The sequel to the TV anime "New Prince of Tennis U-17 WORLD CUP", based on the popular tennis manga "New Prince of Tennis" by Takeshi Konomi, "New Prince of Tennis U-17 WORLD CUP SEMIFINAL" began airing on TV Tokyo and other networks in October. The work depicts the semi-final match between Japan and Germany in the U-17 World Cup, and voice actor Fukuji Ochiai plays German professional tennis player Dankmar Schneider. Schneider grows super-large during the match, and even in the original work, he shocked viewers with comments like "He's too big..." We spoke to Ochiai about his acting and what goes on behind the scenes at the recording studio.
◇My first encounter with tennis was "Tenipuri"
"The Prince of Tennis" is a manga that was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from 1999 to 2008. The story follows tennis genius Ryoma Echizen as he rises to prominence in the Seishun Academy tennis club, and grows through battles with rival schools. A new series, The New Prince of Tennis, has been running in Jump SQ. (same publisher) since 2009.
The TV anime The Prince of Tennis aired from October 2001 to March 2005, while The New Prince of Tennis aired in 2012. Ochiai recalls, "The anime started when I was in elementary school." For Ochiai, his encounter with Prince of Tennis was his encounter with tennis.
"My dad is a little better at baseball than most people, so I understand baseball, but I didn't even know the rules of tennis. I started watching The Prince of Tennis and was shocked, thinking, 'Is tennis such an amazing sport? It's probably even better than baseball.' So when I saw an actual tennis match on TV later, I thought, 'Wow, the ball doesn't curve at all,' and 'The racket doesn't fly away,' even though I was just an elementary school student (laughs)."
After the audition, when it was decided that he would play Schneider in the anime, he was overjoyed, saying, "Really? I'm so happy!" In the semi-finals, Schneider will pair up with Berti B. Bork and play doubles against the Japanese pair Duke Watanabe and Niou Masaharu.
Regarding Schneider, Ochiai said, "He's really big. He's 17 years old!?" and said that he was worried about playing the gigantic Schneider before the recording.
"I wondered if Schneider's getting bigger was just an image of him looking bigger, or if he was actually getting bigger physically. The meaning would change a lot depending on that, so I definitely wanted to ask the director before recording. And when he said, 'He's getting bigger physically,' I thought, 'That's too big...'"
Ochiai said, "When I say he's getting bigger, I thought the space between each sound of his words would get wider. I thought the sound of the words I say would get wider, so I was conscious of that when I acted. It was like a monster was speaking."
◇ Valuing realism - baseball experience that connects to the present
Ochiai also valued realism when playing Schneider, a professional tennis player.
"I watched a lot of actual tennis matches and studied the breathing when hitting the ball. Does the voice come out when the ball hits the racket at impact, or does it come out when you push the ball back after it hits? When I watched an actual match, when I was losing, I would make a voice when the ball hits the racket. On the other hand, when I was winning and was able to hit the ball back properly, I think the voice comes out when I receive the ball and push it back. I was conscious of that difference."
Since Schneider was 17 years old, he remembered what it was like when he was 17 years old while playing the role. What kind of boy was Ochiai at 17 years old?
"When I was 17, I was in the baseball club, and I was always practicing to speak loudly so I wouldn't lose my voice. I started to aim to be a voice actor when I watched "Terminator" with my father in kindergarten, so I thought I wouldn't play baseball. But a legendary baseball player gave me advice, saying, "Why don't you play baseball, Fukutsugu?" and "You might find it useful in the future, so why don't you play baseball?" So I thought I'd give it a try. But in the baseball club, if you don't speak loudly, the coach and manager will get angry, so I was always thinking about how to speak in a way that would make people think I have a loud voice without damaging my throat. That's what's really helping me in my job now." Ochiai also feels that his baseball experience is helping him pursue realism in his acting as a voice actor. "When I was exercising, I felt that the muscles I used and the way I breathed were different depending on my position, and even when I was doing the same movement, the voice and breath were completely different depending on the situation. That's why when I act in a sports-related work, I try to watch the real thing as much as possible, and this time I was watching tennis the whole time. I can't do it unless I've experienced it myself."
◇ "We'll definitely win!" Schneider's tolerance is the highlight.
In the match scene of "Prince of Tennis", Schneider and Ito Tomoya, who plays Berty, who is paired with Schneider, encouraged each other by saying "We're going to win!"
"I've read the original work, so I know the outcome, but it's a future they don't know, and the future is unknown, so I kept telling Ito, 'We're going to win! We're going to win!'"
The highlight of the fight between Schneider and Berty vs. Duke Watanabe and Nioh is "Schneider's power and tolerance," he said.
"Schneider is big, so he has a lot of power and tolerance. There is a scene where he holds Berti on his stomach, and what tolerance! During the recording, I thought it would be better if he was breathing when he holds Berti on his stomach, but I think it would be more tolerance if he wasn't breathing. He has a tolerance like, 'I'll take care of you, so don't worry and just concentrate on your tennis!' And he has a fatherly touch. I want you to pay attention to that."
Finally, Ochiai said with a smile, "Please support the German team. We don't know what the outcome will be, but it depends on how everyone supports us. We'll do our best and win!"
