

One of my favourite shows of the season is the non-stop barrel of laughs that is Hinamatsuri. Turns out the ensemble cast is as interesting as the anime itself; and for the first joint interview we have the rather barmy Tanaka Takako aka TT, the voice behind Hina, the level-headed oniichan Nakajima Yoshiki (Nitta) and TT-makes-her-look-normal Hondo Kaede (Hitomi).

Pt.1

Q: Tell us your thoughts upon finding out that you’d been cast in your respective roles.

Tanaka: This was my first time (landing a major role) so I had to ask again to confirm. Like, ‘Eh?’. When I was told, ‘You’ve been cast in the role of Hina’, I had no idea whether it true or not, so I just replied ‘….thank you’ in a small voice while the others around me applauded. In a ‘Congrats!’ kind of way. It didn’t hit me right at that moment. It was only after I left the agency office that I suddenly screamed ‘Ah—-!!!’. And I knew I had to work hard. I wasn’t thinking about anything else.

Q: Since it’s your first leading role, did you reward yourself in any way?

Tanaka: I bought some strawberry flavoured Haagan Dazs.

Q: How about you, Nakajima-san?

Nakajima: After being told that I’d been cast, I went back to read the manga and realized that Nitta is what I’d call a ‘calorie-burning’ kind of role and it made me go ‘Now, things are gonna get real serious’. He has plenty of lines, he’s making all the witty responses and he’s the one who sets the ball rolling. I was also looking forward to seeing who my co-stars would be. I got really excited ahead of finding out the cast list.

Q: Hondo-san?

Hondo: Quite some time had passed since the audition until my manager informed me ‘you’ve been cast in the role of Hitomi-chan’. At the time, my impression had been that she was the only one with common sense [amongst the cast]. Then I read the manga and what I thought was, ‘Ah – she’s a pretty dangerous girl’ (laughs). She’s a junior high student who looks mature and acts like a guardian [to the other characters], but it all gradually starts to fall apart in her work etc – I was nervous about having to show that through my performance but at the same time, I felt happy. I’d been thinking of growing my hair out around that time, but I gave up and had it cut short…

Q: Do you try to resemble the characters you’re cast as when it comes to aspects such as hair etc?

Hondo: Personally I do like to try to look like them. Even the costume I’m wearing right now is based on Hitomi’s – I enjoy doing that. But I cut my hair, so I’ve had to wear one of the wigs that I keep for my other hobbies.

Q: Can you tell us what similarities you share with your respective characters? Let’s start with Tanaka-san.

Tanaka: I do really do things at my own pace. If I wasn’t working I’d be like Hina, living the slacker life, playing games while sprawled on the floor, eating potato chips…I’d be a dried fish woman (laughs) I’d probably be thinking things like ‘When was the last time I used the washing machine…? A century ago?’

Q: That means that you’re usually a lot more sloppy?

Tanaka: Yeah I’m quite sloppy. Slovenly, slow-paced. I might even be offending other people without knowing it.

Nakajima/Hondo: You haven’t yet.

Tanaka: Really? I’m glad.

Q: How about Nakajima-san?

Nakajima: I’m quite domesticated, surprisingly. I like looking after people.

Tanaka: Yes, yes (nods).

Nakajima: Do you have any self-awareness of the fact that you’re always being looked after? (laughs)

Tanaka: Yeah I do think you look after me.

Nakajima: I guess you could say in a way, the two of us are similar to how Nitta takes care of Hina. Also, I seem to have played a lot of delinquents, rascals and gangsters in the past. I’ve always wondered why though, since I’m such a gentle guy (laughs)

Q: Hondo-san, do you share any similarities [with Hitomi]?

Hondo: I wonder what we have in common. After all, I cut my hair (laughs)

Nakajima: Maybe you find it hard to say no (to other people’s requests)?

Hondo: I don’t think so (laughs). ‘cos I know if I don’t turn them down the regrets will keep on piling up… (laughs) I suppose that nature of Hitomi’s where she finds it hard to leave people alone is something that might apply to myself as well. Like when Hina first transfers into her school and she’s seated next to Hitomi, she helps her wipe her drool off. I’d probably do that too, helping others to wipe away their drool.

Pt2

Q: What do you think is the appeal of Hinamatsuri?

Tanaka: The series has a surreal kind of humour that anyone in the world would get addicted to if they gave it a chance. Plus, it has the ability to make you cry a little~. The manga does make you feel the warmth of family bonds and love etc. What’s interesting is how it takes an unconventional approach to the comedy – you’ll be left thinking, ‘ah, that’s where they’re coming from’ when the jokes fly in from unexpected directions. You’ll never get tired of re-watching the show, making new discoveries and laughing away.

Nakajima: Hinamatsuri isn’t about making you laugh out loud – it’s more about the little chuckles, making you go ‘heh’. You get that once every 2-3 panels. Before you know it, you’ll be rolling around laughing. Each joke is peculiar and surreal, and you’ll even laugh at panels that have no speech bubbles, where characters aren’t saying anything.

Q: I believe the way Tanaka-san normally speaks is different from the way Hina talks – is there anything you’re especially conscious about when you’re playing the character?

Tanaka: I try to imagine my own voice when I’ve just woken up. That’s what Hina’s voice sounded like in my head, when I was reading the manga ahead of the auditions. What you hear is close to what I sound like when I’m waking up. So I’m not really forcing a voice; it’s kind of natural to me.

Nakajima: On the other hand, when you put a bit more feeling into it you’re told, ‘please make it more emotionless’, aren’t you?

Tanaka: Yeah, I get told that even when I put just a tiny bit of emotion in. I have to make it as close to zero as possible. The other characters are super passionate so when I try to do it with a little more feeling I get told, ‘Ah, Tanaka-san. Please do it ‘blank’, like you normally do’ (laughs)

Q: Do you have any favourite episodes, taking into account the manga as well?

Tanaka: The part where Hina is disowned and in a sign of contrition, returns home and hands Nitta a 2900 yen vase, forlornly (?) saying ‘Nitta…’ Nitta somewhat forgives her, saying ‘let’s go home’ and Hina goes ‘Oh!’ – that’s the Hina part I loved the most. It made me think, ‘So this girl can make that kind of expression too!’. And that’s the moment I thought ‘they’re parent and child!’. Even if they’re not related, they can still have a loving relationship.

Hondo: Nitta hooks Hitomi-chan up with a nice place to stay and she’s forced to earn more in order to afford the rent. Knowing her plight, regular customers [at the bar] say to her ‘please help me out with this’ and she virtually ends up working full-time. Meanwhile, Hitomi hears one of her schoolmates remarking that they ‘want to grow up as soon as possible’ and she’s like ‘Working life…it ain’t a bed of roses’ and ‘It’s nice to be so carefree. I’m so tired from work’. That withered look filled with sorrow and exhaustion that she had – I loved it.

Nakajima: Due to a misunderstanding, Nitta ends up buried in cement up to his neck – the art had a lot of impact there.

Q: Hinamatsuri does have a lot of fun with the characters’ expressions and the art.

Nakajima: The characters’ expressions make them look insufferable. It really riles you up (laugh)

Q: Hinamatsuri is the title of this series – do any of you have good memories of the Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day) festival?

Tanaka: My family lives in a very remote area in rural Fukui, where most houses have a tiered Hina doll stand (hinadan). We had one in our house that had been passed down the generations and it looks beautiful in the afternoons. At night too. My family home was built 150 years ago. It’s a Taisho-era building that’s pretty classy. And at nights…[the dolls] give off a certain aura. Y’know, that kind of feeling. Like they’re watching you. Looking right at you.

Nakajima: They probably aren’t looking at you.

Hondo: It’s just your imagination.

Tanaka: When I was in primary school I was convinced that they could move. I actually saw it in a dream. It was the middle of the night in my house, and I wanted to go to the toilet – I passed by the red carpet (where the Hina dolls are placed)…and I could hear a ‘ten-ten-ten-ten’ sound coming from behind me. When I turned my head around, I could see the 3 court musician dolls…

All: (laughter)

Nakajima: It’s 5 court musicians*. Don’t kill off 2 of them. It’s 3 court ladies & 5 court musicians.

Tanaka: (laughs)…. My vocabulary sucks…

Nakajima: This isn’t about vocabulary, it’s about general knowledge.

Tanaka: (laughs). Anyway, they attacked me. They were using bows & arrows and shot at me in my dream, and I woke up with a sudden ‘UWAA~!!’. It was just a dream.

Nakajima: Of course it’s a dream! I know that much.

Tanaka: It’s just so scary when you see them at night!

*note: read this for a breakdown of the individual Hina dolls

Q: Please leave a message for viewers who are looking forward to the show.

Hondo: Readers of the manga should definitely look forward to this adaptation; it won’t disappoint you. Those who don’t know much about Hinamatsuri too, can dive into the anime and immediately find it addictive. As the person responsible for voicing Hitomi-chan, I’d love for you to support her amongst the many adults and children that appear in the show. I am curious as to which of these characters will win your hearts. I’d be glad if you could let us know your thoughts once the show starts airing.

Nakajima: I think fans of the manga might be awaiting the anime with a bit of apprehension but please be assured that you will be bursting out in laughter…oh wait, it’s not ‘laugh out loud’. It’s an endlessly chuckle-filled anime. Fun times are usually over in the blink of an eye, aren’t they? Where 30 minutes feels like a mere second. Hinamatsuri is fun, but it feels like it goes on for a super long time. It makes good use of tempo and intervals and the difference in pacing between the A and B parts can be pretty intense. This is the kind of anime that you could go on watching forever.

Tanaka: Just give the show 1 episode, and you’ll definitely want to keep watching. And it’s the humour that comes from unexpected places thanks to Ōtake-san’s original manga! Also, the staff members are all having great fun making this. The ‘fun’ of the series comes from the love that everyone has for it. Stretching out on your bed, chilling in the bathtub or just relaxing – and then you wake up the next day thinking, ‘Ah~~, time to give it my best today!’. That’s the kind of feeling that [watching] this show gives you. Everyone, look forward to Hinamatsuri!

[Interview/text: Satō Keiichi]