The main cast of TOUGEN ANKI talk about their roles in the upcoming anime

Recently, Anime News Network was able to sit down with the voice actors Kazuki UraNishiyama Kotaro, Hiroshi Kamiya Talking about their roles in the upcoming anime Togen ANKI— as well as industry tips that help them get into character, and how they keep their voices strong and healthy.

Adapted from the comic book of the same name, Togen ANKI It is a modern sequel to the classic Japanese fairy tale “Momotaro”. The story revolves around an ongoing secret war between ghosts and Momotaro’s descendants, and tells the story of Shiki Ichinose (Kazuki Ura), a ghost-blooded high school student secretly raised by former members of the Momotaro Club. When his adoptive father is killed, Shiki finds himself taken in by the eccentric ghost teacher Naito Nono (Hiroshi Kamiya) and learns his ghost powers alongside other students, such as the masked, brooding Jin Zaki (Kotaro Nishiyama), who also lost his family to Momotaro.

To get straight to the heart of their characters, I first asked voice actor The trio have one word to describe their personalities. “Child” was Ulla’s choice. “Children really don’t know anything about the world. Some of them don’t understand the harshness of society,” Ura explains. “In other words, I think it also shows that Shiki is a pure and innocent character.”

However, the childish side of his character is also the most difficult part for Shiki to portray. “Shiki is a child who has grown spiritually, but he has an innocence that I don’t have,” Ulla continued. “I have to show him my innocence – but if I try to do that, I’ll end up being an adult pretending to be a child, right? […] That’s why I had such a hard time figuring out how to convey his innocence in a way that didn’t feel like a pretense but felt like it really felt like it.

As for Xishan, he chose the word “hot” to describe Jin. “At first glance, he looks cold and ruthless, but deep down, there is a hatred from the past. He has a very passionate heart that drives him to realize his obsession. [for revenge]”.

Jin’s quiet exterior proved to be Xishan’s biggest challenge. “He’s a character who doesn’t talk to a lot of people because he spends a lot of time alone, so I don’t think he shows his true feelings when he talks. I think it’s hard to figure out how to express that. [in my acting]”.

For Kamiya, the one word that describes his character is in his character’s name. Naito Mudano is a pun on the phrase “muda no nai hito”, which means “thin man”. Kamiya explained: “His name ‘Slender Man’ does not refer to his appearance, but to a mentally thin person. He thinks about doing everything efficiently. This is very suitable for this character because Naito is a general manager. It’s the person who wears skates to avoid wasting time walking.

The biggest difficulty with Kamiya playing Naito is that the character is too perfect in everything he does – even though Kamiya is often typecast in playing such talented and capable characters. “I just can’t play characters that are too perfect. They’re human, so they always make mistakes,” Kamiya told me. “However, [this type of] Characters don’t usually have scenes where they express things like this. If we try to make characters too perfect, they end up looking like a machine. I’m the kind of actor who wants to create characters. Kamiya continued, “I always try to create an opportunity for this somewhere. […] I think it’s my job to use my voice to express my character’s shortcomings or weaknesses.

The three voice actors also talked about the challenges of getting into character and how to overcome it. For Ura, his focus was figuring out how to say the words in the right way. “It all comes down to how direct a person is able to express their words – I think even a word of gratitude, like ‘thank you,’ can have a lot of different meanings,” he explains. “[For example,] When I say ‘I’m happy and grateful’ from the bottom of my heart, the most important thing is deciding how to say it – and that’s the most challenging thing. connect things back Togen ANKI”, Ura adds, “The small moments found in everyday life give me hints [on how to say my lines] When playing Shiki.

On the other hand, Nishiyama entered the role through image training. “Before recording, I try to imagine in detail what it would be like to be in the same position as Jin,” Nishiyama told me. “I feel that I should bring my own feelings to the table rather than technical aspects. However, it is difficult to convey things that have not been experienced, so I want to spend more time on image training [in general]”.

Meanwhile, Kamiya did something similar. “I often create a character by adding something [found in the character] I personally lack it,” Kamiya explained. “After that, it’s a challenge to distill these things as much as possible – because if you just create something by adding things, you end up with too much. […] This can even make a strong person look weak.

As voice actors, their voice is their livelihood. So I wanted to know how the three pros took care of their voices – especially when voicing characters like Shiki and Jin who yell a lot.

“I don’t turn on the air conditioner, I always use a humidifier to moisten my throat, and I usually wear a mask. I will also prepare some Chinese herbal medicine dissolved in water and drink it while recording. “Even if I feel good, I will try to see a doctor every month One doctor and ‘finished my maintenance’. “

“It’s important to take care of your voice on the day, but I think it’s also important to take care of yourself the day before. Relax your throat. The throat is a muscle too, so I think it’s important to massage the area around it thoroughly. “I won’t drink anything but water. Anything. I really drink a lot of water because when I’m screaming, I lose a lot of water. That’s why I’m constantly hydrating – to keep my body and throat hydrated. I drank maybe a liter. about.

Surprisingly, Kamiya views vocal care very differently than the other two. “I take about 100 cough drops a day,” he joked. “Actually, I didn’t do anything special. […] On days when I should be taking care of my voice, I just don’t use my voice in a way that requires any special care. People who use items in a way that makes them think ‘I have to deal with this’ tend to accumulate more and more damage and eventually exceed that amount. Kamiya continued, “I’ve had this experience, so basically the best care is to try to use your vocal cords in a way that doesn’t require any special care.”

Finally, to end on a fun note, I asked each voice actor who their favorite Toughen Anki character was, besides their own character. “If I had to choose someone interesting and unique, it would be Yusurube. He’s just unsettling. Even though he’s serious on the outside, he’s a bit of a pervert on the inside – even though he’s usually nice,” Urla began. “But for me personally, Jin is a character I can’t take my eyes off. […] When I think about his past, I can’t help but sympathize with him. I really love that his black mask is not just a fashion statement, it has a meaning behind it, it creates a gap [in looks and personality]”.

Westmount, on the other hand, has options from outside the main trio. “For me, it’s Kyouya Karanzaka. He’s the commander of the support team, so he heals people. […] Supporting characters like this are very appealing to me. I feel like he’s an integral part of the team and I definitely want him there. I think of him as a deputy leader, handling various things behind the scenes. I think that’s what makes him so attractive.

Finally, it’s Kamiya’s turn, and he chooses the easiest target: the protagonist. “Well, I know Shiki Ichinose is the main character, but he’s the one who caught my attention the most,” he said with a smile. “He’s a character who started from scratch. […] he has nothing [at the start of the story]. So how does he survive? Kamiya explained. “I think he is very suitable as the protagonist of a shounen manga, and I have a very good impression of him.”

Togen ANKI It is expected to premiere in 2025.