Milky Holmes" is finally going into theatrical animation!　Four voice actors talk about Milky's 6th anniversary!

The "Milky Holmes" series is an animated detective comedy series set in the detective city of Yokohama, depicting a time of great detective battles between detectives with the mysterious power of "Toys" and phantom thieves. The four members in the series are the same as those in the original series. The voice actors who play the four-member detective team Milky Holmes in the series - Suzuko Mimori, Aozora Tokui, Mirai Sasaki, and Izumi Tachibanada - are also active as the "Milky Holmes" voice actor unit. The voice actors who play the characters - Suzuko Mimori, Aozora Tokui, Mirai Sasaki, and Izumi Tachibana - are also active as the voice acting unit "Milky Holmes.

The "Milky Holmes" anime is now in its seventh year and is finally being made into an animated feature film. We asked the four voice actors of "Milky Holmes" who finished postrecording for "Milky Holmes the Movie: Milky Holmes Strikes Back" to talk about their thoughts on the work and the characters, as well as the relationship between the four, who are also close in their private lives. The roundtable discussion was filled with laughter and fun.

─ ─ Congratulations on the release of the movie version. What did you frankly think when you first heard about it?

Mimori: It is the 6th anniversary of the formation of Milky Holmes. There have been many big events during that time, such as the broadcast of four animations, our Budokan live performance as a unit, and our participation in Anisama. We even threw out the first pitch at a totally unrelated event (laughs). (Laughs.) We have done a lot of activities in the past six years, but we had not yet done a theater version. But actually, when the first season of the anime started, we were talking about how we wanted to see "Milky Holmes" on a big screen someday. I was happy to think that we went back to our roots and made that dream come true.

Sasaki: When I first heard about the movie version, it didn't seem realistic and I couldn't believe it. A gag anime like "Milky Holmes" for the theater? I still don't believe it for a moment (laughs). (Laughs.) The postrecording was finished, but I wondered if it would really be shown in movie theaters. I am filled with a sense of wonder when I think about the possibility that some people might be interested in the movie after seeing the posters of the theater version.

Tachibana: When "Milky Holmes" started, people used to laugh when I said, "Someday, it will be a theater version. But in the past six years, the number of people who know Milky has increased, so I am deeply moved when I think that the theater version has become a reality. But I'm frustrated that "Milky Holmes" doesn't give us proper notice!　When they decided to hold a Budokan live concert, it was just a rumor that they were going to do it, and there was no surprise for us. We were just slowly getting to know about this movie version.

Tokui Before you knew it, there was a note on the schedule that said "recording for the theater version" (laughs).

Tachibana: That's right. That's why I hope that the staff will surprise us next time. I want a cake that says something like, "Congratulations on the theater version," and I want everyone to get excited together.

Mimori: They always say, "Did you hear?　Did you hear?" It's like, "Did you hear?

Tachibana: I usually hear about it at a set restaurant (laughs). It's only recently that I'm really starting to feel it.

Tokui: I was also very surprised and happy when I heard that it was a movie version. I expected it to be a serious story since it is a movie. I had previously done a short animation with a different atmosphere called "Detective Opera Milky Holmes Alternative," so I thought that the movie version would be like that, or that it would be an emotional feature film, but I was surprised to see that it was a movie version full of gags!　I was even more surprised when I read the script.

─ Isn't it amazing that the same work has continued for more than 5 years? And with the same members.

Mimori: Six years, in its own way, seems like a long time.

Tokui: It would be difficult to stay the same for six years.

Tachibana: Miki was a minor.

Sasaki I couldn't even drink alcohol, and now I am almost 25 years old.

Mimori: Mirai-chan, who used to be a quirky, friendly girl, is now the biggest drinker among all of us (laughs). (laughs) When I think of it as the years since my first grader graduated from elementary school, these members are almost like my local friends. I am very happy to have such people in my life.

TachibanaThat 's right. When you become an adult, you don't often stay with the same people for many years.

─ ─ In what ways do you feel each other has grown or changed?

Mimori: I think everyone is evolving in their own way.

Sasaki: I never thought I would be wearing the detective uniform here for six years (laughs).

Tachibana But it's amazing to be able to wear the same clothes for so long.

Mimori My size hasn't changed. I'm doing my best to keep my shape (laughs).

Tachibana: Compared to the first time, I was able to learn the dances faster. At first, it took me 3 or 4 days to choreograph one song, and sometimes it took me a week.

Tokui: The first song took a long time. Now I can learn a song in about two hours.

Mimori: Since we have done a lot of live performances, we are now able to make our own suggestions about how we want the live performance to be this time. For "Detective Opera Milky Holmes TD," we made a live performance based on the motif of TD and added our own little jokes. We learned the fun of creating.

Sasaki: Also, our teamwork has improved a lot.

Tachibanada: Now I don't feel anxious during talks anymore. I now know that if I say something like this, someone else will pick up on it, and I no longer worry about what I am going to say today. I feel that the four of us can handle it.

─ So you have all grown up along with the work and the characters.

Sasaki: In the beginning, everything was really new to us.

Mimori: Because this was all we had.

Tachibanada, Tokui Yeah, yeah.

Mimori: Over the past six years, everyone has grown as voice actors, and when I see them on TV in works other than "Milky Holmes," I am amazed that they can do this kind of voice. (laughs). (Laughs.) Even though I am always around her, there is still a side of her that I do not know. It makes me feel like, "My sister is doing a great job," or "My sister is doing a great job.

─ Are the four of you not rivals?

Sasaki: The four of us are really different from each other. We have different voices, so we don't play the same roles. If everyone had a moe voice, we might have been rivals (laughs).

Mimori: We don't play the same characters, and we all have different personalities and specialties. We have a very open relationship.

Tachibana: Aozora is the only one who is good at drawing. There is no one who says, "I want to be a cartoonist too! (laughs).

Tokui: "I like gyoza too!　I want to publish a book about gyoza too! (laughs).

Tachibana: Suzu-chan (Mimori) is the only one who has danced, so we don't compete with each other when we dance.

Mimori: There is no "I like to drink as much as Mirai-chan! I don't even have to say "I like to drink as much as Mirai-chan!

Sasaki Hey, why am I the only one who drinks? (Laughs)

Mimori: Because Miki is the best mood maker (laughs). (laughs) The four of us have different personalities, but we all share the same taste in food. We all love meat.

Tokui: The other day someone said to me, "The four of us Milky eat at the same speed. When we go out for yakiniku (grilled meat), girls usually eat meat a little at a time and then pick up a salad (......), but we eat meat at a very fast pace.

Sasaki: We certainly are very hungry (laughs).

Mimori: All four of us love meat, and when we go out for yakiniku together, we each order a plate of tongue. When we rehearse for live shows, we don't have snacks in the room, but rather cured ham and pickles.

Tachibanada: It's mostly things like snacks, isn't it? The other day there were muscats, which was very girly (laughs).

Mimori It is Milky Holmes that demands salt rather than sugar (laughs).

─ ─ What are your personal recommendations for this movie version? What are your personal recommendations?

Mimori: It is full of little laughs, so I think you will be laughing all the time. You will be laughing all the way through the scene. There are so many scenes that the audience can't help but poke fun at. I think that's what makes "Milky Holmes" so unique.

Sasaki: There is so much to laugh about that you don't even have time to catch your breath. The character I play, Ellie, hasn't been wearing a detective outfit since the beginning (laughs). (Laughs) I was wondering when she was going to put on her clothes while recording. But that's what makes Ellie so special. I thought that everyone's character had a strong sense of their own personality.

Tachibanada: I was really impressed with the faces of the four of them when they were all beaten to a pulp. Even after everyone else had finished laughing, I was still laughing so hard that my stomach was shaking. I am sure you will understand when you see the show, but I am sure the audience will also be laughing hysterically.

Tokui: There were so many small laughs that I thought, "They put a laugh in every line! I can feel the love of the staff. You can feel the love of the staff. In terms of pictures, there are a lot of funny faces for the four characters, but there are also a lot of very cute faces. I loved the round faces of Milky and the others in the first and second seasons of the anime, so I am happy to see many of those faces again. I was so glad to see so many of those faces in the new version. and then two seconds later, I'm like, "Oh my God, that's a funny face! I'm so glad to see so many of those faces in this series.

TachibanaThere is a sense of security in that kind of thing that says, "This is what "Milky Holmes" is all about, after all.

Mimori: If you think "What is the meaning of this? I think we lose if we think "What does this mean? You have to keep moving on to the next one.

Sasaki: Even if you think about it, you probably won't get an answer.

Tachibana Tachibana: Please enjoy the film with an empty head!

Detective Opera Milky Holmes the Movie: Milky Holmes Strikes Back" will be screened at Shinjuku Wald 9, Ikebukuro HUMAX Cinemas and other theaters from February 27 (Sat.).
The film will be shown at Shinjuku Wald 9, Ikebukuro HUMAX Cinemas, and other theaters nationwide from February 27 (Sat.).

(Reporting by Tomoko Omagari)