【Interview】 Makima Denji Chainsaw Man.

Tatsuki Fujimoto’s popular manga Chainsaw Man, serialised in Shonen Jump +, is being adapted into a TV anime this autumn and is creating quite a stir. The main character is Denji, a devil hunter boy who lives in extreme poverty, burdened by debts left behind by his parents. He is betrayed and killed, but he makes a contract with Pochita, a chainsaw demon, and is revived as a chainsaw man with the heart of a demon, and throws himself into an epic battle in this dark hero action. Before the second episode airs, we bring you interviews with Kikunosuke Toya, who has been chosen to play the main character Denji, and Tomori Kusunoki, who plays his boss, Devil Hunter Makima, who reports directly to the Chief Cabinet Secretary!

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Interview makima denji

Quote. TV Life.

What did you two think when you read the original manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto?　【makima denji 】

Toya: I liked reading Chainsaw Man even before I auditioned for this anime. At first I was surprised at the strange atmosphere it gave off, but as I read more and more, I was captivated by the cool pictures and compositions and the fiery development, and I came to love it. The characters are also fascinating in that they are all messed up. Denji is one, but even more outrageous is Power-chan.

Kusunoki: That’s right (laugh).

Toya: I was reading the story wondering if it was okay for the main character to be such a mess (laugh).

Kusunoki: I don’t usually read many manga other than the ones I’m involved in. But this manga was strongly recommended to me by a friend. I thought, “If you recommend it that much” and started reading it, and I was completely hooked and read it in one sitting (laugh).

Toya: So that’s how it was!

Kusunoki: This manga has an unrealistic view of the world, with the appearance of demons and the profession of devil hunters, but I feel that it is not too far removed from reality. It makes me think that maybe these characters are all living in the same world as us, in a place we don’t know about. The balance between the unreal and the real is exquisite. The sharp personalities of the characters and the story structure, which is typical of the film-loving Ms Tatsuki, are also appealing. I was fascinated by the unique atmosphere that can only be experienced in this work.

What is your impression of the main character Denji?　【makima denji 】

Toya: My first impression was I knew it – he’s a mess. But when I decided to play him as Denji’s voice actor and looked at him again calmly, I realised that he actually has a principle of action.

Kusunoki: He wants to eat bread with jam on it, or he wants to attract women, right?

Toya: Yes, that’s right. For Denji, who lived in extreme poverty, it was an incredibly big dream. he just going straight towards it.

Denji lives in poverty and doesn’t know much about the world, but as the story progresses, he gradually changes. Were you conscious of these changes in the play?

Toya: At first, Denji doesn’t know a lot and lives a depressing life full of debts. From there, he is given food and work, and his energy grows as he pushes towards his dreams. Rather than consciously expressing this, I feel that the way I played him changed in line with his changes.

For Denji, it’s a big part of being involved with Makima and many other characters.

Toya: Yes, it is. Especially after getting involved with Aki, who is a senior Devil Hunter, Denji changes a lot. I would like you to pay attention to the relationship between the two of them.

What was your impression of Makima?　【makima denji】

Kusunoki: My first impression of her was that she was cute. I was reading the story thinking that I was envious that someone so cute could be her boss, but as the story progressed, I started to see her mysterious side. It wasn’t so much that my impression of her changed, but rather that she gained depth. I thought she was a character whose way of seeing changed from person to person because of the accumulation of various factors.

So she hasn’t changed since the beginning, but there are aspects of her that people didn’t see?

Kusunoki: I think so. Also, Makima is a person who gets on well with people, but is someone who seems to be within reach, but is never able to reach them. She is like a flower on a high peak. But she gives people the words they want when they want them. That’s why I love Makima and I’m fascinated by her.

Toya: Makima is my favourite character too. I was attracted to her older sisterly side.

Kusunoki: She is always relaxed.

Toya: Kusunoki-san expresses this Makima-san firmly through her voice. You have a mysteriousness about you, and your voice conveys the feeling of being almost unreachable.

Kusunoki: Really! I’m very happy!

Toya: I think it’s exactly what you mean when you say that Makima-san gives you the words you want. When Denji is struggling, She gives he a certain kind of answer, or gives he a goal. For Denzi, Makima-san is a presence that does things that make him happy.

Because of her mysteriousness, is it also difficult to play Makima?

Kusunoki: At first I tried to include Makima’s mysteriousness in my acting, but the director directed me not to include that nuance. This is my interpretation, but especially in the beginning of the anime, there is a lot of Makima from Denji-kun’s point of view, so I thought there was no need to do that. So when I play her, I basically keep a flat tension, thinking that it would be best if she is elusive but occasionally shows a bit of cuteness.

Readers of the original manga may have had the same or similar feelings as denji.

Kusunoki: That’s right. That’s why I think the most respectful thing I can do for the original work is to give them the same experience in the anime.

There are many scenes with Denji and Makima together, do they have any consultation for acting?　【makima denji】

Kusunoki: We don’t really consult each other. I think it’s better if we don’t know each other’s acting style at the time. I think it’s closer to the reality that the director is looking for if we each take what we feel from the other’s performance and act as Denji and Makima. So I play the role without any particular consultation.

How do you feel about each other’s plays?【makima denji】

Toya: Kusunoki-san’s mood changes dramatically when she starts acting the role. Normally, she’s like this.

Kusunoki: What do you mean by like this? (laugh).

Toya: No, I mean that she talks back to me gently like this and is friendly (laugh). As a senior member, she also gives me advice.

Kusunoki: Eh! I didn’t give you that much advice, did I?

Toya: No, no, I’m learning a lot. For example, when I act like I’m going to fall down, I should tap my back, so that my breathing becomes similar to that. I also got advice on how to breathe when I say Let me hold you in episode 1 and step backwards.

Kusunoki: He is my junior and Toya-kun is playing the leading role in an anime for the first time, so even though I knew it was none of my business, I was concerned about him.

Toya: She’s been very helpful.

Kusunoki: Denji-kun in particular has a lot of shouting scenes, so I was worried that he would have a hard time maintaining his throat, but Toya herself didn’t seem to mind (laugh).

Toya: Yes, (laugh).

Kusunoki: He seemed to be enjoying the recording to the fullest. I could hear it in his voice acting, and I thought he was exactly Denji-kun. What’s also great about Toya is the way he moves in front of the microphone. There are other voice actors who make hand gestures during the performance, but most of them do it to relax. But Toya-kun doesn’t do that, he moves in the same way as Denji-kun in real life. I think Toya is probably pursuing a realistic performance in his own way. Even if you are told to act with this kind of emotion, it is difficult to draw out that emotion unless you have experienced it in your life. That’s why I think Toya is trying to complement Denji by acting in the same way as him. Moreover, his acting is not out of sync with the rest of the cast. The fact that he has good instincts and sense and is also a hard worker makes him a cool leader.

Toya: I’m too happy to hear that word. Thank you!

Please tell us about the highlights of the second episode of Chainsaw Man.【makima denji】

Toya: The scene where Makima feeds Denji udon noodles with an ah-an feeling. It was a lot of fun to record.

Kusunoki: I was thinking of saying that scene too. It also shows Makima’s cuteness.

Toya: In the original manga, it’s a gag-like scene in one panel, but in the anime it’s drawn in a natural way.

Kusunoki: In the anime, the scenes are drawn in a realistic way, which makes them look even more gag-like. I hope you will enjoy that sense of temperature.

Thank you for watching. See you soon.

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