Fūka Izumi Opens Up About Her Struggles During Dubbing for April Anime 'The Ramparts of Ice': "Acting While Shaving Away at My Heart..."

On ABEMA, 'SHIBUYA ANIME BASE (#ShibuAni)' #76 was broadcast live from 9 PM on February 13th. This episode welcomed voice actress Fūka Izumi as a guest and introduced information about the April-airing anime 'The Ramparts of Ice' and other new anime titles.

In the first half of the program, they featured 'The Ramparts of Ice', a coming-of-age ensemble drama set to begin airing in April. In this work, which depicts Koyuki Hikawa, a high school girl who struggles with interpersonal relationships, and the four high school students surrounding her, Izumi, who plays Miki Azumi, spoke about the appeal of the series: "The feelings that were born somewhere during my own student days are beautifully articulated, and it's a work where emotions are depicted so carefully that you can understand things like 'so that's why I felt uncomfortable back then.'" In response to this, monthly guest Shūgo Nakamura commented, "Students who will be watching from April, and those who are carrying around unclear feelings, might be able to relate to this." MC Yūki Iwai from Haraichi also reflected thoughtfully, saying, "Every time I watch anime like this, I think about how I spent my student days in a daze."

Behind-the-scenes stories from the dubbing sessions were also shared. Regarding scenes she struggled with during recording, Izumi revealed the difficulties of character development: "Because the emotions are written so carefully, I get exhausted while acting... It felt like I was acting while shaving away at my heart, and there were times when I couldn't shake off the feelings and they lingered with me." When asked by Nakamura about discussions among the cast, Izumi responded, "Everyone has love for the work, and after finishing recording, people would say things like 'I really loved that scene,' or ask questions like 'In that part, it sounded like this to me, but...' so discussions were held."

Regarding the atmosphere on set, Izumi stated, "It wasn't just the four main cast members; everyone talked together. Lead actor Shōya Chiba also has this quality where he can't leave anyone alone, so no one was ever isolated on set," revealing the warm teamwork centered around Chiba as the leader. About Miki Azumi, the character she plays, she revealed, "At first glance, she's a 'popular girl,' but she also has her own conflicts. I myself have a gloomy personality, so I didn't understand those worries and consulted with the voice actors playing classmate roles." About herself, she analyzed, "I myself can relate to Koyuki-chan (the protagonist), and I'm the type who thinks 'I won't do anything anymore' because of past failures."