The second season of the TV anime " Frieren: Beyond Journey's End End," based on the manga by Kanehito Yamada(original story) and Tsukasa Abe Abe (artwork), which is serialized in "Weekly Shonen Sunday" (Shogakukan), is currently airing every Friday at 11 PM on Nippon Television's anime block "FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT (FuraAni)." In the "Revolte of Divine Techniques" arc, which began in episode 6, Frieren and her companions joined forces with the first-class wizards Genau and Methode to battle the formidable demon Revolte. The episode was memorable for giving us a glimpse into the true personalities of the mysterious Methode and the calm and collected Genau, and for the bond that formed between the contrasting Genau and Methode. We asked Tarusuke Shingaki, who plays Genau, and Reina Ueda, who plays Methode, about what happened behind the scenes of the recording.
◇An anime that requires reading between the lines
--What are your impressions of the work "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End"?
I learned about the work and read the original after it was decided that Ms. Aragaki would be in it. My first impression was that the atmosphere of Frieren and her companions' journey was depicted so well that I felt like I was traveling with them. I also really like the characters' dialogue. It's like they're having conversations that read between the lines, or rather, when asked "Is it one or two?" they don't answer one or two, but something else. It's close to the conversations we have in our daily lives, and it makes you want to investigate what this person is thinking and think about it. It's a story that requires you to read between the lines, and the pacing is excellent. The more I watched the anime, the more I felt that the charm of the original work was faithfully expressed in the anime. It's a truly wonderful work, and I'm honored to be able to participate in it.
The story begins with Ueda's Frieren having finished her journey with Himmel and the others, and the way it unfolds as she confronts the deaths of those she once traveled with was incredibly impactful. I deeply empathized with Frieren when she regretted not trying to learn more about Himmel after his death. I felt a connection to Frieren as she regretted not doing things differently back then, and as she lives in the present and travels with new companions, she links the present with the past, reflecting on the past and contemplating her thoughts. I think the reason there are so many touching Frieren is because we can empathize with her and not just view it as someone else's story. Like Genau's story, I think it's wonderful how it depicts the feelings of those who are left behind.
Himmel will also appear a lot in flashbacks in the second season of Aragaki's series. It would be fun to try doing the same things Himmel did.
--What do you keep in mind when playing Genau?
In the first season, when Aragaki played Genau, he gave the impression of calmly conducting the exam without revealing much of his personal side, perhaps because he was an examiner for the First-Class Wizard exam. Before playing Genau in the first season, I found the original work so interesting that I read ahead. Because I knew what Genau would be like later in the story, it sometimes got in the way when I was playing him in the first season. When I was suppressing my emotions while acting, I kept telling myself, "Loyalty to Serie." Genau has pride in being a First-Class Wizard. It's not that easy to become a First-Class Wizard, and he won't let anyone else achieve that. I was conscious of playing him as someone who holds First-Class Wizards in a special position. In the second season, Genau appears right after the death of his partner, with whom he had been working. I wanted to show that something had shaken him up inside, and that his human doubts and conflicts would seep out. However, I couldn't let it show too much. "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" is a work that places great importance on words and dialogue, and the character is one who cannot openly express her true feelings, so I struggled a lot with how to convey the character without overdoing it.
--What about the method?
Ueda-san's impression of Methode hasn't changed that much between the first and second seasons. If Genau is a character who can't honestly express his feelings, Methode is the complete opposite. She gives the impression of expressing exactly what she feels. When you see scenes where her preference for smaller, cuter girls is revealed, it might seem like there's a gap or duality, but neither is the front or the back; both are the real Methode. What comes out differs depending on the scene, but she gives the impression of being a very honest person, and I wanted to keep that in mind when I was talking to Genau and Frieren. However, what is depicted may not be the whole picture of her. What does she think about her background and past? Her sense of self hasn't been depicted yet, and when I was acting, there were times when I wondered what this line meant, which was difficult to grasp, so I relied on the direction. While there are parts that I don't understand, she doesn't give the impression of having many negative feelings, and positive feelings such as liking something and having fun are always at the forefront. Rather than being stuck in a rut, the character also gives off an impression of having broken through, so I wanted to keep that in mind while acting.
◇Genau captured my heart
--In the second season, Genau and Methode will fight together.
After reading the script by Ms. Aragaki and acting alongside Mr. Ueda during recording, I felt I understood why Serie paired him with Methode. In the scene where the two are given their mission, Methode extends his hand for a handshake, but Genau verbally refuses. However, the fact that Methode didn't pull his hand away made me feel like he had completely seized control. Genau's self-deprecating attitude, where he denies being a good person because of the terrible things he's done, seemed childish to me. He hasn't sorted out his feelings, he's not fully mature, and I felt that this was manifesting in his rude attitude. He's like that from beginning to end, and I felt that Methode is like a guardian to him. Even though Genau is the senior. They make a really great team. He was given a tough mission, and perhaps it had to be with Methode. I now understand the reason why they became this pair.
When Ueda-san said that, I thought, "Ah, I see!" I hadn't been able to find the answer to why this duo was chosen. Hearing Genau's perspective made it all make perfect sense to me. Speaking from my own experience, I just can't help but like Genau. Because we see what's going on inside Genau's heart, watching it makes me feel the pain along with him, and I want to somehow stand by him. Even when I, as Methode, had to have a calm conversation with Genau, there were times when I almost got carried away with my emotions. I think the "Divine Revolte" arc was a story where Genau really captured my heart. As Genau was talking while carrying his childhood friend on his back, he had seemed cold and ruthless until then, but then a warmth and complexity overflowed from him, and I could see his very human side, and at that moment I was completely captivated and couldn't take my eyes off him. He thinks about a lot of things in his head, but then he acts on impulse. Even if it was a demon pretending to be a child, seeing Genau instinctively protect the child made me think he's a good person.
When the demon said, "I have a young son," and tried to escape, Ms. Aragaki killed the demon, and then she did look for the child, right?
I have a very strong impression of Ueda and Genau, but when Frieren said, "It's not so bad to just watch from a distance once in a while,"Fern and Methode worked hard and showed their reliability, which was really cool and wonderful.
--Methode is a character who has a soft spot for little girls. He expresses his admiration for Frieren and Serie, calling them "cute." What was important to you while playing this role?
Ueda-san as Serie is so cute! She's so cute today too! I want to be useful! I'll do my best! I just gazed at her with those simple feelings in mind. When I was told to team up with Genau-san, I thought, "If Serie sama says so, I'll do my best!" (laughs). In that scene, I was acting with about 10% Genau-san and 90% Serie sama. I was also quite giddy around Frieren-san. There were scenes that looked comical precisely because I was saying them with a serious face, but there were also directions to "tone it down a bit." Throughout, I was careful to adjust the degree of my giddyness as I acted.
◇ Delicate acting down to the millimeter
--What was the most memorable thing about the second season?
Ms. Aragaki , the anime has original scenes that aren't in the original manga. For example, after defeating Revolte, there's a scene where she tends to Stark's wounds. It's a scene where she uses her last ounce of strength to save Stark, and there are no lines, just breathing, but it was very impressive. Also, I thought the exchange with Methode, where she asks, "Why me?", was really interesting. Genau doesn't know Methode, so she doesn't see her as a fighter. I wondered what she herself was thinking, and although it was just a brief exchange, it left a strong impression on me.
The scene where Ueda is treated really brought out the depth of Genau's character. Even in a near-death state, he was giving it his all...it left a strong impression on me too. I thought, "What a good person!" Revolte is tall, has long legs, and a small face...he has a similar build to Shinichiro Miki (who plays Revolte). During recording, I saw Miki-san's hands holding the script, and I was impressed that they were both large. His acting was truly wonderful.
It must be difficult for Aragaki-san to play a demon. They're having a conversation, but there's no emotion in it; they're just uttering words to deceive humans. She really captures that feeling.
--What are your impressions of each other as actors, based on your experience working together? You've worked together before, haven't you...?
What I remember most about Aragaki-san is the time of "Young Justice" (which began airing in 2013).
This was when Ms. Ueda had just started out as a voice actress.
I have a strong impression of Ms. Aragaki because we worked together as regular cast members on a project. She's still young now, and she was fresh and a little clumsy, but she really shone. She was powerful and full of energy, like she was saying, "I'm going to do it!" So I was on set thinking, "I have to work hard so I don't lose to a newcomer!" That's why, when I had the chance to work with her again like this, seeing her play a more composed woman, I felt like a proud uncle, and it was really enjoyable.
Ueda-san , I still don't have much confidence, but actually, back then I was full of anxiety and nervous while performing. Maybe I was more energetic back then because there was less I could see and hear. It's kind of embarrassing, isn't it? (laughs)
--What are your impressions of Aragaki-san?
From the test shoot, Ms. Ueda's performance was spot-on in every aspect, from the sense of distance between characters to subtle emotional nuances and even the technical details. Her lines and monologues were delivered with millimeter-precise precision every time, and it seemed like everything was meticulously constructed. When I jumped in, she picked up on everything I said.
Aragaki-san isn't that good at it (laughs).
I had the reassurance that Ms. Ueda would definitely pick me up, which gave me peace of mind.
--There was talk of "millimeter-level" precision; does "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" require very delicate acting?
Sometimes it might be easier for Aragaki-san to express emotions openly in her acting, but that's not the case. It makes me think, "What is acting?" It's an abstract way of putting it, but it's about doing nothing. It's about handing it over to the viewers and letting something be born within them when they watch it, but we don't know if the intention we had in mind to portray the character is being conveyed to the viewers. I don't know the answer myself, so there were many moments when I had no choice but to entrust it to the director. I'm anxious until people watch it on air.
Ueda- san, the difficulty lies precisely in the fact that the characters are so natural. Even if you can relax and do well during rehearsals, when you try to perform with too much effort during the actual performance, it can have a negative impact. The characters who live in the world of "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" are difficult to portray because they don't suit being too intense. (Manami Anima/MANTANWEB)
