Continuation of interview (1). The TV anime "The Daily Life of a Middle-Aged Online Shopper in Another World," about a forty-something man who is transported to another world and uses his cheat ability to use mail order websites, is being broadcast every Thursday from 10:30 pm on TOKYO MX and other stations. The original work is a comic adaptation of a light novel by Hifumi Asakura, who is popular on the novel submission site "Shosetsuka ni Naro," and was serialized in the monthly manga magazine "G Fantasy" (Square Enix). The story is about Kenichi, a forty-something man who is suddenly transported to another world, who uses his cheat ability to use mail order websites in the other world to aim for a slow life... Junichi Suwabe plays Kenichi, Kaede Hondo plays Primula, the eldest daughter of the Marou Company, and Misaki Kuno plays Anemone, a girl who has grown up in an unfortunate situation. We asked Hondo and Kuno, who play the two heroines who adore Kenichi, about their appeal as voice actors and what to look forward to in the anime.
◇ Kaede Hondo's exquisite balance "I want to see what's going on inside Kuno's head"
--Hondo and Kuno have worked together in various productions up until now.
I'm happy that we've been working together a lot recently, Motodo-san .
You've worked together on various projects, Mr. Kuno .
I also worked with Hondo-san and Kuno-san in a production where they played the male protagonists, and they were really wonderful in every way, with cute, cool, and even terrifying performances. I was really interested in how they constructed their acting.
I'm glad to hear you say that, Kuno-san ... Kaede-chan is very sensitive in how she plays each role in various works, and I was able to co-star with her in "The Daily Life of a Middle-Aged Online Shopper in Another World" this time, and I once again thought that Kaede-chan's acting as Primula was wonderful. If you just look at Primula's lines, she often uses assertive language and words that seem to be threatening to Kenichi, but she also has a gentle and elegant demeanor, and you can tell that she was raised with care by her father. I think it's very difficult to balance both the strength of the core and the softness of the inner self, but Kaede-chan has an exquisite way of balancing depending on the work and the character. I think it's really amazing.
Thank you, Motodo-san . I'll give it back to you exactly as it is.
--Do you feel the same way about Kuno, Hondo?
Motodo: No, of course it's more than that.
Kuno-san, that's not true (laughs).
Hondo-san , thank you so much for being born with this voice and voice quality and for taking up the job of a voice actor. It's not just something you're born with, but also your feelings and imagination for the role, and perhaps even your ability to adjust and express it. More than anyone else, Kuno-san thinks about how to make the role look better. For example, this time, it looks like Kuno-san is close to Anemone-chan, supporting and guiding her. I really want to see what's going on inside her head (laughs). This time in particular, I wondered what kind of internal discussions he must have had to make it happen. It's really wonderful.
I'm so happy, Kuno-san ! Even though we usually think about these things, we don't have many opportunities to express them in words. Thank you. It's really embarrassing, but I'm happy! (laughs).
Hondo: Me too. I've always thought the same thing.
◇Kenichi and his family's bond - will there be a new crisis in the future?
-Finally, please tell us what we can look forward to in the future.
Although the number of Hondo's friends has increased and many fun times are depicted, Kenichi still stands out in this other world. Although he himself does not want to stand out, "No, you stand out," will Kenichi be able to live a slow life in the future? What kind of people will he meet and be tossed about in the future? I think Primula will grow to like Kenichi more and more, and we hope you will look forward to seeing whether Kenichi can protect the time he spends with his fun friends, and what kind of mail order he will entertain us with. Please continue to support us.
Kuno: This may be a feeling I have because I played Anemone, but Anemone, who had always been alone and lonely, met Kenichi and started living with various older sisters, and in a sense, I thought of them as "family." Each of the other characters also truly trusted Kenichi and his friends, and I think the way a family should be is portrayed very beautifully.
--Yes, I certainly feel the warmth of family.
Mr. Kuno: I hope you will watch over those parts with a warm heart. There is a scene towards the end of the story where everyone unites, so I hope you will look forward to it. There will also be characters who will confront Kenichi and the others, so how will they overcome that crisis? I would be happy if you could pay attention to how the bonds that have been cultivated up until now will bear fruit. Thank you.
