"BEASTARS" is an anime based on the manga by Itagaki Paru, which was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Champion" (Akita Shoten). After the first season aired in 2019 and the second season aired in 2021, part 1 of the final episode, "FINAL SEASON," began streaming exclusively on Netflix in December 2024. The series is set in a world where carnivores and herbivores coexist and "eating and killing" is taboo, and depicts the youth of young beasts who face their instincts. We spoke to Kobayashi Chikahiro, who has played the main character Legoshi, a gray wolf, since the first season, and Sayaka Sembongi, who plays Haru, the dwarf rabbit heroine whom Legoshi has feelings for, about the recording process, which they said was "special," their thoughts on the work, and the highlights of part 2, which follows on from part 1.
◇ Recording while looking at each other's faces, lying down and even fighting!?
--Since the first season of "BEASTARS," all the cast members have recorded their lines first, and the animation has been done in a pre-recording process, where the shapes of the mouths and the character's expressions are drawn to match the voices. What do you think looking back on the recording so far?
As with Kobayashi-san's pre-recording, in the case of "BEASTARS," the voice actors recorded while looking at each other's faces in a special way.
Senbongi: We all sat down and spoke into a gun microphone in the middle, so it was quite unique.
Mr. Kobayashi, the mixer, was very understanding, and whenever we did a test, he would change the microphone position to suit the results. It was like we were shooting a video.
The test for Senbongi-san was like a script reading, and the director was in the studio and said, "Let's try it while checking the standing position." Everyone was moving around and deciding the procedure, such as "When you finish this line, move over here" or "I'll get closer and talk." For the scene with Legoshi and Haru-chan, they left us alone in the studio.
Kobayashi-san said, "There's no one here!" (laughs).
Senbongi: We also recorded while lying on the floor, and for the fight scenes we recorded while grappling with each other.
Kobayashi-san , that was interesting. It was a small thing, but it did have an effect on the sound.
It was a new way of creating works , wasn't it?
◇ Legoshi continues to worry: How can Haru come to love himself?
-What have you kept in mind when acting?
Kobayashi: In normal dubbing, something called bold is displayed on the image, and you have to fit the lines in while it is displayed, but since this work is pre-recorded, you can decide the length of the lines and the gaps yourself. For example, even when practicing at home, I don't think of the lines as "I'm definitely going to do it like this", but rather look at the other person's face and think it's okay to let it come out from there. It doesn't have to roll the way I intended. The fact that I could feel the joy of making it together was a great advantage, so I think that was the most important thing until the end. It's really made by dialogue.
During the recording of Senbongi-san , the video (video) was played, but it was okay to not look at it at all, and even if the length of the lines became longer or shorter, the directors said, "We'll adjust it." I thought that was the best part of recording this work, so I took good care of it. I won't look at the screen anymore!
Kobayashi-san : That's right, I didn't see it.
--Legoshi and Haru have changed and grown throughout the story. What do you think is the appeal of these characters now?
Kobayashi : Legoshi has always had a self-deprecating side, from the beginning, and is always worried about the parts of his life he can't control. Like having such a big body, or having claws. He doesn't want to live like that, but it's the way it is now, so there's nothing he can do about it. But he wants to live like that. I think his constant struggle, his constant thinking, is what makes him so appealing.
--It certainly seems like Legoshi is always troubled.
Kobayashi-san, you've been worrying about this for a long time. I think you'll continue to worry about this for a long time to come.
Senbongi: I think it's a story about Haru-chan looking at her own life. What kind of person am I? Or maybe it's a story about her coming to love herself. During that time, she spent a really long time waiting for Legoshi-kun, so how did she take it during that time, and how did she feel about him not coming back? That's what life is all about...or something like that.
Kobayashi: That's right.
Senbongi: I've been going through the same age period as Haru-chan. I wasn't a high school student, but the anime started when I was 22 or 23, and I've been working on it until I was about 30, so there are a lot of parts that overlap with my life. What should I do to love myself? I think that's the time I spent thinking about it with Haru-chan. I like her because she's so human, with all her complexities. Haru-chan was born with a small body as a herbivore, and Legoshi-kun accepted that, and she accepted herself. And the story is about accepting Legoshi-kun, and I think it's a necessary process even when you become an adult, and you should never forget it.
◇ The bond he has built through playing Legoshi and Haru marks a turning point in his acting career
- Having co-starred as Legoshi and Haru, what are your impressions of each other as voice actors?
Kobayashi-san is the best!
Senbongi-san is a truly wonderful actor.
Kobayashi- san: No, no, if I say it like that it might sound like a joke, but I honestly think it's the best.
I think that Senbongi-san and Haru-chan are really glad that they played Legoshi, and I feel the same way that I'm really glad that they played Kobayashi-san. I really think that I've done it to the end. I think that being able to act together like this was a big turning point in my acting career, and I'm grateful for it.
Thank you, Kobayashi- san.
I'm glad for you, Senbongi-san . I'm grateful that you said that.
Kobayashi-san: It's been 12 years since I started acting in front of a microphone, but it was thanks to her that I was able to discover, "Oh, I can move with these feelings in front of a microphone." There were many moments like that. So I'm really grateful.
--There was something that was brought out because of these two people.
I really think that's true, Senbongi-san .
Kobayashi: That's true.
--What are your thoughts on the appeal of "BEASTARS" and what are the highlights of Part 2 of "FINAL SEASON"?
Senbongi-san: Various races appear, and in "FINAL SEASON" they enter society, so the world expands even more and values change. I think this season will make you feel that there are many different kinds of people. From here on, many things will happen, but as for Haru-chan, what will happen with Legoshi-kun from now on? I hope that both those who have read the original work and those who have not will pay attention to how that will be depicted in the anime.
Kobayashi: The appeal of "BEASTARS" is not something that can be summed up in one word, but it is a question to society itself: how can we accept the roles we have been given without changing them, and live together while accepting each other? There are many issues such as race, gender, and age, and I think that thinking about such things is one of the major themes of this work. How to fight with what you have been given, and how the other person will accept what you have been given. I think that is the greatest appeal of this work.
--In Part 1 of "FINAL SEASON," a strong enemy named Melon, the son of a leopard and a gazelle, appears before Legoshi and puts him in a pinch.
In Kobayashi-san Part 2, the presence of Melon is key, but the character Melon is the child of a couple of different races, so I think Legoshi sees her as one of his children's futures, one of the possibilities. So he wants to somehow affirm her, but Melon herself doesn't affirm her. In a sense she does affirm her, but it's like it's heading in the direction of destruction. The clash there will be the biggest theme. They really clash, physically (laughs). Based on that exchange with Melon, what will happen to Legoshi and Haru-chan? Not only that, but what will happen to Louis? It will be a turning point for various characters, so I hope you will enjoy it.
