Vol.4] "Life is more frustrating and fun when you have rivals." Interview with Aoi Yuuki, who plays Mami Nanami, and photogravure of the interview! Part 2

The second season of the TV anime "Kanojo, Oyasama" is currently being broadcast and distributed to rave reviews. This time, we interviewed Aoi Yuuki, who plays Nanami Mami, the devilish ex-girlfriend who mysteriously attacks him.

Kanojo, Oyakimasu" is a very popular romantic comedy serialized in "Weekly Shonen Magazine" (Kodansha) by Reiri Miyajima. The main character, Kazuya Kinoshita's ideal girlfriend, Chizuru Mizuhara, is actually a rental girlfriend ......?　The first season of the anime aired in July 2020 and gained popularity, and the long-awaited second season is scheduled to air this summer.

Continuing from the previous episode, Aoi Yuuki, who plays the role of Mami Nanami, appeared in this episode. We asked her how Asami, Kazuya's ex-girlfriend, is portrayed in the second season and how she plays her.
⇒ "I borrowed her (2nd season)" special edition vol.3] "In the 2nd season, she might have been a bit of a devil king": Interview and gravure with Aoi Yuki, who plays Asami Nanami! Part 1
⇒ Vol.1] "I came to like Kazuya whom I didn't like in the first season" Interview with Amemiya Ten who plays Mizuhara Chizuru & Photogravure! Part 1
⇒ "Iborrow your girlfriend (2nd season)" Special Feature! vol.2] "In the 2nd season, I try to play various Chizuru's roles such as on stage and in junior high school! Interview with Amamiya Ten who plays Chizuru Mizuhara & Photogravure! Part 2

The more subjects you have, the more friendly competition you can have.

Q: Is there any part of Asami that you can understand or sympathize with?

Yuuki: I've never met anyone that I like or obsess over so much, so I don't know if I can put myself in her shoes, but I think there are things I can do because I can see her from the other side of the river. If I had to say something, I would say that everyone gets jealous when a girl who is nicer than them comes along. Do you attack her in a straightforward manner, or do you try any means to get her to admit that I am nicer than she is? I'll do whatever it takes to get her to admit that I'm nicer than her! Depending on which move you use, whether you can be Chizuru or Asami.... I think it is not hard to understand the feeling of jealousy. Chizuru is a very nice girl, so I can understand Asami's frustration. I also like Chizuru.

Q: Are you the type of person who thinks it is better to have rivals like that?

Yuuki: Rationally, I think it is better to have someone to compare yourself with. For example, if I am not selected, I can understand the factors that led to my selection by looking at those who were selected, and I can compare points that I did not have. Of course, I have to win here! But before that happens, it is important for me to find out how I can destroy my weak points, and it is important for me to engage in friendly competition to that point.

So it is important to look at the good points of others and the bad points of yourself, and I think it is easier to understand this when you have rivals. If you are on your own, you can only do what you expect to do, but if there are other people around, you can see other parts of yourself! I think life is more fun and frustrating when there are other people around.

I want you to see not only the love story between Chizuru and Kazuya, but also the way everyone becomes an adult.

Q: In the first season, Kazuya seemed to have a mixed reputation among the cast, but in the second season, do you think you can see his good qualities?

Yuuki: I feel the love of humanity in the portrayal of Kazuya in this work. Originally, Torie (Takahashi Riie) and I said, "This part of Kazuya is human! Amamiya Ten and Higashiyama Nao were frustrated by Kazuya's responses (laugh).

(Laughs.) For better or worse, they were honest, but I think the second phase is a process of sorting out what was only an impulse toward what they wanted to do and what they wanted to do. I think the second phase is a process of sorting out what was only an impulse of my desires and what I wanted to do. I can now say, "That's why I wanted to help Mizuhara in this way! I am sure that this is what it takes to become an adult. I am sure that this is what it means to become an adult, and Chizuru also has this. She was quicker to realize it, but the things that troubled her were actually close to those of her generation, and the fact that there is no individual difference in their problems makes Kazuya's empathy a good thing, and his teasing nature.

He lives his life to the fullest. He is not good at some things, but he tries his best and sometimes suffers. Sometimes he fails because he tries hard, and sometimes he fails because he does not try hard. I like "Kanokari" because it depicts that this is human nature without lying. They are treated as personalities beyond characters.

Q: You mentioned earlier that you like the scene with Ruka, but what happens between Chizuru and Kazuya is naturally going to be a highlight.

Yuuki: Asami is flying high from the beginning, but I want to think that the bigger the obstacle, the bigger the gain after overcoming it, so although it is frustrating, I think their love story is a highlight, and the way they all become mature adults is something I really want people to see. Also, on a very light note, I really like everyone's clothes, so I want you to see that too.

Q: In the original story, the costumes of the girls drawn by Miyajima-sensei are really cute, aren't they?

Yuuki: How do you draw them? When I asked him how he does it, he said he looks at magazines. I think it's because he treats the girls more as personalities than characters, and he can imagine how this girl would choose this outfit for this reason. I think he is such a good observer of people, and I feel that the clothes are not only cute, but also a powerful weapon to reinforce the characters.

Sumi Sakurazawa (桜沢墨) always has a good choice of clothes, and she wears what I want Sumi to wear. I also really like Asami's clothes. Those are practical selections for her hunting. They are calculated to be flirty at the perfect time, but still look healthy. Huh?　I don't know if it's because I saw it or because I like it! (laughs).

I like that Chizuru wears clothes that are revealing yet quite stiff, and Ruka is innocent, youthful, and healthy, and it is properly tied to the fact that this girl chooses these clothes because of this kind of personality.

Q: To change the subject a little bit, what is something that Aoi Yuuki would like to rent or borrow at the moment, in reference to the title? This can be anything that is not actually available for rent.

Yuuki: I wonder if there is anything I want to rent. Rental of houseplants!　I wanted to try it so badly, but it took courage and I ended up picking it up. But I also wanted to try renting plants. With rentals, I could pick up a variety of houseplants in good health, and if they got sick, I could return them right away and live with them, cherishing their lives. I realized how good houseplants are when I bought them.

Q: Lastly, do you have a message for the fans who are looking forward to the show?

Yuuki: I think the second season will feature attractive heroines and Kazuya's emo story with emo pictures. Even during the recording stage, the pictures were quite well done. Even Asami's slightly scary scenes are somehow charming and cute. This was packed into the cuts of all the heroines, so I think you will get to know and love them all even more in the second season. Watch "Kanokari" and get your heart pounding.

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Junichi Tsukagoshi)