"When he says 'Arashiyama,' it's like my heart skips a beat!" — An Interview with Hinano Shirahama, the Voice Actress for the TV Anime MARRIAGETOXIN

MARRIAGETOXIN is a TV anime where Hikaru Gero, an ultra-first-class assassin, takes on marriage-hunting missions with Mei Kinosaki, a master marriage swindler, as his advisor. Currently broadcasting since April on the Kansai TV and Fuji TV national network every Tuesday at 11:00 PM in the "Hi-Anival!!" timeslot, this work has depicted Gero's struggles in marriage hunting through episodes revolving around Kyōko Himekawa, an art thief, and Shiori Ureshino, a university student who is the next president of a major corporation.

Appearing as the third marriage-hunting partner is Kimie Arashiyama, a "hamster user" from a branch family that inherits the bloodline of "beast users." Unlike the previous two, she is a hidden fan who supports Gero and is a character with a wide range of emotions.

Arashiyama is voiced by the young voice actress Hinano Shirahama. In this article, we bring you an interview where we asked her about what she was conscious of when playing the highly emotional Arashiyama, and her impressions of Gero as he takes on marriage hunting and steadily grows.

——While Arashiyama looks a bit like an older sister figure, she is a character with very rich emotional expressions, isn't she?

Shirahama: That's right. When I first read the original manga, combined with her appearance, I had a strong impression of her being an older sister type. However, surprisingly, I heard comments from the staff saying that they felt Arashiyama in how I am naturally. From there, I decided to perform without being pulled too much by the image of a so-called sexy, older sister type, and we fine-tuned her character.

——I'm sure there was direction when you actually performed her, but what were the key points you were conscious of?

Shirahama: Arashiyama is a girl with very distinct poses, so I received direction to strike her poses firmly when needed and not to play her too cutely. I feel that her charming parts come from her way of life. Even though she is in the position of Gero-kun's marriage-hunting partner, I might have been conscious of not playing her as a typical heroine.

——Indeed, when reading the original manga, her hearty "Gahaha!" laughter was very memorable.

Shirahama: She shows a wide variety of expressions, so I actually struggled quite a bit with that "Gahaha!" laugh. It was very difficult to express the way she laughs in the manga. The power of the expressions in the original work is incredibly strong, and I think she's a character whose charm lies in how her face moves more than anyone else's. While trying to capture that as carefully as possible, if I kept pressing down on the accelerator the whole time, it would feel too cramped in its own way. So I remember struggling with that balance and performing while receiving advice.

——In the end, rather than being conscious of an older sister vibe, did you prioritize her emotions when acting?

Shirahama: Her appearance makes her look quite like an older sister, but when I heard the setting that her age is younger than Himekawa's, I didn't think too much about making her an older sister from that point on. I felt I could just perform straightforwardly as I thought best. Her emotional movements are very honest, and in that sense, I think she's a girl who also has some innocence. While treasuring that part, I tried to be conscious of delivering a sharp performance when the situation called for it.