The TV anime "mono", based on the manga by Afro, known for "Laid-Back Camp", will be broadcast on TOKYO MX and other stations from April 12th. The manga is currently being serialized in "Manga Time Kirara Carat" (Houbunsha), and depicts the daily lives of high school girls in the "Cinephoto Club", a merger of the photography club and the video studies club. We spoke to Haruna Mikawa, who plays the main character Amemiya Satsuki, Aoi Koga, who plays Kiriyama Ann, and Hikaru Tono, who plays Shikishima Sakurako, about what went on behind the scenes during the recording. It turns out the audition was a bit unusual...
◇Local love! Healing too
-What is your impression of the work?
My first impression of Mikawa-san's work was that it was a heartwarming and peaceful piece. We would gather after school, eat sweets, go to various places... It gave me the opportunity to reminisce about my school days, and realize that I had a similar daily routine. I was in the soft tennis club, so we spent our time after school and on weekends differently, but I remembered having fun together, taking pictures of each other and doing even the smallest things.
Koga's work is heartwarming and easy to read without having to think too deeply about it, in a good way. It depicts reality, but it also feels a bit unrealistic, so it seems like it will strike a chord with tired people living in modern society. It also makes you want to go out somewhere. It makes you wonder if there are places like this in your hometown? It makes you want to know more about the good things about your hometown, and it will deepen your love for your hometown.
Tono: My first impression is that the work is full of "healing". You mentioned your love for your hometown, but I'm from Tokyo, so sometimes I want to get away from the hustle and bustle, take a break, and be surrounded by greenery. At times like that, this work gently embraces me and brings a gentle breeze. I felt that it was a work that softened and rounded my heart. It's not a big wave, but I like the warm and heartwarming feeling.
Koga-san is in a club, but his private outings are just club activities. It's really fun and he can be himself. There are no barriers between him and the older group, and he's just himself.
Mikawa-san is a student-only group that can have fun, but Haruno-san and Hanako-san take us to places that students can't go to on their own and suggest things to us, so it's great that we get to have a wider range of experiences than regular students.
Tono-san: It's not like we have to achieve something! It's more like, "Let's go!" It's not like, "Let's do it!", it's just the right atmosphere between the five of us that feels comfortable.
Mikawa: I think it's wonderful that by taking a trip back to the local area where everyone has always lived, they can become aware of things that exist and discover the charms of their local area that they didn't know existed.
On the other hand, I like the fact that they don't take pictures of Mt. Fuji because it gives a sense of everyday life. In Yamanashi , they don't take pictures because they're used to seeing it. It's clear that they have things they want to capture and enjoy using their cameras.
I also like Mr. Koga (the cat). He is loved in many places and has different names, which is a common thing for local cats.
◇The audition that left me thinking, "What?"
--I heard the audition was a bit unusual.
Tono-san: First, there was a tape audition...
At the Mikawa Studio Audition, there was a group of five people doing a dialogue. After the dialogue, there was a Q&A session. It was rare for an anime audition, and we answered questions like "Tell us about XX" and did a free talk with everyone.
Koga-san, I and Tono Hikaru-chan were in the same group, and we all had a friendly, free talk session where we talked about our favorite TV shows and such.
Mikawa: I was in the same group as Reina (Ueda Reina Ueda Haruno), and we didn't have a very formal atmosphere. I was usually the one who started the conversation, and I was so nervous that I don't remember much about what I said, but I do remember that I spoke as hard as I could. I talked about my favorite video works, memories of cameras, and so on.
Tono-san and Aoko-chan (Koga-san) were really funny and I enjoyed listening to them. However, it was my turn next, so I thought, "After this?!"
I empathized with what Hikaru Koga was saying. I was like, "I've seen that!"
Tono-san was worried about whether he was getting his point across properly and was looking around, so Aoko-chan's reaction was a real relief (laughs).
After that, I was told that I would be auditioning again. I was really excited.
All five of us - Tono-san , Reina-san, Kawase-san (Kawase Maki, who plays Komada Hanako) and I - were all excited.
After some dialogue, Mikawa said, "The five of you are a good fit, so you've been decided to become regular members of mono!"
Tono-san and everyone were like, "What?!" Apparently there is footage of that moment, so I wonder if it will be released someday?
Mikawa-san was crying... And then she recorded her voice for the PV.
Tono-san continued to feel light-hearted after that.
--You said Koga was funny when you were in the group...
Tono-san was always very funny. The thing he spoke most passionately about was his love for manholes (laughs).
Mr. Koga talked about cameras, and when I go somewhere, I always take pictures of manholes. I love manholes. Do you all know what a manhole is? That's how I explained it.
To be continued in interview (2).
