The TV anime "Thunder 3," based on the manga by Yuki Ikeda serialized in "Monthly Shonen Magazine" (Kodansha), will begin airing on Fuji TV's late-night anime block "+Ultra" and other channels from July 8th. The original manga, which began serialization in 2022, became a "shocking work" that generated buzz on social media for its story development and artwork. It depicts the adventures of a close-knit trio of middle school students known as the "Small 3," who are unremarkable in terms of looks, academics, and sports. We spoke to Sayumi Suzushiro, who plays Tezuka Pyontaro, Natsumi Kawaida, who plays Azuma Tsubame, and Eri Akiyama, who plays Ochanomizu Hiroshi, the three middle school boys in the "Small 3," about what happened behind the scenes during recording.
◇The role of the boy I'd always dreamed of playing.
--Small 3 has the look of a typical middle school boy.
Ms. Suzushiro, it had always been my dream to play a boy, so I was really happy, but junior high school girls and junior high school boys are different, aren't they? So, I thought I had to learn more, and I searched "junior high school boys" on YouTube, and observed boys walking home from school without looking suspicious. I happened to see three boys walking by who looked like Pyon and his friends, and I was curious about them (laughs). I could hear them having a slightly silly conversation. Junior high school boys are a little more... than girls.
Kawaiida-san, girls tend to mature faster than boys.
Suzushiro-san , that's right. In my impression, Pyon was too strongly conscious of being the "protagonist," and in a way, she ended up acting in a very conventional way... The director and sound director told me, "She's too good of a girl. She doesn't have to be a good girl," and we worked on bringing out the slightly cynical attitude typical of adolescence, and the part of her that thinks she's already an adult. The other two characters are particularly well-defined, and I wondered if Pyon just seemed like a straightforward protagonist, but that's not really the case.
Kawaiida-san told me during the recording to be "more reserved," and I'm more of a lighthearted person, so I don't really understand Tsubame, but there are parts I do understand (laughs). When I auditioned, I had a feeling that it would be Tsubame... And looking back, I think it really was me. However, he's a type of boy I've never played before. I've played boys in background roles and such, but there aren't many boys who are this unmotivated, yet also desperate in a certain way, and who take things lightly.
Akiyama-san, like Suzushiro-san, I really wanted to play a boy's role. In particular, I wanted to play an intelligent boy wearing glasses, so when I was offered the audition, I was so happy, thinking, "Can I really audition?!" I hadn't played a boy's role before, so I was really determined to do it! I put all my effort into the recording. I was so moved when I got the part. Among the three of us, Hiroshi is a bit of a detached observer; even when the other two are going "Wow!", he's like, "Now, now." Even during our recording, we were pulled along by their energy and enthusiasm, and we wanted to reach the same level as them. Hiroshi is intelligent, but he also enjoys having fun with the other two, and he's a really cute boy. It was so much fun playing him.
--Are there any similarities between you and Hiroshi, Mr. Akiyama?
Akiyama-san is so serious that he can't really enjoy himself with everyone from the start. He tends to observe things for a bit before trying to have fun. I think we're similar in that we're both a little slow to get into gear.
Suzushiro-san , you're right, everyone fits perfectly! (lol)
--Did you find it enjoyable or exciting to play a boy as a female voice actress?
Suzushiro-san, there are definitely some lines you can only say to a boy!!
Kawaiida-san and Akiyama-san are there!
Ms. Suzushiro has some really cool lines (laughs). Even when I'm acting, I think, "That's cool!" and I felt that I could be innocent because I was playing a boy. There are times when I feel like I'm returning to my childlike self, but if I do it too much without thinking, because of my natural voice quality, it can sound like a girl, which is the tricky part. When women play boys, there seems to be a range where our voices inevitably sound similar, and sometimes all three of us sounded alike. In that sense, we had to be conscious of making our characters stand out, and since I had a lot of lines, I think the other two especially helped me adjust my voice.
Kawaiida-san's voice acting was also fun, it had a boyish quality to it. I've never stood in front of a microphone with such bad posture before. It's partly because I'm playing Tsubame, but I'm also very relaxed. I have the image of standing there a little slumped over, with a hunched back and my eyes slightly rolled back (laughs). I wasn't consciously using my abdominal muscles, and it felt like I was speaking from around my throat. I think it's because I'm playing Tsubame.
◇Help each other
--Have the three of you ever worked together before?
This is the first time I've had the opportunity to work closely with Ms. Suzushiro as a main character.
I've had the opportunity to work with Ms. Akiyama and Ms. Kawaida on set as guest characters before, but this is my first time working with Ms. Suzushiro.
We couldn't record together because of the COVID -19 pandemic.
Ms. Suzushiro was nervous from the very first episode, and actually, she was recovering from an illness at the time of recording, so she thought it might be difficult... but having these two there was really reassuring. Ms. Kawaida and I have been friends for 8 or 9 years, and we co-starred when I first played a main character, and we have mutual friends, so on the first day we went out for dinner, I stayed over at Ms. Kawaida's house (laughs). It's amazing how quickly we became close. After that, we went out for meals, and there was a period when we couldn't meet often due to COVID-19, but we said, "It would be great if we could co-star as main characters someday." When I heard that Ms. Kawaida would be playing Tsubame, Tsubame's face and Ms. Kawaida's acting linked together for me. It was my first time working with Ms. Eri, but her sincerity and earnestness really shone through, and she's a truly wonderful person...!
Thank you, Akiyama- san (laughs).
Thanks to Ms. Suzushiro's help from the very first recording session, we were able to record in a gentle and supportive atmosphere. I think I was able to perform without being too nervous, in a good way.
I've been calling her Kawaida-san , but she was definitely the leader. She always took the lead, proactively communicated with the director, invited us out for meals after work, organized things, and was great at creating a good atmosphere.
Ms. Suzushiro is just someone who likes to try things out (laughs).
Kawaiida-san: It was a set with many young people, some of whom were first-time regulars, and many were rather reserved, but (Suzushiro-san) would invite them out for meals.
Some of the cast members were making their regular debut, and it would have been a shame if they were too nervous to show their full potential. Ms. Kawaida and Ms. Eri talked to us and helped each other out, so it was a very fortunate set to work on.
What kind of antics will the three "silly" characters, played by these perfectly matched actors, get up to? Be sure to check out the start of this "shocking" production. (Manami Anima/MANTANWEB)
