Yumi Kawai takes on voice acting for the first time in the anime film “Look Back” – wins the audition, “It's a work that I really wanted to do”

Actors Kawai Yumi, Yoshida Mizuki, and director Oshiyama Kiyotaka appeared on stage to greet the audience at the preview screening of the animated film “Look Back” (released on the 28th) held in Tokyo on the 1st.

Written by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man, Look Back is a manga coming-of-age story about two characters: Fujino, a fourth-grader, and his classmate Kyomoto, who doesn't go to school, until one day something happens that shatters everything.

The story is about the two boys' coming-of-age lives, which begins when a four-panel comic strip they drew is published in their school newspaper, and depicts their lives as middle and high school students.

When it was published as a 143-page long one-shot on “Shonen Jump +” on July 19, 2021, it caused a huge reaction with comments such as “This is genius” and “It's so shocking I can't say anything…”, and recorded more than 2.5 million views on the first day. It was also ranked first in the men's category of “This Manga is Amazing! 2022” and was nominated for the “Manga Taisho 2022”.

For this animated adaptation, director, scriptwriter, and character designer Kiyotaka Oshiyama, who has been involved as a key staff member in numerous theatrical productions such as “Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance,” “The Secret World of Arrietty,” and “The Wind Rises,” served as director, scriptwriter, and character designer, and animation was produced by Studio Dorian.

Kawai will play the main character Fujino, and Yoshida will play Kyomoto, making this a double lead role in their first attempt at voice acting. Looking back on the dubbing, Kawai said, “It was difficult after all.”

Even so, she reflected with a sigh, “I was very happy to be chosen in the audition even before it started, and it was a production that I really wanted to be a part of. But I thought a lot about what I could do as a person with no skills in voice acting, and I realized that even if I thought about it, I wouldn't find the answer until I actually tried. So, I just went to the recording site. I thought that if I could honestly infuse the character with everything I've cultivated up to now, and the sensibilities I have, that would be the best I could do.”

Yoshida also recalled, “The script was definitely different from what I usually see, and the rough sketches I saw during recording were also something I'd never seen before. There were all kinds of things written that I didn't understand, so I had to start by learning about that.”

He also studied by watching videos of voice actors dubbing. “I was particular about the mystery… How to turn the pages, voice actors turn the pages with one hand so as not to make a sound. I tried practicing that a bit at home. However, during the actual filming, I was too busy to do that and ended up turning the pages with both hands, so it didn't really help (laughs). First of all, I tried my best to get the form right,” he revealed with a blush.

Director Oshiyama praised the two, saying, “It didn't feel like it was their first time. I've directed and directed a few times, so I have experience in dubbing studios, but it was not at all different from that. I got the impression that they worked just like professional voice actors.”

About Kawai, “Everyone has the impression that Fujino is the one that you imagine, that there's a standard way that she speaks, but I think she goes one step further and has a presence, a way of speaking, and the way she incorporates nuances is really good. I listened to a lot of different voices at the audition, but Kawai was clearly different. She clearly shone brightly.

Regarding Yoshida, he said, “I wanted Kyomoto to express the character with an accent. Even though it was his first time, I had him speak in the unfamiliar Akita dialect at a fast pace. I forced him into a situation where he needed to practice a lot, but when it came to the actual performance, he was perfect. I was surprised.”