The TV anime "Blue Miblo", based on the manga by Takeshi Yasuda, known for the manga "DAYS", based on the Shinsengumi, will be broadcast on Yomiuri TV and Nippon TV every Saturday at 5:30 pm from October 19th. The protagonist, Chirinu Nio, who joins the ronin group Miburo, is played by Shuuichirou Umeda. Umeda will star in three summer anime this year, "Senpai wa Otoko no Ko", "Koshimin Series", and "Masareta ga Tsuiru!", and in addition to "Blue Miblo", he will star in three fall anime, "Puniru wa Kawaii Slime" and "Hitoribocchi no Isekai Kouryaku". We asked Umeda, a young voice actor who is on a roll, about his thoughts on "Blue Miblo" and what he values as a voice actor.
◇Nio Link
"Blue Miblo" began serialization in "Weekly Shonen Magazine" (Kodansha) in 2021 and is currently being serialized as "Blue Miblo Shinsengumi Hen". Set in Kyoto at the end of the Edo period, the story depicts the life of the Shinsengumi. The story is about a boy named Oga who is honest, kind and family-oriented, but deep inside he has a burning desire for justice, and who meets Hijikata Toshizo and Okita Souji, members of the Mibu-ro, a hated group of ronin.
Umeda says, "I wasn't that good at Japanese history..." but was engrossed in reading the original work.
"Through Nio, you can trace the history and destiny of the Shinsengumi, and you can feel the warmth and atmosphere of that time. The value of life is different depending on your position, and while some people die of hunger, others never have to worry about food. If you're strong, you can survive. Japan is completely different from then and now, and it feels like Japan, but not Japan. Nio, who was just a boy, changes when he meets Miburo. I know about the Shinsengumi and the names of the members, but I wasn't an expert on them, and I felt that the way Nio gets involved with Miburo linked me to him. Nio has an androgynous appearance, but he has the determination to hang on and more frustration than anyone else about the absurdity he hides inside. He seems transparent, but he's human and has strong feelings. He's not just a boy, he has extraordinary feelings. He's like a diamond in the rough, and the process of polishing that is fascinating."
Some things became clear as I delved into the character of Nio and actually performed it.
"When I think about Nio's position, it's easy to empathize with her, but common sense is different now than it was then. I can empathize with her, but as an actor, I need to dig deeper. If you don't like her, you might be cut off in an instant... If you start thinking about what it would be like to die tomorrow, it feels different from now. It's interesting to think about, but it's really hard. In the midst of all this, the wonderful co-stars have been a great help. These days, there are a lot of recordings that are done in separate locations, but we're recording together in large groups. As Nio, I felt like I was being drawn into everyone. On the other hand, I was able to naturally express Nio's unyielding side. By acting with everyone, unexpected things have come out."
◇Unity during recording
"Ao no Miburo" features a super luxurious cast of voice actors, including Kobayashi Chiaki as Saito Hajime, Horie Shun as Tanaka Taro, Azakami Yohei as Hijikata Toshizou, Ono Kensho as Okita Souji, Takeuchi Ryota as Serizawa Kamo, and Sugita Tomokazu as Kondo Isami.
"There are also Ohno Tomohiro and Toya Kikunosuke, who are almost my contemporaries, but they are all seniors, so I record while looking up to them. Of course, there are times when we have to clash, so I approach it with the determination to not lose to Nio. I don't have the experience that Nio has, and I'm not confident in my strength, but I think about how I can compete with the cards I have now and the strength I can think of now. That's where I link with Nio. Azagami-san's presence is big, and he gives me advice as an actor, and to me he really looks like Hijikata-san."
The voice actors have a sense of unity, and although he is the "leader," the set is unified without him being particularly conscious of it.
"On the set of 'Blue Miblo,' I feel more like I'm Nioi than the leader. My biggest mission is to fulfill my role, and I think I can fulfill my role as the main character. The leader's role is to keep an eye on the people around me, liven things up, and create the atmosphere on set, but this time there are a lot of people, and there are many people, including veterans, seniors close to my age, and peers, so the atmosphere is like, "Let's all liven things up together!", so there is a sense of unity without me having to carry it all on my own. Everyone has a strong personality, but it's Chiaki who brings the atmosphere together on set. Chiaki gets her seniors and us juniors involved, and she naturally takes care of us. I often sit next to Horie, so I chat with him a little (laughs). I'm conscious of clinging to everyone and making the show more exciting together! I'll live it to the fullest as Nioi!"
◇Confident in the role
Umeda is very active, starring in popular works such as "There are too many loser heroines!" It is no exaggeration to say that he is the most popular young voice actor at the moment. Umeda plays a variety of characters, but what does he value as a voice actor?
"I'm not the type to be confident in myself, so I get confidence from my roles. For example, I try to be confident in the fact that I'm playing something, like, 'I'm Umeda Shuuichirou, playing Nio!', but as an individual, I don't think of myself as anything special. However, I believe more than anyone else that the character exists. As someone who delivers a fictional story, I believe more than anyone else in the work. I want to have the power to believe that it really exists. Nio is firmly present in this story, and I have to know Nio better than anyone else. I feel Nio as if I were a person. I feel that I am being brought to life by the role."
Sometimes it feels like the characters Umeda plays naturally enter the work.
"I'm conscious of that, but I'm not so conscious of it, and when it comes to recording, I try not to think about it as much as possible. It goes without saying, but I'm always trying to find out how much I can get to feel like the character is looking at the world, not that I'm looking at the character. I've always liked being immersed in fictional worlds, so I'm trying to turn my thoughts like, "I wish this could happen, I wish there was a person like this..." into energy as an actor. There are some things that I have to calmly grasp before I actually act, but when I act, I try to forget everything. I'm not sure how far I've gotten. After leaving the training school and working, there are less things to learn, but I'm still exploring, watching the backs of my seniors and asking myself, just like Nio."
Umeda-san already has a strong presence, but he seems to still be growing. Just like Nio, he's sure to get even bigger! Expectations are high for even more success in the future.
