Commemorating the broadcast of the summer anime "My Wife Has No Emotions"! Interview with Toshiyuki Toyonaga (played by Takuma Kosugi) and Yoshimi Inagaki (played by Meena)!

Based on the popular manga by Jiro Sugiura, which won 6th place in the comics category of the "Next Comic Award 2022" and has become a hot topic mainly on SNS (currently serialized in "Monthly Comic Flapper" (published by KADOKAWA)). It is a heartwarming story about "Takuma," an office worker who has been living alone for three years, and "Mina," a housekeeping robot with "no feelings. The two, a human and a robot, become husband and wife, and as they spend time together, Mina, who is supposed to have no feelings, eventually begins to have feelings of her own.

The anime adaptation will be directed by Fumihiro Yoshimura, who has directed "The Bride of the Fifth Estate," "Adachi and Shimamura," and many others, with series composition by Mitsutake Hirota and animation production by Tezuka Productions.

With the anime about to be broadcast, Akiba Research Institute interviewed Toshiyuki Toyonaga (who plays Takuma Kosugi) and Yoshi Inagaki (who plays Meena). We asked them about the appeal of the work and characters, as well as the technical aspects of voice acting, such as playing a robot.

The film has a near-future reality, but there is also an element of mystery.

--This work is a story about Takuma and Mina, played by the two of you.

Toyonaga: This work is almost an omnibus story, but the characters are consistent. I had the impression that it was like "Sae-san" with the robot (Mina) and Takuma (laugh), so I wondered how they would express that in a one-cour anime. Where would the main focus be? I was curious.

Inagaki: To be honest, I thought ...... was a little scary at first. The atmosphere was very unique and I felt a mechanical coldness. But as I read the book, I found Mina-chan to be very cute, and Takuma to be a realistic salaryman, but a bit of a dangerous person (laughs). I really enjoyed the gap between the two. It was heartwarming to see the difference in temperature and the inability to engage in conversation because they are human and robot. At first I felt coldness, but gradually I could feel warmth in the work.

Robots are already familiar to us, and there is a realistic sense of what it would be like to have a humanoid robot in the house in the future. As the story of the original story progresses, it also describes the opposition to robots and how to accept them, which made me think that my own values might change.

--I thought that my own values might change as the story progresses.

Toyonaga: After playing the role, I realized that it was Takuma rather than Mina who was the strangest (laughs). (Laughs.) My goal was to portray Takuma as a natural human being, but I would be happy if you could feel a sense of discomfort from the fact that he is somewhat unscrewed. I would also be grateful if, by the time you finish watching the anime, you feel sympathy for him.

Inagaki: By playing the role, I was able to feel the warmth that I felt in the original work even more. Also, as we interacted with each other, I began to understand how Mina was feeling at that time, and how Takuma would do the same in real life, and it became very familiar to me.

--There have been many works with robots living together for a long time, even though the settings and stories are different. What do you feel is the unique charm and interest of this work?

Toyonaga: In other works, there is a strong impression of science fiction and unrealism, and the robots and androids that appear in those works tend to be "very human" or "very mechanical. However, I have the impression that Mina is a more realistic robot (AI), like Alexa or Google's Gemini. It's a depiction of a realistic near-future that is just a little bit ahead of us.

Also, there is an element of mystery in the story as to how Mina became the way she is. I feel that the story also addresses the question of whether the "human heart" can be quantified or not, and I thought that the fact that it is not a miracle is also very realistic. It is also a bit different from other animations with robots in them.

Inagaki It's really realistic and easy to relate to, so I think you can get into the world while imagining, "Maybe it's not impossible ....... The mystery element that Toyonaga-san mentioned is also interesting and makes you think "What would I do? What would I think? It is also a new work that makes us think about how we think about robots and AI.

The relationship between a "married couple" is also unusual. From the initial inorganic state, the couple gradually deepens their bond as they go about their daily lives as a married couple. The subtleties of their hearts are also depicted in detail.

Because of the difference in temperature between the two, it was both difficult and interesting for me to play the role.

--I was very interested in the differences in temperature between the two characters, so it was both difficult and fun to play them.

Toyonaga: I think there is a great sense of "tripod" in this work. Inagaki-san was building a play so that Mina would walk the tightrope with a perfect balance so that she would not become too inorganic, so I had to decide how far to expand or narrow the range of her human-like swing, such as "when she blows up, she blows up". I was going into the recording sessions thinking that I had to make adjustments. I was especially careful in the moments when I widened the range and went out of realism.

While I was thinking about these things, I was also enjoying myself by creating a lot of emotional ups and downs in my performance, so I watched Inagaki-san every week thinking, "He must be having a hard time," or "He must want to explode with emotion" (laughs). (Laughs.) Inagaki-san has to catch the balls I throw as Mina-chan. But when I throw the ball and I only get the same tone of response every time, that's fine for Takuma, but for Toyonaga, it's like, "What should I do with ...... whose response doesn't change? That was both difficult and fun.

Inagaki: You are right, it was very difficult to decide how much emotion to show. It's not that there is no emotion at all, but it's not too cold either. ...... If I was too cold, I would immediately receive directions like, "That was a little hurtful," or "That was too cold and a little scary.

I also want to receive the catch of the conversation very much,...... I want to receive it, but I have to shut it down there! I have to shut it out. I realized for the first time how difficult it is not to receive too much.

Also, from a technical point of view, as a robot, I thought, "I definitely don't want to include breath-holding sounds. However, if I kept speaking at a constant speed, I would start to feel like I was struggling, and my words would seem to fade away towards the end. In scenes with long lines, we often had to repeat retakes.

Toyonaga: Mina-chan has a lot of long lines, doesn't she?

Inagaki That's right. It was a new challenge for me, so I had a lot of fun thinking about where to cut the lines while talking with the sound director.

Voice acting skills as a technical profession as well as an actor's mind is necessary

--When I talk to voice actors, I sometimes hear them say, "I wanted to play inorganic objects" or "I wanted to play something that wasn't human.

Inagaki: I always wanted to play the role of a robot. However, I think there are many anime robots that are quite deformed, or have a lot of emotional ups and downs. It was the first time for me to play such an inorganic role, so although I wanted to do it, I felt a lot of pressure at first because I thought it would be very difficult.

--By the way, have you ever played the role of an inorganic object or a robot before? If you have any advice from your seniors, please contact us at .......

Toyonaga: (I don't have much experience playing robots. So I don't have any advice to give (laughs).

Inagaki: Oh, no... (laughs).

Toyonaga: (laughs) I saw you thinking and working hard on the set, and all I could do was cheer you on from the shadows, thinking how hard it must have been for you. Mina-chan is not what you would call a robot. That is why I thought it would be more difficult. She is not like a car navigation system, and I got the impression that she was working on a program that required careful calculations, even though it was a ...... play that required a lot of trouble, trial and error, and fine-tuning with the sound director. I thought that although the actor's heart is necessary, the voice actor's skill as a technical person is even more important.

Inagaki That's right. But the mind and thoughts are still those of a robot, so I thought in this order: "If I were a robot, I would think this way first. It was an opportunity that I could not have had without this job, and it was very interesting.

--Inagaki, is there anything you would like to ask Toyonaga-san, who is a senior actor, not only about playing a robot?

Inagaki: There are many, but what is the first thing you think about when creating a role?

Toyonaga: I might try to know the "world view" of the work before I start playing the role I'm going to play. If there is an original work like this one, I read it while thinking "what does the author of the original work want to convey through the work? I read it while thinking, "Is this what the author wants to convey through his work? Then I think logically, "If that is the case, what is necessary for the role I am playing? I think about the base first, and then I create the character.

Inagaki You mean, after you understand your position in the work?

Toyonaga Yes, that's right. That may be because I am originally a stage actor. When I create a stage production, I work with that kind of teamwork. I guess I inherit that way of working in the field of voice acting.

Inagaki I see! Thank you very much!

What is the important thing in life that this work teaches us?

--What do you feel about the characters you both play in this work?

Toyonaga: In this work, it looks like Takuma is moving around, but it is Mina-chan who is driving the story. You can tell that Meena-chan is in a good mood because she lifts her chin slightly when she boasts. In the first episode, there is a scene where Meena's eyes go dim, and even after that, there are many more moments of smugness. I think the charm of Meena is that she looks so cute even though her reactions are based on the judgment of a so-called robot or AI.

Even though she is humanoid, her reactions that people can't imagine are also very attractive. In addition to that, she has a way of thinking and thinking that other robots don't have, which has changed my view of robots and made me think she is cute. Mina has that kind of power.

Inagaki: When you play the role of Takuma, Toyonaga-san, I really feel that he is a real-life office worker (laughs).

(laughs). Toyonaga I have no experience as a corporate salaryman, though (laughs).

Inagaki And the Kosugi family (Takuma's parents' family), who appear as the story progresses, are very warm, and I feel that Takuma has inherited their warmth. I think they know what love is, and their earnest and straightforward attitude toward Mina-chan is wonderful. Also, he is surprisingly understanding.

Toyonaga: You may be right.

Inagaki: From our point of view, Mina's actions are quite strange, like, "Why is she doing this right now? I feel quite uncomfortable with her behavior. But "Takuma-sama" immediately senses it and understands. So, I think he actually has the inner life of a very popular person. I thought he was a very popular person, but he also has a little bit of a creepy side (laughs). (Laughs.) That gap is interesting, and I think he is a very human person.

--I'm looking forward to seeing him in that way. Lastly, could you give us one highlight of the film?

Toyonaga: To borrow a phrase from Mr. Inagaki, "It's okay to have people around you who make you feel uncomfortable. I think this work teaches us that it is important to live honestly with our feelings.

Inagaki: As far as Mina-chan is concerned, she has a surprisingly different way of dealing with each character. The way each of them interacts with each other is really interesting, so I hope you will pay attention to it. Also, she says "Kakishimasu" many times, but I made a conscious effort to change it gradually and slightly, depending on the scene. I am sure the changes are slight, but I would be happy if you could listen carefully to the differences.

(Interview, text, and photography by Kenichi Chiba)

Film Information

My Wife Has No Feelings

<Story>.

Kosugi Takuma, a corporate salaryman, buys a housekeeping robot "Mina" at a recycle store because he has no time to do housework. When Takuma asks Mina, "Will you be my wife?" Meena begins to perform actions that should not have been in the program. Meena tries to be a "bride" as much as possible, making full use of her own functions. Takuma also begins to realize that he is a husband.

Does Mina really have no feelings? This is a heartwarming story of a human and a robot, "two people who are less than husband and wife, until they form the bond of husband and wife!

<Staff Information

Original story: "My Wife Has No Feelings" by Jiro Sugiura (MF Comics Flapper Series/KADOKAWA)

Director: Fumihiro Yoshimura

Series Composition： Mitsuki Hirota

Character Design: Zenjirou Ukulele

Animation Production: Tezuka Production

Production and authorship: Production Committee has no feelings

<Cast Information

Kosugi Takuma: Toyonaga Toshiyuki

Mina: Yoshi Inagaki

(c)2024 Sugiura Jiro/KADOKAWA/Production Committee has no feelings