The TV anime "Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de", based on Atsuya Higashikawa's popular mystery novel, will be broadcast on Fuji TV's anime slot "Noitamina" from April 4th. The live-action drama and movie starring Sho Sakurai and Keiko Kitagawa have also been popular, and the voice actor for the anime character Reiko Hosho, who is a detective at the Tokyo Kunitachi Police Station but also the daughter of a wealthy family, is the popular voice actress Kana Hanazawa. We spoke to Hanazawa about what went on behind the scenes during the recording.
Switching is difficult!
"Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de" is a mystery set in Kunitachi, Tokyo, in which rookie detective Reiko Hosho, the daughter of the Hosho Group, and Kageyama, Reiko's butler and driver, with his sharp deductive skills and sharp tongue, solve the mystery of the case. The film is produced by Madhouse and directed by Masuhara Mitsuyuki, known for "Ace of Diamond" and "Shirokuma Cafe". Yuki Kaji plays Kageyama and Kazamatsuri Kyoichiro, a police inspector at Kunitachi Police Station and Reiko's boss.
"I read novels, but I haven't really come across mysteries," says Hanazawa, but when she came across the original version of "Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de," she was fascinated.
"I'm not good at deductive reasoning. Even when I think it might be this way, it ends up going in a completely different direction...But it's really easy to read. The mystery itself is of course solid, but Reiko, Kageyama and Kazamatsuri are all really interesting. Reiko lives in a glamorous world, but she also has a human side that makes her feel relatable. Following the live-action adaptation, it's now being made into an anime, so it's a work that can be enjoyed by a wide range of people."
Hanazawa-san's character, Reiko, talks a lot and her facial expressions change all the time.
"She's a good girl! She's well-mannered, but not refined at all, and her monologues are incredible. It's nice to watch, and I think it must be fun to act in her too. She talks a lot, and I tried to express her emotions in a very intense way. The story progresses from Reiko's point of view, and the tension fluctuates dramatically. Scenes change quickly, and even when it's somber after an incident, Inspector Kazamatsuri suddenly appears and everything becomes a mess (laughs). Reiko's emotions become a little strange, so it's difficult to switch. She can be a little venomous, but I tried to make her not gloomy. I feel a light in her. She's bright, positive, and confident, which is wonderful, so I tried to keep that in mind when I played her."
◇ Mamoru Miyano makes a move!
The good tempo created by Reiko is what makes the work so appealing, but Hanazawa, who plays the role, says with a smile, "I'm extremely busy!"
"After the dubbing was finished I was exhausted. But it was fun. Miyano, who plays Inspector Kazamatsuri, would set up traps for me, so I had to respond to them and something interesting was born from that. Inspector Kazamatsuri is the character with the most room to move, so when he suddenly ad-libs, I have to hold back my laughter and respond. Inspector Kazamatsuri makes an awful lot of unnecessary movements in the anime. Miyano's acting adds to that and it all becomes chaos. Sometimes there are lines in English, and Miyano's ideas were to make the English lines stand out."
Miyano's motivation may be due to his trust in Hanazawa, with whom he has worked together on numerous projects.
"The way he gets into the character is so amazing that I feel like Miyano is equal to Inspector Kazamatsuri. He made me excited, wondering how he would say the lines, and I recorded them thinking that he is an entertainer. Because of all the experience he has gained up to now, I felt at ease with the back-and-forth of our acting. Miyano throws some dangerous balls, and I bounce them off as Reiko, but I would be happy if Miyano thought to himself, 'It's okay to throw dangerous balls.'"
◇The greatness of Yuki Kaji
Hanazawa, who says she "loves glasses," is interested in the character Kageyama.
"I have a fetish for glasses. And Kageyama also has the attribute of being a butler. Kageyama is one of a kind. He hits all the fetishes. It's unfair. I get excited wondering what kind of words he'll say, and I feel like I want him to say something a little harsh! He cares about Reiko a lot, and he can be affectionate. It's really unfair. Inspector Kazamatsuri is a living being called Inspector Kazamatsuri. He's unnecessarily handsome and the funniest guy wins."
The dialogue with Kaji, who plays Kageyama, is also one of the highlights.
"Kaji-kun doesn't often play characters like Kageyama, and each reader has their own image of Kageyama, and the director also has one in his mind, so in the first episode, we worked hard to make him closer to that image. He speaks in a low voice, but he needs to sound sarcastic, and I think that's difficult to do. I like how there's a refreshing darkness to him.
Hanazawa, Kaji, and Miyano have worked together many times before, and the three of them showed off their great chemistry in "Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de."
"It's really amazing that Kaji-kun has come this far and taken on the challenge of a new role. Kageyama calmly reasons. He has to deliver his lines within a tight time frame, and he has to mumble, so he has to do it while barely holding his breath. If you imagine that, it's a very difficult task. But he manages to do it so effortlessly. It's amazing. The two of them (Kaji and Miyano-san) are constantly evolving, so I can't let myself be outdone."
◇Reiko's Soulful Cry
Hanazawa, who said she "can't lose," faced a challenge with this production.
"When Kageyama says something mean to me, my first response is 'Huh?!' It has a lot of power, and I don't want to get used to it, so I act it with the hope that everyone will hear it with a fresh feeling every time. The test and the real thing will be completely different, so I acted without knowing what kind of voice would come out. It's a cry from the soul, filled with the feelings I had at the time. Reiko's anger builds up and builds up until it explodes, so I act it as if I'm filling her with a ball of anger."
Hanazawa says that playing the role of Reiko leaves her exhausted, so how does she refresh herself?
"First of all, I take a nice, long bath. This time, the post-recording took a long time, so when I get home, I think I should take a bath first! I need to recover! I wonder if my body feels better when I sweat a lot? I listen to my favorite radio in the bath. Because I strain my voice, my back arches, so I do a lot of body care. I do Pilates to loosen up and get my body back in shape."
Please pay attention to Hanazawa-san's performance as she gives her all in "Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de." Finally, we asked her about the highlights of the anime.
"I first worked with Director Masuhara on the film "Kobatto." I loved comedy scenes, so I thought this was a perfect fit! It has a different appeal from both the novel and the TV drama, so I hope you'll look forward to it. Just watching the ever-changing expressions and Inspector Kazamatsuri's pointless movements, which are unique to animation, is fun. Director Masuhara has really put his heart and soul into making it fun, and because it deals with universal themes, it's an anime that can be enjoyed by people of all ages."
