Signed checkee present! Interview with Sumire Uesaka (who plays Ram) from "Urusei Yatsura," a new anime that will be the focus of attention in the fall of 2022!

After the announcement that "Urusei Yatsura" would be adapted into an anime in 2022, the moment the link visual (Uesaka Sumire as Ram) was released as the first casting bulletin, the anticipation among the public was skyrocketing.

The color illustration of Ram floating in the air and the monochrome photo of Sumire Uesaka wearing a tiger-patterned one-piece dress and star accessories were a perfect representation of the pop and stylish nature of "Urusei Yatsura," but above all, the expression and pose of Ms. Uesaka were exactly like Ram herself. As expected, her voice in the first PV is exactly like Ram's, and we are excited about the imminent start of the TV broadcast of "Urusei Yatsura".

Uesaka-san, who spent his high school years reading the original manga and his college years studying for exams at a desk with a Ram figure on it, explains the story of Ataru & Ram in "Urusei Yatsura.

Aura of a heroine that would be overwhelming if she actually existed

--First of all, could you tell us about the image you had of Ram before the audition?

Uesaka: For the audition, I had received drafts of Ram, Shinobu, and Sakura, but I was most worried about Ram. I had an image of Shinobu as a neat and innocent rambunctious girl and Sakura as a cool and sexy older sister who is a bit unreasonable and natural, but I felt that "Ram-chan is just Ram-chan. Her personality differs from episode to episode. She can be very goofy, angry or maidenly, and her tone of voice is not only "dacha" but also "dacha na nokke? I had a hard time deciding how to play her because I couldn't describe her in just one word. Sakura-san did her best (laughs).

I had played many characters like Shinobu, and I had an image of "this is the kind of girl I would play now" from the original story and the anime, so I thought that if I were to pass the test, it would be Shinobu. But when I heard the Shinobu of (Uchida) Marei, I thought she was even more Shinobu than Shinobu. She has that unstable emotionality that is unique to Shinobu (laughs). Shinobu is a cute character, so it was really interesting to hear the scenes in which she suddenly flirted with Mendo, or the scenes in which she used her cute voice to show her monstrous strength.

--You said that it was unexpected that you were given the role of Ram.

Uesaka: It was unexpected. I don't know what part led to my acceptance, but on the contrary, I feel a strange connection to the role.

--I think there must have been some difficulty and pressure not to destroy the image of the character, since everyone knows him so well.

Uesaka: Yes, there was a lot of pressure before the recording began, but once the recording started, I was so absorbed in the recording that I forgot how nervous I was. Everyone, including Mr. Kamiya, seemed to be having a lot of fun during the postrecording sessions, and I hope you can feel that.

What I thought was wonderful about the "Urusei Yatsura" anime was that everyone in the cast seemed to be having so much fun. The staff members also made original episodes and episodes with full-blown mecha, and even after many years, you can still feel their playful spirit in the work. So I try to keep that in mind, and although I do get nervous, I just try to have fun when I am on set.

（I also received a message from Fumi Hirano (who played Ram in the previous film) that he is looking forward to seeing me.

--What kind of girl is Ram from your point of view?

Uesaka: Yes, she is. In a word, she is a "tough and strong girl. She is super cute and can fly, including the fact that she comes from outer space.

--She is a very strong heroine.

Uesaka: Also, she is in and out of class.

--She is free (laughs).

Uesaka Even when the boys in her class become her friends, she doesn't pay attention to them and is devoted to her darling. （I first saw her when I was in high school, and she seemed like an ideal two-dimensional character, but now that I've seen her in action and seen her again, I've come to think she's cute, including her girlish sulking, selfishness, and unreasonableness.

--I think she is cute in her own way.

Uesaka: If she actually existed, I think I would be overwhelmed by her heroine aura. But Ram-chan treats all life forms equally. She doesn't use honorifics or anything like that, and she doesn't have any formalities, so I think she would be a great friend to me if I talked to her.　It will be very complicated when it comes to darlings, though.

I wonder how many friends we can be at ......? (LOL). Ram-chan wears various costumes in her work, so I think she could be a costume friend.

--I think that Ram is equally equal to all life forms except for Ataru, right?

Uesaka: It is true that there is a difference in Ram's temperature between Ataru and others. I hope I can convey that sense of Ataru's single-mindedness.

--Did you have any particular points in mind when you were playing the role of Ram?

Uesaka: First of all, she is "cute," and in the anime, her expressions of joy, anger, sadness, and joy are depicted greatly. But when she flies in the sky or spins around while flying, she is mysterious and her elegance makes me nervous. So, I hope that the audience will enjoy both the usual cuteness and the charm of "Ram-chan is a girl from outer space" that she suddenly shows. I don't really have a fixed "Ram-chan is this way," but rather change it from scene to scene.

--How do you and Kamiya-san interact with each other?

Uesaka: I feel that Kamiya-san really pulls me along in the dubbing sessions. I think the interesting thing about "Urusei Yatsura" is its fast-paced conversational drama. It's as if I'm making a joke but not making a joke, or as if I'm blurting out something but not blurting it out. So far, I am very thankful that I have been able to record the entire film with Kamiya-san. For example, when Ataru is on a girl hunt and I hit her with blitzes, we are able to create an emotional synergy, or rather, a dialogue that builds on top of each other.

--What is your impression of Ataru?

Uesaka: When I first read the book, I thought "Ram-chan is a cute wife," but when I read it again as an adult, I found that he was acting based on the premise that "Ram is my wife," which made me feel really excited.

-Ataru actually likes Ram a lot, too, doesn't he?

Uesaka: That's right. When Ram-chan is in danger or about to be taken, he rushes to her even if she is in shreds, and I think he is a cool protagonist. But for today's teenagers, it's like, "Onee-san, what's your address?　What's your phone number?　Do you want to have tea?" It would be very refreshing for them to hear him say, "Onee-san, what's your address? He is very dynamic and embodies the typical boyish guy, so I think he will be very attractive.

The first episode draws you in from the very first cut.

--I know that you have been reading the original story for a long time, but do you have a favorite episode?

Uesaka: I would have to say the episode where Ram-chan goes on an arranged marriage ("Miai kowashi"). First of all, I was shocked to see that "Ram-chan is a china girl when she goes on an arranged marriage date! I was shocked, but at the same time I thought it was cute. Ram doesn't know it's a blind date and thinks it's a party, so she gets excited and is unsure of what to wear, but Ataru tries to prevent the blind date from happening.

There are also a few swimsuit episodes, and Ram-chan is wearing a swimsuit that is not a bikini. I think it was polka dots.

--It was "the obstacle swimming competition.

Uesaka: That made me nervous. It made me feel more fetishistic than usual bikinis. I thought it was really cute in the anime when Ram-chan ate pickled plums and got drunk.

--I thought it was really cute in the anime.

Uesaka: I also really like the episode of Lip who kisses when she paints ("Ki-E-Na-i Rouge Magic!"). ) is also a favorite of mine.

--That's the one where Ataru ends up kissing her, isn't it?

Uesaka: That's right. I was also thinking, "Finally with my darling? I was thinking, "Finally with my darling! Why? (laughs). I would love to see it in an anime. I would love to see Ram-chan who can no longer speak Japanese (as in "Love Across the Border"). I'm also curious to see what happens in the end of the original story,

--Is there any episode in which someone other than Ram plays an active role that you would like to see?

Uesaka: When Ran-chan is kissed by Rei ("Anko: Sadness, the Taste of Love!?"). ). Actually, she just ate the bean paste on his mouth, but you can see Ran-chan in her maiden mode.

--I see that you also like episodes with other lovely couples besides Ram and Ataru. As for Ram and Ran, I remember Ram cutting Ran-chan off when she came to borrow money for her date with Rei, saying "We're poor.

Uesaka That's great (laughs). Urusei Yatsura" has many one-off episodes, so there are many one-time guest characters.

--Is there any scene in "Ataru" that left a strong impression on you?

Uesaka: I would have to say "Ram's ah-ho". It appears in various places. He doesn't say that to other people, and the fact that he says "ah-hoho" instead of "bakka" is quite impressive (laughs). I thought it was a kind of expression of affection.

When Ram returned to his planet, there were times when he would cry and say, "Ram-oooo! and the range of his shout was very wide. I think he was expressing a variety of emotions with those words alone. When she accepts her punishment, she says, "Aghhh! is also an expression of Ataru's affection, and I like it.

--He is a man of no resistance, isn't he? Ataru is very kind to women.

Uesaka That's right.

--Finally, could you tell us about the highlight of the first episode?

Uesaka When expressing "all over the world," the episode begins with shots of countries around the world, and I like this nostalgic direction. In New York, the Statue of Liberty is shown, then London, and then China (......). It's all very Showa-esque. I was really drawn in from this first cut. And when Cherry appeared at the top, I was as excited as when I read the manga for the first time.

It was a while after the anime started that Ram appeared, but he was mysterious like an alien, and it was a rare time when he still thought of Ataru as a normal human being. I hope you will watch it because it recreates the shock of reading about how he wins the game of tag with Ram in the original story. Also, I really like Ataru's mother because she is so intense.

--The last line of the first episode is also effective, isn't it? The last line of the first episode is also very effective.

Uesaka That's right (laughs). (laughs) I think I had to redo this one a bit (during recording). You imitated Deranbo a little bit. But the way it ends makes you think, "Oh, it's "Urusei Yatsura,"" and I think it will convey the charm of "Urusei Yatsura" to first-time viewers as well.

(Reporting and writing by Koji Shimizu; Photography by Koji Iida)

Outline of Present Campaign

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Commemorating the start of "Urusei Yatsura" broadcast!One lucky winner will receive acheki autographed by Uesaka Sumire, who plays Ram!

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