The movie version of the TV anime "Senpai Is an Otokonoko " based on the manga by Pom serialized on the digital comic service "LINE Manga" was released on February 14th. The original manga depicts the delicate relationship between Hanaoka Makoto, a "boyish girl" who loves cute things, Aoi Saki, a lively junior who falls in love with Makoto, and Oga Ryuji, a childhood friend who has been watching over Makoto. The TV anime will be broadcast on Fuji TV's late-night anime slot "Noitamina" from July to September 2024, and the movie version will depict the continuation of the story from the TV anime. We interviewed Shuichiro Umeda, who plays Makoto, Sekine Akira, who plays Saki, Yuma Uchida, who plays Ryuji, and Miyata Toshiya of the popular group "Kis-My-Ft2," who is the promotional ambassador for the movie and also appears as the voice actor for Hongo Hiroshi, about the delicate charm of the work and what went on behind the scenes of the recording. As each of them began talking about their favorite scenes, their emotions overflowed and they couldn't stop talking...
◇Ryuji is cool! The special relationship between the three
--Mr. Miyata, you said that you were originally a fan of the original work, but what was it about the work that attracted you?
I was reading Miyata-san's online version, and just when I thought it would start off cute, a really beautiful picture appeared. The scene where Makoto removes her wig and says, "I'm actually a boy," is beautiful. I was like, "Wait, wait!" and turned my smartphone sideways to look at it. That's what first attracted me to it, and I was drawn to how cute and beautiful it was. It's also attractive how thin, beautiful, and fragile it is, like high-quality glass.
-What was the most memorable scene in the TV series?
There are a lot of Miyata-san's . I like the scene where Ryuji has earrings, so today I'm wearing earrings inspired by Ryuji. Ryuji is sneaky. He's cool. Yuuma-kun's voice is so cool that even men fall in love with him. I like him.
As for Umeda Makoto , I like the scene where he dances with Aoi in the sea. Thanks to Aoi, he is able to say, "I love cute things!" and the two of them exchange clothes. The part where Aoi helps him put on his shoes is also really good. It's the beginning of their relationship, and it's a scene I really like.
Uchida: I like this scene too. However, it is also the moment when Ryuji feels uneasy. Is it okay to love her? He feels that his relationship with Makoto may change. For Makoto and Saki, it is a sparkling scene, but for Ryuji, it is a scene where he feels fear that things will change. Just before that, he is having a fun conversation with Saki at the party venue. But then Makoto runs off, and an indescribable feeling of unease is born. There is a sense of anxiety. There are various ways of feeling about one event, each person makes a different choice, and everyone progresses in a different way, so Ryuji's feelings when he sees the relationship between the two of them left a strong impression on me.
The scene where Master Sekine (Ryuji) is feeling down and comes to Saki's house, and Saki places a stuffed whale on him, is very memorable. Saki says "I'm jealous of you, Master," in a very straightforward way, and I really love the atmosphere between the two of them.
Mr. Uchida, the relationship between Ryuji and Saki is also special.
Sekine-san and Saki-chan often hide their feelings from their families, but they casually say to their master, "I'm jealous." It's not love, but there's something special about it. The relationships between the characters are so wonderful in this work, so there are many scenes I like, but that one is one that has stayed in my mind.
Uchida-san is special, I like her, and all three of us want to be by her side. As a student, it's hard to give a clear answer, and I'm hesitant. Watching it as an adult, I can empathize and feel some things.
Umeda-san: I think that when you become an adult, you may be afraid of getting hurt and give up. I think that the three of you are communicating in a way that you can only do "now."
◇The character played by Miyata Toshiya is fresh!
-What about the movie version?
The story of Umeda-san and Aoi-san has progressed considerably and been explored in depth, and we can also see their relationship with Ryuji after the TV series. I hope you will see how Makoto, who has gradually become more confident, faces her own feelings.
Sekine: There were many scenes in this film that made me cry, and if I actually cried, I wouldn't be able to act out the next scene, so I was careful, but I ended up crying during the recording... Sato Ai, who plays Saki's grandmother, taught me a lot on set and was really overflowing with kindness, just like Saki's grandmother. When I started crying, Sato patted my back, which made me very happy and will remain in my heart. It was a really warm set.
While Makoto and Saki are wavering, worried, and have to make decisions, Ryuji has sorted out his feelings within himself, and is more straightforward with them than ever before, and is by their side. I also went to the scene with the feeling that "it's okay to rely on people you can rely on."
--Are there any changes to the characters?
In the TV series, Umeda 's relationship with her mother has changed, she meets her grandfather, and the atmosphere between her and Ryuji has also changed. She also faces her feelings for Aoi again, and there are also some changes. There are many changes, but personally, I feel that she has grown up when she goes home and can talk to her mother with a smile. It's because Makoto worked hard and the people around her supported her.
Sekine: The TV series ended with Saki getting a push from Makoto and her master to move forward, but in this movie, Saki's worries become clearer. My first impression after reading the script was, "I'm glad you were able to say it properly." Personally, the words of her grandmother, "I won't know unless you tell me," really stuck with me. I think the reason Saki was able to express the feelings she had been holding back for so long was because she had many experiences through her interactions with everyone, received their feelings, and was able to grow.
Uchida: Ryuji was unsure about whether it was really okay for him to love Makoto. If he had to hide those feelings, one day those feelings would have nowhere to go, and they might explode or rot. I think it would be hard if they remained. The experience of being able to talk about his feelings to Makoto and having him accept them was very important for Ryuji. Thanks to that, he was able to sort out his feelings properly and look towards the future. I feel that Ryuji gradually came to realize this.
Miyata: I feel like everyone has grown. Adults know how to run away. When you're in high school, you don't know how to run away, so you just clumsily bump into people. And that hurts you. Now that I'm an adult, I sometimes feel like I'm running away well, and when I saw the fathers and mothers in the movie confronting their children who don't run away and clumsily bump into them, I felt the growth of the PTA members (adults). In that sense, it really hit home. And Konatsu comes out lively! She's so cute.
--Mr. Miyata also plays the role of Hiroshi Hongo. He's a portly, bearded middle-aged man...
Miyata-san has never played a character with a beard before, and he has never played such a well-built character before. It was fun to act. I was speaking from Hongo's perspective.
Umeda-san's Hongo exudes kindness. I knew that Miyata-san could play the role, but it was a fresh experience for me.
That's right Uchida-san !
Sekine-san's recording was at a different time, so I was excited to see what it would be like. Hongo-san is very kind and considerate of Saki-chan, and his good personality shines through in his voice. It was really wonderful! However, when I look at it through Saki-chan's eyes, it just becomes complicated...
From Uchida-san's perspective as the person playing Saki, it certainly seems complicated.
