The TV anime series "Ikoku Nikki," based on the popular manga by Yamashita Tomoko, will begin airing on ABC TV, TOKYO MX and other stations from January 4th. It depicts the life of a shy novelist, Takashiro Makio, and his niece, Tagumi Asa, who lost both her parents in an accident. The much talked about series has also been adapted into a live-action film, with Miyuki Sawashiro playing Makio and Mori Fuko playing Asa. This marks Mori's first regular role in an anime. As the story depicts delicate emotional movements, much attention is focused on how Sawashiro, known for her impressive expressiveness, and new voice actress Mori will portray them. We spoke to Sawashiro and Mori about their thoughts on the series.
◇When we first meet Miyuki Sawashiro, she seems to be carrying a rose...
--This is Mori-san's first regular role.
Mori-san : Yes. It was also the first time I had passed an anime audition. I was really nervous during the audition, and after I spoke my lines, there was a moment where they said, "We'll have a quick meeting..." It was probably only about five minutes...
Sawashiro-san, those five minutes felt like an eternity (laughs).
Mori-san, really! I received further direction and then the audition was over. I was wondering if everything was okay, and on the way home I remember my manager at the time comforting me by saying, "It'll be okay."
-Sawashiro, what did you feel when you acted with Mori?
Sawashiro-san, there was nothing. It was a morning. This is the highest compliment. It was a morning without any issues from start to finish. I've been fortunate to have worked with Suwabe-san (Junichi Suwabe, who plays Kasamachi Shingo) and Ohara-san (Ohara Sayaka, who plays Minori) for a long time, and I thought it was wonderful that Kasamachi-kun and Minori were portrayed with their own unique personalities in mind! But Kazako-chan's morning really felt like it came straight out of the original work...
I'm so happy for you, Mori-san ! When I met you for the first time, you held out your hand and said, "Please call me Miyuki-chan." You looked so cool, like you were carrying a rose behind your back, and you put me at ease right from the start. During the recording, Miyuki-san and Ohara-san sandwiched me, and the atmosphere was very friendly.
Sawashiro: I thought everything would be fine because I had Saya (Ohara). She's a really kind person. She says exactly what I want her to say, at 120%, and being with her allows me to record with a pure heart. I felt reassured that with Saya there, Fuko would be able to act calmly, even if I didn't have to hold her hand.
Mori-san and Ohara-san were also kind to me. Miyuki-san also started a conversation with me.
Sawashiro: I'm a talkative person (laughs).
In the first episode, Mori-san is alone in the morning, feeling dazed, and reacting to the words of those around her. As a newcomer, I found it easy to be in that kind of situation in the morning.
--Mr. Mori's singing scenes are also great. Have you taken singing lessons up until now?
Mori-san really just sang because he loved it. I was anxious while recording, wondering if this would work as a morning song.
◇Makio-chan has arrived!
--Makio, played by Sawashiro, is a complex character.
Sawashiro-san is difficult, isn't she? I've never seen her in public or private life. She has an air of being a saintly gentleman, but there are also many things she can't do... She has such a wide range that I feel like she could be divided into about three characters. I tried to avoid adding my own elements to her work. The charm of the original illustrations is... the beautiful, carefully chosen lines with a floating, airy feel. I was worried that adding my own voice to them might turn them into something completely different. Is it like turning a tanka poem into a novel? It's tanka because there's space between the lines, and I didn't want my own elements to get in the way. The work makes the most of the manga medium, so I thought it would be a challenge.
Mori-san: I was thinking, "I want to meet Makio-chan!" but then I thought, "Makio-chan has come!" Makio-chan values words and delivers them in a way that doesn't convey the wrong nuance. I felt that Miyuki-san was taking that into consideration when acting.
Sawashiro's Makio isn't choosing difficult words, but when he tries to speak at his maximum level, he ends up like that. Even when he's told to "use simpler words," he can't replace them with other words. I thought I could really empathize with that feeling. It was difficult to have a conversation with a teenager (wry smile).
When Mori-san and Miyuki-san faced their roles, it seemed to me that they absorbed everything into themselves before expressing it. I wondered how they could do that, so I asked them. Then they told me, "Rather than me explaining it in detail, I'll teach you in this workshop."
Sawashiro-san, the workshop is quicker than learning from me. How was it?
When I went to see Mori-san , I realized that this is what it was all about!
Sawashiro uses the Meisner Method, which means that when acting, she creates a picture in her mind of what the character sees first. For example, if the character is a child being bullied at school, what does the classroom look like? The chairs and desks might all look like they've melted into a sludgy mess. They might be on fire, or frozen. She creates an inner picture with that kind of image in mind. In the original "Ikoku Nikki," a desert is depicted as a mental landscape. When I played Makio, I added to each of them one by one, asking questions like, "Where in her desert are Kasamachi-kun and Asa?" and "Who is allowed to enter the oasis lake?"
It was very helpful for me to learn that method, Mr. Mori .
Sawashiro-san , it wasn't me, it was Meisner (laughs).
I want to return here again
-What was the recording like?
I'm glad that we were all able to record together. I don't think this work would have been possible without the other actors.
That's right, Mori-san . I can't even get up in the morning unless I'm with Miyuki-san.
Sawashiro- san, as Makio, I spent about half a day with him in the morning, and I realized how difficult it is to be with a teenager! Being with a teenager is exhausting. After finishing the recording, when I looked at my own child, I was surprised at how tiny and cute he was, how tiny he was! (laughs). His height hasn't changed since we last met, though.
-Are you still hung up on the role, Sawashiro?
Sawashiro-san isn't that artistic. But... I think it's hard to change my mood unless I watch variety shows without thinking about anything. Maybe I'm getting deeper with each passing year. They say that acting gets heavier as you get older, and it's true, it takes time to get out of that. Watching dramas and documentaries brings a different way of thinking into my mind, so variety shows are best. Female comedians have saved me.
-What kind of voice actor do you want to be in the future?
When the final recording of Mori-san's "Ikoku Nikki" was finished, I was able to create a work with people I have always admired, and I felt that I wanted to return here again. I truly felt that I wanted to continue acting with a wonderful actor like Miyuki-san for a long time and become one of her friends. I also wrote about this in my diary.
-Do you keep a diary?
Mori-san only writes occasionally, but if something bad happens, I write it in my diary and let it all out, and if something good happens, I don't write about it, but when something really, really good happens, I write about it. I wrote in my diary on the day I was decided to appear on "Ikoku Nikki," the day I went to the recording for the first time, the day Miyuki praised me, and the day the recording finished.
-So you were praised by Sawashiro-san?
Mr. Mori, it was when we all had dinner together.
I was blessed with the opportunity to have dinner with Sawashiro- sensei, and I told her, "Fuko-chan, you're so lucky that it's morning."
I wondered if Mori-san was okay, but I was very happy.
-Finally, please give a message to those who are looking forward to the broadcast.
The mornings are so lovely, with Sawashiro-san's colors and music, and I'm looking forward to the broadcast date. The show will start on January 4th, so I hope you'll tune in.
As a viewer , I thought it was a really good piece of work, and I hope everyone will enjoy it too!
Anima Mitsuru/MANTANWEB
