2023 Summer Anime] I feel like I'm back to my debut as a voice actor - Interview with Jun Fukuyama (who plays Hakkon, the vending machine) for the anime "I'm a vending machine reborn and wandering the labyrinth".

A young man who is a vending machine enthusiast is involved in a traffic accident and is reborn in another world. Reincarnated as his favorite vending machine, he is thrown into another world where he knows neither right nor left. ...... Although he is at a loss about the sudden turn of events, his "hot service spirit" as a vending machine enthusiast is ignited, and as a vending machine Hakkon, he fills the stomachs of the inhabitants of the other world!

And so, from the very beginning, the story takes a sudden and dramatic turn. Akiba Research Institute interviewed Mr. Jun Fukuyama, who plays the role of Hakkon. We asked him about his impression of the impact of this work and its appeal.

⇒Please refer to this article as well!
2023 Summer Anime] Interview with Kaede Motowatari (Lammis) of "Reincarnated as a Vending Machine, I Wander the Labyrinth," an anime highlighting the buddy feeling with the reliable leader, Jun Fukuyama.

How to communicate with standard lines without putting emotion into it

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

Fukuyama: I was the guy who played the roles of "Blackboard Eraser" and "Front Door" in the year I debuted as a voice actor, so I felt like I was back then (laughs). When I heard about the work, I felt that I had gone as far as I could go, and at the time I had no idea that I would be playing the role of a vending machine (Hakkon) (laughs).

(laughs) ─ Was there anything you were conscious of when playing Hakkon?

Fukuyama: He rarely communicates through conversation, and his main voice is a monologue, a cry from his soul. I played him while thinking about whether it would be good to be aware of his previous life as a "young man who loves vending machines. I thought that if I gave him a character, I would not be able to make the most of the situation of "a malfunctioning vending machine in a labyrinth".

─ Did you receive any direction for your performance?

Fukuyama: I didn't have any particular direction in terms of how I was to perceive the role. I brought in "tasteless and odorless acting" and asked the director to judge whether it "fits or does not fit the taste of the work and its surroundings. Normally, I would present the direction I wanted to take, and if it was not good enough, I would revise it, and if it was OK, I would fine-tune it, wondering how far I could go. But this time, I felt that it would be better if I did not change the character's speech or voice in any strange way, so I performed the role as I wanted and received an OK.

───What kind of environment did you use for recording?

Fukuyama: The monologue part was basically recorded separately, but I was able to participate in the dialogue between the main cast members, including Kaede Hondo, who played Ramis. When we were exchanging canned dialogue, I couldn't help but want to put emotion into it, but as expected, I wasn't allowed to do so (laughs).

(laughs) ─ Was it difficult for you to communicate with him?

Fukuyama: I think it was more difficult for Hondo-san, who had to respond to his monotonous canned lines with emotion. In my case, I could make it work as communication by receiving him in a monologue. I remember feeling sorry for him, saying, "You are the one who is doing the difficult thing ......" (smiles).

─ ─ Are there any characters you are interested in?

Fukuyama: Lammis is a very nice girl. There are many other attractive characters, but personally, I am interested in "Chairman Bear," the president of the Hunter Association. He is normally there in bear form, and I feel something about him (laughs).

─ ─ What are the highlights of the early part of the story?

Fukuyama: "How will he live now that he has become a vending machine?" The story is based on the theme, "How will he live his life now that he has become a vending machine? How will he overcome his problems by making full use of his vending machine body?　Also, "How happy will people be if you bring a vending machine that can work in a fantasy world in 2022? I hope you will also pay attention to this point.

Vending machine talk with Jun Fukuyama!

─ Thank you very much. If you were reincarnated as a vending machine, what kind of vending machine would you like to be?

Fukuyama: There are vending machines where you have to get close to see what's inside, right?　That kind of vending machine that makes you feel a little guilty would be nice. You can feel the joys and sorrows of the users.

　What kind of vending machine is that? If you wonder "What kind of vending machine is that?", please ask your father or mother ...... or even your friends who are a little bit mature (laugh).

─ ─ Hakkon can only speak a few standard phrases, but if you could only speak one phrase, what would you choose?

Fukuyama: If the premise is "I want someone to help me," after a customer purchases a product, I would say, "I should get rid of this grudge. If you can make them think, "Maybe that vending machine is a figure of someone who has been cursed. ......?" If we can make people think, "Maybe that vending machine is someone's cursed form," then we are done!

───This work also depicts the vending machine "growing up".

Fukuyama: My own body. It's not that I want to show off my well-trained body to someone ....... For example, if I could lift a barbell 100 kg, I would feel "I'm getting stronger! I'm stronger now! It's a form of "self-satisfaction," so to speak (laughs). (Laughs) I want to constantly customize my body!

─ In this work, the interaction between Hakkon and people from other worlds is depicted.

Fukuyama: It happened just a few minutes ago, when I passed a group of people who appeared to be foreign tourists. They asked me in English, "Where did you buy those clothes? I was not good enough at English to communicate with them, so I could only call out the brand name repeatedly, which was very frustrating (laughs).

─ Finally, what is the ideal vending machine for you, Mr. Fukuyama?

Fukuyama: "A hand towel vending machine. Don't you ever get tired of walking and want to "feel refreshed"?　If there were "cold hand towels" and "warm hand towels" alongside drink and food vending machines, I think people would be tempted to use them. I was saying ...... and it seems like it already exists. I thought it was a business opportunity (laughs).

─ ─ Thank you very much!

(Interview and text by Atsushi Saeki)