“Every Scene Was Too Important”: What Did Voice Actor Manaka Iwami, Who Plays a Key Character in the Finale of the Rascal Does Not Dream Series, Feel?

The Rascal Does Not Dream series, which began with Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, broadcast in 2018, is coming to its conclusion.

The story, in which feelings unique to adolescence trigger various phenomena known as Adolescence Syndrome, moved on to the college years with the 2025 TV anime Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus, which introduced new characters including Miori Mito. In Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend, released in theaters on October 16, 2026, the mystery surrounding Touko Kirishima, an unidentified online singer, will be revealed.

In this article, we interviewed Manaka Iwami, who voices Miori, about the film and her impressions of the protagonist, Sakuta.

—In this film, Miori, who has appeared since Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus, finally gets her turn in the spotlight, so to speak.

Iwami: In Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus, Miori wasn't so much directly involved as a party to the events. She talked with Sakuta side by side, but she was a character who watched things from somewhat above the fray.

I had been wondering how Miori would be involved in Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend, and the mysterious side of her that I'd felt until now is portrayed with great care and in depth. I was able to learn for myself what happened to make Miori who she is today.

—So you made new discoveries through this film.

Iwami: Yes. Miori is good at communicating and is a cheerful character, but she also has a somewhat detached side. She is a character who watches the people around her very calmly, and she built her relationship with Sakuta not as a friend but as a potential friend. I think the reason for that is also explored in depth this time.

—The story brings the series to its conclusion, and Miori is a key character, isn't she?

Iwami: Miori had talked about Adolescence Syndrome before, but in this film Sakuta draws out her words, simply listens to her, believes her, and stays by her side.

I could feel the attitude of Sakuta, who has faced so many cases of Adolescence Syndrome until now. I think there were many things Miori was able to open up about and talk about precisely because Sakuta was there and faced them with her.

I think Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus also depicted how the two of them are quite alike, and there is an atmosphere between them where they somehow understand each other without putting it into words.

—I heard you recorded together with Kaito Ishikawa, who voices Sakuta.

Iwami: Yes. For the recording sessions with the two of us, every scene was so important that we recorded with quite a lot of tension.

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