"I Envy Takaba" – What Path to Life Was Revealed Through the Appeal of Fumihiko Takaba in the TV Anime "Jujutsu Kaisen"? [Voice Actor Satoshi Tsuruoka Interview]

——At 35 years old, Takaba is by no means young as a comedian, but perhaps that's precisely why he resonates with the audience.

Tsuruoka: For example, when you encounter a work that's what you wanted to do, that's a happy thing, isn't it? By becoming a player in "The Culling Game," he creates his own stage, builds his own world, and performs himself – reaching the ultimate self-production and self-performance. I think he's finally starting to become happy.

——His straightforward and pure nature really attracts people.

Tsuruoka: Including how he gets hurt because he's pure, I think he's a good man.

——Before Ken-san, there were senior comedians who said harsh things to Takaba. Not only comedians but actors also stand on stage in public, so they probably have many opportunities to hear various things said about them.

Tsuruoka: I'm prepared to accept whatever anyone says. There's a worldview that the director is aiming for in creating the anime, and if I received an OK take saying that this is fine for Takaba in the director's vision of "Jujutsu Kaisen," then I've become part of the team creating it together. Once I've received a role, I have that level of determination and resolve.

——That's very powerful. May I ask when in your career you became able to hold that resolve?

Tsuruoka: I'm approaching my 30th year as a voice actor, and during that time, among the auditions I've received, naturally the number of times I've been rejected is greater. At first, I just thought I'd been rejected, but as that accumulated, I started to think I'd lost the musical chairs game for role positions.

With hundreds of people competing, there's a part of me that thinks "Of course I'd lose," but there's also a part of me that fights (within myself) saying "But I'm going to get it!" Even losing that battle, I'd feel disappointed that my acting wasn't cool, and it would become painful.

——As a writer, slots are somewhat fixed for each media outlet, so I really understand your feelings.

Tsuruoka: As that accumulates, you start to become defiant. When I could forgive myself for losing and thought it couldn't be helped, I felt a bit lighter. I started to think that if I don't do things the way I want, I'm losing out. I also completely abandoned trends in society, and I think it was about 10 years ago when I could become defiant enough to say "This is what I think, so this is how I want to do it."

——Precisely because you're being defiant and hitting them with what you want to do, you don't care what anyone says to you.

Tsuruoka: So after about 20 years, the internal conflict – or rather, the self-questioning – within myself finally ended, and to the question "Why did I want to do acting and voice acting?", I could think "That's fine" because I started doing it to interpret roles and perform them the way I want. I think I was able to reach that point by repeatedly losing and forgiving myself a little.

——When you're walking any path, it's painful when things don't go well. But everyone has a destination they want to reach and a motivation to move forward. You were able to self-reflect on that once again through the existence of Fumihiko Takaba.

Tsuruoka: That's right. So, finding reasons to move forward yourself and walking on despite difficulties – I think that itself is what living means.

Even if someone tells you that this road is easier than that road, if it's not the path you want to walk, you go your own way. If there's no path, if you have the feeling that you'll just clear the grass and make a path, you can probably live. That's why I envy Takaba (lol). He's already gotten through his difficulties and is moving forward!

I hope you'll pay attention to how Tsuruoka, with his resolve, portrayed the existence of Fumihiko Takaba and enjoy "Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3: The Culling Game Part 1."

Interview and Text / kato
(C)Gege Akutami/Shueisha

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