Continued from Interview (1) The TV anime "Chi. -About the Earth's Movement-" is based on the manga by Uoto, which was also selected as the Manga Grand Prize of the 26th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize. The original manga was serialized in "Weekly Big Comic Spirits" (Shogakukan) from 2020 to 2022, and gained popularity as a unique manga that depicts people risking their lives to study the heretical theory of heliocentrism in 15th century Europe. The TV anime began broadcasting on NHK General TV in October, and the shocking development of the third episode in which the main character Rafal was executed became a hot topic. Ten years after Rafal's death, after many twists and turns, the three who take over the research on the heliocentrism and devote their passion to it are the substitute fighter Okji, the monk Badeni, and the astronomy research assistant Yolenta. We spoke to Katsuyuki Konishi Konishi, who plays Okji, Yuichi Nakamura, who plays Badeni, and Saya Niimi, who plays Yolenta, about the appeal of "Chi.," and the behind-the-scenes story of the recording.
◇The unique difficulty of "Chi."
--What did you keep in mind and what did you pay attention to when acting?
Nakamura: This is simply a technical issue, but since this is not a work that focuses on movement or action, things like heliocentrism that would be easily forgotten if they were just said in words must be properly expressed in the characters' words to make it easier for the audience to understand. But not only that, it also has to include the characters' feelings. It would be easier if the conversation was more emotional, but there is a lot of intelligence left, so I thought it would be technically difficult. It has to be born out of the conversation.
--Is that something unique to the work "Chi."?
I think so, Nakamura-san . However, in terms of the character, Badeni is not a person who changes a lot, and he continues to move forward with strong conviction from beginning to end, so that was an easy point to work on. As expected, it was difficult to throw words at him, so I thought about it carefully and did it.
Konishi: I think I put a lot of importance on what Okuji is looking at and where his heart is. Okuji is the one who changes the most. So, I wanted it to be easy for the viewers to understand, but not too pushy, so that it would naturally convey, "Oh, this is what caused him to become like this now," or "So this is why his way of speaking has changed." It's a small thing, but since this work is also a dialogue drama, I think it's better to take care of things like that. How has he changed?
Hitomi: This work has quite a lot of long lines, so how can you enjoy it by listening to it? Sound director Koizumi (Kisuke) also told me many times that "it's important that the content moves." Words come out because the heart and feelings are moved. You must never forget that flow, and if you don't take care of it first, you won't be able to convey it, and there are also some parts where the other person's heart won't be moved, so I thought that such things were very difficult, but I tried my best.
◇Pay attention to the moment when the three of them get together. Okuji saw, "That sky must be beautiful."
-What scene was the most memorable while you were acting?
Nakamura: I found it interesting when the three of them got together for the first time. The base had always been Okuji and Badeni, and Yolenta had been working on a drama in a different place, but the two dramas became one and they worked together as a mission to achieve one thing. They had that conversation in front of the bulletin board, and when they met up there, it was kind of interesting. They were all together. For the viewers, it seemed like the three of them would join forces and create something big? I thought so, and I thought the same when I read the manga.
Hitomi: It was when I first met the two of you (Okuji and Badeni). I think Yolenta wasn't treated very well at the observatory research institute and it was hard for her to live. At first, Badeni said that she could just cut him off if something happened, but she was very happy that he recognized her as a researcher and had a proper conversation with her as a person. So I think Yolenta started asking more questions to Badeni and had a starting point for conversation.
Konishi: I have a lot of fun interacting with different people every time. As the experience continues, Okuji's feelings change, so when I'm asked "What was fun? What's memorable?", I think everything remains. However, if I had to pick a scene, there's a scene in the future where Okuji looks at Venus, and I was acting thinking that the sky must be really beautiful. I wonder what that sky looks like. I'd like to enjoy watching it on air.
Okuji, Badeni, and Yolenta take over from Rafal and others and put their faith in proving the heliocentric theory. The voice actors' passionate performances are a sight to behold.
