Which Original Anime Scene in "The Summer Hikaru Died" Does Voice Actor Chiaki Kobayashi Want You to Pay Attention To? [Interview]

——How would you describe Yoshiki as a character from your point of view, Kobayashi-san?

Kobayashi: When I first read the manga, I got the impression that Yoshiki was a rather gloomy or dark kid. But as I kept reading, I started to see him as a pretty typical high school student.

——What made you feel like Yoshiki was an ordinary high schooler?

Kobayashi: In the scene where he confronts Hikaru with “You’re not really Hikaru, are you?” and then chooses to coexist, I wondered if he did that because he wanted to live, or if being the protagonist gave him the courage to make such a bold decision.

But if I were in high school and in the same situation as Yoshiki, I might have made the same choice. Yoshiki isn’t the way he is just because he’s the protagonist. He’s truly a very normal person, someone who could fit in any village without standing out.

——Did you receive any specific direction during the recording sessions from the director or the sound director?

Kobayashi: Yes. At first, I was instructed, “Yoshiki is in a cultural club and doesn’t speak very clearly, so please play him darkly and without brightness.”

——Indeed, Yoshiki has a rather dark image, even growing out his bangs so much they hide his eyes.

Kobayashi: I was told to play him darkly, and I think my normal speaking tone probably falls under "dark" in Director Takeshita’s mind. If I try to play a dark character, it actually becomes really dark (laughs).

I thought I was just speaking normally, but I felt like I was able to play the Yoshiki that Director Takeshita was picturing. I wasn’t especially trying to “make it darker,” so I think I achieved a really good balance in my performance.

——So your usual tone matched Yoshiki perfectly.

Kobayashi: I’m grateful for that.