Interview with Iori Saeki (Amelia Rose) and Nana Harumura (Elisa Griffith) of the winter 2023 anime "Bingen no Mahoutsukai ga Sekai wo Sukeru" - actually, they are in contrast! What is their approach to acting?

The TV anime "Bingen no mahoutsukai ga sekai wo tame ni" is currently airing on TBS and BS11.

Based on the light novel by Nana Mikoshiba, "Bingen no Mahoutsukai ga Sekai wo Sorcerer Ga Sukeru (The Magician of Bingen Rules the World: The Boy Who Is the World's Strongest Magician Enters the Magic Academy)" is also being published as a comicalization version. It is a school fantasy featuring Ray White, the "Bingen Sorcerer," who is said to be the world's most powerful sorcerer.

After suffering from a deep psychological scar caused by his own overpowering power, he hides his true identity and enrolls in the "Arnold Academy of Magic," where elite magicians gather. Although he is looked down upon by the aristocratic magicians, he faces numerous trials and conspiracies with his irreplaceable friends.

Akiba Research Institute interviewed the main cast of this work.

For this interview, we spoke with Iori Saeki, who plays the role of Amelia Rose, a student at the Arnold Academy of Magic like Rei and the daughter of one of the three great noble families, the Rose family, and Nana Harumura, who plays Elisa Griffith, a petite half-elf girl in the same class as Rei and Amelia.

When I heard both Amelia and Elisa's voices, I thought they were perfect for each other.

--What were your impressions of the original light novel and manga, as well as this script?

Saeki: When I read the script, I thought that some of the characters appeared a little earlier than in the original work. I think this is one of the charms of the anime. I hope you will enjoy seeing how the characters interact with the main character.

Harumura: The light novel, manga, and anime all have slightly different tastes, and I had the impression that the anime was somewhere between the light novel and manga. Although they tell the same story, I think you can enjoy it from any angle. The magic and effects in the anime are beautiful.

--There are many works with sorcerers and a strong protagonist, but what do you feel is the unique charm of this work?

Saeki: I thought the stories of each of the characters were very good. Moreover, among works with a lot of women in them, the "friendship" between the main characters is very important. Even if there are some romantic elements, the story is basically about getting along with the main character. I personally like that.

Harumura: There are some difficult words in the story because he is a magician, but it is not too serious, and there are also comical gag scenes that I never get tired of. I thought the balance between the two was perfect.

Iori Saeki

--Did you audition only for your current role?

Saeki I also recorded Elisa (for the audition tape).

Harumura I see! I only had one role of Elisa.

--I only had one role as Elisa, but you recorded Elisa as well, so how did you feel when you heard Harumura-san's voice?

Saeki: I thought it was very close to the Elisa I have in my mind, so I thought it was a perfect fit. When I heard Elisa's voice during the first postrecording, I thought, "Yes, yes, that's it! I thought, "That's it!

Harumura Oh, really? Really?

Saeki I really liked Harumura's cute and slightly husky voice, and it really turned out to be just as I thought it would be.

Harumura Thank you very much. I was so happy to hear it from the side that it gave me goosebumps (laughs). I never thought I would hear you say that, so I am very honored. But I'm also a bit curious about the world line in which you were Elisa (laughs).

(laughs) Saeki: No, no, no, Elisa is still Harumura-san.

--Conversely, how did you feel when you heard Ms. Saeki's voice for Amelia?

Harumura: It was the same for me. I was like, "It's Amelia! As we went through more postrecording sessions, I became more convinced that I had really been chosen for the role. Amelia's strong core and hard work ethic, as well as the fact that she is a bit tossed around by Rei, were all perfectly played. I felt that you were able to do that because of what you have built up over the years.

Saeki: (I'm embarrassed and squirm (laughs)). (Laughs) I am very honored, though.

We have different approaches to acting.

--I would like to ask you about your approach to playing the role of your character. What did you have in mind when you created the roles of Amelia and Elisa under your direction?

Saeki: I thought "perfect" was the perfect word for Amelia, and I kept wondering how I could express that perfection. In particular, I really wanted to bring out her seamlessness. I had a certain "Amelia" that I wanted to play. I did that during the tape audition and was able to pass the audition, so during the recording, I kept the perfection, seriousness, and seamlessness of Amelia, but I played her as if I was saying, "This is how I think of Amelia.

--She is perfect, but she also has a cute side, doesn't she?

Saeki: That's right. She looks perfect, but in fact she is not (laughs). But I didn't think too much about the parts that weren't, so I tried to play the serious and seamless part and then act in a natural way.

--I tried to play her naturally.

Saeki: That's how I felt.

--How about Elisa?

Harumura: My role was quite different from the one you mentioned. I was conscious of "Elisa would have thought this way in this scene, so let's be honest about it" based on the light novel. She is a serious and very shy girl, so I played her as I thought it would be good if I could express what I received from the light novel.

--I was not trying to create my own version of Elisa, but to express what I received from the original work.

Harumura: Yes. I tried to perform it out loud as it was.

--The difference in approach between the two of you is interesting.

Harumura I was surprised too. Of course, I think they both have their own merits.

--You mentioned earlier that Amelia is a perfect woman. What kind of woman do you think is "perfect"?

Saeki: Well, she has a good face,...... a good head, a good style, and a good personality,...... (laughs). Everything is close to a person's ideal, or close to God.

Harumura I like idols, so I have a lot of opportunities to look at women, but I think it's someone who doesn't compromise on herself.

Saeki Oh, .......

Harumura What? Is something wrong?

Saeki No, I thought my answer was too thin (laughs).

Harumura That's not true (laughs). In the end, people who don't compromise improve their face and style, as you said, Saeki-san, so I think it's the result of hard work.

Saeki Thank you so much for following up.

Opinions are the exact opposite about being praised out of the blue and about muscles!

--What is your impression of the main character of the film, Rei, played by Junya Enoki?

Saeki: I got the impression that he was pretty outspoken as the story progressed.

Harumura That's right.

Saeki: Rei is an unassuming character, but Mr. Enoki would ad-lib a little bit. That was interesting.

--I also interviewed Mr. Enoki this time, and he said that he thought a lot about it and was rather logical and logical in his approach.

Saeki: I see. I guess he was trying to be logical, but I thought he was having a good time performing within a range that did not destroy the sense of the world.

Harumura When I first heard Mr. Enoki's Rei-kun, it was different from the image I had of him from reading the original work. He is an indifferent character, but I wondered if he might not be too indifferent. I thought. But as the story progressed, I felt that only Mr. Enoki could have done it. As you can see in the anime, it is only because of the master who appears later in the story that the character is so indifferent. If he thought that much about his performance, I can't sleep with my feet turned toward Enoki-san.

--If he had thought that far ahead, I would not be able to sleep with my feet on the ground.

Harumura It is precisely because of the nonchalant nature of the voice that the comical parts are even more beautiful, isn't that right?

Saeki Indeed. But I like his outspoken performance (laughs). I thought he really mastered this character.

--Incidentally, Rei is always praising the women he meets without hesitation. What would you two do if a man suddenly said to you, "You are cute" or "You look nice"?

Harumura: If I take Elisa out of the picture and think of it as Harumura, I would be quite happy.

--I'm not scared, or I'm like, "Oh, my God! You don't get scared?

Harumura No, I don't. I would probably take it seriously. If I keep saying that, I think there might be something behind it, but I am honestly happy to be praised. How about you, Mr. Saeki?

Saeki: (Saying simply) I can't do it (laughs). (Laughs) First of all, I would be wary.

--It's a bit like picking up girls.

Saeki: I know it's an animation, but when Rei suddenly kissed Elisa on the chin, I wondered what was going on. I thought, "What's wrong with that? I am the type of person who is a little wary when someone says sweet things to me.

Harumura I would certainly be wary of a chin kiss (laughs). (Laughs.) If it's just words, I'll accept them favorably, but if it's an action, I might put up a wall. I think that's only allowed because it's Rei.

--I know you didn't get to work with everyone in the distributed recording, but were there any other people who made an impression on you during the recording?

Saeki: Rather than a specific person, I thought everyone really fit the role. They all seemed to be having a lot of fun. I was also impressed by how they played around a lot with the gag elements, and we laughed a lot.

Harumura I was Evi. I often went home after the recording thinking, "Evi was great! Especially, the dialogue with Ray was really funny, and I often laughed during the recording. Muscles are important in this work, and I was impressed by the passionate muscles of both Evi and Ray.

--Now that we are on the topic of muscles, let me ask you one last question. Do you like muscles?

Saeki: Yes, I do.

Harumura Not really.

--That's a contrasting answer right to the end. Thank you for the beautiful punch line!

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Kenichi Chiba)