Pola photo giveaway! The cast and characters are somewhat similar! Interview with Saki Miyashita, Marika Takano, and Mimyu Tomita of "Houkago Saikoro Club," an autumn anime about high school girls addicted to bodge games!

The highly anticipated TV anime "Houkago Saikoro Club" ("Saikoro Club") will begin airing in October 2019. Its three main cast members appeared on Akiba Research Institute!

Houkago Dice Roll Club" is an analog board game manga by Hirohiro Nakamichi, serialized in "Gessan" (Shogakukan). It is a popular work that has sold over 500,000 copies in total. The story is about a shy high school student, Mihime Mukasa, who is drawn into the world of board games when she meets her classmates Aya Takayashiki and Midori Ohno, the committee chairman, and grows in friendship through board games with her friends.

In this interview, Saki Miyashita (who plays the main heroine), Marika Takano (who plays Aya Takayashiki), and Mimyu Tomita (who plays Midori Ohno) talk about the appeal of the work and their thoughts on it!

I feel that all three of them are similar in some ways to the characters they play (Miyashita).

-- First of all, what are your impressions of the original work?

Miyashita: I felt that the overall style of the book, such as the use of color on the cover, was drawn with a gentle touch and the charm of Kyoto. Also, I love the mysterious yet glamorous smile that Miki shows, and I always fall in love with it every time I read it.

Tomita It makes me want to start playing board games right now. I thought the manga was like a textbook, filled with such charm.

Takano I think it is very difficult to describe a game in words, but I felt that the game itself is interesting and the rules are explained in an easy-to-understand way. The characters are not only good at games, but also those who are not so good, which makes me feel closer to them.

-- Please tell us about the characters that you play. Also, what were you conscious of when you were playing them?

Miyashita: Miki is shy, quiet, reserved, and a crybaby, but on the other hand, she is a kind girl who can understand other people's feelings. Because of this timid character, I was directed to focus on the emotion of "frightened" as the first priority in my performance, but in the scene where we play the board game, the emotion of "fun" is also important, so I tried to balance that.

Takano: Aya is an innocent mood maker. In contrast to Miki, Aya is the type of girl who moves forward, but when Miki gets stuck and stops, she turns around and adjusts her pace to match. However, she is not very good at games (laughs)!

Tomita: Midori is very firm and mature, and since she is the chairperson of the committee, she plays the role of a leader, but on the other hand, she has a natural quirk and likes cute things. Also, this was the first time for me to play a character who spoke in the Kyoto dialect, so I was very conscious of my pronunciation.

Miyashita: That's exactly why I feel that all three of us are similar in some ways to the characters we play. For example, Takano-san is not bad at games ......, but his gentleness oozes out of him, and when it comes to psychological warfare, he is .......

Takano: Ah, it is true that when the three of us play games together, we are usually in a position to lose (laughs).

Miyashita: That is similar to Aya, in that she is good at reading the atmosphere around her and putting things together. The similarity between Mr. Tomita and Midori is the "gap" between them. Tomita-san usually dresses coolly .......

Tomita: I have a habit of collecting stuffed toys (laughs). By the way, how about yourself, Mr. Miyashita?

Miyashita Hmmm, I think I may be similar to Miki in that I keep a little distance from others. ......

Tomita It is true that you may be a bit shy, but you express your will "this is how I want to do it" during recordings and events. I think that is another point in common with Miki.

Takano: Yes, I think that you, like Miki, have a high awareness of "I want to do something interesting! I think you have a high awareness of "I want to do something interesting! The other day, after the event was over, he was reflecting on what he had said, saying, "I couldn't say anything interesting today. ....... I don't think you have to force yourself to say something funny. ...... But if you do, I'm looking forward to it (laughs).

Miyashita: Please don't raise the bar too high! At any rate, each of you has something in common with the character you play!

The postrecording in Kyoto dialect was like taking a music class (Tomita)

-- What was it like at the postrecording studio?

Takano: Actually, I haven't told this to him yet, but I'm really interested in the fact that Kohei Amasaki (who plays classmate Shota Taue) was dubbing after drinking a Coke! It's amazing that he can act after drinking a carbonated beverage (laughs).

Tomita Also, Takaya Kuroda (who plays Takeru Kaneshiro, the manager of the Saikoro Club) always sits next to me, and every time he drinks Calpis or Yuzu Honey Lemon, it's cute! So every time we record a scene, we all notice Kuroda-san's mischievous side (laughs).

Miyashita: Everyone is like, "Kuroda-san is so cute! We are all like, "Kuroda-san is so cute! Just like the store manager that Kuroda-san himself plays, the gap between his appearance and character is fascinating.

-- I amsure it was difficult for you to record in Kyoto dialect?

Miyashita: I am from Nara Prefecture, but even though we are both from the Kansai region, I felt that the Kyoto dialect is more "refined. I received pronunciation instruction during the recording, and it was difficult to go up a semitone.

Tomita: The Kyoto dialect changes its pitch slightly when you speak with emotion, so the dubbing was a very delicate process. It was like taking a music class (laughs). Also, Midori is very conscious of her own tone of voice, so it was difficult to get the Kyoto dialect just right so that it would not be too formal.

Takano: Aya doesn't speak Kyoto dialect at all, so I don't have to practice it, but both of them are practicing hard, giving up their break time, so I am trying my best to learn Kyoto dialect (laugh). (Laughs.) Recently, every time I see Mr. Miyashita, I say Miki's lines and ask him, "How's it going? I ask him "How's it going?

Miyashita But my pronunciation is always a little bit wrong (laughs). (laughs) I may need to study a little more!

Takano: Hmmm, that's tough! I'm from Tokyo, but at first, the nuances peculiar to the Kyoto dialect sometimes didn't feel right. For example, in the Kansai-ben narration, the phrase "it was" is sometimes said "it was," but the "de" is sometimes left half a tone higher (the tone does not fall off), and I wondered if I was expressing the punchline correctly with this way of speaking. I was worried about whether I was expressing the punchline in this way. However, I recently realized that when a work is set in Kyoto, the Kyoto dialect has its own way of ending.

Miyashita I see. Perhaps you will have a chance to show off your Kyoto dialect in the future, Mr. Takano. Maybe at an event?

-- I'd love to hear about any episodes related to board games that you have.

Tomita: I had only played major board games such as "UNO," "Jenga," and "The Game of Life," but in order to be able to properly explain the board games I had just learned, I watched videos of them being played and learned a lot. I found it interesting that there were so many board games that could be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Miyashita: When I was a student, we used to get together and play cards, such as "Daifugo" and "Speed. I also remember playing a soccer game (Epoch's "soccer board") where you spin a stick with a doll on it when I was little. I think it was because the way to play was so simple that I never got tired of it.

Takano: Recently, I came across a game called "Tortoise Medal." What is amazing about this game is that it is actually made by a paper manufacturing company, and they are very particular about the materials they use, considering that games are "something people hold in their hands. I am expecting that new games will be created with an awareness of not only the design but also the texture of the materials.

*"Tortoise" ...... is a table game offered by Fukunaga Shiko. The game is played by turning over medals like a "nervous breakdown," and adding the numbers on the medals to make 10. The name "Tortoise" comes from "to-tus" (+), which means to add up to 10.

--Didyou do any interesting activities after school when you were in school?

Takano: My friends and I used to sit at a window seat on the second floor of a fast-food restaurant and look out, observing the older brothers and older men who were catching the food while doing telerecording (laughs). What did he just say? What did he just say? I played around with my voice in a comical way, imagining all sorts of things. It was like an etude in theater (laughs).

Tomita Hmmm...work, I guess (laughs). After high school classes were over, I would put on my uniform and go straight to the recording studio, so it was like my work was like a club activity. On the other hand, there are many things I wanted to do after high school. I would have liked to work part-time at a convenience store.

Miyashita: I was in the home economics club in junior high school, but rather than sewing or cooking, we would get together and chat. We would drink Calpis (laughs)!

Takano Wow, that sounds interesting! That kind of coming-of-age is possible (laughs)!

(laughs) I would be happy if this work could get people interested in board games (Takano).

-- What do you think of theOPsong "Present Moment"?

Tomita It's a very refreshing song that reminds me of spring. The lyrics also give a push to the listener and to Miki, reminding us of "the beginning," and I think it is a suitable theme song for the opening.

-- This song is also your debut single as a solo artist.

Tomita: I am very happy that my debut song is the theme song of an anime, but at the same time, I felt a lot of pressure at first. After all, a theme song is a song that bears the work's title. ...... The song has a refreshing sense of speed and moves forward into the future, so I am happy if I can push people's backs when they listen to it. In terms of the visuals, the jacket photo shows the dice sitting in a square box, and the lyrics are linked to the world view and words, so I hope you will enjoy the song along with the broadcast of "After School Dice Club"!

Miyashita: I also listened to "Present Moment," and I felt that she sang so powerfully that I didn't feel any pressure, but when she relaxed her energy, she did so beautifully. I felt your sense of style!

-- What kind of song is theEDsong "On the Board"that you sing as the characters?

Takano: It's a fun and positive song! It is a character song in which Aya and Midori help Miki solve her problems.

Miyashita: I think everyone has some problems, and if you listen to the song and apply it to your own problems, I am sure you will be able to relate to it.

-- I see. So "Dice Roll Club" is a work that introduces a board game, and it is also a work in which Miki grows up and conquers the game of "life"?

Miyashita That's right. But that growth would not be possible without the characters around her, such as Aya and Midori. I hope you will look forward to seeing how Miki will reach her goal!

--Then, finally, could you give a message to our readers?

Takano: I would be very happy if this work could spark your interest in board games and board game cafes. You can enjoy the daily lives of these unique girls and become familiar with board games without stress. That's what this work is about.

Tomita: You can enjoy the friendship, love, and growth of the girls who play board games. Also, the accompaniment to the play is Kyoto-inspired, so I hope you will feel the charm of Kyoto not only visually but also in terms of music!

Miyashita: In addition to Miki, Aya, and Midori, there are many other unique characters in this work. I think you will enjoy the work even more if you can see yourself as one of them. Please take a look!

(Interview, text, and photos by Kariyasu☆)

Saki Miyashita (played by Miki Mukasa), Marika Takano (played by Aya Takayashiki), and Miyu Tomita (played by Midori Ohno) of "Houkago Saikoro Club" presented with autographed polas!

To commemorate the interview, we are giving away a Polaroid photo autographed by Saki Miyashita (who plays Miki Mukasa), Marika Takano (who plays Aya Takayashiki), and Miyu Tomita (who plays Midori Ohno) to one lucky winner! Please apply for it!

<Prize
Polaroid photo autographed by Saki Miyashita, Marika Takano, and Miyu Tomita

<Prize details> <Entry requirements> <Entry period
Application period: October 9, 2019 (Wed) - October 16, 2019 (Wed) 23:59
・Number of winners : 1 person
・Prize Shipping ： Scheduled to be shipped by the end of December 2019
How to apply: Use the dedicated application form below.

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