It has been revealed that Kenjiro Tsuda , who is active as a voice actor and actor, will be appearing as a voice actor in the latest theatrical film of the popular anime "Anpanman," titled "Anpanman: Pantan and the Promised Star" (directed by Hiroyuki Yano, opening June 26). This will be Tsuda's first appearance in the "Anpanman" anime series, and he will be playing Nyackle, a new character who is an adventurer and holds the key to the story. A video of Tsuda recording his voice has also been released.
Tsuda expressed his delight at the opportunity, saying, "Anpanman is a work that everyone knows, and I had never been able to participate in it before, so when I heard that I would be able to participate in Anpanman at this time, and that I would be given an important role in the theatrical version, I was really happy. It was a long-awaited appearance in Anpanman, so I was really happy."
When asked about her memories related to Anpanman, she said, "The amazing thing about Anpanman is that you somehow know about him without even realizing it. You know about Anpanman's existence without even noticing, and you gradually become more and more familiar with him. I think I really started to become aware of him after I had children. After my children started to encounter Anpanman, and started to see the picture books, the anime, and the characters, we started watching them together and things like that, so I thought, 'It really is a great work, it's fun,'" indicating that she became more aware of Anpanman through raising her own children.
She said that she has also had experiences where Anpanman has helped her through raising her child, and revealed, "Even when my child was fussy or in a bad mood, if we watched the anime, they would concentrate on it and become happy, so I think that was really great." Regarding the first picture book, she said, "I was a little scared," and added, "It had a different feel from the current Anpanman, so I remember being quite scared of it. But even with that, I think that Anpanman has a good quality that goes beyond just being bright and fun, and I think that was conveyed to my child through the picture book."
Tsuda also made headlines for his appearance in the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan, " which was modeled after the lives of Takashi Yanase Yanase, the creator of "Anpanman," and his wife, Nobu. He said, "Because I got to really get to know Anpanman in depth through the drama, I was able to rediscover the greatness of 'Anpanman's March' and things like that. Of course, I knew it was an amazing song. I also knew that it was overflowing with the thoughts and beliefs of Mr. Takashi Yanase, and fortunately, through the drama I was able to learn about the circumstances under which Anpanman was created, so now I feel even more attached to it."
Regarding Keiko Toda, with whom he co-starred in "Anpan," he said, "The drama was the first time we worked together, and I hadn't met her at any voice recording sessions before that. I was so happy to finally meet Keiko Toda on the drama and say hello. I really think it's a great work, and I'm so happy to be able to participate in the anime as well."
At the voice recording studio, she was impressed by the stability of senior voice actors such as Ms. Toda and Mr. Nakao Ryusei. Her favorite character is "Baikinman," who has an unyielding strength, and she recalled an incident at a past event where she was overwhelmed by Mr. Nakao's live voice switching, saying, "I thought, 'Wow!' and even though the venue was full of adults, everyone who participated suddenly became a child, screaming 'Kyaa!' and the feeling of 'Baikinman has appeared!' was incredible."
Regarding the character Nyackle, whom he plays, he analyzed his appeal, saying, "He's very calm and composed, full of adventurous spirit, and a solid adult, if you will. He has strength and kindness, and I think he's a really charming adult character." He sent a message to fans, saying, "Even adults can learn a lot from this film, and it's very moving, and children will enjoy it very much. And not only will they enjoy it, but I think it's a film where they can learn something very important about a certain 'promise.' Above all, it's a very fun film, so I hope you will come and see it in theaters."
In the latest installment, Pantan the red panda embarks on a grand adventure to find treasure said to be located on a rainbow-colored star in the night sky, in order to keep an important promise he made with an adventurer long ago. Together with Anpanman, Creampanda, and other friends he meets on his journey to find the treasure, they overcome one challenge after another. Actress Tao Tsuchiya voices Pantan.
"Anpanman" is based on the popular picture books by Takashi Yanase. The TV anime series started in 1988, and the first theatrical film was released in March of the following year, 1989.
