The TV anime "The Furious Young Lady Swore Revenge. ~I Will Crush My Homeland with the Power of the Grimoire~," based on the light novel by Hagure Metabo (winner of the HJ Novels 2021 First Half) with illustrations by Masami, will begin airing on TV Tokyo and other channels from July 6th. This "revenge fantasy" follows a beautiful genius young lady who, after being suddenly dumped by the Crown Prince and imprisoned, uses the most powerful grimoire to manipulate connections, economics, and military force to take revenge on her traitors. Popular voice actress Saori Onishi plays the protagonist, Elisabeth Leiston, who harbors a desire for revenge. Onishi, who says, "I was able to learn a new concept of 'furious rage' through this work," shared some behind-the-scenes stories about the recording process.
◇I thought there was an incredible young lady out there...
"The enraged young lady vows revenge. ~I will crush my homeland with the power of the grimoire~." That's an impactful title.
"When I was auditioning, I learned about this title, and it had such a huge impact on me. When I heard 'bursting into a rage,' I imagined someone extremely enraged or violently out of control, so I thought, 'What an outrageous young lady!' But when I actually saw the audition script, it was different from the rage I had imagined. Of course, I could tell she was incredibly angry inside, but I got the impression that it wasn't the kind of rage that she would outwardly express. When I was cast and read the work, it was a kind of rage I had never encountered in my life so far, and I learned a new concept of rage through this work."
Having her engagement to the Crown Prince broken off and betrayed by the country to which she had dedicated everything, Elisabeth, harboring a strong desire for revenge, goes into exile in a neighboring country and begins a new life as Ellie Reiss. As Onishi explains, despite suffering terrible hardships, she never lashes out in anger, always remaining calm. "I felt that the interesting thing about this work is Elisabeth's story as she patiently and steadily builds up various things toward her revenge," she says, describing its appeal.
◇The enraged young lady who keeps her anger hidden, is watching intently
When recording actually began, the difference between her own interpretation of Elisabeth's "outburst" became "very apparent."
"In the first episode, after Elisabeth is imprisoned, she is encouraged by her maid, Millais, to seek revenge. My initial portrayal of Elisabeth was too intense. I imagined her as suddenly spurred on by a surge of rage, but I was directed to portray her as more calm and collected, like a leopard stalking its prey from afar, as she begins to burn with revenge. I realized I was being too passionate. For example, instead of immediately throwing a stone because she's angry, Elisabeth polishes that stone until it's as sharp as a diamond. It was only after receiving that direction at the voice recording studio that I truly understood what kind of person Elisabeth is."
Rather than saying Elisabeth is suppressing her anger, she says, "I'm keeping my anger hidden until it's time to strike." To prepare for her revenge, Elisabeth starts a business, but she explains her "outburst" style by saying, "When I'm doing business, I try not to let my anger get the better of me. I make sure not to let my anger spill over the way that would later cause such a huge ripple effect. I think Elisabeth believes that it's not a good idea to show personal feelings to business partners in the first place, so she saves her anger for when it really matters."
For Onishi, Elisabeth was "a character she had never played before," and it was a challenging role for her.
"Elisabeth and I had vastly different ways of perceiving things and expressing our emotions, so the first challenge was adjusting to match her level. Also, as Elisabeth, she engages in various business dealings, and many veteran actors playing her business partners as guest characters came and went on set. However, as Ellie, she sees them as merely negotiating partners, tools to carry out her revenge, so she doesn't flinch at any of them. Perhaps deep down she might have thought, 'This is difficult,' or 'I'm nervous,' but she doesn't show it. She consistently maintains an equal footing. I think I would have been terrified if it were me."
I also struggled with the complex phrasing used in business scenes and when using magic books.
"In terms of weaving together difficult words, as a voice actor, I couldn't stumble over my words, I couldn't make mistakes, and it couldn't sound like someone with a low IQ was trying hard to say them. That added another layer of pressure in how I delivered the lines, and I also had to be on equal footing with whoever came along. So, rather than pulling out my own repertoire and using it for the role, I think I mostly just put on the 'clothes' of Elisabeth and did my best to express myself."
◇After the refreshing feeling, you're left utterly disgusted!?
The original work of "The Enraged Young Lady Swore Revenge" is a long-running and popular series, and the anime is structured around the "Ellie vs. the Kingdom" theme, so I think those who have enjoyed the original work will also enjoy it, so I hope you will look forward to it.
One of the highlights will likely be seeing how Elisabeth crushes the unique characters, such as Crown Prince Fried Haldria, the target of her revenge, and Silvia Lockeet, who becomes Fried's new fiancée.
"Fried is so over-the-top that it's almost refreshing. He's consistently evil and leaves absolutely no room for sympathy, which has really resonated with the cast, and they've all become big fans of Fried (laughs). I also love Fried's lines and want to laugh, but if I were to take his lines with my own enthusiasm, I wouldn't be Elisabeth anymore, so when I spoke to Fried, I tried to keep a mask-like expression, as if to say, 'I'm absolutely not going to go along with your ridiculous jokes' (laughs)."
The exhilarating nature of Elisabeth's revenge is arguably the main appeal of this work, but Onishi says, "If you only look at the beginning, it will seem exhilarating. But later on, it will no longer be a laughing matter, so I hope you will look forward to it," implying that after the exhilaration comes something truly shocking.
"Since I was playing Elisabeth, I wanted to stand in front of the microphone and portray her feelings as closely as possible, but looking at it objectively, it was pretty cringeworthy (laughs)."
I'm looking forward to enjoying Elisabeth's revenge drama, which goes beyond mere exhilaration, as portrayed by Onishi in a new way. (Shiroinu/MANTANWEB)
