Author: ミーナ

[Event] Qualidea Code Special Event ~Tri-City Combined School Festival~

Date: 2017/1/15 @ 2:30pm, 5:30pm
Guests: Saito Soma, Ishikawa Yui, Yuki Aoi, Fukuhara Ayaka, Uchida Yuma, Anzai Chika
Event Report: https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1486799058

※The event report and photos are from the evening session.

After introductions, the first corner was the “History Club’s Research Findings,” where the voice actors presented their partners’ best scenes. Soma went first, and he selected the scene from the final episode, where Canaria falls from the crumbling bridge after the building collapses. He picked it because her screaming was cute, and said “I guess this is what moe is.”

Next was Yuishi, and she selected the scene from Episode 9 where Ichiya screams, “There’s only one person who could do this… KASUMIIIIIIIII!” But apparently she’d picked the same one for the daytime session, so the cast and the audience all burst out laughing because that really must’ve been the one best Ichiya scene.

Moving on to the Kanagawa team, Ao-chan revealed her pick for Hotaru. Apparently she’d written Hotaru’s “Utsuhami” move, so the video footage showed all the scenes of her using it throughout the show. Ao-chan had been imagining the one from Episode 1, because she liked the view of her butt in that scene.

For Maihime, Fuurin chose the scene from the final episode when she found out that the boss unknown they’d been fighting was Yuunami Airi. She referenced Hime’s strength and wisdom upon making the realization, overcoming the pain, and understanding what she should do next. Ao-chan was really happy that her partner understood her so well.

Next was the Chiba team. For Kasumi, Chikape chose the scene where he confronts Ookuni Mahiru in Episode 8. She liked how he dealt the final blow so that Asuha wouldn’t get her hands dirty. She also talked about how Kasumi had a lot more lines starting from there, and Yuma struggled with the increased word count.

Lastly, Yuma selected a scene of the Chigusa siblings chatting at home. He said “Asuha-chan’s a real cutie” like an uncle would, but he also said he liked this scene because you can see how close the siblings are.

Next was the “Theatre Club’s Reading Drama.” The script was specially written by the three authors of the original novels, and was about a school festival.

The scenes included:

  • Ichiya being thrown off by Canaria innocently asking, “I have an important question… Who does Icchan like?”
  • Conversations between Ichiya and Kasumi where, as usual, you couldn’t tell if they got along or not

With the Kanagawa team constantly entering their own little world, the Chigusa team flirting with each other, and Ichiya at Canaria’s mercy, all of the characters were playing the funny role, and it was an endless string of laughter.

When they were discussing the after-party’s background music, Kasumi started humming Canaria’s song, which leads to an impromptu musical because Asuha wants to hear him sing.

Kasumi (CV: Yuma) passionately sang that famous song about “wanting wings” while retaining the atmosphere of Canaria’s song. Everyone in the room was charmed by his singing voice.

The drama ended with the same words as the anime’s final scene: “See you.” “Later.”

The next corner was “Pair vs Pair Club Activity Challenges,” where the cast competed to win a wonderful prize. The first challenge was the “Pantomime Club Challenge,” where each team competed in a gesture game.

The Chiba team went first, with Yuma as the gesturer and Chikape as the guesser. He acted out Asuha showing up to save her brother from Ookuni, and Chikape barely guessed it within the time limit.

Next was the Kanagawa team, with Fuurin as the gesturer and Ao-chan as the guesser. The topic was Maihime splitting the Aqua Line in half, but it was a close struggle. Ao-chan figured out that she was splitting something in half, but couldn’t get the Aqua Line part, so they sadly did not complete the challenge.

Lastly was the Tokyo team. Their topic was hidden from the audience as well, so the audience joined Yuishi in guessing the answer. The topic was from the final episode, when Ichiya saves Canaria from the collapsing building, and Yuishi easily guessed it right.

The teams complained that there was too much variance in difficulty between the topics, so to be fair, they were all given 5 points.

Next was the “Broadcasting Club Challenge,” where they did a corner from the show’s radio, South Kanto Tri-City Defense Force Broadcasting Club. They had to eat two types of ham and guess which one was more expensive.

All of them chose B, but the answer was actually A. The fact that all of them got it wrong made for a great punchline.

Since it was a three-way tie, the final game would determine the winner. It was the “Volleyball Club Challenge,” where each team served soft beach balls into the audience, trying to get the most distance. The team members took turns as the tosser and the server, and whoever caught the beach balls could keep them as a present.

Soma was the winner, so the Tokyo team received 10 points.

With 15 points total, the Tokyo team was the winner, receiving a pair of 5000-yen gift cards for Asakusa Imahan, a wagyu beef producer. There was also a prize raffle for the audience.

Bonus: Group photo from Twitter

Bonus: Photo from Ishikawa Yui’s blog

[Interview] Otomedia 2017/2 Edition – Hand Shakers

Released: 2017/1/10

“It’s a wonderful boy-meets-girl story”

Q: Please tell us what you were particularly attentive to when voicing Tazuna.

Tazuna-kun looks like a cute boy on the outside, but on the inside he loves tinkering with machines, and once he’s gotten absorbed in it he loses sight of his surroundings. I think that boyishness of his is appealing. In order to demonstrate that as much as possible, I strive to voice him in a lively and relaxed manner.

Q: Do you have any interesting stories from the recording sessions?

The recording sessions were rather difficult. Everyone’s acting was so funny that it was hard to keep Tazuna-kun from getting strung along by them *laughs*. Even if I thought something was hilarious as Saito Soma, as Tazuna-kun I had to take it seriously. Also, during the battle scenes, there are emotional exchanges that only happen when you’re clashing with each other, and I think that was fully depicted for each team.

Q: Who’s your personal favourite character, and why?

Hmm, I’m not sure *laughs*. Hayate-kun, Masaru-kun, Hibiki-san, well, basically all of the male characters are incredibly unique, and it’s hard to narrow it down to just one. I think it’d have to be Makihara-sensei, though. Why does he love shumai…? There are also a lot of charming female characters, but I’d like you to appreciate the way Riri handles her tarot cards.

Q: The theme for this issue of the magazine is Valentine’s Day. Which character in this series do you think would enjoy Valentine’s Day the most?

That’s a tough one… Since Kodama-san’s an idol, she’d probably be the busiest because of work, but maybe she enjoys it privately…? Thinking along those lines, Makihara-sensei probably gets more chocolate from his students than you’d expect. And he probably eats them with shumai *laughs*. Hayate-kun seems like the type to smile and go “Huh?! Is this okay?! I don’t deserve this!” if someone gives him chocolate.

Q: What’s your favourite chocolate food, Saito-san?

I usually don’t eat much chocolate, but if everyone’s going to a cafe between jobs or something, I typically order cheesecake or chocolate cake. It’s very rare, though… *laughs*. Also, it’s not really a thing, but chocolate tastes good with whiskey.

Q: Thank you. Lastly, please give a message for the readers regarding Tazuna’s future activities.

A lone boy meets a mysterious girl, and they grow through the battles they encounter. That’s the kind of wonderful boy-meets-girl story this is. Please enjoy the gorgeous backgrounds, stunning battle scenes, stylish music, and extremely animated characters! Thank you for supporting Hand Shakers!

[Serialization] Saito Soma no Tsurezure naru mama ni #1: Feeling Sophisticated

Published: 2017/1/10
Original URL: https://kiki-voice.jp/journal/141

※This essay was also published in the book compilation of Saito Soma no Kenkou de Bunkateki na Saitei Gendo no Seikatsu.

#1: Feeling Sophisticated

In between jobs, I was eating beef cutlet in Shibuya and overheard a group of four high school boys sitting at the table next to me:

“Rock salt really is good”
“Sounds sophisticated”
“Nah, I prefer oil and salt”
“Sophisticated would be wasabi soy sauce”

How nice, I thought. When I was in high school, I don’t think I ever took a detour on the way home from school to eat and hang out with friends like that. After class, I’d ride my bike to the biggest bookstore in the prefecture and buy manga and novels based on their covers. That’s how I spent my days.

I didn’t even drink coffee much until I moved to Tokyo and started going to cafes and coffee shops. I vaguely recall occasionally going to Starbucks with a bandmate, but I’d be sipping black tea while staring at his sketchbook. The way he looked, drinking his coffee while sketching the mug, also seemed very “sophisticated.”

On that note, I also didn’t understand the appeal of soba noodles at all until I started drinking alcohol. Even when my family went to a soba restaurant, I’d always order tempura on rice. My hometown has a famous B-class cuisine called chicken giblets—my father and grandfather would wash them down with beer and slurp their soba noodles, and that felt “sophisticated” to me too. That said, my personal ranking at the time was Ramen > (Unsurpassable Wall) > Udon > (Unsurpassable Wall) > Soba, so I never really tried it.

Coffee, soba, tempura with salt, engawa seasoned with lemon—I never tried any of these. Up until high school, I was very cautious about trying new things.

Now, after this young Saito who admired sophistication officially made it to Tokyo, he decided to try out all sorts of sophisticated things. Talking about cold-brew coffee despite not understanding how it worked, only dipping a third of the soba noodles into the sauce, watching French New Wave films, et cetera, et cetera. Sadly, this country bumpkin had already become snobbism incarnate. I was at the age where I thought sophisticated things were equivalent to social status.

Thinking about it, those high school boys didn’t really care about whether something was sophisticated or not. They just wanted to have fun sharing delicious ways of eating delicious food. It made me think, if only I had that kind of “sophisticated” fun when I was in high school. Today after work, I think I’ll stop by somewhere to drink a cup of sake and nibble on some salt, sophisticatedly.

Autographed polaroid given away by raffle

[Serialization] VOICE Newtype No.062 – Kenkou de Bunkateki na Saitei Gendo no Seikatsu #5: Give it a Name

Released: 2016/12/26

※This essay was also published in the book compilation of Saito Soma no Kenkou de Bunkateki na Saitei Gendo no Seikatsu.

(On an aimless stroll, sober, jotting down notes on my phone)

The last song is “Majo Tabi ni Deru.” I’ll start with that.

It’s a sleepless night, and I’m heading to a part of the city I don’t usually go to. My companion tonight is Namae wo Tsuketeyaru (Give it a Name), the first Spitz album I ever listened to.

I started listening and was taken aback. Spitz has a song with such a bluesy guitar?! Then I realized it was a song by Oishi Masayoshi-san. Why?

Starting over from the top. The first track is “Usagi no Bike” (Rabbit’s Motorcycle). I’ve never ridden a motorcycle. I don’t ride bicycles anymore either, and I don’t have a driver’s license. Basically, I think of vehicles as something I’m given a ride in, not something I steer myself.

The train sways as it makes its way to Koenji, which is crowded despite the fact that it’s still Thursday. I’m actually not that familiar with this area.

“Give it a name.” Giving something a name is proof of ownership. A gesture that carves out a piece of the world. The Recipe for Gertrude. ART-SCHOOL’s “Yogoreta Chi.” Dividing the sky from the sea by giving them names. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Epistemology and the anthropic principle.

All right, enough poetry. It’s been a long time since I last came to Koenji—so long that I don’t know where to go. Which exit will take me to that second-hand clothing shop I used to go to? I’m not sure, but, well, it’s okay. I’ll just pick a random one. I feel like “well, it’s okay” became my pet phrase at some point. I don’t know if it should be considered optimistic or not. It could be that I’m just dodging the issue by going along with things, but, well, it’s okay.

“As I expected from Koenji, it’s full of people I don’t recognize,” or so I was going to write, but it’s actually not really the case? I feel like these people were here five years ago. I keep saying “I feel like,” huh?

Koenji is a relatively clean and lively place, unlike the image I had of it before moving to Tokyo. Where was that restaurant someone took me to a long time ago? The one that only served gyoza and bottled beer, I think as I walk. I feel like it was probably at the end of this shopping street. They let you bring in your own drinks, and at any rate, I immediately got drunk. Back then, I didn’t really know how to drink (well, I still don’t).

Masamune-san is in my ear, singing “su~zu~mushi no yo~ru~.” What a nice voice. His notes are like lemon water. This must be a type of perfection. His voice captures the essence of youth. Something like that.

I wander around aimlessly. There are actually two more restaurants I know here, but I can’t really go to them. One is a place I used to go to a long time ago that has moved to a different part of town. The owner had said he was going back to his hometown, but I recently noticed that he’d nonchalantly opened shop again. But you know, going there would be a bit embarrassing, right? I have good memories of getting over my distaste for coriander at that restaurant.

The other one is also one I frequented a long time ago, back when I really didn’t have any work. I feel like I got dead drunk and caused trouble, or rather, I definitely did cause trouble, so I can’t go there. So, I’m probably going home today without entering any restaurants. Not even to eat gyoza.

I called this place “clean and lively” earlier, but there are also several darker-looking restaurants; the kind that probably wouldn’t be on Tabelog (restaurant review site). The atmosphere reminds me of a Southeast Asian food stall district or the area under the railway overpass in Shinbashi. I really like it. There’s another restaurant, different from the one I mentioned earlier, where you get free gyoza when you order alcohol. But is that really “free”?

All around me, people are laughing, taking pictures, and drinking. How nice. I wish I could join them. But I can’t drink today. This journey doesn’t have a destination, but it has meaning and caution.

…Wait, but how is that different from just going for a stroll? What’s the difference between a journey and a stroll? Is it the existence of a destination? I guess this night walk might just be a stroll, then. Well, it’s okay either way.

Oh, but look! I found the gyoza restaurant. Well, I say that, but I knew it was here all along, since it’s on the way to a music venue I used to frequent. I remembered the location perfectly. But it’s closed. I definitely didn’t want to come here. If I really did, I could’ve looked that up. But I didn’t want to do that today. I went to the trouble of coming here and have nothing to show for it. Saddened, I trudge home. Some days are just like that. It’s probably fine. I don’t think I need to give a name to such days.

So I said, but on a later day, here I am, astutely popping in to eat gyoza and drink beer. That’s life. Puff puff.

Profile image

[Interview] Animate Times – Hand Shakers

Original Article: https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1482383611
Published: 2016/12/23

Features:
Saito Soma (Takatsuki Tazuna in Hand Shakers)

Mentioned:
Morohoshi Sumire (Akutagawa Koyori in Hand Shakers)

※This interview was conducted after the Advance Screening event but not published until after the rest of the road show.

Prioritizing life-sized boyishness

Q: First, can you tell us about the character you voiced, Takatsuki Tazuna?

Soma: Tazuna-kun looks like a cute kid on the outside, but on the inside he has a manly side to his personality. He doesn’t just cutely go with the flow; he has a strong conviction and a good protagonist aura. But in addition to that, he likes tinkering with machinery and gets lost in his own world when he touches a machine, which is cute. He might be similar to boys who like plastic models… that’s what enthusiastic boys are like *laughs*. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with making dirt balls, so voicing him feels nostalgic. *laughs*

Q: Is there anything you have to be careful about when voicing him?

Soma: He doesn’t try to show off too much. As a character, he has a cool side, but he’s not trying to be cool when he does those things; he’s simply tackling the events he faces in the way that’s natural for him. In order to bring out the life-sized boy named Takatsuki Tazuna, I prioritize his own nature and take care not to insert my own “hero” image.

Q: What’s your impression of Tazuna’s partner, Koyori?

Soma: Tazuna-kun has a younger sister. You’ll find out when you watch Episode 1 in January, but something happened with that sister in the past. It’s hinted that Koyori-chan resembles that sister, so Tazuna-kun thinks of her as someone special, not just an ordinary partner. They also have that unique circumstance where they have to keep holding hands. I think that the relationship between Tazuna-kun and Koyori-chan will become the essence of this series, so I hope you’ll pay attention to how things progress for them!

Q: If you were a teenager and fell into the same situation where you have to keep holding a girl’s hand, what would you do?

Soma: Let’s see… There’s a scene where Tazuna-kun and Koyori-chan go into the bath together, and I’m impressed he was able to go in *laughs*. It would’ve been absolutely impossible for me as a teenager *laughs*. I also don’t think I’d be able to keep holding hands like that in front of my younger sisters *laughs*. It would’ve been too embarrassing… But Tazuna-kun’s lucky that it’s Koyori-chan and not Makihara-sensei or someone *laughs*. When I think about what would happen if he had to keep holding hands with Makihara-sensei…

Q: That’s a scary thought… Now then, Episodes 1 to 4 have already been shown at the special pre-screenings. What are the highlights of Tazuna and Koyori’s interactions in the first four episodes?

Soma: Koyori-chan is a tough role to play… She can’t speak. But her voice actor, Morohoshi Sumire-san, makes incredible use of varied breathing to act her out. When Koyori-chan’s bond with Tazuna-kun grows, she experiences changes, and Morohoshi-san’s breathing changes as well. Morohoshi-san is amazing for being able to depict her that cutely with only breathing! Episode 4 is a great example, so please watch it. *laughs*

Q: What was the most memorable scene for you in Episode 1?

Soma: For the Episode 1 recording, the visuals were mostly complete, and they were really striking. The background art of Osaka where the series takes place and the individual movements of the gears during the battle scene made me impressed by how high quality the visuals were from the very beginning. Aside from the battle scene, I was also amazed by the stylish BGM. Also, this is a fine detail, but the background characters also had their own lines, and you can hear what they’re talking about if you listen closely. I think it’s fun, so please try it. You can feel how thorough all of the staff are in fleshing out this world.

Q: Nowadays, it’s rare for the animation to be complete at the time of recording. Does that make it easier to act?

Soma: Detailed visuals give you more information to work with in addition to what’s in the script, so in that sense, it’s easier.

Q: As mentioned earlier, this series takes place in Osaka. How has your experience in Osaka been?

Soma: I’ve been to Osaka before, but this is my second time coming here for an event. I haven’t been able to do much sightseeing, so I’d like to try doing the typical stuff. Going to restaurants with delicious skewers, eating snacks like takoyaki, and so on. I spotted Kani Douraku (a seafood restaurant chain) while I was commuting, but I didn’t get off at that stop, so *laughs*. Hand Shakers is going to start airing soon, so I hope I’ll have an opportunity to take my time exploring Osaka!

Q: Lastly, please give a message for the fans who are looking forward to the series.

Soma: A few PVs have been released and the characters have been revealed, so I think everyone has high expectations now. It’s an original work with an extremely intricate, unpredictable plot, so I hope you’ll look forward to it. I also hope you’ll be excited to see what adventures and developments await Tazuna-kun and Koyori-chan in their boy-meets-girl story. The beautiful visuals, intense battle scenes, and stylish music will surely make it a joy to watch every week, so please look forward to it! Thank you!

[Interview] Seiyuu Men vol.5 – Saito Soma – Hand Shakers

Released: 2016/12/16

Features:
Saito Soma (Takatsuki Tazuna in Hand Shakers)

Mentioned:
Morohoshi Sumire (Akutagawa Koyori in Hand Shakers)
Sugita Tomokazu (Hibiki in Hand Shakers)
Ishikawa Kaito (Hayate in Hand Shakers)

A series that reaches the heart

Q: First, please tell us your impression of the work.

When I first took the audition, there wasn’t any character art or supporting material provided, and the script they had us read was relatively short. It was an unusual audition where they asked us to directly translate the image we got from reading the text to our acting. My approach was to do it the way I felt was interesting.

However, at the time of the audition, I didn’t know that the show was going to be about partners, or that the story would involve joining hands with Koyori to fight. And in actuality, it felt like many aspects of the work would change as the big picture became clearer and I discussed it with the other voice actors. So, when I was informed that I’d received the role after the audition, I was both happy and excited to see who the rest of the cast was.

Q: What kind of character do you think Tazuna is?

Tazuna likes tinkering with machines, and gets absorbed in it to the point where he forgets his surroundings. When I was in elementary school, I’d also get absorbed in arts and crafts, and break time would be over before I knew it… That happened a lot, so I hoped to be able to transfer that devotion to my role.

Q: What do you pay attention to when costarring with Morohoshi Sumire-san, who voices Tazuna’s partner Koyori?

I can’t say too much yet, but Koyori is a girl with a lot on her shoulders. She also doesn’t have the appearance of a normal girl her age, and she has a mysterious aura. On that note, Tazuna is a normal boy, in a good way *laughs*. For example, he has a pure side and gets nervous around girls.

When I’m recording with Morohoshi-san, she’s extremely skilled at building the atmosphere between the two characters. This time, there was a part where Tazuna and Koyori react to something at the same time, and I was amazed at how perfectly it went. I’m always noticing Morohoshi-san’s detailed skillfulness.

But, since my character Tazuna is the one leading Koyori along, I pay the most attention to how he perceives Koyori.

Q: What was challenging during the recording?

First, for the Episode 1 recording, the visuals were already complete, and I was stunned by the unique presentation. Especially for the long, uninterrupted cuts in the battle scene, we weren’t sure how much we should leave to the animation and where we should insert our own breaths… We discussed those kinds of things in fine detail with the staff.

This series also has unique elocution. I was constantly contemplating how to digest the essence of what the director put in the script and reflect it onto my role in a way that felt natural. Of course, Hand Shakers has its own style, so I wanted to preserve the expressions that would be hooks for the viewers, while using a natural enunciation for the parts I wanted to be heard smoothly. When lines have distinct elocution, slight changes in tone or pronunciation can change the nuance greatly, so that was a challenge.

Q: It sounds like it’d be difficult to get the balance right. What kinds of things did the sound director say?

For Episode 1’s recording, I received direction regarding the work and the character’s nature. That said, during the audition and the test run, I took a natural approach to Tazuna’s voice, and was told by the directors that they wanted to make this series a boy-meets-girl story. He certainly does have a cute appearance, so I switched to a more young-sounding voice. However, I wanted to portray him as a young man with a surprisingly strong conviction, rather than a cute and timid boy.

Q: What were the recording sessions like?

Tazuna isn’t the type of character that I can freely play around with, which isn’t a bad thing, but the other cast members ad-lib like crazy *laughs*. Sugita Tomokazu-san and Ishikawa Kaito-kun went particularly off the rails, and just listening to them almost made me laugh out loud. It felt like the actors were further developing the characters through ad libs, and it was truly interesting to think about how I would’ve transformed the characters if it were me in their place.

Q: In this series, each duo has their own characteristics. Were there any moments during the recording where you felt unique characteristics from the pairings?

The pair that Tazuna and Koyori fight first had me wondering, “What are these two normally like?” *laughs* Please look forward to seeing it when the show airs.

I also thought it was interesting how even though each pair’s members are involved with each other in both the real world and the fighting world, they don’t really declare themselves friends or lovers. That means that when they say they “like” each other, there’s different ways of interpreting that, and I think that makes it fun for the viewers to figure out.

Also, direction-wise, there’s a scene where a character is throwing a tantrum, then suddenly in the next cut they’re pulling a tarot card with a super serious face *laughs*. I think a lot of viewers enjoy that kind of scene, so it’ll be a success if they’re charmed by the show’s eccentricities.

Q: In that sense, it tests the voice cast’s capability.

Some of us are leveraging that distinctive direction in our acting, while others are blending their acting into the work. As a result, the recording sessions are a show of the actors’ natures. Each voice actor has their own approach to their role, and it’s been educational.

Q: The characters in the show are fighting to make their wish come true. Do you have a wish you want to be granted right now?

The Hand Shakers use their emotions to fight, but for us, I think what we need in order to keep fighting is good health *laughs*. In order to put on our best performance at recordings, it’s important to manage our health, and lately I’ve been doing various things to reexamine my physical condition. But at any rate, my body is stiff. So, if I had to make a wish… I’d want to be able to touch my toes.

Q: *laughs* Maintaining your health is difficult because you have to pay attention to all sorts of little things.

I find myself researching things like… how healthy intestines secrete more serotonin *laughs*. But what matters is putting it into practice daily, rather than theoretical knowledge. For now, I’m trying my best on my own instead of relying on God. *laughs*

Q: What do you place importance on when acting in this series?

It’s not easy, but I think it’d be “living honestly.” It’s something I value both as Tazuna and as Saito Soma. Also, my trust and gratitude towards my co-actors and the staff. Working together with the director and the rest of the staff to create the series, and fighting together with my co-actors on the recording battleground without showing off. When acting, there are times when things will get heated, but it’s always important to strike a balance between instinct and reason, because going 100% in either direction isn’t going to work.

Q: What would you like people to notice in the series?

The highlight would have to be the stunning visuals, not just in the battle scenes but also in the recreated Osaka scenery. It’s all gorgeous, and I think people watching the show for the first time will sense its allure from there. The unfolding story and the characters have strong personality as well. It might not appeal to everyone, though. That said, for those it does strike a chord with, I think it’ll reach their heart, so please see Tazuna and Koyori-chan’s story through to the end with your own eyes.

[Event] Hand Shakers Advance Screening: “A Road To Be Hand Shakers”

Date: 2016/11/13 @ 1:30pm
Guest: Saito Soma
Event Report: https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1481187680

This event was an advance screening of Episodes 1-4, but Soma’s talk corner was in between Episode 2 and 3.

Soma had little experience with events in Osaka, and hadn’t done much sightseeing there. For this event, he arrived in Osaka the day before, and he said “Yesterday I ate kushikatsu, without double dipping!” (Not double dipping kushikatsu is an informal rule in Osaka.)

Naturally, this was Soma’s first time at a Nanba Parks Cinema event, and he was surprised that the front row of the audience was basically within arm’s reach. “Can you see the screen properly from there? Is it okay?”

Soma asked what everyone thought of the first two episodes, and applause echoes throughout the theatre. He expressed his thanks and went on to give a passionate speech about the unique camerawork, how Episode 1’s animation was mostly complete at the time of recording, the impact of the battle scenes, and the stylish music.

Regarding the protagonist who he voices, Tazuna, he said “If my life suddenly changed and I had to fight and protect Koyori-chan, I wouldn’t be able to analyze the situation calmly like he does.” Regarding the pressure he feels voicing the protagonist, he said “I think it’s just a matter of directly incorporating what I’m feeling.” He doesn’t feel pressure, and instead acts energetically.

Next is the character introduction using the screen. Soma was standing in the middle of the stage, so he started moving to the side, saying “I’ll be moving~” and waving his hand. The audience exclaimed “Cute~!” “What an angel!” and Soma gave an embarrassed “Thank you.” The announcer also whispered “Isn’t he cute?” and the audience laughed.

The character introduction began with the protagonist, Tazuna. When asked for his impression of the character design, Soma said “There were no visuals during the audition, so I imagined what he’d look like from the lines and acted naturally. When I saw the completed art afterwards, I thought ‘Isn’t he cute?'” with a laugh. “He’s not just cute though, he’s also boyish in a good way, and I make sure to express that youthfulness.”

Tazuna has a habit of using the word “mesh,” and Soma is asked “What has meshed for you lately?” He answered “I finally finished all my dental work, and my teeth mesh really well now! Leave the meat to me!”

As for the teamwork between the voice actors, he said “Rather than the characters and actors meshing together, it’s more like everyone is entering their own world.” He also did an imitation of Morikubo Showtaro’s character Makihara, immediately filling the theatre with laughter.

When introducing the heroine Koyori, Soma said “She loses life force when she’s not holding hands with Tazuna. But if I were Tazuna, as a teenager I’d definitely be way too nervous to hold a girl’s hand while sleeping, bathing, and using the toilet” with an embarrassed laugh.

When introducing the shumai-loving Makihara, the topic returned to Osaka cuisine. “When I was eating kushikatsu last night, I also ate one with mozzarella cheese, and it was reaaaaaally stretchy! I couldn’t bite it off at all.” Without missing a beat, the announcer said “So you’re saying… it didn’t mesh” and everyone laughed.

The talk corner finally drew to an end. Soma said “I think it’s rare to get the opportunity to watch the first four episodes in advance, and I hope you’ll look forward to the rest of the show. There’s still a while before it goes on air, but I hope you’ll enjoy revisiting the world of Hand Shakers. Thank you!” and exited the stage, maintaining his fresh smile the whole way.

After Episodes 3 and 4 were shown, the announcer came back with some surprise announcements: the anime’s air date, the theme song’s artist and release date, and a hotel collaboration.

[Event] Qualidea Code Blu-ray/DVD Vol.1 Release Event [Tokyo]

Date: 2016/10/16 @ 2pm
Guests: Saito Soma, Ishikawa Yui, Sagara Sou (author, surprise guest)
Event Report Sourced: https://ameblo.jp/hopt-ag/entry-12211030939.html

Qualidea Talk Corner

  • Impressions now that the anime is over?

Soma: The audition felt like it was a long time ago, but once the recordings began, it went by in a flash. The authors didn’t tell us what was going to happen in the story, so I was in suspense until the very end. I didn’t know when my character was going to disappear. *laughs*

Sagara: The character count went down with each episode, and at Episode 8 the recording studio was very sparse. *laughs*

Yuishi: Canaria disappeared in the middle, but I’m glad she came back. I think she was the ultimate airhead until the end, though. Canaria is different from the other characters I’ve voiced, and at first I was going to audition for Hime, but when I saw that Canaria’s ability involved singing, I decided to try for her since I like to sing too.

Soma: I was considering auditioning for Kasumi as well.

  • What did Sagara-sensei think of their voice acting?

Sagara: Ichiya was fine as-is. As for Canaria, she seemed to struggle with expressing her airheadedness at first.

Sagara: After the recording, we all went to a Qualidea collab cafe and drew in notebooks together.

Yuishi: We talked about how Soma-kun looks like an art college student.

  • Did your impression change after the anime aired?

Soma: Ichiya was calling people incompetent left and right at the start, but in the end, he was being manipulated for the longest.

Sagara: Suzaku is the character with the most human reactions.

Soma: He became better friends with Kasumi midway, which I was happy for because there weren’t any characters he could have a proper conversation with besides Canaria.

Yuishi: On the other hand, I felt bad for Canaria, because in the last episode everyone else was paired up (Ichiya + Kasumi, Hime + Hotaru, Asuha + Aoi) except for her.

Sagara: Canaria belongs to everyone *laughs*

Yuishi: There’s a year in between the novel and the anime, so Canaria developed during that time. I think that’s why she was a serious, older sister type at the beginning of the anime. Although she immediately became airheaded *laughs*

Sagara: Yeah, Canaria might’ve had the biggest personality change between the novel and the anime.

Soma: The fact that she’s always smiling didn’t change, though. I’d want to be told that too (“When you’re in trouble, smile!”).

Sagara: Canaria can live without Suzaku, but Suzaku can’t live without Canaria. I think that by saving Suzaku, she also saved herself.

Yuishi: Ichiya has a lot of scenes where he’s struggling, but that makes you care about him more. I thought that he and Canaria supplemented each other.

Sagara: I’m glad that you both understood my intentions for the characters.

  • We have a sample of the Vol.2 Blu-ray here, that goes on sale this month. It includes a novel written by Sagara Sou-sensei.

Sagara: Canaria is the main character. Actually, she’s there the whole time.

Soma: Is Ichiya there the whole time?

Sagara: …

Soma: Huh?

Sagara: Look forward to it *laughs*

  • Which scene do you want people to watch the most?

Soma: The scene where Ichiya pushes Kasumi against the wall. Also, Canaria’s singing.

Yuishi: The conversation between the adults. When you’ve seen the last episode and go back to see what they said at the start, it all links together. I also like the scene where the adults hold hands.

Trinity Challenge Corner

  • The three team up to play games, and they win a prize if they get a perfect score.
  • The first game was “God Tasting,” where they eat variants of an item and guess which is more expensive. The topic was bananas, where the cheap one was 60 yen and the expensive one was 700 yen. All of them got it right, and apparently the expensive one was sweeter.
  • The next game was “Atomic Draw,” where two of them draw the topic together and the other one guesses.
    • The first topic was Tokyo Tower drawn by Soma and Sagara-sensei, but Yuishi guessed wrong (rocket).
    • The second topic was sumo wrestling drawn by Soma and Yuishi, which Sagara-sensei guessed correctly.
    • The third topic was Halloween drawn by Yuishi and Sagara-sensei, which Soma guessed correctly.
  • The third game was “Prestigious Hands,” where they take turns putting their hands inside a box and guessing what’s inside. The answer was a chick-shaped cake, which they guessed correctly.
  • Since they performed well at the games, they qualified for the prize (to be received after the event).
  • The person who wrote the event report commented that Soma seemed to be taking the audience in the back seats into consideration, because he suggested the cast stand up to play, and held the items up as high as he could.
  • Lastly was the gift corner, where an autographed poster was given away by raffle.

[Serialization] VOICE Newtype No.061 – Kenkou de Bunkateki na Saitei Gendo no Seikatsu #4: S is for Subculture

Released: 2016/9/26

※This essay was also published in the book compilation of Saito Soma no Kenkou de Bunkateki na Saitei Gendo no Seikatsu.

It was in my first year of middle school, when the class still had that starting-at-a-new-school restless atmosphere. I made a new friend, who I’ll call S-kun.

S-kun’s family was firmly into subculture, with both parents involved in various artistic activities. He was the one who introduced me to books by Tsutsui Yasutaka and Nakajima Ramo. I had grown up in a normal way, but since I was approaching the age when I wanted to embrace nihilism, these poisonous substances were very appealing to me.

One day, I told S-kun I wanted to listen to western music because it was cool, and he gave me an MD (there are probably people who don’t know what this is anymore). I immediately went home and put it in the stereo.

Track 1 was U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” It was fairly easy to listen to (I had no idea what the lyrics meant).
Track 2 was U2 as well, I believe.
Track 3 was the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” I loved this one a lot and quickly learned it.
Track 4 was a song by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It had a catchy synth intro, but it was ridiculously long.
Then came five or so progressive rock songs for some reason, after which Marilyn Manson wreaked havoc.
The second half of the MD was made up of Otsuki Kenji’s bands, Kinniku Shojo-tai and Tokusatsu. The final track was Tokusatsu’s “Azanaeru.” It was a serene song with a soft piano.

This MD shocked me. It contained a fascinating world of taboos, ferocity, and chaos. I had never heard anything like it before. We quickly became fast friends and eventually we formed a band. After high school, we became somewhat estranged, and we hardly keep in touch these days. But the current me literally wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for him. To me, he was subculture itself.

One of his phrases that made an impression on me was when we were asked to write our favourite saying or proverb or something like that. Most people would look up a list and choose something random, but he wrote “Make haste slowly!” in Japanese. I was impressed by his sense, and later, I looked it up and found that it was also a saying in English. What’s more, it was originally attributed to the first Roman emperor, Augustus (Octavius).

Make haste slowly… It’s a profound saying that’s different from “slow and steady wins the race.” A state where being slow and in a hurry coexist. Is that what you feel when you reach maximum focus? Like when an athlete or an artist enters the “zone”?

There are quite a few speed-related expressions that I like. For example, “polepole” which is Swahili for “slowly.” The nuance feels somewhat similar to the Kansai dialect expression “bochi bochi iko ka” (let’s take it slow). Speaking of which, my mother is from Kansai, and when I was little, she often said that to me when I was being impatient: “Listen Soma, just take it slow.” But now, when I occasionally visit home, she drinks beer at a rate that makes it feel like we’re racing to see who gets drunk first. I’m glad that she’s healthy, but I sincerely hope that she’ll “take it slow” in life.

How many years has it been since I lost touch with S-kun? The world is rapidly changing—if you blink, you might get left behind. Our treasures, happy memories, and arduous club activities overflow like sand slipping through our fingers. “Fortune and misfortune are intertwined like the strands of a rope.” But if we make haste as slowly as we can, taking it slow when we walk, I’m sure we can enjoy our journey. For now, I think I’ll walk to my usual movie theatre without taking a taxi or the train. I’ll pull out that nostalgic MD and go there polepole.

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[Interview] Animate Times – Qualidea Code – Saito Soma x Uchida Yuma

Published: 2016/9/10

Features:
Saito Soma (Ichiya Suzaku in Qualidea Code)
Uchida Yuma (Chigusa Kasumi in Qualidea Code)

Mentioned:
Noto Mamiko (Yuunami Airi in Qualidea Code)

“In the end, the only one who has normal conversations with Suzaku is Kasumi *laughs*”

Q: Please introduce your characters.

Soma: Suzaku Ichiya is the current head of Tokyo. He’s the strongest person in Tokyo, but he’s also prideful, arrogant, and unconsciously takes on an aggressive attitude. He’s not aware of it himself, though *laughs*. The word “cool” is often used in his character descriptions, but I’d say he’s more of a hot-blooded guy. He gives the impression of having a fierce passion. Also, he generally only talks to his second-in-command Canaria as well as Chiba City’s Chigusa Kasumi. *laughs*

Q: Indeed!

Soma: The three authors told me directly, “Suzaku generally only talks to these two.” Canaria’s a bit of an oddball herself, so in the end, the only one who has normal conversations with him is Kasumi. *laughs*

Q: His chuuni lines stand out, huh?

Soma: He’s the typical chuunibyou. He even thinks it’s cool to give his abilities a second name. *laughs*

Q: That showed right from the start, in Episode 1. Did you receive any specific instructions?

Soma: No, it was pretty much as I thought. Suzaku has a rebellious side, but on the inside, he’s true to his impulses. In future plot developments, he has the widest range of emotions out of all of the characters, so I’m following his emotions rather closely. Since it’s only Episode 1, you’d expect to need more time to develop each character, but Suzaku will take a while…

Yuma: (The author) Sagara-san said “With a smile!” *laughs*

Soma: I really can’t get a read on him *laughs*. He said “That was the best Suzaku I imagined!” and I didn’t know what that was supposed to mean. *laughs*

Q: Were you aware of how he ended up with that personality?

Soma: The novel was a separate thing, so I wasn’t keen on referencing all of it, but when I read the first volume, Suzaku was quite different from how he was in the anime’s first episode. The novels take place before the anime, and back then he was really direct. His unawareness was the same, but he’d say things like “I love this world” out loud, and he wasn’t comfortable with chuunibyou naming. Then, at the end of Volume 2 which came out recently, you find out what happened to him to cause that change. But at the time of Episode 1’s recording, I honestly didn’t do any advance planning.

Q: What about Uchida-san’s character?

Yuma: Chigusa Kasumi is an older brother, but he has poor communication *laughs*. He only talks to his younger sister (Chigusa Asuha) and sometimes Suzaku, and he ignores pretty much everyone else. But, he has the most common sense out of all of them. Most of the city leaders are the pushy type, but he provides the normal perspective, albeit not out loud.

Soma: He has normal values, like how he’s repulsed by chuunibyou.

Yuma: Yeah *laughs*. He’ll say out loud, “That’s weird!” Their world is crumbling and is quite different from our modern society, but his views are the most similar to ours. Also, he generally doesn’t communicate, or rather, he’s given up on trying. It means that the others can’t tell what he’s thinking, but I think he’s actually quite considerate of them.

Q: Did you struggle with anything on the acting side?

Yuma: It was full of struggles *laughs*. First off, right off the bat, the author Watari-sensei told me “Don’t trust the script” *laughs*. He meant “be natural,” but the characters’ had such strong personalities that it was hard to get the right sense of distance. Even if Suzaku had a loud outburst, Kasumi would mutter “No, I…” under his breath.

Soma: It was a simple matter of volume.

Yuma: Yeah! Our volumes were completely different *laughs*. Even in Episode 1, when Kasumi talks after Suzaku, the “natural” way results in a contrast that makes you go “Huh?! Did he say something?” The character is poor at communication to begin with, so it was difficult to grasp the distance between him and the others. He also thinks it’s uncool to show his emotions, so it was difficult to balance talking to the others without showing emotion. Even now, I’m still pondering how much emotion to show and how much to react.

Q: Are you a worrier, Uchida-san?

Yuma: I try not to, but once I get caught in the trap, I can’t get out *strained laugh*. And that did happen this time *laughs*. But as of late, I get the feeling that I’ve gotten closer to the right balance for Kasumi.

“Personally, I want Free Gravity!”

Q: What do you think of each other’s special ability (World)?

Yuma: Ability…

Soma: Ah, Vampire Bat? (The alternate name Suzaku gave to Kasumi’s World)

Yuma: Stop that! *laughs*

Soma: In Episode 2, Suzaku wants to give everyone’s abilities names like that, but Kasumi retorts saying “Don’t tell me you give everyone one of those,” and I thought, “This world has retorts in it!” *laughs* It was pretty crazy of Suzaku to respond with, “Yeah, problem?” though.

Yuma: Yeah, he didn’t even hesitate. *laughs*

Soma: This is completely unrelated, but you know the manga Chihayafuru? It has a character named Suou Hisashi who has incredibly perceptive hearing, but since he hears people’s voices so well, he’s really soft-spoken. I thought Kasumi had the same issue.

Yuma: Oh! *laughs*

Soma: Being able to identify an object and its location through sound reverberations is definitely a support ability though.

Yuma: Totally. In practice he does take shots, but he doesn’t have any combat ability.

Soma: Indeed.

Yuma: That’s his limitation, but he’s aware of that, so he doesn’t fight on the front lines. Since he’s so aware of himself, he doesn’t push himself past his limits.

Q: But, having such good hearing is a powerful weapon in its own way.

Yuma: Being able to hear only tells you “The enemy’s coming!” and nothing else, so he can’t do anything! Although, in Episode 1, he was running fast enough to keep up with the flying Suzaku, right?

Soma: Yeah! That scene was really funny *laughs*. Suzaku was bringing Canaria and two other students in the air with him, but Kasumi was running on the ground by himself *laughs*.

Yuma: Yeah yeah! I thought,”You’re surprisingly fit!” *laughs*

Soma: He was the only one being left behind. *laughs*

Yuma: Since he’s part of the Chiba force. He still manages to help out though, so I think he was given the bare minimum ability. Personally, I want Free Gravity (Suzaku’s World, the ability to control gravity).

Soma: Same.

Yuma: He can fly in the sky.

Soma: I’ve used Free Gravity in my dreams three times since we began recording for this show.

Yuma: *laughs* You did, huh?

Soma: In the world of Qualidea, the ability to fly in the sky is incredibly important, and in the novel they often talk about how there are people who have two Worlds, who are called Duals. If one of them is the ability to fly, then they’re basically a super elite. But, Suzaku doesn’t have the ability to fly. It’s just that he can use his ability to move through the sky. That really has the allure of a light novel or manga protagonist—using knowledge and wit to strengthen your own abilities.

Yuma: Yeah.

Soma: So when I watched Episode 1, I thought he was really acting like a protagonist.

Yuma: Yeah, he was! At first when we were recording, everyone was like, “What’s with this guy?” But when the anime was completed, they were like “Oh, he really is a protagonist!” *laughs* It was moving, right?

Soma: Animation and sound really are important. *laughs*

Yuma: They are. When you’re only looking at his personality, it’s… yeah.

Soma: Yeah, it really did make you wonder what he was supposed to be. And at the drinking party after Episode 1, Sagara-san said, “Well, your good impression of Suzaku is only going to deteriorate from here,” and I was like, “What?! He can get worse?!”

“It doesn’t make them uncomfortable. That’s how male friendships change.”

Q: I’m sure he’ll improve… probably…!

Yuma: Is there a moment when he does? But, by the time this interview is published…

Soma: People will already know that Qualidea Code isn’t a battle anime, right?

Yuma: It’s not just about fighting.

Soma: Episodes 1 and 2 are meant to mislead. Around Episode 3, you start to think that something’s not right, and that it doesn’t seem like it’ll revolve around battles.

Yuma: In Episode 1, they fought.

Soma: And Episode 2 was the swimsuit episode!

Yuma: And then in Episode 3, our heroine Canaria coughs up blood. *laughs*

Soma: And then there was Suzaku’s arrogant way of asking for a favour *laughs*. “You, save Canaria!”

Yuma: It made you go, “What?” *laughs*

Q: It was mainly Suzaku’s fault in the first place. *laughs*

Soma: Yeah! Everyone else came too out of the kindness of their hearts, but it was about 80% Suzaku’s fault.

Yuma: It’s because he went by himself!

Soma: I thought the “You, save Canaria!” in the script was a misprint. I figured it was probably supposed to be “Please save Canaria!”, but it was exactly as written *laughs*. What a strong personality.

Q: But in Episode 4, Canaria…

Yuma: Yeah. *laughs*

Soma: And then Suzaku transforms into his second form… *laughs*

Yuma: *laughs* He’s there every episode, but something’s wrong with him!

Soma: He becomes a powerless man.

Yuma: Even though he was always berating people for being useless.

Q: Is there anything we should look out for in your future dialogues?

Yuma: Their love deepens!

Soma: Without a doubt! We can’t say why *laughs* but Suzaku ends up only talking to Kasumi.

Yuma: We can’t say why, though. *laughs*

Soma: Well, to be frank, I barely have any lines *laughs*. I honestly feel kind of bad about it; it’s like I scream for a bit in the A-part and then go home.

Yuma: Even though you’re first in the credits. *laughs*

Soma: But, Suzaku’s conversations with Kasumi really are the cause of a lot of his mood swings. At the end…

Yuma: They develop a good distance between them. It’s like, they both have aspects that tick off the other, but it doesn’t make them uncomfortable. That’s how male friendships change.

Soma: It’s all about the riverbed.

Yuma: A fist fight at the riverbed. *laughs*

Soma: But, they don’t really show it on the outside. Suzaku continues to say things like “Shut up, trash” until the very end, and I thought it was a nice balance.

Q: So the relationship between them is what we should look out for?

Soma: Yes, I think their relationship is the most important part! *laughs*

Yuma: It’s the crux of Qualidea Code! But it’s unexpected when there are three factions and so many other pairs. *laughs*

Q: Kasumi seems to be interested in Suzaku from the start, but was that out of irritation?

Yuma: He’s given up on interacting with everyone else, but for some reason, Suzaku alone will still pick fights with him. But, he doesn’t actually mind it that much. He might even be a bit happy about it. When Suzaku comes to him, he doesn’t mind it, but it just makes him a little gloomy.

Soma: He can’t reciprocate honestly. *laughs*

Yuma: Yeah *laughs*. He’s too embarrassed to.

“Out of the six main characters, I’d go with Asuha. She’s cute.”

Q: I’m looking forward to how Suzaku and Kasumi turn out now *laughs*. Which of the female characters do you two like?

Yuma: Suzaku?

Soma: What?

Yuma: Oh, you said female characters.

Soma: Umm, out of the six main characters, I’d go with Asuha. She’s cute.

Yuma: My little sister is cute, right?

Soma: Actually, I’m not attracted to the little sister trope at all, because I have younger sisters too.

Yuma: What do you like about Asuha, then?

Soma: I think I’d get along well with her. The others are, you know… a pain to deal with, right?

Yuma: Honestly, yeah. *laughs*

Soma: #1 and #2 in brute strength, and a scary girl. *laughs*

Yuma: “Smile, smile!”

Soma: The Chiba team is fairly down to earth.

Yuma: Yeah, you can understand them just from talking to them.

Soma: Asuha blushes a bit in Episode 2, right? That was nice *laughs*. What about you?

Yuma: I like Asuha a lot as a person, but personally, I think I’d go with Hime.

Soma: How come?

Yuma: It seems like it’d be easy to win her over. *laughs*

Soma: …O-Oh, right. I thought something similar about Asuha, but I picked my words more carefully! *laughs*

Yuma: *laughs*

Soma: That’s your style, right Yuma-kun? It does seem like it’d be easy to have Hime in the palm of your hand. Just give her treats.

Yuma: Yeah, it’d be easy to bait her. She cheers up when you give her what she likes, and whenever you have a problem, she’ll do something about it for you.

Soma: “Don’t worry!”

Yuma: “I’ll defeat any baddie that comes. Bam!” And then you go “Good girl, Maihime!”

Soma: Outside of the main six, I’d pick Mother Yuunami.

Yuma: Mama! Yeah.

Soma: She’s like a mother and an older sister at the same time.

Yuma: Yuunami-san has a good personality, and she’s also cute. And then in the later half… well, I really can’t say it here.

Soma: We can’t say it, but it only works because it’s Noto Mamiko-san, right?

Yuma: It really has to be her!

Q: Lastly, tell us what we should look forward to in the rest of the series!

Yuma: The relationships change greatly after Canaria’s disappearance. Suzaku loses the most important person to him, and their city loses their second-in-command, which is a big deal. The environment changes as a result, and the stable balance they had in place gradually becomes lopsided. It’s hard to explain, but please pay attention to what they discover after the balance falls apart.

Soma: The story makes major progress in Episodes 3 and 4, but the world that we thought was fixed in place in Episodes 1 and 2 is changing. It’s like the template is betraying us.

The story will continue to defy expectations in a good way, and I hope the viewers will enjoy seeing Qualidea Code’s world change away from what you thought it was.

And personally, I hope you’ll wonder when Suzaku Ichiya will be able to speak normally again! Please remember him and his fragile mental state. Also, there are three ED themes, although we don’t know how they’ll be used either.

Yuma: Yeah!

Soma: It’s a question of timing. Maybe the next episode… We want to build hype, but…

Yuma: Episode 4 will probably have a special ED, right?

Soma: So, please look forward to the new OP/EDs too.

Yuma: There really are various three-way collabs here! (Referencing how the project is written by three authors, and the OPs/EDs are sung by three artists)

Soma: Indeed. The story gets more interesting from here on, so please look forward to that.