The Japanese dubbed version of the popular Thai GL (Girls Love) drama "Gap the Series," which began streaming on YouTube in 2022, began streaming on DMM TV, TELASA, FOD, and other platforms on September 16th as the first release of Aniplex's new brand of GL/sisterhood works, "aLiL." The story depicts the love story between Sam, a cool female CEO, and Mon, who has always admired Sam since she saved his life as a child and joined Sam's company as a new employee. The 12 episodes have been viewed over 800 million times on YouTube, making it a very popular series. In the Japanese dubbed version, Sam and Mon are played by popular voice actors Amamiya Sora and Hitsujimiya Hina. We asked the two about the behind-the-scenes recording and the appeal of the work.
◇GL works are "fresh" - full of "firsts"
--What is your impression of "Gap the Series"?
Amamiya There are a lot of comedy elements overall, so I get the impression that you can watch it without feeling nervous. I thought it was a work that even people who had never seen a work with a homosexual theme before could easily watch.
Hitsumiya: I had the same impression. Although the story revolves around a love story between two girls, the other characters with strong personalities besides Mon-chan and Sam-san also made a strong impression. There are many lovable characters, so I found it very fun and interesting from the first episode.
--Is this your first time appearing in a GL work for both of you?
Amemiya: It's my first time.
Hitsumiya: There has been one in the anime, but it wasn't that intense.
Amemiya: This work is quite intense (laughs).
--What were your thoughts when you were decided to appear in the film?
Amemiya: I have the impression that there are a lot of boys' love works, both live-action and anime, but I hadn't known many live-action girls' love works, so it was very refreshing for me.
Hitsujimiya: This was my first time doing a voiceover for a film. It was my first time as the main character, and it was a film about a love story between two girls, so there were a lot of "firsts" that overlapped, and I was very nervous, but I was also happy. I was very happy to be able to go to a new world with Mon-chan in many ways.
◇A grumpy CEO and a girly new employee are attracted to each other - what is the most anticipated heart-melting scene?
--In the first episode, Mon, who has always admired Sam, joins Sam's company and is surprised to see that Sam has become a strict and cold person, with no trace of his former gentleness. What are your impressions of each character?
Amemiya: Sam is quite a mysterious person, and has a unique sense of tempo. He comes from a strict family, and there is also the fact that he made a promise with his grandmother that if he did not make the company a success, he would be forced to marry his fiance. Although she is determined to make the company a success, her natural clumsiness makes her seem cool, making her a bit of a difficult character. She's actually very honest, but she says the opposite of what she thinks, and she's straightforward but not necessarily straight.
Hitsumiya Mon-chan is very girly, or rather maiden-like. Her moods are quite up and down, and I thought she was cute every time she showed me a slightly sulky face. But I felt that she had a strong core and wouldn't just go with the flow.
--Sam and Mon gradually become attracted to each other. What do you think it was about each other that attracted them?
Amemiya Mon is a very hard worker and pure-hearted person, and while other people are scared of Sam and avoid him, she speaks her mind and is the type of girl who tries to face Sam and steps into his territory, so I think it was her core strength that attracted her. Also, Sam looks at Mon's lips a lot (laughs). So I think that's why he likes them. He stares at him for several seconds at a time (laughs).
Hitsujin: Mon-chan has always admired Sam-san, but when he reunites with him and gets closer to him, his heart is shaken. His heart is moved by both painful and happy things. At first, he may have only admired and liked him, but I think he then realized that he was someone important to him and that he could face him.
--One of the charms of "Gap the Series" is the heart-pounding scenes that are like girls' manga. What are your favorite heart-pounding scenes?
Hitsujin: I feel like there are two types. There are scenes where you're like, "I'm so excited, I wonder what will happen next," and there are also scenes where Sam-san is a very capable person, but becomes a fool when it comes to communicating with people. I was always touched by Sam-san's weaknesses that are revealed in the main story, thinking, "I see that side of him!" He's so cute!
Amemiya: For me, what makes my heart flutter is when Mon gradually starts to get revenge on Sam. When Mon starts to play pranks on Sam or initiates things, I think it makes my heart flutter. In the beginning, Mon is often swept away by Sam's unique pace and gets into trouble, but gradually the roles are reversed. After Sam falls in love with Mon, Mon also becomes quite assertive, so I think it's really cute when Mon teases him.
Hitsujimiya: The more I get to know Sam, the cuter he is. I was smiling while watching every episode.
◇Love scenes that "make me feel more and more fond of him" "I feel that he loves me"
--What were your thoughts on interacting with him as lovers during recording?
Hitsujimiya: When I practice at home, I listen to the original audio to check, but when I actually recorded and Sam's voice sounded like Japanese, there were a lot of moments like a piercing pain in my heart. I think it was much easier for me to move emotionally as Mon-chan when I was interacting with Amemiya-san. Also, I could really sense the atmosphere. I think there was a sense of the atmosphere on set when he was doting on me, and the atmosphere when things got a little strained between the two of us.
Amemiya-san: Especially when we do lovey-dovey and intimate scenes together, it just makes it all the more endearing. Not only is it about the physical distance, but when you're close in your hearts, I really feel like you can naturally become that kind of distance without having to think about it. Personally, I feel like it makes it even more endearing when I hear it in Hitsujimiya-san's voice. There's a purity to it, and even when he's hurt, it makes him even more pitiful. I really find Hitsujimiya-san's Mon endearing.
Hitsujimiya-san: Thank you...!
--You know, even during recording, you get excited?
Amemiya-san: The love scenes are pretty exciting (laughs). I think we can have fun acting. I think we can work with more affection for each other when we're together.
Continued in interview (2).
