2nd Page What Was the "Turning Point" That Came for Voice Actor Shūichirō Umeda in His Second Year of High School? A Chilling Episode Also Emerges in This "The Summer Hikaru Died" Interview | VOICE ACTOR

—Aside from Hikaru (the character you play), do you have any favorite characters?

Umeda: Everyone is really interesting, but I’d have to say Harasen. Harasen is definitely the most entertaining. Thanks to Setsuji Satō, who plays Harasen and who improvises little lines constantly, I feel like Harasen’s role in the anime has become even larger.

—Is that really true!?

Umeda: Well, that’s sort of an urban legend! (laughs)

—(laughs) This anime also has a strong coming-of-age aspect. What kind of student were you at around 16 or 17 years old?

Umeda: When I was a second-year high school student, I actually quit the basketball club! I didn't really want to go to the high school I ended up at… well, that’s not entirely accurate, but it’s hard to explain. (laughs)

I didn’t pass the entrance exam for the same high school as my childhood friend, a boy I’d been with all through junior high. We finally went to separate schools in high school. I joined the basketball club thinking that, since we were in the same prefecture, there might be a chance to meet again someday, but I just couldn’t stick with it. So, around that time I quit club activities and entered a phase of wondering what I should do next.

In the end, though, it became a turning point for me because I encountered an anime that continues to influence me to this day. Through that show, I made new friends, too.

—Incidentally, what was that anime?

Umeda: It’s really a world away from this current work, but it was "The Idolmaster". There was a friend in my high school class who wanted someone to go to the concerts with, so he invited me and got me hooked on "Idolmaster" as well. I’ve always liked anime, but from there I started attending events and such.

I didn’t decide to become a voice actor until my second year in college, so at that point, it wasn’t on my mind yet... but that’s what my high school days were like.