Voice Actors Kenshō Ono and Reina Ueda Discuss Recording Episodes for Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe

Yoshiyuki Tomino's novel Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash has been announced for theatrical anime adaptation as a trilogy under the direction of Shukō Murase, with the first chapter, Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash, released in 2021. The subsequent second chapter, Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe, was released on Friday, January 30, 2026.

The protagonist Hathaway Noa is voiced by voice actor Kenshō Ono. In the first chapter, Hathaway encounters the beautiful and mysterious young woman Gigi Andalucia and Earth Federation Forces Colonel Kenneth Sleg, among others.

While Hathaway had been hiding his identity as Mafty Navue Erin, the leader of the anti-Earth Federation government movement "Mafty," in the second chapter Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe, he begins to operate in earnest as "Mafty."

In this article, we asked Mr. Ono and Ms. Ueda about their recording episodes, and we bring you their responses regarding the unique challenges and acting approaches specific to the second chapter.

——We heard that the recording for this work was done individually (a method where each voice actor records separately).

Ueda: Due to the recording schedule, I did my dubbing in a situation where everyone else's voices weren't included. When we worked on the first chapter, Hathaway's Flash, I would pick up on the subtle nuances and delicate details of everyone's performances—Hathaway, Kenneth, and the others—and reflect those nuances in Gigi's lines, so for this recording, I fought through the difficulty of living as Gigi while recording.

——What kind of instructions and performance direction did you receive from the staff?

Ueda: Director Murase gave me detailed direction for each and every line. I have the impression that we recorded multiple patterns of takes. In that process, when all the patterns were good but they wanted something more, I ultimately received the direction to "please perform freely, Ms. Ueda."

There was a moment when I received the feedback "that was Gigi right there" for one of those free performances, and I thought this was a set that values the actor's instincts when it comes to character interpretation.

——There's been a gap in the production period, but the story continues directly, which must also be challenging.

Ono: That's right. It had been a while since our last recording session, but we had to make sure not to show any rust, which was a technical challenge. I rewatched the first chapter and started recording carefully while recalling everything.

Ueda: As Mr. Ono mentioned, while the actual recording was after about five years, the characters are moving as if it were yesterday, so we had to approach it with technique (to bridge that gap), which was incredibly difficult.