Rumic World - Kyokai no RINNE - I Asked Shizuka Ishigami, the Voice of Renge Shima! Part 1 & 2

Translation by: Harley Acres

Born in Tokyo in 1988. In 2014, she played the main character, Ryo Kiyuna in Healthy Robo Daimidaler, and since then she has played roles in series like Food Wars!

Please tell us about Renge, the damashigami, that you play.

Ishigami: To put it simply, Renge is serious but her guts are twisted (laughs). She looks neat and clean but on the inside she’s very bad.

Are there any similarities to you?

Ishigami: I’d say this about myself, but I think some part of our serious sides are similar (laughs). I don’t think I could do anything myself that isn’t in my performance. The bad parts of Renge... maybe.. (laughs).

It’s been three months since the start of season 2 and now all the episodes have aired. How are you feeling about it?

Ishigami: Actually, the cast wasn’t announced in a timely fashion so I was left thinking, “has the cast been changed without my knowledge!?” But I’m glad I was able to perform in it (laughs).

What is the appeal of demashigami Renge?

Ishigami: Hmm, what attracted me to Renge is the gap between her appearance and her inner self! She looks so neat like a Yamato nadeshiko... and then she is more rotten inside than anyone else. ^[1] (laughs) But I think she’s really a good girl. I thinks she really has to strengthen herself when she’s doing her work as a demashigami.

Is it possible to be friends with someone like Renge the damashigami?

Ishigami: Yes, you can be friends! She’s fun to watch, but she does have a hard time making friends. But on the contrary she may not really care. Maybe if we were the same age it might be tough, but Renge-chan is younger than me so we might be able to be friends.

What is the most important thing to consider when playing Renge the damashigami?

Ishigami: I think about how to soften her words a bit so she’s not outright hated. It’s difficult to put into words but I try to sand off the rough edges of her words. I’m careful not to make them too rough, but to make her swear elegantly. It’s fun through trial and error, and I hope I’m channeling the villainous women created by Rumiko Takahashi.

Who was the character that left an impression on you when you started appearing?

Ishigami: At this stage it’s Ageha-chan. Rather than just Ageha-chan, it’s when Renge-chan and Ageha-chan are interacting. At the time of the recording the director said, “you can go all out as much as you want when you’re working with Ageha” (laughs), so it’s fun to play Renge’s feelings without any restrictions!

Are there any other characters you want to co-star with?

Ishigami: Of course, Kain-senpai! I think a different voice is required, it will be interesting to mix her rough voice with a quavering and nervous voice. I want to be able to show a decent side of Renge-chan that is honest and cute.

What is the appeal of Kyokai no RINNE?

Ishigami: Everything! It’s difficult to express in a single word. Each character’s view of the world is unique and there are various places of tsukkomi and boke, but I would also like people to pay attention to the romance parts too! ^[2] What does Rinne really think of Sakura?

Part 2

What is your belief as a voice actor?

Ishigami: It is important not to show who I am on the inside. Ideally, you wouldn’t know that Shizuka Ishigami was playing the role at all until the credits roll. It’s just my opinion, but to me, if I bring something from within myself it can distract from the anime. Essentially, I just want to be a kuroko. ^[3]

What was your turning point as an actor?

Ishigami: Once when I was still in the studio I was suddenly asked to play a fat boy character. I was supposed to play a slender boy that day, so I did an attack, but then I tried again and thought to myself “I have to try to do this seriously!” And so I’m playing this fat boy and everyone in the booth is laughing. I had wondered if I had done a poor job, but Tomokazu Sugita, who was in the scene, said “That was fun,” and I realized I was addicted to the job. It seemed that the staff thought, “Oh, Ishigami can do a variety of characters.” After that I started to get more job offers little by little. I’m not a flexible person, so I can’t play interesting characters, at least that’s what I thought at the time. Even if I couldn’t pitch a curveball, I thought I could sometimes manage something.

Do you feel like you’ve picked up any occupational diseases as a result of your work?

Ishigami: When I hear words with subtle accents when I’m in the city I often look them up immediately in the dictionary. I don’t do it in front of my friends though or even point it out (laughs). It’s annoying, sometimes I’ll hear someone and think, “that’s a different accent!” (laughs)

Do you have any memorable NHK anime?

Ishigami: Cardcaptor Sakura (カードキャプターさくら). After seeing Sakura I wanted to learn magic someday, and I really wanted to become a witch. As a matter of fact, Sakura was how I learned what a voice actor was. That’s when I thought that if I could become a voice actor I could use magic in an anime… That’s why I aimed to become a voice actor (laughs).

If you could appear on any NHK program, what would you choose?

Ishigami: I think it would be Nintama Rantaro (忍たま乱太郎). It is my dream to appear in a children’s anime.I want to play a kunoichi. Of course it could be an animal role rather than a kunoichi. I think I would cry if I got to do that (laughs).

If you had a time machine would you go into the past or would you go to the future?

Ishigami: If I could just go and peek, I would go to the future and look at myself in ten years and see what I’m like. If something didn’t work out then I’d work harder now. If I were to actually go back in time I’d go back to see myself when I was 18 just after graduating from high school. Of course if I went to the past I’d still be aiming to have a life as a voice actor, but I wonder what would happen to my life now and if I could return to it if I went into the past (laughs).

What is a voice actor, Ishigami-san?

Ishigami: Hmmm. This isn’t something I can easily talk about, but it’s something you put your whole life into. I think it is our job to bring out the characters and shape them so they will be more appealing.

What are your hopes for Renge’s future?

Ishigami: I would hope for a wedding between her and Kain-senpai. Truthfully Renge has only had a pitiful situation so far. But I want Renge-chan to be really happy.

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Footnotes

• [1] "Yamato nadeshiko" (大和撫子) is the embodiment of the idealized Japanese girl.
• [2] Tsukkomi and boke (ツッコミ/ボケ) are the straight man and idiot in a manzai comedy format.
• [3] A kuroko (黒子) is a black-clad stagehand in Japanese kabuki theater that is understood to be invisible and moves props about on stage during a performance.

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