The Japanese dubbed version of the first original animation by the up-and-coming animation studio "Gaomai Video", which was established in the summer of 2019 in China, "Table Tennis Girl - Beyond the Flash", will be released as a theatrical animation on May 16th. Zhang Ruoi, who was born into a family of table tennis players but had been away from table tennis, decides to start a new life by attending a high school in Hangzhou, far from her hometown in northeastern China. After meeting Wang Lu, an honor student who excels in both academics and sports, Li Xintong, a bright table tennis otaku, and Ding Xiao, a free-spirited troublemaker, Zhang Ruoi picks up a racket again. The Japanese dubbed version features a luxurious cast of voice actors, including Shiina Natsukawa as Zhang Ruoi, Sora Amamiya as Wang Lu, and Momo Asakura as Li Xintong, and the unit "TrySail" consisting of Natsukawa, Amamiya, and Asakura will be performing the opening theme song "Astride", which is also a hot topic. We spoke to Natsukawa, Amemiya, and Asakura about the film and the opening theme song.
◇Table tennis is hot!
-What is your impression of the work?
Mr. Natsukawa: It's rare to see a table tennis anime. I have the impression that Chinese table tennis players are very strong. When you watch the video, the speed of the ball is amazing, and Zhang Ruoi and the others are dedicating their lives to table tennis. I wonder if the impression of table tennis in Japan is different from that in China? I felt that.
Amemiya: I felt the passion of table tennis. In the anime, there are table tennis tables in places like parks, which is different from Japan. Table tennis is a part of everyday life. It was interesting because it depicted cultural differences and had many parts that are unique to Chinese anime.
Asakura-san: In the key visual I saw before the post-recording, there was a ping-pong table under a blue sky, and I thought it was an anime-like expression, but the table was in a park-like place. It was refreshing to see that everyone in the school knew the players and that table tennis was deeply rooted in the school.
-Have you played table tennis?
Natsukawa: I learned about it in class when I was in junior high school. Other than that, I think I played a little bit at hot springs. Most of my friends were in the table tennis club.
Asakura-san , I've only had a brief experience of going to hot springs in class. We were free to do things in class, and there was no continuous rally, so I have almost no experience...
Amamiya: I never did table tennis in class, but my parents love it. I still play it as a hobby, and I've been to table tennis courts with my relatives. But I wasn't that knowledgeable about it, and I didn't even know the rules.
I was watching the news during the Olympics . The ball was so fast I couldn't keep up with it, so I thought he must have incredible reflexes and dynamic vision.
-What is your impression of the character you play?
Natsukawa: At first, I thought that Zhang Ruoi, the character I played, was cool and difficult to get along with, but I think she is also a bit absent-minded, cute, and charming. She doesn't express emotions that much, and she doesn't often raise her voice, so I tried to make her quiet and charming. From her gaze and facial expressions, I felt that she really loves table tennis, and I tried to act a little more passionately in the scenes related to table tennis.
Amemiya- san Wang Lu is an honor student and good at studying, but he is not very cool and has a surprisingly rich expression. So I played him with the awareness of making the switch clear. He basically talks in a way that seems to be proud, but he also has many gag scenes, so I think he is the character with the most ups and downs.
Asakura: The character I play, Li Xin Tong, isn't very good at table tennis, but he loves it. He's a table tennis nerd. He has great communication skills and is always excited, so when he starts talking about table tennis, he gets really excited. He provides commentary next to the heated matches, so he also has the role of conveying what's happening to those who aren't familiar with table tennis. There are technical terms used, so I looked up the ones I didn't understand. The lines are explained in the dialogue, so I was imagining what they meant while I was acting.
◇ Classic refreshing youth song
--You're dubbing Chinese into Japanese. How is this different from regular recording?
I don't know if it's because Natsukawa-san speaks Chinese or if it's because he's passionate about table tennis, but in the scene where he makes a trick shot, the students are so excited that the original noise is amazing. Maybe he has a unique way of expressing emotions. There were a lot of ad-libs in the table tennis scene, and it felt like he was acting it out in a very real way.
Although there are some words that Amemiya-san knows in English, I don't understand Chinese at all, so I was able to act without listening too much to the original audio. There was also talk of "being free," so I acted without being too conscious of the fact that it was a dubbing.
Asakura: I didn't understand Chinese at all, so I wasn't pulled by the words, but there was a scene where Li Xintong explained things quickly and spoke his thoughts, and the original sounded very fast. I tried not to be too pulled by that speed and to make sure that it would come across properly when it was translated into Japanese.
Haruka Tomatsu's performance as Ding Xiao, a talented player who could be said to be loved by the god of table tennis but is also treated as a problem child, is also impressive.
When Tomatsu- san's acting is added to Natsukawa-san's comical movements as Ding Xiao, a chemical reaction occurs. I felt that he was a familiar character that made me think, "I didn't have a kid like this in my school life, but I do have a kid like this!"
Amamiya-san is active in the background even when she doesn't have any lines, so she's a lively character. Tomatsu-san's ad-libs are also very powerful and she looks very lively. She's so over the top! I was originally interested in this character, but Tomatsu-san's acting made me want to see what she'll do next! I couldn't take my eyes off her.
With the voices of Asakura-san and Tomatsu-san, I immediately knew it was Ding Xiao! The three characters all had different personalities, and with the addition of Ding Xiao, it felt like the pieces had finally fit together. I too have become completely fascinated with Ding Xiao.
--What kind of song is the opening theme song "Astride" that you performed as "TrySail"?
This is a refreshing youth song, typical of Natsukawa- san. It's a song that makes you imagine the image of the singer singing under a blue sky, and I tried to express the youth we're living as adults. It's refreshing, but it's also powerful and bold, so I sang it while keeping that in mind. I think it's a song that exudes the passionate feelings that are pent up inside.
Amemiya-san is sparkling, and the atmosphere is like the songs from her debut, and I sang it with a fresh feeling in mind, but as Natsukawa said, there is also an image of chasing youth even as an adult. I aimed for a youthful feeling, with feet firmly on the ground and singing with goals and aims. I hope that leads to a sense of strength.
Asakura: The song has a sparkling sound and a refreshing youthful feel, so I sang it powerfully and cutely. There was also talk of singing in a way that would make adults reminisce about the past, so I sang the A and B parts in a gentle way that made me feel a little nostalgic, and then I sang the chorus in a passionate way, expressing my feelings about table tennis.
The opening theme song sung by the three seems to be a refreshing and passionate song that perfectly suits "Table Tennis Girl." Please pay attention to this song along with the anime.
