What would happen if a new system different from marriage was established?" What is the answer of Shuichiro Umeda and Yui Ishikawa? Anime "Dusk Beyond the End of the World" Interview

P.A.WORKS's new original TV anime 'Dusk Beyond the End of the World' is currently airing as of September 25, 2025, on the MBS/TBS network's 28 stations in the "Super Animeism TURBO" slot. The story follows the protagonist Akira Himegami, The story follows the protagonist, Akira Himegami, who awakens 200 years in the future after being in cold sleep, and meets an android named Yuugure—a spitting image of his beloved girlfriend, Towasa Ōmaki—who proposes marriage to him.

The world 200 years in the future is ravaged by war and is controlled by a unified organization known as OWEL. A key element of this SF-laden work is "Elsie."

Elsie is a community system different from marriage, where multiple people, regardless of gender, live together. We asked Shuichiro Umeda, who plays Akira Himegami, and Yui Ishikawa about their impressions of Elsie, a unique element of the series.

Umeda prefaced his thoughts by saying, "I think there are merits to both," and added, "People aren't that adept, so I think it's difficult to build deep relationships with many people. But compared to marriage, Elsie feels like a step back, or rather, for the characters in the story, it is a deep relationship, but for us, it feels like a system that allows us to broaden our perspective a bit more."

When asked whether he prefers marriage or Elsie, he candidly replied, "When asked which I prefer, hmm... I actually don't feel marriage is something close to me, so I think it's something you don't know until you try."