Thorough discussion of Ayana Taketatsu and Ayane Sakura's acting in "Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san" cast talk.

A beautiful girl eats her favorite ramen and talks about it. This uniqueness is the greatest feature and appeal of "Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san. Many popular restaurants that actually exist in Japan appear in the anime, and many viewers have probably turned to the series as an anime that they can go eat at. While many efforts have been made in the anime adaptation, the sizzling sound of the girls eating is an important point that cannot be overlooked. To commemorate the end of the broadcast and the release of the Blu-ray Disc, we present a conversation between Ayana Taketatsu, who plays the main character Koizumi, and Ayane Sakura, who plays Yu Osawa. The two actresses discussed their acting styles, from the pursuit of "the sound of slurping ramen noodles" to "what kind of acting can be put in between the bolds".

─ How did you two first come into contact with "Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san"?

Sakura: I had read the original story before I auditioned. I used to like essay manga, and as an extension of that, I was into manga that dealt with food, and that's how I came to know about it. I found it very interesting because of the gap between the so-called "moe" style of the artwork and the content of the manga. I remember that "Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san" was piled up on the shelves of bookstores everywhere.

Taketatsu I also became interested in it when it was featured in a lot of bookstores, and that's how I started reading it. I like food-reporting manga, but no. I definitely get hungry when I read them (laughs). That frustrated me, and I would read them in agony. Also, I was impressed by the slightly sexy cover picture of a guy eating ramen (laughs). It was supposed to be a wholesome manga, but for some reason it made me nervous, and I was walking past the bookstore feeling as if I was looking at something I shouldn't be looking at (laughs).

──Can you tell us about the audition process and how you prepared for the role?

Taketatsu: At first, I did not play the role of Koizumi-san. There was a tape audition as a prelude to the studio (audition), and I recorded Koizumi-san and Misa at that time, and was called into the studio as a candidate for the role of Misa. I was invited to the studio as a candidate for the role of Misa. At the studio, I was asked to try out for the role of Koizumi-san, and as a result, I was chosen for the role of Koizumi-san. I didn't change anything in particular between the way I played the role on the tape and the way I played it there, but it was a strange experience (laughs).

(laughs). When I was auditioning, I was accepted for almost all the characters except for Jun. At that time, in order to make each character stand out, I made Koizumi-san as mature and cool as possible, and in contrast, I made Yuu as boyish. After the decision was made, I concentrated only on Yuu, but the animation was more rounded and the colors were lighter and prettier than I expected, so I tried to be as cute as possible. Also, from the audition stage, I was told to keep the tension high. During the postrecording of the first episode, each character was explained individually, and the director told me, "I saw a video of Ms. Sakura talking about her favorite things and people, so I wanted Yuu to act like that. So, I created the character by drawing on my memories of that time and applying the emotions that I could use.

─ I see. What was the director talking about earlier when he said "a video of you talking about your favorite things and people"?

Sakura: Well, he was talking about ...... Kana Hanazawa .......

(Everyone laughed)

─ Mr. Sakura, you don't often connect yourself with the roles you play.

Sakura: That's not really true. Mr. Hanazawa is kind, and Mr. Koizumi is cold.

Taketatsu No, ...... (laughs). Ayaneru is unexpectedly a psycho (laughs).

(everyone laughs).

Taketatsu We always said Yuu was a psycho lesbian, but Ayaneru is ......? (laughter).

Sakura Wait!　No, no. I think about the person I'm working with and put the other person's happiness first.

I think Yuu Taketatsu would say, "Think of Koizumi-san's happiness," right? (laughs).

Sakura I think I would leave gracefully if I felt I was not necessary for her happiness.

Taketatsu Hmmm ......, I've never seen Ayaneru's eyes shine so brightly after working with her all through one cool season (laughs). I didn't know Hanazawa Kana-chan could be so powerful.

Sakura: It was a video of her talking like that. But I think she is definitely better than Yuu! (laughs).


Taketatsu I think you have the qualities to be Yu, don't you?

Sakura We all fall in love, don't we?

Taketatsu (shifting in his seat slightly) It's true that ......, talking about what you like is something that everyone has ......, you know.