Surprisingly, Have You Ever Banished Someone!? Voice actors Shūichirō Umeda, Yurika Kubo, Masumi Tazawa, and Masaaki Mizunaka Discuss the Appeal of "The Banished Court Magician Aims to Become the Strongest"

—For this series, what were your first impressions after reading the original novel or manga adaptation?

Umeda: Honestly, this was my first time reading something from the so-called "banishment" genre. I knew stories about people rising up after being banished were popular, but in this series, Alec is banished right from the start, so I was interested in what happens to someone in that situation.

Kubo: That's true! Will they just give up, or will they become determined to prove themselves?

Umeda: Even if someone tries to rise again, it's interesting to see what path they take. For Alec, he could have aimed to rejoin the court, or chosen to work with his three friends from the academy. Personally, I feel like he was lucky to run into Yorha.

Kubo: Right. It's almost like fate.

Umeda: (At the beginning of the story) If Yorha hadn't reached out to him, I think Alec would have just stayed down and discouraged.

—Kubo, as the voice of Yorha, what were your first impressions of the original work?

Kubo: I didn’t even know there was a "banishment" genre, but when I actually read it, it felt very dazzling and full of youth. There was a surprising twist I couldn’t have imagined from the title alone, and I think that's what makes it interesting.

Umeda: (Turning to Mizunaka and Tazawa) What do you two think about the "banishment" genre?

Mizunaka: Actually, in one of my past roles, I’ve banished someone before (laughs).

Everyone: (laughs)

Kubo: That sounds like you! I can see that happening.

Mizunaka: It was the kind of role where I would say, “We don’t need you anymore!”

Tazawa: I can totally hear you saying that!

Mizunaka: I’ve played a role like that, and I’ve read other stories too, but in "The Banished Court Magician Aims to Become the Strongest," Alec has a pre-established relationship with the three others, separates from them, then after a while is banished and reunited. So I found it interesting that, from the very beginning, the value of their relationship already exists and the story progresses with those bonds in place.

Kubo: It does feel really fresh.

Mizunaka: Since they already have a history, they don’t need to go through the process of getting to know each other for the adventure, which makes it feel even more like a real party.

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