Original Article: https://souffle.life/topics/souffle-special/20200327/
Published: 2020/3/27
Mentioned:
Nakajima Yoshiki, Yashiro Taku, Eguchi Takuya, Hirose Yuya, Takeuchi Shunsuke
Saito Soma recommended Sake to Koi ni wa Yotte Shikarubeki in Nikkei Woman’s “Books and Manga to Cheer You Up” feature. He wore a suit to match the characters Imaizumi and Date. In this interview, he talks about why he enjoys SakeKoi so much.
He knew at first sight that he would like it
Q: How did you find out about Sake to Koi ni wa Yotte Shikarubeki?
I saw an ad for it online. I thought the art was really cute, and I’ve always liked manga about alcohol and gourmet food, so that piqued my interest. I read Chapter 1 as a start, thought “This is interesting!” and immediately bought the rest of the chapters *laughs*
Haruko-sensei’s art is very much my style. The female characters are so cute, especially the protagonist, Matsuko-san! I knew from first sight that there was no way I wouldn’t like this.
Q: You dressed as Imaizumi and Date for this feature. Which of the two do you relate to more?
I think it’d be Date-san. I relate to his childish passion for his interests, and how he likes matching alcohol with food. Imaizumi-kun really has that modern day youth feel, though… so if you ask which one makes my heart skip a beat, it’s him *laughs*
To be honest, I think Matsuko will have a hard time with those two. Date-san’s quite the ruffian, after all. We’ll see how the troubles continue in Volume 4 and beyond.
Q: The female characters are very unique too. Which one is your type?
(1) Matsuko, the alcohol-loving, easy-going protagonist
(2) Shiraishi, Matsuko’s reliable friend
(3) Mimori, Imaizumi’s self-assured, confident girlfriend
(4) Mogami, Date’s chill coworker
All of Haruko-sensei’s characters are charming, so it’s hard to choose… but Matsuko-san would be the most fun to live with. She seems like she’d always be excited about delicious food. Seeing her drinking and going “That hits the spot~” would make me relax too.
But the one who’s my type is actually Shiraishi-san. I like the cool, beautiful onee-sans, so I thought “She’s my type” from the start. But thinking realistically, considering how fickle I am, I’d probably find myself pretty tied down by a stable adult like her. But then again, I’m okay with that *laughs*
A solo trip to Kyoto, drinking sake while chewing on sweetfish on the riverbed…
Q: This manga loves to show how delicious alcohol and snacks can be. Please tell us which ones interested you!
For the snacks, it was the marinated tuna that Matsuko-san made for Imaizumi-kun the first time. I like to cook, and I do marinating sometimes too. It’s a simple snack that doesn’t require any difficult work, but Matsuko-san’s passionate talk about grating fresh wasabi and the mood between them when they went shopping left a big impression on me.
I drink sake often, but I never really thought about drinking single-serve cup sake by myself. I found out through this manga that you can microwave cup sake to make it hot, and realized that there are other ways to enjoy it. There are a lot of different varieties these days, such as the one with the cat label in the manga. It made me realize that cup sake is easier to get into than I expected.
I’m from Yamanashi, so the “Shichiken Sparkling” that appears in the manga is from my home precture. Lately, more people have been telling me that they like Shichiken. Yamanashi is famous for Hakushu whiskey and Koshu wine, but I want to learn more about its local alcohol. Shichiken is very delicious.
Q: What would your ideal way of drinking sake be?
A long time ago, I decided to go on a trip to Kyoto by myself. It was the end of September, and in that cold weather, I drank cold sake and chewed on sweetfish at a riverbed, all by myself.
People probably don’t drink by themselves at the river during that season, so I think the lady who worked there was concerned about me becoming a hermit when she kindly spoke to me. It was a memorable trip, with a beautiful view and mood, and the thought of “Don’t worry, I’m just a tourist!” *laughs*
Q: Do you have any drinking buddies among your fellow voice actors?
Lately I’ve been drinking with Nakajima Yoshiki a lot. We’re at the same agency, and he also enjoys a wide range of creative activities, like writing. We talk about creating things and future plans. I also drink a lot with Yashiro Taku-kun. He’s a good listener, and very fun to drink with.
For senpais it’d be Eguchi Takuya-san, and for kouhais it’d be Hirose Yuya, although he’s from a different agency. A kouhai from the same agency would be Takeuchi Shunsuke-kun. He’s… a bit similar to Imaizumi-kun, maybe. He’s a good guy that makes people smile. Since he’s younger than me, that might be why I feel Imaizumi-kun’s cuteness in him. I also enjoy drinking with my unreserved former classmates, although I haven’t been able to much lately.
Q: You provided a wonderful comment for the Volume 4 wrapper. What kind of feelings went into it?
As someone who had already been reading the series, I was happy when they asked to feature me on the wrapper. Writing wrapper comments is actually quite difficult. There’s a character limit, and you have to consider what kind of information you’re allowed to include.
At Volume 3, I thought “No matter what they say, Matsuko-san’s going to stick with Date-san, right?” But then in Volume 4… Imaizumi-kun is a bad man *laughs*
Q: That’s what the “That’s it, Imaizumi!” line in the comment was about, right? *laughs*
“Anyone would be swayed by a move like that!” In that sense, I think Volume 4 was when I empathized with Matsuko-san the most *laughs* I’m dying to see what happens next!