The original TV anime series "Miru: Paths to My Future," produced and produced by Yanmar Holdings (hereinafter "Yanmar"), will be broadcast on MBS, TOKYO MX and other stations from April 2nd. The anime features MIRU, a "weapon-less" robot born in the future, and depicts people struggling to change the status quo as they grow through their interactions with MIRU and take a step towards a better future, in an omnibus format consisting of five episodes. Masuro Ueda, known for his work on anime series such as "Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space" and "City Hunter," will serve as general producer. We spoke to Yoda Natsu, who plays Aille, and Park Romi, who plays Izumifu, who appear in Episode 926 "Wait for Me, I'm Going Now," about their thoughts on the series.
◇ Yanmar's new challenge is surprising!
--What were your honest thoughts when you heard about the "Miru: Paths to My Future" project?
Yoda: At first, I couldn't imagine it at all. One of the concepts of "Mi-ru" is a robot that doesn't carry weapons, so as I got more involved, I thought it was actually very Yanmar-like. When I think of Yanmar, I think of things like the "Yanbo Marbo Weather Forecast," agricultural tractors, and rice harvesting combines, so I thought of them as something far away, but now I feel like they're very close to me.
--I heard that you found out the details of the project after you had finished recording.
At first, Park was only informed that it was an audition for a boy who appears in one of the five stories in the omnibus. I had to record the audition tape immediately, so I recorded it while my cat was meowing at home, saying, "Wait a minute." There was also a scene where I had to scream, so my husband, Yamaji (Kazuhiro), who was sleeping at home, woke up like, "What's going on!" ... (laughs). When I went to the recording after passing the audition, Ueda was there and there were a lot of galleries. I felt something like the warmth of human hands from the expressions of everyone. It may be the theme of "Miru," but I felt something like a passion to entrust it to the future, and I thought it was a studio with a lot of energy.
--After that, you found out that it was an original anime produced by Yanmar.
Mr. Park: Actually, I loved Yanbo and Marbo, and it was very memorable to me. I was very surprised to hear that Yanmar was making this kind of animation, and I felt the flow of the times. The times are changing so quickly these days, and there are various changes depending on the company, but I really felt Yanmar's new challenge. I thought, "Maybe that's why the recording site was so warm." I felt that they were taking on wonderful new challenges to carve out their own future.
◇Even though it's a story about the future, it's nostalgic and I feel the greatness of Japan.
--Episode 926 "Wait for Me, I'm Coming," starring Park and Yoda, is set in a post-apocalyptic world with a frigid snowy plain. Ail is on a journey to make beautiful flowers bloom all over the world with the "magic sand" left behind by his mother, a botanist, and on the way, he meets the genius doctor Izumifu.
Yoda: There are many stories in the omnibus of five stories, but Episode 926 is a classic story in which each character has a wish and takes action to make that wish come true, and I found it very easy to get into. The character I played, Aille, is a traditional, energetic, bright, and positive heroine, so I approached the role with a straightforward attitude.
--I felt that the story of making flowers bloom using magical sand in a freezing snowy field was reminiscent of "The Old Man Who Made Flowers Bloom."
Yoda: Yanmar's motto is "HANASAKA" ("Believing in people's potential and supporting their challenges"), and Episode 926 is a story about flowers blooming, so I personally felt that the final episode was a reflection of Yanmar's thoughts and past efforts. Also, the subtitle of the story is "Wait for me, I'm coming," which was announced at the very beginning of the "Mi-ru" project, so I felt fired up and thought "Let's do our best!"
Park: I thought it was a nostalgic story, even though it was set in the future. It was a story that somehow reminded me of the past, or maybe it had a Showa-era feel to it. I felt that this was the charm of this work. It was the same during the recording, and I could feel the warmth of people from the script. I wondered why I felt that way, even though it was set in the near future, but later it all made sense. It was because of Yanmar. I watched the digest version of the omnibus of all five episodes, and I thought that while nationality may not have much to do with it, I felt the goodness of Japan in key places, and that this is what made it feel nostalgic.
◇ Thoughts on Producer Masuro Ueda: The energy that comes from challenges
-- "Miru" is being produced by Ueda, who has worked on many masterpieces. Park played the main character in "Turn A Gundam" and "Fullmetal Alchemist", which Ueda was involved in. What did you feel working together again on "Miru" this time?
Mr. Park has always been smiling and not the type of person who says things openly. But he is definitely there. I somehow knew from the "Turn A Gundam" days that he always likes new things, things that excite him, and that he is someone who still has the heart of a boy, but seeing him like that this time, I felt that he has left his mark, or that he really has a sense of "this is the future I envision." I think that Mr. Ueda has something he wants to convey to the current generation and society. I think that he has been able to incorporate that into this work. I am very happy to have been able to be involved in a small way in the work that Mr. Ueda was involved in.
--Do you ever remember that time?
Park: That's right. "Turn A Gundam" was a very challenging style of work, with Gundam appearing in a World Masterpiece Theater-like atmosphere. "Fullmetal Alchemist" is a dark fantasy, and although it has a completely different taste, I think what they have in common is that they are works that somehow ask questions like "What is a human being?" and "What does it mean to live?" After working on various works, I got the feeling that in this work "Miru", Ueda's unique thoughts on robot anime, animation, and the next generation all come together.
--Mr. Yoda, did you feel anything differently from Mr. Ueda and the other staff members?
Yoda-san , everyone was really warm and welcoming. It's no exaggeration to say that I grew up with the works that Ueda-san was involved in, such as the "Gundam" series and "Fullmetal Alchemist". I'm quite shy, but thanks to the atmosphere created by General Producer Ueda, Director Nakashiki, Sound Director Fujimoto and the rest of the production staff, the Yanmar staff, and the animators, I think I was able to act without any tension.
-Finally, please give a message to the viewers.
Yoda: This time, the theme is the butterfly effect, where the flapping of a small butterfly's wings brings about big changes in the world, and I hope you enjoy each episode, which is full of the thoughts of each production company and production team. Yanbo and Marbo will also appear, so I would like to tell everyone about that as a highlight. Episode 926 is also a great story, and we took great care in recording the light-hearted exchanges and comical atmosphere. Among the nostalgic and moving scenes, there are also some funny scenes that will help you relax, so I hope you will enjoy it from various aspects.
Mr. Park, I felt that the very act of taking on new challenges creates energy, attracts everyone's hearts, and that this is the most important thing when creating something, and it gave me energy to think that I too should be like that. In order to live in the present and see the future, we destroy things. However, we inherit what we need to inherit. And it's not like alchemy, but we transform it into something new (laughs). This is a time when this is truly necessary, and I was impressed that Yanmar is doing this. I think this project is full of things that make people excited and thrilled, and I think it's a work that makes people think, "Okay, let's try a new challenge," so I hope you will cherish these aspects of the work.
*The "Ro" in Park Romi's name is written with the "king" radical and "road" radical.
