The TV anime "Yomi no Tsugai," based on the latest work by Hiromu Arakawa, known for "Fullmetal Alchemist," began airing in April on TOKYO MX, BS11, and other channels. The manga has been serialized in Monthly Shonen Gangan (Square Enix) since December 2021 and is a popular work with over 6 million copies of the comic series sold. Della, voiced by Yuichi Nakamura, and Ging, voiced by Junichi Suwabe, are popular characters in the original work, but there are still many mysteries surrounding them. We asked Nakamura and Suwabe about their thoughts on the series.
◇The charm of the characters that cannot be explained in a single word
--What were your impressions after reading the original work?
Nakamura-san's theme came up earlier than I expected, and I had a feeling that this might be it. The line, "Neither pairs nor humans can live alone," pops up casually in the story, and I wondered if that might be what she was trying to say. They are always paired with something. They are paired up by choice, after all. There must be a reason why they are in pairs. I think the theme is being together rather than alone, and I'm drawn to what Arakawa-sensei will ultimately depict.
Mr. Suwabe, I thought this was a very interesting work. The pacing, or rather, the balance between serious and comical, is excellent. The protagonist, Yuru, is constantly swayed by the words and actions of the people around him. Can he trust them? Or not? It's exciting to see what path he will choose and how he will move forward. How will the various mysteries be unraveled? Will the plot points that seem to be foreshadowing be resolved? I have read all the original works that have been released so far, but what's great about it is that I can't imagine where the story will ultimately end.
--What are your impressions of the character you play?
When Suwabe-san first appeared as Jin, from the perspective of the protagonist Yur, he didn't really seem like a "friend," did he?
It's clear that they were the ones who attacked Mr. Nakamura .
Suwabe-san's Jin is a character who dresses very neatly. His personality may match his appearance, but what is he really like? As the story unfolds, the way we perceive each character changes, so I'd rather not give any preconceived notions. I hope you'll watch it and see for yourself.
As for Nakamura's Dela, at this point, all we can say is that she's the character she appears to be, but there might be some surprises later on. I think she's a character with a lot of room for interpretation. She initially appears as an ally to Yul, but we don't know if that will continue all the way to the end, and there are many parts of her character that haven't been depicted yet. There's still a lot that hasn't been said about any of the characters in the original work, so I think everyone is probably creating room for interpretation in their roles. They're not just playing the villain or the hero, but rather creating a range of characters. And since the original work is still ongoing, we don't know what's going to happen next.
◇The facial expressions and emotions of a living human being
--Della is also a very expressive character.
Nakamura- san's portrayal of Dela was directed to express her emotional ups and downs clearly and to brighten the atmosphere of the work. There are many serious characters, but Dela and Hana are characters that can liven things up, so I think they wanted to brighten up the everyday parts. However, living people have a variety of expressions and emotions. So I want to act in a way that makes the characters feel alive, as if they are living in that world. Even Jin is multifaceted; he's not just a cool and taciturn person, is he? He has a playful side too.
--Indeed, while Gin may appear cool, he's actually a surprisingly expressive character.
Mr. Suwabe is actually a character who shows many different sides to his personality. If a cool person is always cool, it's not interesting, is it? If all the characters are like that, the work won't have depth, and more importantly, it won't be fun to act. I try to understand the background and inner thoughts of the characters and how they express their emotions in various situations, and I try to express that in a natural way. I'm the type of person who reads the original work thoroughly beforehand in order to gather as much information as possible.
--Della is also a character we still don't know much about.
Mr. Nakamura, there are still some things I don't understand.
Mr. Suwabe gives off an air that suggests there's something more going on behind the scenes.
It seems like there might be something going on with Mr. Nakamura , but in reality, there might be nothing going on and he's simply the kind of person he is. I'm keeping both possibilities in mind to some extent.
Mr. Suwabe, the story is still just beginning, so each of us is thinking about various things while we perform.
Dela and Gin both seem to be characters that are not easily understood. Be sure to pay attention to the unfolding mystery of "The Pair of the Underworld." (Manami Anima/MANTANWEB)
