寺島 拓篤

15 years after debut, voice actor Takuma Terashima will continue to walk while looking up at the light that shines on him. We look back on the year when he had a big encounter.

Terashima-san, from your TV anime debut, you often play roles with a strong image, but you finally took on the voice of Taiga, the Hero of Light, in “Ultraman Taiga”. Terashima: Ultraman is a hero that represents Japan, and for me, it was something I admired from afar. But lately, I’ve finally come to realize I’m getting tired of it. Unlike the usual animation scene, I basically give voice to the images that I see for the first time on the spot, so I thought it would be nice if I could create a battle with a sense of realism. Satoshi Hino-san and his junior Hayama-kun (Shouta) played the role of a trio with a bond, and I was happy that it was working in a good direction for the work.

“Buddy, steady, go!” was a hot theme song with special effects. Terashima: Since I’m an actor, I’ve become accustomed to singing along to songs. When it was being recorded, it seems that I was more enthusiastic about the theme song for Ultraman than I thought, so I put a lot of energy into singing it, but as a result, the song turned into a passion. I’m glad I did it. The ED song “Hitotsuboshi” in the first half was written by Sayaka Sasaki-san herself, just like me. I found out later that Sasaki-san is a tokusatsu geek who can get crazy. I realized that the work would be more interesting if someone with such a strong feeling of “like” was involved. I was encouraged by the fact that I was not wrong in creating secondary creation music by writing a song.

This time, you proudly shout out the title of your work during the song. Terashima: I was so happy. What a shame, the “Animelo Summer Live 2019 Story” was held in August, but it was my first appearance as an individual.

But Taiga rushed to help. Terashima: It was reassuring because I was able to do it. The man who puts on Ultraman colours with a penlight and the audience who like anime songs had the best “enjoyment power.”

In a year with many appearances at festivals. Terashima: On the morning of the “Lantis Festival”, there was an Ultraman event in 2018, and I rushed to the event after hearing the passion of many Ultraman fans, so it was a very impressive experience. Of course, heading to the stage, I switched my mind to each of the tie-in works of the songs I sing. At festivals, there are many times when a cartoon image of me on the screen, so that’s what makes it so powerful. I’m originally a voice actor, so I think I need some kind of opportunity to hold a solo live, so I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, but this year I’ll do more than that. I decided to go to a festival positively.

In “The Idolm@ster SideM”, you appeared at “Bandai Namco Entertainment Festival” and left the words “Even Tokyo Dome is an easy win!” Terashima: Playing “Brand New Field” one song before the event’s big finale, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of what Jupiter was carrying on own back. However, this kind of pressure turns into energy for a man named Touma Amagase. It’s greedy to say that every time I do something, I feel like I’m going beyond, but I think it’s not just about the size of the stage. I felt it. Of course, one of my goals is to have everyone from 315 Production stand at the Tokyo Dome, but for Jupiter, I’d also like to aim for a one-man show at the live house they’ve been working on.

Uta No Prince-sama also had a year of new experiments such as the CG live show “Starish Secret Party!”. Terashima: Personally, I was happy to be on stage at the screening event held at Anime Expo 2019. As was the case with the CG live, I feel a sense of responsibility and pride in playing the role of the head of the publicity team. I also feel bad that I was allowed to see it. There is nothing like this. Moreover, Mamo-chan (Mamoru Miyano) was with us this time! The brilliance of stars is the same everywhere in the world.

On the other hand, you were able to play a wide variety of characters this year. Terashima: No matter what kind of character I am, I would like to be conscious of the meaning that exists in the work. Makino Aikawa from “Nakano Hitogenome” and Shiro from “7 SEEDS” have few words, but they compliment each other with what they are thinking. There were levels of fun and difficulty. Maeda Toshii of “Kochouki ~ Wakaki Nobunaga” was fighting against his limits during his childhood (laughs). I was thinking, “Grow up quickly!” Although the type is different, I was able to feel that my own position had been built up in the position of “manager” at “Tsurune Fumai Highschool Kyudo Club” and “Try Knights.” Thanks to “Try Knights”, I became interested in rugby, and even I was surprisingly excited about the World Cup (laughs).

It was also a big topic that you appeared in the role of a rabbit monster in “Doraemon: Nobita’s Chronicle of the Moon exploration”, a series that I always see at the cinema every year. Terashima: During the dubbing, I cried when I was not in the scene, and I cried the same way at the movie theatre. Looking back, it was a year like a dream come true that I had never dreamed of.

It was a rewarding year. Terashima: It’s really been a year since I’ve been able to do more than what I’m capable of, thanks to everyone who supports my various works, but it was precisely because of this that I became keenly aware that there was still something lacking. Actually, I was happy that there were many sites where I was invited as a guest voice actor this year. Arashi Oji of “Hoshiai no Sora” is directed by Kazuki Akane of “Code Geass: Akito the Exiled”, and I wonder if I was called because I had something in common with the image of Ashley Ashura. I thought it would be nice if I could clarify my own value in that way, and I had to go. I wonder if the hunger has now been satiated… or rather, it’s gotten stronger. I want to become a voice actor who can be entrusted with more roles, and I will continue to do my best without changing!

Column: My Christmas!

When I was a child, I was extremely happy to have Gunpla by my pillow. I forgot whether I believed in Santa Claus or not, but I think it’s important to have that kind of dream no matter how old you are. Santa, please give me a workshop to make Gunpla!