Sairi Ito, who is perhaps a familiar figure on big and small screens, has become a sought-after supporting actress despite only being 25 by adding vibrancy and accents to her portrayals of cheerful, high-spirited women.
In the TV anime "Eizoken niwa Te o Dasuna!" (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken), which airs around midnight every Sunday night on NHK General TV, she voices high school student Midori Asakusa, a nerdy girl who is into making animated films.
Based on the manga of the same title by Sumito Owara, which is serialized in the Gekkan! Spirits monthly manga magazine, the anime tells the story of Asakusa and two other high school girls starting an eizoken, or film club at their school. The drawings of their inner fantasies leap out of their sketchbooks and come to life.
This distinctive work mixing fantasy and reality is directed by Masaaki Yuasa, whose past works include animated feature films "Yoake Tsugeru Lu no Uta" (Lu Over the Wall) and "Kimi to Nami ni Noretara" (Ride Your Wave).
Ito's acting career began while she was an elementary school student, appearing in the TV drama "Joo no Kyoshitsu." She made a name for herself in the role of a rice shop owner's daughter in NHK's serial morning drama "Hiyokko" and in the film "Enokida Boekido" (Enokida Trading Post) among others.
Yet she has little experience when it comes to voice acting.
"I was really nervous because I felt like I was told to come and fight unarmed," she said and laughed.
Alongside Asakusa are Tsubame Mizusaki, a charismatic magazine model, and Sayaka Kanamori, whose way of thinking is cut out for that of a producer. Asakusa creates the setting for the story in which characters drawn by Mizusaki move around freely, while Kanamori prepares the environment for them to work together.
"The teamwork of the trio in creating an anime from scratch is great. It feels more like bringing something to life rather than just making something. They're real professionals," Ito said.
They attend Shibahama High School, which is like a labyrinth because of extensions that continue to be added to the building. In such an environment, a normal school life suddenly becomes an adventure story as they work hard to improve the conditions of their club room.
"You become unsure if it's reality or fantasy. That mess and confusion feel really good," Ito said.
In the scenes depicting the characters' fantasy, they provide onomatopoeia, such as "crrreeak" and "whooosh," in their own voices. "That makes the line between fantasy and reality clear, which was the director's idea," Ito said.
Asakusa may look high-spirited, but the truth is she's pretty shy inside. Once her inner switch is flipped, though, she rushes ahead. Ito tried to produce a voice fitting of such a character. At the same time, she was also aware that she shouldn't overdo it.
"It took me a while to find the right balance," she said.
The character also behaves suspiciously at times. "I was told to improvise, like uttering, 'Oh!' 'Eh!' or 'Ah!' before saying a line. It was tough, but I also had freedom. It was fun overall," she said.
When asked what her New Year's resolution is, she said she wanted to have more mental space; although she appears vivacious, she becomes very nervous, not only when acting but also when being interviewed. "It makes me feel like throwing up! But people don't get it because I blab and blab."
Then, Ito said, "I want to look around composedly and more stoutly," in the voice of Asakusa.
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