Felt synchronized with Tomokazu Sugita, who played the role of a man in a previous life! Interview with Yumi Uchiyama as the main character, Ludus, and Yoshimi Obara as Roxy, for the winter 2021 anime "Unemployed Tensei: Isekai Iba de Ippanka de Genkidasen"!

A TV anime of "Unemployed Tensei: Isekai Ika ni Toritara Honkidasu" (無職転生 ～異世界したら本気だす), a huge hit on the novel submission site "Shosetsu-ka Naro" (Novelist's Almanac), will start airing on January 10, 2021. Yumi Uchiyama, who plays the main character, Ludus, and Yoshimi Obara, who plays the sorceress, Roxie, spoke about this work.

Unemployed Reincarnation: Isekai Ippai Toritante de Genkidasai" is a very popular novel serialized by "Ririgunai Sunnokute" on the novel submission site "Shosetsu-ka Naro" from 2012 to 2015. The TV anime adaptation will be directed and composed by Manabu Okamoto, with character design by Kazutaka Sugiyama, music by Yoshimasa Fujisawa, and animation production by Studio BIND. The animation will be produced by Studio Bind.

A 34-year-old unemployed man who was kicked out of his home after the death of his parents is reborn in a different world where swords and magic exist after he is killed in a car accident. In order to overcome the trauma of his previous life, he vows to live hard. ......

How did Ms. Yumi Uchiyama, who plays the role of Rudeus, a boy reincarnated as a "man," and Ms. Yoshimi Obara, who plays Roxie, a magician hired as Rudeus' magic tutor, approach this work?

Thanks to Ms. Uchiyama's realistic performance, I was able to express my honest feelings.

--Please tell us how you felt when you were first chosen for the role.

Uchiyama: It is a pioneering work that has been loved for a long time, so I felt honored but also worried whether everyone would accept it or not.

Obara There are many works in which the main character is reincarnated in another world, but I felt that "this work is different". And from my honest feeling when I auditioned, I thought, "I am sure that Roxy is not me. ......" So when I was offered the role, I remember it was hard to believe it. It was not often that I had a regular role in a TV series together with a senior member of my office, so in that sense, I was happy to be able to work with Uchiyama-san.

--What kind of environment do you use for recording?

Uchiyama: Because of this situation, we had to keep the number of people as small as possible, but we managed to make the main cast members talk to each other.

Obara I was very shocked when I heard the voice of Tomokazu Sugita, who played the role of the "man from a previous life," which had been recorded earlier. Roxy cannot hear his voice, but I was excited thinking, "I can enjoy this in many different ways. In a rather naughty scene, I couldn't help but crack a smile and say, "Oh, Mr. Sugita! I almost made a tsk tsk!

Uchiyama I thought so too! (Laughs) I have never played a single character at the same time, not in the form of recollections, and I think that Rudius is finally formed as a person after Mr. Sugita's monologue. One of the unique features of this work is that when Mr. Sugita's monologue is being developed, Rudius' facial expressions change on the screen, and I have to improvise accordingly. Once, when I played the same scene with Mr. Sugita in "Isse-nose," I felt that we were in sync with each other. I was very happy at that time.

Yumi Uchiyama

--Roxie and Rudeus are like a master and an apprentice.

Obara: In the postrecording stage of the first episode, I think we were in the stage of solidifying the direction of the characters, but it was difficult to get everyone together, so I was worried about whether or not they could communicate with each other properly. However, we were actually able to record the scene while talking to each other, and what I discovered was that I was able to be really surprised and irritated by Uchiyama's sexually charged performance!

Uchiyama: Is that a compliment? (Laughs)

Obara It was thanks to Uchiyama's realistic acting that I was able to express my emotions so honestly, which really helped me! Roxy and Rudeus are totally different from each other in terms of their personalities, so when they were talking to each other, their characters were enhanced by each other.

Uchiyama But I certainly thought so too. The setting was carefully created, so we were able to act as if we were guiding each other, and it was very comfortable.

Obara Rudeus has hardly left his house since his reincarnation, so he sees things for the first time. That is why he was surprised and moved by what he saw for the first time. I was so impressed by your performance!

Uchiyama Really?　I am so happy!　Actually, I try not to give too much information about the story too far in advance so that Rudeus can take on the challenge with a fresh mind, just as he started his life in the other world.

My guess is that the key point is "sound and images". The backgrounds and the facial expressions of the characters were so richly drawn that there were many places where I felt there was no need to improvise.

Yoshimi Obara

--Are there any characters you are interested in?

UCHIYAMA: It is Guilene, who will appear in the future. She is a very reliable female swordsman on the battlefield, but she has a nice gap between the two. As a woman, I admire her.

Obara At first, I was most interested in Rudeus. I think most viewers enjoy the show from the perspective of Rudeus, but now I'm starting to wonder about the "man from a previous life" who is beyond that. ...... He lived in the same world as us before he was reincarnated, so I can relate to him more deeply. 'Couldn't he have lived a happier life for him?' I think about it a lot.

--I heard that "Studio Bind", the studio in charge of the animation production, was established for this film.

Uchiyama I talked about it in the live broadcast in October 2020, but maybe I appealed too much to the audience. I regret that. ...... (smiles). I am really sorry if I put pressure on the staff, but the sound and images are of such high quality that I would like you to see them.

Obara I remember being surprised when I saw the first PV that was released, and thinking that an amazing work was about to be created. At that time, I had not heard about the audition yet, so when I decided to audition, I was surprised a second time, saying "Oh, it was that work! I was surprised a second time (laughs). (Laughs) Although I knew it was a grand project, I still didn't really feel it yet, so I think I will finally be able to experience it firsthand after it airs.

--By the way, is there anything that you two still wish you could "redo"?

Obara: In 2020, I spent a lot of time at home, so I had the opportunity to watch a lot of video works. I watched some that depicted the history of Japan and the world, and there were many interesting pieces. I regret a little that it was a waste of time because I was not very interested in history when I was a student.

Uchiyama I am a junior college graduate, but I wish I had gone to a four-year university. I don't mean to deny junior college, but personally, I wish I had enjoyed campus life a little more.

Ohara Students, let's use our time effectively so that we will not regret it!

Uchiyama The last one is a message to students, isn't it? Please give my best regards to "Unemployed Reincarnation"! Enjoy!

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Atsushi Saeki)