Kana Hanazawa and Misaki Hisano are so much in love that they "take care of each other in their private lives"? Interview to Commemorate the Start of Broadcast of TV Anime "Happy Sugar Life

Her love is sweet and painful.

Satou Matsuzaka, a girl who has never loved anyone. She will not allow anything to threaten their sweet and happy life together.

For the sake of love, they will not tolerate threats, confinement, or even murder. ......

Happy Sugar Life" (original story by Tomiyaki Kagisora / serialized in monthly magazine "GUNGAN JOKER"), a pure love psycho-horror work with a cute design and a shocking story, will be adapted into a TV anime from July 2018 on MBS, TBS and BS-TBS "Anime-ism The series has sold over 900,000 copies in total.

Amidst high expectations for the anime adaptation of this popular work, which has sold a total of over 900,000 copies, we interviewed the lead actors, Kana Hanazawa, who plays the role of Satou Matsuzaka, and Misaki Hisano, who plays the role of Shio Kobe. They talked about the appeal of the work, what they were conscious of when playing the role, and even the sweet relationship between the two.

Check it out as well!
⇒[ Present] "Happy Sugar Life" broadcast commemoration! Hittokoto campaign to win autographs of Kana Hanazawa and Misaki Hisano has started!

If it were me, I would imagine ...... and put it into my performance.

--How did you feel when you were chosen for the role?

Kana Hanazawa (Hanazawa): Actually, I had the opportunity to play Sato-chan in a comic book commercial before. Since that time, I had been attracted by the charm of the work with its unique worldview and cute pictures that made me feel even scarier, so I was very happy when I was asked to play the role of Satou in the anime adaptation. At the same time, I was nervous because there were so many lines that I thought, "If this becomes a TV anime, how will I say this line ......?

Misaki Kuno (Kuno): It is a very difficult role, but I was very happy to be able to be involved in such a fascinating and wonderful work. When I read the original story, I realized that the role is a love match with SATO-chan, played by Ms. Hanazawa, so I was doubly happy to be able to play a role with that kind of relationship.

--What was your impression when you read the original story?

Hanazawa: It was very interesting to read, but I didn't want to have these people around! (laugh). But even though I'm not really good at being scared, I was okay with this kind of scary thing, and I was impressed by the fascinating characters that could be turned into fun and the unpredictable development. I also wondered about the meaning of love when I played Sato-chan (laughs).

Kuno: The more I read the book, the more I could relate to many of the scenes. All of the characters face the emotions that come up without running away from them. There are not many characters who keep a lid on their emotions, which makes the story interesting and fascinating, and I was really moved by it.

--What is your impression of Satou Matsuzaka, who is played by Ms. Hanazawa?

Hanazawa: It is difficult for me to play the role, even though I have already concluded her thoughts in my mind. I can really sympathize with her in the scenes with Shio-chan, but in conversations with other people, it is difficult to understand what her thought process is like. As you can imagine, I don't have this thought process myself (laughs).

Kuno: At first I was very scared. But gradually, I began to see the purity of his straightforward feelings for Shio-chan. I felt that it was because of that purity that she was acting in various ways. It's not that it's wrong or bad, but that it's just the way SATO-chan expresses her love. In that sense, I think she is a very attractive character.

--What do you think of Shio Kobe, played by Kuno-san?

Hanazawa She is just so cute and I love her unconditionally (laughs). (Laughs.) I feel the same way when I read the original story and when I hear Misaki's voice. Since Misaki and I are good friends on a daily basis, I can say to her, "If you do this, I'll reply like this," and we are in sync.

Kuno: Shio-chan is a very pure and nice girl, but she has been through a lot. I wanted to play Shio-chan's deepest feelings with great care.

--What were you conscious of when playing each character?

Hanazawa: Sato-chan is obsessed with her aunt. Shio-chan is the only one who can make her forget that. Moreover, it is not a one-way love, but Shio-chan also loves Sato-chan, so she is fulfilled. Usually, she is scary, expressionless, and acts in surprising ways, but when she is with Shio-chan, I think that is her true self.

Kuno: The most important thing in my performance is that I love SATO-chan and trust her from the bottom of my heart. I try to create a completely different atmosphere in the scenes where she becomes bitter because she remembers painful and bitter things from the past.

-Both of these characters have a dark side, or rather, they are experiencing things that would not normally happen to them. But how do you play them, since they are unrealistic but not completely fantastical?

Hanazawa I do think about what I would do if it were me. I think that harming someone is something that would definitely damage me as well. It takes physical strength, and it is frightening to think about what happens after you do it. I would imagine that the person I did it to was someone close to me (......), and then I would choose the parts that would apply to Satou-chan and put them into my performance. Fortunately, there is an original story, so I read the original story carefully and analyze how I would be feeling at that moment, but I think it is impossible to create a character without imagining it in that way.

Kuno: As is the case with dubbing for foreign films, I am often entrusted with the role of "a little girl, which is difficult for a child actor to play," taking advantage of my voice quality. For example, a horror character, a psycho character, or a girl with a distorted mind due to problems in her family environment. With dubbing, it is easier to get into the world of a foreign child because she is actually acting, but with anime, it feels somewhat out of the ordinary. That is why I always think about how I can act naturally.

What comes into play is the emotions that I have experienced in my past plays and in my own life. I don't think that the feelings are born out of the blue, but they change depending on the place, the people involved, the words spoken, the facial expressions, and various other circumstances. When I play Shio-chan, I try to be conscious of the flow and change of such feelings.

I am also indebted to her in my personal life (Ms. Kuno).

--How do you feel about working with Satoru and Shio in this production?

Hanazawa: Easy to do ...... too easy to do!　I'm a little proud of it, but we love each other (laughs). I'm so proud of it, but we love each other (laughs). I even wonder if the person who did the casting knew about our relationship. After recording, we have tea together and talk about the recording sessions.

Kuno: We are almost always thinking the same things, aren't we?

Hanazawa That's right. The staff of "Happy Sugar Life" entrusts me with a lot of the acting plans, so things tend to come to me as we talk together.

Kuno: That's why I'm really happy to be able to work with them. When I first started working on an anime, Mr. Hanazawa was the lead actor. I have been really indebted to you for a long time. ...... Not only for your work, but also in your personal life (laughs).

Hanazawa That has a nice ring to it. I've been indebted to him in my personal life as well" (laughs).

Kuno: Ms. Hanazawa is like a real big sister to me, whom I consult with about my problems both in my work and private life. I also feel at ease when I am with Ms. Hanazawa, so my feelings are in sync with those of Shio-chan. I am sure that this feeling is reflected in my performance as well.

SATO-chan has a tough role that requires her to talk for a long time even after turning the script over and over, but Mr. Hanazawa never shows any signs of difficulty and always pulls the other cast members along with his amazing performance. I have always respected you, but I felt once again that SATO-chan is a role that only you can play.

Hanazawa: (With happiness) Can I have a beer? (Laughs) I'm in a good mood!

--(Laughs) I'm in a good mood!

Hanazawa There is a scene in episode 5 where Sato-chan gets all teary-eyed when Shio-chan says "I love you" to her, and I cried too (laughs). She really communicates straight to me, and I could feel that I was helping Sato-chan.

Kuno: I am glad to hear you say that!　Ms. Hanazawa and Ms. Aya Suzaki, who plays Shoko, are always next to each other on the set. Ms. Suzaki is very cheerful and is a mood-maker on the set.

Hanazawa: She always has something interesting to talk about, doesn't she?

--Shoko and many other unique characters are in the show. Who are you interested in other than the characters you played?

Hanazawa: Mr. Kitamizukawa (laughs). If I were a man, I would want to play a role like that. It is definitely interesting to play such a perverted character and a teacher (laughs).

Kuno: I think Mihoshi is the one who is great in the post recording. His pure love for Shio-chan is too heavy (laughs). Mr. Hanae (Natsuki Hanae, who plays Taiyo Mihoshi) does not just play the role in a bad way, but he expresses it in a reasonable way because his love is so heavy. I think he is a wonderful character.

--Was there any encounter that changed the way of life for both of you?

Hanazawa It was "Zegapain," which is a work of art. I had been a child actor for a long time, and when I was in high school, I met this work and got to play the heroine for the first time. I had never spoken so much in an anime before, and the staff and seniors really helped me out. If I had not been involved in this work, I would not be where I am today as a voice actor, so it is a work that changed my life.

Kuno: I used to be a child actor myself, but I don't think I would have been able to be in "Happy Sugar Life" with Mr. Hanazawa if any of my previous jobs had not been there. But without those experiences, I wouldn't be here today, and without the people I work with, I wouldn't have continued my career as a voice actor.

--What kind of love do you feel from your family?

Hanazawa: My family is independent and enjoying their own lives, but they are the ones who push me when it matters most. After "Zegapain," when I was wondering whether I should quit all my jobs or continue as a voice actor, it was my mother who gave me the push I needed. Recently, when I was wondering whether or not I could do a play after receiving an offer from "Earth Gorgeous," she gave me the push I needed. Rather than being kind to me, she would pat me on the back and say, "Just give it a try, you'll figure it out" (laughs).

Kuno: Even if there is nothing special going on, I feel happy every day to be able to spend my daily life with my family. Even just eating breakfast together makes me feel relaxed.

I would do anything for Misaki (Ms. Hanazawa).

--What are the highlights of the first episode of the anime?

Hanazawa: The highlight is that the scary and dirty parts of people come out from the beginning. It's a bit exhilarating because Sato-chan overcomes them with her mental strength and words (laughs).

Kuno: In the first episode, the "oath" appears for the first time, and it was a very exciting scene during recording, so I want you to pay attention to it. I myself am looking forward to the on-air broadcast.

--The catchphrase for this film is "Her love is sweet and painful. Could you tell us about a scene that you found particularly sweet?

Hanazawa: There are many scenes, but in the scene where they take a bath together (......), when she says "I feel sorry for you because my head crushed your breasts" and "Don't worry, your breasts will return to normal", I can't help but grin (laughs).

Kuno: What part of that makes you grin? (Laughs)

Hanazawa There are so many things!　Shio-chan's idea, Sato-chan's chest going back to the source, how nice (laughs).

Kuno: This is the second time I've done a bath scene with Ms. Hanazawa. SS" Blu-ray, which contained our first bath scene, the day before the post recording, so I practiced before recording the first episode.

Hanazawa They are so lovely, aren't they? It's amazing that you remember me.

Kuno I remembered because I was so happy!

-One of your memorable lines is "I can do anything for Shio-chan. For yourself, is there anything you would do for this?

Hanazawa I would do anything for Misaki.

Kuno Fueh!　Are you sure?　For someone like me. I am so happy to hear you say that!

--What's the reason?

Hanazawa It's because I like you (embarrassed). Misaki has a way of leaving me alone, she thinks like a grandmother, and everything she says is good (laughs). Everything she says is good (laughs). I feel purified when I am with her.

Kuno: So she is not an adult but a grandmother (laughs).

--How about you, Ms. Kuno?

Kuno: I would do anything for Ms. Hanazawa, too. ......

Hanazawa It's okay, Misaki, do it for something different (laughs).

Kuno I think it's very hard to play Sato-chan. That's why I wanted to be as helpful as possible to Ms. Hanazawa. When we have dinner or tea after recording, I want to share what you are thinking or feeling.

Hanazawa: "Aren't you thinking about something? or "Are you eating properly? They listen to me a lot.

Kuno: When I was having the hardest time, Mr. Hanazawa kindly listened to me. So, I am going to the work site thinking that there is something I can do, even if it is just a little.

--Lastly, could you give us a message?

Hanazawa This work is very interesting even if you don't know any information about it beforehand. Anyway, if you watch the first episode, I think you can't help but watch the rest of the show. I hope that those who like the original work will not miss it, as the cute characters of the original work are still there, and the scary parts of the anime are really chilling and enjoyable to watch.

Kuno: What happens in the work may be far removed from our daily lives, but it is a work that allows us to feel close to the characters. I hope that both fans of the original work and those who are new to the anime will be moved by the story. Everyone worked hard on the recording sessions, and the staff spent a lot of time directing us. We have carefully created each and every scene, so I hope you will look forward to it. We look forward to your enjoyment.

(Interview and text by Kenichi Chiba)