Where are your true feelings? The gap between Kazuomi's passionate talk about what he loves while making you wonder "Where are his true feelings? Part 4 of an interview with Souma Saito, who plays Kazuomi Inui, in commemoration of the release of the animated film "Thoughts, Thoughts, Pretend, Fure, Fure"!

Following "Strobe Edge" and "Ao Haride," the final chapter of the "Io Sakisaka Seishun Trilogy," "Thoughts, Thoughts, Pretenses, and Fluffs," is culminating in an animated and live-action film adaptation.

Four high school students of completely different types meet by chance. The animated film "Thoughts, Thoughts, Furikare, Furifuri, Furare" (hereinafter referred to as "Furifuri") is a fresh depiction of four different "feelings" of four different people, which are sometimes teasing each other and at other times passing each other by.

Akiba Research Institute conducted a relay interview with the four main cast members! In this fourth installment, we interview Soma Saito, who plays Kazuomi Inui!　We asked him about the appeal of the story, what he kept in mind when playing Kazuomi, and his favorite scene.

In addition, to commemorate the release of the movie, we are holding a present campaign to win autographs from the main cast members, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Soma Saito, Megumi Ban, and Marika Suzuki.
Please see the link for details.

-- How did you feel when you were chosen to play the role of Kazuomi?

Saito: I could imagine Rio's voice more easily. Even at the audition stage, I wasn't sure I had a grasp of Kazuomi, so as I listened to the other three performers on the recording set, I had a feeling that something new would be born. It was a type of role that I had not had much experience with in the past, so I was happy to be cast in a role that was challenging in a good way for a voice actor.

-- What was the director's request?

Saito: I got the impression from the original work that Kazuomi was a simple man with a low voice. Rather than a handsome voice, he sounded more like a life-sized boy . When the director asked me not to lower my voice too much during the first post recording, I thought it would be better to keep my voice low while maintaining a natural tone that would not interfere with the natural conversational drama among the four. Rather than creating a tone of voice, I would play the role as I felt it in the play on the spot. We each brought our own voice and adjusted it on the spot.

-- What is your impression of the story of "Furifura"?

Saito: The story has a very adolescent element in the sense that it is sparkling, but as the title symbolizes, I have the impression that it successfully depicts the youthfulness and youthfulness of youth and the things that can go wrong, as well as the differences between people. Not everything in life goes well. Of course, there are many happy scenes and wonderful scenes, but I was moved by the way they struggle and do their best in spite of their differences and things that don't go well. That is why I kept turning the pages thinking, "I hope everyone will be happy in the end. The storytelling is very skillful and makes me want to read the rest of the book as soon as possible. It is an interesting and fascinating work. My sisters, who love manga, were very happy when I was chosen to appear in the film.

-- So, you are very excited to be a part of this project. What did you talk about with Mr. Sakisaka?

Saito: Mr. Saito himself felt that Kazuomi would be seen as an "elusive character. Kazuomi has something he really wants to do but can't take the first step toward it. There is a difference between what he shows on the surface and his inner thoughts. Therefore, I tried not to act too much with a single emotion. For example, in a scene where he expresses sadness, it is mainly sadness that comes out in his voice, but there is also anger and joy. When I told him that I felt it was okay to have lines that could be taken in different ways by different viewers, he said, "That may be so.

-- Mr. Saito, what do you find attractive about Kazuomi?

Saito: At a glance, I don't know what he is thinking. That is why I want to explore and follow him. There is an element that makes you want to get to know this person better, and in a way, I guess you could call him mysterious. I also like the unique sense of tempo. Like Akari, he is the kind of person who makes you relax when you are full of yourself, and gives you a sense of comfort that makes your impatience and eagerness fade away. In love, she makes you wonder where her true feelings lie, but at the same time, she talks passionately about her favorite movies. I think her purity and cuteness are a good gap between the two. Kazuomi's sense of security, his mysteriousness, and his purity about what he likes are his charms.

-- Do you have anything in common with Kazuomi?

Saito: I really sympathize with him when he talks passionately about what he likes. When I was checking the lines for the monologue at home, I couldn't help but write a lot of lines in Kazuomi's mind, even though I didn't actually use them. When I told my family that I wanted to become a voice actor, they were very positive about it, and I am very grateful for that. There is something I want to do, but I am not sure if they will accept it. He has someone he loves, but he backs down for the sake of his friend. I am very attracted to his kind nature.

Q: What were your impressions of Akari, Rio, and Yuna?

Saito: I felt that Akari is similar to Kazuomi in some ways. Due to the influence of her family environment, in a sense, she has to grow up a little bit and act like an adult. My impression is that he is clumsy in that he wants to honestly express what he really feels, but he is so accustomed to behaving like an adult that he has a hard time recognizing himself. Because Kazuomi and Shuri are similar in some ways, I think their style of moving slowly forward while approaching, moving away, and passing by each other is a good match. As women, they are very attractive and I sympathize with them.

Rio seems cool and cool, but he has unexpected passion and straightforwardness in him. I love the gap between the two, and I feel the shyness and youthfulness of a teenage boy. I can imagine that even as he grows older, he will probably become even cooler, as he will still have the same straightforward feelings for Yuna. He is actually not a cool prince, but I don't think there is a better prince than him for Yuna.

Yuna is the character who shows the most growth, and I feel that "Furifura" also has an aspect of a growth story for Yuna. At first glance, she seems like a timid girl, but I think she has the most important part of a human being. I think "dump me" is a line that only Yuna could say, and she is the one who takes it big and kindly. She is the one who delivers really pure thoughts and says the coolest things. In that sense, I think Yuna might actually be the best prince.

-- How did you feel about the love lives of the four of them?

Saito: Just like myself, when you are a teenager, you know and see less than you do now, so you tend to assume things and have both good and bad feelings for them. And if they are in love, that can happen a lot, can't it? As a reader, I wanted them to be happy so much that I was frustrated and thought, "If I had told them more carefully, things might have turned out well.

-- What was it about the original story that made you so excited as you watched the romance unfold?

Saito: I really like the way Kazuomi and Shuri kiss. Also, there is a scene in the cross commercial with the live-action version where Kazuomi says, "Then, you must like me," and I thought, "What in the world are you talking about this morning? I thought to myself, "What in the world are you talking about in the morning? When I was reading the original story, I felt the same way about Kazuomi: "Is he saying that intentionally or naturally? I don't know if he's just trying to be funny or if he's just being natural!

-- I was surprised to see that not only Kazuomi and Rio but also Agatsuma are involved in the love story. You said that you sympathize with Kazuomi in many ways, but which of the three, including Agatsuma, is closest to you in type?

Saito: I guess I would have to say Kazuomi. I personally sympathize with him in that he thinks about many things in his head and is unable to take a step forward because he thinks too much, and I feel we are similar. I also admire clumsy but straightforward types like Rio. I think Wagatsuma is the type of person who is calm and human, quite a bit above the soul stage, and I think he is a very nice person.

-- If you were a freshman in high school, who would you fall in love with, Shuri or Yuna?

Saito: I think the type like Yuna is nice, but I think that the niceness of her personality becomes more apparent when you grow up. When I was in high school, I was the type of person who thought about things more than I do now, so I think I would have been attracted to Shuri, who is a bit older and more mature. Now that I am an adult and understand how wonderful Yuna is, I still think of Shuri when asked what my type is.

-- What did you think of the finished film when you saw it?

Saito: I got the impression that the pictures were very beautiful and the colors were used very skillfully. I also loved the use of soap bubbles and confetti, which fit the world of the story. The key points were dramatic, and the music by BUMP OF CHICKEN, which I also love, was great on the screen. When I was acting, there were many parts of the story that I felt would be very touching from the viewer's perspective, so I think the sound effects combined with the theater will make the audience even more moved by the story.

The copy "Because I love you, I want to work harder" -- do you work harder? Do you tend to back off?

Saito: I'm a do my best person. I have never been in a situation as complicated as theirs, but if I like someone, I want to do what I can and then let the other person decide. It depends on the other person because there is a partner, but basically I will do my best.

-- What if the person you like is the same as Rio and Gatsuma?

Saito: I think it would be difficult to tell him honestly like Gatsuma does, but as I will be 30 next year, I would like to be fair with him because he is indeed my rival in love and my friend at the same time. I won't know until it actually happens, but no matter what the outcome, it would be ideal if I give it my all and our friendship continues.

--In connection with your efforts to do your best, please tell us what you are currently working on.

Saito: I am getting more and more opportunities to do reading-related work. I started my theatrical studies by doing readings, and I have been saying that I wanted to do it for a long time, so I have been given the opportunity. As I try my hand at longer readings, I sometimes realize that my skills are still inadequate. I hope that I can always do my best every day to improve myself in some way in the course of my work.

(Interview and text by Shinobu Tanaka)

Film Information

Animation film "Thoughts, Thoughts, Pretend, Fury" (Japanese only)

Release date: September 18 (Fri.)

Based on the novel "Io Sakisaka's "Thoughts, Thoughts, Furie, Furire" (published by Shueisha Margaret Comics)

Director: Toshimasa Kuroyanagi ("Arrange a Boat")

Screenplay: Erika Yoshida

Cast: Nobunaga Shimazaki, Souma Saito, Megumi Ban, Marika Suzuki, Kikuko Inoue, Hideyuki Tanaka, Aya Hisakawa, Kazuhiko Inoue, Shun Horie, Ayane Sakura

Theme Song: BUMP OF CHIKEN "Gravity" (TOY'S FACTORY)

Animation Production: A-1 Pictures

Movie Official Website: #

＜Story

All of us have a one-sided love - Can I love you, the girl I love? -Can I love you?

Shuri and Yuna, two completely different types of girls, Shuri's brother-in-law Rio and Yuna's childhood friend Kazuomi, are first-year high school students who live in the same apartment and attend the same school. Yuna, who is dreamy and reluctant to be in love, admires Rio, but lacks self-confidence and is unable to take the first step. Rio once had feelings for Shuri, but due to their parents' remarriage, he was unable to tell her how he felt and kept his feelings bottled up inside. Shuri, who is more pragmatic about love, begins to worry about the frank and somewhat elusive Kazuomi, and is perplexed by her first feelings, which she is unable to separate from the rest of the relationship. Kazuomi witnesses a "secret" and becomes conflicted.... The more they think about each other, the more their feelings cross paths...

© 2020 Animated Film Partners © Io Sakisaka/Shueisha