Masha’s cuteness makes you go, “Eh?! W-are you sure it’s me?!” Is she actually a character who sees things from a bird’s-eye view? Interview with Yukiyo Fujii, who plays Maria Mikhailovna Kujo in “My Neighbor, Aria, Who Sometimes Whispers in Russian” [Series Part 4]The TV anime “Alya-san, my neighbor, sometimes whispers sweet nothings in Russian” will begin airing on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. Although she usually gives a cold look, Alya-san sometimes whispers sweet nothings in Russian. Meanwhile, Kuze Masachika, who has native-level Russian listening skills, pretends not to notice the meaning of the words being spoken to him. What will become of their love story?

To commemorate the broadcast, Animate Times is running a series of email interviews with the main cast!

The fourth guest is Yukiyo Fujii, who plays Maria Mikhailovna Kujo. She talks about the appeal of the series and her character, as well as some episodes from acting.

–Please tell us how you felt when you found out you would be appearing in “Rosidere.”

Yukiyo Fujii (hereinafter Fujii), who plays Maria Mikhailovna Kujo: When I heard about the audition, Masha was so cute that I thought, “There’s no way they’ll get a girl as angelic as this… Even if they don’t get Masha, I’d be happy if they call me back for another character and I could be involved in the series,” so I felt like it was just a commemorative audition, so when I heard I’d passed, I was very surprised and said, “What?! W-You really want me?”

–What do you think is appealing about the work “Rosidere”?

Fujii: I love all the characters. I can empathize with each of their feelings, and they are all lovable people with strong personalities that make me want to root for them. The bittersweet youthfulness I felt while reading the original manga and comic book adaptation is vividly expressed with wonderful images and sounds…! I think the anime adaptation of Rosidere is the best… and I look forward to it every week with the same feelings as the viewers!

–What aspects did you pay particular attention to when playing the character of Marsha? Also, were there any points that you yourself could empathize with, or points that you found attractive because they are not your own?

Fujii: She’s a completely different person from me, so I’m trying to consider what she’s thinking one by one, empathize with her feelings, and support her the most. During the final audition, I was told, “If I use a mature voice, I’ll go beyond being an older sister character and become more like a mother. The basic role is to play a cute older sister. When she’s being fluffy, she’s an innocent and cute older sister, and when she’s being mature, she’s a mature and cute older sister.

If I had to say, Marsha is actually more of the latter type, and in the former (when she’s with her family and friends) she’s a bit of a loose-headed girl. Even when she’s being airheaded, she’s not really acting, so please be careful not to sound like a cutesy girl. ” I was told about the image of her voice, so I tried to make sure that her gentle embrace of everyone doesn’t come across as a mother’s perspective, and because she loves everyone, she can sometimes be too airheaded and let her guard down, but in fact she has a bird’s-eye view of things, so although she does have inner conflicts because of this, she doesn’t show them on the surface… and she always values everyone around her the most… and I tried to adjust the balance of her emotions depending on the scene as I played her. I hope I was able to express them well…!!

— I think Marsha appears in many episodes, but was there anything that stood out to you during the recording?

Fujii: The staff and cast were all friendly and warm on set, but when we recorded the Russian part, we all came together and encouraged each other. When we got the OK, we all applauded and did high-fives (laughs). It was my first time doing background noise in Russian, but with the teacher’s guidance, we were able to record together and have a good time, which was a learning experience and a lot of fun!