Season 3 of the TV anime "SPY×FAMILY," based on the manga by Tatsuya Endo currently being serialized on Shueisha's manga app "Shonen Jump+," will begin airing on TV Tokyo and other channels at 11 PM on October 4th. This is the first TV series in about two years since Season 2, which aired from October to December 2023, and is attracting attention for depicting the past of "Twilight" and the bus hijacking arc. We spoke to Takuya Eguchi as Lloyd, Atsumi Tanezaki as Anya , Saori Hayami as Yoru, and Kenichirou Matsuda as Bond, who have been playing the Forger family since Season 1 began in April 2022, about the highlights of Season 3 and behind-the-scenes footage from the recording.
◇New season after 2 years. Worried that kids will forget about it?
--This is your first TV series in about two years. What are your thoughts on it?
It's been two years since Eguchi-san's last meeting. I realized how long it had been. I think everyone has enjoyed the worldview of "SPY×FAMILY" through Season 1, 2, and the movie, so I was hoping to create a similar feel to the usual.
Hayami: When I read further into the original work, there was a point where I thought, "Oh, it's about time for the episode where Yoru meets this person," and I was really looking forward to it. When I read the original work, I thought, "I can only hear this character in this voice, so this is what it means when they say sounds flow automatically into your brain!" And then that person was cast, and I was like, "Yay!" The recording was fun too.
Even listening to Matsuda-san's recording from behind, my ears were filled with joy (laughs). The interaction between the two was amazing.
I remember now how I was worried from the bottom of my heart, thinking , "What?! Will the kids forget about it after two years?" But somehow, the two years went by in a flash...
Especially Hayami-san 's second year as an adult (laughs).
Tanezaki: That's right (laughs). Now that two years have passed, I'm starting to get a bit worried about how kids will react to it, but I'm confident that Season 3 will be enjoyable for people of all ages and genders, so I want to deliver it to you with confidence.
Hayami: I think that when elementary and junior high school kids watch Season 3 in two or three years, they might be drawn to it from a slightly different angle.
Tanezaki-san, that's true...! I hope so.
Matsuda: I was so relieved and happy that the recording of "SPY×FAMILY" started as normal, I thought, "Ah, it's the usual set," "It's the usual Forger," "It's SPY×FAMILY."
◇You can see all the characters clearly. Which voice actor is your favorite character?
--Season 3 is also attracting attention for depicting Lloyd's past and the bus hijacking arc. What are the highlights?
Eguchi: When a manga is adapted into an anime, I think the first thing people think about is, "What part will they cover?" There's a flow to the original, and in what order will they cover what parts? In that sense, Season 3 is also full of "Oh, that's the story," and surprise stories, so I think people will enjoy it.
Hayami-san: Personally, I think Damian is really cute in Season 3. Damian plays a major role.
This season is packed with episodes where you can see all the characters, including the Tanezaki Forger family, everyone at Eden Academy, Professor Henderson, Night Curtain, and Yuri. No matter which character you're rooting for, be sure to enjoy Season 3 until the very end.
It's packed with the best parts of everyone, Hayami-san .
--Do you each have a favorite character?
Matsuda: For me it's Yobari. I like the character designs, and I really love the slant-eyed girls that Endo-sensei draws. This time, there will be another slant-eyed girl added. I'm really looking forward to it.
Tanezaki: I've been a big fan of Mr. Henderson since Season 1. I love everything about him: his appearance, Yamaji (Kazuhiro)'s voice, his feelings for his students, and his monologues.
Hayami: I'm growing to love Yuri more and more (laughs). I love him because he's originally my relative, but I also find him adorable when I watch him. He's so brave, and I find it so cute how he works so hard at both his family and his work. I find him adorable.
Eguchi: For me it's Frankie. I always like the partner in any work. When it's time to do it, it's because he's so cool.
Matsuda-san , that's true. Franky is a really nice guy.
Mr. Eguchi is a nice guy.
◇Changes due to Season 3: Feeling "family" through the work and roles
--You have been playing each character since April 2022, but have there been any changes in the way you play them?
Eguchi: I don't think there's anything in particular. There may have been some changes in the sense that I've gotten used to it. I think I've become more focused, or that it doesn't take as long to create something.
At first, Hayami and Lloyd's voices were retaken because they were "too kind," but gradually, they were accepted, with the understanding that "this kindness is proof that the family relationship has deepened." You can feel the results of their deepening relationship during the dubbing. They say that they are loosened up by the power of Anya and Bond.
Eguchi: In that sense, I think that this is also the case in the original work, but I think we were able to change the approach so that Lloyd shows expressions that he hasn't shown before.
Tanezaki: During the filming of Season 3, there was a moment when I thought, "Oh, I've become this much before I even realized it!" There are quite a few scenes in which Yor is searching for Anya, and her voice searching for me, "Anya san, Anya san..." has always stuck in my head. That "Anya san" appears in Season 3 as well. When I heard her mother's voice, genuinely worried and searching for me, I thought, "Oh no, I'm really going to cry..." during the recording. At that moment, I felt the things that had been building up inside me. Maybe it's because we're a pseudo-family, but when my mother came to pick me up, I was so happy that I almost cried, and I realized that I had changed without even realizing it.
--Have there been any moments when the rest of you feel like you're a family?
Hayami-san, I realized something new as we got to Season 3. For example, when Yor says, "Well, I'll cook dinner today," it makes the family feel down, or Bond suffers from delusions, or if there's something that's bothering Yor, she takes it out on Lloyd with the help of alcohol, or when Anya or Lloyd come home, she says "Welcome home." I feel like these things have become a regular occurrence in Season 3. These exchanges are a common occurrence in "SPY×FAMILY," and there are elements that make you feel like "we've been waiting for this!" piled up, so even acting them out felt very reassuring.
Eguchi: In that sense, I've always thought I didn't understand the concepts of motherhood and fatherhood, but in "SPY×FAMILY" there were moments when I thought, "Ah, is this motherhood? Is this fatherhood?" I don't know if it was the way they dress or how they act, but there were moments when I thought, "I see." I felt a kind of balance that allowed them to coexist well, and it was a strange sensation. When I felt that, I thought, "This is family."
Hayami: I don't really know what maternal love is, but when I say "Welcome home" to everyone, or when I'm desperately searching for Anya, as Tanezaki mentioned earlier, or when I'm relieved to find her and tears come naturally, I feel a sense of security and I realize that we're family. It's like a sense of irreplaceability, like, "I'll be living with this person forever." Like in the "Luxury Liner Arc," I think everyone has become like that, thinking, "I don't care what happens to me, I just want these people to keep smiling." When I was next to Anya and heard her voice, I felt a deep emotion. I felt a sense of security knowing I could vent my feelings to Lloyd, and with Bond, even though it was a roundabout way of thinking, "I want him to eat something really delicious." I feel like I can relate to those feelings when I'm acting.
Matsuda: I feel at ease when the Forger family is together. Bond generally doesn't take part in conversations, he just sits curled up in the background watching, occasionally crossing the street, and I find it very comforting to hear the three Forger talking, and I love it. After all, scenes like this are so typical of the Forger family, so typical of "SPY x FAMILY." I think this is where the peace that "SPY x FAMILY" is trying to portray, the world where all children can live happily, can be found. From a dog's perspective, I feel like I can sleep at the Forger home in complete peace, and it's a truly comforting place.
Continued in interview (2).
※The "崎" in Atsumi Tanezaki's name is pronounced "tatsusaki"
