The second part of the two-part film series of Given, an anime based on Kizu Natsuki's popular BL manga, was released on September 20th. The Given anime series began as a TV anime that aired from July to September 2019 on Fuji TV's late-night anime slot Noitamina. It depicts the youthful lives of the members of the rock band Given, and came to its conclusion with Given: To the Sea. We spoke to Yano Shogo, who plays the main character Sato Mafuyu, and Uchida Yuuma, who plays Mafuyu's lover Uenoyama Ritsuka, about the recording sessions and their thoughts on the conclusion.
◇Six years of growing together with Mafuyu and Ritsuka
--In "Given: To the Sea," Mafuyu is invited to make their major label debut, but is unable to come up with an answer. Ritsuka decides to face Mafuyu in her own way, music, and tries to complete a "certain song" left behind by Mafuyu's ex-girlfriend, Yoshida Yuki. What were your thoughts when you approached the recording of this work, which can be considered the culmination of the series?
Yano: I was sad that it was already over, but I approached it in the same way as before.
Uchida: The recording of "To the Sea" was not long after the first part, "Given: To the Sea Mix," so I was very happy that we were able to record it without much time apart over the past year. The atmosphere on set was very good from the time of the TV series, and it was a work that everyone communicated well together to create, so I was very sad that it was coming to an end. However, because we have all built up so much together up to this point, I think it was really good that we were able to go to the set in a natural way, without being too nervous or particularly tense, as we have done in the past.
--Since the TV anime started in 2019, you have played Mafuyu and Ritsuka. What do the characters mean to you?
Yano: Given is the first time I have played the lead role, so I feel like I have grown together with Mafuyu. In "To the Sea," Mafuyu faces music, and the feeling that "music is important" begins to grow, and he becomes more and more devoted to music. I think that is also growth, and I also think that facing both Yuki and Ritsuka properly and being able to say that he truly loves Ritsuka is growth. The more this "love" grows, the more there are moments when you start to hate them, or when you have to give up one of them. I am also an actor, and there have been times when I started to hate acting because I loved it, so I can sympathize with what Mafuyu is feeling. I think that side of me has grown more and more.
Uchida: When I was cast as Rikka in Given, I was trying out a lot of different things, trying to figure out how to communicate with people and how to approach acting. I'm not a very skillful person, so I really felt like I had no choice but to throw myself into anything. Rikka also expresses his feelings better through music than through words. His language was music. I empathized with his awkwardness, and it was like I was watching myself. At the time, I was struggling with the same problems as Rikka, and Yano and Mafuyu guided me, and I really felt like they accepted me. So I really feel like I've been walking together with him. ◇More than anything, value your feelings －－What did you value in your acting in "To the Sea"? Yano: Of course, loving Rikka. For Mafuyu, the stronger his love for music and Ritsuka, the less he knows what to do with himself, and the deeper meaning he feels when he's left behind by those around him. I thought so when I read the script, so I wanted to cherish the feelings he's built up for Ritsuka and for music above all else. With Given's major debut approaching, I think these feelings will be sublimated into a strong feeling that "I'm going to live off music from now on. I'm going to live as a professional." "That's why I'm going to face Ritsuka more and cherish both of them."
Uchida For Ritsuka, feelings are important. I think the TV anime was a stage where she was realizing her own feelings and realizing things she couldn't put into form, but in "To the Sea," how will she face Mafuyu based on that? It is something that you can come to terms with on your own, but when you realize that "I want to live with this person," can you really move forward with just your own feelings? I think Ritsuka had a lot of doubts about this, and thought about it a lot. So I think "To the Sea" was a story where Ritsuka made up her mind.
--Was there any change in playing Ritsuka like that from before?
Uchida: In terms of acting, I didn't try to change something or show it in a certain way, but rather, because this is a dialogue drama, I thought it would be better to create a production that would make the audience feel, "Oh, she's changed," through the communication between us. So I made it a priority to keep it as flat as possible and not set too many goals. By doing so, I think we were able to act in a way that pulled each other up.
--What was the most memorable thing about recording? Yano: At the end of this episode, Mafuyu has a monologue that says, "I wish everything would stay like this forever." At first, I interpreted that line as, "I'm so happy right now that I wish this time could continue forever." However, I received direction from sound director Kikuta (Hiromi) saying, "Mafuyu knows that this time of happiness will one day be gone, which is why she says, 'I wish everything could stay like this forever.'" This made me realize that I had interpreted it in a way that was more to my own taste, that I had been savoring her happiness too much. I realized that I had been perceiving my current life with Ritsuka as happy, to the point that I had forgotten Mafuyu's pessimistic views of things, and the fundamental part of her moving forward after losing her precious Yuki. It felt like I had finally gotten to know Mafuyu anew.
Uchida: During the first test, Kikuta told me, "You're all too mature." In the recording of "Given," we made it a point to talk about essential parts, so the actors' sensitivities at that time really came to life. This is just my opinion, but I think that actors can add their own "I wish it was like this" to their acting, which leads to their individuality. So, this time too, in order for the characters to move towards a happy future, there was a desire somewhere that "it would be better to make this decision," and that became a "smell." That carried too much into the acting, and it felt like their worries were resolved.
--And then the direction came in that they were "too mature."
Uchida: I think they feel like they have to choose what they want to do when they're not sure what the right answer to their worries is, but as we gained a certain amount of experience, we became too clear about it. I remember thinking at the first test that we needed to reset ourselves and go into the recording. After that, everyone was able to switch gears right away, and I thought, "Wow, these professionals are amazing" (laughs).
Yano: Yuuma said the first line, so he became very young after receiving that direction. All I did was respond, so I thought, "That's just like Uchida Yuuma."
Uchida: No no, it's because I made him "adult" (laughs). But that's what's interesting. That's what it means to continue for a long time. It's been about six years for us, but for the characters, it's only been one year, so if you read the script too much and think too much about how you want it to be, it becomes a strange aim, a smelly thing, so I realized that it's important to reset that kind of thing once.
Continued in interview (2)
