The second season of the TV anime "Puniru Is a Cute Slime," based on Maeda-kun's romantic comedy currently being serialized on Shogakukan's manga magazine "CoroCoro Comic" web manga site "Weekly CoroCoro Comic," is being broadcast on TV Tokyo every Sunday at 5:30 pm. The first season was broadcast every Sunday at 11:45 pm, but the second season has "moved" to Sunday evenings. The second season will be even more lively with the addition of a new character, Jure, an artificial slime lifeform (gelloid) created by Dr. Mado who takes pride in being a "perfect AI." We spoke to Shinohara Yuu, who plays Puniru, and Sumire Uesaka, who plays Jure, about the second season.
◇Get your kids excited!
--Uesaka-san, you started appearing in the series from the second season. What is your impression of the series?
It has the feel of Korokoro- san , and it also has elements of a romantic comedy, and Puniru-chan is just so cute. Jure is an unorthodox character in this work, and even reading the original work, he was very strong. I wonder how much children will be shocked by the film version? I have the impression that it's a work that will make your heart race, both as a viewer and as an actor.
--The exciting second season has "moved" from late night to Sunday evenings.
Shinohara: I'm very happy that the first season had an atmosphere that brought a relaxed laughter to the living room. However, the second season seems to be even more dangerous (laughs). I think it might bring excitement to children. It might be a good stimulus to the living room. I think it might be able to convey various human emotions... It's an educational anime, so I think there's a lot to learn (laughs).
There is also a shocking scene between Uesaka- san and Jure and Puniru. When I think back to when I was little, I would watch the anime in the evening and the characters would end up in a pinch. I would worry about what would happen and whether they would be okay, and I would worry about that for a week, but this will be incomparable to that. Your children may say, "Puniru was crazy" in 20 or 30 years. I would like to hear your children's thoughts, and I would like to have a viewing party with your children. Culture? Is it emotional education? It's better to be exposed to it when you're young. I think it will become something like a daytime drama that you can't forget when you're off school. Jure has recorded several patterns of lines, such as a sexy, overly sexy, and a sexy, realistic one, and I don't know which ones will be used yet, but I'm curious to see how it will be received by children who thought "Puniru is cute" in the first season.
◇Elementary school-like site
--What was the recording like?
Uesaka-san: I'm basically quiet on set, and I get nervous when I join a character who has already created an atmosphere on set, but I was told to "sit in the middle" where Shinohara-san and Shuichiro Umeda(who plays Kawai Kotaro) are sitting as the main characters. I thought, "Even though the edge is empty...", but it's a lively set, so I was happy. Shinohara-san's sparkling eyes and natural brightness are wonderful, and he has a really strong leadership ability. When Shinohara-san is there, the set becomes brighter. It's a CoroCoro work, and everyone's hearts are gradually becoming like children, and they laugh out loud at the little kid jokes, and I joined in too, so it was like an elementary school set.
I was really looking forward to hearing that Sumipe would be playing Jure. I had no choice but to have Sumipe sit next to me! The "Puniru" set felt like recess at school, and I was so happy to see Sumipe running around the classroom all of a sudden.
--Puniru changes her acting depending on her appearance, what do you keep in mind?
Shinohara-san, I guess it was the impression of appearance and color? In the first season, the anime added colors, and the colors were more vivid than I had imagined. I felt the power of appearance and color, so I kept that in mind in the second season and made sure there were various interesting repertoires and each individuality stood out.
--What was something that you kept in mind while playing the role of Jure?
Uesaka is proud of being "perfect AI" and tries to win Kotaro over by saying, "Because I'm better than humans and perfect, I can easily handle love," but it doesn't work. The interesting thing about Jure is that it boils over in an instant. She suddenly loses her temper, suddenly recovers, and calls herself a perfect AI, but she has some imperfect aspects, and I think it's a process of growth where she is making up for her lack of experience. The thing I paid the most attention to was the balance of sexy lines. There are a lot of lines that are quite aggressive. If it weren't for Jure, it would be like an evening anime, but Jure's appearance causes some trouble. But, leaving aside the fact that it's an evening anime, let's make some waves! It's important to do it with all your might.
◇The moment I linked with Puniru
--What did you feel while working together?
Shinohara: Puniru has only been around for seven years, and she doesn't really understand romance or love, but her emotions change when she confronts Jure. When we actually recorded in front of the microphone, I was overwhelmed by Sumipe's acting, and there was a moment when Puniru and I linked up. I was very moved. Jure has a lot of scenes where she screams, which is also amazing. I asked her questions like, "Won't your veins burst?" and "Won't your head hurt?"
When Uesaka-san shouts a long line, the oxygen gradually thins and her face sometimes gets red... Jure loses her temper in a logical manner. There may not be an episode in which Jure does not lose her temper. In the first season, Puniru was like an intrusive heroine, but I thought that with Jure's appearance, everyone would think, "I have to protect Puniru!" and Puniru's heroine power would increase. Jure looks a little bad, and there are parts where I play her while hoping that people will love her. Shinohara-san is a genius. Her voice quality is also genius, and she talked about "color" earlier, but I think that's also genius. She covers various famous songs as Puniru, but it's really amazing that she can sing with Puniru's feelings! On the other hand, Jure is a natural heroine who stands up to them, and she may be linked to the feelings of the "person inside".
--What about the cover songs in season 2?
Shinohara-san's songs range from various genres and generations, and I think the people who choose them are really into it. It's an interesting selection. Puniru is easy to sing. Is it because she absorbs it well? It's easy to bring out Puniru's own color, and because Puniru doesn't know many different emotions, I learn about them through the songs, which has been a learning experience for me.
--Puniru shows many different looks, but which one is your favorite?
Shinohara-san: Episodes 13 and 14 show a lot of quirks all at once. Episode 13 has about 8 recordings of the main story, and there are also scenes that are entirely ad-libbed. We also get to see Puniru in a form that we thought might never appear again, and there are some really great original anime expressions. There's also a transformation scene, so I think even older fans will enjoy it.
As a premise , the idea of the heroine being a slime is a really dangerous idea. If you read it as a child, you might become an adult who can only love slime girls... The impression of Puniru may be different if you read it as an adult or as a child before awakening. This work may create various quirks, mess up the ecosystem, and cause irreversible things (laughs). My favorite scene is when Puniru melts, turns mushy, and sticks to Kotaro. The details are amazing, aren't they? It's thrilling. I guess that kind of awakening happens all over the place... If you watch the hot battle and hot entanglement between Puniru and Jure in the evening, I'm sure you won't be able to sleep. Even as an adult, it has a lot of quirks. It's not direct, but it has a fetishistic feeling unique to slime. I like the moment when it breaks and becomes liquid the most.
The second season of "Puniru Is a Cute Slime" seems to be an anime that will shock viewers on Sunday evenings. What kind of chaos will Puniru and Jure cause?
