To commemorate the release of the movie “Given: To the Sea,” Animate Times conducted a series of interviews with the main cast members while counting down to the release date.
There are only 6 days left until the movie is released. In the second part of this series, we bring you an interview with Yasuto Saka, who plays Gensumi Yagi. What are the highlights of “To the Sea,” which follows the previous work “Hiiragi Mix”? We asked him about his thoughts on the “Given” series, which began in 2019.
–The movie “Given: To the Sea” will be released, but what do you think looking back on the story of “Given: Hiiragi Mix,” the first part of the two-part movie series?
Saka Taito, who plays Yagi Gensumi (hereinafter, Saka): In the previous work, “Hiiragi Mix,” the spotlight was on Hiiragi and Gensumi, and their relationship reached a complete conclusion.
On the other hand, this latest film, “To the Sea,” marks the end of the story of Mafuyu, Rikka, and the Given members that has continued since the TV series, and I feel that it marks a conclusion to the series itself.
–How did you approach the acting in “Given: To the Sea”? Given the changes in the relationship between Genjun and Kashima Hiiragi, please tell us if there were any differences in your approach compared to “Hiiragi Mix.”
Saka: I didn’t try to intentionally change or vary my approach to the play, but rather tried to value the words that came naturally in the atmosphere of the moment.
However, there were many interpretations of lines that were only possible because of my experience with the story of “Hiiragi Mix.”
–Please tell us which character you are interested in in this work.
Saka: I guess it would be Mafuyu and Ritsuka. I want people to pay attention to their story, and also to the presence of Yuki that remains in Mafuyu’s heart.
–The anime began airing in 2019, and the story up to the final volume of the original manga has been developed in TV anime, OAD, and movies. Please tell us what you felt while acting out Genjun’s growth, changes, personality, etc. throughout the story from beginning to end.
Saka: I think that Genjun’s fundamental belief that “anything is fine as long as Hiiragi wants it” has not changed at all.
その根本を変えるのではなく、『柊mix』で受け入れて貰えたからこそより一層「柊のために」という心情になっているのでは無いかなと思います。むしろ僕の方が、物語が進むにつれて「玄純ってこんな人だったのか！」と沢山気付かされたなと感じています。
――続けて、改めて『ギヴン』という作品全体を通して、振り返ってみていかがでしたか？
坂：登場人物全員が何かを抱え、何かを悩み、何かに苦しむ。未完全で成長途中だからこそ、人間味がとてもあり輝いて見える。そんな大人になる前の不完全さを、「音楽」という正解と言うものがないものをテーマにして描かれた、とても繊細で美しい作品だと感じています。
――それでは最後に、坂さんイチオシのシーンや注目ポイントを教えてください。
坂：ズバリ、ライブシーンです。
沢山の想いが詰まった楽曲を何度でも見て頂きたいですし、「例の曲」も注目して欲しいです！
［文／笹本千尋］
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