Part 2 of "BEASTARS FINAL SEASON," the concluding season of the anime "BEASTARS," based on the manga by Paru Itagaki serialized in "Weekly Shonen Champion" (Akita Shoten), has begun streaming exclusively on Netflix. Approximately seven years have passed since the first season of the anime began airing in 2019, and it has finally come to an end. We spoke to Sayaka Sembongi, who has played the heroine Haru for about seven years, about her thoughts on the series and Haru.
◇Behind the scenes of a unique recording session
--The anime has finally concluded.
My first feeling is sadness. When we finished recording the first season of the TV anime, the original manga was still being serialized, but we talked about wanting to see it through to the end. I wondered how far away it would be if we were to go all the way, and now it's finally over. I'm happy that I was able to play Haru until the very end, but I'm still sad.
--It seems you recorded the voices first, a pre-scoring process. What was the most memorable aspect of that?
I had heard it was pre-scoring, but I remember being confused at first. We all tackled it head-on, trying different things and working hard. I often recorded with Mr. Kobayashi (Chikahiro Kobayashi, who plays Legoshi), and in the scene in Season 1 where Haru and Legoshi spend time together in a hotel, we recorded while lying down in similar positions. It was a little awkward, so I remember everyone else going outside and the lights being dimmed a bit for the recording. In "FINAL SEASON" Part 2, the scene where Haru lies down at Legoshi's house and listens to his heartbeat was also recorded at a similar distance.
--It seems like it was an unusual recording session. Did that work to your advantage?
I think that's true. The amount of information you get from your co-stars increases dramatically. There's a lot of noise that can get in, so I think it's something that was made possible by the skill and passion of the staff. When I first watched the first season of the TV anime, I was moved. It's really wonderful. That's one of the reasons why I'm sad that it's ending.
◇I can really understand how Haru feels.
--You've played Haru for about seven years. What does Haru mean to you personally?
She's like a friend, a best friend to me. I've been closest to her and I think there are many similarities between us, but there are also many differences. I've learned a lot from her and she's shown me different perspectives, so to me, Haru has become like a friend or a best friend. Over the seven years I've been playing her, Haru's way of thinking has become ingrained in me, and I sometimes find myself wondering what I would do in certain situations.
--What are the similarities and differences?
One similarity is that we're both pretty blunt. We're similar in that we can say things like, "I don't need anything else," and I also tend to think, "If I have this, I don't need anything else." Where we're different is that we don't pry too deeply into other people and we have a certain distance in our relationships. Haru is feeling uneasy, but she has things she needs to do, so she tries to wait for Legoshi. If it were me, if I felt uneasy, I'd want to ask and try to find an answer, but Haru thinks about it on her own and can wait. She's mature. Legoshi quits school and starts living alone, but if it were me, I think I'd be worried and go to see him every day. I think that's where we're completely different.
--Haru is a complex character. What was the core of her character that you tried to portray? What did you find difficult?
Because we have some similarities, I've never really thought it was difficult. What I found interesting was that when I was talking with Atsumi Tanezaki, who played Juno, during the TV series, she said that she really couldn't understand Haru, and that she couldn't play her. I also felt that I couldn't understand Juno, and that I couldn't play her. Juno has a lot of pride, but she's also a little shy and likes to stand out. Finding that balance is difficult. On the other hand, I found Haru easy to understand. In the beginning, she has a desire to prove her own worth and to feel that she belongs here. If I focused on that, I was able to play her. With Louis, our goals might be the same, but I feel that our ultimate goals are different.
-- How did you perceive the relationship between Haru, Louis, and Legoshi?
In her relationship with Louis, they might have liked each other in that moment, but they lived in completely different worlds, and she felt that there was no reason why she "had to be with him." Legoshi, on the other hand, is someone Haru "has to be with," and Legoshi keeps telling her, "It has to be Haru-chan." He's not just expressing his own loneliness, but telling her that he wants her for who she is. I understand that very well. For Haru, who had low self-esteem, meeting Legoshi was a huge event. It's a fine line between that and just being hungry, but he comes to her despite that, so she starts to trust him. I really understand how Haru feels.
--Were you able to act naturally because you understood the concept?
That's true. Whether I would do the same thing is another story, but I really understood Haru's feelings. He might be a difficult character, but when you break him down, he becomes surprisingly simple. That might have been easy to understand.
--What were your impressions of working with Mr. Kobayashi, who plays Legoshi?
I truly believe that if Legoshi hadn't been played by Mr. Kobayashi, it wouldn't have turned out this way. He guided me, I trusted him completely, and we were able to create it together.
--I heard that you were the youngest person on set when the first season started.
It might have been similar to Haru's situation. I was able to take on the challenge without knowing anything. What I learned on set has been incredibly useful in my acting career. For example, I must never forget the importance of looking at the other person's face when acting. It's something I feel on every set, and I truly feel fortunate to have been a part of this project. That's why, now that it's over, I feel like there's a big hole in the room, and I'm sad.
◇I'm happy when I'm with Legoshi
--The tagline for "FINAL SEASON" Part 2, "Even so, if it's just the two of us," is also very memorable.
I think those words sum it all up. Haru and Legoshi are different species, so they are often subjected to criticism and misunderstanding, but Haru believes that she is happy as long as she is with Legoshi, regardless of whether he is a wolf or not. I was truly glad that she was able to meet someone who would say, "Even so, as long as it's the two of you."
--SEVENTEEN's ending theme song, "Tiny Light," has also been generating a lot of buzz.
It's a really wonderful song that reminds us of everything that's happened so far. Part 2 has some heavy parts, but I think what drives Legoshi, Louis, and Haru is their youth. That's why they can stand up to Melon and stick to their own sense of justice. That youthfulness really suits the melody. It makes you feel like you're returning to your roots. There are lyrics that remind us of Haru in the gardening club watering the flowers for the first time. I wonder if even when Legoshi becomes an old man, he'll remember something like Haru's back in the gardening club? It conveys that Haru was the one who watered the small seed in his heart and taught him the meaning of life.
--Finally, could you tell us again what you find appealing about "BEASTARS"?
It's the way it's translated into animals that's so remarkable. It makes you think, "Could this possibly mean...?" Even with Legoshi, he could have been portrayed as stronger, but the fact that he arrived at a character with such confusion is truly amazing. It's such an incredible work that I want to see what goes on inside the author's mind. (Manami Anima/MANTANWEB)
