Special Interview Released for TV Anime 'DIGIMON BEATBREAK' featuring Tomoyo Kurosawa (Lena Sakuya) and Mutsumi Tamura (Pristimon)!

Toei Animation Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nakano-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Katsuhiro Takagi) has released a talk interview featuring Tomoyo Kurosawa (voice of Lena Sakuya) and Mutsumi Tamura (voice of Pristimon) for the TV anime series 'DIGIMON BEATBREAK', the studio's first new title in two years.

Lena is often angry and scary, but she is actually a very kind girl

-- First, please tell us about the audition. What were your first impressions of the characters you play?

Tamura Pristimon looks very cute, doesn't it? So, I thought the character would speak in a more mascot-like way. However, it was not like that at all. Pristimon was actually a character with a mature and feminine vibe. Even after transforming into Ulvamon, she remains quite mature. Her appearance has a strong beast-like quality, so I had imagined a more stylized, cute voice. However, I recall being asked to perform with a feminine tone, as the character is like Lena's counterpart and reflects Lena's heart.

Kurosawa Was your initial approach different?

Tamura At first, I performed with a slightly raspy voice. Since I don't often play cute roles, Pristimon is a very rare type of role for me. Even senior voice actors who came as guests later told me at another recording site, "You're playing it in a completely different style. I was surprised." Every week, I come to the studio feeling a bit nervous, wondering if I can bring out Pristimon's voice today (laughs).

Kurosawa Is it a high-key voice among your typical roles?

Tamura I sometimes speak in a higher pitch for games. But in games, you can talk at your own pace. For anime, the timing and interactions are strictly decided, so I can't just adjust my voice on the fly. I record while wondering if it's okay even if it sounded a bit rough.

-- How about you, Ms. Kurosawa?

Kurosawa I was first invited to an audition for Digimon. I hadn't imagined a future where I would be involved with the Digimon series, so I went to the audition looking forward to seeing what it would be like. However, the world of producer (Hiroyuki) Sakurada was incredible right from the audition venue.

Tamura That's true (laughs).

Kurosawa In the recording booth, senior actors affectionately call him 'Sakuradamon' (Hiroyuki Sakurada). To borrow that phrase, it felt like I had wandered into 'Sakuradamon's mirror world' (laughs). Since I didn't know anyone, I sat there blankly, pretending to look down at the script. Then, Mr. Sakurada casually came over, sat in the chair in front of me, and asked, "Did you eat?" (laughs).

Tamura It was like that even from the audition? (laughs).

Kurosawa Yes. There were snacks on the table at the back of the booth. One of 'Sakuradamon's' moves is 'delivering delicious food.' Since it was our first meeting, I panicked at the question, "Did you eat?" I didn't even know if he was a manager or a producer! Then another actor said, "No, no, you can't eat during an audition!" and a warm conversation started from there. At that point, there was a great sense of family. I was surprised to realize that I was the only one hesitant to answer "Did you eat?" due to the close distance.

Tamura That kind of audition actually exists? (laughs).

Kurosawa At the audition, the director told me, "Lena is a character ruled by anger, so please express that anger strongly." But my head was full of 'Sakuradamon' at the time, and I just made the loudest voice I could. Maybe some kind of jealousy like "everyone gets along so well" came out as e-pulses (laughs). Looking back, it's too funny and just a funny story! When I left the studio, I told my manager, "I think it will be difficult," but later I heard that I was on the shortlist. I hadn't played many roles where anger comes out so quickly like Lena, so I felt motivated, thinking it would be a challenge for me.

-- Please tell us about the appeal of Lena and Pristimon that you discovered during the performances.

Kurosawa A side of Lena that gradually emerged is that she loves money.

Tamura She liked money from the very beginning. There were quite a few moments where she seemed like a money-grubber (laughs).

Kurosawa In the beginning, she was sincerely impoverished, so sincerely