The theatrical film adaptation of the popular light novel series "The Irregular at Magic High School," published by Dengeki Bunko (KADOKAWA), titled "The Irregular at Magic High School: Yotsuba Succession Arc," will be released on May 8th. At a gathering where the head of the Yotsuba family, Maya Yotsuba, and the heads of the branch families meet, the next head of the Yotsuba family will be nominated, and the shocking truth hidden within the "strongest" siblings will be revealed. We spoke to Yuichi Nakamura, who plays Saori Hayami Shiba, Saori Hayami, who plays Miyuki Shiba, and Chiwa Saito, who plays Maya Yotsuba, about the recording process.
◇ The appeal of a "relaxed" look
--The "Yotsuba Succession Arc" is being released as a theatrical anime film. What are your honest thoughts on this?
Mr. Nakamura's comments felt like episodes that would be better suited to a movie.
Hayami-san's previous series had a school atmosphere, so I thought this recording would be completely different, and I was like, "It's finally here!" I was excited and nervous.
I didn't expect Saito-san to have so many lines (laughs). I was really happy because I hadn't thought the story would focus on the Yotsuba family. It's quite a bold story, and I thought, "Ah, so that makes sense for a movie."
-- "The Irregular at Magic High School" began airing as a TV anime in 2014 and has continued for over 10 years. What is the appeal of the series?
Mr. Nakamura , we are the ones sending the work out, so we don't know what aspects the audience enjoys, but when we did the first season of the TV anime, I followed the broadcasts and saw that the characters and the actors were all taking it seriously, but there were scenes that were funny and I felt that people were enjoying it. There are scenes like that in this movie version as well. I've felt since the first season that people are enjoying that aspect too.
Hayami-san , as Nakamura-san just mentioned, there's a sense of lightheartedness within the profound worldview, and I think that balance is superb. There are so many ways to enjoy it.
That's right, Nakamura-san . In the first season, there are a lot of explanations of magic formulas, but those aren't really related to the drama. But that's what makes it interesting. They could have cut those out, but they didn't, and that's why there are so many ways to enjoy it.
Saito-san, I've made occasional appearances, maybe once or twice per season, and Maya is always sitting down. She drinks tea and acts all suggestive (laughs).
Mr. Nakamura basically never leaves his house, does he? (laughs) He's probably just in his car.
Saito-san, that's right (laughs). Speaking from a personal perspective, I feel that the balance of power among the various factions is realistic and resonates with our own world. Because it has a solid structure, even when it has a loose feel, it doesn't waver.
◇The blank spaces in Maya's acting
--As Mr. Saito mentioned earlier, does Maya have the most lines of any character so far?
Mr. Saito talks quite a lot.
Nakamura's lines are also very long. They are technically having a conversation, but there's hardly any opportunity for a pause.
Saito-san, I recorded with Nakamura-kun, and he cheered us on, saying, "Do your best!" It was difficult to tell if it was true or false, so I asked the teacher about it. I tried to carefully examine that part as well, so I hope it comes across. I had to properly convey this worldview, but it involved listing difficult words, so I focused on making it easy to understand.
Nakamura-san, I'm just listening (laughs). Saito-san seems to be having a tough time. There are so many interpretations and countless options. There are parts where viewers can imagine where Maya's true feelings lie, and when you take it all into account, I thought she was a character that you just can't hate. Maybe she's not someone you should hate at all.
Mr. Saito, I made a conscious effort to leave some white space somewhere.
Mr. Nakamura is really hard to pin down, isn't he? (laughs) That's a good thing, I think; it all depends on the listener.
--What changes were you conscious of in Tatsuya and Miyuki's dialogue?
Hayami's older brother is unwavering in his principles, but Miyuki has a lot going on beside him...
Mr. Nakamura , the reason it's shaking so much this time is because of the deep snow.
There are many scenes where Miyuki is troubled without Hayami 's brother knowing, and I think it really comes across that she was always by his side while suppressing all those feelings up to that point.
In Nakamura's work, Tatsuya is the main character, so there are many scenes from Tatsuya's perspective. Miyuki is also a main character, and there are scenes from her perspective as well, but her feelings are only expressed when necessary. However, hints of this started to appear around the third season. And that leads to this point.
Hayami-san keeps simmering and simmering until it overflows.
Saito is really heavy, isn't he?
--Tatsuya is so strong that it seems like he doesn't take much breath when he's fighting.
It's good to have a decisive blow like Nakamura-san , but you don't need to breathe every single time. The opponent is breathing, so I feel a little sorry for them (laughs).
◇ Yuichi Nakamura: Reliable and trustworthy
--What was the atmosphere like during the recording?
Hayami-san , I also remember Nakamura-san cheering me on (laughs).
Is that right , Nakamura-san? (laughs)
There's a scene where Hayami-san and Miyuki-san are having a conversation with themselves, and they express their true feelings. We were given direction to "make it sound more provocative or sarcastic," which I think is unique to this theatrical version. After it was over, I was relieved, and Nakamura-san told me to "keep up the good work."
There was a turning point for Miyuki Nakamura , and rather than me taking the lead, I was mostly just watching over her.
Hayami-san , for me, my older brother is always a solid anchor, so I feel like I'm continuing with the feeling that I want to follow my brother, I want to follow Nakamura-san.
Ms. Nakamura and Ms. Hayami haven't wavered at all since the first season. They have a great sense of stability, so I don't need to help them at all, and I feel very comfortable working with them.
I think Saito-san (Nakamura-san) has known me since I was much less stable (laughs).
Nakamura-san , really? Saito-san also had a sense of stability from the moment we met (laughs). When I've worked with Saito-san before, I've mostly played cheerful and innocent characters, so I haven't had many opportunities to work with him on characters like Maya, whose age is unclear or whose true intentions are hard to read. In the third season, his lines increased, and I thought, "Wow, he's good!"
Saito-san , please make "That's good" bold (laughs). Nakamura-kun is always neutral and unwavering, so he gives you a sense of security. There's no awkward tension, and even when you ask him something you don't understand, he answers neutrally. Having the reliable and trustworthy Yuichi Nakamura around made things much easier.
--Will the story take a major turn in the movie version?
This series has been going on for over 10 years, but this episode marks a major turning point in the story, so I hope you'll enjoy it. The staff has put their all into making it. Thank you for your support.
Hayami-san, this time the story is all about "home." It's a very important story that marks a major turning point. Even if you haven't seen it before, I hope you'll take this opportunity to enter the world of the series. The story will really pick up from here, so I think you'll enjoy it.
Focusing on Saito-san and Maya-sama, there's a psychological interplay that makes it hard to tell what's true, and I think it's really interesting to watch on the big screen. I hope you enjoy the acting as well. The incredibly cute Miyuki-san also appears! (Man Anima/MANTANWEB)
