Since Lunatic saved Tiger's ass back in s1, I really really hoped to see a scenario in s2 with Kotetsu saving Yuri from an enemy/himself so you know, they could be even. His death really caught me off guard.
What a missed opportunity, I think I put too much faith in writers ):
Full translation of the August 2022 issue of Animage magazine, featuring interviews with Kotetsu and Barnaby’s VA’s, Hirata Hiroaki and Morita Masakazu.
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The Most Powerful Enemy
Interview with Hirata Hiroaki & Morita Masakazu
An unexpected change in their voices even if they didn’t have any mental struggle returning to their roles!?
Hirata: Hello! This is Hirata, the one from TIGER & BUNNY who is extremely excited for cour 2.
Morita: Hi 𝅘𝅥𝅮 This is Morita, the one from TIGER & BUNNY who bought his first Animage (the magazine this interview is in) in 6th grade.
- Thank you for your wonderful greetings! Good job in cour 1! It has been a while since we’ve talked to you as Kotetsu & Barnaby.
Hirata: It has been about 8 years since the release of “The Rising”.
Morita: That’s true.
- 11 years have passed if we were to count the months. As it’s been a while since you’ve acted as Kotetsu and Barnaby, was there anything in particular you were working on during that time?
Hirata: I don’t remember anything in particular. I wasn’t recording that much anime during those 11 years but…… maybe I did something every now and then?
Morita: At times I would voice record for collabs.
Hirata: We were tied up in things like that and because I rode the enthusiasm of the citizens, I don’t remember having any mental struggles despite how much time had passed.
- I feel as if the series “TIGER & BUNNY” has been sustained by extremely dedicated fans.
Hirata: I am grateful. I thought I would be able to record without any problems because of that, but it seems like we’ve aged quite a bit when we last acted. Oh man~ I didn’t realize until someone told me.
- Is this about what they said to you during the recording session?
Hirata: Yeah, I was told without an ounce of delicacy. There are many incredible people who are veterans in the Seiyuu industry. The voices of voice actors, such as Nozawa Matsuko-san, Furukawa Toshio-san, and Ikeda Masaru-san, haven’t changed despite how old they have grown. Some shows like “DragonBall” are a gathering of these amazing people.
Morita: (laughs).
Hirata: That’s why I thought there wouldn’t be a problem concerning my voice. Thus I was shocked when I was told, “You sound old.” Instead of hoping for a good performance when walking into the studio, I was scrambling to correct the part of me that sounded old.
- So the result of Kotetsu’s unchanging voice that sounds the same to season 1 is after correction. What is it that you were told to do to correct your voice?
Hirata: I tried to speak in a younger voice and be conscious about sounding energetic. I really didn’t think it had changed at all. During my rewatch of season 1, I was vividly able to recall the tension I had felt when I stood in front of the mic 11 years ago, so I had convinced myself that, “I can do this!”
- What about Barnaby?
Morita: There is an increase in scenes where Barnaby shows more human-like traits compared to the past season, so it was a big task on whether I could seamlessly act those out. It would be unnatural if the change is too drastic from season 1 because there hasn’t been a significant time jump. It was more or less difficult to make his voice sound natural.
- The scene where Barnaby speaks softly to his foliage plants leaves a deep impression.
Morita: That is also a scene I was worried about. I think it is easy for the viewers to express this kind of emotion, but for Barnaby, if I made his voice too soft, he would suddenly sound like a completely different person. I was concerned with how I should balance my acting. Regardless, that scene made one wonder, “Did he get a girlfriend?” or “Or a wife!?” and mislead us as we thought, “What, it was just leaves!”
- I was misled by that!
Morita: I was shocked the first time I read the script too, so I wanted to make sure to properly surprise the viewers as well. I wouldn’t have been able to satisfy myself if I didn’t.
- (laughs). So you received advice to act with a soft tone?
Morita: Correct. I was told, “speak like you are talking to your lover.” In a way, I acted that scene by treating it as a gag.
- Fugan and Mugan appeared in cour 1 as the heroes’ enemy. They were quite powerful, but please tell us your impression of them.
Hirata: How they became the way they are or their past isn’t illustrated that much. Because it only touches upon the impactful parts…… On how they were taken in by Brahe and they felt a need to repay him. They were strong enemies but I feel like there weren't enough scenes where we could understand or sympathize with them. If it was Kotetsu, he’d likely be all curious and ask, “Why did you become like this!?” I too am the same.
Morita: The story this time, and the series overall, gives the impression that it brings up the question of what human relationships are—whether it be gender problems or discrimination. I think what is being conveyed in the core of this tale is how each buddy has a role in telling a theme. Concerning what role Fugan/Mugan have, I wonder if it’s to express the bad stagnation that our current society is struggling against. They became who they are by not receiving love, being bullied, and discriminated against, and I felt that this embodied the notion of, “This would actually happen if crimes like this existed,” to a degree.
- I see, so those two are a representation of the dark part of society.
Morita: I feel like Fugan’s NEXT power is also tied to that. His power is to absorb and return the attacks he receives, but the fact that he breaks his body in the end is similar to how one absorbs the bad in society and self-destructs from criminal problems.
- The theme they are tasked with is heavy, but their childish actions stood out a lot.
Hirata: What they are doing is childish. I feel like they did what they did because they wanted to make Brahe happy and be praised by him. I guess that’s how poorly they were treated by society. I felt pitiful towards them. The way they were living just to see Brahe smile feels like they were puppies, desperately trying to stay close to their owner…… They do not have a goal they wish to achieve while they are alive that would come after defeating the heroes.
Morita: It didn’t feel satisfying even when the fight was over. I doubt Tiger and Barnaby feel like they won, that it just felt like it ended on a bad note. In the end, I wonder if this is because what seems to be the bad of society, prominently remains. It’s unlikely they would feel like this if everything was cleaned up well and Sternbild became perfectly peaceful; then the battle would have ended satisfyingly. But I think the series scriptwriter, Nishida-san, and his staff wanted to illustrate how “reality is not like that.”
vaporwave
stormborns
romaincrisis
turnnoffyourmind
