope people will see the cuteness in that.

──In Japan, there are maid cafes, and maids often appear in Japanese manga as well. Cosplayers often dress as maids, and maids are inseparable part of Japan’s pop culture. Why do you think they’re so popular here?

Uesaka: The maids of Japanese pop culture are completely separate from their origin as an honorable profession in the United Kingdom and other foreign countries. I guess what’s unique about them is the way certain things are clearly defined. For examples, they always dress in cute maid outfits and use specific words and phrases like “Goshujin-sama” (Master) and “Okaerinasaimase” (Welcome home, sir). There are those rules in place, but you can also put a new spin on them. I guess it’s like playing around with the setting. I think Japan’s maid culture is kind of like that.

──Like taking a set of rules for manners and messing around within that framework. I guess in a sense, there’s something uniquely Japanese about that.

Uesaka: That’s true. You could say it’s like an imitation game with set rules.

Overseas fans who memorize lines even though they don’t speak Japanese

──You carry out a wide range of activities, and you’re also enthusiastic about working as a cultural ambassador. The first overseas event you took part in was in 2012. This was an event arranged by author and media content producer Takamasa Sakurai in Doha, Qatar. What did you do there in Doha?

Uesaka: I participated in an “International Book Fest” event introducing the cultures of a wide range of foreign countries, dressed up in Lolita fashion, and also appeared in a talk event as a voice actress. I performed voiceover live in front of everyone that came.

──How was the response to that?