熊谷健太郎 , 阿座上洋平, 天﨑滉平 & 梶原岳人

Get Up! Get Live! The comedy world where voice actors challenge everyone to smile. From the project “Get Up! Get Up!” (Geragera) in which voice actors challenge comedy as two-dimensional characters, the control combination “6-Six” has recently been added. They talked about the inside story and their sincere thoughts on comedy.

Kazuma Komae (voiced by Kentarou Kumagai): A sharp drummer. He’s a yes man who has a habit of saying “That’s it”, and he seems to be acting on the spur of the moment, but in fact there are parts where he observes the situation with a cold eye…

Ren Kitami (voiced by Youhei Azakami): Cool intelligent glasses-wearing man during the 1^st Live. However, in his heart, there is a passionate feeling that he will never lose to other combinations. He is a hard-working entertainer who makes plans and executes them.

With the ever-changing skit that captures the hearts of the audience, the play and the skit seem to be far apart, but there are some similarities. Please tell us your frank feelings when you first learned about the contents of the project. Kumagai: I knew the general framework of the project from the proposal, but I didn’t really understand how we, the voice actors, would be involved in comedy… Even though I was familiar with the reading live, I felt like I was looking forward to the unknown, wondering what kind of output it would be in doing comedy in it. Azakami: I was simply surprised when I received the offer. At first, I didn’t even know who I would team up with, and even after I found out that I was teaming up with Kuma-chan, I was worried that I might be a hindrance. However, comedy seems to be far from acting, but there are also parts that are close to it, so I felt like if I was going to do it, I should bring a souvenir home.

Kumagai: When I heard that Azakami-san was my partner, I thought, “Oh, it’s okay.” Azakami: Eh? Where did that impression come from? Kumagai: Talking about it when we co-starred on the radio, I felt a great sense of security. So, when I heard that my partner was Azakami-san, I thought that we would definitely make a good combination. Azakami: I heard it for the first time. Kumagai: Because I’ve never said that before (laughs).

What impression do you have about the character you play? Azakami: Kitami is not just a cool, intelligent character. I felt the youthfulness of today, and I thought that it was like when I was 18 years old and belonged to the agency. I thought, “I’ll never lose in acting,” but I was easily knocked off my nose (laughs). However, I feel that Kitami will stick to himself without wavering even if he hits a wall. It is Kitami who is walking the path I did not follow, and when I play him, I feel young. That’s fine, I feel like I’m still young.

Kumagai: Komae’s visuals are flashy, or rather, he’s a modern-day college student with good vibes. But even though it looks like I’m living with my senses, there’s actually a dry part of me that draws back and sees things. Even though he’s a genius type, he has his own theory at the base, so I guess he’s a guy who can’t eat. That’s my impression.

The range of expression has expanded with a skit without a script. How was it when you actually performed a skit live? Kumagai: As Aji said at the beginning, I feel that there are similarities between acting and comedy, but there are also differences. Compared to the tempo of the conversation, there are parts that are more effective if they are short and parts that are more effective when they are spaced out more. During the 1^st Live, I had no time to spare and acted with momentum, but in the 2^nd Live, I was able to take a calmer and bird’s eye view, and I feel like I’ve finally come to understand. Azakami: I heard that it was a reading live, so I thought I could still compete in my own arena. However, except for holding the script in my had, I also wear costumes and add movements to the skits. Until now, I had never thought about how to present myself to others in a play, so the 1^st Live really felt like a place to study. Kuma-chan, on the other hand, has experienced a variety of stage performances, so his facial expressions and movements are natural.

• Challenging the laughter and subtraction, not addition that pushes with momentum “6-Six’s Gerage Radio” is also being distributed every other Monday on Onsen. Kumagai: As a concept, I try not to do anything like Aniraji as much as possible. If you don’t do well, you can talk for 20 minutes without giving your name in the free talk at the beginning! Azakami: Free talk is the most difficult. Kumagai: Normally, listeners post and talk about them, but for this free talk on the radio, we have to come up with our own material. Azakami: The way I put my antenna up in my daily life has changed, and it’s a free talk that starts with a sense of tension, thinking about how to expand a story that normally ends in a minute (laughs).

Kumagai: At the 1^st Live, I was shocked to see the duo “Stardust” of Natsuki Hanae-san and Koutarou Nishiyama-san doing a skit without a script. In a way, I made up my mind there. In fact, holding the script in hand whilst performing the movements, annoys me. I was worried whether I would be able to memorize the material by the time of the performance, but when I tried it hands-free at the 2^nd Live, I realized that the range of things I could do has expanded. There was also a defiant feeling that if the material flew away, it would somehow work out. Actually, I skipped a few places (laughs). Azakami: This is similar to the relationship between Kitami and Komae. Kuma-chan is the type of person who says, ‘” It’ll work out if he flies.” Since it’s Kumagai, I thought, “We’ll get along well.” Even though I know it’s a nuisance myself, I set it up quite a bit during the performance. Kumagai: At that time, Aji will return to his original state for a moment, or rather, he will make a face like, “Yes?” If you can pierce the emptiness of the closest partner, pierce the emptiness of the customer, I think it might be fine. Azakami: Until then, we’d been doing a rehearsal as a whole, we’d rented a dance studio together to practise, and the day before the performance, we’d have a read-through at the hotel. Kumagai: I’m sure every combination is doing it. Azakami: Even I want to win (laughs). Kumagai: As long as I’m doing it, I think “I don’t want to lose.” (laughs) Azakami: Both us and “6-Six” are getting more and more pretentious (laughs).

• Challenging the laughter and subtraction, not addition that pushes with momentum “6-Six’s Gerage Radio” is also being distributed every other Monday on Onsen. Kumagai: As a concept, I try not to do anything like Aniraji as much as possible. If you don’t do well, you can talk for 20 minutes without giving your name in the free talk at the beginning! Azakami: Free talk is the most difficult. Kumagai: Normally, listeners post and talk about them, but for this free talk on the radio, we have to come up with our own material. Azakami: The way I put my antenna up in my daily life has changed, and it’s a free talk that starts with a sense of tension, thinking about how to expand a story that normally ends in a minute (laughs).

Kumagai: Actually, there is also a corner where only paying members can listen, so it’s a radio that you can’t let your guard down from the moment you enter, not just while you’re in the studio (laughs).

The 3^rd Live is scheduled in the future. Please tell us about your enthusiasm for the live. Azakami: This project requires a lot of physical strength, so it would be nice to have a little more time off (laughs). I want to get my spirit back, absorb everything I can, and put it on. But I don’t think it’s enough to just watch a comedian perform in order to do an interesting skit. Even in my daily life, I encounter various things and come up with ideas, and I try to find punch lines in conversations with my friends. It would be great if we could get that result. Kumagai: Up until now, I’ve been using addition, or rather, the power play of using words and the size of the movements, so this time I’d like to create a more solid part, like a subtraction skit. I don’t have much time to prepare, but, if possible, I’d like to add another drawer. In a sense, I think that if we can relax and express ourselves, “6-Six” and we can grow. Please visit the 3^rd Live.

Nakaba Hayashima (voiced by Gakuto Kajiwara): The older brother of the brother duo “Hayashima”. He is a loosely calm downer type. He used to work for a company as a member of society but was invited by his younger brother Kaminari to enter the world of comedy. However, he is teased by Kaminari, saying that he no sense of comedy.

Azuma Hayashima (voiced by Kouhei Amasaki):  The younger brother of the brother duo “Hayashima”. He’s an upper-class crazy guy. I, going to put a lot sideways in his brother’s remarks. In fact, he seems to have some kind of connection with Toranosuke Ohno of “Kiku Ichimonji”.

Get Up! Get Live! Has an assassin from Osaka! Excited to be surprised and challenge the unknown. Please tell us how you felt when you decided to participate as a new character this time. Amasaki: I’ve known about the project for a long time, and I’ve had interactions with the cast, so I thought… “The time has come for voice actors to do comedy, too. I was really surprised when I heard that I would appear as a new character. Kajiwara: I tend to watch a lot of comic dialogues and skits, but I never thought that I would be on the side of doing it. When you actually work on it, it often happens that the impression you see from the outside is completely different. After I was told that the role was decided, I thought about how much I would struggle with that gap, and on the contrary, I would be able to enjoy it because I was working on it.

What do you think about the character you play? Do you have an impression? Amasaki: “Hayashima” is a brother duo, and has the most momentum in Osaka SSS, which is a training school for entertainers, and is set to advance to Tokyo through an audition. As brothers, I think they have an atmosphere that other combinations don’t have. Kajiwara: Even though they are brothers, you could say that their personalities are the exact opposite. I think that in normal days, I feel like I’m taking a step back and watching instead of rushing forward. But when it comes to manzai, I think another aspect of the brother’s original personality comes out. I’m looking forward to that gap. It’s fun to mix your natural expressions while playing a character.

A joke video has already been released, but how was it when you actually tried manzai? Kajiwara: The hurdles are high just to perform manzai, but the Kansai dialect and the character, I’ll do it. There are many hurdles, so it was full of hardships. Amasaki: I actually didn’t practise before the recording date, but it was the first time I met Gaku-kun at the recording site of “Geragera”. Anyway, the two of us acted accordingly to the script, told us the parts that didn’t go well, and tried acting again, so it was a fumbling recording. When I’m watching comedy at home, I don’t analyze it that much, so it was really a learning experience for me to learn that comedy is created while analyzing it so precisely. Kajiwara: Comedy dialogue is completely different from normal dialogue. If it’s a regular play, it’s a feeling that you practise at home and clash with each other in the studio, but I feel that more communication between duos is required for manzai. I felt that it was important how much we had meetings in advance and how we narrowed down the distance between us. Even in the play, there are parts that change depending on the way the other person acts, but I feel that it is a little different.

What kind of impression do you have about the 3 duos of “Star Dust”, “Kiku Ichimonji”, and “6-Six”, that you will play together with from now on? Kajiwara: What I think is common to all combinations is that it looks very natural. Everyone, while playing a character, there is also a part where you can see the person’s true nature, and I think that’s what makes this project so interesting. Amasaki: Regarding how to mix characters and elements, “Star Dust” may be the most exquisite. Even if you look at the material, you can’t tell at all how much is the material is and what is the real thing. Kajiwara: In particular, we know the daily lives of the voice actors who play them, so before we know it, we’re drawn into that world. Amasaki: “Kiku Ichimonji” is also very natural. There’s a part that looks like it’s going to be, but I have a strong impression that the momentum or the live feeling is fun. Anyway, Kaito Ishikawa-san has a lot of momentum, and Toshiyuki Toyonaga responds to it with an exquisite sense of omission, so I think it’s a well-balanced combination. Kajiwara: I think that “Kiku Ichimonji” is the closest to “Hayashima” in terms of style, so I was quite conscious of it. You can watch it without thinking too much about it, and the faces, movements, and pauses are all interesting. I thought it was really amazing. Amasaki: “6-Six” has the impression that it is easy to be aware that you are playing a character, partly because it is mainly about skits. However, there is a development in which the character plays another person in the skit, and that is conveyed properly. In that sense, I think it’s an interesting combination that you can’t see the original. Kajiwara: Iki is the best out of the 3 groups.

Amasaki: Personally, I love the story of “6-Six. Kajiwara: “6-Six’s Gerage Radio, I said that when I appeared as a guest, the cross-over skits were really interesting…. Amasaki: The story of Hero and the Phantom was also very interesting when it switched to otaku, and it made me feel better. The 3^rd Live is scheduled for September, so we want to aim higher.

Please tell us about your enthusiasm for the live. Amasaki: When I appeared in “6-Six Gerage Radio”, it became a matter of whether or not I should have a script. They had it at the 1^st Live, but they didn’t have it at the 2^nd Live. It’s a great atmosphere. Kajiwara: I was also very excited because it will be the first time for us to participate in a live… Amasaki: Furthermore, “Hayashima” is set to come to Tokyo from Osaka with much fanfare, but for us, it’s like, “I’m a newcomer, so let me study.” I wonder what will really happen.

Kajiwara: When I saw the videos of the 1^st and 2^nd Live, I could feel everyone’s passion and it was very stimulating. To be honest, there were parts where I’m worried about how far we can bring out our own colours. However, we also have a fresh feeling about it, and while learning from the seniors of “Geragera”, we have a strong sense of defeat, and we want to become real comedians, and we want to take on the challenge.

One of the duo often writes the material, isn’t it so? Amasaki: We use what we think as a story, and it becomes the colour of the combination, but what we play is the script written by the scriptwriter. That’s why having to read the script more than I usually do, put it into myself completely, and express it through the filter of the character. That’s why I feel that it’s really difficult because it seems like there are many layers of filters applied. Kajiwara: Also, the Kansai dialect used by comedians has a slightly different nuance from the Kansai dialect used in everyday life. The nuances are not something that can be learned overnight, so I think that I should be able to permeate my whole body. And since I’m going to do it, I want to be able to proudly show it to professional entertainers. Even if it is impossible from the beginning, I want to aim for that level of quality in the end.