Readers will receive an autographed checkee! Interview in commemoration of the release of the movie "Blue Thermal"──Nobunaga Shimazaki and Junya Enoki confess their feelings! If you become rivals in love, "This is the one thing you can't lose.

The animated film adaptation of "Blue Thermal" was released on Friday, March 4, 2022.

Based on Kana Ozawa's manga "Blue Thermal - Aonagi University Athletic Club Aviation Club," the story is about "an aircraft, a glider, that flies by capturing updrafts (thermals) without an engine The story takes place in the Athletic Aviation Club, a club that competes for flight speed with "gliders, an aircraft that flies by capturing updrafts (thermals) without an engine. The work gained popularity for its delicate depiction of the sky and the psychological portrayal of the straightforward characters who bet all of their youth on gliding.

The main character, Tsuru Tamaki (a.k.a. Tsurutama), is a girl who has devoted herself to sports all through high school. She says goodbye to that lifestyle and enrolls in college, determined to "fall in love and live the sparkling campus life I've always longed for! She had a fateful encounter with gliding and fell in love at first sight with the beauty of the sky she saw during a trial flight. He joined the Aeronautics Club of the Athletic Association and became fascinated by the beauty of the sky and the joy of flying.

Akiba Research Institute interviewed Mr. Nobunaga Shimazaki, who plays Jun Kuramochi, the captain and absolute ace of the Aonagi University Athletic Club, who recruits Tsurutama to the club, and Mr. Junya Enoki, who plays Daisuke Sorachi, who is in charge of training Tsurutama and takes good care of him, despite their initial opposition. They talk about their thoughts on campus life and the image they have of Sora. We also asked him to imagine the situation "if a girl like Tsurutama joined the club ......" and "if the two of them became rivals in love ......".

TM: What was your impression of the work?

Enoki: It was very different from my student life, and I thought it portrayed an ideal college life. The way the love triangle is portrayed is interesting, as there are different ways of thinking about the relationship. I was a member of the kendo club, so I spent my college years in a hot and bothered athletic environment rather than a refreshing one. It was like, "Let's go out for dinner after club activities! So I was wondering if there was such a thing as university life (laughs).

Shimazaki: I didn't know about gliders or the Aeronautics Club, so my knowledge was the same as Tsurutama's: "It's like the Bird Man Contest, isn't it? I was like, "This is just like the Avian Contest, isn't it? I was moved by the fact that there were people doing their best with their youth, and I was amazed that they could fly using only the power of the wind. Instead of using an engine or some other mechanical thing to fly, they fly by catching the wind. I thought it was really amazing to see a competition that depends on the skill and sensitivity of the pilot.

When I read the original story, I felt that while it is a sparkling coming-of-age story with a positive outlook, the circumstances of each character are quite heavy, such as trauma and family problems. I felt that Tsurutama's positive attitude shines through even more because of how far he has to go down. I am a high school graduate, so I have a great yearning to go to college. I want to choose lectures, and I also want to say the line, "You should have given me back my money back" (laughs).

Enoki: Yes, there was that. I really shouldn't have done that.

Shimazaki It's a good system, a system of mutual help. It's not that there aren't clubs and welcome parties in high school, but we can't drink alcohol, and there are only so many places we can go on trips to, so I long for the kind of sparkling campus life I see in TV dramas, where people say, "Let's go to the beach! I long to be in the "Let's go to the beach!" atmosphere of the sparkling campus life that I see on TV dramas.

Nobunaga Shimazaki as Jun Kuramochi

How do you feel about each other's characters?

Enoki: Kuramochi is talented, brilliant, good-looking, and has nothing he doesn't have, but he is also a little strange. For example, he sometimes says to Sorachi and Tsurumichi, "You guys should go out with each other. He has his reasons for doing so, but he is also a very attractive and popular character. If Nobunaga's voice were attached to him, he would be perfect. If he actually existed, I think he would be a circle crusher.

SHIMAZAKI: It's going to get complicated. I have the impression that Sorachi is someone who sees things from the same point of view. Kuramochi is mysterious and people around him look up to him on their own. Sorachi, however, is a bit difficult to approach at first, but as you get to know him better, he takes good care of you, and before you know it, he is talking to you from the same point of view. He was supposed to be a senior, but I felt that he was a very good human being, naturally engaging in quarrels with others on equal terms. When Enoki-kun's unadorned straightforwardness comes through in his voice, it makes him more honest, and I think it's a little cute. For Tsurutama, I felt that Kuramochi is a good friend in the sky and Sorachi is a good friend on land. It was interesting to see how he and Kuramochi could understand each other when they were on the ground, and how they shared the same view of the world as geniuses the moment they flew into the sky.

Junya Enoki as Daisuke Sorachi

How was the recording session?

Enoki: I was allowed to work relatively freely. There were almost no major adjustments to my performance. I think it was the same for all the characters.

Shimazaki: At the time of the auditions, they seemed to have chosen the right people for the roles, so there were a few times when I had to redo my work during the auditions.

Enoki: It was like we kept going until we found the right person for the character.

Shimazaki: Mayu Hotta's performance as Tsurutama was so wonderful that we felt we had to follow her lead.

Enoki: Yes, we felt that we had to match each other.

Shimazaki I feel like everyone in this troupe was acting like that.

Shimazaki: The sky is beautifully portrayed in this piece. What kind of image do you have of the sky?

SHIMAZAKI: When I was a child, I loved the blue sky, but as I grew older, there was a time when I found myself drawn to the mysterious, darker side of the sky, like at dusk or the moment the sunrise appears. This time, I thought again, "I love the blue sky. I feel like I have come back to the feeling that "the royal road is good after all" after several rounds.

The sky looks very different depending on the emotions of the person looking at it. Even when looking at the same sky, some people are crying and others are laughing. I want to be in a state where I can look at the blue sky and think, "It's nice," even though it depends on my own emotions. I feel that the sky will become a barometer of my health in the future.

Enoki: Indeed. That's a very good point. I thought to myself, "Is it a good thing that the sky is blue? If it were black, it would look more like the night sky, if it were yellow, I would feel tired, etc. After imagining the sky in various colors, I wondered why the sky needed to be blue. Just as eating sweets makes you fat, or good food is bad for you and bad food is good for you, the world is a well-made place. That is why we are interested in why the sky is blue. It is probably because of the atmosphere, but I wonder why it was set to blue.

I am interested in the reason why the sky is blue, not from a natural scientific point of view, but from the point of view of the setting. If you find the answer, please let us know.

Enoki: When you do, I'd love to hear about it.

Shimazaki Hahahaha, I'm looking forward to it (laughs).

Toward the wind that makes you happy when you catch it, Blue Thermal, could you tell us about a moment recently when you both felt happy?

Enoki: I forgot what I answered when I was asked a similar question a while ago!

Shimazaki You have a lot of happiness, that's a good thing.

Enoki: I'm happy when I take walks. I try not to think about work, and I really enjoy the time I spend looking at the scenery in front of me and the people I pass, and imagining all kinds of things.

Shimazaki: Lately, I've been feeling "happy" about the little things. Just eating something tasty and thinking how good it tastes makes me happy. It doesn't even have to be expensive. For example, I recently thought of an egg sandwich from a convenience store. The colors are beautiful and the food is delicious. It doesn't have to be expensive, but just eating an egg sandwich makes me feel "I'm very happy right now.

Enoki: What about the egg sandwiches we just saw in the dressing room?

Shimazaki: The egg sandwich with shiso leaves was delicious! I feel lucky just to have good food and smooth transfers.

Enoki Ah, I understand completely. It certainly makes me happy!

Shimazaki When I'm working late, I'm happy just to see the beautiful lights on my way home.

Enoki It's kind of nice, isn't it? It's the little things like that.

Shimazaki When you're young, you tend to want dramatic things, but as you get older, I think you gradually come to think that everything doesn't have to be so dramatic.

Enoki: Maybe there are more and more moments when I feel happy. It's the little things that make me feel it.

Shimazaki Yes, yes.

Shimazaki: It goes back to what you said about the blue sky being nice.

Shimazaki That's true.

Enoki It's a happy story that makes me feel relaxed (laughs).

Kuramochi pushes Tsurutama to "go fly like yourself! Kuramochi pushes Tsurutama to "fly like you are! Have you ever had someone give you a push?

SHIMAZAKI: I've had quite a few. There was one rather recently. On my birthday, I was invited as a guest on Takahiro Sakurai's radio show, which started at midnight.

Enoki Oh, midnight on the day of your birthday, that's great.

Shimazaki: I received a lot of congratulations, so it was a very special birthday. I'm not very good at anything other than speaking in front of a microphone as a voice actor, and to be honest, I don't think I'm suited for radio talk. But at that radio talk, Sakurai-san said to me, "You have something inside you that you want to share, so why don't you do radio? He said to me, "You have something inside you that you want to share. I wasn't confident in my ability to talk, and I thought I wasn't very good at it, but when someone I respect says that to me, I'm inclined to give it a try (laughs). (Laughs.) I think that being told things like, "Everything is an experience," made me feel more positive about doing it, regardless of whether I actually do it or not. Having that push behind me definitely changed my mindset.

Enoki: I get a push from watching movies and such. I love the movie "GO" by Yosuke Kubozuka, and I sometimes watch my favorite scenes several times. Just the sight of Kubozuka-san walking around is enough to give me courage. He is really cool. The part where he lives his life without following anyone is really good. I always get worked up when I watch this movie, but as soon as I step outside, I immediately go back to my normal self. I feel like I've been pushed back, but in reality I'm back to Enoki after the first step outside, so I don't think it actually works (laughs).

Shimazaki: One step is short, isn't it?

Enoki I like it so much that if I want to see something beautiful, I watch this film.

T : If a girl like Tsurutama joined your club, how would you respond to her?

Enoki: I'm the type of person who wants to teach them in a rather friendly way. I don't want to be disliked.

Shimazaki: Is that why?

Enoki: Yes, I don't want the juniors to hate me.

Shimazaki Ahahaha. I keep a reasonable distance and casually offer a helping hand when they are in trouble, but to be honest, it's difficult to deal with junior staff. If I went at them with a purpose, it would come across as power harassment.

Enoki: Are you trying to make a move on me? I'm afraid they'll think I'm trying to get at them.

Shimazaki: Yes, yes. Even if you're not involved in club activities, you have to be very careful about the distance you keep from others at work and in the industry you're in now. If they ask me, I can talk to them because I think they like me at least a little, but it's difficult for me to talk to them on my own.

Enoki: If I talk to young people, they might think I'm creepy.

Shimazaki: Same-sex people are still fine, but the opposite sex might think you're a creepy old man.

Enoki Watch out, watch out. I'm too careful about it.

Shimazaki When I talk to young voice actors under 20, I can't just casually ask, "Are you all right? I find myself unable to casually ask them, "Are you all right?

Enoki If they were in trouble, I couldn't tell them to call me anytime, and I would never ask for their contact information.

SHIMAZAKI: Only on group lines. You don't contact them personally, do you?

Enoki: That's right, that's right.

Toward the end, I'd like to conclude. This time it's a bit of an unusual love triangle, so I won't send any sparks flying, but I'd like to share with you a little bit about ....... If you two were to become rivals in love, what would be the one thing you would not lose? If they were to become rivals in love, what would be the one thing you would not lose?

Enoki: The lack of talkativeness. If you are the type of girl who likes people who don't talk, I think you will like me. I'm sure you'll find me very easy to be with.

Shimazaki: I, too, can be talkative and passionate when talking about work, but there are surprisingly many times when I keep my mouth shut.

Enoki Ahahaha, really?

Shimazaki: If we're interested in the same things, say, hobbies, I think we'd be a better match. We'd both be talkative and excited by otaku talk.

Enoki If it's something you're not interested in, you'll stop talking?

Shimazaki: Yes, I would.

Enoki Really?

Shimazaki Yes. But I'm the type that gets easily heated up, so I guess I end up talking (laughs).

Enoki: So in the end you do talk.

Shimazaki Yes, I think he will talk. In the end, I still have the image of someone who talks a lot (laughs).

(Interview and text by Shinobu Tanaka)

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