Why Does Atsumi Tanezaki (Frieren) Go All Out for Comical Scenes? The Three Main Cast Members of the TV Anime Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Discuss Their Acting Direction

—Like the scene of Frieren wailing for three days and nights, the comical gestures and acting are very striking in Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. Does having those kinds of depictions help you bring out more of the character's personality in your performance?

Kobayashi: Definitely. It broadens the range, so to speak.

—For example, you have comical scenes and serious scenes, and I imagine you act according to the situation, but I’m curious about where the core of your performance lies.

Kobayashi: It might depend on the person. In my case, especially for this series, I feel that both the dialogue and the gags are funnier if I don't "over-act" them, so I just try to go with the flow. I want to do it without aiming too hard for a specific reaction or trying to time the pauses perfectly.

—The fact that it's not a "gag anime" is also a key point, isn't it?

Kobayashi: Right. Of course, I'm happy if the viewers end up chuckling, but rather than a mindset of "I'm going to make them laugh," it feels more accurate to say I'm looking for those new, human expressions of the character.

Ichinose: For Fern, I think she’s mostly angry in the comical moments. Early on, I was worried about how far I should go or if I was being too harsh. But once I realized there was no point in overthinking it alone, I started prioritizing what comes out naturally while feeling the atmosphere of the other two's acting on set.

—Frieren especially has many comical gestures and expressions. How about you, Ms. Tanezaki?

Tanezaki: Hearing what Chiaki just said, I totally agree. I also go with the flow of the interaction, and it’s true that Stark isn't trying to make everyone laugh; his honest reactions just happen to become the gag.

However, I do it "on purpose." I believe Frieren is doing it on purpose, too. Why? Because it’s more fun that way. Even for farce-like interactions, the journey is bound to be more enjoyable if you commit to them fully. I think Himmel and the others were the same way during their ten-year journey. I realized that at some point during the second season.

—So, while what you're doing hasn't changed between the first and second seasons, the reasoning behind it has become clearer?

Tanezaki: Yes. I think that’s it. From the start, I always intended to go all out during the gag scenes, but I hadn't really verbalized "why" to myself during the first season. Then, during the second season, it suddenly hit me—it’s because it’s more fun. I realized she does it so that when she looks back later, there are more moments that make her smile.

Perhaps we’ve caught a glimpse of the thoughts each actor hides behind those humorous scenes. The latter half of the second season features the "Revolte the Sage" arc, so don't miss it.

[Official Website] https://frieren-anime.jp/
[Official X (formerly Twitter)] https://x.com/Anime_Frieren

Interview, Photography, and Text by kato
(C)Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe/Shogakukan/ "Frieren"Project

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