Summer 2023 Anime] Yumi Uchiyama was auditioning again for the second season! Interview with Yumi Uchiyama (Rudeus) and Ai Chino (Fitz)

The anime "Unemployed Reincarnation: I'll Be Serious When I Go to Another World" (also known as "Unemployed Reincarnation"), which was a huge hit on the novel submission site "Shosetsu-ka Naro" (Novelist's Alert), is coming back!

A 34-year-old unemployed recluse who was kicked out of his home after the death of his parents is reborn in another world as a boy named "Rudeus" after an accidental death. In a world where swords and magic exist, he vows to live hard with the experience and regrets of his previous life. The first season of the TV anime was aired from January to March 2021 and from October to December 2021, and was well received.

The long-awaited second season will begin broadcasting and distribution on July 2, 2023.

Rudeus returns to his hometown after the "Transference Incident" and the tough adventure it triggered, but the sudden disappearance of his beloved girl, Eris, has made him withdraw as in his previous life. Relying on the information that his "mother, Zenith, is alive," he manages to recover and embarks on a new journey. ......, the first season ended on a very disturbing note.

In the second season, which is now in full swing, Rudeus continues his journey, and by chance he meets the adventurer party "Counter Arrow. Meanwhile, Rudeus' childhood friend, Sylphiette (Sylphy), is also involved in a "transition incident. And then, she changed her name to "Fitz" and stood by the side of the second princess of the Kingdom of Asra. ......

In addition to the turbulent development of the story, many new characters are introduced, and the story will inevitably gain more depth. In this interview, we asked Yumi Uchiyama, who plays Rudeus, and Ai Chino, who plays Fitz, about the second season!

Yumi Uchiyama (left) and Ai Chino

I tried not to watch the anime as much as possible in order to avoid knowing what happened to Rudy as much as possible (Chino).

─ First of all, could you look back on the first season?

(Chino ) ─ First of all, could you look back on the first season? When I went on stage at "AnimeJapan 2023" in March this year, I had not yet seen the second half of the anime, but now I have it all worked out!

Uchiyama When you saw Ruijerd, you said "He must be a unique character since he is played by Daisuke Namikawa, right? (Laughs)

Chino You said that the Speld are "a race feared by those around them", but the character had a gap in a different sense.

Uchiyama: In the "AnimeJapan 2023" stage project, there was a section looking back on the first season, and Kayanon really didn't know the answers. ...... I was listening to it with great anticipation (laughs).

Chino (laughs). I thought there would be special programs and interviews before the second season started, and I couldn't stop watching it once I started watching it with my intention!

─ How about you, Mr. Uchiyama?

Uchiyama The original work is very popular and the love and passion of the fans is amazing. This feeling was conveyed to me in the form of "the great response to the anime". The first season had high quality images and music, and there were many challenging performances, etc. I felt the joy of being involved in such a wonderful work, and I acted the role with a sense of pride and a sense of pride.

As the story progresses, Rudeus' appearance changes, and the visual beauty of the work is amazing. Since the beginning of the anime, I have been saying, "I want to see it on the big screen in the theater!" I was very happy to hear that a screening was held at the end of last year!

Rudeus

─ What is the charm of the character you played?

UCHIYAMA: It is difficult to describe in one word, but I feel the humanity in the fact that he has to live with his past traumas and regrets even if he goes to another world. Roudeus was able to acquire strong magic through his efforts, but even after that, he is depicted as struggling with human relationships and experiencing setbacks, which makes me genuinely want to support him. I strongly feel the message of this work: "It is not important to be perfect, but to think about how to recover from failures.

Chino: Yumi's performance is so vivid that you can really feel that she is "living. Her performance of crawling up from the mire gives me courage and touches my heart.

─ How do you feel about Sylphy?

Chino: If I had to describe her in one word, I would say she is a "fairy" ....... She is a girl, but in the story, we had to make her sound like a boy, so I remember discussing the acting plan with the sound director while recording. In the second season, she appears as "Fitz," but inside she is still Sylphie. I think you will also enjoy how much she has grown since the first season. I also hope that you will pay attention to whether or not she will be able to meet Rudy again.

Fitz

─ Do you think that while you were not able to see Rudeus, your feelings for him were growing?

Chino: Yes, I think so. For her, Rudy is a hero, and he suddenly disappeared. ...... How did she change after the "transition incident"?　I think you will understand if you watch the first broadcast.

I did not want my performance to make you feel uncomfortable, so I auditioned again (Uchiyama).

─ By the way, Ms. Uchiyama, I heard that you auditioned again for the second season.

Uchiyama Yes, I did. I thought, "How much can I be involved in this work? I wondered how much I could be involved in the work. When the production of the second season was announced at the screening of the extra episode "Eris's Goblin Defeat" in March last year, I was asked to comment on my joy, but at that time I had not yet decided whether I would continue or not. I remember I had a hard time deciding what kind of words to use.

I was afraid that my performance would make everyone feel uncomfortable because the characters other than Rudeus had grown up in the same way, so I could not strongly say, "I would love to play the role. After that, I auditioned again in front of the director and other staff members, and I was chosen to continue playing the role, and when I announced my decision at a screening event in December, some people were very happy, which made me feel relieved. It gave me the determination to continue to play Rudeus to the best of my ability.

─ What was your impression of Fitz?

Chino: I was surprised by the change in his appearance. Actually, I had not yet read the original work at the time of the first recording of the second season. It was like I was holding back a giggle until the middle of the story. ...... By the way, I was able to record a scene with Rena Ueda playing Ariel and Kazuyuki Okitsu playing Luke during the recording!

─ ─ In what kind of environment did you do the recording?

Uchiyama As for Rudeus, his mind is closed, so there is no difference no matter who he is talking to, but he gradually opens up, so there was not that much difference.

Chino Speaking of that, there was a time when Yumi alone was recorded in a different booth, right?

Uchiyama Yes, she was. Perhaps, considering the feelings of Rudeus, he might have been assigned to a room by himself.

─ By the way, "Roxy Figure" by Rudeus was featured in the first season. If you two were to make a figure, which character would you choose?

UCHIYAMA: It would be Ruijerd. In "Unemployed Reincarnation", only girls have been made into figures. I think there is a demand for male characters as well.

Chino: Good idea!　Since Roxy's costume is removable, wouldn't it be interesting if some parts of Ruijerd can be removed as well?

Uchiyama I guess it would be the ...... hair part after all (laughs)?

Chino That would be the only way (laughs).

─ By the way, it seems that the new character Sarah (played by Haruka Shiraishi) will become a key person in the early part of the second season of the story.

Uchiyama I can't go into details, but there are a lot of things going on between her and Rudeus. ......

Chino It is a little difficult for women to understand what is depicted in the film. ......

Uchiyama If I tell you too much details, it would be a spoiler and you might be concerned about it, so I'll leave it at that (laughs).

Sara

Chino: Fitz is also involved in this area, so I hope you will pay attention to it. I am sorry that I have to keep it under wraps (laughs).

UCHIYAMA: As with Rudeus, Sarah's growth is also described in detail, so there are many highlights in this work. I hope you will enjoy it to the end!

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Atsushi Saeki)


Work Information

TV animation "Unemployed Tensei II: Isekai Iba Dekkitaku Genkidasen" (無職転生Ⅱ ～異世界行ったらと本気だす)

＜Broadcast Information
Broadcasting will begin on Sunday, July 2, 2023!
TOKYO MX: Every Sunday from 24:00
Sun TV: Every Sunday from 25:00
KBS Kyoto: Every Sunday from 24:45
BS11: Every Sunday from 24:00
AT-X: Every Monday from July 3 at 22:00
(Repeat broadcasts: Every Wednesday at 10:00, every Friday at 16:00)

<Distribution information
ABEMA, d-Anime Store: July 2 (Sun.) 24:00 - Simultaneous distribution with terrestrial broadcasting and the fastest distribution
Other video distribution services: From July 5 (Wed.) 24:00, weekly (Wed.) 24:00 - sequential distribution

<Staff
Original story: "Unreasonable Sonnets" (MF Books/KADOKAWA)
Character Planning：Shirotaka
Original Planning： Frontier Works
Director：Hiroki Hirano
Series composition: Toshiya Ohno
Character Design：Mae Shimada
Art Director: Masakazu Miyake
Color Designer: Makiko Doi
Director of Photography：Shinji Tondokoro
Editing: Akinori Mishima
Sound Director: Hitoshi Akutagawa
Sound Effects: Tsutomu Ueno
Music: Keisho Fujisawa
Produced by: EGG FIRM
Production: Studio BIND

Opening Theme: "spiral" LONGMAN
Ending theme: "Musubime" by Yuiko Ohara

<Cast
Ludeus Graylet : Yumi Uchiyama
Man from a previous life：Tomokazu Sugita
Fitz : Ai Chino
Sarah : Haruka Shiraishi
Suzanne : Yuu Kobayashi
Timothy : Wataru Hatano
Mimir: Chiharu Sawashiro
Patrice: Tadasu Yamamoto
Zoldat Heckler: Kosuke Toriumi

<Introduction
Since its serialization on the novel submission site "Shosetsu-ka Naro" (Novelist's Alert) began in 2012, the pioneer of the "Naro" type of novels, "Unemployed Reincarnation: I'm serious when I go to another world," has been extremely popular. Written by an irrational grandson, this work is a pioneer of the "Isekai Tensei Kei Ranobetsu" and "Naro Kei Shosetsu" genres, which have produced many works, and is a representative work of this genre that has gained a wide fan base.
A 34-year-old NEET man who never works or interacts with others, but simply stays in his room and spends his time playing games and surfing the Internet, is killed in a traffic accident one day... but the next moment, he is reborn as a newborn baby in a different world of swords and magic! This is an epic fantasy depicting a man reborn as a young boy named Rudeus who, with the memories and regrets of his previous life, faces encounters and ordeals as he tries to "live for real this time" and has epic adventures.
The first 23 episodes of the first season of the TV anime will air in 2021, and the second season, "Unemployed Reincarnation II: Isekai Igarashi de Tokkitaku de Seriousness," is scheduled to air in 2023!