Voice Actress Rena Motomura Reveals the Extraordinary Number of Animation Drawings in "Witch Hat Atelier" and Her Passionate Feelings for Her Idol, Natsuki Hanae

On the night of June 12th, from 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM, #88 of "SHIBUYA ANIME BASE (#ShibuAni)" was broadcast live on ABEMA. This episode was hosted by the MC duo, Yuki Iwai of Haraichi and Shugo Nakamura. Welcoming voice actress Rena Motomura, who plays the protagonist in the anime "Witch Hat Atelier," and manga artist Sankaku Head, known for popular works such as "Himouto! Umaru-chan," the program delivered a jam-packed lineup including a feature on the latest buzzworthy anime, live script readings, and live drawing sessions.

In the first half of the program, a special feature was dedicated to the TV anime "Witch Hat Atelier," which is reaching its climax next week. Rena Motomura, who voices the protagonist Coco, opened up about the voice-recording sessions, revealing, "Director Ayumu Watanabe gave me passionate direction, telling me, 'Don't dramatize it like typical anime; give me raw emotions.'"

Additionally, Motomura pointed to the dragon battle scene in Episode 5 as the moment that shocked her the most. She confessed to the staggering scale of the animation production, stating, "A standard anime episode usually uses around 3,000 to 5,000 drawings, but this single episode used 20,000." The camera angles not found in the original manga's depictions and the smooth animation where water vanishes in an instant left Iwai and Nakamura in the studio completely thrilled, exclaiming, "That's unbelievable!" and "It's so satisfying!" "Witch Hat Atelier" is currently streaming on ABEMA every Monday at 11:00 PM, one week ahead of the terrestrial broadcast and as the fastest web distribution.