Tag: Takeuchi Shunsuke

[Interview] Aoi Haru no Oto ga Kikoeru Vol.3 – Cast Interview

Original URL: http://www.team-e.co.jp/spica/aoharu/special.html#vol3_03
Published: 2020/12/29

※Only Soma’s interview has been translated in this post.

Q: Thank you for your hard work today at the recording. Could you tell us your impressions of the story after reading the Vol.3 script?

I thought it was an incredibly dense volume. Last time I was glad that Nao and Ayato’s problem got resolved, but this time the scenes moved dizzyingly fast, from Ibuki and Ren’s part in the first half to Iriya’s part in the second half. The turbulent pacing was fitting for the turning point of the story.

Q: Please tell us your impressions of the recording (what you felt was difficult or enjoyable about voicing your character).

Iriya had rather fierce emotional ups and downs this time, and it was hard to not let each of the scenes influence each other. For example, chronologically, the scene at the end takes place at the time of Vol.1. At any rate, I acted each scene to the best of my ability. Iriya and Takaomi’s disagreement is still deeply ingrained. The comedic scene where everyone’s having a strategic meeting at Nao’s house is the source of comfort this time.

Q: What did you think of the themes of “You can go to the future, but not the past” and “Making a choice you won’t regret” in Vol.3? And what did you think of Ibuki and Ren, the key characters in the first half?

Their struggles are very realistic. Having a dream but also wanting to consider your parents’ will; not being able to find your dream in the first place… I think it’s great that they’re supporting each other through those true-to-life worries. In the scene where Ren pleads with Ibuki’s father, I felt that Takeuchi-kun poured his soul into it rather than using careful technique.

Q: Which character left the biggest impression on you in Vol.3?

I think it’d be Iriya. Ren and Ibuki were notable too, but I’d always been wondering what happened on that night. I’m curious about what will happen to Iriya in the last volume and whether there’ll be solace for him, since it ended the way it did… I hope that that radiant smile will return to Nao.

Q: Please give us a message for the fans based on the story highlight of this volume.

Thank you for supporting Aoharu! What did you think of the volatile plot developments this time? The cast members are also excited to find out how the boys’ story will end. Please stick with us until the last volume and hear for yourself too. Thank you for your continued support!

Extra:

In Uemura Yuto’s photo from the recording, he was wearing the beret that Soma gave him from the glamb collab:

[Interview] Oresama Residence -LOVE or FATE- #3 – Cast Interview

Original Link: https://www.bs-log.com/20200527_1408192/
Published: 2020/5/27

Features:
Takeuchi Shunsuke (Saionji Fuji in Oresama Residence)
Saito Soma (Saionji Gen in Oresama Residence)

※Only the Shunsuke+Soma interview has been translated in this post. I haven’t listened to this drama CD yet so I’m not sure if the new character’s name is pronounced Mikado or Tei (or something else). I’ll use Mikado for now and change it later if need be.

Q: What were your impressions after reading the script for the prequel story?

Shunsuke: Mahiro had a strong impact. I was also surprised that we got imprisoned. *laughs*

Soma: The story had Mahiro’s dangerous plan progressing, another new antagonist named Mikado, and the six men building a stronger bond. It really felt like the “twist” part of the classic narrative structure.

Q: Your characters had many dialogues. Were there any scenes that particularly stood out to you from the prequel story?

Soma: The conversation with Miori. I think he’s the type of person that doesn’t express his emotions in an easy-to-understand way, so I was glad that Gen was the one who got to hear his true feelings. I was truly impressed by their scene.

The scene where he flares up at Mikado was also memorable. Also, who would’ve thought the day would come when Gen would pat Miori’s head? I can’t believe they’ve come so far *laughs*. This was the first time Gen showed that he could accept people outside of his family, so I was glad to see his growth. Miori also came a long way and can say how he truly feels now, and as someone who was involved with that, it left an impression on me.

Shunsuke: Gen might be the character who’s made the most rapid growth. It’s like he’s become a man. I think Fuji’s direction has changed a bit…

Soma: It’s like he’s changing in a way that makes him more stable.

Shunsuke: Yeah, Fuji’s become a good guy too. *laughs*

Soma: His bad nature is mostly gone now. *laughs*

Shunsuke: I don’t think the past Fuji was liked because he rubbed people the wrong way, but he did have a persuasive power to his words, making you think that he was correct. Now people listen to his opinion because of who he is, not just because he’s the oldest son or because he’s so amazing. I’m glad that he can show his cooperative side now.

Soma: Even if he says “Because I’m Saionji Fuji-sama!”, they accept it for what it is *laughs*. At first it was more like “Shut up, Fuji-kun,” but now they can nod in agreement.

Q: The characters all have wildly different characteristics. Did you have a favourite character in the story this time?

Shunsuke: I’d say Mahiro. I liked how he was presented. I can’t say he has an attractive personality, but I don’t think there are many people who have his kind of love and whose feelings are that hard to read. It’s like he personifies what happens when one becomes pure. The story revolves around him desperately trying to save people who can’t save themselves, showing the most beautiful aspect of humanity. It really left an impression on me.

Soma: I think that Mahiro himself wanted to be released from his own desires, futility, life, fate, and his younger sister. Even though he made it to England this time, it seemed like he was wishing for his own destruction in another way… I think those who listened to the drama CD will understand.

Every character had their chance in the spotlight this time, but since the story was about Mahiro’s life, he left the biggest impression on me. It was saddening to watch him set his heart on the path to destruction.

Q: Please give us a message for the customers who’ll be buying this CD, based on the highlights of the prequel story.

Shunsuke: This is the third volume of a long-running series, so I think it’s extremely satisfying to hear how the Saionjis’ and the Arisugawas’ circumstances cross over all at once. I also think it’ll be fun to speculate on just what kind of man Mahiro is as we head towards the next volume. Please focus your attention on Mahiro.

Soma: Thank you for always supporting Samareji. When you listen to this CD, I’m sure your first thought will be “I want to listen to the last volume now!”, but please look back on all of the past volumes and imagine what the conclusion might be while you wait.

Personally, I think that Samareji as a whole is doing a very noble job of depicting a person’s half-lifetime, and the story is enjoyable whether you look at it from Mahiro’s point of view or us six’s.

Please re-listen to the previous volumes as you await the ending. Thank you for your support.

[Interview] Animate Times – Omikuji Yon Kyoudai Cast Interview

Published: 2020/5/22
Original URL: https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1587624437

Features:
Hatano Wataru (Shuu in Omikuji Yon Kyoudai)
Saito Soma (Ayame in Omikuji Yon Kyoudai)
Nishiyama Koutaro (Aoba in Omikuji Yon Kyoudai)
Takeuchi Shunsuke (Shiki in Omikuji Yon Kyoudai)
Komada Wataru (Ogata Kouichi in Omikuji Yon Kyoudai: Fuyu no Tantei wa Roast Beef ga Osuki)

Mentioned:
Genda Tessyo

※This interview was to commemorate the series’ first-ever BD/DVD release, their Fuyu no Tantei wa Roast Beef ga Osuki event.

Omikuji Yon Kyoudai gained new potential with their first-ever guest member☆

Q: First, please tell us your impressions of the Omikuji Yon Kyoudai: Fuyu no Tantei wa Roast Beef ga Osuki reading theatre that was held last winter.

Hatano: Rather than a normal reading theatre, this one felt like a new form of entertainment. It was on a large-scale stage, so we had to run around a lot.

Kawajiri Keita-san’s script had me laughing just from reading it, and it took each of the actors’ characteristics into play. It was a reading theatre where I really had no idea what would come forth.

Omikuji Yon Kyoudai was originally only the four of us, but by inviting Komada-kun as our first guest, I feel like the series has taken a new step forward.

Takeuchi: This was the second reading theatre we did, the first being Haru wa Omusubi!. I wondered how it’d turn out, but we had Wataru-san as a guest and the script took on a different flavour, so it felt like a new wave of dialogues was born. It showed that Omikuji Yon Kyoudai had room for such new developments.

I wanted to act both the comedic and the heartwarming parts with everything I had, to figure out how to make it the most entertaining, for the sake of the next installment as well.

Saito: I really got tired from laughing so much *laughs*. As they said, I really felt like I’ve grown through these good brothers, good series, and good characters.

Our guest, Koma-chan was a key character in this reading theatre, and if you were to ask me to name an alternative actor for him, no one else comes to mind at all.

We created this stage with this amazing cast, and it was a wonderful event that gave me high hopes for the future of the four brothers… but, it was seriously exhausting. *laughs*

Ayame’s parts were long. I’d keep flipping and flipping the pages, but it’d still be on Ayame.

Komada: Don’t be like that. If we removed any more lines, it wouldn’t be interesting anymore.

Saito: I want to take this opportunity to state that I had the fewest ad libs. *laughs*

Hatano: Who had the most?

Saito: *immediately answers* It was you, Hatano-san.

All: *laughs*

Saito: You were doing that rigid dancing while the lights dimmed, and the evening session had a lot of ad libs, right?

Nishiyama: His movements were visually way more active than everyone else’s. *laughs*

Hatano: Before it began, Kawajiri-san said “The stage transition there is a bit long, so feel free to play around.” So I really did it, only to see that no one else was moving!

All: *laughs*

Hatano: It was so embarrassing!

Saito: It was so funny *laughs*

Q: What were your impressions, Nishiyama-san?

Nishiyama: Both sessions were held on the same day, but it felt like the day and evening sessions were quite different in tone. This was because after the day session, during the break we discussed changes we wanted to make based on the audience’s reactions. I think it was a day of utmost concentration for all of us.

Komada: Like Koutaro-kun said, the audience reactions between the day and evening sessions would make you think they were different shows. All of the cast members made things more entertaining, and it was a lot of fun.

I was participating as the series’ first guest, so I was really excited about that already. During rehearsal, I absorbed as much as I could of the four characters they’d been developing all this time, and went into the performance wanting to simply enjoy the atmosphere.

The gap formed from the powered-up characters is hilarious!

Q: In the after-talk, you talked about how this event was the culmination of what came before it. Regarding what you have in common with the characters you play, has anything changed since your first impression of them?

Saito: I don’t think I have anything (in common). *laughs*

Nishiyama: My first impression of Aoba was that he was the most cheerful and energetic of the four brothers. I also thought he’d be shy around people outside their family, but it turned out that he was unreserved towards Ogata-san in this reading theatre. I realized that he can treat everyone in the same cheerful way.

Komada: Just like you, right? You’re a milder version. *laughs*

Takeuchi: We make new discoveries each time we act as them, so I think every character has gaps like that.

Saito: I think they got deeper with this performance, like their facial expressions that are contrary to their lines. Like how Shuu-nii never fails to find the camera when he poses. The camerawork was excellent too.

Hatano: Shuu had a lot of lines that were directed towards the audience, so I guess it seemed that way. *laughs*

Takeuchi: From this video footage, I think you’ll understand what it means when we say “reading theatre isn’t only about reading.” 81 Produce should use this as teaching material in their training school!

All: *laughs*

Saito: Shiki also sang a lot more than usual.

Takeuchi: He was supposed to just be a karaoke enthusiast at first…

Hatano: It was like the technique of a wandering minstrel. Takeuchi-kun can sing about any theme.

Q: He had singing scenes with a variety of titles, right? I wondered if Shiki’s songs had lyrics and composition behind them.

Takeuchi: This is embarrassing to talk about. *laughs*

Saito: You should say it!

Takeuchi: It’s… Shiki’s mental state *nervous*. I’d prefer to leave it to people’s imagination, so I’m still not going to comment.

Saito: The fortunes are a matter of chance, after all. We don’t know what we’ll get until we pull them. On the other hand, that helped us grow.

Takeuchi: Indeed *laughs*. All of the characters have been powering up.

Saito: *immediately* Ayame was the same as always, though.

Hatano: He’s definitely powering up!

Saito: It felt like the script gave him the “entertainer” position. I didn’t expect there to be a red light overlaid on my face on the live camera… It shocked me again when I saw it in the footage *laughs*. Everyone broke character when it happened.

Hatano: That was something only you could do. *laughs*

Q: In the after-talk, Hatano-san said something along the lines of, “Did Shuu always like girls this much?”

Hatano: In the very first recording, I emphasized the character’s personality strongly, but was directed to keep him as an elegant young man, so that he wouldn’t come across as a philanderer. I’ve been maintaining that since then, but this time, the script made it seem like his pent-up thoughts exploded. So, I boldly went all-in.

But no matter what we saw of him here, that was only one side of his character. He has various sides to him, like how he cares for his brothers. It’s just that this performance made it clear that he loves girls more than he loves food. *laughs*

Saito: There was the part about green peppers too.

Hatano: “Girl pepper” was Aoba’s line.

Nishiyama: It was completely as written in the script.

Q: I see! I thought it was an ad lib. I’d like to compare with the script to see how much of it was ad-libbed.

Hatano: The part where I suddenly got excited about urban legends was completely my own ad lib. *laughs*

Komada: We naturally poked fun at it during the commentary, but Hatano-san was intent on expressing his love for urban legends. He went a long time without looking at the script.

Nishiyama: It was entertaining because it was purely ad-libbed.

Q: For the series’ first guest, Komada-san, what was your first impression of your character, and do you have anything in common with him?

Komada: My role was split into Kouichi and Kouji, who are complete opposites. Kouichi is calm and open-hearted, the type you’d expect to live in the western-style house that the story took place in. Meanwhile, Kouji is oppressive. Even though it was a dual role, it wasn’t particularly difficult to work with emotion-wise. Although, speaking in a mild tone followed by a sudden loud outburst was such a contrast that I’d have to hold back my laughter each time. I think it would’ve made the audience chuckle too, but personally… my attitude wasn’t as rough as Kouji nor as mild as Kouichi, so I was like a third person that was an average of the two.

All: *laughs*

Nishiyama: A third person that grew up watching Kouichi and Kouji, right?

Komada: Having both power and gentleness… That makes it sound like a good thing. Well, let’s leave it at that. *laughs*

Since it’s a video, the silent scenes are noteworthy too!

Q: You talked about the good camerawork as well. Unlike recordings for anime and whatnot where you stand in front of the mic, this reading theatre was like a stage play with visuals and props. What were your personal highlights, or things that can only be enjoyed because of the visuals?

Nishiyama: Everyone was aware that they could be seen at any moment, so I think it’d be interesting to observe our facial expressions. It was really neat how the footage switched between all of the different cameras showing us.

Komada: Since it’s a reading theatre, we naturally acted out the core lines faithfully, and mixed in some small, fun deviations in the non-important parts. Since there was a live camera, it was a unique reading theatre with many scenes that would make the viewers laugh unexpectedly. I think being able to enjoy that is the best thing about this BD/DVD release.

Saito: We were acting without being able to see what kind of footage was being shown to the audience, so when I watched the footage for this disc release, it made me want to draw attention to the silent parts, too. Since this reading theatre had movement involved, we were able to create “entertainment between the lines,” so the parts without dialogue actually seemed funnier. Komada-san in particular made great facial expressions this time… They really were wonderful. *laughs*

Takeuchi: Komada-san’s face was always there during the close-ups.

Hatano: Koutaro’s close-ups were also nice… and funny. *laughs*

Nishiyama: It didn’t feel like there were that many during the first half (which I commentated)…

Komada: No, there was definitely at least one *laughs*. It wasn’t just the two of us, though.

Nishiyama: Yeah, everyone was great! Koma-chan was good at finding the camera. He looked straight at it, as if he knew it was going to be released on disc. A lot of the things I didn’t know at the time because of the wide stage became clear thanks to this release.

Hatano: Everyone was competing with ad libs, so even the parts I did know greatly exceeded my expectations. The cameramen captured great moments, like when we weren’t speaking and turned to the side to hold back our laughter. Even though it’s in video form, it feels like you’re watching it live.

Hatano-san, the senpai who breaks through the sense of security with ad libs, and Takeuchi-san, totally the cute, spoiled youngest sibling♪

Q: By the way, was there anything you noticed about each other due to being senpais and kouhais at the same agency?

Saito: We were all friends to begin with, but when we’re on stage, it’s not about senpais/kouhais or being from the same agency—we’re all equal as “actors.” I always genuinely think, “Wow, they’re really good.”

For example, Hatano-san has an unwavering sense of stability, and even when the rest of us go off-track with ad libs, he’ll always bring us back to the main story. Or so we thought, but then he took the initiative to force ad libs in, making the rest of us go “Oh, fine!” “We’ll do it too, then.”

Takeuchi: It was like we were given the green light. *laughs*

Komada: Among all the chatter, in the end Hatano-san was enjoying himself the most. He also added things without telling us, making us laugh too. *laughs*

Nishiyama: He came out of nowhere. Despite that, Hatano-san’s presence kept the scene together. If he weren’t there, we’d get even more off-track, so I think he showed us the “logic” of acting.

Saito: On the other hand, Shun-chan laughed too much *laughs*. If you look closely, he’s hiding his laughter behind his hair.

Takeuchi: I really want people to watch the footage *laughs*. I couldn’t hold back my laughter, so I was trying to minimize risk and ended up looking down at my script the whole time.

Saito: That makes you like the youngest sibling; it’s cute.

Hatano: Right, when we see Takeuchi-kun during recordings, he seems like this cool, mighty character with a deep voice, but in this series he has the innocence of the youngest child. Seeing him suddenly smile brightly makes my chest tighten.

Nishiyama: In a way, it’s like his age is showing, and it feels like everyone’s doting on him.

Komada: Rather than the cool aura he gives off during work—please write “in a super low voice” here and make it bold—it constantly felt like he was approaching me like “(in a super low voice) Komada-saaan!” and I thought something like that was only possible because of this particular work.

All of us are from the same agency, we see each other regularly at various jobs, and we’ve known each other for a long time too, so we can relax around each other.

We also spent time making suggestions (including ad libs), and on the day of the show, rather than “It’s time for the real show!”, it felt more like “We finally get to do this.” I think Takeuchi showed that kind of cuteness.

What did the cast think was great about Saito-san, Komada-san, and Nishiyama-san?

Takeuchi: But when it comes to cuteness, it has to be Ayame…

Saito: …*peers at Takeuchi-san* Do you really think so? Look into my eyes and say that without hiding behind your bangs. *laughs*

Takeuchi: *laughs* Ayame really was amazing this time! Even during the picture drama recordings, Ayame’s always opening new doors. In response to that, Soma-san always “opens the doors for real,” not halfway.

Saito: Ayame was originally more normal, and had the impression of the second son that balances everyone out. Why did he end up like this? *laughs*

All: *laughs*

Takeuchi: But since you open the door all the way, it became convincing. The script was amazing too.

Saito: Yeah, I was generally acting according to the script.

Komada: Soma and I debuted around the same time and I know him well, so when I see the way he interposes lines during funny scenes and presents himself to the camera, I think “Well done.” *laughs*

Nishiyama: Soma made me laugh just from the picture. I think he also has the power to move us back on track when the conversation gets derailed.

Hatano: Honestly, starting from the rehearsal I thought each and every one of them was amazing. When I got the script, I initially imagined the stage and how it’d go, but when we actually did it, it greatly exceeded my expectations. And our guest, Komada-kun was excellent too.

Takeuchi: He has a sharp mind and a sense of humour.

Saito: During the evening session, Kouji evaluated the brothers’ costumes and adjusted them one-by-one, and that was all Koma-chan’s ad-libbing. The four of us did our own ad lib comments, and it was amazing how nothing missed its mark. It would’ve been impossible without considerable determination beforehand. I thought, “This guy’s amazing!”

Komada: I suggested it after the day session. Since the four of them were posing, I figured the audience would want to see more of it, and I did too. Plus, it’s hard to put on the costume on stage without a mirror, so I thought I could straighten out their costumes while everyone else was enjoying their poses. Even though I suggested it, I didn’t actually think about what I was going to say, so I gave my honest impressions on the spot. *laughs*

Nishiyama: You did it so well; it was hilarious. *laughs*

Komada: That was my highlight of the day. The “Well done, Komada!” scene.

Hatano: It was incredible! Koutaro was crazy, too. I wondered what was going on with his mental state.

Takeuchi: My personal highlight was Nishiyama-san’s bow during the curtain call. Normally you have your hands at your sides when you bow, but Nishiyama-san alone had them in front, like he was reaching down.

All: *laughs*

Hatano: It turned into a diving posture. *laughs*

Takeuchi: It looks like the start of a match, so we’ll need the judges to take a look at it.

Hatano: With instant replay.

Saito: In slow-motion.

Komada: I think he did it on purpose. *laughs*

Nishiyama: I wasn’t! It’d be insane to do that on purpose by myself. *laughs*

Takeuchi: Nishiyama Koutaro-san really is different. He’s a genius. I don’t think I’m the only one who thought that, so please chime in. *laughs*

Komada: His bow was just one example of how it feels like he claims things for himself.

Saito: I think it happened because he wanted to make people smile. The video footage tells it all, so please pay attention to Nishiyama-san.

Nishiyama: *laughs* I don’t mind at all if you watch me!

The setting for the next show…?

Q: This is something you’ll have to check in the footage. So, the next reading theatre is planned for autumn. Are there any situations you’d like to try, or things you want to challenge?

Hatano: Autumn has a lot of possibilities, huh?

Takeuchi: It’s said that autumn is the best season for reading, too. When you think of autumn, you think of the arts, and when you think of the arts, you think of singing…

Saito: Can we make mascots again like we did for the first show? Then again, a monster was created back then.

Nishiyama: What about the food? We’ve had onigiri and roast beef, so for a taste of autumn, how about fruit?

Komada: That’s good, and baked sweet potatoes. We’ll have a veteran from 81 Produce sing the baked sweet potato song, like Genda (Tessyo)-san, and it’ll be like “You can’t pass by the food cart without stopping!”

Q: That sounds like it’d become an amazing reading theatre. *laughs*

Nishiyama: The original concept we heard for this series was that it was seeking to be bright and fun. Omikuji Yon Kyoudai is something that’s comforting no matter when you watch it, so I want to continue having fun with it.

Hatano: Indeed.

Takeuchi: Oh, how about another set of four brothers?

Saito: Themed after cards, like diamond, spade, et cetera?

Hatano: They come from America, and the oldest son is Genda Tessyo-san.

Saito: That sounds interesting. “YOU guys call yourself the fortune BROTHERS, but you don’t pull fortunes very often, huh? HAHA”

All: *laughs*

Back to the original intent, and look forward to Omikuji Yon Kyoudai’s future developments!

Q: I’m excited to see how much of this gets implemented *laughs*. Lastly, please give a message for the fans looking forward to the BD/DVD.

Komada: Since it’s the first disc release, the selling point is that if you wanted to see it again or couldn’t come on that day: “Don’t worry. Everything is shown.” *laughs*

The making-of also shows a little bit of our planning before the show, so you can get a candid view of how it was put together.

Omikuji Yon Kyoudai is bound to keep doing new things, so I really hope I’ll have the opportunity to participate again.

Please enjoy the BD/DVD from various perspectives!

Nishiyama: This is the first time our reading theatre is being released on BD/DVD, so those who came to the event will be able to see it more thoroughly, and those who couldn’t make it can expand on their enjoyment of the picture dramas.

This time, we had Koma-chan as a powerful helper, and I think we were able to put on a bright, fun show. I hope we can act with Koma-chan again, so please watch the BD/DVD a lot and show your support.

Takeuchi: Please enjoy the audio commentary on the BD/DVD too.

Also, Omikuji Yon Kyoudai began with the voiced fortunes on the website, so I’ll be happy if this reading theatre encourages everyone to pull their daily fortunes again.

“Don’t forget your initial intent.” I want to continue trying to create those opportunities.

Saito: Indeed. I’d forgotten because this time we were making roast beef and having a Christmas party. *laughs*

This series has gone on for about four years, and it’s uncommon to have the chance to voice a single series or character for so long. I hope we can continue doing this forever at a relaxed pace.

This time we had Komada-kun too, and despite all that was said, the four of us were able to let loose (in an extremely good way) and have fun while putting all our effort into the show.

Thankfully, the next show is already confirmed, although there are still things we don’t know, like what it’ll be about and what Omikuji Yon Kyoudai’s next developments will be.

It’s probably going to be an autumn full of laughs, huh…?

All: *laughs*

Hatano: It might be ultra serious for all we know. *laughs*

Saito: That’s possible. You don’t know what fortune you’ll get until you draw it, so I hope we get a “very lucky” story.

Please continue to support Omikuji Yon Kyoudai!

Hatano: Omikuji Yon Kyoudai began as voice content that was enjoyed through the website. When we had our first reading theatre, Omikuji Yon Kyoudai: Haru wa Omusubi!, I thought “This might be the first and last time,” but thanks to each and every one of the audience’s support, we were able to perform again, which I’m thankful for.

This series teaches me how it’s important to do your very best every time. There’s entertainment that can only be created during those instants, and I hope we can continue to work together creating that.

Please look forward to the BD/DVD and the next reading theatre!

※This interview was conducted before the COVID-19 state of emergency was declared.

[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] Oresama Residence -LOVE or FATE- #1 – Cast Interview

Original Link: https://www.bs-log.com/20200325_1405656/
Published: 2020/3/25

※Only Soma’s section has been translated in this post.

Q1: What are your impressions after reading the script?

During the previous series (ALIVE), I felt that it showed Samareji’s potential to be serious, and this time the scale felt even grander.

It felt like it was still only the beginning of the story, and I was honestly impatient to find out what happens next *laughs*

I felt proud of the three brothers’ growth, as if I were their parent.

As for the story, I thought the content was rather defiant (in a good way). It makes me wonder how long the brothers and the maid will be able to continue their lifestyle, which also alludes to the series as a whole.

I’m looking forward to seeing how they face it.

Q2: A new character appears in this series: Kirishita Mahiro, the brother-in-law. He plays a key role in the story. What are your impressions of him?

Ahh, he’s a dangerous one *laughs*

He’s an enigma in a way unlike the Kaguragi brothers. He doesn’t reveal his true intentions, and won’t let you catch him.

I was in a different recording session from his voice actor, Morikubo-san, so I’m looking forward to hearing the completed version.

There’s a scene in the latter half where he talks alone with the maid, and when I read that, I thought, “I knew it, this guy won’t go for normal methods at all.”

The focus is the unrest he causes to the Saionji household members, but I’m excited to see more of Mahiro-san’s inner self as the story progresses.

Q3: It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Saionji family. Did you feel any changes in the characters’ relationships?

Quite a few.

This relates to the next question as well, but the three brothers have changed quite a bit since the first series.

You can feel it from the very first track.

During recording and free talk, the three of us cast members also talked about how we’ve changed (in a good way)!

I think it’s wonderful how these changes can be shown due to the passage of time in the story.

At first, it was always noisy when the three brothers were together. But now, for example in Fuji and Ran’s scene, or Ran and Gen’s scene, you can really see their development.

Q4: Since this is the third year, the love confession scenes were different from previous ones. Do you think your character has changed when it comes to romance?

Gen changed the most, for sure! *laughs*

Since he’s the youngest, Fuji and Ran have always been protecting him.

At first, it felt as though he’d been spoiled by that environment. But now, after experiencing many things, he’s decided on his future path and is working hard towards his goal. He’s no longer just the cute little youngest sibling.

His confession scene is confident, as an adult. I could feel that change from the script, so I strived to make sure it was more than just cute.

By the way, Fuji and Ran’s scenes are also top-tier in their own ways, so please look forward to those too.

Q5: Please give us a message for the people who’ll be buying the CD.

All of it is worth listening to, and the new character Mahiro-san’s part is important too, but I also hope you’ll pay attention to the aforementioned changes in the brothers and feel their growth.

This drama CD is the prelude to a grand story that’s about to unfold, so I hope you’ll be excited to see what kind of drama there’ll be between the Saionjis, Arisugawas, the maid, and Mahiro.

Also, separate from this CD are the voiced versions of the side stories that we recorded. Unlike the serious main story, these are 100% comedy, so I hope you’ll listen to them too *laughs*

Please continue to support Oresama Residence!

[Interview] Seiyuu Nagagatari Koebito Featuring TV Anime “Kuutei Dragons”

(There are many lovely pictures of Soma in this book, but I will not be taking it apart to scan. It is still well-stocked in stores that ship internationally (e.g. Amazon))

Released: 2020/1/29
Info: https://bookclub.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000334599

Features:
Maeno Tomoaki (Mika in Kuutei Dragons)
Amamiya Sora (Takita in Kuutei Dragons)
Saito Soma (Giraud in Kuutei Dragons)
Hanazawa Kana (Vanabelle in Kuutei Dragons)

Mentioned:
Seki Tomokazu (Croco in Kuutei Dragons)
Sakurai Takahiro (Niko in Kuutei Dragons)
Inoue Kazuhiko (Yoshi in Kuutei Dragons)
Uemura Yuto (Soraya in Kuutei Dragons)
Toriumi Kohsuke (Berko in Kuutei Dragons)
Akasaki Chinatsu (Mayne in Kuutei Dragons)
Takeuchi Shunsuke (Oken in Kuutei Dragons)

※Only Soma’s section and Soma-related parts from other sections are translated in this post.

Q: How did you find out about Kuutei Dragons?

I’ve always been an avid reader, and when I go to the bookstore, I look at the covers and spines of stacked books, check the promotional signs written by the store staff, and buy books and manga based on their covers. That was how I discovered Kuutei.

Kuwabara-sensei’s art is very appealing and exhibits a unique aura. The concept of people traveling through the sky in an airship while hunting dragons really tickled my fancy, and I thought it was amazing that it combined the multiple aspects of dragon-hunting adventure, human drama, and cooking. There were a lot of great characters, but as I was reading it, I subconsciously thought, “If I was to be involved with this work as an actor, I think I’d want to be Giraud.” So, when I heard about the audition, I eagerly asked to participate, thankful for the opportunity.

Q: When you read manga, do you often think about which character you’d play?

No, I usually just enjoy the story as a normal reader. When I really love the work’s story and setting, I might wonder about “what if I could be involved,” and Kuutei was one of those cases. I thought “I’d want to be Giraud” because he seemed like the character my voice would fit best. However, when I auditioned for Giraud, I honestly didn’t get much of a reaction. I wondered if my mental image of Giraud and my voice weren’t actually a good match for the character… So, I was happy when I got the role, because it meant that my interpretation of Giraud wasn’t completely off the mark. After that, the team at the recording studio would go on to become the crew of Quin Zaza, so there was nothing left but to entrust myself to them.

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

He’s one of the youngest members of the Quin Zaza crew; young enough that you could still call him a boy. Deep in a corner of his heart, he still secretly believes in the fairy tale his dragon-hunter father told him when he was little. He’s extremely serious, which leads to him being inflexible about some things *laughs*. I feel that the reason he’s so serious is because he has a strong belief that he has to do things right. I also think that he’s a “feeler who believes he’s a thinker.” He can think logically, but he’s still a child, so he can’t hide his true emotions. When the other crew members tease him, he automatically blushes or lashes out. It made me smile, knowing that it’s only natural for boys his age. I was given the opportunity to voice him as he slowly learns and grows on his travels with the Quin Zaza, and I hope I was able to express that well.

Q: I heard that the voices for this series were pre-recorded.

Yes. It’s been quite a while since I last did pre-recording, so at first, it was hard to grasp the right pacing for saying my lines. Sometimes there are scenes where my lines are supposed to cut into someone else’s, but for pre-recording, the lines have to be recorded separately, so they’d tell me to wait a bit before saying mine. That unique tempo goes against my instinctive rhythm, so I couldn’t get a good feel for it.

But when I watched the veteran voice actors like Seki Tomokazu-san, Sakurai Takahiro-san, and Inoue Kazuhiko-san do their approaches to pre-recording, I understood that my perspective had become too narrow. I realized that when there’s no video footage, it means that the actors can let their imagination run free with regards to the characters’ positions, surroundings, and all the little details. Seki-san’s acting was a particularly huge inspiration. It felt so real that I could picture the animation in my mind.

Q: What was it like voicing Giraud in that environment?

Giraud has that student council president mentality to him, like “Why won’t people follow the rules?” and “The disorderly people are at fault.” But that said, I didn’t want him to seem too logical. He has a lot of lines at the beginning that show his strong sense of justice, but I was afraid that they would all be interpreted as scolding, so I made sure that the emotions conveyed through his lines wouldn’t be completely one-sided towards anger.

The staff also wanted me to act in an over-the-top way so I went for the “loud puppy” image, but I was concerned that that would cause a disconnect with everyone else’s acting. I couldn’t feel like I was truly in sync with Giraud. I was fumbling around for the first few episodes, and after the recording I’d go home thinking “I couldn’t do that one well today.” I’d meet Uemura Yuto-kun (voice of Soraya) at another recording studio and I’d go “I’m having a hard time with the pre-recording,” to which he’d say “I see, but you know, it wouldn’t be as interesting if it was easy.” So, the recording wasn’t all fun and games for me, but because of that I learned a lot.

Q: When did you grasp how you wanted to act out Giraud?

The episode about his precious dream story, and the episode about his fleeting emotions. After those two episodes, I felt that I’d gotten close to his feelings. Both of them gracefully depicted moments when he took one step closer from boyhood to adulthood, and I enjoyed those scenes very much in the original work as well. I was glad that the anime went into painstaking detail with them. As I was acting, I felt like a parent watching over his child, thinking “He’s one step closer to becoming an adult.”

Q: Do you see any of Giraud’s personality traits in yourself?

Actually, when I look at Giraud, I’m reminded of my past self. When I was a kid, I was also the inflexible type that thought I had to do things right and take everything seriously *laughs*. But even though he reminds me of my past self, voicing him was still extremely difficult. When I’m looking at a character I’m acting, I usually don’t think about whether they resemble me or not in the first place. But if you ask whether him resembling my past self makes him easier to act, the answer is “not necessarily”… It was a strange experience.

Q: Giraud always says what he believes is right and won’t back down from a fight. What do you do when your opinion clashes with someone else’s, Saito-san?

Ideally, I’d want to find common ground and solve the issue right there and then if possible. I dislike having to go on with the uneasy feeling of “this is what I really thought, even though I didn’t say it.” I want to express my thoughts without getting emotional and talk things out properly.

However, when it comes to creative work, there are some things that I absolutely won’t relent on, and in those cases I really won’t back down. I’m sure Giraud is like that too *laughs*. In those situations, what’s important is how you say it. It’s not just about what you want to say, but also about how the other person will interpret your words. So, it’s important to think about how to express your thoughts with the correct nuance.

Q: When it comes to getting work done, Giraud is the logical thinker while Mika is the instinctive feeler. How do you approach your work?

I’ve always wanted to approach my roles logically, and that fundamental mindset hasn’t changed. However, around two years ago, I realized that one way by itself isn’t enough. You need both logic and feeling. So now, my ideal approach is to examine the character logically beforehand while doing my preparations, and then trust in my senses at the recording studio. For example, especially since this series was pre-recorded, I didn’t let myself be bound by logically thinking “Giraud would obviously act this way.” I wanted to let the ideas come naturally during the recording and react to them.

When it comes to intuition, I love the story of Ramanujan, an Indian mathematician. Even though he didn’t have any formal training in advanced math, he was able to discover all sorts of theorems through intuition alone, saying that a goddess told him them in his sleep. His caretakers said, “If his talent had been discovered earlier and he was trained from a young age, then he likely would’ve become an even greater mathematician and make even more important discoveries. But on the other hand, he would lose what makes him ‘Ramanujan’ and follow the European teaching style. The cons may outweigh the benefits.” In this world, there really are things with no logical explanation that you can instinctively feel and understand, and I think it’s okay to trust those senses. However, feelings alone lack persuasiveness, so I think you have to start with a logical base and try to jump into your senses from there.

Q: In Kuutei Dragons, Giraud believes in the story about the shining dragon. Do you think you have that kind of romantic side to you?

If that means enjoying dreams and fantasies, then I’m a total romantic! I love manga like Kuutei, as well as novels, anime, movies, and the occult, and that’s because I love imaginary worlds. For example, I often fantasize about things like shifting to a parallel world, or getting on an elevator and when the door opens, I find myself in a completely unknown city *laughs*. I also compose music and write lyrics, and it takes imagination to come up with song ideas, so I think I usually tend to embrace fantasy. Life is better when you’re a dreamer!

Q: Giraud is extremely proud of his job as a dragon hunter. What do you treasure about your job as a voice actor?

It’s cliche, but I treasure people. In my first year of high school, there was a period of time when I didn’t want to go to school, so I’d shut myself in at home. Anime and movies saved my soul back then, and I aspired to become a voice actor. But when I did get voice acting work, there was a moment when I became full of myself… and it was the people who scolded me and taught by example who brought me back to the proper attitude. Through my work, I also realized many things by studying the people around me. It’s because of the staff and my supporters that I’m able to feel like I’m truly creating things, so I want to treasure everyone that’s involved with me. But to be honest, I’d rather not say these things out loud… I’d prefer to quietly keep it as an internal belief *laughs*.

Another thing I treasure is health, although it’s also a cliche answer. It’s hard to put out my best at all times, but it’s important to always be able to perform “normally.” I felt this particularly strongly in 2019. “Normal” means the level of performance I can do reliably, and in order to raise that baseline, I have to maintain my health by training and eating well. Mental health is important too. Also, remembering to be humble. Some people say you shouldn’t be too humble, but if I find myself thinking “I might be too humble,” then I know that’s just the right level of modesty for me. I strive to be humble without being subservient.

In the end, I think everything is about balance, whether it be human relationships, health, or mental attitude. When I look back at my interviews from 2019, I see that I used the word “balance” in quite a few different places, so it might be something that I subconsciously see as a requirement. Wouldn’t it be more romantic to think that there’s a reason behind coincidences like that? *laughs*

Q: You have a point *laughs*. Giraud meets a girl named Katya in a certain town who moves his heart. How would you want to interact with someone important to you?

Hmm… Rather than what I want to do for them, I think it’s more about what they want. If they want a listener then I’m all ears, and if they want advice then I’ll provide that. So, I think I’d want to be able to have proper discussions with them first. Then, rather than granting their wishes, I think I’d want to become someone they feel the most comfortable with, that they can relax around. I’d want to give them peace and comfort by being with them.

Q: On the Quin Zaza, the crew members combine their strength to fight dragons. When do you feel the importance of friendship?

For most anime, my own acting isn’t enough by itself. When I’m acting with others, many things come up that are outside the range of my expectations. When that happens, I have to respond based on reflexes and intuition, and on very rare occasions, we get into an exciting back-and-forth that makes me think “Something amazing is happening right now!”

I think the most interesting thing about this job is the moments when your interactions with others create something that exceeds your expectations. I used to say a lot that “It’s hard to go from 95% to 96% on your own, but if you borrow 10% from someone else, you can exceed 100%.” It’s also fun to aim for perfection on your own, but as I continued working as a voice actor, at some point I realized that engaging in dialogue with others is extremely challenging, profound, and fascinating. It made me crave more *laughs*.

Also, if we’re talking about friends, I sometimes go out to eat with colleagues or my old school friends, but even if something’s bothering me, I generally won’t ask for any specific advice. Simply spending a few hours together and afterwards thinking “I don’t remember anything we talked about today, but that was fun!” is something very precious and happy to me. I’m thankful to have friends that I can spend “mindless fun” times with.

Q: Teamwork is required for your job. What do you keep in mind to promote good teamwork?

Having casual conversations. For some works, you achieve better tension in the dialogues by putting yourself in a serious mood and not mingling much with the others, but for something like Kuutei which is about a large group traveling together, the recording studio’s general atmosphere is reflected in our voices and spur-of-the-moment ad lib responses. So, during breaks, I think it’s important to socialize (to a reasonable extent). It doesn’t have to be meaningful conversations; silly chatter about random things is important too. I’m not one to talk much at work, but for Kuutei, I often talked to Toriumi Kohsuke-san (voice of Berko).

Q: What was the atmosphere like at the Kuutei recording sessions?

I was one of the younger people there, and the cast spanned a wide range of generations, all the way up to the veterans. That said, everyone was the calm and quiet type, so it was always a very nice atmosphere. There wasn’t any one particular moodmaker, and everyone went at their own pace, having conversations here and there when time allowed.

Also, since it was a pre-recording, there were way more ad libs than usual, and it was a lot of fun for me. Most of the ad libs were for chitchat scenes between the crew members that didn’t have much to do with the main story, but still, we didn’t discuss them in advance, so it was all on-the-spot coordination. The crew members must get a lot of entertainment out of teasing Giraud, because all of these skilled voice actors really enjoyed poking fun at him, and I got to react to them in various ways. I had a lot of fun every episode.

The staff enjoyed our ad libs too and used a lot of them when creating the animation, so the completed work feels truly alive. The main dialogue is great of course, but please keep an ear out for the chatter in the background as well. You’ll find some really amusing things! The ad libs that stood out to me the most were Akasaki Chinatsu-san (voice of Mayne) and my kouhai Takeuchi Shunsuke-kun (voice of Oken). Takeuchi-kun’s were particularly bold, and the director praised him too.

Q: Where did you receive inspiration from Maeno-san (voice of Mika), Amamiya-san (voice of Takita), and Hanazawa-san (voice of Vanabelle)?

I’ve worked with Maeno-san a lot in the past, but this time I felt reminded that he’s a true professional. Even though it was a pre-recording, just by hearing his voice, I could perfectly understand where his character was and what he was doing. Mika isn’t the captain of the ship, but he’s a central figure. Similarly, Maeno-san’s attitude and presentation led us along, making it easy for us to work. Maeno-san’s Mika is cool, but he’s also got that rugged goal of catching dragons so that he can eat them, and times when he’s playing dumb. I liked those aspects a lot, and I felt excited hearing his voice. His “That meat looks good” remarks had quite an aggressive impact on me. Mika and Giraud have a lot of scenes together, and Maeno-san was skilled at throwing interesting and unique ideas at me. And no matter what I threw at him, he was able to take it and leverage it. That inspired me a lot too.

I co-starred with Ten-chan in her first leading role, Akame ga Kill!, and we continued to talk after that, but she has a very stoic personality. I felt that Takita was a display of her professionalism and determination. What was memorable about Ten-chan this time was her acting at the end of the story, when Takita finds herself in serious trouble. It was an extreme situation with Takita all by herself, and I keenly felt Ten-chan’s tremendous skill as an actor. It was the scene that impacted me the most in the entire series. That was just about when I was feeling the struggle of pre-recordings, so I thought her acting was truly amazing. I didn’t think I could pull off something like that myself. I don’t think she’s the type to tell others about her planning process, so someday I’d like to ask her in detail about how she approached that scene.

I’ve been meeting Hanazawa-san at recording sessions often lately, and we belong to the same music label too. She really gives off the impression of a calm, gentle older sister. Her acting is very natural while also having a strong presence. Vanabelle is a dignified character, and I thought it was amazing how Hanazawa-san could portray a dignified voice without bringing her voice extremely low or speaking stiffly. Hanazawa-san herself has a soft aura, but at the same time, she’s very consistent and logical, and I think her strong-willedness was projected onto Vanabelle. I love cool, dignified female characters like Vanabelle, so I was happy to have a lot of scenes with her.

Q: Another major theme in the series is “cooking.” Do you like to cook?

Yes. I don’t cook for myself every day, but I do cook when I have time. In particular, I like to make snacks to go with light drinks, and sometimes on my days off, I’ll take the time to make stew. Oh right, there’s something I’ve been meaning to try making… It’s an Indonesian dish called rendang, and it was called the most delicious dish in the world. It’s similar to Japanese sukiyaki, and apparently it’s only eaten on special occasions in Indonesia. It’s made by slow-cooking beef in coconut milk and spices, and it doesn’t look too difficult, so I want to try making it when I have time!

Q: Do you regularly look at recipes?

I love reading cookbooks. It’s fun to be able to absorb useful knowledge, like what you can make with certain ingredients or how to make things more quickly.

Q: What’s your best dish?

My mother often made this one dish that I like, so I got her to teach me how to make it. You place cooked chicken in a large tray, add white sauce and onion, put tomatoes on the sides, sprinkle cheese on top, and then bake it in the oven. It’s really simple, but it tastes and looks good, so our whole family loves it. We call it “the chicken and tomato thing” *laughs*.

As for my own dishes, I mostly make snack-type dishes. Also, fried chicken! I love fried chicken, and I found one recipe in a cookbook that was a huge success! It’s like black magic; once I start eating it, I just can’t stop. Right now I’m practicing self-restraint because I have a concert coming up, but I’m looking forward to making it again afterwards.

Q: What is “food” to you?

Something that gives you energy. I love both making and eating delicious food. I wasn’t that interested in food when I lived with my parents, but after moving to Tokyo, I realized how fortunate I’d been to have meals made for me every day. I used to be a picky eater, but as I grew older, I rapidly overcame my dislikes. Perhaps I came to love cooking and eating because I find more things delicious now.

Q: Is there anything you still won’t eat, no matter what?

Natto, I guess. I tried eating it a few years ago, but I just couldn’t. I’ve never liked slimy foods like egg whites, junsai, nameko mushrooms… but I’ve become fine with those ones lately, so I think I’ll be able to eat natto too if it’s disguised well enough!

Q: Which of the foods in Kuutei Dragons would you like to try?

All of the meat dishes look good, but the dragon cutlet appeals to me the most. In the real world, between beef, pork, and chicken, I like beef the most, but I’m the most familiar with chicken. The best curry is chicken curry, and chicken can be used for both Western and Japanese style dishes.

Q: The cooking scenes were fun too!

I heard from the staff that it was very difficult to make the CGI food look delicious. They said things like, “No matter how many times we made the cutlet, it didn’t look fried,” and “The cross-sections didn’t look appetizing.” The cooking scenes are an essential part of this series, so please pay attention to them!

The Quin Zaza crew enjoys many feasts, but there were also a lot of gluttons among the Kuutei staff, so they’d all eat together while scouting out foods. Eating delicious food and wanting to depict its deliciousness in CGI was a motivation booster for them. Everyone worked really hard to create those scenes, so I have a lot of fun watching the completed version too.

Q: I’m even more excited now! Lastly, please tell us about the scene you put the most emotion into.

It’d have to be the two episodes I brought up earlier. In the original manga, Giraud had an incredibly wonderful expression when he sighted the shining dragon, and I was moved at how well the anime recreated it. But, it was extremely difficult to express his feelings through breathing alone. I’d like you to watch that scene while recalling his feelings and what led to that expression on his face.

The other scene is the moment when Giraud tries to invite Katja to Quin Zaza. You see, Takita is a girl, but she’s pretty tough *laughs*, so the duty of Kuutei’s “boy meets girl” story falls onto the sensitive Giraud. That scene’s lines were recorded as a dialogue, and as I was acting, I felt Giraud’s painful feelings pressing into my heart. I think the scene came out wonderfully. I’m sure it’ll strike home for fans of adolescent stories, so please look forward to seeing it.

Mentions from other sections:

Maeno: Soma-kun is young but has a strong presence. He has his own style of acting and a firmly established stance on how he approaches his roles, and there are times when I feel jealous of that talent. Soma-kun’s acting has a quality unique to him, and despite his young age, I think he’s become an irreplaceable presence in the voice acting industry. He’s my kouhai, but it feels like we’re on even ground when we’re both in front of the mics.

Just like how Mika feels reassured with Takita, Vanabelle, and Giraud around, I truly feel like I can rely on Amamiya-san, Kana-chan, and Soma-kun. It’s extremely reassuring knowing that they’ll make up for what I lack. I’m grateful that the cast was one I could trust from the bottom of my heart, so that I could focus entirely on my role.

Amamiya: I’ve co-starred with Saito-san in other series before, and our characters frequently interacted in this one as well. I was impressed by his perfect expression of Giraud’s sensitive “Shut up” lines! Even though it’s the words “shut up,” Giraud doesn’t say them loudly, plus he’s right. Meanwhile, from Takita’s perspective, it’d be more like a “Geez, leave me alone already!” *laughs*

I could feel Giraud’s strengths and weaknesses through his voice, and during the episodes where his character development gets the spotlight, all of the emotions in his heart came out in the form of short lines. He wasn’t straight-forward, but I could feel the emotions gradually overflowing from him.

Bonus: Off-shot from Soma’s fashion stylist

[Interview] Seiyuu Grandprix 2020/2 Edition – my blue vacation

Tagline: Kimi-iro ni Somaritai (I want to be dyed your colour)

Released: 2020/1/10

※Soma was on the front page cover and had a 12-page feature. There was also a pin-up poster as well as several shop-specific bonuses (3 bromides and a poster).

(There are a lot of great Soma pictures in this magazine, but I won’t be posting scans because a digital version is available at sites like Bookwalker.)

An EP resembling what comes after the end of Season 1

Q: First, please tell us about how this EP came to be.

I released my first album one year ago and held a concert in Feburary, and at that point, I felt that I’d finished the “1st season.” After performing with a live band, I also felt that I really enjoyed making music with that team. Up until then, I’d constantly been outputting ideas, and I realized that in order to keep having fun with that team, I’d need time for input as well… so I chose to wait for a while.

Q: So, this EP is the start of the long-awaited 2nd season.

To be honest, I wanted to resume my musical activities sooner *laughs*. I had various structural ideas, like whether I wanted it to be an album or a single, but when I looked at how many songs I had in mind, I saw that it was the right number for an EP. Also… isn’t the word “EP” itself cool? *laughs*

Q: It does have a nice ring to it *laughs*

I’m a fan of the book Summer Vacation EP by Furukawa Hideo, and at first I was thinking of naming this CD “Blue Vacation EP.” However, I ended up settling on the current title for various reasons *laughs*. The tracks have a conceptual feel to them, but I think it’s only natural that they ended up this way.

Q: The leading track “memento” is themed around the end of the world, and has parts that feel like they follow from your “quantum stranger” album.

Yes, that’s exactly right! This EP is more like a “Season 1.5” than a full-blown second season. In anime terms, it’s like the OVA that comes after Season 1. So, it’s thematically similar to “Kesshou Sekai.” In that song, I sang about a world where everything turned to crystal, and “memento” confronts that same phenomenon from another point of view. To be more specific, it’s a more upbeat perspective: “If the world were to end, wouldn’t the time until then be like a vacation?” It’s something I hadn’t tried until now.

Q: The song paints the end of the world in a vibrant light. Was the “suikatou” (watermelon sugar) in the lyrics influenced by Richard Brautigan’s In Watermelon Sugar?

Perhaps. But if I went too far in that direction, I’d end up at Season 2 instead of Season 1.5, so it’s a bit more reigned in than that. To put it simply, I’d already sung about sentimental situations in a mellow tone, and I wanted to see what would happen if I tried a more optimistic approach. So, the song was originally a lot more unsophisticated, but as production progressed, there were talks like “Should we put strings in?!” *laughs* and the final result was much grander. It was originally simpler, like “let’s all go on a drive until the world ends.” There were other ideas too, like the car being blue. The people in the song are awfully positive, so I think it can be interpreted in different ways.

Q: I see! Since the song is about embracing life when death is before your eyes, the title reminds me of “memento mori.”

I considered naming the song “memento mori,” but thought that might be saying too much. Then again, the “sono hi wo tsumi” (seize the day) in the lyrics means pretty much the same thing, so it’s already obvious. *laughs*

Q: How easy was it to sing?

When it was time to record, I found that the song was really hard to sing, and wanted to levy complaints against myself *laughs*. It’s an extremely difficult song, if I do say so myself. The hook uses a double track (layering recordings to produce a thicker sound), which is something like a self-collaboration. My singing technique has some holes in it, so I know for a fact that the arranger and sound engineer worked their magic to make it sound good.

Q: You said that you enjoyed making music with this team. Is that related?

Yes. Up until now I’d been creating songs that I could complete by myself, but after performing live, I was able to create songs that were the result of driving together as a team!

Q: How was the music video filming?

I feel like my requests are getting more abstract every time *laughs*. This time I didn’t ask for much at all from the filmers. Ever since I experienced the tremendous skill of arrangers and sound engineers, I decided to leave things to the experts.

Q: You must’ve trusted the video team a lot.

Yes. I did ask to make blue and gray the most prominent colours, but when they showed me the film set beforehand, all I could say was “Oh, this will be good as-is. It’s wonderful.” *laughs* They also included my request to make it band-style, and brought in a strings quartet and dancers. By leaving things to the pros, it became different from the world I’d wanted to construct, but that irregular feeling was enjoyable too.

Q: Is it similar to voice acting, in the sense of adapting to irregularities?

Perhaps. For the MV, it feels like I’m only one of the parts. I don’t know what the completed video is going to look like after they put everything together, and that’s part of the fun. But now that I understand that enjoyment, it might not be out of the question for me to direct my next MV all by myself.

Power pop and a hymn–a variety of themes

Q: Next, what was the theme behind “Paper Tigers”?

Even if you’re facing a tiger, it’s not scary if it’s made out of paper… “Paper Tiger” (as in paper-mache) is a historical Chinese phrase that describes an empty threat. The other inspiration for this song was Ken Liu’s The Paper Menagerie. The way it takes the negative idea of “as long as you’re confident, you can bluff your way through” and expresses it in an upbeat way is thematically similar to “memento.” As I was composing the songs this time, I realized that I liked taking concepts and words and shifting them away from their common meanings.

Q: The song is also rather up-tempo.

This song was actually completed last out of the ones on the EP. When we looked at the other four songs, we discussed how there wasn’t an up-tempo song, and I wanted a power pop song like something a band would come up with on momentum alone. So, I invited the producer Kuroda (Akihiro)-san and the arranger Saku-san to my place, where we had a band session and came up with the verse and chorus. The full song was completed after two days or so. In that sense, the song was created through “the wisdom of the crowd.”

Also, I just want to say that when Saku-san finished arranging the song, he even put his own temporary vocals in, and they were better than mine *laughs*. I think it’ll be a really exciting song to perform live too. It’s a song with a new perspective.

Q: What about the third track, “Waltz”?

I like songs in 6/8 time, but that rhythm always tends to become something delicate, so I wanted to make something bright and cheerful. Since it has whistles in it, genre-wise it might be considered toy pop, but the theme was “hymn.” The other image I had in mind was the anime Haibane Renmei.

Q: The original work of which was Abe Yoshitoshi’s famous work. It indirectly depicted the themes of “doomsday” and “salvation.”

Exactly! People say it was inspired by Murakami Haruki-san’s The Town and Its Uncertain Wall and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, but at any rate, I love Haibane Renmei. You could say that this song is something like an unauthorized fan work *laughs*. But on the other hand, I also wrote the lyrics to have another possible interpretation.

Q: Which is?

This song is about a girl… in other words, an angel who can no longer fly, and it could be sung by the spirits who dwell in the atmosphere. However, they’re on different wavelengths now, so they can’t touch her anymore. Nevertheless, they say “We’ll always be close by, so it’ll be okay.” The concept of “sending your feelings to a higher plane” is similar to “quantum stranger.”

This song will probably shine if performed live with an acoustic set. I think this one was the one that took the longest to record. I shouldn’t complain about my own song, but there was so much chorus work… *laughs* But by not using instruments, I really wanted to push forward with the idea of a song that was completely sung by myself.

Q: Meanwhile, “Ringo” (Apple) is a jazzy song.

When I was first writing the song, the style I had in mind was the American singer-songwriter Fiona Apple. That’s why I named it “Apple.” But, the arranger Dewa Yoshiaki-san turned it into a really cool song. The first verse’s melody originally used a backbeat rhythm (accent on the off-beats), but Dewa-san’s arrangement used the on-beats in a wonderful way. So, I abandoned the melody and rewrote it in an unprecedented production process of Arrangement→Composition *laughs*.

Q: The lyrics have a dangerous aroma to them.

The song is about betting everything away in an underground gambling den and getting drunk in a run-down bar. It’s just that, the melody being what it was, it was difficult to write lyrics for it. Rather than the topics and so on, I prioritized how it feels when you hear the notes themselves. The verse is a repetition of the same melody but with an octave shift, and I like the dark mood that that gives off. This is another song that’ll probably change dramatically when sung live. I’m looking forward to performing it one day.

Q: What about the last song, “Tonight”?

The EP was planned to have a good balance of “realistic” songs and “fantastical” songs, and “Tonight” was designated as a realistic song. To be honest, I worried about how well it’d balance out something like “Waltz”, but I was fatigued from singing grandiose, difficult songs, so I decided to go with this.

However, I couldn’t sing it satisfactorily on the recording day. The next day, I asked to do a retake, but the sound engineer Hayashi (Kenichi)-san picked the best takes out of the countless attempts I did and put them together for me, and I was stunned at how flawless the result was.

Q: That’s what happened?!

There were many other ideas that transformed this song! It was originally supposed to feel like wandering around a park somewhere along the Chuo Line, but when Saku-san added a sitar to the beginning, I revised my impression of it, because the scope of this stroll was clearly much wider. Even though the lyrics hadn’t been written until the recording day, his arrangement accelerated the definition of this song’s world.

Q: It’s rare for a song to fade out at the end like that.

That was the universal decision of the entire team. It was never a question of whether it should fade out or not; the discussion began with how long the fade should extend for *laughs*. With this song, I really felt that they were all professionals, capable of implementing the ideas that I couldn’t put into words. The bassist, Ochi (Shunsuke)-san’s performance was truly splendid, so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank him.

Q: Finally, there’s a surprise secret track at the end of the EP.

This is only included on the physical CD, and its title “Epilogue” is only noted on the credits page. When we all got together to come up with the melody for “Paper Tigers”, it only took an hour to finish, so we started talking about making a song to keep in reserve, and I’d actually already been considering a song like this… so I let them hear the hook melody for “Epilogue”, which I didn’t even have chords for. Saku-san said, “This is good! Let’s do this!” and we made the short version right then and there. The concept was traveling to the end of the world in “memento,” finding an old record player there, and hearing this upon playing it.

Q: Is that why there’s a filter over it?

Yes. The lyrics are also extremely direct, and I’d like to be able to do a proper reprise of it one of these days…

Q: I’m looking forward to that!

Through this EP, I realized again that I want to create songs that don’t fit the j-pop formula, where you can’t tell where the hook is supposed to be. Right now, what I want to make isn’t an assertive, serious song that I’d want everyone to listen to; it’s unsophisticated music that blends into your daily life like ambient noise. “Waltz” might be close in meaning to that…

I still have a dream left undone for the 1st season (the “Epilogue” reprise), but after that’s done, I predict that I’ll be focusing on “subtraction” work. We’ve been “putting everything in” this whole time *laughs*, so now I want us to pursue a more lightweight groove together.

my blue vocabulation
(Saito Soma was asked to list 10 words associated with “blue”)

◼ Sky (空)
◼ Sea (海)

Now it reads like Master Kukai (空海) *laughs*. One of the greatest geniuses in Japanese history!

◼ Earth

*looking at a globe in the studio* I just had this thought; what if we’re on a globe right now, and some kind of transcendental beings are watching us from their own meeting room? That wouldn’t be hard to believe. They might be spinning us in the palm of their hand without us knowing.

◼ Blue Flames

The blue part has a higher temperature than the red part, right? It resembles the relationship between calmness and passion…

◼ Indigo (藍)

This is the name of a Sukima Switch song. It’s nice… I love that song. Ancient Japanese names of colours are beautiful. ((The Sukima Switch song is called Ai as in indigo, but the lyrics are about “ai” as in love.))

◼ Lapis Lazuli

I’m a fan of a Japanese rock band called Good Dog Happy Men, and they have a song called “Jewel Box” that has this phrase in it, which stood out to me a lot.

◼ Blue Paint

I’m used to the colour blue since I voice a lot of blue characters, but I don’t think I actually used it much when I was little. I feel like I was always drawing with green, and most of my clothes were red.

◼ Sports Drink

I’m waiting for a commercial offer! *laughs* ((This is a reference to Soma’s favourite drink Pocari Sweat, which has a blue label.))

◼ Springtime of Life (has the kanji for “blue” in it)

Maybe it was there, maybe it wasn’t.
I became a voice actor in search of it.

◼ Hydrangea

June in Kamakura. I prefer writing it in hiragana (あじさい) over katakana (アジサイ).

remarkable 2019

#1: I bought a guitar!
The guitars I played at my concert were borrowed, but I finally bought a guitar to use for work! In fact, the one I’m playing in the “memento” MV is my personal guitar.

#2: Moving
I moved! As part of the process, I got rid of all of my old humidifiers and the new ones just arrived yesterday. The vents are on the front, so you can stick them to the wall. It’s an excellent space-saving product. Very convenient.

#3: Matching Hats
A bizarre phenomenon has been occurring lately: Umehara Yuuichirou-san and I keep wearing the same hats. Neither of us usually wear hats that often, so why is this happening? *laughs*

I finally realized that there’s no benefit from trying to act alluring

Q: It’s 2020, and you’ve reached the critical 10th year as a voice actor. Is there anything special you feel?

When I started working, my senpais told me “Keep going for 10 years first, and that’s when it really starts,” and I had a vague idea of what they meant. But, after actually continuing for the first year and then the second, I understood the weight of their words.

It really does feel like I’m finally standing at the starting line now. And on a fundamental level, if I hadn’t worked as a voice actor, I think there’s a high possibility I would’ve stayed as a bitter, unsympathetic person…

Q: Does that mean it changed you on the inside?

Yes. When you’re serious about making progress in this industry, there are times when you’re forced to look at your inner self, and you’re not always going to like what you see. But, I feel that the process of understanding myself and thinking about what it means to care for others allowed me to give myself internal feedback, which had a major effect on me… To be honest, I used to be the type to think “I should’ve said _____ instead,” but now that’s not always the case.

Q: Your perception has changed.

This is going to be an awkward way of phrasing it, but I think you have to think about the fact that you have to change *laughs*. But as the years passed, my way of thinking became simpler. I can easily accept unsophisticated thoughts such as “I like this” or “My opinion is this.” Of course, there are still many times when I get arrogant or self-centred, but when I compare myself to ten years ago, it’s clear that those occasions are fewer than before. I think that’s not just because I’ve grown older, but also because I’ve been surrounded by the voice acting industry. I’ve also learned how to entrust things to other professionals, even in work.

Q: That reminds me of what you said about the “memento” MV.

Yes. You can only leave something in someone else’s hands if you trust both them and yourself. As for why…

Q: Is it because you’re responsible for making the decision?

That’s right. In the past, I only wanted to put out the “100%” I had in my head. I’m still not very broad-minded, but I’ve changed enough that I can vaguely understand that “my past self only thought about himself.” Also, even when I’m recording for an anime and think “Why isn’t this going well?” or “I think it should be like this, so why did they reject it?”, when I watch the broadcast version I’ll see that it was very well done. I learned that even if I can’t understand something in that moment, instead of getting hung up on it, I should be flexible and adapt my thoughts and acting.

Q: You’ve broadened your views.

I think I was too egotistical. First of all, that “100%” I keep talking about seems like a logical matter at first glance, but it’s actually ridiculously subjective. The number is manipulated to suit myself, so it’s seriously ill-natured *laughs*. I don’t think the past me ever tried to think deeply about my own senses, which is why I was completely biased to a logical approach. But sometimes, I inadvertently react to things based on feeling, before thinking. It’s something that happens all the time in daily life, and yet I’d detached it from my acting. In the end, I was just big-headed.

Q: It’s a trap you fall into by thinking too logically, then.

Yes… I think ideally, you want to have the earnestness to prepare like crazy until the day before the job, and then on the day of, wrap it all in brackets so that you can be flexible with it. It sounds extreme, but that’s what I finally realized after ten years. Since I’m a logical thinker myself, ideally I don’t want to throw that weapon of mine away, and instead value my senses as an addition to that… So basically, I want to make my next theme “living through my senses.” *laughs*

Q: Is that your goal for this year?

Not just this year, but on and on forever. If you interview me again when I’ve reached my 20th year as a voice actor, you might be talking to a Saito Soma who has nothing left but his senses. *laughs*

If it’s a suspicious character, it’s gotta be voiced by Saito Soma! That’s what I want people to think

Q: It seems like your range of anime roles is getting much wider too.

It seems that when non-anime forms of content are supported for a long period of time and get an anime adaptation, activity soars even more. It’s not up to us how long we get to continue voicing a character for, so I really am thankful. Also, in 2019 I got more extremely unconventional roles, so I’m secretly happy about that. *laughs*

Q: You want to voice unconventional roles?

I feel an indescribable attraction towards characters that are twisted in some way *laughs*. Your voice changes slightly as you continue to use your vocal cords for many years. It’s the so-called “way of life” for an actor, and I feel happy when I can adapt my voice in my preferred direction.

Q: You’ve recently been making an impression in roles such as Kyougoku Fuyuto in Kabukichou Sherlock and Vinegar Doppio in JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Ougon no Kaze.

I’ve always loved the original JoJo comics, so I was incredibly honoured to play that role. Doppio had been voiced by Miyamoto Mitsuru-san and Ishida Akira-san in the past, so I knew that if I did it the same way, there was no way I could win against them. So, I prepared several variations for the audition. Later, I heard that I’d been chosen for the role right away, which was a surprise. When I asked why, they said “Because your Doppio’s phone voice was the most disgusting,” and I thought, what good fortune *laughs*. I actually wasn’t feeling well during the audition, and during the Risotto battle when Doppio vomits out razor blades, I actually did feel like throwing up, which might’ve worked in my favour. *laughs*

Q: That’s also fate. *laughs*

I loved the original work and I had several plans ready, but in the end, sometimes the result is determined by something that has nothing to do with the allure or desire I put out.

In Kabukichou Sherlock as well, I started out by ad libbing a lot based on the elaborate preparations I’d done, but in Episode 3 when my character was talking to Seki Tomokazu-san’s guest character, I sensed that “Oh, if I stop to think, I won’t make it in time” *laughs*. At some point, they started writing “(ad lib the rest)” in the script more often. As I was saying earlier, I’ve always been logic-focused, so ad libs are my Achilles’ heel. But on the other hand, I was grateful for that role because it allowed me to practice seeing how the things I’d prepared would change during the actual recording. I’m still not at the point where I’d say I’m skilled at unconventional roles, but I’d like to eventually make them part of my arsenal, to the point where people say “If it’s a suspicious character, it’s gotta be voiced by him.” I want this weapon, no matter how much I have to pay! *laughs*

Q: I’m sure you’ve been getting more kouhais at work too.

Indeed. Shun-chan (Takeuchi Shunsuke-san) has a good grip on himself, and I learn a lot from him regardless of our hierarchy. He’s a natural, and a good person.

Nozuyama (Yukihiro)-kun from Rush Style is learning under Hayami Show-san’s guidance, and it amazes me how well he’s got it together… We haven’t had the chance to drink together lately, but he has a humane philosophy while also having the cuteness appropriate for his age, and I think that’s amazing. We’ve been planning to go for sushi with Hayami-san, but it hasn’t happened yet. *laughs*

Q: You must be good friends for that to come up.

I’m a passive person, so I’m thankful for anyone who comes to me, not just my kouhais. I’m especially grateful for friends who’ll drink with me, like Hirose Yuya from Arts Vision. Although it’s a bit embarrassing when he calls me “Soma-nii” *laughs*. I’d like to continue expanding my circle of friends in my own way.

Q: Are you interested in mentoring the next generation?

If I get the chance eventually… but first, I have to develop my own ability more. As for what I’d teach, I think it’d be fun to make a place where we can all study the flexibility of Japanese, like the effect a single particle can have on the nuance of a sentence, or how a word’s tone changes based on whether it’s written in kanji or kana. It might be elementary school level content, but it’s valuable to us.

Q: I’m looking forward to your future activities!

I’ve moved past the era of being frustrated with myself for not being able to do something, and into an era where I can now think, “Wow, I didn’t know you could do that! I can’t do it! Yes!”

If you really don’t stand a chance then there’s nothing you can do about that, but if you can vaguely make out a path, then all you have to do is go for it. That’s how you expand your arsenal. In that sense, perhaps I’ve finally figured out the direction of my compass after these ten years. Now that I can look at the map and think, “What? The world is this big?!”, I’m looking forward to traveling to various places.

Behind the scenes of Saito Soma’s first front cover feature in Seiyuu Grandprix

Saito Soma-san makes his first front cover and opening feature appearance! His vivid blue outfit makes quite an impact. What did you think of it?

The internal theme for this photo shoot was “On an ordinary day, Saito Soma-san casually buys a bouquet and champagne on the way home and presents them to you.” It was only light acting, without being too conscious of the theme.

During the session, Saito-san talked about how his latest fad is matching Nishiyama Koutaro-san’s fashion. When we pressed for details, it turned out that they have similar taste in clothes, and that the trick to pulling off the Nishiyama-san look is wearing pants that go 70-90% down the leg♪ Thanks to Saito-san’s gentle aura, it was a relaxed photo shoot from start to finish.

During the interview, he talked in detail about his latest release “my blue vacation” and his 10th anniversary as a voice actor. It’s full of the most current information!

Shop-specific bromides:

Animate-exclusive poster:

Autographed Polaroids (raffle):

Off-shot from Soma’s stylist:

Blog post from Soma’s stylist about the outfit (has a couple of other photos):

https://note.com/yuukihonda/n/ne4ab8e8cc961

(I won’t be translating it, because he doesn’t allow reposting/alterations of his content)

[Stream] Hatano Rururu #29 (Guests: Saito Soma, Nishiyama Koutaro, Takeuchi Shunsuke)

Broadcast: 2019/03/12 @ 9:30pm
Original URL: https://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv318900308 (no longer available)
Original Name: 【ゲスト：斉藤壮馬・西山宏太朗・武内駿輔】羽多野るるる29回
Archive:
Part 1: https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/1556168403
Part 2: https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/1556168463
(Requires channel subscription to view; expires end of April 2020)

Summary:

  • This stream was held the day before Hatano’s 37th birthday, and Soma, Tarori, and Takeuchi joined him as celebratory guests. All four of them are affiliated with 81 Produce, and they make up the cast of Omikuji Yon Kyoudai (a picture drama and readers theater series).
  • The guests showed up singing Happy Birthday to him, with Soma holding the cake. They also brought birthday presents for him. Takeuchi gave him a box of cooling eye masks (Soma comments on how the mood is becoming cold too) and wet face masks. Tarori gave him a package of coffee beans and a ceramic coffee filter. Soma gave him a fountain pen and ink set (to be specific, what appears to be a LAMY dialog, worth ~€270). The fountain pen is very futuristic (matching the theme of Hatano’s 2019 live tour) and Hatano offers Soma concert goods in exchange(?!).
  • Tarori reads out some birthday messages from listeners and Takeuchi reads out a listener mail about Omikuji Yon Kyoudai, leading to them talking about the series for a bit. Tarori calls Soma’s character the most dangerous, “because it’s Soma.”
  • The next mail asks the three guests to talk about a time when Hatano was a cool senpai to them. All of them struggle for a while, saying that there’s “too many to choose from,” and Hatano starts to worry about whether they’ll actually say anything. Soma says that some of the stories are things he wants to keep as his personal treasures.
  • Tarori tells a story about a time when he messaged Hatano on LINE asking, “Would you like to have a meal together sometime?” and Hatano replied with a short 「行こ」 (shortened “Let’s go”) and everyone bursts out laughing (Soma: “Cuuute!”).
  • Soma’s story is about a certain series they were in together as a three-person unit. They all eat yakiniku together at the end of the year, and it’s always Hatano that makes the reservation, with an amazing course for them. When the delicious marbled cuts come out, Hatano says “Go ahead and eat~” and it makes Soma like him.
  • Takeuchi’s story is about a time when he and Hatano were in the same series together, and after the recording, they happened to be going to the same studio next, and Hatano offered him a ride.
  • Next, they talk about the stuffed panda on the table and the story behind it (Tarori and Hatano got it when they went to the Phillipines).
  • The next corner is Word Wolf, a game where they all get a topic to talk about. Three of them get the same topic, and one person gets a different one. No one knows who has the different topic (it could even be themselves) so they have to keep up the conversation while trying to figure out if they’re the wolf (and if so, try to blend in with the rest of them).
  • (This… is actually kind of hard to summarize lol. I’ll try my best, but sorry if it’s hard to follow.)
  • ~Round 1~
  • Words (hover to reveal): Hatano/Soma/Takeuchi: Mask. Wolf is Tarori with Glasses.
  • Tarori says he admired it, and Takeuchi says it’s something you admire as a kid, but maybe not as an adult… Tarori: “?” Takeuchi: “?” (The confusion is already beginning)
  • Soma asks Takeuchi if he admired it, and he says yes. Soma doesn’t really understand… Tarori clarifies that he thought it was cool, and Soma agrees.
  • Tarori asks Soma what he thinks of it, and Soma said he never really thought about it as a kid, and so he didn’t admire it.
  • Hatano tentatively says “It comes in different sizes, right?” and everyone hesitantly agrees. They agree that it comes in different types. Tarori says that there are specialty stores for it and Hatano says “Yeah, I think there are,” causing Soma to go “Hatano-san?” and Hatano clarifies that he hasn’t gone to one before, that he’s just an amateur.
  • Tarori asks Hatano if he owns it, and he says yes. Tarori asks how many he has at home, and he says an uncountable amount. Soma asks Tarori if he has it, and he says yes. How many? All together, probably less than ten. Soma smiles knowingly and asks Takeuchi, and he just says “a lot,” since he doesn’t really know how many and just puts them all together. Soma remarks that it sounds like everyone has a different word, and Hatano finds it hard to believe that three of them have the same topic.
  • Hatano asks them to say what colour they associate it with, and they all say it at the same time: Hatano/Soma/Takeuchi say white, and Tarori says light blue. But, Soma and Hatano say that light blue makes sense too. Soma adds that he also has a lot of them (since he didn’t mention it before when they were talking about it).
  • The viewer poll goes Takeuchi (41%) > Tarori > Soma > Hatano. As for the members, Hatano/Soma/Takeuchi all point at Tarori, and Tarori points at Soma.
  • After revealing the results (see above), Soma says that he figured out him and Hatano, but between the other two it was hard because Takeuchi was suspicious too. Takeuchi clarifies that the definition was vague, and at first he thought it might mean superhero masks because of how Tarori started with the admiration talk.
  • They take a break from Word Wolf to do announcements. Hatano talks about his live tour stops and how some of the goods will be sold again afterwards. Soma promotes Omikuji Yon Kyoudai’s first readers theater event, which will be held the next month. Hatano announces the date for the next Rururu stream, and that ends the first half.
  • ~Round 2~
  • Words: Hatano/Soma/Takeuchi: Angel. Wolf is Tarori with Pegasus.
  • Tarori once again starts with “I admired this” and everyone laughs but agrees. Soma says it feels special, and Hatano has only seen them in drawings. They haven’t seen actual ones, but they’d encountered them through work because of the roles they’ve voiced.
  • Tarori calls it “cool” and “divine.” Soma remarks that it has wings, and everyone agrees. Takeuchi says that the number affects their strength, and Hatano says they have a sparkly image.
  • Soma asks Tarori if he’s been called one before, and Hatano asks who out of the four members seems the closest to one. Tarori says Hatano, and Soma/Takeuchi nod in understanding.
  • Tarori brings up the colour association again, and all four of them say white.
  • The viewer poll goes Tarori (50%) > Soma (32%) > Hatano/Takeuchi. Tarori remarks that while he expected himself to be doubted, Soma’s high percentage was surprising… it must be a popularity thing, or because it’s part of his nature. As for the members, Hatano points at Tarori, Soma/Tarori point at Takeuchi, and Takeuchi points at Soma. Hatano’s reasoning was that it seemed that Tarori realized he was the wolf early and was pretending to be a sheep. Takeuchi picked Soma for the same reason, and Soma picked Takeuchi because his comment about the number of wings seemed suspicious.
  • After revealing the results, Tarori said he actually didn’t realize he was the wolf, and Soma points out that that means Tarori thought Hatano was the most pegasus-like. Tarori says that it was because of the song “Pegasus Fantasy.”
  • ~Round 3~
  • They eagerly move on to the next round, and Soma asks if he can go buy beer. He also looks at the stream comments and laughs at “Nishiyama-san admires pegasuses, huh?” Hatano is impressed that Tarori was able to keep up until the end with pegasus as his word.
  • Words: Soma/Tarori/Takeuchi: Onigiri. Wolf is Hatano with Sushi.
  • Takeuchi immediately starts by asking Tarori if he admires it, and he says no. He says it has a warm, nostalgic feeling though. But even now, he still comes in contact with it around three times a week. Soma says he does around three times a week too. Hatano says he probably doesn’t as often, but he does see it a lot. Soma asks, “When you were a kid too?” and Hatano says yes. Takeuchi says he has it maybe four times a week even.
  • Soma interjects to say that the last time he ate it was yesterday. (Dramatically revealing the fact that it’s a food item.) He likes it.
  • Tarori says he ate a really unusual one the other day, that cost ¥700 for one, which was “extremely expensive.” Hatano says it has a wide range of prices, even for the same thing. (Soma starts laughing at this point, prompting the staff in the background to burst out laughing too.) Hatano goes “Wait, did I say something weird?” and everyone is still laughing, but Takeuchi asks Hatano when the last time he ate it was and he struggles to answer. Takeuchi says he ate it for lunch today, and Hatano eventually says it was about two weeks ago.
  • Soma asks Hatano, “There’s specialty shops for it, right?” and Hatano enthusiastically agrees and Soma says he wants him to take him there next time (at this point he’s clearly figured out what’s up).
  • They do the colour association again, and everyone says white.
  • Hatano looks at the stream comments and laughs at the people saying “Hatano is weak.”
  • The viewer poll goes Hatano (87.9%) > everyone else.
  • When it comes time to make their guesses, they count “1, 2” and Takeuchi accidentally says his topic (in a really strong voice) instead of pointing towards the wolf. Everyone dies laughing and Takeuchi walks out of the frame in embarrassment. Hatano says “No matter who the wolf ends up being, that’s going to be the most entertaining thing that happens today,” and Takeuchi just continues to be mortified.
  • Finally they say their actual topics (Takeuchi in a quieter voice this time). Soma accidentally says sushi for himself instead of onigiri, and goes “I can’t do this anymore!”
  • Hatano says “If you guys said black because of the seaweed, then I would’ve been all alone,” and Soma responds, “I think you were already all alone halfway through.” Soma also says that he asked Hatano to bring them to a shop next time because he already knew that Hatano’s topic was sushi.
  • ~Round 4~
  • Words: Hatano/Soma/Takeuchi: Kimono. Wolf is Tarori with Suit.
  • Soma starts by saying that ever since he started doing this work, he’s seen it a lot, and that it’s something he likes. He then asks Tarori if he admires it and Tarori says he does, but not so much when it’s on him. He doesn’t feel much connection to it; he sees it often but rarely has it himself. Soma is starting to laugh at this point, probably because he’s thinking about Somakimi, and Tarori goes “It might be over for me…”
  • Hatano says it’s “difficult” and Tarori says it requires an aesthetic sense. Takeuchi says it’s also a matter of figuring out where to start from, and Soma says you have to budget out how much the whole thing together would cost.
  • Soma points out the stream comments saying “Onigiri Yon Kyoudai” and they all laugh.
  • Everyone says they’ve used one before, and Tarori says he wore one recently. Takeuchi asks what for, and and Tarori says “That kind of time” (everyone laughs) and Tarori clarifies that it was for an event.
  • They agree that it’s not something you’d wear every day, although there are people who would.
  • For the colour association, Hatano says red, Soma says white, Tarori says navy blue, and Takeuchi hesitantly says pink.
  • The staff asks if they own it, and Takeuchi says, “I don’t… actually, I wonder if there’s one at home somewhere,” Soma says he wore one just the other day (but didn’t buy it), and Tarori says he owns it.
  • The viewer poll goes Tarori (53%) > Soma (35%) and they wonder why it’s always between Tarori and Soma. As for their guesses, Hatano/Soma point to Tarori, Tarori points to Soma, and Takeuchi points to Hatano but switches to Tarori, saying “I’m switching to this” to which Tarori responds “Who’re you calling ‘this’ >:(“
  • Tarori says he figured out early on because he had no idea what Soma was talking about at first.
  • Soma remarks that Tarori keeps drawing the wolf, so they decide to do one more round to try and see someone else as the wolf.
  • ~Round 5~
  • Words: Hatano/Tarori/Takeuchi: Dolphin. Wolf is Soma with Sea Lion.
  • Tarori starts by saying it’s a classic example of something cute.
  • Soma says it’s not really something you encounter up close, and Takeuchi adds that its size doesn’t help with that.
  • Hatano asks if they’ve seen it up close before, and everyone says yes. He then asks if they’ve touched it before, and Tarori says he did before for a program. Hatano says he’s seen it before, but hasn’t touched it. Soma says it’s hard to get close enough to touch it.
  • Soma says he’s lacking knowledge about the topic, and everyone agrees.
  • Hatano imagines it as being slippery, aerodynamic. Takeuchi says it travels in a pack, its voice can reach very far, and it has mutual understanding. The staff bursts out laughing because he’s making no sense, but Hatano says he gets what he’s saying, and Soma says they’ve achieved their own mutual understanding so it’s okay.
  • Tarori says that there’s light-up toys of it and everyone struggles to think. He says “at gift shops” and everyone goes “Ohhhhh!” Soma adds that there’s ones that make sound too.
  • Soma adds that they’re considered smart, and everyone agrees. Takeuchi says they get emotionally attached, and Soma says they communicate in ways that humans can’t understand. Hatano says there’s an occupation that involves raising them and everyone gives dubious responses.
  • The staff asks where they saw it, and everyone says the aquarium.
  • Instead of colour association, Tarori suggests they guess what sound it makes, and they laugh because they can’t tell what anything is when they all do it at the same time.
  • The viewer poll goes Soma (60%) > everyone else. Hatano wonders why, and Soma says that Tarori’s votes must’ve gone to him.
  • Their guesses: Hatano/Soma point to Takeuchi, Tarori points to Soma, and Takeuchi points to Tarori. Tarori says it felt like Soma was probing around more than the previous rounds, and making surprised expressions.
  • When the answers are revealed, Soma says it took a long time for him to realize too. He got a hunch when they were talking about its shape, and thought it might be sea lion vs seal.
  • Takeuchi asks wtf the light-up toy was, because he had no idea and was just playing along with everyone else (and thinking he might be the odd one out). Tarori says it’s a toy that glows in the dark, and Soma adds that there are ballpoint pens that go “EHEHEHE” when you press them.
  • Finally, they read another viewer mail (and apologize for spending the whole time playing the game). The mail asks for some behind-the-scenes stories from the concerts they co-performed at (Hatano/Tarori/Takeuchi for A3, Hatano/Soma for IDOLiSH7).
  • Soma says that before the concert, they talked about how they trusted each other, unlike the game they just played where they all doubted each other.
  • Tarori says that Hatano had a video of the rehearsal that they all watched, and Hatano would point out the parts he liked and it made Tarori really happy.
  • Hatano says that they were staying in neighbouring hotel rooms the night before, and Hatano was about to go to sleep when he heard a singing voice coming from somewhere. He mentioned it the next morning, thinking it was going to turn into a scary story, but Tarori said “That might’ve been me.”
  • There was a bonus video uploaded afterwards, but I forgot to grab it before it expired (it expired earlier than the actual stream did, for some reason) so… if you saved it and would like to share, it would be very appreciated 🙂