"Haibara's Teenage New Game+" Lead Voice Actor Yuto Uemura Discusses Dubbing Episodes: "I was told, 'He’s actually a great singer' (lol)"

Natsuki Haibara, an unremarkable young man with bitter memories of a failed high school debut, suddenly time-leaps back to the winter break just before entering high school. To transform his gray high school days into a vibrant rainbow, he executes the "Rainbow-Colored Youth Plan," slimming down his flabby body before the entrance ceremony and reuniting with his unrequited crush, the beautiful Hikari Hoshimiya—

The TV anime "Haibara's Teenage New Game+," which begins with this premise, is set to start broadcasting in April 2026. The original story is based on the novel of the same name from HJ Bunko (published by Hobby Japan), which won the "HJ Novel Award 2020 Annual Grand Prize."

Using the abilities he cultivated through his previous high school experience and hard work, Natsuki begins forming friendships with Hoshimiya and her childhood friend Yuino Nanase, as well as the top-tier "class caste" beauties and handsome guys: Uta Sakura, Tatsuya Nagiura, and Reita Shiratori. While living his new high school life with the support of his childhood friend Miori Motomiya, the fact that he appears "perfect" to those around him creates friction, leading to new problems precisely because he started over.

In this article, we interviewed voice actor Yūto Uemura, who plays Natsuki. We spoke with him about the atmosphere of the post-recording sessions, where he prioritized a natural sense of presence.

—One of the highlights of this work is seeing Natsuki clash slightly with his friends or worry about their relationships. Please tell us your impressions of the back-and-forth during the recording.

Uemura: Natsuki’s relationship with each character is different, so everyone gave distinct and charming performances. I felt like they really helped pull the acting out of me.

—In the early part of the story, the interaction with Tatsuya is a major climax, isn't it?

Uemura: Tatsuya gives a stoic, somewhat unapproachable impression. Even though he has feelings for Uta, because Natsuki looks perfect from his perspective, he ends up feeling inferior and unable to say anything—he has that kind of awkwardness. Ryōta Suzuki played that part very delicately.

As Natsuki shows his own weaknesses, Tatsuya gradually softens. Ryōta’s acting was wonderful in how he added nuances to expressions of bewilderment that Tatsuya hadn't shown before. Because he played it that way, I was able to perform with a "come what may!" mindset.

—In the scene where he exposes his weaknesses to Tatsuya, Natsuki’s voice cracked, which felt very realistic.

Uemura: It had that unprepared feeling, like the words just slipped out (lol). The way my voice cracked, giving off that "gloomy loner" or "otaku" vibe, wasn't a planned piece of acting; it just happened naturally. I think we were able to create a natural atmosphere, like two people just having a conversation in front of the mic.

Also, Ryōta has incredible vocal projection (lol). Sometimes I’d be startled when he raised his voice, but I think that’s very typical of Tatsuya.