The TV anime "Majirumie Co., Ltd.", based on the manga currently being serialized on Shueisha's manga app "Shonen Jump+," will be broadcast on Nippon TV's anime slot "FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT" every Friday at 11:00 p.m. (the first episode will be at 11:05 p.m.) from October 4th. Fairouz will play Sakuragi Kana, a new magical girl at Magirumie Co., Ltd., and Hanamori Yumiri will play Koshigaya Hitomi, a senior magical girl who has a rough personality but is caring and teaches Kana the mindset of a magical girl.
◇Because I struggled with job hunting
"Majirumie Co., Ltd." is a "work x magical girl" action manga written by Iwata Setsuka and illustrated by Aoki Yu. Set in a world where natural disasters known as "Kaii" exist and magical girls are recognized as a coveted profession, the story follows the protagonist Sakuragi Kana as she joins the venture company Magirumie Co., Ltd. as a new graduate and struggles as a member of society and a magical girl. It has been a hot topic, ranking third in the web manga category of the Next Manga Awards 2022.
Kana, played by Fairouz, is a hard worker who doesn't mind doing the hard work to prepare in advance, but her shy personality causes her to struggle during her job search. After joining Magirumiere, Shigemoto, the company president, notices her aptitude as a magical girl.
"I thought the idea of job-hunting students was a novel and interesting angle. I have experience in job hunting and working, so I can really understand how they feel. It felt like I was reliving the experience of job hunting through Kana. Job hunting is very lonely. It's a battle with yourself, and every time you receive a rejection notice, you feel depressed, wondering if you are worthless. Even in such a situation, it is a relief and a warm feeling to know that there are companies that find your value and the good points you didn't realize you had and need you. I have also been through countless interviews. At that time, I was arrogant and had a mysterious confidence that I would be the fastest in my department to finish my job hunting! But it was hard to decide, and every time I saw people around me who had received job offers, I became more and more anxious and stressed. That's why I can understand Kana's feelings so well, and when I passed the audition, I was really motivated to show what I could express because I had struggled with job hunting!"
With her job hunting experience now in a practical form, Fairouz said, "I think none of my experiences up to that point were in vain."
"I wanted to become a voice actor, but I promised my family that I would have some work experience. To be honest, at first I only thought of work experience as a stepping stone. I thought it would be better to go to a training school right away so I could debut sooner. I thought there was no point in learning how to fill out an application form, but that wasn't the case at all. This work made me realize that again. Job hunting is really hard. I had to wear a suit in the summer, go far away, and take a long time because my stride was narrow in my tight skirt. I was embarrassed when I sat on a chair without a cushion at the company information session because I was sweaty. I wanted to give a convincing performance based on my own experiences."
◇Surprised by the role of Kana!
Kana's growth will be one of the highlights of the work.
"At first, she has low self-esteem, and even though she has a truly amazing talent, she doesn't acknowledge it herself. It comes from her humility, but she's a little wasteful, and because she has room to grow, you want to see how she grows. She's talented, but other than that she's an ordinary girl, so it's easy for viewers to project themselves into her. I think she gives hope that maybe you, like Kana, have amazing talents that you don't realize you have. Magical girls give people hope, and I think she's a girl who was destined to become a magical girl."
Kana is cute, but she's also strong. Her inner strength is also attractive.
"I don't usually have many opportunities to play characters like Kana, and when I play a cute, fluffy girl, I try to keep the sound pressure down as much as possible. I tried to keep the pressure down for Kana as well, but it was the opposite. Kana is a strong-willed girl, so I was told to "put more out." Koshigaya's fighting style is strong, and she is the closest senior to Kana, so I was influenced by her strength to a certain extent. I grew up watching Koshigaya, so I also put in the essence of Koshigaya. I learned a lot from the words of sound director Mima (Masafumi). By acting without losing strength in Kana's voice, I was able to show him a side of me that I didn't have. Kana is constantly trying new things, and I was able to try new things through Kana. It was a set where I was able to learn a lot."
Koshigaya, played by Hanamori, is a caring character who teaches Kana how to prepare herself as a magical girl. When Fairouz and Hanamori's appearances were announced, some people said, "Aren't the casts reversed?" Fairouz has played a variety of characters, but is well-known for her powerful acting.
"Actually, both Hanamori and I auditioned for both Kana and Koshigaya. When the cast was announced, I'm sure many people thought, 'That's spelled wrong, isn't it?' When I was notified that I had passed, I wondered if it was Koshigaya, but they said, 'It's Kana,' and I was like, is that it?! If I were Kana, I thought Koshigaya would be a veteran, but when I heard it was Hanamori, I was surprised again. Hanamori is younger than me, but she has been a voice actress for longer than me, and she really has a lot of different skills, so during the recording, she was able to express something new, like, 'She's my senior! She can even use a low voice like that!' So I went in with the feeling that I can't lose! I can do what only I can do!'"
When asked about people thinking, "Maybe it's the other way around?" she said, "I'm happy about that."
"It means that our image has been established, and it's proof that we've encountered so many characters and works, so it's an honor. But I also want to say, "Please take a look at the new us!" I haven't had many opportunities to play a character like Kana, but it's not like I didn't have any at all, so I'm remembering the characters I've met so far and feeling grateful that Kana has become what she is thanks to you all."
A star-studded cast will play unique characters, including Koyama Rikiya as Shigemoto Koji, the president of Magirumie Co., Ltd., Yamashita Daiki as Futagoyama Kazuo, a magic engineer at the company, and Osaka Ryota as Midorikawa, a sales representative.
"During the recording, I was overwhelmed with my own thoughts, but I felt very at ease because everyone was a veteran and skilled person. Although I was the leader, I was the least experienced, and everyone matched the temperature of my acting and pulled me along, so we all created the work together. Everyone around me was a senior, and I was in the exact same position as Kana, so I was able to immerse myself in the world of the work. It was also a stoic set. Sound director Mima-san's motto was "Create a work, not a product," and he took many takes to bring out the best in me. There was a reason for every breath, and we got close to the character's feelings, and studied the place and temperature of the character. That was the kind of set it was, so everyone was facing the script and the character."
◇What did you dream of as a child? You wonder about monsters and demons!
Many children dream of becoming magical girls. Fairouz, when you were a child... "I liked monsters and demons, so instead of transforming into a magical girl, I wanted to be a character who fought alongside monsters and demons, or whose body parts turned into monsters. Rather than frilly dresses, I wore something like a school uniform (laughs). I was drawn to unisex things rather than girly things. There was a time when I wanted to be a ninja. I liked works in which men and women played equal roles. Since I became an adult, I have had more opportunities to come into contact with magical girl stories, and I've discovered new charms in them!"
Fairouz also has a deep knowledge of fashion. What did he think of Kana's fashion as a magical girl?
"It's surprisingly simple, isn't it? You might imagine magical girls to have a lot of frills, but there aren't any. They have ribbons on their heads, but it's a scarf tie around their necks. It's a little different from other magical girl designs. The president's is frilly though (laughs). Maybe the girls who actually work there value ease of movement. It's a simple but very well thought out design, with functional beauty, a magical girl feel, and the colors of each company. There are many different magical girls, each with their own unique personalities, so please look forward to it!"
"Magirumiere Inc." is set in a world where magical girls are a real profession. There are also some settings that are unique to this world.
"It's not just about the magical girls fighting, but they also think about the people who will repair the situation after the battle and the people in the area who live there. It teaches us that we don't just do our work by ourselves, but that work is always done as a team. I'm not good at teamwork either, but watching Kana, I learned that work is a team after all. Also, the supernatural phenomena are scarier than I thought. The world in which magical girls exist as a profession is not something to be taken lightly, and they are always fighting for their lives. Seeing the supernatural phenomena made me realize how sinister they are. However, the content is safe for children to watch, and I think it would be fine to broadcast it on Sunday mornings. I hope children will watch it too."
In preparation for the broadcast of the anime, Fairouz said, "Kana's growth is a big highlight, and I learned a lot from the dubbing, and I think I was able to grow together with Kana with a realistic feeling of warmth. Speaking of magical girls, it's the transformation bank, and the staff really put their love and care into making that, so please look forward to it!" Expectations are rising for Fairouz's passionate acting, which has grown even more.
