Signatures! Nokuru goes on a tour of famous places! Yumiri Hanamori, Sayuri Hara, and Aki Toyosaki talk about the short anime "Heya Can△" and the charm of "Yuru Can△"!

Heya Can△," a short animation series based on the popular work "Yuru Can△," which is currently in its second TV anime season and will be made into a movie, began airing on AT-X, TOKYO MX, and BS11 in January 2020.

The members of the main staff involved in the TV anime "Yuru Can△" reunited for this work. The delicate depiction and beautiful scenery are said to have been thoroughly created in this work as well, and expectations are high for its broadcast. We interviewed Yumiri Hanamori (playing Nadeshiko Kakamigahara), Sayuri Hara (playing Chiaki Ogaki), and Aki Toyosaki (playing Aoi Inuyama), who play the members of the outdoor activity circle in "Heyacan△.

Enjoy the feeling of stepping out of the club room and going to places of interest for fun!

--How did you feel when you heard about the second TV anime season, the movie version, and "Heya Can △" becoming a stand-alone TV anime?

HaraWe were also surprised when we first heard about it at the "YuruCan△ Secret Society Blanket Entrance Explanatory Meeting 2018 Autumn" event in October 2018. But the original story was still going on, and we were very happy to think that we could still camp with the members of the Nokuru (Outdoor Activity Circle) and Rin-chan. The tears that Yumiri was moved to tears and shed moved me too. ...... I was absolutely convinced that it would be a success.

However, I honestly didn't expect "Heyacan-△", so I thought the second season and the movie version were "amazing! I thought, "But 'Heyacan-△'? What do you mean? (laughs).

Hanamori: I was really happy when I heard about the sequel, because it was an event that ended with the great feeling of having been involved in such a wonderful work. The original work and the first season of "YuruCan△" had such a wonderful atmosphere, and I think I myself was the most healed during the postrecording sessions. That is why I was happy to be able to have that healing time again.

Moreover, the live-action drama will start at the same time. I am happy to be able to deliver two developments, the anime and the drama, and personally I am very much looking forward to seeing Haruka Fukuhara's Rin-chan (laughs). (Laughs) I hope to bring a relaxed atmosphere to "Heya Can△" as well, so that we can both be excited about it.

Toyosaki: I was also very surprised by the surprise announcement at the event; we hadn't decided on a sequel when the first season started, so I'm very grateful for everyone's reaction, the fact that people actually started camping, and the fact that the town where the show is set was so excited. The fact that various forces led to the decision for a sequel makes me feel as a cast member that our feelings have been understood, and I am truly grateful for that.

I had always enjoyed camping, and Ao-chan spoke with an accent like the Kansai dialect, so I definitely wanted to do it, so I auditioned for the role. So I was very happy to be able to speak as Aoi-chan again.

--I think "YuruCan△" and "Heyacan△" have their own merits and charms, but could you tell us about the highlights of "Heyacan△" this time?

Hara: Unlike the "Heyacamp△" that was aired during the "YuruCamp△" TV anime, this time each episode is a connected story. So I don't think there will be many mysterious endings or surrealistic episodes like before (laughs). The tempo is not so different from the main "Yuru Can△" story, and the acting is done without being conscious of the fact that it is a short anime, so you can see the same atmosphere and characters as before, just in a shorter time frame.

--So the way of acting is the same as in the main "Yuru Can△" series?

Hara: That's right. However, it is very possible that the way of acting changed naturally during scenes that were not done in "YuruCan△" (laughs). (Laughs.) Chiaki was also a character who said gag-like things in "Yuru Can△," so I felt like I was acting in that vein.

Toyosaki: "Heya Can△" is an easy-to-watch work because the atmosphere and the characters' personalities are packed into a short story. You can watch any number of episodes. One of the charms of "YuruCan△" is that it can be enjoyed by both those who are new to the series and those who have been watching it for a long time.

--I heard that you will be spotlighting various places in Yamanashi.

Hanamori That's right. I think you will be able to enjoy it as if you were visiting the various places of interest.

Toyosaki The title is "Heya Can△," but this time we are going outside, not to the club room.

Hara The starting point is just the "Heya (club room)" (laughs).

--What do you think was it about "YuruCan△" that stuck in everyone's mind?

Hanamori: It is a loose work, but I strongly felt Mr. Afro's worldview and his attention to tools and camping styles in the original work. When the anime version was made, director Yoshiaki Kyogoku and the rest of the staff went on location to take pictures of the actual camping. The actors also worked hard to give performances that would contribute to the staff's ideal of "YuruCamp△. It is a work that is filled with so much love that it is truly obsessive, and I think that everyone's sincerity was reflected in the work and received by many people.

Hara: Although Nadeshiko is a bit of a pushover and naive (laughs), it was also great that it seemed like she was really camping out.

Toyosaki: The year the show began, there was an unprecedented cat boom and camping boom, and there was a trend of the times, too: a girls' coming-of-age story about camping that had never existed before appeared on the scene. Of course, there were many factors, such as the power of the original story, the passion of the staff who became professional campers before we knew it, and the sound team led by Yumiri-chan as the chairperson. These factors combined with the "otaku mindset" of the camp otaku and the rice-terrorism otaku, and the "understanding" was sprinkled throughout, which I think is what made it so convincing. I myself am an otaku of various genres, and I respect them very much in the sense that I have mastered them.

Hanamori: I sensed from the passion of the staff that they had a strong will not to compromise on anything, whether it be food, camping, scenery, or music. For example, they were particular about the sound effects of the crackling of the fire (bonfire), and we stood in front of the microphone with the sole intention of responding to their passion.

Toyosaki: The same goes for the way the light enters the room when the sun rises. I don't think there have been many cases where a sunrise is depicted slowly with only music and pictures over a considerable length of time.

Hanamori: When I heard that you drew the sky in more than three different patterns to express the feeling of the sunrise, I was very moved by the love you put into every detail. I hope you will read "Outdoor Activity Record" (the official guidebook for the TV anime "YuruCan△"), which describes the feelings that were put into the work.

Hara: You can feel the temperature, too. I even felt cold during the night scenes, even though I was watching them in a warm room at the recording studio.

Toyosaki In that sense, it's stoic and actually not loose at all (laughs).

What is the reaction of overseas fans to ......?

-- "YuruCan△" is popular overseas as well, and you were recently invited to "OTAKON 2019" as the work's first overseas event. How did you feel about participating in the event, Mr. Hara?

Hara: Everyone was really paying close attention. I was wondering if there was a certain atmosphere that people would not get unless they knew about Mt. Fuji, but because the work was so well produced, people seemed to feel that "this kind of scenery exists in Japan" and "I'd like to visit there. Also, from a professional perspective, "What do you think about the economic effect of this work?" (laugh).

Toyosaki: I wasn't at the "Yuru Can△" event, but as a voice actor, I was able to hold a talk event with an overseas audience via a live broadcast. I was very happy to hear that many people answered that Aoi-chan was their favorite character in a questionnaire that asked what they liked about the characters I play. Fuji, a World Heritage site. It seems that people were interested in her because she is catchy and full of the wonders of Japan.

--Ms. Hanamori, you have performed at various events in Japan.

Hanamori: I felt that the local people were really excited about the event, such as the "Shingen-ko Festival" in Yamanashi. Wherever I went, everyone was enjoying not only the artwork but also the camping. I felt that people of all ages, both men and women, beginners and experienced campers alike were really enjoying the event.

I also received a letter saying, "I watch this anime with my children and we play Nadeshiko with Rin-chan," even though it was not an event but a late-night show. It made me happy to know that the work could be seen by young children as well.

--There are also a number of camping goods that have been released in collaboration with "YuruCan△". Is there anything in particular that you like or want?

Toyosaki: There are so many, but the one I thought was cute when I saw it for the first time at ...... was Nadeshiko's backpack.

HaraThat 's nice, isn't it? I really want one too.

Toyosaki It's very practical and designed so that it won't be hard for a girl to carry. It also looks really cute, so I want one.

Hara It can also be used for small trips. I've seen her carrying it several times at events, and every time I've seen it, it's always been improved.

Hanamori It's smart, but it can hold a lot of things. It can hold an iPad and a computer, and it's water-resistant, so I hope everyone will use it!

--Lastly, please give a message to those who are looking forward to the broadcast.

Hara: In this "Heyacan△," we don't spend much time in the room (club room), and Chiaki and Aoi-chan are pulling Nadeshiko along. Chiaki's exuberance, which was also present in "YuruCan△," comes to the fore, so I had a lot of fun throwing myself into the role. I hope that you can enjoy the fun with me.

Hanamori: In this film, Nadeshiko goes back to her beginnings and visits various spots in Yamanashi as if she were a beginner in Yamanashi, and we have the good parts of the film, such as the fun tempo of the TV anime "Yuru Can△" plus the warm atmosphere and clean air of the main story. The "Heya-can-△" is packed with the best parts of the work, such as the fun tempo of the TV anime "Yuru-can-△" plus the relaxed atmosphere and clean air of the main story. There are also descriptions of spots that will tickle your inquisitive mind, and I would strongly recommend visiting the model locations. By the time "Heyacan△" is over, it will be spring driving and camping season, so I would be happy if you could buckle up.

Toyosaki I am also a cast member and a big fan of the work, so I will be extremely busy with more sacred places and delicious food (laughs). The story is filled with many delicious parts of each character, such as Aoi-chan's hokey stories, and even though the basic story is comedy-based, there are quite a few parts that will make you cry. I never thought I would see the day when "Heyacan△" would make me cry, but I hope you will watch it.

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Kenichi Chiba)

Commemorating the broadcast of "Heyacan△! Yumiri Hanamori, Sayuri Hara, and Aki Toyosaki autographs will be presented to one winner!

To commemorate the start of "Heyacan△" broadcast and interview, we are giving away autographs of Yumiri Hanamori (playing Nadeshiko Kakamigahara), Sayuri Hara (playing Chiaki Ogaki), and Aki Toyosaki (playing Aoi Inuyama), who play members of the outdoor activity circle, to one lucky winner!

<Prize
Yumiri Hanamori, Sayuri Hara, and Aki Toyosaki autographs

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Entry period: January 13, 2020 (Monday) - January 20, 2020 (Monday) 23:59
Number of winners: 1
Prize delivery: Scheduled to be sent by the end of March 2020.
How to apply: Use the application form below.

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