Continuing from Interview (1), the TV anime "Kore Kaite Shine), based on the manga by Minoru Toyoda, which has been making headlines for winning the Manga Taisho 2023 Grand Prize and the 70th Shogakukan Manga Award, will begin airing on Nippon Television's Flaani block from July 3rd. Serialized in "Gessan" (Shogakukan), this "manga x high school girl coming-of-age story" is set on Izu-Ojima, an island off the coast of Tokyo, where high school girls captivated by manga form a manga research club with their friends and struggle to find what they want to draw. Voice actor Akira Sekine plays the protagonist, first-year high school student Yasmin, and Noriko Hidaka plays Pokota, a robot from the manga "Robota and Pokota," Yasmin's bible, and Yasmin's imaginary friend. We asked Sekine and Hidaka about the appeal of the work and the "bibles" that have influenced their own lives.
◇What was Noriko Noriko Hidaka 's "textbook" that made Akira Sekine a fan of silver hair?
--The protagonist, Yasmin, was inspired to pursue a career in manga after reading the manga "Robota and Pokota" by ☆Nozomu when she was a child. What manga has had a significant influence on your life, like a bible?
Hidaka-san, the works that come out will be completely different depending on the generation (laughs).
Ms. Sekine, the first manga I ever read was "Cardcaptor Sakura."
Oh, really , Hidaka-san ! How old were you then?
I think I was in my last year of kindergarten or early elementary school. My parents had bought it, and it wasn't a picture book, but a manga, and I remember going to my mother to brag about how I could read it properly, panel by panel, and reading it aloud. My favorite character was Yue. She's a character with long silver hair, but after reading Inuyasha, I came to like Sesshomaru. Even now, I often like characters that have the same elements, so I guess my tastes haven't changed.
Hidaka-san likes silver hair, huh? (laughs) It's amazing that she's had it since kindergarten.
--What did you find appealing about "Cardcaptor Sakura" at the time?
I really loved Sekine-san's character , Tomoyo-chan (Daidoji Tomoyo). I wished I had a friend like her. Her love and kindness towards Sakura-chan, for example. I think I learned from "Cardcaptor Sakura" that there are many different forms of love. I also love CLAMP's work "ANGELIC LAYER," and I used to play around imagining my own angel, and when Ai-chan did something similar in " Kore Kaite Shine," I was smiling the whole time, thinking, "Yeah, I do that too," and "I used to do that with my own angel too." I think I've been greatly influenced by CLAMP's works.
--What manga have influenced you, Ms. Hidaka?
Ms. Hidaka's "Kore Kaite Shine" is a very essential work for manga lovers and those who aspire to become manga artists, but I've loved acting since I was in elementary school, so I joined a theater troupe and even joined the drama club at school, so it's "Glass Mask." I thought of "Glass Mask" as my textbook. I read it as if I were Kitajima Maya, so when a rival appeared or when the teacher gave her an assignment, I really empathized with Maya's feelings. I collected all the volumes and read them whenever I had the chance, throughout elementary, middle, and high school.
--When do you reread it?
It's like when you want to remember your passion, Hidaka-san . That's how it's been since you grew up. When I was little, I just read it thinking it was amazing, and I also had feelings like, "I want to be Kitajima Maya," and "If I want to be an actor, I have to go this far." So, at times it encouraged me, at times it gave me challenges, and, to put it in a "draw this and die" kind of way, it was a work I read to rekindle the "magma" inside me when it started to die down. I don't read it that way anymore, but it's my bible. I love manga, but I don't think there's any other manga that I love as much and read over and over again whenever I have the chance.
◇Numerous emotionally stirring descriptions, even down to the scratches on the desk.
--In "Kore Kaite Shine," you'll find a cast of unique characters who are influenced by manga and dedicate themselves to it in various ways. Which character is your favorite?
Hidaka-san, I think Professor Teshima is really fascinating.
--He's a Japanese language teacher at the high school Yasmin attends. He's strict with Yasmin, who loves manga, but he's actually a character who himself was once passionate about manga.
I find it interesting that even though Ms. Hidaka is a teacher, she still has some imperfections as a person. While she's teaching, she compares herself to her past self and still struggles with her own issues. Each character has their own problems, or rather, things that don't go well within themselves. And that's true not only for the children, but for the adults as well. I think Ms. Teshima herself wants to be seen as a serious and perfect person, but she can't hide it completely, and I find it very appealing that her true nature spills out.
--In the anime, Saori Hayami will be playing the role of Ms. Teshima.
Hidaka-san's portrayal of Saori-chan is amazing. During the voice recording, even though she's giving it her absolute best, there are times when she's told "more," and Saori-chan herself mutters, "More?" But then, she makes up her mind and delivers the next line, which is fantastic.
Sekine-san, everyone in the manga club reminds me of my friends, and there's one girl in particular, Ishiryu (Hikari), who I feel is similar to them every time I see her. She's very considerate of her friends, but also very free-spirited, just like me. So I feel a strong connection to Ishiryu-san, and she's one of my favorites.
--What are the highlights of the TV anime "Kore Kaite Shine"?
Fans of Hidaka-san's original work often love not only the story but also the artist's artwork, and the anime adaptation is fantastic, with incredibly beautiful visuals. The characters' daily lives feel so real, and you can watch it feeling like you're one of their classmates. In the anime, sound is added to the emotional portrayals from the original work, making those feelings even more deeply conveyed. While you're enjoying watching it, there are moments that give you a jolt. I feel like there are many scenes that stir your emotions in various ways.
All of Sekine-san's characters are cute and wonderful, the rich nature of Izu Oshima is depicted so vividly, and the music is truly amazing, but what impressed me when I first saw the finished film was the scratches on Ai-chan's desk. It was drawn with such care down to the smallest detail. The scratches are there because Ai-chan's family has been using the desk for so long, and there are scratches on the shelves in the house as if something had caught on them, giving it a very lived-in feel. Of course, it's not just Ai-chan's house; every scene is drawn with such meticulous attention to detail. I hope you enjoy the film purely the first time you watch it, and then when you watch it again, I hope you'll find lots of details that show the care put into it.
*The "Taka" in Noriko Hidaka's name is the "ladder-shaped" version.
(Shiroinu/MANTANWEB)
