"Night of the Living Cat" Interview with Masaaki Mizunaka and Reiji Kawashima(2)

Continuation of interview (1). The TV anime "Night of the Living Cat", based on the cat manga by Hawkman and Mekaroots, currently being serialized in "Monthly Comic Garden" and the manga site "MagComi" (both Mag Garden), will be broadcast on TV Tokyo, BS TV Tokyo, Animax and others from July 7th, and will be pre-released on ABEMA Premium from July 6th. The story is set in the year 20XX, when a virus that turns humans who touch cats into cats suddenly appears, causing a "Nyandemic", and the human race resists the temptation to touch cats and tries to survive in a world full of cats. Mizunaka Masaaki plays Kunagi, a cat cafe employee who has lost his memory and whose identity is shrouded in mystery due to his memory loss, and Reiji Kawashima plays Arata, a former track and field club member and ninja-obsessed university student who is saved by Kunagi just before he turns into a cat. We asked them about the recording of the show, which is said to have been made up of cat lovers, and their impressions of each other.

◇ Inspired by the sincere Masaaki Reiji Kawashima

--What are your impressions and charms as voice actors?

I think that Kawashima-san and Mizunaka-san are really sincere in their approach every time. In the first work I met, Mizunaka-san played a cool, handsome guy, and in the scene where he whispered in my ear, I was like, "Haaaah...!" (laughs). He has a lot of power, so I thought, "Nyaito~" is going to be something amazing! Hasn't he destroyed my throat with one blow before?

You destroyed Mr. Underwater . He didn't appear anymore.

Kawashima-san is amazing!

I thought it would be okay if Mizunaka-san finished, but I was worried when it ended. (Ueda) Reina-san (who plays Kaoru) was worried about me.

Kawashima-san puts his body and voice into creating the tension in the piece "Night Night."

Mizuchu: No, everyone is like that.

Kawashima-san also asked the people around him things like "Was my pronunciation okay just now?" and "Did they hear that nuance properly?" and he was so particular about even the sounds that sounded objectively good that I thought "Shuichiro-san is so sincere!"

Thank you, Mizunaka-san . In the first work I met, Reiji-kun played the role of a scum human, and he played that scum human very well. So I thought that the role of Arata this time was a good boy role. Reiji-kun himself has a very good personality, is very communicative, and is someone who pays close attention to his surroundings, and you can see that consideration really comes out in his acting. So he fits the younger brother character like Arata perfectly, and I think Reiji-kun's charm comes out a lot. I think that voice actors themselves can also bring out their own personalities, so there are a lot of things I can learn from Reiji-kun. I feel like I can't slack off when there's someone like him. I don't intend to slack off, but I'm inspired by him. I want him to stay the way he is.

Thanks Kawashima-san ! I'm so happy!

◇What if you turned into a cat?

--If you were to become a cat in the world of "Nyaito," what breed of cat would you be?

Kawashima-san: I want to be a really fluffy, long-haired cat. If I were a cat, I would become a cute idol-like cat that people would have to touch, that would make people lose their sense of reason and just touch them without thinking, and I would destroy the human race.

Mr. Mizunaka (laughs). I like short hair. It seems like it would be easy to groom and there wouldn't be any skin problems, right? (laughs). I like a coat that's a mix of black and white. I like something a little more stylish, like "This part of the black coat is in the shape of a heart!" (laughs).

-Finally, please tell us what the highlights of the work are.

There is also a corner where Kawashima-san introduces trivia about cats, so I think her love for cats will grow deeper every week. I think it's a show that will make you learn more and more about cats, become more and more interested in them, and become completely engrossed in them, so I hope you'll look forward to it.

I think the funny thing about this work is that it's a comedy because everyone is living their lives seriously. There's also the cuteness of the cats, and there's drama. No one dies, but there are some sad moments. It's so immersive that I think the viewers will feel like they've become residents of this world. I hope you'll concentrate and enjoy it.