Don't miss the battle scenes where his passionate acting shines through! Interview with Marei Uchida, who plays Solomon, to commemorate the start of the second half of the latest "Monster Strike" anime "Solomon, the Magical King of Wisdom"!

The "Monster Strike" anime (hereafter referred to as "MonSt anime") is currently being distributed on YouTube. The voice actress, Marei Uchida, plays Solomon, the main character in its latest work, "Solomon: The Magical King of Wisdom.

In this work, she is a naive royal girl who is repeatedly faced with major challenges as she aspires to become king. However, she overcomes these challenges and grows as a person. We asked Ms. Uchida about the appeal of this work and the climax that awaits us.

I felt that Solomon is a symbol of youth.

I've watched up to episode 8, and the action scenes are really cool!

Uchida: It's amazing, isn't it?　What's going on? I was so surprised. (pointing to the poster) This Solomon is moving just as he is!　I thought the quality was really high.

Q: The battle scenes are very breathtaking. I was glad to see how realistic it was.

Uchida: There were motion actors, and we voice actors were given rehearsal videos with the motion actors' voices. The voice actors' voices are not heard during the postrecording, but we are aware of that as we add our voices. I thought this was an interesting aspect of the CG work.

Q: What did you think when you were given the role of Solomon this time?

Uchida: I heard about the animation first and thought, "MonSt is from that game? I received the script and was very happy to finally understand that I was going to play the role of Solomon in "Solomon, the Magician King of Wisdom. I had been playing the "MonSt" game quite a bit myself during the collaboration campaign in the fall, so I remember I was excited to hear about it at such a great time (laughs).

Q: What kind of character did you think Solomon was?

Uchida: It was more like reading from the script than from the material, but my initial impression was that she was aware of her royalty, but that she was still in the developmental stage and could not do everything. As the story progresses, many things really happen to her. She goes through a lot of hardships and has many heartbreaking scenes. But she overcomes them and grows up, and by the end of the story, she really becomes a big girl. Since the story goes all the way to that point, my impression of Solomon changed a lot over the course of the recording. In the beginning, when he was talking with Forneus and Cassiel, he seemed like a high school girl, but by the end, he has become a confident and respectable person, so I think he is very different.

Q: Because he is a member of the royal family.

Uchida: He faces trials over and over again. That is when I realized how I felt about the people. He realized that he had to do his best for the people. The part where he stood up with that as his core was really cool, and it left a strong impression on me. I was also moved by the last part of the story.

Q: The story of your growth in this way can be compared to your own, can't it?

Uchida That's right!　Even if you try to do your best, when you can't, you can't (laughs). I think that in our normal lives, we also fall behind in various areas. For example, there are times when you don't get good marks in school and you feel that you may not have talent, but Solomon has experienced that kind of repetition! I could relate to that, so I wanted to cheer him up. So even though he is royalty, I felt he was a symbol of youth. So I think she is a very life-sized girl.

Q: In the story, you have a rival and friend named Levy (CV. Nao Higashiyama). What kind of girl is she for Solomon?

Uchida: I like her because she is cute (laughs). I tried not to make Solomon feel bad for her, because I understand Levy's feelings very well.

I tried not to make Solomon feel bad about it.

Uchida: So I thought that I should not be superior in the way I treated Levy. In the scene when they are talking, Solomon has the depth of feeling to accept Levy's aggression, and that is why he is able to forgive Levy. I thought that's why he could forgive Levy.

Q: Did you have any communication with Higashiyama-san, your co-star?

Uchida: Actually, we had a scheduling conflict this time and recorded separately. When we crossed paths on the set just once, we said that we wished we had recorded together. ......

I think we had a good relationship.

Uchida: Because of her support, Solomon was able to grow and I consider her an important partner.

Q: What do you think about Balto, who raised Solomon and Levy?　Did he betray you? It sounds like something like that.

Uchida: Even in recording, there was a lot of mystery about Balto, as we were trying to figure out whether we should feel bad about him or think he is really a good person, but we all agreed from the beginning that there must be a mastermind behind this. But we all agreed that there must be a mastermind behind the whole thing. But as for Barthes, I had always trusted him, he had been by my side, and I thought he was the only person who would not betray me, so it was really too hard for me. It was a big setback for Solomon, and I think it must have been really tough for him.

But this is a story of Solomon's growth, so I think that Balto is one big pain that will help him. But for now, please, Balto! I believe in you! I believe in you!

What do you think of Forneus, the Grand Duke of Hell summoned by Solomon, and Cassiel, the angel who presides over loneliness and tears?

Uchida They were just so cute!　Even before the video was made, the voices of Hiroyuki Yoshino and Satomi Sato were so cute. The impression of Forneus is a little different between the way he is played by the motion actors and the way Yoshino-san plays him, but that kind of squared the cuteness, and for me, it was irresistible (laughs). I enjoyed it twice. I remember I was surprised that Kashiel was going in such a loose direction! I remember being surprised. Satomi and I worked together for the entire recording session, so I felt relaxed every time I saw her. Yoshino-san was also a great comfort to me as I watched from behind, but I couldn't say to him, "Forneus, you're so cute! But Forneus will also appear in his true form, so I hope you will look forward to it.

Q: Lastly, what are some of the highlights from episode 9 onward?

Uchida: I would have to say the intense battle scenes. I got so excited during the recording that my head got bloodshot and I sometimes became flustered. But it is a cool scene and a battle to the death, so I hope you enjoy it. And of course, Mr. Balto is a must-see. All of them are going to fight against a powerful enemy, and if you watch it to the end, you will be glad you saw it! If you watch it to the end, you will be glad you saw it, and you will definitely feel good about the story!

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Junichi Tsukagoshi)