Interview with Maaya Sakamoto from the anime film "Monster Strike the Movie!　She talks about the charm of this film through an elementary school student, Flame Ren.

An interview with Maaya Sakamoto from the animated film "Monster Strike: The Movie" which will be released on December 10 has arrived.

Monster Strike (MonSt) is a smartphone game app by Mixi, Inc. which operates the social networking service "mixi," and is an RPG in which a party consisting of four monsters challenges quests. The animation, which is condensed into a single 7-minute episode, has been distributed on YouTube since October 2015, and has become very popular, surpassing 100 million views worldwide on August 27, 2016.

The movie "Monster Strike The Movie: Where It All Began" will be released in theaters on December 10 and tells the story of the adventures of Flame Ren, the main character of the MonStrike anime, and his friends as they try to retrace their lost "memories" of a certain time in their lives.
⇒" Monster Strike The Movie: To the Place of Beginning" Feature Page

Maaya Sakamoto plays the role of elementary school student Flame Ren in this film. Her unusual role as a young boy has attracted a lot of attention from anime fans, and now we have an official interview with her. Please check out the interview with Ms. Sakamoto to find out how she felt about playing the role of Flame Wren as a young boy.

*A giveaway of a script signed by Maaya Sakamoto and other main cast members of the film is underway! See the latter half of this page for details!

Interview with Maaya Sakamoto, who plays the role of Ren (elementary school student)

──When you were playing the role of 10-year-old Ren, did you use Yusuke Kobayashi, who plays 14-year-old Ren, as a reference for your performance?

SAKAMOTO Maaya (SAKAMOTO Maaya): I used Kobayashi 's performance as a reference. I thought I definitely needed to know about the character Ren, which Kobayashi had spent a year creating. When I actually watched the YouTube version, the overall tone and tension is quite different from this film version. It was both helpful and even more confusing (laughs). I had worked with Mr. Kobayashi in other productions and always thought his natural acting was wonderful, so I was happy and strangely relieved to be able to play the boyhood of the role he was playing. My role is a story about a memory that Ren himself has forgotten. Kobayashi said, "There were a lot of episodes that I knew for the first time, and Ren himself does not remember them either. If there are some discrepancies, that's fine. Please feel free to do as you like.

─ What was your overall impression of "MonSt Anime"?

SAKAMOTO: Before I saw it, I thought it would be a battle story. Of course there are action scenes, but more than that, this movie is about the emotional growth of the main characters. Like "Stand By Me," this is a story that will trigger the boys to gradually slide into adulthood. The focus is on the human drama, as if a child is quickly approaching adulthood during the course of the events of just a few hours. Of course, one of the highlights of the film is the action scenes. What is more memorable than that is the dialogue and clashes between the characters.

───A boy in elementary school may seem like a child, but Ren has a lot of things on his mind, doesn't he?

Sakamoto: That's right. Especially in Ren's case, his father went missing early on, so I think he felt that he had to grow up quickly, and that he had to grow up quickly because he was the only boy in his family with a mother and a younger sister. Normally, I think I could have stayed a child for a while longer.

─ Were there any particular things you paid attention to when playing Ren in "Monster Strike the Movie: To the Place Where It All Began" or any direction from the director?

SAKAMOTO: I was nervous going in because I was going to participate in the middle of the film, but there were less detailed instructions than I had expected. I tried it once as a test and was given the OK rather quickly, saying, "Just like that. In the middle of a scene, there were some specific instructions, such as "I want you to say this line in this way.

─ ─ Were there any scenes or lines that were particularly memorable for you?

Sakamoto: There is a scene in which Ren speaks to Oragon in a monologue-like manner. It is a scene in which he mentions his missing father. When I read it, I thought it would be a rather sad scene, but the director said, "The line sounds sad, but I dared to make it cheerful. I thought, "It's a lonely line, but I dare to be cheerful. I thought, "Ren always wants to show such a strong character, and conversely, I think that by making him laugh in this way, the audience can feel his true loneliness. I didn't understand this when I read the script, but the director's words made me understand.

Ren is positive and bright, but he also has a shadow. He is not an easy protagonist to understand, but a protagonist who makes us feel that he is in the process of growing up, isn't he?

Sakamoto: That's right. Those who have originally seen the YouTube version may be surprised to know that Ren is quite selfish (in the movie). He sometimes speaks out against those around him. I think some people may feel a sense of kinship with him because he used to be like that. I feel that Len became the man he is today through many things. Knowing the backbone of the character, I think people will feel even more sympathy for Ren.

─ You said that it is rare for you to play such a character, but how do you feel when playing a boy?

Sakamoto: It is not that often that I play the role of a boy, but the boy characters I have played in the past were a little older. I was not used to playing boys of that age. So it was a challenge for me to play a role I had never played before. But even though I am a boy, my voice hasn't changed yet, and I don't have a masculine voice. Rather than trying to create a boyish sound with my voice, I wanted to play the part with the passion that he has in his mind. Ren is always moving like a child. He is always running, talking while throwing a ball, and never sitting still. My goal was to bring out the boyishness in his speech, which has the movement that only a child can have, but not in his voice.

─ How did you feel about your own performance?

SAKAMOTO: It was a role that I experimented with a lot (laughs). It was a learning experience for me, and I am very grateful to have been given this role. I have been playing various characters for a long time, and each time I play a character, of course the character is important, but I also learn a lot each time. It was a precious opportunity for me to be able to play a role that I can challenge myself with such a feeling of nervousness when I go to the scene. I don't know who chose me for the role, but I want to ask them why. I am so grateful (laughs). As for me, I think that someone felt that we had something in common (in that I slide into the role of the 14-year-old Ren, played by Kobayashi).

─ ─ Lastly, please give us some highlights and a message for those who are looking forward to seeing your work.

Sakamoto: I was chosen to be in this "MonSt Anime" and that was my entry point into "MonSt", so I am really a beginner. I thought that "Monster Strike the Movie: To the Beginning" would always require me to play the game "MonSt," but that is not the case. It is a work that can be enjoyed even if you use the movie as a gateway. If you watch the film first, you will want to know about Ren-kun after that, and from there you can watch the YouTube version and also play the game in that order. Those who have been supporting Ren through the game and the YouTube version, as well as those who are just getting to know him, are also welcome to join us. I was the same way, so I hope you will enjoy it with me.

Five winners will receive a script signed by the seven main cast members of "Monster Strike the Movie!

To celebrate the release of "Monster Strike The Movie," Akiba Research Institute is giving away a script signed by seven members of the main cast (Yusuke Kobayashi, Jun Fukushima, Lynn, Kengo Kawanishi, Tamari Kimura, Satoshi Muranaka, and Maaya Sakamoto) to five people!
Detailed information including the application requirements will be introduced later on the "Monster Strike The Movie: Hajimari no Matomete" special page, so don't miss out on that as well.