The family love that Atsushi Tamaru felt in the Omegaverse works: “The conflict between α and Ω was overcome because there were three members of the Fujiyoshi family.”[Interviewwiththeanime“WelcomeHome”

What exactly is a “happy family”?

In these days when diversity is emphasized, I’m sure there is more than one answer. It is okay to have a “husband” other than a male-female couple. If there is happiness there, there is no need to be trapped by gender or social status.

The currently airing TV anime “I’m Home, Welcome Back” is a work that allows you to reaffirm this “normality.” The story is set in the fictional world of Omegaverse, where three types of humans exist: α (Alpha), β (Beta), and Ω (Omega), and it is possible to become pregnant regardless of gender.

Mao Fujiyoshi (Ω), who became a full-time househusband after marrying her beloved husband Hiroshi Fujiyoshi (α), moved to a suburban town after giving birth to her son, Teru, who will soon be 2 years old.

Mao has a hard time gaining confidence in herself due to the prejudice from society that α and Ω are in an unequal marriage. In the story, there are many scenes in which the characters are hurt by unkind words and unconscious discrimination from those around them.

“When Mao met Hiroshi, Akira was born between them, and he was able to form a family that accepted everything about him. That is what supports him more than anything.”

played the role of MaoVoice actor Atsushi Tamaru“Mao’s irreplaceable presence as a family has made him strong,” says Mr. Mao.

The pain and hardship that can only be felt because of the unique setting of the Omegaverse.

Tamaru reveals, “It was almost my first time to experience a work with this kind of setting,” but how did he interpret Mao’s inner pain and conflict, as well as his deep love for his family, and translate them into the role? Is not it. I listened to this along with the appeal of this work.

The Omegaverse has some things in common with reality.

–This work deals with a special setting called “Omegaverse”, have you known about this setting before?

Atsushi Tamaru (hereinafter referred to as Tamaru):
I had heard the words before, but I think it wasn’t until I became involved in this work (via the drama CD) that I really learned about the setting.

At first, I honestly thought, “Wow, that’s an amazing setting.” However, at the beginning of the original comic, there was a detailed explanation of the worldview of the Omegaverse and the innate characteristics of Alpha and Omega, so I was able to understand it easily.

I thought it was a kind of fantasy, or rather an interesting worldview.

Although the world is completely different from reality, I think there are some similarities with reality, especially in the depiction in “I’m Home, Welcome Back”.

–For example, in what areas do you feel there are similarities with reality?

Tamaru:
Mao is an Ω (who is easily subject to discrimination in the Omegaverse world), and is unconsciously discriminated against by those around her, thinking that her marriage to Alpha’s Hiroshi, who is said to have high innate abilities, is a “disparate marriage.” There’s a depiction of that.

Situations where people are discriminated against based on their gender or attributes, or where they are treated with disrespectful words,Unfortunately, it still exists in the real world.I feel like it.

So, since the portrayal is unique to the Omegaverse world, it wasn’t that I couldn’t understand it, or that it was particularly difficult to play.

However, I believed that such scenes were an essential element in expressing the character of Mao, so I made sure to play them carefully.

ーーAt the beginning of the first episode, there was a scene where the commentator on the TV show said something that made you feel sad.

Tamaru:
Hiroshi’s parents also said something like that at first.

However, I think that they unconsciously say things like that simply because they grew up in a different environment or in a different era. I don’t think he has any hostility towards Mao or wants to hurt him.

Even so, it’s still hard for Mao to be told “because it’s Ω”.

Since that fact remains the same, I think it is necessary to interpret it based on both parties’ positions.

–Even in the flashback scenes depicting Mao’s past, there were depictions of her feeling guilty about being born into an Omega, and her inability to marry Hiroshi, an Alpha.

Tamaru:
Mao has always had the tendency to worry too much, and has the tendency to think, “It’s just me.” I think that’s why she thought, “If she marries Hiro-san (Hiroshi), she’ll become a hindrance.”

But in the end, Hiro, including those conflicts,He accepts everything about Mao.Yes. The two of them have overcome all kinds of conflicts to become a couple, so I believe they will continue to be that way.

I also think it’s great that Teru, a pure and innocent presence, is there.

There are scenes where Mao feels heartbroken due to random things, such as being told unkind words like “Because it’s Ω,” or hearing someone belittling people from Ω on TV… Akira will tell you.. “You can’t bully Maacha (Mao)!”

At that, Mao suddenly comes to his senses, but words like Ω and α resonate precisely because they are words from a child who doesn’t really understand them.

Since Teru is about to turn 2 years old, he leaves out all the complicated background and says, “I don’t like things that aren’t good” and “I don’t like things that I don’t like.”It teaches adults something simple and very important..

theBoth Mao and Hiroshi are saved by pure justice.I think so.

–In the first episode, there was a scene where the three family members were decorating the Christmas tree, and I was taken aback by Teru’s innocence.

Tamaru:
It’s the scene where they point to the star at the top of the tree and say, “The star is so bright that it lights up the two bells (Mao and Hiroshi) below.”

I think that by coming into contact with Teru’s innocent brightness, Mao was able to gradually face the pain that he was facing.

Mao was always alone until he met Hiroshi.

When the two of them became together, Teru was born, and a family was created that accepted everything about him. I think that is what supports Mao more than anything.

The relationship between Hiroshi & Matsuo and Yuki & his mother can be inferred.

–The anime will start broadcasting from April 8th. What do you think about this work’s appeal that is unique to TV anime?

Tamaru:
After all, I think Akira’s cuteness has been doubled. When I watched the first episode, I kept shouting “Cute!” (lol).

Actually, what I was most interested in when making it into an anime was Teru’s expression.

In the original comics, the baby’s characteristic soft, chewy cheeks and ever-changing facial expressions are depicted in a very cute way.

I was wondering to what extent that would be expressed in the anime. But when I saw the finished video, my fears turned out to be unfounded.

–Among the characters, who did you think was particularly good, Tamaru-san?

Tamaru:
Of course I think Mao, who I play, is also great…Personally,Relationship between Hiroshi and Matsuo (Tomoyasu)I thought it was good.

Hiroshi is usually an “elite” and cool guy, but when he’s with his colleague Matsuo, he just falls apart. In the first episode, there was a scene where Matsuo roughly poked fun at Hiroshi, who was showing a video of Teru and was getting excited, and I thought that kind of relationship was hilarious.I would also like to have Matsuo give me a rough joke (lol).

Also, I think (Hirai) Yuki’s mother.

–Are you the “mother” of Yuki Hirai, a university student who lives next door to the Fujiyoshi family?

Tamaru:
yes. Yuki-kun tended to stay at home until he got involved with the Fujiyoshi family, but I really liked how he intentionally kept his distance from his child instead of being overprotective of him.

Some people may get the impression that you are treating your child a little harshly. But I think that “treating someone roughly = trusting them as family.”

–I certainly felt the love of parents who trusted and entrusted their children to their children.

Tamaru:
I think that the depth of the family ties of the characters other than the Fujiyoshi family and the connections between people are carefully depicted.

Perhaps having such characters around us doubles the appeal of the Fujiyoshi family.

As for Yuki’s mother, even during the recording, people were excited, saying, “She’s a good character,” and “It’s also nice how she’s deliberately rough with her son.”

“Mr. Morikawa was truly the breadwinner at the dubbing site.”

–So it became a hot topic among the cast members. Was the atmosphere on set as warm as the work itself?

Tamaru:
It was a very warm atmosphere.Rather than everyone being excited the whole time, there was a calm and cheerful atmosphere.

Drama CDs of “Tadaima, Welcome Back” were also released in 2020 and 2021, but due to the coronavirus pandemic at the time, Mr. Morikawa (Tomoyuki) who played the role of Hiro and Tanezaki (Atsumi) who played the role of Teru. It was recorded just by me and Mr.

It was the first time I was able to work with the other cast members in the anime version, so I was overwhelmed with emotion.

Ms. Obara (Yoshimi), who plays the role of Yo, the eldest daughter of the Fujiyoshi family, talks to a lot of people and warms up the atmosphere, and she responds kindly to them.No matter what Mr. Morikawa says, he feels like he is the breadwinner of the family.There was.

— Do you feel like you are the main breadwinner?

Tamaru:
He actually plays Hiroshi, the breadwinner of the Fujiyoshi family.Having Mr. Morikawa on site brings a sense of security.Yes.

In fact, there was one day of the recording when Mr. Morikawa was absent due to scheduling reasons. Tanezaki-san and I were talking, “It’s going to be difficult to do things without Morikawa-san.”

You could say I’m a little nervous…I realized once again how important Mr. Morikawa’s presence is.

–So you realized how amazing it was when the person who supported you suddenly disappeared.

Tamaru:
Mr. Morikawa’s amazingness may have been so amazing that I couldn’t normally notice it.

He always speaks to me in a friendly manner on set, and when I went on stage at “AnimeJapan 2024” or when we finished recording the drama CD, he said, “Let’s all take a photo.”

Not only his acting skills, but also his great personality, which I respect.

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