The animated feature film "Ganbatte Ikimasshoi" (directed by Sakuragi Yuhei), based on the coming-of-age novel by Shikimura Ryoko, which has also been made into a live-action film and a TV drama, will be released on October 25th. Set in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, the masterpiece depicts the growth and emotional turmoil of a high school girl who devotes her youth to the rowing club. The anime is also attracting attention for featuring a star-studded cast of voice actors, including Amamiya Sora as the protagonist Murakami Etsuko and Ito Miku as Etsuko's childhood friend Saeki Hime. We spoke to Amamiya and Ito about their thoughts on the film and what went on behind the scenes during recording.
◇Amamiya Sora's acting is so real!
--What are your impressions of the film?
Amamiya: From the audition, I understood that a realistic performance would be required, so I took a realistic approach. First of all, I was happy to have been chosen to appear in this film with a different acting plan from usual. The drama was broadcast when I was in elementary school, so I was surprised to hear that it was being made into an anime movie in the Reiwa era, and I also felt the pressure of being involved in a work that has been loved for so long.
Ito I auditioned for all the characters.
Amemiya Me too!
Ito I auditioned hard for each character, taking my time with them, so I was happy to be cast. I knew about the novel, movie, and drama, and I was happy to have the chance to enter the world of the work by having it become an anime. Of the characters, Hime was the one that felt the most natural to me. When I was saying my lines, I felt like the words were coming out of my mouth naturally.
Amemiya I also auditioned for Hime, but it was a difficult role, and there were some parts that I couldn't quite grasp, so I had no confidence at all. When I heard Mikkuru's acting, I thought, "Him!" The director said that he wanted to choose a character that was close to him, and I felt that was right.
--Similar to you?
Ito: I don't know if I'm that considerate, but I am certainly the type of person who is concerned about what others think. Hime is able to judge the atmosphere of the situation and decide what she can say and what she can't say. I'm not the type of person who can get close to people, so I often find myself watching from afar, and maybe that's why the lines came out so naturally. Ten-chan's natural acting as Etsu-nee was refreshing, and I thought she was perfect! Etsu-nee is a character whose emotions move and change the most, and you can feel her sensitivity with just one response. It's so real!
Amemiya: I'm so happy! I got goosebumps. Etsu-nee went through elementary and middle school, and realized that she wasn't anything special, so she got used to giving up. I could really empathize with her, and I thought maybe it was me. This is especially true in elementary school, but if you have even a little bit more ability than others, such as being fast or good at studying, you feel like you're one of the chosen people in the world! This kind of omnipotence is born. However, by the time you reach high school, you realize that you're not special or anything, and that feeling is shattered. I was exactly like that, and while I didn't want to give up on myself, I acted like I had given up or chose to give up because it would hurt less if I did. I felt that we had a lot in common. Of course, there are probably people who don't feel that way at all, but it's an emotion that quite a few people have, so I don't think that Etsu-nee and I are in the minority.
Ito-san Hime is a kind, cheerful girl who can communicate with anyone and is the kind of girl that everyone likes. If you ask me if I have good communication skills like Hime, I would say no, and rather than being similar to her, she is a character I respect. I don't put myself forward, and I'm happy to feel the happiness of my friends, and I want to be by their side and see them working hard, so I have something like unconditional love. She is the type who is more happy about the things she does with everyone than about her own happiness, and her love is directed outward. She's like a mother.
◇In high school, she sang karaoke alone
--Are the rowing club members Takahashi Rie, Kito Akari, and Hasegawa Ikumi similar to the characters?
Ito: I wonder? Rie is similar in her straightforwardness.
Amemiya: That's true! She's straightforward about her feelings and acts on what she thinks. This is just my own interpretation, but Etsunee, Hime, and Lee in particular have the most natural acting out of the five, so maybe that's because they're similar to the real her. I think the contrast with Dakko and Imochi is interesting. The director said, "I decided on the characters not just based on their voice quality, but also on the way they normally talk," so I think there are probably some similarities between them.
Ito: I remember thinking, "Now that's how it is!" and being moved. Dakko and Imochi have a lot of back and forth, and just seeing them messing around makes you laugh, so I think they're key characters.
--How did you spend your high school days?
Ito I started working as a voice actor in my second year of high school, and I was part of the after-school club, so I would go home early. I also had lessons, and looking back, I only have work memories, but we participated in school festivals and choir competitions, so it was fun to be united as a group. It was my youth.
Amemiya I auditioned for an agency in my third year of high school, so I wasn't working yet. I was too shy, so it wasn't the ultimate youth, and I often did things on my own. I wasn't good at talking to people, so I basically ate lunch alone, and would go to karaoke by myself a lot when I got home. I wasn't really going out with friends either. I was more conscious of not being good at communicating than Etsu-nee. I wasn't one of those high school students who received much praise, and looking back now I feel bad for my teachers.
Continued in interview (2).
