The highlight is the powerful battle scenes! Interview with Soma Saito and Azusa Tadokoro for "Noah, Savior of the Ark," the latest in the "Monster Strike" anime series.

Noah, Savior of the Ark," the latest in the "Monster Strike" (hereafter, MonSt anime) series, is currently being distributed by popular demand.

Civilization has collapsed due to an attack by mechanical life forms, leaving only deserts and ghost towns on a planet. In order to save the few remaining animals and fulfill his dream of escaping the planet together with them, a young boy named Noah mechanizes his body and survives in the harsh environment to build an ark. As the synopsis suggests, "Noah, Savior of the Ark," the latest in the "MonSt Animation" series, has an adventurous feel to it, even from its setting.

We interviewed Souma Saito, who plays Noah, and Azusa Tadokoro, who plays Opeko, about this latest work full of expectations. We asked them to talk about the charm of the work.

A story that can be felt in various ways.

Saito: When you were asked the role of Noa, did you watch any footage from the previous series?

Saito: It was an original story, so if I was too set in my mind, I might not be able to respond on set, so I didn't do a lot of research.

Tadokoro: I also watched the MonSt anime "Arthur: Awakening of the Knight King" starring Nana Mizuki on YouTube to get a feel for it. I had not been involved in the "Monster Strike" smartphone app until now, so when I heard that he was an original character in the new MonSt anime series, I wondered what kind of character he would be. I wondered what kind of character he would be and how he would be involved in the MonSt anime world. I was waiting excitedly to see what kind of character he would be and how he would be involved in the MonSt anime world.

─ ─ You got an offer from "MonSt Anime", the anime based on that "MonSt"! It was like that, wasn't it?

Saito: Because there is no one who doesn't know about it. Especially since I am doing this kind of work.

Tadokoro: That's why I felt extremely honored! I thought, "I'm so honored! I asked him, "Is this the MonSt animation? (laughs).

─ ─ I have covered MonSt animation several times in the past, but it has amazing 3DCG and the quality is very high, isn't it?

Saito: I just had a chance to see some footage of the production in progress, and I think it will be brushed up for release, but it was amazing!　Especially the battle scenes!

─ ─ So there are a lot of battle scenes in this series?

Saito: There are quite a few. Especially Noah is the main character in many battle scenes, so I think that's one of the things I would like you to hear from me as a performer.

───We'll talk about that later, but how did you feel when you heard about the world view and setting of the Noah version?　Doesn't it tickle the fancy of men?

Saito: I really like a post-civilization world, or a post-apocalyptic worldview. In a good way, I felt an excitement similar to the worldview of manga and anime that I loved when I was a teenager, so I was happy as an anime and manga fan.

─ ─ I can't get enough of it, can I?

Saito: I like the idea of a devastated world and machines! I like the idea of a devastated world with machines. The fact that there are remnants of civilization in the world makes me excited.

Tadokoro: It has a slightly sad atmosphere. Even in everyday conversation, there is a sad atmosphere, which is very moving. When I knew only the title "MonSt Anime," I thought it would be a more cheerful work that would make boys happy and excited. I was surprised to learn that it was such a serious story that even adults would be moved by it.

─ ─ Indeed, it is a worldview that can be enjoyed by both children and adults. It can be enjoyed as a story.

Saito: It's a kind of straightforward story about a group of knaves, or rather, unique characters who are not only positive but also form a party to achieve a single goal, but I think there are parts of it that are intriguing.

─ ─ Personally, I thought it also contained a lesson that I would like to show to my children. This is true for all "MonSt anime".

Saito: I think there are a lot of things that make you think, so I thought it was a story that can be felt in various ways rather than just saying the answer is this as a message.

Tadokoro: From a male point of view, the mechas, the devastated world, and the evolution of the characters are very appealing, but from a female point of view, the relationships between the characters are also very well drawn, In the first episode, Kesedo was a little disturbing, but I thought that the audience would enjoy how he will be involved in the future, etc.

A new kind of recording experience!

─ What did you do to create your characters?

Saito: Noah looks like a teenager, but his body parts are mechanized and he has lived longer than his apparent age. But the way I originally brought him into the story, he seems to be the main character. I have a core strength like, "Hey guys, let's build Noah's Ark and get out of here!" I was told to make it a little more natural. So, rather than making him look young, I tried to create an image of him as an old ...... man, not quite young, but a little more mature, with a broader perspective.

Also, he is a bit off, and while Opeko is taking care of him even in the shouting match, he is looking at things from a different point of view. I thought it was interesting to see such a strange displacement, but he doesn't see it that way. He just acts as he feels, so as the actor, I tried to keep that in mind while being careful not to show too much of it. I tried to keep this balance in mind.

─ ─ She has Opeko, but she basically lives alone. Did you try not to show that sense of loneliness too much?

Saito: No, I didn't show it openly...she has been living like that for 80 years, so there might be a sense of loneliness, but I didn't put it on her sound or facial expression.

─ What about Opeko?

Tadokoro: As an operational AI, I thought it would be more robotic, but it shows a lot of emotion, and I think Noah is more like an AI. Noah is more like an AI. He doesn't show his emotions that much, so Opko worries about him and worries about him. Noah doesn't have parents, so I think that Opeko is in a position to take on the role of parent and big sister, and to show her affection.

She is very emotional, isn't she? And you are also in charge of the laughter part, aren't you?

Tadokoro: While there is a sad atmosphere, there are also comical expressions, and I am soothed by Opeko-chan's facial expressions. When I read the script, I also thought Opeko-chan was a nice girl.

Saito: But what I find sad is that Opeko is a hologram, so she cannot be touched by Noah, and since she is an AI, her feelings and thoughts can be interpreted as an extension of that program. Even a casual comedic line, when you think about it, feels sad. Of course, Opeko doesn't give that out.

─ ─ I don't think the two of you put that much into your plays, and perhaps it is because you don't that they have a certain sadness.

Saito: I am sure that it is a device that allows the audience to understand the play in various ways.

─ ─ You mentioned fighting earlier, but when Noah is fighting, does he seem to have a lot of time to spare?　Or do you feel like you are breathing just in time?

Saito: Usually, Noah is very level-headed, but during the battles, I think he is quite full of energy and the feeling of a so-called serious fight is quite apparent. As you can see, the speed of the battle is very fast, and the performance is so powerful that it cannot be matched by a breathy performance . I was told to do what I wanted on the set, so I looked at the footage and put in what I thought Noah would put in here, and then I added and subtracted from there. The video was CG, but we had a special recording process where we used the "action V-container," in which the motion actors actually performed the actions before the video was recorded, and we applied our voices to it, which was quite interesting. It was quite interesting because we were able to understand the details of the action, such as how the shoulders were moving up and down, even though there were no breathing sounds.

─ ─ That must have been a new feeling.

Saito: Yes. Because we cannot express ourselves with our bodies, even a gasp of air can have meaning, so I always try to keep that in mind.

Tadokoro Furthermore, Noah's body is a machine, so it is difficult for him to know how much pain he is in because he does not know how much damage has been done to his body.

Saito: It seems that he feels pain, but he doesn't faint from it. Damage is also a physical shock, so it might be stronger to breathe into such a place. Rather than in the direction of a "demise".

Tadokoro: That sounds difficult.

Saito: Yes, I think of it in terms of pain.

─ ─ But it seems fun to do it while imagining it. And sometimes I am told, "I don't need that.

Saito: That's right (laughs). (laughs) But this time, we added more and more.

Tadokoro: Basically, we were asking for more (laughs).

Saito: Also, there was a lot of shouting.

Tadokoro: Everyone was shouting (laughs).

Saito: There were a lot of tense battles, so the oxygen was rather thin.

Working with the great Shigeru Chiba

───There were only a few cast members, right?

Tadokoro: There were almost only three of us at the recording studio: myself, Mr. Saito, and Mr. Chiba (laughs).

(Laughs) ─ How was Shigeru Chiba, who is a big name in the field?

Saito: He was amazing!

Tadokoro: He was cool.

Saito: It was the first time for me to work with him this closely, but he did a tremendous amount of improvisation even during the tests, and I think Kesedo would not have been possible without Chiba-san.

Tadokoro: The more and more color he added, the more I loved him!

Saito: They are so cute, aren't they? Not to mention the wonderful acting, and Mr. Chiba himself is a very kind person.

Tadokoro: He always has a smile on his face, and when I talk to him, he smiles back. （I was nervous when I talked to him, but I always tried not to make him nervous. But he always had a friendly atmosphere so as not to make us nervous, so it was easy for us to work with him.

─ That is why I hope you will watch Kesedo's future!

Saito: I can only say that you should watch and see, but I think there is a part of me that wonders why Mr. Chiba is Kesedo.

───Pandora (CV: Yui Ogura) was also a character that was quite out of the ordinary.

Tadokoro: I wish we could have recorded it together.

Saito: Pandora was also quite an eccentric character. Her ribbon reacts to orbs (laughs).

Tadokoro: She said it was the same logic as sneezing when someone gossips.

Saito: I really had no idea what he was talking about (laughs). Kesedo was usually on the side of the "tsukkomi" (commenter).

─ ─ Besides that, is there anything else you would like us to pay attention to?

Tadokoro: Oishi Masayoshi's song "Hero" is cool!　You can't go wrong with Oishi's music.

Saito: It's a "sure-fire winner. Even if the world is somewhat desolate, listening to that song makes me want to go on an adventure, so I like it. The other thing is the last part of episode 3. I don't want to spoil the ending, so I'd like you to watch it for yourself, but there is a very shocking scene at the end of episode 3. Huh? What about the atmosphere in Noah's version? I was thinking, "What about the atmosphere of the Noah episode? You must have shouted a lot in this scene.

Tadokoro: Yes, it did have a "Korokoro Comic" feel to it (laughs). But if you think about it, Noah is basically a blabbermouth, isn't he? But no one ever picks on him, right?

Saito: So, I would appreciate it if the viewers could make some comments in the comments section.

Tadokoro I see! So that solves this frustration.

Saito: Also, Opeco is talking to the cat, but the cat is talking to Opeco the whole time.

Tadokoro: I wish someone would pick on that in the comments section (laughs).

─ ─ Is the last part of episode 3 also a point of interest?

Saito: I don't know if it's a point of interest, or if it's something that Noah is plugging ...... (laughs).

Tadokoro: Hahaha (laughs). That's terrible!　But there are no mistakes, so you really should watch it once!

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Junichi Tsukagoshi; costume cooperation by Iroquois Headshop)