Tag: Nakajima Yoshiki

[Radio] Saito Soma Strange dayS #50

Broadcast: 2021/12/10 on Cho!A&G+
Archive: https://abema.tv/video/episode/390-7_s1_p50

Introduction

Today’s date is Friday, December 10. How are you all doing?

Good evening, Saito Soma here. If you can believe it, this program has reached episode 50–thank you so much. I already mentioned this a little while back, but after doing this for about a year, it finally feels like I’ve solidified my style of solo radio. I hope it will continue for a long time to come.

♪ memento

TRUE Self

Good evening once again. What I’ve been interested in recently is “TRUE Self.” At my agency, there’s a guy named Nakajima Yoshiki who’s been a great help to me, both at work and as a friend. He’s producing a brand called “TRUE Self,” and I met him the other day so I procured a lot of stock *laughs*. Hopefully I’ll be able to post a picture later.

I modeled for his brand once in the past, but this time I couldn’t because of scheduling. The items are really good, though. I even asked him for a couple of the pieces he didn’t give me this time.

Everyone’s been doing all kinds of different things; even though acting is their main focus, some people are producing things as well. It really is amazing how broad the “voice actor” profession has become. Okay, yeah, the same goes for me *laughs*. I’ve been given the opportunity to do a lot of different things, which I’m really thankful for.

Now then, let’s begin “Saito Soma Strange dayS”. Thank you for tuning in today, everyone.

2nd EP: my beautiful valentine

Once again, this is Saito Soma. Now then, let’s get right to what you’ve all been waiting for. Today, I have a very very important announcement! Saito Soma will be releasing a second EP! *clap clap clap*

It was already obvious that it was going to be some kind of music, though. Anyway, I kept you waiting for a long time, but I can finally reveal more information about my new project.

First off, the title is my beautiful valentine. This is my second EP, and, as I’m sure you’ve already surmised, the name is taken from My Bloody Valentine. Now, my first EP was my blue vacation, meaning that both of them have the initials “MBV,” which I think is a dangerous trend to set, but well, that’s what it is.

Concept-wise, I’d like to consider my albums and singles the music of the “open” Saito Soma, covering a broader range of styles, while my EPs are a little deeper, corresponding to my more hardcore tastes. I think this release might be the darkest out of all of them so far.

As an aside, my producer at the label told me that I can talk about anything I want, which actually makes this harder for me, because I don’t know how much I should say. Whatever I talk about now is all going to become official news. That’s so scary! *laughs*

Scariness aside, let me reveal the release date first. It’s scheduled for February 9, 2022. As you’d expect, it’s close to Valentine’s Day. But, well, this is my music we’re talking about, so it’s not going to be what you’d normally associate with the phrase “my beautiful valentine.” There are songs that are unlike anything I’ve released so far, and I think the lyrics are also a little different.

The recordings and preparation work are going great, and we’re trying several new things too. If I could just say one thing, the recordings are really difficult every time. It’s the usual, “Who wrote this song?!”

I think we’ll be able to present the songs soon. Normally, I’d announce the song titles here, but they haven’t all been decided yet. As I mentioned a little while back, unexpected foreshadowing keeps happening in different places. I think it’s safe to give one example, so on Dameraji, Kaito-kun said something like, “The pomegranate in my heart is bursting,” which really startled me at the time. One of my new songs is called “Pomegranate,” so I was like, “My thoughts are being spied on!” I was pretty terrified of Kaito-kun when that happened… Naturally, the song doesn’t have anything to do with Ishikawa-san. “carpool” was also unrelated to Ishikawa-san.

The vague image I had for this EP was “a collection of weird tales.” I’m a fan of the Cthulhu mythos, and the author, Lovecraft-san, published that series in a magazine called Weird Tales. As such, this EP has a rather “dark fantasy” feel.

I did the photo shoot for the booklet and whatnot, and let me tell you, it’s really something. I’m really glad I grew out my hair *laughs* even though I said last week that I wanted to cut it so badly. The MV is also quite out-there. I think all of the details will be released gradually over the next weeks. We’ve created something really good, if I do say so myself, so please wait for more information.

After this program, the news will be posted to social media and the official website. Oh, that means the artist photo will be released too, right? It’s really nice. If I may say one thing in advance, it’s a little on the “surrealism” side. My keyword for it was “dépaysement,” so I’d appreciate it if you looked that up.

The CD bonuses will also be posted on social media and the official website, so please take a look there.

Gathering industry lingo

Now I’ll be reading some letters from listeners.

This one is from “I want to sit in the kotatsu and eat tangerines”-san. Thank you for your letter.

“Soma-kun, staff members, good evening.”

Good evening.

“Thank you for providing an enjoyable program every time.”

Same here.

“On your radio the other day, you said you were looking for industry lingo–“

Yes!

“–so I’m sending one right away. I work as a pastry chef, and in the patisserie industry we have an interesting term called naku.”

What’s naku? As in… calling tiles in mahjong? *laughs*

“I’m sure you’ve seen white powdered sugar on cakes and whatnot. If one were to use regular powdered sugar, the sugar would absorb the moisture and turn into syrup. We call that state ‘naku’; in other words, ‘naku’ = ‘melting.’ When I first started in this industry, I was struggling to keep up with all of the unfamiliar lingo, but now I’m using it on a daily basis without having to ask what anything means. When I think about that, I feel like I’ve really become a part of the industry.”

Ohhh… This is the kind of thing I was waiting for. The answer makes a lot of sense, though. Sorry to make this about me, but I also use naku with a very similar nuance to “melting” in my lyrics. I really love the concepts of “melting” and “blending.”

This is interesting because the verb naku probably also means completely different things in other industries. I think I’ll take all of your submissions and publish them *laughs* so please keep sending them in.

Next, a letter from “Meaningful Coincidence”-san. Thank you for your letter.

“Soma-kun, staff members, good evening. Thank you for providing this wonderful time every week. I’m sending this letter because on your radio the other day, you said you were looking for industry lingo.”

Thank you very much.

“I’m a dental hygienist, and in the dental field we have ‘basshi’–“

Oh, basshi as in stitches removal, right?

“–but we call it batsuito so that it won’t get mixed up with the ‘basshi’ that means tooth extraction.”

Ohhh.

“One day, I had to get non-dental stitches removed at a non-dental hospital, and I said, ‘I’d like to book an appointment for batsuito,’ but they didn’t understand, which was embarrassing for me. So, I think that term is probably exclusive to the dental industry.”

Oh I see, that’s an interesting case of avoiding mixing up words that sound the same. Batsuito, huh… I want a tooth extraction and stitches removal too *laughs*. I want both, and I’m willing to cry to get my way.

That’s neat, though, and I can see a lot of potential word confusion in dentistry, since it’d be bad if the wrong thing happened. Today I learned about batsuito; thank you very much.

Next–oh, there are a lot of letters. This one is from Azuki Komachi-san.

“Soma-san, good evening. Thank you for providing this relaxing time every Friday.”

Thank you.

“The other day, you were talking about industry lingo, so I wondered if I had any as a childcare student, but I couldn’t think of anything. So instead, I’m sending in one that was used at my part-time job: cue sheet. Since you’ve been on a lot of different radios, including this one, you might already know what it is. I was on a local radio during university, and that was the first term that made me go, ‘What is that?’ It’s a sheet that lists the participants, timeslots, and talk topics for the day. Put simply, it’s similar to a timetable. I remember that when I was told, ‘I’ll send out the cue sheet tomorrow,’ I was confused and had to rely on Google-sensei. Is there any radio-specific lingo that surprised you, Soma-san?”

Oh, it’s called a cue sheet?

Asano-san: That’s something a bit special.

Oh, is that so?

Asano-san: By the way, this program doesn’t use a cue sheet at the moment.

Right. But there are some radios that do?

Asano-san: For live broadcasts…

Ohh, I see.

Asano-san: For example, at FM stations, they list out what time the traffic report will be, what time each song plays, how long the songs are. FM stations sometimes don’t have scripts. They have cue sheets, which are different from the script we’re looking at right now.

I feel my greed coming out… I want to try a live broadcast too.

Asano-san: If that’s the case, our director works on the FM side sometimes too.

Really?!

Asano-san: That kind of thing… (presumably showing Soma a cue sheet)

It’s a cue sheet! *laughs* It does look like a timetable.

Asano-san: It has things like start times and “this has to be done in such-and-such minutes or else the program is a bust.”

Eek! On this radio, we have special endings sometimes, and even those are enough to make me really nervous. But hmm, radio lingo, huh? Do we have anything special…?

Asano-san: The famous one would be this, right? Although it’s not only used in radio.

Oh, kafu? Let’s see, how do I explain this… It’s like an on/off switch for the mic that we can use inside the studio. You can raise and lower it, and the sound only lives when you push the button like this–well, sound “living” is basically lingo too *laughs*.

Asano-san: Do you know the etymology?

Huh? The etymology of kafu?

Asano-san: It’s exactly what it sounds like.

Huh? What it sounds like? Kafu… something that hangs? *laughs*

Asano-san: It’s not “cuff” *laughs*

Not like ear cuffs, huh? *laughs*

Asano-san: It’s “cough.”

Oh, cough!

Asano-san: Because you lower this when you have to cough.

Whaaat?! There’s too much I don’t know!

Asano-san: Are you having fun? *laughs*

I’m having so much fun! I’m the kind of person who derives pleasure from learning new things.

Asano-san: There’s still a lot of letters, so let’s read another one next week.

I almost want to turn this into a regular corner. Thank you, everyone.

And with that, this program is accepting any and all kinds of letters. Please send them to soma@joqr.net – we’re waiting to hear from you.

Song #1

This is the part of the program where I introduce a song I’ve been into lately. I love a lot of artists, but I truly love this one’s lyrics, compositions, arrangements, sense, and most of all, singing voice. Please listen to Utada Hikaru-san’s “Kimi ni Muchuu”.

Ahhh, this song is too wonderful. What you just listened to was Utada Hikaru-san’s “Kimi ni Muchuu”.

Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu (The Vampire Dies in No Time)

Now then, I’m going to talk about some topics that listeners wrote in about. This one is from Mint-san. Thank you for your letter.

“Soma-kun, staff members, good evening.”

Good evening.

“Thank you for always making this radio so enjoyable. My child loves the anime ‘Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu’ and watches it almost every day. Just when I’d been thinking, ‘It’d be nice if Soma-kun appeared in this show,’ I found out that you were added to the cast as the role of Etiquette Breacher, and I got really excited. I watched episode 9, and the contrast between Etiquette Breacher’s stylish appearance and the way he gets giddy like a bratty child over low-stakes bad deeds was hilarious. Your voice was a perfect fit for him, and he was really cute. I came to love this character. I’d really appreciate it if you could share your impressions of the role and any behind-the-scenes stories.”

I was able to record this episode with the other cast members, and it was a lot of fun. Basically, the more comedic a role is, the more passion and seriousness you need, so it was a thrilling recording. I had so much fun.

It was so enthralling that I ended up getting too fired up. Etiquette Breacher is kind of a “small fry” character; he says really grand things while doing minor acts of annoyance. During the first test run, I got pretty into it and the director said, “Um, Soma, it kind of sounds like you’re going to destroy the world, so could you scale it down a bit?” *laughs* And I was like, oh, you’re right. *laughs* I was told to have passion but to keep it in check.

Episode 9 was packed with content, and I rewatched it myself too. Every part was really entertaining, and it made me think, “I like this kind of show.” Even back when I received the offer, I thought it sounded interesting. I’m glad that so many people have complimented me on this role.

Well, when I first received the offer, I was told, “You’ve received an offer to guest in a work called Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu,” and I said, “Oh, thank you. What kind of role is it?” “You’re an etiquette breacher.” Now, being told that made me think, “Huh? Did I say something wrong just now?” *laughs* Like, was it bad etiquette to ask what the role was? And then I looked at the info and realized it was a character named Etiquette Breacher. That was really funny.

I’m really enjoying this anime as a viewer too, and I think this kind of passionate comedy is a joy to watch. If you haven’t seen it yet, please do check it out.

CHILL CHILL BOX 7th

The next letter is from Nenashii-san. Thank you for writing in.

“Soma-san, staff members, good evening.”

Good evening.

“I attended the afternoon show for the reading drama CHILL CHILL BOX 7th ‘Shoukan IP! ~Shachiku to Vamp~’. It was my first time ever going to a reading drama, and I was amazed by everyone’s incredible acting, expressions, and nervousness from performing live. It was a lot of fun, and it was also really funny when you accidentally said ‘nanbei’ (South America) instead of ‘oubei’ (the West). If there are any behind-the-scenes stories you haven’t talked about yet, please share them with us.”

Yes, I participated in this reading drama some time ago. The story was really wacky in a good way, and it even involved a vampire, which made me feel a strange connection to the work.

I was the main character, an office worker who used to be full of hopes and dreams, but after a certain incident, he took on a “don’t rock the boat” mindset. One day, he gets transferred to a new department that summoned a vampire from the demon world, and it’s his job to produce the vampire as an idol. It was quite the exciting premise. That was all I’d heard when I received the initial offer, but I immediately said, “I’ll do it.”

The cast was full of esteemed veterans, and their performances were brilliant. I said this during the talk session too, but I really love both readings and reading dramas. There are so many expressions that you can only do in a live setting. In particular, everyone’s dialogues changed a lot between the afternoon and night shows. Each show had its own highlights, which I think is one of the neat things about live reading dramas.

The summoned vampire was extremely beautiful, and I had a line where I was supposed to say, “He’s like a prince from the West (oubei),” but at the afternoon show, for some reason I brazenly said South America (nanbei) instead. No one could really say anything in that situation, but the atmosphere felt kind of strange. I wondered if everyone was nervous, but apparently I was the most nervous of all *laughs*. I didn’t notice at all, which was why Yoshiki teased me about it during the talk session at the end. Then when it was time for the night show, Inoue Kazuhiko-san who was with me said, “Soma-kun, I’m counting on you to put emphasis on oubei” *laughs*. I took that to heart, and after that, Yoshiki and Nakazawa Masatomo-san continued the ad lib, which I was grateful for. It’s really fun when people follow up on improvisations.

I’ve appeared in many BL works, but I didn’t have much experience with BL-genre reading dramas, so I enjoyed myself a lot, and I’d like to do it again. I don’t get many opportunities to wear suits, so it felt quite fresh. Also, Hatano-san was there too, and he looks really good in glasses, doesn’t he? I think people noticed that I kept glancing at him and thinking, “Ahh, what a beautiful side profile” during the show *laughs*. Yeah, it was definitely during the actual performance.

It really was fun, so I want to thank everyone who came to see it, and I hope I’ll be invited to the next one as well.

Granblue Fantasy

Next, a letter from Tsukapon-san.

“Soma-kun, good evening. I always enjoy listening to your radio. Granblue’s Marionette Stars event was really good. As a long-time Feather fan, I was overcome with emotion because I never thought he’d get so much time in the spotlight. You have a variety of acting styles that you use depending on the character, but Feather is one-of-a-kind. It doesn’t even feel like acting–it really feels like Feather himself is talking. I adore your cheerful–and sometimes insane–performance as Feather, and it gives me a lot of energy. He has a lot of shouting, so it might be quite the burden on your throat, but I want to watch as you and Feather grow stronger together.”

Thank you very much. I’ve been the voice of Feather for quite a long time now, and he’s a top contender for “character who shouts the most” out of everyone I’ve voiced. It’s his unique trait.

The story this time was really good; I won’t say much about it, but please do read it for yourself. It changed my interpretation of Feather a lot, and as Tsukapon-san wrote, he has some “insane” moments. I think you’ll understand exactly what that means if you read the story. It felt like he’d made his breakthrough. It was fun, and as mentioned, it was really hard on my throat *laughs*.

As a general rule, I request to not have any work before or after a Feather recording so that I can expend everything I’ve got on it. Game scripts are split up into “words,” where two lines of dialogue are treated as one “word.” Fifty “words” as Feather are enough to wear out my throat. He’s a cool character, but his shouting isn’t really the “cool” type. I have to shout from my stomach even if it comes out rough, because shouting in a way that’s easy on my throat doesn’t have quite enough oomph. So, every time I voice Feather, I feel like I’m ready to break. I hope that comes across when you hear him.

It really was an incredible story, so if this talk has piqued your interest, please experience it for yourself.

I’m still open to hear what everyone is curious about, so please continue to send in your letters!

Song #2

Now then, it’s time for another song. It’s amazing that this is coming up here, because in a sense, this is a top contender for “Saito Soma’s most ‘insane’ song.” Please listen to Saito Soma’s “Kitchen”.

Closing

♪ carpool

Today’s episode of “Saito Soma Strange dayS” is soon coming to a close. This program is accepting letters from listeners. Any topic is fine, so please send them in to soma@joqr.net.

Now it’s time for announcements. This program has special extra content called “Saito Soma Strange dayS: Fushigi no Tobira”, which is posted on Nizista’s YouTube channel every Saturday. Every week, I talk about a keyword or title that I’m interested in. This content is exclusive to that channel, so please subscribe and enjoy.

As for this program’s broadcast and archive on Abema, the latest episode is updated late-night Thursdays and is available for free for one week. Abema Premium members can listen to the archive all the way from episode 1. Please make use of it if you’d like.

And so, I was finally able to announce my second EP, my beautiful valentine. It’s slated for February 9th. I think the official site and whatnot will be updated after this radio, and there should be more precise information there, so please check that out. I also hope to announce some more things on this radio, so please look forward to that.

With that, see you next time. This has been Saito Soma. Please join me for my curiosities next week as well.

“I wear TRUE Self a lot because it’s so easy to wear in everyday life. Also! My 2nd EP ‘my beautiful valentine’ has been revealed at last! I’ll continue to provide updates on my radio, so please keep listening!”

Nakajima Yoshiki replied to this tweet with a heart:

[Interview] Kirai de Isasete – Cast Interview

Original Link: https://www.b-boy.jp/special/kiraide-isasete/cd/interview.html
Published: 2020/9/25

※Only Soma’s section has been translated in this post, as well as relevant parts from the others.

Q: What were your impressions of the recording?

When I read the original work, I read it from Naoto’s point of view, and I cried many times. That’s how wonderful the story was. During the recording, I found myself tearing up at everyone else’s acting, and had to try to hold myself back somehow because I couldn’t cry yet. Since the original work and the recording atmosphere were so nice, I really enjoyed it. I realized again that when the story itself is fascinating, it’ll continue to be great no matter the medium. It was a very fun recording.

Q: What did you think about the character you played?

Naoto has been placed in a difficult environment, especially as an omega. When I was reading the original work, what stood out to me was that Naoto-kun’s focus is on Shizuku-chan rather than his own suffering. Of course, a person’s pain is something only they can know for themselves, but I think Naoto-kun is a wonderful person. An unfortunate experience led to him having Shizuku-chan at a young age, but he truly loves her and raises her with care, wanting to live with her. That said, since it’s an omegaverse setting, being an omega makes his life more difficult. When I read the original work, I really wanted him to obtain happiness. I thought he was a really strong person, not bending to his tough situation and still prioritizing his loved one.

Q: Tell us about your favourite scene.

I talked about it in the talk CD too, but the scene where Hazuki “lies” to Naoto really struck me. As Masuda-san said, Hazuki-kun is an ideal bachelor. That said, he’s only 17, so he’s not a perfect superhuman. He faces things head-on and has the kind of emotional swings that happen at that age, and maybe that’s what led to that lie… That’s what attracted me to him. Also, when Shizuku-chan goes to Hazuki-kun’s place and says “I can’t do anything for Mama, so you protect him,” that scene was really touching for me, even in the original work. I felt that Shizuku-chan was even cooler than Hazuki-kun and his age-appropriate sensitive feelings.

Q: As Shizuku-chan’s mother, Naoto does household chores. What chores are you good or bad at?

I’m best at cooking, and I’m worst at cleaning in general. Well, it’s not so much that I’m bad at it, but I don’t like doing it. I’ll do it since I have to, but it’s annoying. I like cooking, but I really hate washing the dishes… But during this period of self-isolating, I changed my mindset to “doing the cooking and cleaning in parallel and getting them done at the same time feels good,” and that motivated me a lot. I challenge myself to use less detergent and reduce my water bill, and that makes it more bearable. I think that mindset can be applied to housework in general, but when it comes to cleaning, I wish I could buy the most expensive Roomba out there and let it take care of everything by itself. *laughs*

(Massu explaining how he’s bad at everything but cleaning can be fun at first)

It can be fun to break it down into individual tasks. It’s hard to keep it up every day, though. It’s like, you only clean when it gets dirty, right?

Q: Lastly, please give a message for the fans looking forward to the drama CD.

When I read the original work, from the perspective of a normal reader, I thought it was truly fantastic. I was happy that I could be part of its audio adaptation. This drama CD ends on a sort of happy note, or rather, things have settled down for the moment. The original work still goes on, though, so I hope there’ll be more drama CDs too! Please enjoy this CD alongside the original work. Thank you for your support.

Other Mentions

  • Massu said that since it was his first time on an omegaverse work, Soma and Yoshiki explained the setting and alpha/beta/omega dynamics to him.
  • Yoshiki’s very first line in the interview was “The day has come for Saito-san to become a mother *laughs*”

[Interview] Souffle – Saito Soma in Sake to Koi ni wa Yotte Shikarubeki

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!

[Interview] Livedoor News – From Subculture Boy to Actor: What Colour is Saito Soma’s World?

Original Article: https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/17211623/
Published: 2019/10/15

Features:
Saito Soma (Tama in Uchitama?! ~Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?~)

Mentioned:
Ono Kensho (Pochi in Uchitama?! ~Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?~)
Kaji Yuki (Nora in Uchitama?! ~Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?~)
Uchida Yuma (Beh in Uchitama?! ~Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?~)
Maeno Tomoaki (Bull in Uchitama?! ~Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?~)
Shirai Yusuke (Tora in Uchitama?! ~Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?~)
Hatano Wataru (Gon in Uchitama?! ~Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?~)
Nakajima Yoshiki
Nakao Ryusei

Saito Soma is a popular voice actor, known for roles such as Kujou Tenn from IDOLiSH7, Tsurumaru Kuninaga from Touken Ranbu, and Yumeno Gentarou from Hypnosis Mic.

He’s demonstrated his many talents over the years, beginning a music career in 2017 and releasing his first essay collection in 2018.

Coming upon his 10th year as a voice actor, he says, “There’s the ‘Saito Soma’ in quotation marks, and then there’s the normal Saito Soma. By linking the two well, I’ll be able to express myself in even more ways. I think I’ll make that my personal theme for the future.”

The image others want to see from him versus his natural self. Perhaps it’s because of that gap that he has such a wide range of expression. While reflecting on how the voice acting industry has changed him, we ask him where he is now.

“It’s cute seeing a cat’s instinctive actions performed in human form!”

The Tama & Friends ~Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?~ franchise began with character goods in 1983, and became loved through all sorts of media forms, ranging from manga and school exercises to picture books and anime.

The new anime Uchitama?! ~Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?~ casts popular voice actors to familiar characters like Tama, Pochi, and Tora. We interviewed Saito Soma, who will be voicing the protagonist, Okamoto Tama.

Q: How did you feel when you got the role?

Various works these days are based off of anthropomorphization, but I was surprised that the beloved franchise Tama & Friends would become one of them. I had no idea what the anime setting would be like, so I was genuinely excited to find out.

Q: It seems that Episode 1’s recording has concluded. (This interview was conducted in August.) Did you voice your role as a cat or as a human?

It was completely as a cat. In their world, only their outer appearance is the humanized form.

I think the most unique trait of this anime adaptation is that it makes use of both the humanized forms and the actual animal forms. For Tama, the humans see him as a cat, but when he’s talking to Pochi or his other friends, they see each other in the human forms.

So, it’s important for me to keep in mind that he doesn’t follow the logical thought patterns of humans. He lives through his natural instincts as a cat.

For example, when a cat hears something, its natural reaction is to go towards the source of the sound, and that’s depicted as-is, to make it more realistic. I think that depicting those cat actions with a human form is a fun experiment.

Q: So, what did you keep in mind when voicing Tama?

Instead of acting more cutely than necessary, I think it’s closer to a cat’s natural appeal to express that cuteness in ways other than my voice.

For example, in Episode 1, Tama gets lost with Pochi (CV: Ono Kensho), but despite being lost, he still goes “I’m hungry~” and eats the food at someone else’s house without asking *laughs*

Tama doesn’t try to act cute; it’s a result of his natural actions. Hopefully, the viewers will think, “Oh, you were hungry so it’s not your fault. There there.”

Q: What about becoming more cat-like?

We voice the parts when they’re in their animal forms too, but real cats don’t actually say “meow,” right? So, I prepared in advance by watching videos.

However, when it comes to animation, I’ve never thought that it was important to be true to real life. What’s more important is having “a sense” of realism.

I strive to not adopt too many real world elements, so that my own imagination won’t be inhibited.

“When I voiced the child form, Shirai Yusuke said ‘That was good, I guess?'”

Q: What was the recording session like?

It was extremely peaceful. Many of us had co-starred often before, so the atmosphere felt comfortable right from the get-go.

The cat that Kaji (Yuki)-san voices, Nora, is an intelligent and cool character, and Kaji-san went all-in on voicing him that way… but his acting was so perfect that everyone would tease him for it *laughs* Kaji-san responded to our teasing in a hilarious way, and sometimes he’d tease me and (Uchida) Yuma-kun (voice of Beh) too *laughs*

Q: Who was teasing Kaji-san–

*interjects* It was Maeno (Tomoaki)-san (voice of Bull) *laughs*

Q: And who was teasing you?

I guess it’d be Shirai (Yusuke)-kun (voice of Tora). When I voiced Tama’s child form, he said, “That was good, I guess?” *laughs*

Aside from him, there were other people like Yuma-kun, Kaji-san, and Hatano (Wataru)-san (voice of Gon) who would also crack jokes at every opportunity, and I think this harmonious recording setting will bring about good results.

Q: You have the lead role, but what was your position during recording?

While the title is Uchitama?!, it’s definitely not a Tama-centric show. It depicts the lives of the Third Street inhabitants from various angles, and the cast includes many veteran senpais, so I didn’t have to get overly fired up.

If I have to say, I guess when we’re recording separate character lines, the first to speak is often Tama. I experiment with how cute and entertaining I can go, and pass the baton to the next person.

Q: I know it’s only been one episode, but what was the input from the director?

As of now, nothing at all *laughs* The audition for this show was done by sending in voice samples, so I guess what I submitted was close to what the staff wanted.

Tama shows what he’s feeling right away, so instead of overthinking it, I felt that it’d be better to feel what he’s feeling and output it directly.

It’s an ambitious project, and I think the best part of putting it together will be seeing how far beyond people’s expectations we can take it (in a good way). The creation team is still making sure to keep Tama’s character flexible.

I think it’s great when we, as actors, incorporate our presentation ideas, developing the characters and the work as a whole with each recording session.

“The type that withdraws from excessive human interaction”

Q: Now then, if you were a cat, what kind of cat do you think you’d be?

A Somali cat… Actually, there’s a guy named Nakajima Yoshiki at my agency (81 Produce), and he told me to say Somali *laughs* “Your names are similar, so it’d be good, right?” Apparently, Somalis have a clear voice, like a ringing bell.

Q: How would you like to be raised?

I’m the type that tends to pull back from excessive human interference, so I’d prefer to only be pampered very occasionally. A moderate amount of being left alone and a moderate amount of pampering… I wouldn’t want to be taken care of like that. I have my own life, so… *laughs*

People are people, cats are cats. I believe that each has their own territory.

Q: I see. By the way, regarding your answer to the cat question, how did you and Nakajima Yoshiki-san end up talking about Somalis?

I go drinking with Yoshiki often these days. I don’t know much about cats, but he’s a cat lover, so he answered instantly. I looked up pictures and saw that they have very pretty faces, but it’s embarrassing to say that with a proud face *laughs*

Q: Do people say you’re like a cat?

Not much. Sometimes someone will say “I don’t know what you’re thinking; you’re like a cat,” but there are also people who say the opposite, that I’m like a dog. So, I guess I’m not particularly cat-like.

Q: Do you think you have the characteristics of a “cat-type boy”?

Stuff like “whimsical” might describe me, but I don’t think someone who would say “I’m a cat-type boy” would actually be a cat-type boy… right? *laughs*

Q: Are there any books that come to mind when you think of cats? What are your recommendations, being the bookworm that you are?

I like sci-fi, and cats often appear in sci-fi works. I don’t know if it’s because a cat’s perspective of the world is sci-fi-esque, but sci-fi authors from all sorts of times and places put cats in their novels.

There are three books I’d like to recommend. The first is Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle. The story has nothing to do with cats, but the title relates to the game of “cat’s cradle.” It’s the first book that comes to mind when I hear the word “cat.”

The second is Robert A. Heinlein’s The Door into Summer. This one is a classic sci-fi masterpiece, and a cat appears in the story. If I recall correctly, the new translation that came out recently had the cat on the front cover too.

The third one is Akiyama Mizuhito’s Neko no Chikyuugi. It’s a light novel, but I love Akiyama-sensei’s literary style. I encourage sci-fi lovers and cat lovers to read it.

“10 years is the starting line. I want to mature more.”

Q: Next year marks your 10th year as a voice actor. Congratulations!

Thank you.

Q: You’re currently 28. When you debuted, did you have a goal to continue until you were 30?

I didn’t have a concrete goal like that, but my senpais often told me, “Keep going for 10 years. When you’ve gone for 10 years, you’ve reached the starting line.” Those words really stuck with me, and I’m nothing short of grateful for the turns of fate that allowed me to come this far.

Although I didn’t feel this way when I first debuted, right now I want to hurry up and turn 30. In life, there’s a period when youth and freshness are a strength, but ideally you should build your accomplishments and mature more. To that extent, I want to do expressions with a depth that can only be attained through years of experience… for example, by challenging a role I’ve never done before.

Q: What kind of role would that be?

Something like an older character, or an extremely powerful villain. There are a lot of things where I think, “I haven’t acted this type of character before since it wasn’t asked of me, but I’m sure I’d like it,” so I hope I run into a work that’ll allow me to output that. But in the end, our work is a collaborative effort with the creators and staff. I always value the bonds that connect us.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to challenge in your music or writing?

For music, I released my first full album (quantum stranger) in December last year. It… wasn’t quite “Season 1”, but I feel that it wrapped up cleanly. Next, I want to present music that I didn’t try in Season 1.

For example, so far I’ve been intentionally writing orthodox songs with a verse, bridge, and chorus, but I’ve always liked songs that don’t follow that pattern. An understanding of that template will allow me to break free from it, and hopefully people will accept what I have to offer. My goal is music that’s irregular but seeps into your ears and body.

Q: How about on the writing front?

I’ve thankfully been given a lot of writing work, but I’ve always wanted to write a traveler’s journal, and I want to try it if my schedule will allow for it. I even want to spend several days exploring Europe.

I also want to write fiction, but first, I want to try expressing what I see and experience with my own eyes, as an extension of the essays I’m currently writing. Year after year, I feel that traveling has become more and more important in my life, and I want to create various works based on that.

“You can’t put conditions on emotions. I want to remove the excess filters on my heart.”

Q: Have your experiences in music and writing provided feedback for your acting work?

They use different circuits, so it doesn’t quite feel like feedback.

I purposefully use music and writing to express myself differently from the voice actor Saito Soma, so I think that if I were to link the two sides, I would end up limiting my creations to an extremely narrow world. The results will be better if I don’t try to do that.

You can’t put conditions on emotions… It’s important to stop thinking things like “It’d be better to feel this way” or “I should think this way.”

There’ll be moments when I think that while acting, but for myself, composing music and writing is work where I remove those so-called excess filters on my heart. So, to me, voice acting work and creative work are two equally important wheels that I can’t function without.

Q: What about the reverse, then? Do you receive feedback from your voice acting work?

A lot. That’s also because, before I set my sights on becoming a voice actor, I already liked composing music and writing.

Working as a voice actor for so long has definitely changed my way of thinking and feeling for the better, and those changes are greatly reflected in my music and writing.

My teenage self wouldn’t have been able to write the songs I’ve released so far.

Q: I read your essay book, Kenkou de Bunkateki na Saitei Gendo no Seikatsu, but after hearing what you said, now I want to read your future essays, five or ten years from now.

Thank you. I intentionally wrote the essays in that book to be read easily and smoothly–both in literary style and content–but in the end, I think they were only read because of the existence of the “Saito Soma” in quotation marks.

On the other hand, there are so many things that the “Saito Soma” in quotation marks will never be able to express to the world, and I think that’s because I’m holding myself back… Wait, but that doesn’t mean I’m talking about anything unethical *laughs*

I feel that if I can better link the “Saito Soma” in quotation marks with the normal Saito Soma, I’ll be able to express myself in even more ways. I think I’ll make that my personal theme for the future.

“Now is the time for grounding, not pursuing ascension.”

Q: About a year ago, you spoke about the word “ascension” in interviews and whatnot, which left quite the impression.

I’ve always liked the occult and spiritual things, and “ascension” is a spiritual word referring to the soul rising to the next level.

Q: You said that “encountering this word suddenly changed [your] way of thinking; it was like [you’d] been released from [your] chains, and living became a lot easier and more enjoyable.” You also said that “when the next ascension comes, [you] want to grab onto it and accept it.” Have there been any recent developments?

Life sure is complicated. Right now, I don’t feel as “chained down” as I did during that past interview. Back then, I did feel as though life had become easier, freer. But everything has different sides to it, and now I see that there was a good side and a bad side to that state.

I think it’s probably not realistic for things to always be getting better. You take one step forward, then fall several steps back. It’s a back-and-forth cycle.

If there’ll be another moment when my heart feels set free, then that’ll happen when it happens. Right now, I’m not going to forcefully focus on pursuing ascension, because grounding (living with your feet on the ground) is important too.

Q: Did leaving that “ascended” state affect your work?

Over the years, I’ve been granted more and more opportunities to do expressive work outside of acting, such as my music and writing activities. Because of that, my thoughts are moving more and more rapidly, and there are certainly some things that I can’t create without being in an “ascended” state. For example, lyrics and melodies.

On the other hand, I’m certain that there are also expressions that also come from a “grounded” state.

Q: Not being “ascended” doesn’t mean that you’ve taken steps back, though.

Indeed, it’s not a straight path. Being able to experience things in more varied ways is important as both a voice actor and a person, so I’ve accepted that now is the time for that.

Q: Lastly, is there anything your senpais have said to you or taught you about acting that you still take to heart today?

When I was in training, I was taught by Nakao Ryusei-san, a veteran at our agency, for a year. Ryusei-san taught me detailed techniques and whatnot, but he also taught me the mental attitude to have as a person and an actor. Among that was the “wait” attitude.

For example, when you receive a script, how should you spend the days left before the recording? There’s no right answer or anything. Obviously you have to read the script and prepare, but continuing to think about it constantly is a valid approach, as is doing something completely unrelated, because sometimes hints will come to you on their own. But, you also have the option to take it easy or have sneaky thoughts.

The same goes for the recording session. How do you interpret the time when it’s not your turn? Is it simply a time when you have no lines, or should you watch your senpais’ acting and try to absorb anything you can? That one change of attitude can make that time worthwhile. It’s what he called the valuable “wait attitude.”

When you get used to work and life itself, there are times when you’ll unintentionally forget to be nervous. When that’s about to happen, I remember what Ryusei-san said and focus my mind.

Q: It’s called “wait,” but it’s actually telling you to be proactive.

Yes. I’m a bit of a contrarian, so I interpreted it in the reverse: “This isn’t standby time; it’s free time that I can use to improve myself.”

Do you lament the current situation, or do you use it to change for the better? I think it all depends on your “wait attitude,” so when painful times come, I want to value those experiences.

Bonus off-shot from Soma’s fashion stylist: