In the second episode, which was aired the other day, Tanjiro is ordered by the master (Yoya Ubuyashiki) to persuade Tomioka, who is alone and closed-minded and does not cooperate, when conducting pillar training. As Tanjiro actively communicates with him, Tomioka remembers the promise he made to his late best friend, Sabuto, and decides to participate in the pillar training.
Meanwhile, Shinobu tells Kanao that she will not be participating in this pillar training. The story ended with him talking about the demon that killed his older sister Kanae, and how to kill a demon.
Animate Times will be publishing a series of cast interviews to commemorate the start of the “Hashira Training Edition”! This time it’s Saori Hayami who plays Shinobu Kocho. They talked about their impressions after looking back on the second episode, episodes from the recording of the “Hashira Training Edition,” and memorable scenes from the series so far.
*The official notation for Sabuto’s “rust” is “gold + blue”
–Looking back on the second episode, which aired the other day, please tell us your impressions and the memorable scenes.
Saori Hayami (hereinafter referred to as Hayami) who plays Shinobu Kocho: This is where the pillar training begins, and overall I think the scenes between Tomioka-san, Tanjiro-kun, and Sabuto-san were memorable.
I thought that only Tanjiro could get the stubborn and taciturn Tomioka to talk so much. I also thought it was wonderful that the owner told Tanjiro that Tomioka should face the front.
Mr. Tomioka has a lot on his mind, but he never tells me everything, so I have no choice but to keep guessing and act together. Shinobu-san isn’t the type to ask people questions, but he is a person who observes people well and has the ability to sense things, so I think that he was able to build a relationship of trust after going through that process.
I thought it was a good thing that Tanjiro persistently attacked Mr. Tomioka, partly because of the orders from the master, and when I watched the anime footage, I thought, “Mr. Tomioka, you have such an amazing face. That’s right.” I thought Tanjiro was amazing at making Tomioka make that expression (lol).
I also thought that the bond between Tomioka-san and Sabuto-san was good.
–The story ended with a powerful scene in which Shinobu told Kanao an important truth.
Hayami: We recorded many different versions of the last scene. We receive careful direction, so each time we ask the staff to convey their image to us, but this time, as Shinobu, there is a scene in the second episode that really gets to the heart of the story. I thought it was a scene that completely changed the way I saw it. I remember recording various things, such as where to use punctuation marks and how strongly and with what tension to say it.
–In the second episode, you could tell that Shinobu was trying to suppress her emotions, but was that something you were conscious of when acting?
Hayami: Actually, I’ve always been a calm, kind, and compassionate person…I’ve been doing this without thinking that I’m a person. As you can see from the past episodes of the three Kocho sisters depicted in “Tanjiro Kamado: Risshihen”, Shinobu is very easy to get angry, is always a little pretentious, has a strong competitive spirit, and when something is said… He also has the courage to retort. She’s also someone who reacts sensitively to external stimuli, so I think she’s someone whose mind can sometimes fluctuate.
So even in the second episode of “Hashira Keiko-hen,” I kept in mind that the person himself was probably conscious of controlling his emotions, and only the part where he mentally asked for help from his sister was changed. I acted with the awareness that I could see a little bit of Shinobu from the past.
――Please tell us your impressions after reading the script for “Hashira Keiko Hen” and performing the role.
Hayami: I felt that the atmosphere of the “Hashira Training Arc” was quite different from the “Swordsmith’s Village Arc,” and the comical aspects of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” were well incorporated into this episode as well. So, I thought that you would be able to experience the charm of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” once again.
あと柱を待ち望んでくださった方には楽しんでいただけるシーズンになるんじゃないかなと思います。柱稽古に参加しない彼女にも注目してほしいですね。
――「柱稽古編」の第一話では柱合会議のシーンが描かれましたが、柱を演じる皆さんとの収録はいかがでしたか？
早見：すごく緊張しました（笑）。あれだけの人数で一斉に収録するのは久しぶりであり、珍しいくらいの状況だったので、「あっ、（以前は）これだけの人数で録っていたんだな」と思い出すと同時に、人がたくさんいて、しかも先輩たちということで、かなり緊張しました。
ただ収録が始まると、先輩たちの頼もしさとか、いてくださることで自然と空気が作られていく感覚がわかりました。内容はシリアスですが、現場は本当に和やかで、素敵な空間でした。
――収録中や休憩時などに皆さんとお話しされましたか？
早見：いろいろみんなとお話ししましたが、今回、蜜璃ちゃんがエッジの効いた動きをしていて、（アフレコ）テストが終わった後、（実弥役の）関 智一さんが「花澤（香菜）さんだけ別の作品にいるみたいだね」とおっしゃっていたのがすごく印象的でしたし、私も「そうだな」と思いました（笑）。
――今シリーズでは、継子であるカナヲとのやり取りもありますが、カナヲ役の上田麗奈さんとの収録はいかがでしたか？
早見：まず一緒になることがだいぶ久しぶりでしたし「竈門炭治郎 立志編」で描かれた三姉妹での物語はみんなで録っていましたが、今回は麗奈ちゃんと二人で収録だったんです。同じ日に柱合会議のシーンも収録しましたが、メンバーを入れ替えて収録したので、全然気持ちや空気が違いました。
カナヲと二人でしゃべっているところはカナヲへの優しい気持ちとか、核心の部分を「この人になら話せる」という信頼感もシーンの空気から感じましたし、柱合会議のピリッとした空気とはまた違う、“大事なことを大切な人に話す空気”みたいなものが流れていたなと感じました。
また、麗奈ちゃんがしのぶさんに対しての真っすぐな想いも、これまで築き上げてきた三姉妹の軌跡があるからだと思いますが、それを言葉に乗せて掛け合ってくださったので、私も引き出されるような形でやることができました。
――しのぶはカナヲと接しているときは、他のキャラクターといるときよりも壁がない気がしました。
早見：今回、セリフでもありますが、「師範ともっと稽古したい」と口にできるくらい、カナヲ自身が自我を出したり、ずっと成長や変化してきているので、そういう姿を見て、「今の状態のカナヲにだったら、自分のこともさらけ出せる」と思ったのかもしれません。
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