Riku Tamanaha is a kind and cheerful girl who is also very shy and has a fear of interpersonal relationships. She is a kogyaru, a type of gyaru who is known for her fashionable style and outgoing personality. However, Tamanaha's shyness often prevents her from expressing herself fully, and she often overthinks situations and makes herself anxious. This is due to a past experience where she was too clingy to her friends in elementary school, which ended up pushing them away.

Despite her shyness, Tamanaha is very determined to make friends in high school. She is especially eager to be friends with Aharen again, but she is afraid of being rejected. However, Aharen is actually very happy to see her again and they quickly become friends.

Tamanaha is a likable character who is easy to root for. She is relatable to many people who struggle with social anxiety, and her story is one of hope and redemption.

The story follows the "indecipherable" daily life of the short and quiet Reina Aharen and Raidou who sits next to her. Aharen is not so good at gauging the distance between people, and Raidou initially felt some distance between the two of them. One day, when Raidou picked up the eraser that Aharen had dropped, the distance between them suddenly became uncomfortably close. 
 
(Source: Anime News Network)

Super quiet Aharen Reina isn’t great with personal space—she’s either inches from your face or too far to hear, leaving people totally baffled. But when Raido, the friendly guy seated next to her, helps retrieve a dropped eraser, Aharen suddenly wants to get closer to him. From that moment on, she’s constantly by his side. And surprisingly…he’s cool with it.
 
This offbeat, sweet-natured rom-com proves that friendship—and maybe even something more—can bloom from the most awkward encounters.
 
(Source: Seven Seas Entertainment)

The second season of Aharen-san wa Hakarenai. 
The quiet, awkward Aharen-san and her schoolmate Raidou went from unlikely friends to nearly inseparable. As another semester begins, new opportunities, challenges, and relationships present themselves as Aharen-san and Raidou navigate their school days. Now, Aharen-san struggles to know how vulnerable she can get with a new transfer student. 
(Source: Crunchyroll, edited)

__Height:__ 152 cm
__Agency:__ Intention 

[Artist Profile](https://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/flyingdog/-/Profile/A023615.html) | [Official Site](http://toyamanao.com/) | [Official Club](http://fc.toyamanao.com/) | [Blog](https://lineblog.me/toyamanao/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/naobou_official) | [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/naobou_official/) | [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/c/naobou_channel) | [Wiki (EN)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nao_T%C5%8Dyama) | [Wiki (JP)](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%B1%E5%B1%B1%E5%A5%88%E5%A4%AE)

__Radio Programs:__
- (2014-2017) Touyama Nao's Dream * Theater
- (2017-) Touyama Nao's Radio @ Living

__Awards:__ 
- (2019-03-09) Best Supporting Actress Award at the 13th Annual Seiyuu Awards
- (2019-03-09) Game Award at the 13th Annual Seiyuu Awards

__Early Life & Education__
She was born in Tokyo on March 11, 1992. Her father had spent 9 years abroad and was fluent in English, which allowed her to develop fluency in the language. From an early age she had an interest in anime, in particular the series _Ojamajo Doremi_ and _Sailor Moon_. However, it was the anime series _Fullmetal Alchemist_ that was the first to inspire her to become a voice actress. At the time, she was impressed that the series' protagonist Edward Elric was voiced by a female actress, [Romi Park](https://anilist.co/staff/95082/Romi-Park).

In junior high school and high school, she became part of a chorus club to help her overcome her tone deafness. It was also during this time she decided to pursue a voice acting career as she had interacted with schoolmates who had similar interests. Her parents approved of her decision, provided that she pass her university entrance exams. 

__Voice Acting Career__
While in high school, she began attending the Japan Narration Acting Institute. After 3 years of training, she passed her audition and joined the agency Arts Vision. At the same time, she also passed her entrance exam and began studying at Waseda University. She debuted as a voice actress in 2010 and later that year she played her first main role in the anime series _The World God Only Knows_. Throughout her 4 years in University, she continued to work as a voice actress, successfully managing both her work and school responsibilities. She graduated in March 2014 and left Art Vision shortly after on April 1. On May 1, 2014, she transferred to the agency Intention and is currently affiliated with them today.

__Music Career__
Her music career began when she released songs for _The World God Only Knows_ under her character name Kanon Nakagawa. In 2013, she became part of the music group Rhodanthe*, which performed theme songs for the _Kiniro Mosaic_ series. After having been cast in 2015, she has also released singles as her Idolmaster character Mizuki Kawashima. In 2016, she voiced a member of the in-universe music group Walküre, which performed songs for the anime series _Macross Δ_.

In 2017, she made her solo debut as a singer on February 1 with the release of her single "True Destiny" / "Chain the World" under the Flying Dog label. Later that year, her second single "Ima Koko" / "Tsuki ga Kirei" was released on May 24 as well as her first album _Rainbow_ on October 25. In 2018, she held her first solo live event at the Nippon Budokan on February 3 and released her third single "Tomoshibi no Manima ni" on May 30. In 2019, she released her second album _Gunjou Infinity_ on April 3. During the months of August and September, she held her first tour live event performing in the cities of Osaka, Nagoya, and Yokohama as well as cities outside of Japan like Taipei and Shanghai. In 2020, her fourth single "Aruite Ikou!" is set to release on February 5.

__Non-Anime Roles:__
- Misono Mika in "Blue Archive" (VG)
- Mualani in "Genshin Impact" (VG)
- Juna Crawford - The Legend of Heroes Series (VG)

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/karaedwards)