Saori Hayami, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”, created the role of Shinobu Kocho by being conscious of punctuation marks, “through trial and error”

The second episode of the new anime “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'', “TV Anime “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'' Pillar Training Edition,'' was broadcast on May 19th. The second episode ended with a shocking scene in which Shinobu Kocho, the demon slayer's mushibashira, tries to confess his hidden feelings to his stepson, Kanao Kurika.

So this time, we asked Saori Hayami, who plays Shinobu, about what she was conscious of while playing the role, how her feelings toward Kanao changed, and what the dubbing was like behind the scenes of the second episode. (Photographer: Ruka Ueno / Interview and text: Masaki Endo / Editor: Hideaki Sakurai)

■Recording the Hashiraai meeting: “I was nervous because all my seniors were there.''

The cast members actually gathered together to record the pillar meeting scene depicted in the first episode, but Hayami said, “I was really nervous (lol),'' and after the coronavirus pandemic, “There were so many people.'' It's been a while since we recorded together. We used to record with this many people, so I felt nostalgic, and at the same time, I was quite nervous because all my seniors were there.”

When the recording started, Hayami expressed his gratitude, saying, “I felt that the atmosphere of the Hashiraai meeting was naturally created just by being on the scene and the dependability of my seniors,'' adding, “The content is serious, but the scene was… It was a peaceful and wonderful space,” he said, expressing his sense of fulfillment.

In between dubbing sessions, he said, “I talked to everyone about various things,'' adding, “This time (Kanroji) Mitsuri-chan was doing some edgy moves (lol).'' When the dubbing test was over, Seki (Tomokazu) ) said, “It seems like only Hanazawa (Kana) is in another work.'' I was really impressed by that (lol),'' he said, revealing an episode that left an impression on him. .

■Episode 2 reveals Shinobu's hidden heart and analyzes her character: “She has a strong competitive spirit…''

Shinobu is usually calm, but at the end of the second episode, she was seen trying to put on a smile as hard as she could, saying, “It's inexperienced people who can't control their emotions. They're immature people,'' indicating that she usually tries to suppress her emotions. I could feel it. When playing Hayami, she explained, “From the very roots of my heart, I am always calm, gentle, kind, and full of compassion.''

“As you can see from the past episodes of the three Kocho sisters depicted in “Kamado Tanjiro Risshihen,'' Shinobu gets angry easily and is always a little nervous (lol).She has a strong competitive spirit, He is a person who has the strength to retort when something is said to him.I think he is a person who reacts sensitively to external stimuli and has a tendency to waver in his heart.''He analyzes Shinobu's personality.

Hayami, who has been thinking about the character in this way, said, “In the second episode (this time), I tried to keep in mind that Shinobu herself has probably been conscious of controlling her emotions, and I asked her to tell her sister what she felt in her heart. “That part, like asking for help, was the only part I did in front of the microphone, trying to get a glimpse of Shinobu from the past,” he said, explaining his intentions for the role.

■I felt Kanao's growth… Shinobu's state of mind also changed. “I felt a sense of trust from the atmosphere in the scene.''

So far in the story of “Hashira Training'', there are many interactions with Kanao (voiced by Rena Ueda), her stepson, and lines such as “You can now express your feelings openly…That's a good sign.'' , Kanao's growth can be seen.

In the scene where she faced Kanao, she felt as if a wall had disappeared, saying, “Kanao herself has grown and changed to the point where she can express herself and the things she wants to practice more with her master. Maybe he saw that and thought he could reveal more of himself to the current Kanao.''

Regarding the recording with Ueda, Hayami said, “Actually, we also recorded the Hashiraai meeting scene on the same day, and then we switched over and recorded it, so the feeling was completely different…'', adding, “Kanao and I talked together.'' In the scene where he was talking to Kanao, I could feel his kind feelings toward Kanao and the trust that he could talk about the important things with this person,” he said, referring to the difference in his feelings as Shinobu.

“I felt that the atmosphere was different from the tense atmosphere of the Hashiraai meeting, and it was like talking about something important to someone you care about.''

The reason why she felt a positive response was, “I think it's because of the trajectory of the three Kocho sisters that have been built up until now, but Reina-chan (played by Kanao) expressed her honest feelings for Shinobu in words. So I was able to do it in a way that brought out the best in me as well.”

■The core of Shinobu's character…Episode 2: “The way you say it changes the way you express it''

The end of the second episode was the scene where Shinobu talks to Kanao about the demon that killed Kanae. Hayami says, “I recorded many different patterns for the final scene. I knew where to put the punctuation marks and how strongly to say them.

We went through a lot of trial and error, including the tension.”

“Each time with “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,'' we receive careful direction and convey the image of the staff, but this time, as Shinobu, there is a scene that gets to the heart of the story, so I was asked to give some direction. “The big thing was that I thought it was a scene where the expression changes depending on how you say it,” he said of his thoughts on the scene.

“Hashira Keiko Hen” is broadcast every Sunday at 11:15 pm on Fuji TV, and every Saturday at midnight on TOKYO MX, BS11, Gunma TV, and Tochigi TV.