The anime “Overlord” is based on the hugely popular novel series, which has sold over 14 million copies in total. This is the first completely new movie in the series, and is the long-awaited film adaptation of the “Holy Kingdom Arc”, which is also popular among fans of the original work.
This time, we interviewed Yoshino Aoyama, who will be playing Neia Baraja, a new character who holds the key to the movie, and Asami Seto, who will be playing Shizu Delta, a member of Team Pleiades. We talked to them about a variety of topics, including the highlights of the movie and the characters.
–How did you first encounter Overlord, Mr. Aoyama?
Yoshino Aoyama, voice of Neia (hereafter, Aoyama): I don’t think there are many TV series that continue until the fourth season. I had a vague idea that it was that popular, and that’s how I encountered Overlord after I decided to audition.
–Specifically, what impression did you have?
Aoyama: Ainz… I always say Ainz-sama (laughs). Ainz-sama’s appearance is not something you see often as a protagonist, is it? So, he made an impression on me as a character when the first season was airing, and when I found out about the content, I was surprised, thinking, “I never imagined he was such a character…”
–So, please tell us how you felt when you were chosen to play the role of Neia.
Aoyama: As I said before, “Overlord” is very popular, and I had a vague feeling of distrust towards myself, or rather, I thought “I’m not such a great person…”, so I thought I wouldn’t fit in. When I received the call that I’d been chosen for the role, I couldn’t believe it. As the recording got closer and closer, I finally felt like “Maybe I’ll really be voicing Neia…”
— The Holy Kingdom Arc also focuses on Shizu, but how did you feel when you heard about it being made into an animated movie?
Asami Seto (hereafter, Seto), voice of Shizu: Shizu is a character who has been in the series since the beginning, but she actually only appeared once or twice in the TV anime.
However, I have been involved with the character for a long time. I have recorded for the spin-off “Pure Pure Plea Desu” and the game, so there has never been a period of a year when I didn’t record at all, and I have been playing the character regularly.
I had heard that Shizu would play an active role in the film adaptation of the “Holy Kingdom Arc,” so I was looking forward to it. Even among the Pleiades, she is not the type to speak up, so I was curious about how she would play an active role.
–You have a fairly important position in this work, but did it feel different from previous recordings?
Seto: That’s right. It’s been a long time since I last played Shizu in the anime recordings, so it felt almost like it was my first time. This time, I had a lot of interaction with Neia, but I’ve hardly had the chance to talk with someone like that until now.
So, for the “Holy Kingdom Arc,” I approached the recording with a renewed sense of purpose, thinking, “I have to face the character of Shizu once again.”
–I think this was Aoyama-san’s first time participating, so how was the recording?
Aoyama: When I read the script, I got the impression that this movie was told from Neia’s point of view. The basic storyline is that Neia faces the problems she faces and gradually becomes more devoted to Ainz-sama. There are some things that Neia doesn’t know, like who Ainz-sama is talking to, but even that made sense to me.
Even during the dubbing, there was no direction like “Please do it like this.” I think it’s because the image of Neia I had created beforehand was similar to the image of Neia the director had, and when I thought about the reason for that, I thought it might be because Neia and I have similar ways of thinking about things.
I think Neia was raised under pressure from others, and is the type of person who gets told off easily in class. I’ve had the same experience, feeling that it was unfair that I was the only one who got told off for some reason. I think Neia was also constantly treated the same way by Remedios, and as a result, her personality was formed. I think it’s because we have similar roots that I was able to act naturally as I imagined.
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