Today we start off with Blue Bouquet new character: Kurode!
VA: Shogo Sakata (Aki - CSM, Lodi - GBF)
Artist: Akakura
"I may not be able to compete with him right now, but I'll use my own methods to catch up... or even surpass my older brother..."
"A hard worker who feels inferiority complex. He has signed a contract with "Kuromi". Unable to bear the comparison between his famous and superior older brother, he ran away from home and was picked up by Kuromi. He is blunt but a serious hard worker. Although he has a strong competitive spirit and a desire to improve, he feels inferior because his ability is still not on par with his older brother."
Chainsaw Man Starter Rope Cast Interview: Shougo Sakata
How did you feel when you were cast as Aki?
I was half happy and half in disbelief. In my audition tape, I tried not to overact, and I made it to the studio audition. I acted very naturally there, and I felt like the face-to-face audition also went well, so I had my hopes up a little (laughs). There was a bit of time between the audition and when the results came out where I had started to give up, but then I received the response that I passed the audition. The best way to say it is, I was really surprised, but I'm going to do my best to adapt the manga I love into an anime.
What's your impression of Aki; what about him appeals to you?
My impression of Aki is that he's "a normal person." He can deal with all types of people evenly. Aki also wants revenge against a specific devil, but I like that Himeno-senpai provided a space for him to grow up properly. Aki is often said to be kind. He can't accept the misfortune that befell his family, so he can't accept the absurd things that happen to the people around him, so he tries to eliminate the cause. I think that looks like kindness to others. When he beats up Denji, whose very existence an absurdity, I think that was Aki's form of kindness. He believed that it would be better for Denji to give up than for him to lose his life.
How did you create Aki's voice?
Before recording the second episode, where he first appears, I worked really hard to figure out my acting approach, but director Nakayama said, "I want you to act the way the character would naturally and realistically talk. Dial back your acting a little bit." I took that advice, and from there I kept repeating through a process of trial and error, until one day the director said, "Your voice is like Aki's, so you don't need to perform too much." I remember I was very happy when he said that. After that, I was able to loosen up and act naturally.
What details do you focus on when you're acting?
Aki's speech doesn't include any superfluous details, and there are a lot of things that don't require emotion. What I'm conscious of is thinking naturally about "Who am I communicating this information to?" and acting naturally, like I'm drawing from how I normally talk. Lately, it's getting clearer and clearer where Aki is looking, who he is talking to, and what he is trying to convey. But I think I can still get closer to Aki, so I want to focus more!
What's the atmosphere like when you're recording?
The cast members are just like their characters (laughs). Fairouz-san starts conversations, Toya-kun suddenly loses focus, and Kusunoki-san speaks kindly to Toya-kun…Recording always progresses harmoniously, it's a great atmosphere. In particular, Toya-kun is really in sync with Denji, and I love it. No matter what anyone says, Toya-kun's Denji improvisations are one of the highlights. Fairouz-san's energetic, bright and funny energy is also the best, and Makima, played by Kusunoki-san, feels very fitting when you hear her voice. I think this is a result of Kusunoki's love for Makima.
What are Aki's highlights in the early part of the anime?
The way Aki takes out the cigarette is drawn in a really cool way, so please pay attention to it. I only saw it in the rehearsal footage, but the sequence is him tapping the box, taking out the cigarette, lighting the lighter with the hand still holding the box, and smoking it. I thought, "Are you going to draw that many details in the anime?" I was really excited and beyond surprised And… as for Aki, I also love his interactions with Himeno-senpai. Their intimate-feeling conversations are nice. The performance that I personally focused on was the scene where Aki's "ball" is kicked by Denji (lol). I studied vocal expression a lot, so please listen carefully!
Finally, do you have a message for the fans?
My honest thoughts are, I've been given a very important role, and I will play Aki in every episode to live up to the expectations of the fans. I will do my best to live up to the Aki Hayakawa that everyone imagines. I'll keep recording, so I would be happy if you could attend!
Translation notes:
It was hard to translate what the director said in a way that preserves the original meaning, a direct translation sounds a bit like it is an insult or a criticism. What Nakayama was saying was basically that Sakata's natural voice was already great for the role. The literal quote is "坂田くんは声帯がアキだから、「こう演じよう」としなくていい", so a more direct translation would be "Sakata-kun, because your voice is already Aki's, you don't need to perform like this." but that isn't the clearest. I went for more of a localization than a direct/exact translation to be clearer.
When Sakata says "肩の力を抜いて演じられるようになったのはそこからですね," a direct translation would be "I was able to act with my shoulders relaxed," meaning he was able to loosen up and act more naturally, but a direct translation doesn't convey that as well.
Translated "どんどん明確" as clearer and clearer, but a more literal translation would be "steadily becoming clearer," or "increasingly clearer."
Sakata says "中でも戸谷くんの演じるデンジはシンクロ率がとても高くて", which literally translates into saying that Toya and Denji have a "high synchronization rate," kind of using the language of mecha anime (how the pilot is synchronized with the mecha), but to be more clear I just translated it as "Toya-kun is really in sync with Denji"
"デンジな戸谷くん" would literally translate to Denji-like Toya-kun (using Denji's name as a na-adjective), but since the main point of the sentence was to highlight Toya's improv skills, I didn't translate it in that literal sense.
He literally says アキの「ボール」, so this feels like the best way to translate it.
Animation studio MAPPA have unveiled a new trailer for Chainsaw Man. It will star Kikunosuke Toya as Denji, Tomori Kusunoki as Makima, Shogo Sakata as Aki Hayakawa, and Fairouz Ai as Power. The series will land October 11th 2022.
Chainsaw Man follows Denji, a poor young man who’ll do anything for money, even hunt down devils with his pet devil-dog Pochita. A simple man with simple dreams and…
Keep in mind this is mostly for my personal reference so I'll only be putting characters from media I'm into or at least heard of a lot. Feel free to add on to this in the comments or reblogs :3c
RED BOUQUET
Hallritt - Gakuto Kajiwara
Haruka Nijo (From Argonavis)
Luka (Honkai Star Rail)
Hiiro Amagi (Enstars)
Allen Sugasano (Paradox Live)
Merold - Yuu Hayashi
Manjiro Sano (Tokyo Revengers)
Youhei Kanbayashi (Paradox Live)
Ryuunosuke Tanaka (Haikyuu)
Puruth - Takuma Terashima
Otoya Ittoki (Utapri)
White (Mahoyaku)
Shintarou Kisaragi (Kagerou Project)
Touma Amagase (Idolmaster)
Romarriche - Shunichi Toki
Yuki Rurikawa (A3!)
Rui Kamishiro (Project Sekai)
Freminet (Genshin Impact)
Hokusai Masaki (Paradox Live)
Rutile (Mahoyaku)
Rimicha - Saku Hyuga
not many notable roles
Sanah - Shugo Nakamura
Fukami Shinkai (Aoppella!?)
Shidou Kirisaki (Milgram)
Teru Tendou (Idolmaster)
Ryuki (Pokemon Masters)
BLUE BOUQUET
Cielomort - Nobunaga Shimazaki
Kazuha Kaedehara (Genshin Impact)
Silver (Twisted Wonderland)
Haruka Nanase (Free!)
Yuki Souma (Fruits Basket)
Burgh (Pokemon Masters)
Kurode - Shogo Sakata
Aki Hayakawa (Chainsaw Man)
Gladion (Pokemon Evolutions)
Willmesh - Shoya Chiba
Kou Minamoto (Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun)
Sigma (Bungou Stray Dogs)
Hayato Akiyama (Idolmaster)
Klarkstella - Eiji Mikami
not many notable roles
Louterstella - Yuki Sakakihara
Shu Ujigawa (From Argonavis)
Juushi Aimono (Hypnosic Mic)
Myunna - Shinnosuke Tokudome
not many notable roles
NOIR BOUQUET
Badobarm - Shunsuke Takeuchi
Juza Hyodo (A3!)
Yoshikazu Isa (Aoppella!?)
Cyrus (Pokemon Masters)
Dr. Ratio (Honkai Star Rail)
Extra: silly - Olaf (Frozen 2), Dvalin (Genshin Impact), Gudetama (Gudetama: An Eggcelent Adventure)
"Even if it's not possible right now...using my own strength, I'll catch up to my brother...no, I'll surpass him." (1)
クロード / Kurode
CV: 坂田 将吾 / Shogo Sakata
Illustrator: 赤倉 / Akakura ( <This is a link to unofficial Kurode fanart by his illustrator. As it is fanart and not commissioned by Sanrio, please refrain from reposting it!)
A hard working person who suffers from an inferiority complex
A Fragaria who has formed a contract with Kuromi. Unable to stand being compared to his skilled and renowned older brother, frequently referred to as "The Strongest Knight", he ran away from home and was taken in by Kuromi when she found him wandering about.
He is rather blunt, but works hard and maintains a serious and diligent demeanor. Although he possesses a competitive spirit and a drive to grow stronger, he has yet to match his brother in skill, causing him to feel inferior.
1. Although I used the phrase "using my own strength" to translate it, a more literal translation would be that he is "doing things [his] own way". This is the exact phrase that Merold uses in his own voiceline, although Kurode uses "ore" to refer to himself, and Merold uses "boku"!
2. Merold and Kurode's bios have opposite elements. Merold exceeds in manipulating others, whereas Kurode is blunt in a way which I presume implies that he is a little tactless and...definitely not good at manipulating people lol 💀 he seems more straightforward than his brother
3. Merold and Kurode share the same illustrator! In that sense, they really are brothers fr lmao
Tomorrow is Animate Girl Festival, where Takuma Terashima (Puruth), Shugo Nakamura (Sanah), Shogo Sakata (Kurode), and Yohei Matsuoka (Hangyon), will make an appearance and reveal 6 announcements about the project!
Animation studio MAPPA have unveiled a new trailer for Chainsaw Man. It will star Kikunosuke Toya as Denji, Tomori Kusunoki as Makima, Shogo Sakata as Aki Hayakawa, and Fairouz Ai as Power. The series will land in October 2022.
Chainsaw Man follows Denji, a poor young man who’ll do anything for money, even hunt down devils with his pet devil-dog Pochita. A simple man with simple dreams and…