“How Do You Live” is aired for the first time on TV! Directly interviewing Yamato Satoshi and Suda Masaki, who plays Shin Sagi, who plays Shin Sagi.

Director Miyazaki Hayao (the official name for “Saki” is “Tatsusaki”)’s latest film, “How Do You Live?”, will finally be airing tonight on Friday Roadshow. In preparation for the first broadcast, interviews have arrived with Yamato Satoshi, who plays the main character Masato, and Suda Masaki, who plays the man of Ao Sagi and Sagi, who hears the secrets of the dubbing story.

This film, which was produced by director Miyazaki for the first time in 10 years since “The Wind Rises,” was revealed only through poster visuals when it was released in July 2023, with the desire to “enjoy the film without preconceived notions.” When it was released, it became a hot topic and became a huge hit. Furthermore, when it was released nationwide in December 2023, it ranked number one in the weekend box office rankings. He also won the 81st Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Film and the 96th Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, achieving the second Oscar win. It was the highest worldwide box office gross of any Studio Ghibli film.

■The secret story of dubbing by Yamato Satoshi, who played Masato, tells the secret story of the dubbing story.

–What was the audition for “How do you live?”?

I went to Ghibli Studio and got there. The script for “How Do You Live” that was originally given to me had something like “say this line in 40 seconds,” so I auditioned to dubbing it to the video.
It was my first time going to a Ghibli studio and when I entered the audition venue I felt nervous…it was a never-before-hearted experience (laughs).

–What did you think at first when you auditioned and was chosen by Masato?

I was more surprised than happy… and suddenly became anxious (laughs). When it comes to big Ghibli films, I thought, “I wouldn’t be able to get the same thing as myself.” However, I did my best in the audition, so when I heard that I was accepted, I was surprised, and my family was more surprised and worried about things like, “Are you okay?”

–What was your impression when you first met Director Hayao Miyazaki?

Before we met, I was a little scared (lol). It was so mysterious that I was wondering, “Does it really exist?” However, during the first dubbing, director Miyazaki Hayao smiled and told me, “You can do it freely, there’s nothing you can say,” which gave me a sense of security, saying, “I think there’s a reason why I was chosen, so I’ll try acting as I am.”

–How did you take part in your first dubbing recording?

At first, I had no idea about Masato’s character, so I wondered how much I should create, but when I was told in advance that I should not look too much of the film and script and not create too much of the characters, I no longer felt anxious. Furthermore, I was relieved that Coach Miyazaki told me to “do it freely” on the first set. From then on, I was all I knew was, “I’ll make a sound that suits Masato.”

–How did you progress through the dubbing recording?

I was doing dubbing in a studio in the basement, and there was a booth on the first floor where the staff members were there, and from there I could hear the voices of the directors through the speakers. PalaceSakiThe director doesn’t say it directly, but rather the director says it through the director. That didn’t put any pressure on me. If Director Miyazaki had told me to do this directly, I’d be very nervous.

–Aside from dubbing, what kind of conversation did you talk with Hayao Miyazaki?

I didn’t talk about the work at all. During the break, the three of us, director Miyazaki and producer Suzuki Toshio, were talking about school and club activities. I was captain on the basketball club and I talked casually about things like, “We have this kind of menu.” I had a feeling like, “Is this a good story?” (laughs). But it made me feel much better.

–What kind of character is Masato?

At first, it seems unfriendly and childish. I got the impression that it was “an adolescent boy between an adult and a child.” I’m sure from an adult’s perspective, he’s “cheeky.” Also, the fact that he was a quiet boy was the exact opposite of my personality. I was always cheerful and spoke about my thoughts immediately, so I got the impression that I was the exact opposite of myself.

–What was the difficult scene when playing Masato?

It’s the first thing that screams “Mom!” I also performed while playing the role, but in films and dramas, I actually speak while I’m running, and the scenes are created, while in dubbing, I have to speak and say the lines and the dubbing scenes even though they’re not running, so I realized the difficulty of voice actors and the difficulty of expressing them using just my voice. I felt like I was getting more forceful and the oxygen was thinning, and my arms and legs were numb, so there was a scene where I couldn’t make this work unless I overcome this kind of thing.

–Was there any memorable scenes with Blue Heron?

There is a scene where they have a conversation with each other, “That must be a lie too.” When I first dubbed, no one was in the voice. However, when the scene was reshot on another day, Suda’s voice was in the voice. This was the first time I felt like I was having a dialogue, so I thought I was able to play catch-up words. It’s also a funny scene, and it’s my personal favorite.

■The secret story of dubbing by Suda Masaki, who played the Blue Sheath Man, tells the secret story of dubbing.

–Please let me know if you have any difficulties with dubbing.

I was always conscious of how to keep my sense of distance between Blue Heron and Masato. They start out with a very creepy appearance, then they act together like a road movie, and end up disappearing in a simple, dry atmosphere… The Blue Heron was a clown, a storyteller, a friend, and I was conscious of that instability.
He seems like he’s always going to betray him, and he also feels undependent (with Masato). The distance is similar to the distance between director Miyazaki and producer Suzuki Toshio. As the three of us were talking in the rest room, I was impressed by the fact that they said, “While there is an absolute trusting relationship, we both swear by each other…but that feels really stylish…” I used this kind of playful approach, or rather, “it feels like we’re connected with each other through love, which is difficult to understand.”

–What kind of instructions and advice did Coach Miyazaki give you?

I had almost no instructions and was doing it with anxiety. However, as I was proceeding calmly, I retaken many times in the final scene to Masato, saying, “Everyone will forget, then, my partner.” I recorded it several times without being told why, but when I asked later, it seemed sad that Director Miyazaki had finished that scene… and I was convinced.

–How do you record the voice of the Blue Heron?

“What should we do with the tone of the Blue Heron’s voice? Should we do both the bird and the uncle, and how far will we do?” and “If possible, please both.” While watching the Blue Heron’s documentary footage, I tried out various voices regardless of the scene, and Miyazaki said, “Please use the voice you just have!” With reference to the actual metallic yell-like screams of blue herons, I stroking my throat and made a deliberately withering sound, and then spent several hours playing it, and my voice really threw away.

–Where is your favorite scene?

I love the final scene where he leaves. It’s short, but the way he says it when he leaves, his voice tone. It wasn’t live-action, so there was no time to do, and I had to add to the animation, so it was a challenge.
The rest was fun to play scenes where people turn from birds to uncles, from uncles to birds, and from birds to uncles. It was fun to play the scene where a stick-like thing gets stuck in her beak and she’s slurping it with her tongue.

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Masato, a boy who lost his mother in a fire, is led by a mysterious blue heron and wanders into another world. There he met his great uncle and what Masato found…

For those who can’t wait for the broadcast, a special program just before “How Do You Live” will also be airing from 8:02 pm (excluding some areas). We will be introducing famous Studio Ghibli scenes that were thoroughly interviewed by the cast members, so please look forward to this as well.

（C）2023 Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli

“Rice Field Fruit Weaving”