[Interview] Monthly Hobby Japan 2020/6 Edition – Infinite Dendrogram – Saito Soma x Ono Yuko Interview

Released: 2020/4/25

Features:
Saito Soma (Ray Starling in Infinite Dendrogram)
Ono Yuko (Nemesis in Infinite Dendrogram)

※The pose they’re doing is the Dendrogram pose that Hikasa Yoko came up with.


Q: Now that we’ve reached the final episode, were there any scenes or lines that stand out in your memory?

Soma: The scene in Episode 1, when they’re fighting the Demi-Drag Worms and Ray shouts “If you have the potential, then show me!” right before Nemesis awakens was particularly memorable for me. I was already conscious of it being a crucial line for him during the audition, the outcome of which I thought would be determined by who could embody Ray when they said it.

Yuko: I liked Episode 2. Up until then, Nemesis was confident in her strength and boasted about it, but then she loses her confidence when she’s unable to protect Ray. Ray reassures her, and when I read the original light novel, I thought this was a very important scene for her. So, I put my all into voicing it.

Soma: In Episode 2, when I watched the scene in the Tomb Labyrinth where Nemesis goes “I hate zombies~! I’m going into maintenance~!”, I felt bad from Ray’s perspective.

Yuko: After the battles, he gave her a kindhearted polishing. *laughs*

Soma: Also, the battle with Franklin in the last episode personally stood out to me. That was because Franklin had more lines than Ray. *laughs*

Q: Please give us a message for the fans.

Soma: Once again, thank you for watching Infinite Dendrogram! It’s ending on the battle with Franklin, but the story continues on in the light novels, where completely different plot developments await. I hope that with your help, the anime can continue, and we can enjoy going through the novels’ story again. Thank you for everything up until now! Please continue to support Infinite Dendrogram.

Yuko: Thank you for watching all 13 episodes! The anime is ending for now, but the world of Dendrogram isn’t going anywhere. The story goes on in the original light novels. Personally, I feel like their journey really is unfolding somewhere out there. I hope that we’ll be able to bring you more of that world in anime form, so please continue to show your support!

[Interview] Infinite Dendrogram Cast Interview

Published: 2020/1/10
Original Link: http://dendro-anime.jp/special/interview01/

Features:
Saito Soma (Ray Starling in Infinite Dendrogram)

Mentioned:
Ono Yuko (Nemesis in Infinite Dendrogram)
Hikasa Yoko (Marie Adler in Infinite Dendrogram)
Hino Satoshi (Shu Starling in Infinite Dendrogram)
Murase Ayumu (Hugo Lesseps in Infinite Dendrogram)
Ogura Yui (Cyco in Infinite Dendrogram)

※Relevant excerpts from the other cast member’s interviews will be included at the bottom.


Q: What were your impressions after reading the original work?

I read Volume 1 first when I was going to take the audition, and after I was chosen for Ray, I read the rest and found myself getting drawn in more and more with each volume. The story is written in a way that makes the most out of the novel medium, and the ideas get more and more imaginative. I really like the story after the Franklin Game arc too, so I hope you’ll be able to experience it in some way.

Q: What did you keep in mind when voicing Ray?

I feel that Ray is passionate but not impulsive. He analyzes the situation and faces (gets pulled into) problems with his own determination. So, I tried to balance passion with analysis, not going too far in one direction. In a way, he has a slightly different thought process (or way of feeling) than the average person. Despite that, he’s still likeable, so I think it’s only natural that he became a protagonist *laughs*. I hope I’m able to portray him well.

Q: What impression do you have of Ray’s partner, Nemesis (CV: Ono Yuko)?

Ono-san has a soft voice, so Nemesis seems milder in the anime than she did in the original work. But what I felt the most was Nemesis’s strong feelings for Ray. It seems obvious, but actually, when I’m speaking as Ray, I can really feel Nemesis’s feelings of camaraderie from her tone of voice and personality. That really stood out to me. Her character also has cute sides to her, like her gluttony and airheadedness, while also being a reliable partner during battle. I think that gap is great.

Q: Were there any particularly memorable dialogues with Nemesis’s voice actress, Ono Yuko?

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t recorded as a dialogue (due to recording constraints), but I liked Episode 2 when Nemesis was scared of zombies and ended up sobbing, because you could really feel the contrast between that and her coolness in Episode 1. Our dialogues went more smoothly with each episode, and I remember feeling more secure as the series went on, as both Ray and myself.

Q: Were there any other memorable scenes with the rest of the cast?

The recording sessions were extremely peaceful. Career history-wise, I was probably right in the middle, and my senpais were very kind and warm. We often chatted in the booth, with Hikasa-san and Hino-san keeping things together. I chatted a lot with Murase-san who voices Hugo, but I don’t remember anything we talked about *laughs*. The recording atmosphere probably influenced the everyday non-battle scenes.

Q: If you were to play Infinite Dendrogram, what job would you want?

Rather than choosing a job, I’d be more interested in exploring every nook and cranny of the fantasy world. Also, I like the idea of being strong despite not having fighting techniques, so I think I’d want an autonomous combat embryo. Something like the Golem Master. But golems are a bit too tough for me, so I’d rather have a gargoyle. I just looked it up, and gargoyles are called Ausguss or Wasserspeier in German. It appeals to my chuuni heart. I want to have a talking gargoyle fight for me while I eat delicious food.

Q: Who would you want to be in your adventuring party?

If we’re talking about characters, then I’d want Shu to teach me about the game, just like at the start of the anime. It’d also be fun to work as Marie’s subordinate. I already liked Marie in the original novels, but the anime made me like her even more. At any rate, I want to team up with strong people and farm EXP so that I can play on easy mode!

Q: Lastly, a message for the viewers.

Ray’s adventure has finally begun! Please immerse yourself in the world of Dendro as you enjoy the characters’ interweaving stories! There’s a lot I want to talk about, but I think I’ll hold back and let you see it with your own eyes! Thank you for your support!


From the other cast interviews:

  • Ono Yuko said that as her character’s partnership grew stronger with Ray’s, she would think “This is how Saito-san would say this line” as she was acting.
  • Ayu said that during the recording, he and Soma would talk about various things like miscellaneous knowledge, pseudoscience, and the occult. “Talking with him is fun because he has so much knowledge and it makes me feel like I’m getting smarter *laughs*”
  • Yui-chan said that Soma was very dependable during the recording, explaining the current situation of the work to the people who were voicing guest characters.

[Event] Infinite Dendrogram ~Welcome to Our Talk Event! We Await Your Arrival!~

Date: 2019/6/2 @ 12pm
Event: Hobby Japan Half-Century Festival
Guests: Saito Soma, Ono Yuko, Takada Yuuki, Ogura Yui, Izawa Shiori (MC)
Event Report: https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1560161705


Soma described Ray as “a great character with both passion and cleverness, who shows various different expressions.” “It’s been a while since I last got to play such an upright character.” “Through Ray, I felt the infinite possibilities within me.”

The guests were also asked what they had in common with their characters, but Soma’s answer wasn’t included in the press release.

New cast members were announced.

The guests came up with merchandise ideas. Soma’s was a Cheshire dakimakura: “I’m always talking about how cute Cheshire is, but everyone always thinks of Ray’s bear brother as a mascot first. I want Cheshire to be a mascot too. Although it’d be scary if he looked like my drawing *laughs*. By the way, it’d be voiced and cost 15,000 yen!”

[Event] Infinite Dendrogram in Machi Asobi

Date: 2019/5/5 @ 2pm
Event: Machi★Asobi vol.22
Guests: Saito Soma, Ono Yuko, Yamanaka Takahiro (Producer), Naya Ryosuke (MC)
Event Report: https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1557797123


When asked if they ate anything delicious in Tokushima yet, Soma answered sea bream, sudachi, and wakame. He highly recommends Tokushima’s wakame!

After introducing the characters, the guests were asked what kind of embryo they would have. Soma said beer (healing-type). They were also asked what job they thought would suit each other. Soma said Illusionist for Ono Yuko, and Ono Yuko gave a strange answer of “sudachi sake” for Soma.

After that they started talking about what foods everyone resembled, and Ono Yuko said Naya-san (the MC) was “salt.” Soma followed up with “It makes everything taste better!”

When talking about what kind of job they’d want to try, the MC said “I want to be Saito Soma!” to which Soma responded, “I’ll be Saito Soma too! Does that mean… I’ll make twice the salary?!”

[Event] AnimeJapan: Infinite Dendrogram Special Stage ~Shucchou-ban!~

Date: 2019/3/24
Event: AnimeJapan 2019
Guests: Saito Soma, Ono Yuko, Hino Satoshi, Takada Yuuki, Ogura Yui
Event Report: (not available)


This was a follow-up to the main stage event.

The guests were asked questions such as “What would your embryo be?” Soma’s answer was as above. “It looks like a creature, but it’s a book! A combat-type embryo like a grimoire. You might consider it a type of monster.”


Some time afterwards, a cast comment video was posted to YouTube:

[Event] AnimeJapan: Infinite Dendrogram Special Stage

Date: 2019/3/24 @ 11:30am
Event: AnimeJapan 2019
Guests: Saito Soma, Ono Yuko, Hino Satoshi, Koichi Makoto, Takada Yuuki, Murase Ayumu, Ogura Yui, Hikasa Yoko
Event Report: https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1553481760


Since this was shortly following the anime’s announcement, it began with the typical explanation of the original work, the story, and the characters.

The PV was unveiled for the first time, and the cast all crouched down so that the audience could see it clearly.

After that, they all talked about which Infinite Dendrogram job they’d want to have. Soma picked Swindler. It’s a non-combat job, but he admires the ability to affect the world with words alone.