The TV anime "Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!!", based on Harunori's "classic BL comedy" manga, is currently airing on TOKYO MX and other channels. The original manga is a popular work that depicts the fantasies and reckless behavior surrounding the unrequited love of high school boy Nakamura Otoko for his classmate Hirose Aiki, in a somewhat nostalgic 1980s-90s style, and is published as a comic by Heroes. The role of Hirose Aiki, whom the protagonist Nakamura-kun falls in love with at first sight in the anime, is played by popular voice actor Sakakibara Yuki. How did he try to portray the cute and lovable Hirose that captivates Nakamura-kun? We asked him about the behind-the-scenes of the recording.
◇The difficulty of expressing Hirose's "true self" while cherishing her straightforwardness
"Go for it, Nakamura-kun!!" depicts the struggles of Nakamura-kun, who is bad at communicating with people and has no friends, as he falls in love at first sight with Hirose at his high school entrance ceremony and tries to become friends with her. Sakakibara said that when he read the original work, he "for a moment wondered, 'When was this work made?'" and felt that it had a unique worldview.
"There are a lot of modern elements in the story, but the art style has a retro feel to it. It's retro, but I feel that it adds a nice touch and creates the overall atmosphere of the work, so before the audition, I was excitedly reading it and wondering, 'How are they going to adapt this original work into an anime?' and 'Will it really be possible to adapt it into an anime?'"
Sakakibara plays Hirose, the cheerful and energetic mood-maker of the class with whom Nakamura falls in love. Possessing freshness, cuteness, and coolness, Sakakibara describes her charm as "a truly pure girl."
"I'm sure she has her own burdens, but I think that's part of what makes her soul so beautiful. From the audition onwards, I wanted to cherish that straightforwardness of hers. Nakamura sees Hirose and thinks, 'Ah, she's so cute...!', but I don't think she intends to act cute. I knew that if I missed this point, she definitely wouldn't get the part, so I made sure not to waver on that."
Sakakibara perceived Hirose as "naturally cute" and thought about how to best express that cuteness.
"If I try to add even a little bit of cuteness, it ends up looking like I've added cuteness. But when I really thought about it, no matter how hard I try to be cool when I audition for a cool role, I always end up looking childish. There's always a subtle bit of cuteness somewhere, so I thought I'd try the opposite and just leave out the cuteness."
To portray cute characters without consciously trying to make them "cute" was a challenging task.
"When I was auditioning, I thought I shouldn't try to be 'cute,' but once filming started and I saw Hirose-kun in action, I thought, 'He's cute' (laughs). I wondered if I should try to add a little cuteness to the role, and there was a moment when I did. Then a staff member pointed out to me, 'You were trying to be cute just now, weren't you? We don't need that. Just be pure,' and I realized that I had let my bad side get the better of me. I was reminded once again that the important thing for playing Hirose-kun is his genuine, unpretentious cuteness."
Sakakibara said that having often played characters with dual personalities or strong quirks in the past, playing Hirose made her realize once again how difficult it is to be natural.
"Hirose-kun is so natural, so I tried to relax and act in a way that sounded natural. It was a rare experience for me, so it was a new feeling. During the recording, I was a little nervous, wondering, 'Is it okay to do this?', but when they said 'OK,' I was able to proceed knowing that this was the right thing to do."
◇The contrast between Nakamura and Hirose: The unique attention to sound in animation
Chiaki Kobayashi, who plays Nakamura, who falls in love with Hirose, said of Sakakibara, "She effortlessly portrays Hirose's masculine side and coolness, and can also express his innocence, so I was listening beside her and thinking that she was a perfect fit. I think Nakamura's heart may have been stirred up even more by Sakakibara's acting." Sakakibara felt that Kobayashi's acting had the same "unwavering resolve" as Nakamura's through their interactions.
"In a way, I feel like I have something in common with Nakamura-kun. Nakamura-kun can get tossed around by various things and get depressed at times, but I feel that he has an unwavering side. Chiaki-san is also flexible when she receives direction, but on top of that, she doesn't lose her pace. Even if there is some unexpected direction, she doesn't get flustered and approaches it while maintaining her own worldview, and I secretly thought that was cool when I watched her."
They also consciously created a contrast between Hirose and Nakamura.
"Looking at it from a broader perspective, I got the impression that Nakamura has a clumsy strength, while Hirose has a skillful weakness. Hirose is observant of those around him, and therefore, if one of them has to compromise, he's the type who can compromise. But that can also be seen as conforming to those around him, so it's also a weakness. That's where he's in contrast to Nakamura, who has a caring heart but has difficulty conforming. In scenes that highlight that contrast, I wanted to make it easy to understand the contrast, but I also wanted to make sure it didn't feel forced."
The anime adaptation of this story, centered around Nakamura and Hirose, "respects the atmosphere of the original work."
"When we were recording on set, there was a shared sense of 'this atmosphere is wonderful,' and I think everyone was able to approach the project while cherishing that feeling. I think this is a work that was created with one heart and soul, with the goal of 'expressing this atmosphere of the original work.' In addition, it has sound that is unique to anime. The production team was very particular about the sound and prepared a variety of background music that exceeds that of a typical two-cour anime, and I think this work incorporates an attempt to further expand the world of the original work. I hope you will pay attention to it."
The voices performed by Kobayashi, Sakakibara, and other voice actors, along with the meticulously crafted sound by the production team, offer a unique charm that only the anime "Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!!" can provide. (Shiroinu/MANTANWEB)
