Dig deeper into the appeal of the anime “Whispering Love” through interviews with the cast! The first part of “Sasakoi Interview” is Hana Shimano, who plays Himari Kino[This week’s popular articles]

Starting with the TV anime series “Whispering Love,” which began airing in April, “Sasakoi Interview” has begun, delving into the appeal of this work through interviews with the cast. The official interview with Hana Shimano, who plays Himari Kino, has arrived.

This work is a love story between Himari Kino, who fell in love with her senior, Asanagi, and fell in love with Himari Kino after being told how she felt. In “Sasakoi Interview,” we will hear about her story from various angles, including her personal relationships, her bittersweet youth, and her passionate music.

In the first episode, Hana Shimano, who plays Himari Kino, appeared. This is her first time playing a main character in a TV anime, and we spoke to her about the charm of Himari and her acting.

Official interview with Hana Shimano who plays Himari Kino

–The first episode has finally been broadcast. After playing Himari, did your impression change in any way from when you read the original work or script?

I thought she was a bright girl, but when I actually played her, she turned out to be much more lively and energetic than I expected. I realized that a main character who can involve the people around him has to be this energetic.

–So, did you change your acting plan a little during the dubbing?

yes. Himari has a lot of lively lines, so at first I thought I’d try slowing her down to avoid it becoming too flat. However, as I read the lines, I felt like Himari could have been brighter, and then the sound director said, “Let’s make everything bright and cheerful.”

Himari turned out to be more excited than I expected, but I think it was just right to convey her character.

–At first, you were more conscious of cuteness than brightness and energy?

I agree. When I read the original story, my impression was that her cuteness was more important than her energy, and I was thinking that her acting would be more cute-oriented.

However, Himari’s cuteness is not artificial.

I tried not to pay too much attention to cuteness, as it comes naturally to me from my joyful emotions and bright facial expressions.

–Certainly, Himari is not at all naive.

“Don’t make a fool of yourself” was the most important thing, and the most difficult thing.

There are a lot of cute lines, so I really want to read them cutely, but Himari is just saying what she thinks honestly. Nowadays, “azatoi” is sometimes used in a positive way, right?

–I agree.

It is sometimes used with a meaning such as “Awfully cute”.

That’s the way I see it, so I think it’s a valid expression of cuteness. However, in the case of Himari, if she gets even the slightest hint of “knowing what she’s doing,” her charm will be halved, so I tried to be careful, and I think the staff members were also careful to listen. I think it was.

–Were you conscious of the high level of tension?

I didn’t really think about it, rather Himari pulled me in. I thought I would be able to perform the role with my natural energy, which would involve people, but by directly facing Himari’s lines and expressions, it came out effortlessly and naturally.

――The charm of this work is that there is a difference in temperature and misunderstanding between Himari’s “love at first sight” and “love at first sight” for Yori, but what do you value in your interactions with Yori?

I try not to accept too much of Yoi-senpai’s feelings.

–What do you mean by “not accepting too much”?

In the first episode, Himari doesn’t think that Yori-senpai’s feelings are for her at all, but rather feels happy and happy when she talks to Yori-senpai.

If I become too conscious of Yori-senpai’s feelings, I end up wondering, “Is this love? Is this like?” and those feelings get carried over to Himari’s voice, so I try not to take in Yori-senpai’s feelings too much, and I end up wondering “Is this love? Like?” I tried to cherish only the pure feelings of the person.

–Mr. Shimano himself tries not to be moved by Yoi.

yes. Yoi-senpai expresses his feelings directly in words, so when he expresses his feelings in that way, he’s too direct and I’m having a hard time deciding which one is better (lol).

――However, for Himari, she is just the object of her “admiration” and she doesn’t even imagine that she likes him.

I agree.

Although I can be considerate of others, I am extremely insensitive to myself (lol). After all, Yoi-senpai is someone I admire, and I’m happy to be able to talk with him. In the first episode, I tried to think only about that emotion.

–I think the scene where you confess your love at first sight is a big highlight of the first episode, but what were your impressions after playing it?

It was quite difficult! In the original work, there are two scenes, one where Himari confesses his love for her at first sight from the perspective of Himari, and another scene where she confesses her love for her at first sight from Yori-senpai’s perspective, but in the anime it is combined into one scene. .

Initially, it was from Himari’s point of view, with the nuance of “I’m happy to be able to express my feelings to the person I admire,” but during the dubbing, it was changed to Yori-senpai’s point of view.

Even though the words were the same, it was Himari’s voice that Yoi-senpai took to mean “love,” so we decided to change the play as well.

So instead of a confession of admiration or glitter, the nuance became more like a confession of love that is easier to understand.

–That’s quite a big change, isn’t it?

I agree. Regarding the video, he said, “Please leave the image aside for now.” It was my first time appearing as a main cast member in an anime work, and I was extremely nervous about the first episode, so I remember being quite nervous (lol).

However, thanks to the warm support of my seniors, I was able to finish recording safely.

――This is your first time playing the main heroine role, so were you happy when you passed the audition?

I was happy! However, I was also very worried about whether I would be okay. At first, she thought Himari was a cuter girl, so she said, “Are you sure you want me!?” (laughs)

When the dubbing began, I was relieved to hear that Eku Takeshima, who wrote the original work, and the other cast members told me that it was a perfect fit.

――Then, Mr. Shimano, could you also tell us about your impressions of Yi?

She looks cool at first glance, but her inner voice is a bit noisy, which is cute! It’s thrilling to see Himari’s true side leak out little by little as she is carried away by Himari’s energy, and Yoi-senpai’s troubles are also endearing.

It’s heartwarming to see parts of her that reveal a huge gap between her appearance and her appearance little by little, and Yoi-senpai’s troubles are endearing. I love the gap between the appearance and impression.

–But it’s good to be able to decide.

“I’m going to make you laugh even more, so be prepared.” It really made me laugh (lol).

–(lol).

However, some of that excitement came out during the recording… I had to re-record Himari’s reaction, and changed it to say, “I’m looking forward to Yori-senpai’s performance!” instead of expressing excitement as a romance.

–How was your interaction with Asami Seto, who plays Yori?

In the first episode, I was busy thinking about myself, but Mr. Seto said, “It’s fun to interact with each other.” When she heard that, she was able to think, “Yes, interaction is fun,” and “It’s okay to have fun.” At first, I was so nervous that I just accepted Yoi-senpai’s lines as “just lines.”

But thanks to Seto-san, it came to be perceived as a real-life conversation between Yori-senpai and Himari, and it became a lot of fun to act out. I was really grateful.

–The atmosphere on set seems to be very good.

All of my seniors were kind, and the waiting time after the test (rehearsal) was really fun. I looked forward to going to the studio every time, as I sometimes consulted with them about acting, and other times it was exciting to do something completely different from the work.

–I can imagine a lively scene.

I think it’s also a big factor that the restrictions on the number of people at the time of recording have been relaxed. However, the mic work was difficult due to the increased number of people. I wasn’t really used to it…

–I see. If I remember correctly, Mr. Shimano made his debut in 2019.

Less than a year after their debut, due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, recordings had to be dispersed. Although I may visit the anime production site, if the role doesn’t have many lines, I usually record it individually or with a small number of people. In that sense, “Sasakoi” was the first time I had to do proper mic work, so I was really nervous about which mic I should go into next, and who I should give it to next…

However, I think it was because of the interaction with everyone that I was able to perform more naturally. I learned once again the importance and enjoyment of dialogue, and that it’s not just the timing of lip-syncing, but also the natural pauses created by the interactions between actors.

–We’ve heard a lot of things, but is there anything in the first episode that you’d like people to revisit?

I loved the scene in the original where Himari first listens to Yoi-senpai’s performance. I’m not the type to fall in love at first sight; for example, even if I think an artist or idol is cool or cute, I don’t suddenly fall in love with them.

This scene conveyed the impact of love at first sight so much that I understood, “This is what love at first sight feels like!” I think it’s because this scene was carefully drawn and included a song in the anime, but the feeling of being captivated by Yori-senpai is carefully expressed, so I’d like you to watch it again and again.

–As part of this interview project, I’m thinking of asking you about any recent experiences you’ve had with love at first sight, but it seems like you don’t often fall in love at first sight (lol).

But recently, I found something that caught my attention! Mr. Obara (Yoshimi/Mari Tsutsui) and Mr. Nemoto (Yuna/Shiho Izumi) seem to like gacha-gacha (capsule toys), so I’d like to see them talk more about them on set.

As a result of this, I became interested in it, so I went to the gacha-gacha corner at the station and found a natto gacha-gacha (capsule toy). I thought it was cute and passed it around right away (lol). I’m starting to want to collect some now.

–The theme of this work is “youth and music.” What kind of music were you into when you were in high school?

I played the trombone in the brass band, so I was always listening to wind band music. I like to sing songs for competitions, and songs from anime that I want to play. The club activities weren’t that tough, but there were auditions, and the practice was quite hard, so I was able to train my mental and physical strength over the three years.

–Finally, please tell us the highlights from episode 2 onwards.

As Yori-senpai’s feelings grow, will Himari notice them or not? As I mentioned earlier, there is a difference in love between Yori-senpai and Himari, so I would like you to pay attention to how the relationship between Himari and Yori-senpai will develop.

Outline of the TV anime “Whispering Love”

[Broadcast information]

TV Asahi’s 24 nationwide network “NUMAnimation” slot Every Saturday from 1:30am starting April 13th (Saturday)

BS Asahi: Every Sunday from 23:00 starting April 14th (Sunday)

AT-X: Every Thursday from 21:30 starting April 18th (Thursday)

*Repeat broadcast: Every Monday from 9:30am/Every Wednesday from 3:30pm

[Distribution information]

●Monthly unlimited viewing service

Distribution will start sequentially from April 13th (Saturday) every Saturday after 25:30

ABEMA exclusive distribution

●Individual billing service

Distribution will start sequentially from April 13th (Saturday) every Saturday after 26:00

Bandai Channel/d Anime Store/DMM TV/FOD/HAPPY! Video/Hulu Store/J:COM STREAM/Lemino/milplus/Prime Video/TELASA/U-NEXT

Distribution will start sequentially from April 20th (Saturday) every Saturday after 26:00

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【staff】

Original work: Eku Takeshima (Comic Yurihime/published by Ichijinsha)

Director: Rei Mano

Series composition: Yuki Uchida

Character design: Minami Yoshida

Sub-character/costume design: Ryunosuke Ochi

Prop design: Ayumi Nagaki, Misae Kawakubo

Color design: Yuichi Furuichi

Art setting: Risa Iraha

Art board: Zhang Hengshuo

Art director: Soushi Kuwashima

CG director: Keiichi Eda

Director of Photography: Takahiro Kita

Offline editing: Yumi Jinguji

Sound director: Yuki Gofumi, Nozomi Nakatani

Music: Yutaka Sasaki, Wataru Maeguchi

Artist: Kana Sasakura (Asanagi), Sui Minakami (Shiho Izumi)

Animation production: Yokohama Animation Lab & Cloud Hearts

Produced by: Whispering Love Production Committee

【cast】

Himari Kino: Hana Shimano

Asanagi: Asami Seto

Aki Mizuguchi: Mikako Komatsu

Mari Tsutsui: Yoshimi Ohara

Kaori Tachibana: Ai Kakuma

Shiho Izumi: Yuna Nemoto

Momoka Satomiya: Rena Ueda

Hajime Amazawa: Chika Anzai

Miki Mizuguchi: Aoi Koga

(C)Eku Takeshima/Ichijinsha/Singing love in a whisper Production Committee