CATDOLL: January 2016 new show "The Town Where Only I Am Missing" director Ito Tomohiko invites actors to do dubbing

The fact that the film "The Town Where Only I Am Missing" invited actors Tao Tsuchiya and Shinosuke Mitsushima to dub the characters attracted a lot of media attention. The reason is that the two actors he invited were just film and television actors, not just voice actors.

Before an animation is released, it is usually very important to know which voice actor will voice the character. This is also the part that fans pay the most attention to. The producers will also invite some popular and experienced professional voice actors to add some color. But why didn't Ito Tomohiko invite professional voice actors? He responded to this in an interview:

"This is a work I wanted to make, so I can't be irresponsible. And I rarely have the opportunity to work on this kind of subject matter. The picture effect can easily become old-fashioned, so how can I avoid this problem? I also took great pains."

"I listened to the voice actors who auditioned on tape, but none of them struck me as being right. How should I put it? Everyone's voices were so handsome, and they had a Shonen Jump vibe. So this time I discussed with the producers whether we should find an actor to do the dubbing. Someone in charge said that Ms. Tsuchiya was very interested in dubbing, and when I actually listened to it, I thought it was good. After all, Taiho-chan herself has a very Showa vibe. In a good sense, she doesn't sound like someone from today. That voice, which is not very high and is slightly bland, is great."

"After Tsuchiya was confirmed to play the role, the voice actor for the 29-year-old protagonist was naturally confirmed to be an actor. "The process of selecting a voice actor reached an impasse, and Mr. Imanishi, who was in charge of sound production at the time, introduced Manshima Shinnosuke. He had been in charge of commercial narration many times before, so he didn't have any prejudice against voice actors. Although his voice seemed simple, it was surprisingly pleasant to the ear. This voice cannot be buried. This kind of grassroots feeling that is not shining is very good."

"Generally, the recording of live-action works is done separately, but this time we try to arrange for everyone to dub together. Just like ordinary animation, everyone gathers on a fixed day every week and records. This is because I hope they can perform according to the performance of others. In addition, if there are any difficulties, Ms. Takayama Minami will also provide a lot of advice. Although Tsuchiya's character looks like a child, he is an adult in spirit. For this reason, I have to keep explaining this difference to Mr. Manshima and Taiho-chan."

In addition to this work, Director Ito will also be in charge of "Sword Art Online: The Movie". This is also his first time to be the director of a movie. Ito said: "I was originally thinking about how to make the new SAO. If the original work is to be filmed, it will take a long time to wait, so I thought about making an original movie. But I worked hard to study how to eliminate the feeling of TV animation. Nowadays, it is often the case that after the TV animation ends, the movie theater will show the summary movie, but the method and budget of this kind of movie are basically the same as TV animation. And since it is a rare opportunity to have a movie, I hope to show the excitement that only belongs to the movie."

So what kind of works will they bring us? Let's wait and see! Anime Star will continue to pay attention to this.