Signatures will be given away! The "eating improvisation" starts even before the food is eaten! Interview with Yumiri Hanamori and Nao Higashiyama about the long-awaited 2021 winter anime "Yuru Can△ SEASON 2

The TV anime "YuruCan△ SEASON2" (hereafter "SEASON2") will start airing on AT-X, TOKYO MX, BS11, and other stations from January 7, 2021 (Thursday).

It has been three years since the previous TV anime "Yuru Can △" was adapted from the comic by Afuro, which was a great success. SEASON2" is a continuation of that work and reunites the main staff of the previous work, including first-time director Yoshiaki Kyogoku, who led "Yuru Can△" to success, as well as series composition and screenplay by Jin Tanaka, character design by Mutsumi Sasaki, and music by Akiko Tateyama. The work is full of the charms of the previous work, such as the casual and casual daily life, the beautiful scenery and beautiful food created through repeated location scouting, the heartwarming characters, and the music that enriches the story.

With expectations rising for the broadcast of "SEASON 2," we spoke with Yumiri Hanamori, who plays the main character Nadeshiko Kakamigahara, and Nao Higashiyama, who plays Rin Shima.

The heartbeat is so natural, I feel like a child in a relative's family

--How did you feel when you read the script for "SEASON 2"?

Hanamori: "It brings back memories! I had a strong feeling of nostalgia. The exquisite pauses and unpretentious phrases made me think of how the script of "YuruCan△" was like. The conversation is really relaxed. The number of lines is probably fewer than in other anime, but I felt a great sense of satisfaction after reading through the script.

In the second season, there were places where small changes in the relationship between the girls were evident, and I found myself smiling when I read them. However, the most important thing is the feeling of nostalgia.

--I remember it right away, and I feel that I was able to regain my intuition?

Hanamori: It was more like "There he is! It was more like, "There she is! When I heard Rin-chan's voice during postrecording, I thought, "It's Rin-chan! She's back! I had a strong sense of "It's Rin-chan!

--How about you, Higashiyama-san?

Higashiyama: I had various feelings too, but when I opened the script, the world of "YuruCan△" was still the same, and I was filled with the feeling that we had reached the second season. This time, the story is directly connected to the first season, and the season is still winter. Moreover, Nadeshiko is working part-time delivering New Year's greeting cards, so I think this is the most appropriate anime for the current season. There is a sense that "YuruCan△" is all about winter. I felt that the world we live in and the world of "YuruCan△" match each other, and it is very comfortable to be able to eat warm food and say "match pump match pump" in the cold season.

Also, as Yumiri-chan mentioned, the number of lines may not be that many compared to other anime. There is a lot of "blank space" so that the audience can hear the natural sounds.

(laughs). From Lynn's point of view, the monologue is a bit like a monologue (laughs).

Higashiyama: It's like a monologue, a monologue to herself all the time.

Hanamori I miss that kind of monologue! I really miss that kind of thing. I am enjoying playing the role.

Yumiri Hanamori

--What did you discover about the characters you both play in "SEASON 2"?

Hanamori: In the first season, Nadeshiko was saved by Rin-chan when she was lost on the street, and she started off by experiencing camp for the first time. Then, in the second season, she started thinking, "I want to camp again," and "Is it fun to camp solo?" She moves with the feeling that "I want to go camping again. The core of the girls has not changed, but as the theme of "the heart never stops," they are always thinking, "I want to do this, so what should I do to do it?

When they talk to the girls around them and decide what they would do, it makes me feel like I am really cuddling with a girl who exists somewhere, and it makes me think, "Yes, that's right, Nadeshiko.

Higashiyama It feels alive, doesn't it?

Hanamori Yes. It's almost like I feel like I'm related to her.

Higashiyama: "YuruCan△" is a very natural depiction of the emotional movement of the characters. In the first season, I feel that it depicted a change of heart that is different from growth. As Director Kyogoku mentioned, the first season was about expanding the options for solo camping, camping with others, or, more broadly, a way of life. I think the second season is a story about deepening what I thought "this is it! I felt that while the "YuruCan△" style is still present, there are more realistic depictions of the characters from different points of view.

I want people to look forward to the fresh combination of interactions.

--Is there any scene in "SEASON 2" that caught your attention or that you would like people to pay attention to?

Higashiyama: Lynn likes to be alone, but after the Christmas camp in the first season, there is a scene in the second season where she says "the way I like camping best. I was very impressed by that line. I think it is a great line that expresses the indescribable comfort of the characters living in the world of "YuruCan△.

I think Rin's stance is not that "being with everyone is the best time," but rather that "being with everyone is not so bad. But when I hear Nadeshiko say, "What? You're going to say that? I'm going to go out with her now! You should go out with her! Like that (laughs).

Hanamori: There was that, wasn't there? It was a line that made me realize how important Nadeshiko is to Rin-chan. When I heard it, I was almost moved to tears.

Higashiyama: Director Kyogoku did an excellent job with the direction. After the postrecording, I would tell the director how I felt about the direction, like, "This direction is great! I would tell the director how I felt about it (laughs).

Hanamori: Yes. Every time, I would say, "It's amazing! (laughs).

Higashiyama Also, Nadeshiko's older sister Sakura-san (Kakamigahara Sakura) appeared in the image visual, and I think Lynn's feelings may be similar to Sakura-san's. Nadeshiko is an irreplaceable friend. Nadeshiko is an irreplaceable friend and her one and only. I feel very comfortable with her, but I also worry about her a little.

Hanamori: This is one of the things I was looking forward to in "SEASON 2," and I hope you will pay attention to the relationship between Sakura and Rin. What a sinful woman, sinful sister, sinful friend Nadeshiko is (laughs).

Higashiyama: I feel that in "SEASON 2" there will be a lot of interaction between the two that we have never seen before, so I hope that you will look forward to that as well.

--In "SEASON 2," Nadeshiko's childhood friend, Ayano Toki, makes an appearance. She is played by Tomoyo Kurosawa. How do you feel about the new character?

Hanamori: The first thing that caught my attention when we started recording was the fact that we were introducing a new character. My relationship with Ayano (Ayano) is not so much new, but rather an old friend, so I wondered how I could make the new actors feel the "YuruCan△" atmosphere. But Tomoyo-chan (Kurosawa) is a genius, so I probably didn't worry too much (laughs).

(Laughs.) Soon after we decided on Tomoyo-chan, she sent me an e-mail saying, "I'll be visiting "YuruCan△". So I felt at ease with Tomoyo-chan and told her to take her time. I felt that even though she was a new character, she fit in easily with the unique atmosphere of "YuruCan△," but I also thought it was due to the power of Tomoyo's voice.

Nao Higashiyama

The descriptions were so delicious that I felt like my stomach was rumbling during recording.

--Please tell us about any episodes you had during recording.

Higashiyama: "YuruCan△" is very meticulously drawn, and it is said that the sun rises and sets in a calculated manner. You can see that meticulousness in the script. Usually, when there is a line in which Rin nods her head, there is a line above it that says "Rin nodding her head" or something like that. But in "YuruCan△," there is often a lot of detailed information about the emotions behind the "yes," such as "she seems unconcerned" or "she really is a ____," etc. The actors have a lot of options to choose from.

Actors often decide what they want to do from a variety of options before going into the scene, but with "Yuru Can△," I feel that the directors have a clear image and intention in mind. This allows us to act without hesitation, and I felt that the script of "YuruCan△" was like this. Also, as was the case in the first season, in the second season we receive more detailed location scouting photos and notes from the directors every time.

Hanamori: Haa...... (dejected).

Higashiyama: And! That's right! As you can see from the dejected state (of Mr. Hanamori), in one episode, there was a picture of a very tasty-looking "eel.

Hanamori: You're bullying us! (Crying) We were recording at a time when we were hungry, so every time I saw it, I thought, "The directors must have been eating something tasty. ......

Higashiyama: Actually! That's what we did at the site! We did not have it available ......!

Hanamori Wow! I can't feel their feelings if I don't eat it~!

We were doing the ...... comic dialogue every time (laughs).

Higashiyama: It even explains how the eels taste good, such as, "There is a difference in the way eels are cooked in the Kanto and Kansai regions, and that's why this eel is fluffy. It was very easy to visualize, and while it helped me in some ways, it didn't help me in others.

Hanamori: It doesn't help at all! No, it does help, but on the other hand, I was able to visualize the details, so I was recording with my stomach rumbling.

--The description of the eels was really bad. It looked so delicious.

Hanamori: It's not fair. How can you tell from the picture that the eels are so plump? The drawing also makes it seem as if you can smell it.

--I was amazed at how delicious eels look in the picture.

Hanamori: It really is. I also love Rin-chan in this scene!

Higashiyama But the ad-lib I added was quietly lost (laughs).

Hanamori They were gone, weren't they? There are so many ad-libbed scenes in "SEASON 2" that we are always vigilantly watching and thinking, "I'm going to put this in here. We would then ask the staff to correct us. It must have been a "negative beauty" or "subtractive beauty" (laughs).

Higashiyama: Yes, I was told it was OK on the first take, so I thought it was fine, but it wasn't (laughs).

What do you keep in mind when acting as an eater?

--YuruCan△" is really an anime about eating, isn't it? Please tell us what you are conscious of and what you are particular about when it comes to your acting and ad-libbing.

Higashiyama: We often talked about how nuances change depending on what you eat in the first season. For example, the ad-libs change depending on whether the food is soup or rice, and how much you can eat depending on whether it is a hot food or a dessert. I was always aware of the subtle differences between each one.

What I realized in the second phase was that "the ad-libbing begins even before the food is eaten. The feelings we put into "Itadakimasu" also depend on whether we have walked all the way there, whether we came here in the cold, what our expectations are for eating this ......, "Is it good?" I've never tasted it before," "I finally got what I wanted," or "Oh, my heart rate is rising! It depends on how you say "Itadakimasu" before eating. I strongly felt that the eating scene begins with "Itadakimasu" before eating.

Hanamori: That's what makes Rin-chan so cute. She usually doesn't show much emotion, but she is very dynamic in her monologue, but when she says "Itadakimasu," I can really feel her enthusiasm: "We are going to eat now! I can really feel her enthusiasm when she says "Itadakimasu" (Let's eat!), and it's cute. I really like the opening line, "Bite into your happiness," which makes my stomach rumble every time I hear it (laughs).

--(laughs) - Speaking of eating, Nadeshiko also has a reputation for eating deliciously, doesn't she?

Hanamori: That's exactly right. Aya has a history with the old Nadeshiko, so she has lines like, "You still eat as deliciously as ever. In "Heyacan△," she showed her infinite stomach in the curry scene, and there are many scenes in "SEASON 2" where she eats a lot. I can tell that they are absolutely happy when they eat, so they always say, "Itadakimasu~! Seeing their smiles made me want them to eat more and more.

Higashiyama: The curry was amazing, wasn't it (laughs)?

-As was mentioned earlier about part-time jobs, the early part of "SEASON 2" depicts the year-end and New Year's holidays. Do you two have any memories of the first sunrise of the year or favorite ways to spend New Year's?

Hanamori: I am usually asleep around the time of the first sunrise (laughs). I used to love going to Hatsumode with my grandfather, grandmother, and cousins and drinking amazake (sweet sake). Nowadays everyone has their own lives, so it has become more difficult, but when I drink amazake, I feel relieved and think, "It's the New Year," and I think, "I've welcomed the New Year.

Higashiyama: When I was working on my never-ending work, the sun was rising and I thought, "What's that? It's dazzling! (laughs) on a weekday when it was nothing but .......

Hanamori It's just a sunrise (laughs).

Higashiyama I have never seen a proper sunrise on New Year's Day. Speaking of New Year's, I like New Year's with ozoni, and our ozoni has yellowtail in it.

--Buri! Higashiyama-san, you are from Tokyo, aren't you?

Higashiyama It seems to be a custom in Nagano to have grilled yellowtail in it. My mother's family is from Nagano, so grilled yellowtail has been a staple in my Zoni ever since I was born. Recently, I found out that chicken is actually more popular, and I realized that this (grilled yellowtail) was the taste of my family (laughs)! (laugh). But the zoni with grilled yellowtail and mitsuba or yuzu on top is very tasty.

Hanamori Sounds delicious. It's a "rice-terrorist" dish.

--What kind of ozoni do you make at home?

Hanamori: We live in the Kanto area, so it's a square rice cake with chicken and mitsuba. Yuzu is added when I feel like it. I also put carrots ...... carrots.

Higashiyama: Do you make them in the shape of flowers?

Hanamori: Yes. I cut them into flower shapes and put them in my sister's place and not mine.

Higashiyama: Eh? Why?

Hanamori (whispering) Because I don't like carrots.

Higashiyama Oh, that's right! Yumiri-chan is pretty bad at a lot of things, isn't she?

Hanamori Only carrots!

Higashiyama When we did a potluck on stage for "YuruCan△" before, she said, "Nao-san, I'll eat this. Ahn! I said, "Oh no, you can't do that on stage. I was like, "Oh no, you can't do that on stage. I was like, "No, come on, Yumiri," but she just gave me something she didn't like (laughs).

Hanamori...... found out (laughs).

Watch out for encounters with people whose names you don't even know, and the scenes at the Shima family's house.

--In "YuruCan△," people other than the main characters and little parts of the story are also full of charm, aren't they?

Hanamori: That's right. I think it's great to have conversations with people you just meet at a certain place and form a connection with them, sometimes eating together and sharing space, but also saying bye-bye and parting without knowing if there will be a next time.......

Higashiyama: That might be a common outdoor experience. Even when hiking in the mountains, it is normal to say "hello" as you pass each other, and even though you don't know the other person, it makes you feel warm.

Hanamori: (In the story) If they didn't know that Toba Sensei was a teacher, they probably would have never found out his name and would have said, "That sister was amazing, wasn't she? In "YuruCan△," such shallow yet warm relationships are carefully depicted, and I feel that this is one of the charms of the story.

--Higashiyama-san, what are some of the highlights of "YuruCan△"?

Higashiyama: It's the Shima family, after all. In "Heyacan△", Lynn's father was voiced and played by our own Takahiro Sakurai, and this time he speaks in the main story of "YuruCan△" as well. There are quite a few family scenes in "SEASON 2," and the atmosphere is really great.

--Please give us a final message.

Hanamori: We have received so much support from everyone who wanted to see the rest of the film. The director and all the staff of "SEASON 2" have been working on each and every episode, thinking about how to keep the good points of the first season and sublimate them into something new and attractive.

We, the actors, are working with the girls on a daily basis to respond to their enthusiasm. We are also discovering parts of the girls that we could not see before, including new characters, and we are often surprised to see how they talk to each other or how well they work together. I hope you enjoy the new relationship as well as the unchanged relationship between the two.

Higashiyama: Again, the nature is abundant, the food looks delicious, the hot springs look pleasant, and everyone seems to be having fun. The content is sure to satisfy everyone who misses "YuruCan△". We are very happy to be able to present the opening with Asaka and the ending with Eri Sasaki, and we hope that you will enjoy the "YuruCan△" world to the fullest.

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Kenichi Chiba)

Outline of the present campaign

<Prize
Commemorative autographs signed by Yumiri Hanamori and Nao Higashiyama for the broadcast of "YuruCan△ SEASON2

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