Many secret stories about the recording! TV anime "Golden Kamui" talks with Chikahiro Kobayashi, who plays Saichi Sugimoto, and Haruka Shiraishi, who plays Ashi(ri)pa!

A conversation was held between Chikahiro Kobayashi, who plays Saichi Sugimoto, and Haruka Shiraishi, who plays Ashi(ri)pa, about the TV anime "Golden Kamui," which reached its third and final episode on Monday, December 21, 2020.

Golden Kamui" is a TV anime based on Satoru Noda's hit manga series in Weekly Young Jump. For the TV anime adaptation, up-and-coming animation studio Geno Studio has assembled a talented staff, including director Hitoshi Namba. The up-and-coming animation studio "Geno Studio" assembled a talented staff including director Hitoshi Namba. With action and suspense over buried treasure at its core, the series is a superb entertainment that explodes with a variety of attractions such as hunting, gourmet food, and history.

⇒ Commemorating the start of the third season! This is the only thing you need to know about the anime "Golden Kamui"! A look back at the important characters and story of the anime "Golden Kamui

On December 21, 2020 (Monday), the third and final episode of the TV anime "Golden Comey" was broadcast. A conversation between Chikahiro Kobayashi, who plays Saichi Sugimoto, and Haruka Shiraishi, who plays Ashi(ri)pa, was recently held.

The conversation includes secret stories about the recording of the anime, including other cast members, as well as their impressions of the third season, so please enjoy the conversation along with scenes from the anime.

Golden duo talk - After the third season - Chikahiro Kobayashi (Saichi Sugimoto) and Haruka Shiraishi (Asipa)
The following is a translation of the original text.

--I heard that the recording environment for the third season was different from the previous ones due to the Corona disaster.
Kobayashi Yes, it was. The Sugimoto side and the Kirolanke side were divided into separate teams for recording, so we had no idea how the Kirolanke side was doing. It was a coincidence by Corona, but just like Sugimoto and Asi(li)pa in the story, they were in a situation where they were separated from each other. You and Shiraishi almost didn't meet until the end of the story, right?
Shiraishi That's right. I usually recorded with the four of us on Kirolanke's side, and sometimes with Kentaro Ito (Kentaro Ito) who played Shiraishi. So I was full of excitement before the recording started, but when I got there, I felt a little sad. Until the second period, we were all in the same booth and standing in front of the microphone with the same feelings shared. ......

ーDid the cast members from Sugimoto's camp and Kirolanke's camp get together onsite only at the end of the show?
Kobayashi Yes, that's right.
Shiraishi We only worked together on the last two episodes.
Kobayashi That was the first time I was able to record with Shiraishi, Kentaro (Ito), and Kenjiro (Tsuda) in the same booth. However, Masaki Terasoma was in a different booth, so we didn't get to meet him properly.

--I was not able to meet him properly because he was in another booth.
Kobayashi That's right. There were several such actors this time. Chikapashi and Enonoka were also traveling together, but they were recorded separately the whole time. The children were recorded by a team of only children.
Shiraishi: I was able to listen to Enoka's voice, which was recorded first, so I thought she was cute while I was doing it. The only child other than Asilipa was Chikapashi, and there were no other girls around the same age.
Kobayashi It is true that there are not many women in the field.
Shiraishi: But as you said, I felt that the recording environment and the situations of the characters were linked. In a sense, the fact that we were recording with only the people we were working with made it feel more realistic. I think that was a blessing in disguise.
Kobayashi If Corona had arrived a year earlier, it would have been completely different. When we passed each other in the lobby of the studio, I would have approached him and said, "Oh! but this time I would just say, "Hey," and a light greeting.
Shiraishi: We tend to be reserved, don't we? Even in the lobby, we had to keep a distance from each other, and we had to wear masks. Until the second season, we used to talk about our impressions of the work between recording sessions.
Kobayashi: After recording, we would go out to eat and talk. This time, there was no way to get to know the new cast members, and that was hard for me. Miyake (Kenta), who played the role of Iwatsuki, and I were separated from him during the entire recording. We saw each other in the lobby, but our shyness showed itself and we only greeted each other lightly.
Shiraishi Eh, who is shy?　That's a shocking fact (laughs).
Kobayashi No, no, no, that's not surprising (laughs). Besides, Mr. Miyake is a very humble person. When I am in the lobby, I hear Mr. Miyake in the booth shouting, "Ha! but when I come out, he says, "Oh, thanks.
Shiraishi (laughs).
Kobayashi Especially in the first half of the third period, when the focus is on one team, the other team doesn't come out much. In those episodes, it was hard to know what the other team was doing. More importantly, I didn't know the actors of the new characters either. I only found out that Vasili was played by Yuichiro Umehara and Yusaku by Yu Hatanaka on-air.
Shiraishi That's really true. I was really looking forward to the broadcast because I didn't know their voices even if I had known them beforehand.

--Is there any scene that caught your attention when you watched the on-air broadcast?
Kobayashi There were so many scenes.
Shiraishi That's right. I had almost no scenes other than the ones I was in.
Kobayashi: In the past, I was able to watch the scenes after having been exposed to the performances on the set, so I was able to see how they used these takes. But this time, I couldn't tell whether the take used on-air was a test or the actual performance. Especially with new characters like Enonoka and Yusaku, the on-air impression is everything, so I was very curious about what kind of trial and error went on in the field. I was curious to know what kind of trials and errors were made onsite. I was sure that they did a lot of tests for this gag scene, for example. Mr. Shiraishi, you also said that you practiced all night long for the part where Ashi(li)pa-san goes "reference" on the fatty meat of the sea lion.
Shiraishi It's all about how to make a dirty sound (laughs).
Kobayashi That part?　I think so, but that part is important. That's what I thought.
Shiraishi Of course, that wasn't the only thing we practiced (laughs). (laughs) But that scene is filled with the charm of Asi(li)pa-san.
Kobayashi Yes. It was a very attractive "Beware".
Shiraishi (laughs). When you have worked with someone up to the second season, you can picture their facial expressions when they were recording even when watching the on-air show. I got the impression that Mr. Kobayashi was enjoying himself in the scene where Sugimoto goes "ehehehe~y" in the Harakiri show (laughs).

Kobayashi: That scene was a one-shot OK.
Shiraishi: His voice was clearly enjoying himself. Speaking of being curious, I was also shocked by the story of Yoichiro the Manslayer. Motomu Kiyokawa's performance was so wonderful, I wish I could have seen it up close in the studio.
Kobayashi: I really wish I could have seen it live. It was so amazing that I looked up Mr. Kiyokawa's age after the broadcast and wondered how he could do such a play at 85. I can't emulate that.

--As a fellow actor, what did you think was so great about him?
Kobayashi: It was like he was talking as he was. It was a play, but there was no effort at all, as if he was just saying what was on his mind. He was like a hermit. I wondered if I would be able to act like that when I reach the same age.　I wondered if I would be able to do such a performance when I reach a similar age.
Shiraishi: In postrecording for animation, the bold (a message that tells the timing and length of the dialogue displayed in the guide image) is set, and we have to act out the scene, so we have to fit in with that. I am deeply aware of how difficult it is to speak normally, so I was really impressed by Mr. Kiyokawa's performance.
Kobayashi: Another actor who was amazing from a different angle was Taisuke Nakano, who played the role of Hasegawa. I was really looking forward to seeing everyone's reactions after the broadcast (laughs).

--I thought that only the last line was played by Yoshitada Otsuka, but his name was not shown in the end roll (laughs).
(Laughs.) Yes, that's right. Actually, the last line is closer to Mr. Nakano's natural voice. I met Mr. Nakano at the same time I was recording an overseas drama, and we walked home together for about one station. I was surprised that his voice was so similar to Yoshitada's that I felt as if I was talking to Yoshitada, even though we had different faces.
Shiraishi: The casting was really brilliant. My mother, who watched the on-air performance, didn't understand what was going on, and she even asked me on LINE, "Hey, what's going on? (laugh). (laughs). The story itself was also a shocking development.

--The last part of the story involves both sides, so how was the atmosphere at the recording site?
Shiraishi: Mr. Terasoma loves "Golden Kamui," so when we recorded the last episode, he said, "Is this the end?　Oh no! (laugh). (Laughs). Mr. Terasoma's performance at the end of "Kirolanke" was really wonderful. We recorded the dubbing with four people, but the number of people allowed in one booth was limited to prevent corona, so only Terasoma-san was in a private room. Ashi(ri)pa was in a whirlwind of emotions, but I personally was on the verge of tears while listening to Terasoma's performance (laughs).
Kobayashi I was in the same booth as Mr. Shiraishi that day. I could only hear Mr. Terasoma's voice from another booth, and his line "Sophia...! which I could only hear from another booth, was so good that it made me want to do my best too. Kirolanke may have killed the emperor in the past, but he has his own justice. Moreover, when he is traveling with Asipa, he doesn't seem like a bad guy at all. From Sugimoto's point of view, I felt like he was a jerk for getting Asiopa involved, but I was still saddened by Kirolanke's death.
Shiraishi: In the scene where Kirolanke dies, Asi Lipa says "Kirolanke ni shi pa..." three times. That was really difficult.
Kobayashi Did you do it two or three times?
Shiraishi I did it twice. I wondered what it would be like for a child of that age to take care of a person in front of her, based on the circumstances surrounding Ashi(ri)pa. I practiced it at home, but at the time it didn't feel right no matter how I tried.
Kobayashi It's not like you can take care of a person in a state of emotional readiness, right?
Shiraishi Yes. I didn't feel like I was saying it while crying, but it wouldn't be the same if I said it in a flat way. It was difficult to say the same word three times in a row, and I couldn't get to the point where I could say the last word by myself. During the recording, I was guided by Terasoma-san's theatrical performance.

--How did you like the important scene where Sugimoto and Ashi(li)pa meet again?
Kobayashi How was it?
Shiraishi: We had been recording the scene separately, so I was very happy to finally be able to work with Mr. Kobayashi. That scene where they reunite is also very moving. ......
Kobayashi There is something implied in that.　Don't worry about what happens after that, just think about the reunion (laughs).
Shiraishi Sorry (laughs). I was thinking about Golden Water .......
Kobayashi That scene was tough for Ashi(li)pa, wasn't it?
Shiraishi: When I read the original, I thought it was just a normal scene. But when I was told in the direction, "Please drown in that," I was like, "What?　I'll give it a try" (laughs).
(Laughs.) Kobayashi: It was a one-shot OK, wasn't it? He came back with the perfect answer, and it was amazing. Because of what I had cultivated up to that point, I felt like I could spread my wings and flap my wings with all my might (laughs). I was definitely drowning.
Shiraishi That was an experience I will never have again (laughs).
Kobayashi Indeed (laughs).
Shiraishi Before recording the scene, the three of us, including Mr. Ito, talked about whether we should ad-lib the scene. We talked about it before we recorded the scene. I miss that kind of exchange, and I thought it was a nice feeling!　I thought to myself, "I love this feeling!
Kobayashi: There was nothing in particular written in the script, and we hadn't decided whether we were going to use only music or laugh. So, we decided to include laughter as well. As a result, it was included in the on-air performance, wasn't it?
Shiraishi That's right. When I read the original story, I had been hoping that they would meet again soon, so I think the joy of clearly confirming each other's existence really came out in the story.
Kobayashi: I had really been on a journey with no destination. It was like a miracle that I could meet Shiraishi before that.
Shiraishi: For that scene, Mr. Kobayashi and his team had already recorded the audio. I was watching from behind as Mr. Ito was recording along with them, and after the scene was over, Mr. Ito said, "Isn't Sugimoto a little too cool? (Laughs.) It was more than the image I had replayed in my brain when I read the original.
Kobayashi Really?　Thank you very much.

Kobayashi: I think everyone does this, but I was especially worried about the last part of the story, episodes 34 to 36. I tried to think of various ideas, but I felt that if I just worked with those images, I would lose the sense of reality. I kept my ideas in my mind and tried to adapt them to the actual performance. During the postrecording of the final episode, I was happy to see Mr. Shiraishi and Kentaro in the same booth. Mr. Shiraishi was in a different room in episode 35, though.
Shiraishi Yes, he was.
Kobayashi At that time, Mr. Tsuda and Kentaro were in the same booth. But I felt like I was breathing the same air as Mr. Shiraishi, and that alone made me feel excited. It sounds kind of weird to put it into words (laugh), but I had been working on the play for the third season, aiming for the scene where I meet Mr. Asi(li)pa again.
Shiraishi: It is the same for me. My mind was always on that scene. What I like about the scene of "Golden Kamuy" is that I can feel the atmosphere of the people standing next to me when I am standing in front of the microphone. I can really feel that I am being spoken to and that I am speaking to them. This time, I was able to do that with Mr. Ito every time, but there was a curtain even though it was transparent, and there was a little more distance between me and the microphone than before. I felt it was difficult to sense the other person's atmosphere and match it.
Kobayashi That's right.
Shiraishi Even so, in the last two episodes, the leader, Mr. Kobayashi, decided to quit ...... after all (laughs).
Kobayashi Why?　No, no, you have to lift me up properly.
Shiraishi (laughs). The fact that Mr. Kobayashi, the chairperson, was in the same space as me made me feel much better. I had been aware of this scene for a long time, but when it came time to do it, I felt reassured that Mr. Kobayashi was there.

--What was the most impressive thing about the direction during the recording?
Shiraishi: For me, it was the scene where Kirolanke died.
Kobayashi: For Sugimoto, it was the part where he saves Shiraishi, whom I mentioned earlier. In the original story, a smile and a line are drawn as a set, whereas in the anime, he says the line with a straight face and then smiles. At first, I thought it would be better to not show the feeling of meeting for the first time in a long time, so I just said "Yo" as usual, but I was directed to "put a little more thought into it. In the end, I had to re-record that scene about three times. In the scene where she meets Ashi (Lipa) again, my initial image was of her exploding with joy and saying, "You look well. However, I was told that this was treating him too much like a child, so I decided to give him more of an awkward feeling.
Shiraishi: No matter how many times I read the original work and reread the script for the scene, it was difficult to come up with the answer when I was alone. But when you have a partner to work with on the set, you can connect each line and come up with the answer naturally. I had no idea what to expect when Ashi (Lipa) was being pulled by Ogata's hand until I actually worked with Tsuda-san.
Kobayashi The part where Ogata lies like a three-sentence novel (laughs).
Shiraishi Yes. Especially the slightly deliberate exchange with Sugimoto was exquisite (laugh). As someone who knows the truth, I kind of laugh at it. However, it is a scene that is too painful to watch from the standpoint of the situation, and I thought a lot about how I should act as Ashi (Lipa). During the recording, everything Tsuda-san said seemed to pierce my emotions, and for the first time in a long time, I was moved to tears as I played the role. At the end when Sugimoto says, "I want to eat ankou-nabe..." I really thought, "What is this guy talking about?
(laughs). Kobayashi: I was super worried about that part. I had been wondering since I read the original story how I could best fit it into the story. Since Ogata was replaying the scene in his brain, I thought it would be more interesting if I spoke like Tsuda-san. In fact, I practiced that pattern at home.
Shiraishi (laughs).
Kobayashi In the end, I thought that the seriousness of the scene would make the ridiculousness stand out more, so I tried that and got the OK.

--Please give a message to the fans who have watched the third season of the show.
Shiraishi Thank you very much for watching the third season. I think this year has been a year of many conflicts for all of you due to the Corona disaster. But when you watch "Golden Kamuy," you can forget about it, and the story depicts the past of each character, which gives you courage to do your best even in a difficult situation. I would be happy if this work became one of the joys of spending time at home for everyone. Now, if you've made it this far, you can see what's ahead of you at .......
Kobayashi Hey. At the end, Sugimoto says to Ashi(li)pa, "I'm renewing my partner's contract," but it would be sad to just renew it and be done with it. If you renew your room, you want to continue living there (laughs). The continuation of the work is only possible with the support of the audience, and I would be happy if we could continue to deliver the fourth and fifth seasons to everyone.
Shiraishi: It's a pity that I couldn't do any events this year, so I couldn't meet all the fans in person. I hope someday I will be able to see your faces and express my gratitude to you.
Kobayashi That's so true. Both Mr. Shiraishi and I are also just fans, so I hope that the day will come soon when we can discuss our impressions with other fans who are also fans.

[Work information

TV animation "Golden Kamui

［Third season: Broadcasting/Distribution]
Tochigi TV: Every Thursday from January 7, 2021 at 23:00~.
Jidai Gekijutsu Senmon Channel: All episodes will be broadcasted from 25:00 every day from December 27 to 30.

<DISTRIBUTION
All-you-can-watch monthly service
FOD

［Broadcasting and distribution of the first and second seasons]
Fukushima TV: Wednesday 15:15- Broadcasting of the 1st season from January 6, 2021
Jidai Gekijutsu Senmon Channel: December 27 - 30, every day from 25:00

＜Distribution
All-you-can-watch monthly service
FOD

Individual billing service
FOD, Amazon Video, U-NEXT, Rakuten TV, Video Market, HAPPY!

The 3rd season Blu-ray & DVD will be on sale!
#1

<Cast
Saichi Sugimoto: Chikahiro Kobayashi
Ashi(li)pa: Haruka Shiraishi
Yutake Shiraishi: Kentaro Ito
Lieutenant Tsurumi: Hochu Otsuka
Toshizo Hijikata: Joji Nakata
Ogata Hyakunosuke: Tsuda Kenjiro
Genjiro Tanigaki: Yoshimasa Hosoya
Ushiyama Tatsuma: Nomura Kenji
Shinpachi Nagakura: Takayuki Sugo
Kano Ienaga: Sayaka Ohara
Kirolanke: Terasoma Masaki
Inca(la)matt: Noto Mamiko
Kohei Nikaido: Tomokazu Sugita
Sergeant Tsukishima: Hidefumi Takemoto
Ensign Koito: Katsuyuki Konishi
Sophia: Kimiko Saito

<Staff
Original Story: Satoru Noda (serialized in Shueisha's "Weekly Young Jump")
Director：Hitoshi Namba
Series Composition: Noboru Takagi
Character Design : Kenichi Onuki
Prop setting : Koji Watanabe
Animal Setting: Keisuke Hiroe
Art Director: Atsushi Morikawa
Art Setting: Tomoe Okubo
Color Designer: Takahiro Mogi
Director of Photography : Yuichiro Nagata
CG Director: Kotaro Shishido
Editing: Tsuyoshi Sadamatsu
Sound Director: Hitoshi Akedagawa
Sound Production: Magic Capsule
Ainu Language Supervisor: Yutaka Nakagawa
Russian Language Supervisor: Eugenio Uzhinin
Music: Kenichiro Suehiro
Opening theme for the 3rd season: FOMARE "Grey
Ending theme for the 3rd season: THE SIXTH LIE "Melting Snow
Animation Production: Geno Studio
Production: Golden Kamui Production Committee

＜Introduction

Will Sugimoto and Ashi(ri)pa be reunited?
The Karafuto version of the survival race in the extreme cold begins!

Saichi Sugimoto, a.k.a. "the immortal Sugimoto," and an Ainu girl named Ashi-Ri-pa were separated after a fierce battle in Abashiri Prison. Ashi(ri)pa, together with Yutake Shiraishi, the "King of Jail Breakers," was taken by Kirolanke and Momonosuke Ogata to Karafuto, the place where her father's footprints are still visible. Now that "Nophela-bo," the man responsible for robbing the Ainu of their gold, is dead, only his daughter Ashi(li)pa can unlock the secret. Kirolanke's goal was to take her with him to join his former comrades, the Russian partisans in the Far East.
　Meanwhile, Sugimoto and Tanigaki Genjiro, who had teamed up with Lieutenant Tsurumi of the 7th Division, volunteered to be an advance team to search for Ashi(li)pa. With Sergeant Tsukishima and Second Lieutenant Koito as their companions, they set out for Sakhalin. What awaits Sugimoto and Ashi(ri)pa on their respective journeys in this extremely cold region further north than Hokkaido?　A new survival story opens!

Based on the hit manga by Satoru Noda, currently serialized in Weekly Young Jump. The TV anime adaptation was produced by the up-and-coming studio Geno Studio under the direction of Namba Nichiji, director Nobushi Namba, and other talented directors. The TV anime adaptation is directed by up-and-coming studio Geno Studio, with a talented staff including director Hittoshi Namba. The action and suspense surrounding the buried treasure, hunting, gourmet food, history, and other attractions that stimulate the five senses are all exploding in this superb entertainment that will return once again as an animated feature film!

© Satoru Noda/Shueisha, Golden Kamui Production Committee