All three were panel members of “The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of Apocalypse - episdoes from production and Q&A” and “Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of Apocalypse Otakon Special Talk Show, and an Advanced Screening of Season 2.”
Me: Tonight we will talk about Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of Apocalypse. Season 2 is set to premiere in October. Are you excited about it?
Aino and Kikunosuke: Yes.
Kikunosuke: When we were recording, the graphic was not completed yet. When it’s on premier, it will be the first time for us too to see the final product, so I’m excited for that.
Me: As it hasn’t been released yet, is there anything you can talk about within the new season? I don’t want to step on boundaries that cannot be spoken of.
Kikunosuke: So what’s really exciting about the second season, is that (3-4 character names) they’re going to go on a journey together and you’re also going to see a lot of villain characters coming out. Some of them are very strong and some of them have very unique personalities. So everyone has a “charm” and thats’ what I really hope for the viewers to enjoy.
Aino: That character that everyone loves will come out in this season, so please be excited about it.
Me: Going back in time, what was the audition process like? How was that? The process and feeling of auditioning?
Kikunosuke: I was originally a fan of the Seven Deadly Sins series, so when I first was able to join this audition, I really really wanted the role and I was trying to get the role for Donny. And the second stage where I actually went to the studio and I did a recording with the production team, they gave me very specific directions that Donny that is a character that is trying to act very cool but things don’t go right every time. So I got this direction that I had to be that kind of character and to use my voice to express that part of him. I had to try a couple of times but I was fortunate that I got the role. I was very very happy about it.
Aino: I wanted to share a story about when I did the second stage studio audition. So this was the second part of the audition. And even during the second stage, there was a lot of direction that I received. I also got to act on six different scenes. Because I played on different scenes and got different directions, I was thinking I may have gotten a role already. So even at this stage of the audition, I felt like I was able to contribute to character development, and because they gave me some great direction, I wanted to also answer their expectation. I was very excited. A couple days later when I went to the agency, I was brought to a meeting room full of staff. It was a surprise. The CEO came, they were recording me and surprised me with a congratulations, you got the role and I was very happy about it.
Me: Takuma San, what is your role as a producer?
Takuma: As a producer, my role is the first to build the project, manage the finance, and also plan, and make sure I have a production team that is available and ready.
Me: Moving from the audition to recording process, are multiple people in the room at the same time? I have read that many microphones are in the room and you have to be very quiet. Is it like that with this project too?
Kikunosuke: For this anime, every actor is in studio and we record at the same time. You are right, we try not to make noise as much as possible. We have four mics and we take turns, so even when we are walking, or when we’re flipping papers, we try to be careful to not make an extra sound.
Me: Is there anything you would like to add about the past or new season?
Translator: Did you want to ask anything specific about character, music, or story, or experiences?
Me: What is your favorite experience you’ve had so far with recording?
Kikunosuke: I actually have acquired many memories with the recording process. When we do the recording we have a lot of idling time. So when we are waiting for the recording session, we chit chat and have conversation with other voice actors and the team. When we were waiting one time, we did Four Knights of the Apocalypse quizzes and we gave quizzes to each other and the answers were characters from the anime. We had a lot of fun doing these quizzes. We are all great friends.
Aino: In this team there’s a great range of people from newbies to some that are more senior and more experienced. When I first read the script at home and then now I’m shadowing the senior voice actors. They do a great job and sometimes they say something funny when recording, and I have a hard time trying not to laugh and I cannot make noise when recording. It’s fun and we are all great friends.
Me: How does it feel to see cosplayers at conventions bring your characters to life?
Kikunosuke: It makes me realize how many fans there are beyond Japan and I feel really happy about it. And also seeing these fans in the United States, it fuels my energy and motivation to become better and do better.
Aino: I’m an anime fan myself, so seeing these cosplayers, I actually want to take pictures with them.
Me: Well thank you so much I really appreciate everything and I look forward to this in October.