梅原 裕一郎

1. Candle ( May / June 2019 issue )

Up until now, I didn’t have many opportunities to touch candles, so I had no idea how to make them, but I was able to make a solid one in a short amount of time. It was fun. When I saw the finished product, I personally thought it would have been better to add a few more flowers. By the way, I wanted to match the scent with the image of the colour, so I chose the rose scent because the base is red.

This is the first time I’ve heard of a sachet! As with the candles, I chose a citrus scent to match the colour image. By the way, I like sweet scents like vanilla, rather than citrus. I wasn’t used to arranging flowers, so it was a task that required my sense of taste. I was trying to put various flowers on it, and the shop owner gave me the advice, “You can cut it finely with scissors.” I think the finished product looks better than if I made it by myself.

I used both candles and sachets at home. The swaying fire has a relaxing effect, and the arrangement of the flowers and the scent of the roses were all great choices for me to choose from. The sachet also has a nice scent, so I put it in the bathroom.

• Model ( July / August 2019 issue)

This time, I tried making a model of a shaved ice stall, but it was surprisingly difficult. The instructions were surprisingly difficult, so I had to imagine the detailed processes on my own as I proceeded. However, once I was able to see the finished product, things progressed smoothly, and the most enjoyable part was laying gravel on the floor (laughs). My experience with model making is that I have made several plastic models. I like castles, like making miniatures of Himeji Castle. If I were to take on a challenge in the future, I would like to build a castle overseas because I’m interested in Western architecture.

I personally like summer festivals, but I haven’t been able to go for the past few years. I think the last time I wore a yukata to a festival was when I was in high school. Come to think of it, when I went to Asakusa for work a little while ago, I tried scooping goldfish for the first time in my life, but I could only scoop one (laughs). When it comes to memories of festivals, I remember a boy in elementary or junior high school was selling chocolate bananas at a stall at the end of the year. Moreover, he winked at the end, and I remember thinking, “That’s cool” (laughs).

The process was difficult, so I remember all the staff helping me along the way (laughs). There was a lot of detailed work, such as laying gravel on the floor or dissolving shaved ice syrup in hot water. After that, I took a break from serialization several times due to illness, and I apologize for causing concern.

• Message card ( November 2018)

It’s been a long time, everyone. My name is Yuichirou Umehara. The last thing I was able to post was the Seiyuu Grand Prix August issue, so it’s been 3 months since I’ve been in the series. It’s been a long time since I was notified due to my hospitalization, so I’m really sorry for worrying you.

I try to remember the time when I was hospitalized, but in fact, my memory of the week before and after I was hospitalized is vague. As an omen, the headache continued all the time, and I was wondering, “What is it?” I think that the name of the disease you’re familiar with was discovered, and I was immediately hospitalized.

When I heard the name “acute disseminated encephalomyelitis,” I thought, “I’m overwhelmed.” I was vaguely thinking “If this continues for the rest of my life, it’ll be tough.” Surprisingly, at that point, I didn’t feel that much despair. There was a point where I was able to understand that there was nothing, I could do about it since I was ill, and I couldn’t keep that hopeless mood in the first place. This is because the disease itself affects the brain, so the symptom was that I could only retain fragments of my memory. So, no matter how depressed I was, I seemed to forget about it after 5 minutes. In a way, I feel like I was saved by the fact that these symptoms appeared when I was physically and mentally at my worst.

However, I couldn’t help but think that I would cause trouble to various workplaces in my work. For the time being, I was told that I would receive treatment for my illness for a few weeks, and that my discharge from the hospital would be decided depending on how that progressed. Some works have already been recorded, but there were also works that had to be replaced depending on the length of hospitalization. At one point there was talk that he would be able to leave the hospital, but after that, the office also made a report.

As I mentioned, discharge from the hospital was postponed due to the concomitant development of “low cerebrospinal fluid pressure”. When I heard that, I thought that if I didn’t have complications, I might have been able to play some roles. At that stage, I had a good memory, but I was bedridden because of severe headaches and nausea, which were symptoms of complications. I even made a list of things I wanted to eat when I was discharged from the hospital. By the way, what I wanted to eat the most was Kentucky Fried Chicken, and now I’m satisfied with my list (laughs).

Since my discharge from the hospital was finally near, I devoted myself to rehabilitation every day. Although my numbness and other symptoms had subsided, my physical strength and muscle strength had dropped significantly, so I gradually started doing muscle training, walking outside, and practicing returning to my daily life.

After discussing with the agency and deciding when to return, I was looking forward to going back to work, but I was also very worried about whether I would be able to do it like before. In addition to my physical strength, I was worried about the condition of my throat because I hardly spoke during my hospital stay. However, when I returned to work, many people, not just actors and staff, gave me warm words, and I was able to reconfirm that there are so many people around me who support me. And I feel really happy that there are people who are waiting for me, including the fans. Also, after working as a voice actor for the first time in a while, I realized once again how interesting the work of being a voice actor is. When I was rushing through the days of work, I was given time to stop this disease, and in a good way, I felt relieved. Of course, I can’t say it was good, but it gave me an opportunity to reconsider myself and make a fresh start. In that sense, looking back, I think it was not a waste of time.

After taking a break for quite a long time and taking months off from work, I thought that everyone would forget about me and say, “Ah, Umehara was there, wasn’t he?” Never. Everyone has been waiting for me for so long, and when I heard that the office server crashed when I reported my return (lol). I am grateful, and I was happy to receive your kind consideration such as letters. By the time this series comes out, I think I’ll be returning to events little by little, so I’m working hard every day to show you how healthy I am (laughs). I can’t afford to cause you any more worry or trouble, so I will continue to take care of my health and do my best at work.

This was right after I recovered from my illness. I was absent from work for several months, so I thought it was pretty crazy, but everyone welcomed me warmly and I was able to work, so I was grateful. I had a hard time with the cards because the popping plum blossoms didn’t open at all (laughs).