Sakata Shogo x Yano Hinaki x Sayumi Suzushiro x Ne:An interview with the anime "Kurakon" - The tempo is amazing! A powerful game of catch

The TV anime series "I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class(Kurakon)," based on the light novel from MF Bunko J (KADOKAWA), will begin airing on January 3rd. The story is about high school student Hojo Saito, who ends up marrying his least favorite classmate and nemesis, Sakuramori Akane, through an unexpected turn of events. Sakata Shogo plays the protagonist Hojo Saito, Yano Hinaki plays the main heroine Sakuramori Akane, and other impressive voice actors include Sayumi Suzushiro as Akane's best friend, the outgoing gal Ishikura Himari, and Nene Hieda as Hojo Ito, Saito's cousin with a downer bro complex. We spoke to Sakata, Yano, Suzushiro, and Hieda about what went on behind the scenes during the recording.

◇ Surprised by the “Report”

--As the film is about marriage, the cast was announced in a handwritten comment titled "Report," which was in the style of a wedding announcement, which became a hot topic.

Yano's friends also contacted me to congratulate me, and I replied, "No, that's not it!" I was surprised by the huge response.

When Sakata-san and Yano-san's appearances were announced, my appearance had not been announced, so I held back from wanting to give them a "Like" on social media. Yano-san's fans might have been shaking for a moment (laughs).

-What is your impression of the work?

Sakata: It's a fast-paced piece, but it also has some dramatic elements.

Yano-san, I also thought the tempo was amazing! I was shocked to find out that he married the girl he hated the most in his class!

Suzuyo-san gets married at an early stage. The novel approach of starting the story with marriage left an impression on me. Himari, who I play, is Akane's best friend. There must be something going on with the heroine's best friend! Ito Ao's characters are also well-defined, and the fact that the story development is completely unpredictable is interesting, so I enjoyed reading it.

I wondered if Hieda-san was engaged, but then they got married early on, so I was surprised at how quickly the story unfolded. Since they get married early on, I wonder if there's room for other heroines to get involved? It's interesting that you can't predict what's going to happen next.

--It's certainly a piece with an excellent sense of tempo.

The two Suzuyos (Sakata and Yano) are leading the way.

The length of the film is short compared to the number of lines that Yano-san has to say, so we're trying to cram as much as possible into the film while keeping the tempo in mind. Looking back at the first episode, I thought, "Wow, I talked a lot!" (laughs).

Sakata-san was a very powerful catch ball. I listened to Yano-san's acting and tried to bring out what was born, and it naturally matched the length, and as a result the tempo improved. When he said "Gyan!" I replied with "Gyan!" I tried to use the strength of the "Gyan!" to throw it back.

Yano-san's "Gyan!" is so strong that I had to surpass it, so I got stronger and stronger and faster. I was acting while feeling like my veins were about to burst.

Suzuyo-san: I had to express emotions without being too conscious of the time. It was a scene that tested my skills. The tempo was good, but the "slow" parts of the tempo were also prominent, and the tension changed depending on the scene, so it was well-balanced. It was fun to act. Ito Ao's tempo was a little different, and when he appeared, the atmosphere changed.

Hieda-san's Ito Ao is basically Ito Ao throughout. He's a character with a unique pace that never falters, and his sense of tempo is different from anyone else's.

--What do you pay particular attention to when acting?

Sakata-san Saito is argumentative and cool, but he shows emotion towards Akane. I tried to cherish that. Since it was a comedy, how could I break out of that while cherishing the core? I enjoyed devising that. I like to play around quite a bit, but I was often adopted and sometimes I was told, "If anything, do more."

I placed the utmost importance on the well-paced exchanges between Yano and Saito. Since she is a tsundere, I was directed to "play the traditional Japanese tsundere," so I was conscious of expressing the tsun well and also placing importance on the dere. The interactions at home during their newlywed life are innocent and endearing. Akane is usually aggressive, but the soft side she occasionally shows also has an impact, and I thought it was unfair!

Suzuyo-san's scenes were switched quite quickly, so it was hard to switch emotions. I think Himari is probably the most complicated girl on the inside. She is honest in her honest parts, but she also thinks about things and seems to be calculating them in a sense, so it was difficult to find the right balance. She has a different emotional distance from Akane and Saito, so even when saying the same line, "Good morning," she had a different nuance. I was sometimes directed to act "sexy," but in some of the more aggressive scenes I kept Himari's mind strong, so I was able to challenge myself to act in a more in-depth way while thinking about what "sexiness" means.

During the comedy part for Hieda-san , as the recording progressed, the sound director would ask me to ad lib, saying "Give me something," so I took on many challenges. Ito Ao is cute in appearance and behavior, but she is also mysterious in more than just cuteness, and I was conscious of that. She has a deep love for Saito in her own way, and although she doesn't show it all the way, when they are together, it can be seen a little. In fact, she thinks about and calculates things in her own way, but there are times when she doesn't show it. From the time of the audition, I was advised to "cherish motherhood," so I am also conscious of softness and tolerance.

Sakata- san said that he felt "closer to Ito Ao in spirit" than her, so we made sure to take that into consideration as well.

◇What is something that you used to hate but now like?

--In keeping with the title of your work, I'd like to ask you, is there anything that you used to dislike but now like?

Yano-san: I didn't like liver, but recently I discovered raw liver and started to like it. After eating the delicious raw liver, my dislike of it disappeared.

Suzuyo: Green pepper and pork stir fry. I like Chinese food, but I've never liked green peppers. I happened to go to a local Chinese restaurant and the person sitting next to me was eating green pepper and pork stir fry, and it looked really delicious, so I thought maybe I could try it now that I'm an adult... and I ordered it. It was so delicious that I started to like it.

Hieda: For me it's foreign horror movies. I love movies, but I used to dislike horror movies in general. When I was in high school, my father recommended "Esther" to me, and I gradually started to like horror movies. Now I like them so much that I can watch them alone at the cinema. Japanese horror movies are still scary, so I don't like them.

Sakata: I guess it would be salted cabbage. I've never liked vegetables since I was a child.

Suzuyo-san is just like me!

Even Sakata-san has loved green pepper and pork since he was a child (laughs). He has also come to like Goya Chanpuru. He still doesn't like celery, coriander, or green onions, though.

Suzuyo- san, what about eggplant?

Sakata- san, I'll eat tempura. Other than that, I'm not so sure...

◇Each ending expresses individuality

--The ending theme is a character song sung by the three heroines called "Overtaking Even Loves and Haters."

There are various versions, with each of the Yano heroines singing. It's a pop and cute song, but the one with "hate" in the second word is "Kurakon". Each voice has its own personality, and it's amazing how well balanced they are when they come together.

I'm very happy to be able to sing the ending as Suzuyo -san's character, and as I sang as Himari, I think the character's resolution has increased. Himari has a lot of different emotions, but when you hear this ending, it's nice to end on a bright note.

Hieda : Ito Ao doesn't have a large emotional range, so I took that into consideration when recording, but I was given more direction than I'd expected to make it "more inorganic," so I tried to find a way to express that superhuman charm through my singing voice.

Sakata-san, it's a great song! It's bright and somehow nostalgic, so I could listen to it forever. It sticks in my head, so I sometimes hum it.