"Everyone was there, completely unchanged." Mai Fuchigami and Nobuhiko Okamoto discuss their first recording session in about 10 years [Interview: "Assassination Classroom the Movie : Our Time"]

-- It must have been quite a while since you played Karma and Nagisa. Were you able to slip back into the roles smoothly?

Fuchigami: I didn't really struggle or feel confused about it. I think the same goes for the rest of the cast, not just me.

Okamoto: True, it felt like everyone was there, completely unchanged. Actually, on the day of the recording, I had another session right before playing Karma. I was screaming a lot during that one, so I was a bit worried about my voice. But when I checked, it had a nice husky tone mixed with that slight madness characteristic of Karma's voice, so I was relieved.

-- So you were more worried about the effect of the previous recording than the 10-year gap (lol).

Okamoto: I couldn't help but worry about it (lol).

Fuchigami: Hahaha (lol).

-- Fuchigami-san, in this movie you're also voicing Hotaru, a girl who looks like the spitting image of Nagisa. Were you able to get into character for her easily as well?

Fuchigami: As for Hotaru, even though they have identical faces, their gender and age are different, so I did wonder, "What should I do?" regarding how to create an affinity with Nagisa. If they were siblings it would be a different story, but with faces this identical, similar bone structures would mean similar voices, so I wondered how close I should make them sound.

-- So there was a difficulty precisely because she is so similar to Nagisa.

Fuchigami: It couldn't be exactly the same, so until I went to the studio, I was preparing for the recording with a bit of hesitation. Ultimately, to be able to quickly adjust to any feedback, I went into the studio with the character mostly loosely defined, and performed while asking the staff about their vision.

While I slipped right into Nagisa, going through trial and error in the recording booth (for Hotaru) is one of the joys of being a voice actor, so it was a fun session that let me experience the feeling of working on a brand-new title.

-- Could you give a message to the fans who will be re-entering the world of the "Assassination Classroom" anime for the first time in 10 years, feeling like they're attending a reunion with this movie?

Okamoto: Just like us cast members, I think the fans have memories and matured feelings like, "This character was like this," and those characters are right there exactly as they were. Furthermore, when it comes to Koro-sensei, the movie features episodes showing new sides to him and things he was actually up to, making it a work that will make you love him even more.

Also, watching (the episodes leading up to graduation) while already knowing the ending makes it a moving experience that deeply tugs at your heartstrings despite being a refreshing, feel-good story, so I hope we can all share that emotion together.

Fuchigami: I feel this has become a truly emotional movie for those who have been enjoying the series since 10 years ago. Especially for manga readers, I think you'll be moved by getting to enjoy stories that hadn't been animated before, and the visual quality is incredibly high as well.

I hope you can take a peek into the lives of the characters while feeling nostalgic for those days, thinking, "Ah, it was like that, wasn't it?"

Not only is there plenty to see in the actions of Karma, Nagisa, and the other classmates who worked hard together to assassinate Koro-sensei, but the episode featuring Hotaru is also full of highlights. "Assassination Classroom" fans should definitely enjoy this nostalgic yet new story in theaters.

Interview, Photography, and Text / kato
(C) 松井優征／集英社・アニメ「暗殺教室」製作委員会 2025

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