Spoiler Alert] The adventure with Artemis is a bitter experience that leads to Belle's growth. Interview with Sadayuki Matsuoka, who plays Belle in "Danmachi the Movie: Orion's Arrow

The movie version of "It's Wrong to Seek an Encounter in a Dungeon -The Arrow of Orion-" is currently in theaters to rave reviews. It depicts the new adventures of Belle, Hestia and other familiar faces.
Belle successfully pulls out a spear at a spectacle held by Hermes on the day of the festival. This was done at the request of the goddess Artemis, who was looking for someone with the "power" to pull out a spear in order to fight a ferocious monster. Along with Artemis, Belle, Hestia, Lili and Welf, and Hermes set out outside of Orario to defeat the ferocious monster, Antares. Hestia, an old friend of Artemis, is happy to see her again, but feels a subtle discomfort with her behavior. ......
Although there are some comical scenes, the overall story is serious, especially in the latter half when Artemis and Belle's feelings begin to touch each other, and the climactic battle carefully depicts the painful emotions of Belle, who wails and struggles when she learns of her cruel fate. From there, his determination to "save" Artemis, his actions, and his parting scene with Artemis inevitably cause the audience's teary eyes to burst!　The sunrise in the last scene, which stands out from the generally low-key scenes, gives the impression of Belle's new first step after overcoming her severe experience.
We asked Sadajo Matsuoka, who plays Belle, about this work, which is scattered throughout with elements foreshadowing the dramatic climax, with a few spoilers.

Belle's charm is her straightforwardness, and Hestia's charm is her strings (laughs).

─ ─ How did you feel last year when the movie version and the second TV season were announced at the same time?

Matsuoka: I was like, "Finally, it's here! I felt like, "Finally, it's here! I had heard that the first season of "Danmachi" and its offshoot "Sword Oratoria" were both very well received. We also had enough stock of original works. But I didn't expect the movie version to come before the second season! I was also surprised that the movie version would come before the second season. So in that sense, I was still surprised.

What were you conscious of when playing Belle?

Matsuoka I always cherished my grandfather's words, "You must seek encounters in the dungeon! I think that Belle is so honest and straight-forward. I try to approach her in my own way without dividing that straightforwardness. I play the role with that kind of straightforwardness in mind.


You are the type of person who looks for the good in others, even when you see their bad sides, as if there must be a reason for it.

Matsuoka That's right. I even think to myself, "Why don't you question people a little bit? (laughs). (laugh) However, when I think about it in terms of acting, Belle is such an "unquestioning person" that it would be wrong to insert my own feelings, so I draw a clear line between Belle and Matsuoka, and Matsuoka as Matsuoka.

─ What do you sympathize with or want to learn from Belle?

Matsuoka: I think I have to learn from Belle's straightforwardness. On the other hand, she is straight in general, but when it comes to changing her own relationship with ...... Hestia, she is not so straight. I'm not so straight about that! (laughs). (Laughs.) But I think that's natural for a boy of his age. (Laughs) Including these points, I think I have a strong "admiration" for Bell as a whole.

─ ─ What is the charm of Hestia from your point of view?

Matsuoka: I would have to say the strings!　Hahahaha (laughs). (Laughs.) But that just makes me sound like a pervert, so I'll answer seriously: ...... The strings are certainly attractive and symbolize Hestia. But what I think is so cute about Hestia is the way she gets jealous. It's different from the way normal girls get upset.


─ ─ It's not so much jealousy, but more like a small child being spoiled, isn't it?

Matsuoka Yes, that's right!　So, I'm trying to express my feelings of "I love Belle-kun" in that direction, but Belle is Belle (laughs).

─ ─ I'm totally useless in that direction (laughs). (laughs) What's interesting is that in this kind of romantic comedy situation, they are thinking of each other, but they don't know how to express their feelings. ......

Matsuoka: Normally, both girls are awkward, but Hestia is going at it with gusto. However, the last episode of the first season is symbolic of this. Belle and Hestia sleep together in the same bed as if it were just a matter of chance. But when Belle falls asleep because she's tired, she doesn't feel relieved, but instead says, "I'm already asleep! (Laughs). (Laughs.) That kind of thing is very Hestia-esque. (Laughs.) So there was a part of me that thought, "Is this girl really a god? (Laughs.) So there were parts of me that thought, "Is this girl really a god? But when she released her deity at the end of the first season, not only the way she said it, but also the pressure or aura she had, she was a god.

─ Come to think of it, Belle keeps calling Hestia "God. In the movie version of the guest character Artemis, she is called "Goddess" at first, but in the scene a few days after they meet, she is called "Artemis-sama," just like the other characters.

Matsuoka: Perhaps Belle sees Hestia as an existence completely separate from herself. She says things like, "I am a human being, so I shouldn't do this to God. Even if God says that he likes me, I think I instinctively draw the line between "liking" and "liking as a familia. In Bell's mind, it's like "I like (respect) you," I'm sure. I think Belle's purity comes out in the fact that she doesn't take away that line and doesn't call him by his name forever.