Minami Tsuda talks about the main character, Shin Shinta, "Shin was my child, and it was like I shared my soul with him!

The TV anime "Shinkansen Transformable Robot Shinkarion Z" ("Shinkarion Z") recently reached the conclusion of its year-long journey.

In addition to the mechanical appeal of the cool-looking Shinkarion Z, such as the Z-formation, the battles and feelings of the two main characters, Shin and Abuto, were passionately depicted from the middle of the story, and many people may have been relieved to see the story come to a successful conclusion.

To commemorate the conclusion of "Shinkarion Z," Akiba Research Institute conducted interviews with each of the three actors who played the main characters in the film. In this first installment, we present an interview with Minami Tsuda, who plays the role of Shinta Shin.

Hayato gave me a push and I felt like I was finally accepted.

--Thank you very much for your hard work over the past year. First of all, please tell us how you feel about playing the role of Shin.

Tsuda: I think so, too, but above all, I felt that Shin has grown a lot as a human being. In the beginning, Shin was still a child with a lot of childishness and immaturity left in him. In contrast, Abto has the maturity and maturity to say, "Don't make fun of what I love! In contrast, Abt had the maturity and maturity to say, "Don't make fun of what I love! But then, Abt went to the side of Teoti, the enemy. Shin reached out to him to get him back, and in the end, he was able to take his hand and say, "I finally got him. He really grew up, didn't he?

--I guess you didn't know how the story was going to unfold at the beginning, but what scenes throughout the story do you feel were important and which scenes left a particularly strong impression on you?

Tsuda: The part where I met Hayato (Hayato Hayasugi, the main character in the previous "Bullet Train Transforming Robot Shinkarion") (episode 33). Hayato gave me a push, and I felt like I had found my core, or rather, he finally accepted that it was okay to be Shin. In "Shinkarion Z," I had been the "two heroes," or in other words, two pillars, but when one of the pillars became the enemy, I sometimes felt like I was losing. But the moment Hayato, who had been one of the pillars in the previous work, recognized me, I was able to think, "It's okay for Shin to be just one pillar, Shin," and that was really significant.

--I think there were people who imagined that Shin and Hayato would fight together when Hayato came out. I think there were people who imagined that they might fight together.

Tsuda: I heard that director Takahiro Ikezoe (Takahiro Ikezoe) thought about having Shin and Hayato fight together. I am happy about that, but on the contrary, I am really happy that he left it to Shin and that he chose to tell a story in which Shin fights with Abuto to regain his position, rather than fighting together to regain it. Hayato didn't pull me up extra, but gave me a hand only as much as I really needed. I am very grateful for that.

--On the other hand, Hayato still talks too fast about what he likes. I think Shin felt like he couldn't lose.

Tsuda: I couldn't lose (laughs). I really like Hayato's sparkling face. But I wanted to show that Shin's sparkling face is good, too! I wanted to show that Shin's sparkling face is good, too, so I thought I had to cherish his sparkling face in my performance.

--The previous production, in which Hayato played an active role, was also very popular.

Tsuda: Yes, it was. Because the previous work was so popular and so cherished, there was pressure on us not to ruin the sequel. However, it was not hard. I really enjoyed working on it.

What did Mr. Tsuda want to say to Mr. Kito?

--The second half of the story was a series of exciting developments, including the appearance of Hayato. How did you feel about the story?

Tsuda: It was frustrating (laughs). (Laughs.) It wasn't easy to rescue Abt, and just when I thought I was getting somewhere, there was another misunderstanding. Just when I thought I had managed to do so, there was another misunderstanding and it didn't work out, or there was a misunderstanding about Setsura (......). I was relieved when I finally caught him.

--I felt the same frustration as those who were watching the film (laughs).

Tsuda: In this work, the need for dialogue is very important, and of course, Abt and Shin are not in a position to have a dialogue. Even if they wanted to, they were in a situation where they couldn't. I wanted to say, "Dialogue! I wanted to say, "Dialogue!

--I wanted to say, "Dialogue! But I thought it was also interesting that they were fighting with their fists at the end, even though they are both Shinkarion Z, as a preliminary step to that dialogue.

Tsuda: Well, I guess a man's fist is his own, after all (laughs). That's the point, isn't it? If you were to cut with a sword, you would not be able to convey what is being conveyed, and I think that the fist, which has been passed down from generation to generation, was great. It is often said, "Speak with your fists. I thought it was great that the robot Shinkarion Z fought with fists instead of weapons, even though it is a robot and the people in it would not be able to get realistic wounds.

--The battle between the two was also exciting, as was the development of Dark Shinkarion becoming Dark Shinkarion Absolute and darkness becoming light through the battle.

Tsuda: It was intense. I want to ask the director how much he had in mind from the beginning. When Abt is transformed into Teoti, his figure and hair turn black, and "Absolute" is also a play on "Abt. When did you start thinking about this? I asked.

Since they are going to be enemies, I shouldn't be happy or excited about it, but ...... I like the black-haired Abto because he's cool too (laughs). （I always feel like saying to Akari, "Black-haired Abt is so cool!" I always resisted the urge to say to Akari, "Black-haired Abt is so cool! I always thought, "No, no, no, I would make her feel complicated if I said such a thing even though we are enemies. But as Minami Tsuda, I thought black-haired Abuto was cool, too! I thought.

--I thought it was a hobby of yours.

Tsuda: It is my hobby (laughs). (Laughs.) He is really cool. Isn't it great that Abto has both light and dark hair? （It's not like he has all the attributes, but I think he is a very enviable character. In the end, he is able to reach out to the general of the enemy because he is Abto, and he is really cool!

--He is so cool! - Even between robots, he grabs and holds the hand that is extended to him, and the two of them are smiling at each other afterwards.

Tsuda: Yes, it was very funny to see them on the train together. I don't think that Abto had forgiven Shin so much before they became enemies. But after they got over the rivalry, Abt's smiling rate increased, and I felt that his words were kind. I was happy to see that they had become friends. In the last episode, when the three members of the Usui family were riding on the train, I was glad to see Abuto's childlike side.

--It was like something stuck in him had been removed. I wonder if he was holding back or being stubborn.

Tsuda: That's right. Abt's father is also a father, and he is very short on words (laughs). He would say, "Oh my God, father! You have to say that! He is like, "I have to say that! I think Abt has inherited that from his father. It is important to communicate with words, isn't it?

--I felt the connection from the beginning of the story in the last scene when Abto turns around after "Shin's dream".

Tsuda: From the very beginning, Shin had talked about his dream of making friends with aliens, and aliens were close at hand. But to be honest, if you ask me if we would not have become friends if Abto was not an alien, I don't think so. We became friends because Abt was Abt. If I were to ask Shin, "What if Abt were not an alien?" I am sure Shin would say, "I would still be friends with him! I am sure he would say, "I would still be friends with him! I am sure that Shin would be able to make friends with anyone. I think that was expressed in the word "alien.

--There were many collaborations and little homages in "Shinkarion Z," including Mater Tsukino, one of the main drivers. Were you aware of these things beforehand?

Tsuda: I had no idea. I was surprised when I read the script. Kitty-chan (Hello Kitty) was also sudden, but we actually recorded it together. I was surprised to see Kitty beside me (laughs)! (laughs). Kitty is cute and amazing even as a robot (Shinkarion Z).

And I love homages to commercials. Kids see them for the first time and say, "Wow, I didn't know there was such a commercial," but adults say, "Oh, yes, yes, this commercial! This commercial!" This is one of my favorite parts of "Shinkarion Z".

It was difficult to make the boy's emotions and feelings of joy, anger and sorrow, and to act as if he was accepting rather than pushing them back.

--What about your acting? You have wanted to play the role of a boy for a long time, but can you tell us again what happened when you were chosen to play the role of Shin and how you went about it?

Tsuda: I had received offers to play boys before I started playing Shin, but this was the first time for me to play the main character, a boy, for a whole year. At first, I thought I could play the role of a boy without any hesitation, since I myself do not have a girlish voice. But when I got in front of the microphone, I found that a boy's feelings and movements, how he gets angry and how he is happy...... are different from those of a girl. I think it's important to remember that the real Minami Tsuda is a woman, so it wasn't easy for me to play her.

--I heard that sound director Masafumi Mima (Masafumi Mima) told you a lot about anger in particular.

Tsuda: That's right. He would say, "Bam! He told me to "get angry with my stomach" instead of just saying, "Bang! That's why my script is full of words like "abs" and "stomach" (laughs). (Laughs.) When I put all my frustration and frustration into my voice, I had to draw it out from deep in my stomach, not just low, and that was very difficult.

--Shin's voice itself is not extremely low compared to your own, but when I hear you talk about it, I feel the depth of your voice.

Tsuda: I thought acting was difficult, but I enjoyed doing it. I think I really grew as a person, too, because I couldn't have learned the difference between how men and women get angry if I hadn't been involved in "Shinkarion Z." The second half of the story is about a woman who is also angry, but she is not as angry as she seems.

--In the latter half of the story, I think the quality of my anger changed a little as I felt frustrated and cried out more. Did you become able to express that more easily than you did at the beginning?

Tsuda: No, I have never been able to express my anger as easily as I did in the beginning. Even when it comes to anger, the emotion differs depending on the situation at the time, and it also differs depending on whether you are vocal or monologue. I expressed various kinds of anger and frustration, but I couldn't get it out all the time.

--If you had to pick out a scene or line that you struggled with, which would it be?

Tsuda: I think it would have to be at the end. In the scene where I was talking with my fists to rescue Abt, I really felt like I had to hit him as hard as I could, and I think my voice had to be that loud and that quality.

Also, the scene where "E5 YAMANOTE" puts out a shield to catch all of Abuto's feelings. In this scene, Mima-san says, "If you push back, it's not "accepting," so don't push back. So don't push back. Accept everything. But what kind of voice should I use to accept it? Because the words are spoken, there is a part of you that pushes hard, but you have to accept the words as you speak them. That was really difficult.

--But it is amazing that a fifth grader can accept all the feelings of the other person.

Tsuda: That's right. I was amazed at how open-minded Shin is and how much potential he has to accept others. I felt like I saw Shin's growth, or rather, his breadth as a human being.

The postrecording episode with that person that made me so happy I almost cried

--W: Were you able to record with Mr. Kito, who plays the role of Abto, one of the main characters?

Tsuda: We recorded in separate groups when Abto was antagonizing Teoti, but other than that, we were able to record most of the scenes together.

--Did you have any discussions with each other when you were acting in the scenes where you clash with each other or accept each other?

Tsuda: We didn't discuss much. I think we burned so many calories that when we finally caught Abt, we were stunned and said, "Oh, it's over .......

So, through the direction, Akari and I felt like, "If this kind of direction was given to Abt, then Shin must accept it in this way. I think it was probably the same for both of us.

--I think that's great. So, what was it like during the breaks and waiting time for postrecording?

Tsuda: "Hey, Abto's talking," "Abto's really mad at me, what should I do? (laughs). (Laughs). Even after Abt joined Teoti's side, we would say, "I didn't think Abt would join Teoti's side! He said, "What? What's an absolute. Isn't it cool?" And they were all talking about things like that.

-- viewers would meet with their friends and say, "Did you see that last night?" It's like, "I didn't think so."

Tsuda: It really is like that. On the other hand, the part that required a lot of discussion or ad-libbing was the dialogue with Ayu's sister (Kanon Takao, CV: Ayu Shinta). Since Ayu sister appears in the daily parts, there were many parts where we had to improvise. For example, when she and Ayu were fighting over food, I would say, "I'm going to take your food here and give it back to you.

--Speaking of ad-libs, did you have any ad-libs with Jun Fukuyama who played Smut?

Tsuda: Yes, we did. There were lines that Mr. Fukuyama suggested that we say together. But even more than that, Mr. Fukuyama helped me a lot.

--Tsuda: What did you mean by that?

Tsuda: The studio where we did the postrecording for "Shinkarion Z" was a special one, with a large studio and individual studios all in one. Mr. Fukuyama was in a separate studio with a glass wall, watching us from behind as we recorded.

I was still inexperienced, so it was difficult for me to give the performance that was required of me, and I was sorry that it took so much time. But I thought that since I was Shin and I was the main character, the scene should not be a gloomy one, so I tried to act cheerful and not show a gloomy or despondent face. Then, Mr. Fukuyama came out of the studio and said to me, "Don't worry. I was really happy.

--I was really happy.

Tsuda: That may be so. They made me feel at home just by being around them. I think Shin relied on Hanabi and Taiju as much as I did.

--They are a very good team. That's because we worked together for a year, isn't it?

Tsuda: Yes, it really is. The Corona disaster made it difficult to build teamwork, but even so, I think the love for the work and the bonds between the cast members deepened through the work. Because everyone was there, I was able to do my job undaunted.

--Lastly, I would like to ask you what kind of person Shin has become for you after a year of acting.

Tsuda: I spent a lot of time at home thinking, "What kind of person is Shin? but I couldn't really put it into words. What I finally settled on was that he is like my own child. I think he is like my own soul that I have shared with him.

In the beginning, I didn't think Shin and I had anything in common. But as I shared my soul (by acting), I began to think more and more that Shin was like me. Thanksgiving (February 19, 2022 "Shinkarion Z Thanksgiving" presented by the Institute for Super Evolution) ), I was told by the cast that "Shin (Tsuda-san) is Shin" and "only Shin can do this." I think that's how much Shin is inside of me, and that I am reflected in Shin. He is truly irreplaceable.

(Interview, text, and photography by Kenichi Chiba)

(C) Leiji Matsumoto, Toei Animation