Interviews with Koki Uchiyama and Yu Hatanaka from the youth baseball anime "Battery" have arrived!　There is also an advance scene cut of the ED!

Interviews with the main cast of the TV anime "Battery," which will be broadcast on Fuji Television's "Noitamina" and other channels from July 14, have arrived.



Battery" is an anime work based on a novel by Atsuko Asano. The original work, a bestseller with a total of 10 million copies in print, is a coming-of-age baseball drama depicting a year in the life of an arrogant pitcher overflowing with talent and confidence, and a catcher who is attracted to him. A TV anime adaptation has been decided to mark the 20th anniversary of its publication. The director and screenplay are by Tomomitsu Mochizuki of "Umi ga Kikoeru," the original character design is by Takako Shimura, a manga artist well known for "Hobo Son," and the animation character design and chief animation director is by Eiko Kusama of "Hi-Q! Animation Character Design and Chief Animation Director is Eiko Kusama, Animation Character Designer and Chief Animation Director of "HIQUE!

A dialogue between Koki Uchiyama, who plays the lead pitcher Takumi Harada, and Yu Hatanaka, who plays the catcher Go Nagakura, who is in a battery team with Takumi, about the appeal of the work has been released. A collaboration between the ending and "Kirin Mets" has also been decided. The collaboration was realized because the world view of Battery and the refreshing lemon flavor of Kirin Mets match, and Kirin Mets will casually appear in the video depicting one afternoon in a spin-out style.

Below is the interview.

-What was your impression of the work?

UCHIYAMA: I have the original hardcover book at home, and I remember reading it when I was a child, but when I read it again after the decision to appear in the anime, I felt freshly that it was such a story.
I had an image that it was a baseball novel, but I was surprised and interested in the detailed depiction of the naïve feelings of adolescent boys.

Hatanaka: This was my first experience with "The Battery. Before I read it, I had the image of it being a baseball novel, but when I actually read it, I felt that it was more than a baseball game, but rather a detailed description of the physical sensations, the strong urges, and the inability to contain oneself in the body that a young man of this age would have. The descriptions were so wonderful that I had a hard time reading the book and trying to figure out how to put them into my own mind.

-What kind of character do you play?

Uchiyama: Takumi is a baseball prodigy and a solitary person who has an appeal that attracts people. He is a person with a high sense of pride, and he is a person who questions and rebels against the unspoken and meaningless rules demanded by the coach and seniors. I was able to empathize with these feelings, and it was easy to empathize with him.

Hatanaka: Gou is a character who has known Takumi since elementary school, and when they become battery teammates in junior high school, she is fascinated by the ball he throws and is swept away by it. In truth, it is a time when he has to study for the future, but he is a boy who is straight into his desire to know Takumi. He wants to be relaxed as a leader who is playing youth baseball, and I think he feels the tension and pressure of facing Takumi.

-Please tell us if there are any points that you feel are similar to each other's characters.

UCHIYAMA : Hatanaka also has a sense of going straight ahead with enthusiasm, so I thought he is similar to Gou.

Hatanaka：You are Takumi, Uchiyama-san (laughs).

Uchiyama: I don't feel like I'm being praised (laugh). The director also said "Takumi has a bad character" when he first explained to me.

Hatanaka：It is not bad! If you don't understand Takumi's principle of action or purpose, he has a character that can be misunderstood.

UCHIYAMA : Like not mending?

Hatanaka：Yes, Uchiyama is also a person who acts without mending. That is very attractive and I am also attracted by it. I feel that is what makes him so skillful.

-UCHIYAMA : Could you tell us what you are particular about and what you are struggling with in creating the role?

Uchiyama：The director instructed me to speak naturally without taking any strange ideas, so I keep that in mind when I play the role.

Hatanaka: The dialect. I played the role while thinking about what Gou was thinking and what purpose he was acting for. I did not want to make up too much of his voice, but rather, I wanted to value the voice that comes naturally in the dialogue with Takumi.

-Please tell us your impression of the movie.

Uchiyama：I was impressed by Takumi's pitching form, which is very beautifully drawn. I thought it was an important point that could not be missed in the animation of "The Battery," and it was drawn with very smooth movements.

Hatanaka: The changes in facial expressions are delicately drawn. Even when the character is surprised, the facial expressions are carefully drawn in detail rather than blatantly widening the eyes.

-Can you tell us about the highlights and impressive scenes in the film?

UCHIYAMA：I think the film is finished in such a way that people who have read the original story will feel no sense of discomfort when watching it. I can't imagine how it will look like when the film is completed with music and sound effects, but I think it will not disappoint everyone's expectations.

Hatanaka: The scene in the first episode that left the biggest impression on me was when Takumi and I played catch for the first time. Takumi and Gou clash, and that scene left a strong impression on me both as a performer and as a viewer. I was very angry at Takumi.
Takumi's penetrating power has been depicted in dramas and movies, but I think Takumi in the anime is more lively, so I think that is one of the highlights of the anime.

-Please give us your final message.

Uchiyama: The natural scenery that is often depicted in the original story is beautiful and the baseball scenes are also carefully drawn. We all worked very hard on the film, and I hope you enjoy it.

Hatanaka：I think everyone has become the characters in the film. We can feel the passion that "The Battery" has, so we will give it our all, and I hope everyone will watch over us.