Sakura Shinfuku x Kazuki Ura:Interview with the anime "You're Going to Fall in Love Anyway" Expressing the rawness of youth Before recording, they pumped themselves up with karaoke in the morning!?

The TV anime "Douse, Koi Shimaunda" based on the manga by Mitsui Haruka currently being serialized in the girls' manga magazine "Nakayoshi" (Kodansha) will be broadcast on TBS and other networks from January 9th. The story depicts the heart-warming romance and youth of the protagonist Nishino Mizuho, who grew up in a seaside town, and her unique childhood friends Hazawa Kizuki, Kashiwagi Shin, Izumi Airu, and Hoshikawa Shugo. We spoke to Sakura Shinfuku, who plays Mizuho, a high school sophomore aspiring to be a manga artist, and Kazuki Ura, who plays Kizuki, a popular member of the swimming club who has a crush on Miho, about the appeal of the series and what went on behind the scenes during recording.

◇Everything about youth is packed into this book! Plus, the real-life life afterwards

--What were your thoughts after reading the original novel of "I'm Going to Fall in Love Anyway"?

I thought Ura-san was fresh. It's a story about how teenage students affected by the epidemic will fall in love and how they will live their youth, but through them, we can see the struggles of teenagers living in that era. In the midst of all this, Mizuho finds various youths, and it's full of the fun of girls' manga. While reading it, I thought, "You should have realized your feelings sooner!" or "You should have been a little more honest!" (laughs), but that's something you can only say as an adult, and when you're a teenager, the weight of a single word is completely different. I also had worries about what to do if the other person dislikes me because of that one word, or what to do if my relationships change, so I read it with the feeling that I was reliving that.

I thought Shinpuku-san's work was packed with everything about youth. It doesn't just depict love, but also shows how people fall in love with others and work hard for their goals, even in the midst of an infectious disease outbreak. There's meaning in that, I thought as I read. Also, it was interesting to be able to alternate between stories from high school and adulthood, and I thought it was impossible to predict what would happen next. He and Terutsuki were getting along so well, so what happened to him when he became an adult? I was curious about that as I read, and that was an appealing part of the work.

--As a shoujo manga, what appeal does it have that isn't found in other works?

I don't think I've seen much of Shinpuku's life as a working adult depicted in other books. I've never read a story about his worries after becoming a working adult, and then being shocked by a reunion, so it was refreshing. I like the fact that the focus isn't just on his high school years.

Ura-san : I thought it was a girl's manga that had freshness and realism. Just reading it makes you feel younger, but for example, Ai is an influencer and Teruzuki swims, but they're not going to become the best athletes in the world in the future. I liked the exquisite realism. It's a story that is an extension of reality, and it makes you think that maybe there are people like that out there, so that might be what resonates with people.

--Do you have any memories of the audition?

Ura-san: First, I auditioned for Terutsuki-kun through a tape audition, but no matter how many times I read the original work or spoke it out loud, it just didn't suit me. When I spoke the characters I'd been accepted for up until then, I often felt like they suited me somehow, so I was honestly surprised that I was able to move on to the studio audition. Then, when I received direction at the studio audition, I realized that the image of Terutsuki I had in mind was wrong in the first place...

--What was the difference?

I had heard somewhere that Ura-san was aiming for a live-action style of acting, and I was so conscious of that that I couldn't see Terutsuki properly... I was told, "I just tried to make it live-action and turned down the sound," and when I tried it based on that, I realized for the first time that "Ah, this is what Terutsuki is like," and I thought that if that's the case, I might be able to get used to it, so I did it, and thankfully I was chosen, so I think that without that direction I would never be here. Terutsuki is actually a very human and timid girl, but she wants to take action, and I'm a timid person myself, so once I was able to empathize with that, things went very smoothly.

Shinpuku: There was a line from the studio audition that left a lasting impression on me. There was a line where Mizuho called out "Kigetsu" while Kitsuki had his head on her shoulder. Sound director Yasunori Ebina valued that sense of distance and told me, "You should call Kitsuki's name when he's so close that you can almost touch face to face." I thought I was trying to be conscious of the closeness of the sound, but I thought he was even more particular about the sense of distance when making the sound, so it left a strong impression on me. When I was actually cast as Mizuho, ​​I thought I wanted to value the sense of distance.

◇ Terutsuki is a "big dog" Mizuho is normal but not normal She goes to karaoke before recording!?

--Please tell us about the characters you will be playing.

Ura-san: Hazawa Teruzuki is a handsome guy with many fans, and is one of the four boys in the "Koigahama Highlands" group at school. He's not cool, but he's hard to pin down. He's energetic, but not all that energetic. He's a very straightforward boy who loves Mizuho and wants to date her somehow. The original author, Mitsui Haruka, told me to think of him as a big doggie. She said, "He doesn't change his facial expressions much, but he exudes the joy and fun of being with Mizuho, ​​so it's fine," so I think he's cute like a big doggie (laughs).

--There are some scenes where it goes surprisingly strong.

I like how Ura-san doesn't fit into a mold. I think characters can be categorized to a certain extent, but where does he fit in? He has a complex side to him. That has an impact on other characters. I think this work is interesting because of how Mr. Mitsui creates his characters.

-So, what kind of girl is Nishino Miho?

Shinpuku: Mizuho is an ordinary high school girl, but what makes her so unusual is that she has four handsome childhood friends around her. If I were in Mizuho's position, I would be bragging, but she's not like that. She's a truly ordinary girl who doesn't put on airs and is able to work hard towards her dreams. That's why, even when I'm playing her, I want to cheer her on, and I think, "Let's work hard together!" both in our school days and as adults. I think she's a heroine who viewers can empathize with and who can gain sympathy from a wide range of people.

-Did the original author, Mitsui-san, say anything to you about Mizuho?

Shinpuku-san: I was told to "not be too cute." I grew up with boys, so even though I'm a girl, I also have the ability to keep up with the boys' vibe. So I was told to "don't dress up, don't be too cute, and don't worry about being a heroine."

--What approach did each of you take to the plays?

Ura-san and I have lived different lives, and we have cultivated different things, so I didn't really understand at first why he would do this here. That's exactly why I thought about the shower scene in episode 1, because I don't have the mentality to go like that, so I'm surprised he could do it! So I thought about why he wanted to go there, but at his core, he's simple. His facial expressions don't change much in the story, and he has a mysterious side, but he simply likes Mizuho, ​​wants to spend time with her, and wants to be her boyfriend. And he's really bad at expressing that. I think it's because he has such expressive friends, but I thought that maybe that's why he became the kind of Teruzuki he is as he formed his identity.

--At the root of it all is your love for Mizuho.

Ura-san: That's right. I went because I loved Mizuho, ​​and I thought about how to express that feeling through my acting. I think it took a lot of courage for him to do that shower scene, and I think he was also feeling anxious, so I worked on crafting the character of Teruzuki in detail.

--How about the water sail?

I said that Shinpuku-san is an ordinary girl, but she is still the heroine of the "Nakayoshi" series. That's why I felt like she was a distant presence to me, but when I received direction during the dubbing, I realized that for Mizuho, ​​everything was a first experience, everything was fresh, and she is a girl on the path to becoming an adult, accumulating each day one by one. Once I realized that I wouldn't be able to express that if I felt distant, I got closer to Mizuho, ​​and I was able to act as if I was watching a truly natural, ordinary girl from the side. Once I realized that I just had to be honest and present myself to the other person, I think it became much easier to do the role.

--Was there any direction that left an impression on you?

Ura-san: As I mentioned a little earlier, my teacher told me not to give it a so-called anime feel, but to give it a life-sized vividness. In simple terms, he asked me to give it a realistic performance. In my career as a voice actor, I hadn't done much acting, so I felt like taking on the challenge. When I actually tried it, my teacher said, "Please give it this feel," so I gained confidence and was able to lean forward and get absorbed in it.

When I was recording the first and second episodes, I was told to be more excited because I was a high school student. I thought to myself, "I can't keep up with the high school student's excitement anymore, this is bad." Also, the recording was in the morning, so I was sleepy...

Don't be so spoiled, Ura- san! It's a time when everyone in the workforce is working (laughs).

Shinpuku-san, that's true. So I thought, I'll try to get myself excited! So I started getting up really early, going to karaoke every morning, and singing about five of my favorite songs before going to the recording studio, and then people stopped telling me about my excitement level (laughs).

Ura-san (very impressed): Wow! Sakura-chan herself has a calm, mature vibe. I did get the impression that she was struggling a bit with her energy at first, but that's why she wasn't told that anymore! And that's why she was usually the first to arrive at the studio.

Shinpuku-san : Yes. I went to karaoke before going. (laughs)

◇The freshness of Shinfuku Sakura and Kazuki Ura's thrilling expression

--I imagine there was a lot of dialogue between you two, so could you tell us your impressions of each other's acting?

I felt that Ura-san had a freshness that suited this work. I had heard that she hadn't done much anime, but as you gain experience in anime, you gradually acquire skills. But there are pros and cons to that, and I think that conversely, you may rely too much on that skill and not be able to get to the essence. But I felt that she was acting while trying to get to the essence. Of course, she acts confidently in front of the microphone, which is hard to believe for a newcomer, and she is actually good, but I felt something like the underlying feelings there, so it was easy for me to act with her. She was able to draw out the words.

Shinpuku-san: For me, I just wanted to convey the message from Mizuho's point of view without thinking about anything else. I thought that if I started thinking about anything else, I would become stiff. But that's all thanks to everyone's personalities. At the beginning, I (who have little experience in anime) and Yoshitaka Shion (who plays Kashiwagi Mifune) were really nervous (laughs).

Ura-san was really nervous. He kept saying "My stomach hurts" (laughs). And he also said "I couldn't sleep at all."

Shinpuku-san was so stiff, but Ura-san and the other actors helped him loosen up, so I think that's why he was able to run into Mizuho without any worries. Also, Ura-san is really different when he's playing Teruzuki than when he's playing normally. It's the complete opposite (laughs). When he enters the studio, he comes in loudly saying "Good morning!!", but when he becomes Teruzuki, he says (in a low voice) "Mizuho...", so the gap was amazing. But it was also wonderful that he acted so gently, and I could really feel his body temperature. It's partly because he's closer to the other three, but his breathing at random moments and the voice calling Mizuho were so gentle that it made my heart pound, so I thought it was wonderful.

Thank you Ura-san !

◇Do you need permission before a kissing scene?

--How was the dubbing process?

Shinpuku-san and Ura-san were running around the hallway shouting loudly (laughs).

Mr. Ura: When we took a break after recording part A, everyone would usually come out of the booth for a moment, but since part B started suddenly, he was sometimes not there, so I was in charge of going and calling the people who were not there.

Shinpuku-san, you have a loud voice.

Ura-san: So then I went to call Chiba-san (Shoya Chiba, who plays Izumi Ai) who was in the bathroom, saying, "Chiba-san, it's starting now!!" but he got angry, saying, "Your voice is a bit too loud."

Shinpuku-san was speaking in a serious tone (laughs).

Mr. Ura, there are other recording studios on the same floor, but I did feel bad about that (laughs).

Even if it's just Shinpuku-san , when I hear that voice, it cheers me up. It makes me feel like it's okay to let loose like this!

I was glad if it was Ura-san . There were many young people who came to do background noise and other cast members, so I wanted to have fun. But everyone was having fun talking on set from the first episode.

Shinpuku-san, I got a stomachache (from being nervous)...

Both Ura-san and Sakura-chan seemed to enjoy the conversation, so I think the atmosphere was good on set. After the recording, we all went out to eat, and Chiba-san even treated us to some expensive yakiniku. It was absolutely delicious!

--This work has a lot of heart-pounding scenes, but were you ever teased from behind?

Mr. Ura and Mr. Chiba would always say, "Takatsuki, you're doing great!" (laughs).

Shinpuku-san and the other girls would say things like, "Hey, could we get permission please?" during kissing scenes (laughs).

Ura-san , that's Azusa Tadokoro (who plays Chinatsu Kurashiki), right? "Why did you do that so suddenly!" (laughs). I thought that too, so I apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, Terutsuki." Also, there was a scene where Terutsuki was being screamed at, and my inner voice leaked out and I said, "It feels good." It's not often that the characters I play get screamed at by girls, so I thought this was a perk of the job.

Mr. Shinpuku had a very satisfied look on his face... (laughs).

◇Shinfuku Sakura, a "bad kid" in her school days, and Kazuki Ura's "shining" moment

--By the way, when you look back now, do you have any memories from your school days that you think were sparkling events?

No Ura-san ! Ahahahaha (laughs).

This is a work that even Shinpuku-san wants you to notice that.

Ura: That's right. I always answered "no" to questions like this, but this time I thought back on it. When I was in high school, I wanted to be a game creator, so I studied programming. Until then I didn't have a very clear dream, but when it came to making a game, I was so enthusiastic. My friends and I divided up the roles, I was in charge of programming, and the others were drawing pictures and making music. I had so much fun at that time! I think that moment was definitely sparkling, and I still think back on how much fun I had at that time, so it's an experience I'll never forget.

Shinpuku-san, after hearing that story, it's not something I would talk about (laughs). When I thought about what it was that was unique to that time, I realized that once I entered society, people stopped scolding me.

Ura-san, that's true.

Shinpuku: When I was a student, I was a real brat and was always getting told off. During the exam period in my third year of high school, everyone was studying. But I and my friends really wanted to play cards, so we played, but of course we got told off and our cards were confiscated, and finally all the cards we had brought with us were confiscated. We had no more cards! After that, we carved out some printouts and made our own. But the shapes were different, so it didn't work as a game, but I still wanted to play cards, even if I got scolded so much.

Ura-san: I don't know if it was sparkly or not, but in the sense that you were hanging out with friends, I guess it was sparkly?

Even Shinpuku-san was super fun! I think he was sparkling in the sense that he was having fun no matter how much he got scolded (laughs). The teacher's drawers were full of our playing cards.

Ura-san, that has nothing to do with sparkle though (laughs).

--Finally, please give a message to the fans who are looking forward to the broadcast.

Ura-san: This is a work with a very charming love story. The cover of the original manga is painted in watercolors and is very beautiful, and the anime will keep that atmosphere as well, so I was excited to see what it would look like, but the colors used were so gentle and cozy that it was really beautiful. I hope you will pay attention to the images, which express the brightness of the world and the subtleties of emotions through the colors. And with the voices, I think it's easier to convey the subtle nuances, so I hope you will experience the atmosphere of the characters living there and their love lives with your eyes and ears.

When I met Shinpuku-san , he told me that this work has some live-action elements. I wondered what it meant to have a live-action feel in an anime, but when I saw the PV, I understood what he meant. I really felt like I was looking at something that was happening somewhere, peeking into that world, so I hope you will watch it while relating it to your own youth or your current situation. I think it's a work that can be enjoyed by both fans of the original work and those who get into it through the anime, so I hope you will enjoy it.