TV Anime "Mr. Elf Can't Lose Weight." Cast Interview! Ayasa Ito (Erufuda) x Takahide Ishii (Tomoatsu Naoe) x Reina Hasegawa (Kuroeda) x Ayaka Fukuhara (Oga) x Aya Uchida (Akiho Ino and Oku)

Based on the manga of the same title by Cinekudoki, published by Akita Shoten's "Young Champion Comics. It is a diet comedy in which Tomoatsu Naoe, a chubby elf, Erufuda, a dark elf, Kuroeda, a dark elf, and other otherworldly people get involved in their slapstick activities. The various otherworldly people who appear in the work have a different appeal from the common races that appear in fantasy works, and this is one of the interesting points of this work.

We asked the main characters, Ayasa Ito (who plays Erufuda), Takahide Ishii (who plays Tomoatsu Naoe), Reina Hasegawa (who plays Kuroeda), Ayaka Fukuhara (who plays Oga), and Aya Uchida (who plays Akiho Ino and Oku), about the appeal of this work and the key points in playing these characters.

The title of the movie was "Is this me?" It was a title that sucked me in.

--The original manga is the same, and the "Ai ♥ Oil" T-shirt made a big impact at the recent "AnimeJapan 2024". So, first of all, let me ask you a straightforward question. Do you like oil?

We all love oil!

ITOH: Everyone loves it (laughs). I think the entire cast loves it. Even at the recording studio, they prepared a large supply of fries (French fries, etc.) for us every week, and we would record the scene with our favorite fries in hand.

Ayasa Ito (playing the role of Erufuda)

--Ms. Ito wrote in a comment on the official website, "Because I am a dieter all my life, and you can't lose weight either! I guess it must have been hard for you from a diet standpoint to bring in the fries?

Ito: I received a gift during the recording of the last episode. The day before that, I had just made up my mind to "start a gluten-free diet! I had just made up my mind to start a gluten-free diet, but when I noticed it on ......, I thought, "What? I ate it! I was like that. It was a period when I couldn't lose weight. It couldn't be helped (laughs).

--I was so tempted that I couldn't resist it.

ITOH: I would say that the title of the film was a real sticking point for me. It was a title that drew me in. When I actually read the book, I found that it exquisitely depicted a place where I could sympathize with people and otherworldly people alike, saying, "The desire to lose weight and the desire to eat coexist, don't they? The story itself is also very interesting, so I thought it was a work that made me laugh with an empty head.

Ishii: There are various forms of elves, such as "very strong in magic," depending on the work. Among them, there are "elves who can't lose weight! (laughs).

Ito It is a new genre, isn't it?

Ishii Just because they are from another world doesn't mean they don't gain weight no matter how much they eat, but they gain weight just like modern people! I thought, "I'm not going to get fat just because I'm from another world. Combined with the way they try to resist somehow and the contrast with Naoe who encourages them to lose weight, I felt that it is an interesting work with a touch of comedy and a new genre of work.

Hasegawa: I thought the title "I can't lose weight" would depict a positive effort to lose weight, but it's cute and ...... that she tries her best but loses to temptation. The characters keep growing, and the story develops quickly, so I thought it was a very worthwhile work. I also found it sexy.

Fukuhara The chubby characters are charming and sexy, and their bodies are attractive. I thought, "Isn't chubbiness a form of beauty? "Isn't this round shape also cute? I think it's also a work that makes you realize new charms.

Uchida That's right. But what I like the most is that I thought it was a harem story of Naoe, but it is not.

Ishii That's true.

Uchida It also depicts friendship, and you come to love everyone, or you feel close to them, which I think is attractive. Also, I thought it is a work that makes me feel close to them (laugh).

Takahide Ishii (playing the role of Tomoatsu Naoe)

The key points of his performance are: harmless, serious, maternal ......, and piggish!

--What did you keep in mind when you played these characters, who are different from the typical characteristics of fantasy works, such as "elves who cannot lose weight"?

Ito: For Erufuda, I was directed to "show a huge range of emotions and a variety of expressions. She has a cool, crisp elf look, but when she is faced with fries, she is really a no-good elf with greed leaking out of her. I was conscious of the various facial expressions and the range of my performance, such as my stooped appearance and my silly smile when battling with Kuroeda (......).

Whenever he gets involved with a new character, he shows a new side of himself, and I had a lot of fun thinking about how I could show you a new expression of Erufuda in each episode.

Ishii: The sound director told me to make Naoe-kun "harmless and harmless" during the post recording of the first episode. There is no romantic element in Naoe-kun at all, so for example, when he says shy lines, he does not say "I am embarrassed because I am conscious of being a woman" but "I am just embarrassed". When I care for Naoe-kun, I try not to "put in" any male-female concern, but I use a cheerful and gentle tone of voice because he is a kind person.

Hasegawa: Kuroe is a "serious person who looks like a black gal, but is serious at the same time. So I was conscious of being the "serious one," as I was the one who worked the hardest on her diet and told off the girl next to her who couldn't lose weight. I was conscious of being the "serious one." I was the one who had common sense, even though there were many girls who were joking around.

Reina Hasegawa (Kuroeda)

--From your first appearance and appearance, there is a gap in your seriousness, isn't there?

Hasegawa: Yes, it is. Although she appears as if there is something behind her appearance, she is the most serious of all.

Ito Indeed. Originally, I thought the dark elves would be in charge of the bad parts. ......

Hasegawa He was a good boy (laughs).

Ito: That gap is cute.

Ayaka Fukuhara (as Oga)

--Ms. Fukuhara plays the role of Oga, an ogre.

Fukuhara: Oga is very big, strong-willed, and quarrelsome. But there is also a side of him that cannot be controlled by his overflowing maternal feelings, so his strength and softness, his masculinity and femininity coexist.

He has a dependability that makes the viewer want to hug him, and a sweetness when he puts his motherly side forward. ...... I was conscious of trying to bring out all of these things in a strong flavor, but in the scenes where he shows his motherly side, he says, "More! Make it sweeter! Make it leak out!" (Laughs). (Laughs). (Laughs.) I did so much that I wondered if it was too much, and I got the OK. I realized during the recording that "motherhood" is a key word for Oga.

Aya Uchida (Akeho Ino, played by Oku)

--Ms. Uchida plays both Akeho Ino, the director of the bodywork salon "Smiley Boa," and Oka's wife.

Uchida: Director Ino is a little bit romantic, or rather, there is an aspect of her that is erotic.

Ishii He is clearly attracted to Naoe (laughs).

Uchida He is a (normal) human being, not a person from another world (laugh). I tried to give a mature and solid impression of the Director, but the sound director told me, "I don't want to get involved with him too much, I want him to be a bad guy like ......, not a jerk but troublesome.

His wife, who resembles Director Ino only in face, is a cute pig (orc), so at first I played her as if she were a little cozy. Then I was told, "I want her to be a little bigger and more enveloping. I was told, "I want her to be a little bigger and more enveloping, and I want her to have more of a sense of age. But when I asked him if he was conscious of the "wifey" feeling since his name is "Oku," he said, "That's not true.

Ito: I thought you were conscious of that!

Uchida: Apparently not. However, since she is the oldest sister among all the members, I thought it would be good to give her a different "okka-san" feeling from Oga-san, to keep a good balance. She is a laid-back person, and when people make fun of her or tease her, she says, "No, it's not that," so I tried to create a cheerful atmosphere.

And his wife cries all the time, but he asked me, "Can I have her cry a little more like a pig?" I was told. I tried my best to make onomatopoeic sounds that I don't usually make (laughs).

The argument between Erufuda and Kuroeda was ad-libbed in perfect harmony.

--Please tell us about the atmosphere at the recording studio and what was particularly impressive.

Ito: The postrecording was not dispersed like in the case of the Corona disaster, but everyone was able to record all at once. The number of otherworldly people increased with each episode, so the microphone work was so intense that I thought it was a bargain basement or an all-you-can-stuff venue. But it was a lot of fun, wasn't it?

Ishii Yes, it was. What impressed me the most was the argument between Erufuda and Kuroeda. They were fighting with full force from the test, ad-libbing all the way to the page, so it was interesting to listen to their variations every time. It was always interesting to hear the variations. I wondered.

Ito: They were always swearing at each other, targeting the points that bothered each other. Kuroeza-san has a problem with his big buttocks, so he called me "Ketsu-manju," or something like that (laughs).

Hasegawa: We were called that a lot. Kuroe usually loses in a quarrel. She would say, "Shut up, shut up! Shut up, shut up!

Ito: She's a good girl. I enjoy every argument.

--Do you ad-lib those bad-mouthing each other?

ITOH: It is often ad-libbed.

Ishii Moreover, I thought they were going to have a meeting like "I say this, you say this back, and I ask you to reply like this ......," but they both said "I understand" and went to the microphone right away without doing anything, and then they improvised each other in the performance. I was very impressed.

Ito & Hasegawa: We didn't have meetings, did we?

Hasegawa: Sometimes we were on the other end of the microphone and I couldn't understand what the other person was saying (laughs).

Ito: Yes, there were times. Maybe it is because the balance of power is even that it is easier to do something.

Hasegawa Indeed. I liked it. The humming of the familiar melody of "Potato, Potato, Potato~♪".

Ito: I'm glad you noticed! You noticed. Erufuda is a cheerful girl, so she hums a lot. I think of this melody when I think of potatoes, so I sing the same melody every time. I thought I would hum the melody of the feeling of entering a restaurant, or the melody of the feeling of fries being served. ......

--By the way, if you were to improvise a title for the song, what would it be?

Ito: ...... "Potatoes are up music" or "Potatoes are up sound"? As it is (laughs).

(laughs) -- What was impressive to you, Mr. Fukuhara and Mr. Uchida?

Uchida: I think one of the themes of this work is that there are many scenes that are a little bit sexy. Especially, Mr. Erufuda told me, "A little more here," "One more voice there. I was always listening to him from behind with a grin as he worked on each one of them (laughs).

Ito: We started recording this piece in the morning, and I was working at full throttle and full speed from the morning.

Uchida Every time you said, "Everyone might be a little down (because it is still morning).

Ishii Yes, that's right. After the test, he would say, "Everyone is still in morning tension, so let's gear up a little more. Then, let's go to the real test.

Ito They said that to me (laughs).

Fukuhara I often tried my best to hold back my laughter during the recording, but I really enjoyed the story (recording) about Naoe-kun who became small but gradually grew bigger and bigger.

Ishii I had decided to make fun of that scene from the beginning.

Ito It is the most graphic scene, isn't it (laugh)? (laugh) Even though various skin tones can be seen, it is the most realistic. I wondered if it was appropriate to watch it. Fukuhara It is really interesting.

Fukuhara It's really interesting, so I hope you enjoy it.

Ito Mr. Oga (played by Mr. Fukuhara) is also a character whose expression changes considerably from the first appearance to the latter half, so you will feel the gap between the two.

Ishii In the beginning, he comes out with a tough "gahaha" look, but in the latter half, his eyes are heart-marked all the time, and when he suddenly appears, he says seriously, "I'll be your mama.

Ito The dialogue was also interesting, and I had to hold back my laughter there.

What diet or advice would you recommend to the cast members?

--I was so happy to hear that they were laughing at me. First of all, let's start with you, Mr. Ito, who has a lot of experience as a dieter for many years.

Ito: Leave it to me. I have tried many kinds of diets and failed at many of them (laughs). (Laughs.) For my own part, I recently recommended the "10,000 steps a day, walking diet. There is no visible change at once, but it has a steady effect, and first of all, it makes your mind healthier. I go home, check how many thousands of steps I am short of, and start walking from midnight.

Ishii What? Are you all right?

ITOH: I don't recommend going out late at night (laugh). But walking every day energizes my mind and reduces swelling. I think it is hard to walk in today's society, so I would like you to try walking with a goal of 10,000 steps. （Do you have any recommendations? You are doing a very good job of managing your figure.

Hasegawa: I don't think I can recommend ...... (laughs).

ITOH: Are you a fairly stoic type?

Hasegawa I am stoic. I tried everything, including diet, muscle training, and improving my daily life, and muscle training was the right choice for my body. If I train with my inner muscles in mind, my weight does not change, or rather, I become heavier with muscles, but I look slimmer by toning up.

Ito That's very good, isn't it?

Hasegawa I recommend muscle training. So, if we do what Naoe-kun recommends properly, we should be able to lose weight (E-Ru cards, too). ...... (laughs).

ITOH: That's strange (laughs). Is there too much temptation in the world?

--Fukuhara-san and Uchida-san, you also like to drink, but is there anything you recommend or are conscious of in terms of diet and health?

Fukuhara: When it comes to alcohol, you should drink water with it anyway. It is not only for dieting, but also because it will help you lose weight. Another easy way is to drink "lemon shiroyu," which is white water with lemon juice. Drinking lemon shiroyu first thing in the morning will make you feel better, and if you are on a diet, it will help you burn fat more easily.

--You are a certified nutritionist, aren't you? From that perspective, what are some of the key points in dieting?

Fukuhara: Vitamins are important because they help burn fat. A multivitamin is fine, but if possible, I prefer to take 2 or 3 capsules multiple times a day, rather than just "one capsule (one time) a day. If you take it in the morning, what you can't absorb will go out of your body, so if you take it again around noon and do ......, you can absorb it in a good way without wasting it. Even if it is a simple supplement, if you change the way you take it a little, it will be easier on your body and less wasteful. I recommend taking vitamins separately.

Ishii That's a good study. I am taking exactly one multivitamin a day.

Ito: Me too. I take all of them together every morning.

Ishii I see what you just said.

--Mr. Uchida, you are making a bitter face at ...... something (laugh).

Uchida If you do it properly and seriously, you can lose weight. ...... Why can't I lose weight? I thought it was because I was eating and drinking (laughs). (laughs) I am the type of person who eats food when I drink alcohol.

Ito: I know what you mean!

Uchida: So I have to be careful about my internal organs. I also asked a slim person I know, "How do you keep in shape? I asked him how he keeps in shape, and he told me swimming is the way to go. But I ended up saying, "First of all, it's too hard to get into a bathing suit" (laughs). When you want to lose weight, you are concerned about your body shape, so the hurdle to get into a bathing suit is too high. That's why I can't lose weight.

─ ─ Appetite and dieting are truly the eternal themes and worries of mankind. ...... Thank you very much!

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Kenichi Chiba)

Work Information

TV animation "Mr. Elf Can't Lose Weight

<Introduction

One day, Tomoatsu Naoe, who works at a bodywork salon in town called "Smiley Boa," is assigned to a suspicious customer wearing a knit cap and sunglasses. The woman with abnormally bulky ears hidden by the cap was an elf from another world!

Naoe is assigned to help the chubby elf, Erufuda, with her diet, and gets slammed into the troubles of the otherworldly people who nest in Japan...!

Can Erufuda-san, who is fascinated by French fries, lose weight?

A diet comedy about a chubby elf begins!

<Broadcast Information

Broadcasting will begin in July 2024.

Broadcasting
TOKKYO MX, BS11 Every Saturday from July 6 at 25:30
AT-X Every Monday from July 8 at 23:30
Mini anime "Naoe-kun wa shinsei wo ikusenai" (Naoe-kun wants to make people lose weight) Set Broadcast
Repeat broadcasts every Wednesday from 11:30am / every Friday from 17:30pm

Distribution

TV broadcast ver. on dAnime Store and DMM TV every Saturday from 24:00~ starting July 6.
After that, distribution will be sequentially made on each distribution site.

POTEPOTE ver. Every Thursday from 24:00 on dAnime Store and DMM TV from July 11.
After that, it will be distributed sequentially on each distribution site.

Mecha-Potepote ver. Exclusive pre-sale on AnimeFesta every Friday from July 19 at 24:00

<Staff> Original Story

Original Story: CINEKUDOKI (Akita Shoten's "Young Champion Comics" / Original Planning: Shine Partners)

Director：Toshikatsu Tokoro

Character Design：Katsuyuki Sato

Series Composition：Yuki Takabayashi

Color Designer: Yukiko Ario

Art Director: Shinobu Takahashi

Director of Photography: Miyagawa Yoshikazu

Editing: Keisuke Yanagi

Sound Director: Takayuki Yamaguchi

Music: Chel Watanabe

Animation Production: Elias

<Cast

Erufuda: Ayasa Ito

Naoe Tomoatsu：Takahide Ishii

Kuroeda：Rena Hasegawa

Oga: Ayaka Fukuhara

© Cinekudoki (Akita Shoten) / Mr. Elf Production Committee