The TV anime "Dandadan," based on a popular manga currently being serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine app "Shonen Jump+," will begin airing on the MBS/TBS late-night anime slot "Super Animeism TURBO" from October 3rd. This unique "occult youth story" is a mix of many elements, including the occult, youth, romantic comedy, and battle. Popular voice actress Shion Wakayama plays one of the main characters, Momo (Ayase Momo). Wakayama said it had been her dream to play the main character in a Jump anime, and although she was nervous, she took on the challenge head-on. We asked her about what went on behind the scenes of the recording.
◇ Studying gals for the role of Momo, focusing on intonation
The story of "Dandadan" is about Momo, a girl who doesn't believe in aliens, and Okarun (Takakura Ken), a boy with an occult obsession who doesn't believe in ghosts, who encounter an overwhelming strangeness. Okarun, who encounters Turbo Granny in a haunted tunnel, is cursed with the power to transform, while Momo, who comes from a family of mediums, awakens her hidden psychic powers after being attacked by a Serpo alien. The two unleash their special powers and face the mysteries that appear one after the other. The anime brings together a star-studded cast of voice actors, including Hanae Natsuki as Okarun, Tanaka Mayumi as Turbo Granny, and Nakai Kazuya as the Serpo alien.
Momo, played by Wakayama, is a passionate high school girl who acts on her feelings. In preparing for the role, she first thoroughly studied gals.
"I wondered what elements I should incorporate to make the viewer think, 'That's a gal,' so I watched YouTube videos of gals and listened to gal conversations on the train, studying and incorporating their way of speaking, what they said, and their mindset, to create the role. I'm not a gal myself, but I really admire them. They have high self-esteem and say what they think clearly, but I admire their honesty in listening to the other person's opinion and being able to say, 'You're right, sorry,' if they're wrong, so I incorporated those elements as well."
She said she was conscious of her intonation in order to naturally and authentically express the gal-like qualities of a high school girl.
"The work itself has elements of the occult that jump into everyday life, and there are also love and comedy stories, so I thought that I needed to be convincing in the high school girl feel. I was very conscious of the fact that if it were me, I would use this intonation, but if it were a high school girl, it would be different, and I wanted to deliver it in a way that was not different from the feeling I hear every day. I thought that if I used an intonation that was different from the usual, it would be familiar to people, so even during the recording, I was of course discussing it with the director and sound director, but I was determined to fit in everything I could! I changed the intonation."
◇A very nervous recording, and a big hit! A dream come true: starring in a "Jump" work
Wakayama studied about gals and carefully prepared for the role when recording the first episode, but she was very nervous, and sound director Eriko Kimura said, "You're nervous and stiff. It feels like you're trying really hard." Wakayama said that playing the main character in a Jump series was "a dream come true," and that he felt a lot of pressure in the role of Momo.
"About a year ago, I said, 'I want to play the lead role in a Jump work someday,' but I thought it was like a dream, so I was really motivated to play Momo this time, and even though no one was pressuring me, I felt a lot of pressure and was really tense. Then, when Kimura said to me, 'It sounds like you're trying too hard,' I was shocked. Of course, he said it very gently and didn't hurt my feelings, but I thought, 'Is that how my nervousness comes out?!' I was shocked right from the start, realizing that I have to relax and do my best to relax."
When she found out that she would be co-starring with Tanaka and Nakai, who have appeared in many Jump anime works, in "Dandadan," she said, "It was so unrealistic that my head felt like it was going to explode," and the pressure intensified. However, she said, "Tanaka and Nakai took the initiative to create a really warm atmosphere that blew away all that stuff, and it really saved me."
She also took on the dialogue with Hanae, who plays Okarun, with a strong determination to "hang on and not miss a beat."
One of the charms of "Dandadan" is the fast-paced dialogue between the attractive characters, and while Wakayama felt pressure and tension, she smiled as she looked back on the recording, saying, "It was really fun to see it all come together."
"When I was practicing at home, I didn't have anyone to practice with, so I prepared to some extent, vaguely thinking, 'I wonder if it's going to come like this?' or 'I'll respond like this,' but when we actually recorded, the other person was there, and he returned the ball I threw, and then he returned it again, and the conversation gradually took shape, which was really comfortable and fun."
◇A new door in "Dandadan" - a gruff voice and even abusive language!?
Wakayama also felt that playing Momo opened "a new door" for her as a voice actor.
"Before I joined "Dandadan", I had never raised my voice or shouted in an episode. I had always felt that I couldn't raise my voice, and that was a complex for me. But as I did the scenes where I had to raise my voice every week in "Dandadan", my voice started to resonate and deepen, and I was happy that I could do it now!"
In "Dandadan", you can hear Wakayama's voice in a way that you have never heard in other works, and she says with a smile, "I think it's the first time I've heard a voice with a deep voice, and I've also been allowed to say abusive things and catchphrases that I could only say in this work."
Wakayama, who plays popular characters in various works, including "Dandadan", and shows us new charms, was asked what she values when facing a role, and she answered, "research."
"Just as I am a multifaceted person, Momo is also multifaceted, so I ask myself questions like, 'What would Momo do in this situation?' and solidify the character. It may not seem relevant to the work, but I sometimes think about people's personalities, like, 'Does this person prefer tea or coffee?' I do this hoping to understand the character as well as possible. After that, I always find something that is similar to myself and expand on that. Then I create the character's framework, receive direction during recording, and create the core part together with everyone."
Wakayama took on "Dandadan" with great emotion. Keep an eye on the passionate performances of the voice actors.
