2nd Page Aoashi Interview: Junya Enoki, Koki Uchiyama, and Kazuyuki Okitsu on the Challenges Unique to Voice Acting for a Soccer Anime | VOICE ACTOR

——Next, we'd like to ask how the characters you each play will be portrayed in Season 2.

Uchiyama: I think there was a lot about Kiriki that viewers couldn't tell from Season 1 alone, but Season 2 portrays many sides of him, including his inner self, so I hope you look forward to it. He generally gives a strong impression of being cool, but you'll see that there's more to him than that.

Enoki: Yuma is a first-year who has been on the A team from the start. He's extremely capable, easygoing, and never shows any weakness. I think it's cool that, unlike a typical first-year, he can confidently go talk to the older players and voice his opinions, and I feel he's completely different from me. I'm more of a timid person (laughs). I'd like to become someone who can speak up the way Yuma does.

Okitsu: Yoshitsune is the captain of the A team, so I'm conscious that he is always watching over the team, and I wonder how I can express how remarkable that is. He could never be captain if he were merely a fool, and I think the team has become one that can understand and connect with each other even without words.

——We'd also like to hear about the other characters. Personally, I like how Togashi's growth is so rugged and manly.

Enoki: Kuribayashi, who was a mystery in Season 1, appears throughout, and we get to see his personality beyond soccer. He is of course soccer-crazy, but I felt that he is surprisingly thoughtful about many things and has a human side.

Uchiyama: The one I like is Ohtomo. He's soothing to watch, and I always think he's a great character because you can't tell whether his mentality is strong or weak.

Okitsu: I think Togashi has also become a really good guy since Season 2. I thought his pompadour made a strong impression and that he might be hard to approach, but Akutsu has become even harder to approach. Akutsu and Yoshitsune do have similar hairstyles, though.

——True, they're both buzz-cut characters (laughs).

Okitsu: As fellow buzz-cut guys, I feel a certain kinship and tend to see them as overlapping a bit. I want Akutsu to do his best, but he leaves a strong impression of being more sharp-tongued than anyone (laughs). It's not that he says anything wrong, but I do wonder how things will turn out for him.

——We'll be watching each character's growth. Thank you very much!