Hiroshi Kamiya: His Deep love for Urusei Yatsura, Inheriting Important Roles, "Fun" Overcomes Pressure
Translated by: Harley Acres
The second season of the completely new TV anime based on Rumiko Takahashi's popular manga Urusei Yatsura will be broadcast on Fuji TV's late-night anime slot "Noitamina" and other channels beginning on January 11th. The new work was made into a TV anime for the first time in 36 years to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Shogakukan, which publishes the original manga, and the first season was broadcast from October 2022 to March 2023. Popular voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya took over the role of the main character, Ataru Moroboshi, played by Toshio Furukawa in the "Showa version" of the anime. When the first season began airing, Ataru, played by Kamiya-san, became a hot topic and he became addicted to the role. Before the broadcast of the second season, we asked Kamiya-san about his thoughts on Urusei Yatsura.
Respect for Toshio Furukawa
Urusei Yatsura is one of the masterpieces of Takahashi-san, who is also known for Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2, and Inuyasha. Takahashi-san made her debut with Katte na Yatsura in 1978, and shortly thereafter, Urusei Yatsura began its serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday (Shogakukan) from 1978 to 1987. The story depicts the daily lives of Ataru Moroboshi, a high school student whose hobby is girl hunting, and Lum, an oni alien girl who came to Earth. The new edition of the anime will be made into a TV series with a total of 4 cour selected from episodes from the original work, and will feature fabulous voice actors such as Sumire Uesaka who plays Lum, Maaya Uchida who plays Shinobu, and Mamoru Miyano who plays Shutaro Mendo.
When we interviewed Uesaka-san, who plays Lum, before the second season aired, she said of Kamiya-san, "His love for Rumic World is amazing. Senpai is the most greedy, fun, and wants to embody Ataru even more!" I was encouraged by the way he acted the role using his whole body," she said. Uesaka-san said that after watching her senior, Kamiya-san, she tried to focus on having fun even under extreme pressure. That said, since it was a major work, Kamiya-san must have been under pressure as well.
"Of course, there's pressure. However, I had the opportunity to be involved in a work that I loved, and I thought it would be a loss if I couldn't enjoy it due to the tension and pressure. It was really important that Toshio Furukawa, who was working with me, supported me."
Furukawa-san played Ataru in the "Showa version" and plays Ataru's father in the "Reiwa version". He is also Kamiya-san's respected senior at his agency.
"The planning for this anime was progressing in secret, so I couldn't reveal the information about his role, but Furukawa-san had been chosen to play Ataru's father, so I received his permission to share the news. They held a dinner party for me. I was really nervous when I went to the party. I was so nervous that I don't even remember what I said, but he's a senior at the same agency that I work at and I respect him a lot. He was involved in a work that I loved, so if someone else was going to do it, I definitely wanted it to be me! Furukawa-san gave me his blessing, as well as each and every cast member. When I saw all of them having so much fun doing it, I thought, "If I don't enjoy it, I'm missing out." I was nervous and under pressure, but the feeling of love I have for the series ultimately won out."
From Kamiya-san's words, I can feel his great love for Rumiko Takahashi's works as well as Furukawa-san.
"I really love Rumiko-sensei's works. It’s no exaggeration to say that when I was in middle school and high school, most of my time was filled with Rumiko Takahashi. As I told Rumiko-sensei what manga meant to me... It was so big that I thought it "was Rumiko Takahashi" or "wasn't Rumiko-sensei"... I wonder if I truly deserve to have such a blessing as being involved in my favorite Urusei Yatsura!? I'm so happy to be a voice actor... I was thinking about that as I went to the studio."
He also had the opportunity to meet Takahashi-san in person, and said with a smile, "It was my happiest moment."
“I had the opportunity to have dinner with Sumipe (Uesaka-san) and Takahashi-sensei's editor, and we talked endlessly about how much I love Rumiko-sensei. "Is Rumiko Takahashi really here!?", I was so happy. We've talked about how much we liked that expression in that panel, or that chapter, and I think Rumiko-sensei is probably used to being told how much someone likes her work, but... It was too much. I visited her atelier for an interview, and I was so thrilled to see so many different works being created here. [1] Goods from previous series that have been released are on display. I also got to see the storeroom where everything was kept, and it felt like a museum. It was really fun. I was completely looking at it from a fan's perspective."
When I asked Kamiya-san about the best episode aired in the first season, he said "Since Your Parting," which was the tenth episode.
"The best one is "Since Your Parting". When there are opportunities to introduce the best episodes at events or special programs, and I choose the same one again and again, people say, "You chose that one last time, so please pick another episode." But, if I hand to choose again, well, I have to go along, so I've chosen a different episode each time and talked about it from a different perspective. There is a lot that can be said about each episode. When I introduced episodes other than "Since Your Parting," Masaya Onosaka-san from our company (my agency) chided me, "What, is 'Since Your Parting', not animated? [2] Why isn't it number 1?" and I had to explain, "No, it is. Unfortunately, due to circumstances, I can't pick it again this time,' and he understood.
The "Ataru Moroboshi" circuit in Hiroshi Kamiya
How did Kamiya-san tackle such a major role after inheriting the part played by his beloved and respected senior?
"I can't keep up with Furukawa-san's performance. That's something only Furukawa-san can do. Even if I wanted to do it, I wouldn't be able to. When I read the original manga, the voices from the anime were what I heard in my mind. One of the pillars of the Reiwa version is to be faithful to the original work, so I tried to include the nuances that I remember from when I was reading the original work. That nuance is definitely influenced by Furukawa-san's Ataru. I have this idea that Ataru speaks like this. I mixed in the images that I had from the original work and Furukawa-san's performance as Ataru, and I express it through my body. It's like there is an Ataru that lives inside me, and I express it through my physicality. It's really interesting."
It seems like something complicated is going on...
I started reading the original Urusei Yatsura just as the serialization was finishing. I started with the anime, and I already had that voice and that cadance of speech in my mind. It's a bit complicated, but I already had the "Ataru Morohoshi circuit." I didn't intend to use that circuit, but I have incorporated it into my very being, and I am using it to play the role.
One of Kamiya-san's most famous roles is Koyomi Araragi, the main character of the Monogatari (物語) anime series, which is based on the novel by Nisio Ishin. When I read Nishio's novel after watching the anime, I had the experience of hearing Kamiya-san's voice in my head.
"Yes, that's the same thing. When I read the original story of Urusei Yatsura, I hear Furukawa-san speaking in his own voice. I use my body to express that. While recording, I was still feeling a bit strange, but it's fun. Now that the circuit is complete, I can now say... I don't really have to think 'what should I do here?'"
Sumire Uesaka Possessed by Lum
He also had the opportunity to record with Furukawa-san, who plays Ataru's father.
"When the audition was over, the moment the sound director said, "Sounds good," Furukawa-san responded, "Yes! Ah, isn't that my voice?" I was so happy. It's completely fan psychology. In episode 1 there is a scene where lightning strikes, and the father hands over a rain jacket and says, 'This is the rain jacket that my father used when he was young. Put it on.' I thought it was funny that the father and son were such idiots. It's passed from father to son... It's not a very meaningful scene in the episode, but it does have some meaning. It's a silly exchange, but I really like it."
Uesaka-san, who plays the role of Lum, has also been talked about as a role that Kamiya is addicted to.
"Sumipe is Sumipe. However, when I stand in front of the microphone and start acting, she becomes Lum-chan. I still can't fill that gap. I feel like Lum-chan might be possessing her. Sumipe stands on the right side of me. Sometimes I hold the script on the actor's side to create a sense of distance so that I can talk to him or her, but I have a habit of holding the script with my left hand, and this time I was holding it with my left hand. I feel a presence, but I don't see Sumipe, but I felt Lum-chan there beside me. It's interesting. With Ataru, too, there's a subtle point where I'm not sure if he's addressing Lum or not."
The Magic of Naoyuki Asano's Designs
Naoyuki Asano, known for works such as Osomatsu-san (おそ松さん) and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (映像研には手を出すな！/Eizoken ni ha te wo desuna!), designed the characters for the new anime. Asano's designs are both nostalgic, new and attractive.
"Asano-san's drawings of Lum-chan are really cute. For example, when you look at Lum-chan in the key visual, you can feel something like the texture of her soft skin. When you zoom in, you can see it's just lines, yet Asano-san's lines are like magic. He's quite special. He’s someone who can cast magic with his lines. The opening dance is also super cute. But it doesn't feel flirtatious. She is not trying to be flirtatious, just cute! It's not like she's trying to appeal to the audience. That's what I find strange. Rumiko-san has hacked my aesthetic sense, so I have a lot of bias, and I can't judge it objectively. But it's still super cute."
The new TV anime has a total of 4 cour, we've finished two and are now moving into the third.
“Actually, my favorite character is Inaba-kun. I was wondering who would play him for a while, and it turned out to be Miyu Irino. I thought, 'What the hell, Miyu?' (laughs). This is what the Reiwa incarnation of Inaba is going to be like. He's a character who appeared to conclude Urusei Yatsura, and when Inaba appears, it means that the story is coming to an end, so it's a complicated role. New characters also appear, and the story becomes more chaotic. The next cours will progress towards the end. [3] I hope that fans will be prepared for that moment. New fans will definitely be satisfied with the ending of the story. Anyone who watches it will fall in love with that episode. If you watch the first episode again after watching it to the end, you will have a completely different feeling. I'd be happy if you could join me in the second season from beginning to end."
Kamiya-san seemed to be having fun the whole time he talked about Urusei Yatsura, and I could feel his deep love for the series in every word he said. The Reiwa version is an anime filled with love from the staff and cast. We hope you'll tune in to see how the second season develops.
Footnotes
- [1] This story is related in the interview "The Magnificent Three-Way Chat @ Rumiko Takahashi's House".
- [2] Masaya Onosaka (小野坂昌也) is a voice actor known for roles such as Spandam in One Piece, Slivia in Dragon Quest XI, Puri-Puri Prisoner in One Punch Man, Shinji Hirako in Bleach, Don Patch in Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo and Vash the Stampede in Trigun.
- [3] A "cours" (クール) is term for roughly 13 episodes of an anime. Typically two cours equals one season. The producers of the Reiwa production of Urusei Yatsura discussed their decision to make the series a four cours series in this interview.
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