For the third installment we've invited Yoko Hikasa (Maria) and Misaki Kuno (Elfnein) to join us. Although Maria and Elfnein have different positions on the Symphogear team, they've both embraced and overcome "weakness" during the course of the series. What sort of experiences have Ms. Hikasa and Ms. Kuno had with acting as these characters? And, is that where "love" can be found?!
Ms. Kuno, you originally joined the cast in the third season. Do you remember what it was like when you first started recording?
Kuno: I had been told it was a series that focused on singing while fighting, and I've never been involved with a production like that before. I had no idea what to expect and my imagination was running wild the first time I joined the recording sessions.
Were you able to watch the other members of the cast actually record the singing and fighting scenes?
Kuno: Yes. After we finished recoding the dialogue, I was able to watch the song recording through a monitor. I was very impressed and inspired by it. When I watched Ms. Hikasa perform, I could really feel that Maria was getting stronger and tougher.
Hikasa: She becomes a bit of a tough punk, yeah (laugh).
Kuno: That's for sure (laugh). I always thought that Ms. Hikasa was cool, but she's even more dazzling when she performs and it really moved me.
Ms. Hikasa, when you recorded GX had you already gotten used to the process of singing during recording?
Hikasa: I remember that when we started GX I felt the hurdle had really been raised high. I think that's mostly because of the difference in songs, G's "Violent Spear Gungnir" and GX's "Silver Arm Airgetlahm" have very differently melodies. "Silver Arm Airgetlham" is a lot faster and there are hardly any pauses to catch my breath, not to mention that it requires me to hit high and low notes. Thinking back on it now, there were a lot of parts I desperately struggled with, but going past GX and getting in to AXZ, "Stand up! Ready!!" was a song I was able to sing surprisingly easily. At the beginning I had the impression it was going to be another difficult song and even other members of the cast told me "that seems rough", but I oddly felt like it hadn't challenged me enough after we finished. I realized then that Maria had helped me to grow stronger. However, I might have screwed up when I went and told that to Mr. Kaneko afterwards. I might end up having an even harder time in season 5 and that scares me (laugh).
Ms. Kuno, when you watched the recording sessions did you ever feel like singing yourself?
Kuno: The thought of it actually makes me pretty nervous (laugh). Oh, but I will say that since I joined the cast in GX I started getting letters from fans and some of them ask "will Elfnein sing?" And some of them even sent letters at the end of the season saying "I believe Elfnein will sing someday".
Hikasa: Wow, really?
Kuno: It seems like many people are strongly wishing for it. Although, Elfnein is not a Symphogear user, so I have to say I feel kind of sorry that she probably won't...
Hikasa: But you know, it's possible she may sing without having to fight. For example, there was a scene where Chris and the Tachibana trio sang at the school festival. Elfnein might even end up singing a duet with Ms. Tomosato at some point.
Kuno: It's true, she is very friendly with Ms. Tomosato.
Hikasa: Right? It would be nice if that happened down the road.
Kuno: I think the fans would really enjoy it as well.
When you began recording for the series in GX, what impressions did you have of Elfnein as a character?
Kuno: Well, not only was she not a human, but I wasn't clear on if she had emotions or if she could even converse with the other characters. So, I had to ask the staff for a more detailed explanation of the role. I learned that she did have emotions and could speak normally, which didn't make her very different from a human, and that was a relief for me.
Hikasa: When Elfnein was first introduced into the series, I actually thought that she would be the final boss. We aren't made aware of all the details during recording, so for a while I actually had suspicions that she might have been controlling Carol behind the scenes (laugh). But I was totally wrong, she really was just a sweet girl.
Kuno: Well, she was made to serve as a spy without even knowing it. But in the end, she was dedicated to stopping Carol's rampage and did her hardest to make that come to fruition.
In both GX and AXZ there are a number of scenes that really focus on the relationship between Maria and Elfnein.
Hikasa: Well, she's a fundamental part of Maria's life at this point. They're both a pair of negative thinkers that worry over things together (laugh).
Kuno: They both have a habit of hiding in their shells, that's for sure.
Hikasa: Right? That's precisely why I think they've developed this relationship where they help each other out. Sometimes akin to mother and daughter, other times sisters, or even just as good friends. I think they've become an irreplaceable source of growth for one another. At times Elfnein matures from getting Maria's advice, and other times Maria is able to find a path forward thanks to Elfnein's advice. I got the feeling that in AXZ especially, there were a number of times where they had that type of back and forth between each other.
Kuno: Yeah, there were many scenes.
Hikasa: In episode 2 there was a scene that really tugged at my heart, when the FIS team is singing "Melodic Sorority" and Elfnein stands up shouting "Don't give up!". It wasn't just the fact it was Elfnein's dialogue, but also because I love Kuno-chan's pure voice...
Kuno: Huh?!
Hikasa: It really helped me find my courage. It felt like Elfnein was right there fighting alongside us.
Kuno: That makes me so happy! Elfnein is a character that has no confidence in herself. She mostly just feels like a burden to everyone around her and mopes about it. However, she really believes in all of the Symphogear Adaptors, Maria in particular. Precisely because she can't join them on the battlefield, she feels strongly about doing her utmost to support them.
Elfnein serves an important role as a character who explains technical concepts in the series. She stands out as having a lot of complex dialog, so in that regard were there any challenges you had with the role?
Kuno: It was a challenge because there were a lot of words in the script that I didn't understand at first. Elfnein is a character who fully understands the concepts she explains, so I thought that if I didn't have an understanding myself, the people listening would just feel like I was just talking a bunch of gibberish. I've made it a habit to research all the words that I don't understand prior to recording. I spend a lot of time practicing dialogue. I consider the pacing, where to put breaks in to make it easier to listen to, my manner of speech, and even what words I should stress to make sure the core concepts come across.
Hikasa: Even from the start of GX, you had to deal with a lot of difficult vocabulary.
Kuno: The word I struggled with the most in GX was definitely "Vaimānika Śāstra". Not only was it something I had never heard of it, but it was really easy to flub if I didn't stay focused.
Hikasa: But the most amazing thing about Kuno-chan is that she never actually flubs.
Kuno: Because if I flub even once I trap myself in a negative spiral... I'm mentally weak in that sense.
Hikasa: Not at all, I remember even during practice you read everything smoothly. I was always surprised and thought you were a model for what a "voice actor" really is.
Kuno: I'm happy to hear you say that. But I feel the same as Elfnein in that because I don't have a singing role, I should put in extra effort to make sure I fully accomplish my role among the cast. Elfnein doesn't fight out on the battlefield, so she puts everything into doing the research. I'm not good at expressing emotion through song, so I want to put all my effort into delivering my lines well.
Hikasa: I think you always say things so smoothly that I'm sure the staff often think "oh, we can just have Elfnein explain this part" and such! (laugh). There was definitely more explanatory dialogue from her in AXZ than before.
Kuno: I noticed that as well. There were a few times I caught myself thinking "just how long is this line going to go on for"? (laugh).
Hikasa: There are some parts in the script where it's just "Elfnein Elfnein Elfnein".
Kuno: Like you said about the songs earlier, I also felt the hurdle was raised on the dialogue I had to deliver. In that sense, I definitely feel like it was a worthwhile experience.
In episodes 5 and 6 of AXZ, the story involves Maria and Elfnein diving into Maria's consciousness. What were your impression of these episodes?
Hikasa: I remember thinking "oh jeez" when Dr. Ver made his appearance again (laugh). I never expected them to find Dr. Ver inside of Maria's brain...
Kuno: It was a surprise for sure. Speaking from Elfnein's perspective, I was happy that Maria trusted her enough to let her be the one who dived deep into Maria's own consciousness. After all, that's such a private part of ourselves that we wouldn’t just let anyone experience it. So, I thought this part of the story only happened because they have a very trusting relationship.
Hikasa: I really felt that it was proof of how strong Maria has become. She came face-to-face with her traumatic past and was able to overcome it, all while letting Elfnein be witness to it. Also, when Elfnein found herself in trouble Maria gallantly arrived to save the day... I think nobody can compare her mental state to tofu anymore (laugh).
(Laugh). Certainly, it was a scene that really showed that Maria had overcome something major.
Hikasa: I think that scene had some impact on everyone personally, too. There are some things in life that we only see from one perspective, particularly if they are sad or painful. However, in reality, if you frame it from a different perspective then you start to see a lot more. For example, when we saw things from Nastassja's perspective it became evident that it was also painful for her, and it changed our perception of the situation. The whole scene really made me conscious of that fact.
Kuno: It's really wonderful to see Maria face her past and find a way to come to terms with it.
Hikasa: "You're the worst of the worst, Dr. Ver." That's one Maria's famous lines now. But you know, when Ms. Nana (Mizuki) saw that scene she blurted out "I wonder if Maria actually has a big crush on Dr. Ver?". I didn't think that was the case at all so I was just like "Huh?!" and went to go check with Mr. Kaneko to be sure.
Group: (LAUGH)
Kuno: Ms. Nana's interpretation is quite deep and interesting.
Hikasa: I think perhaps it's more of a "love to hate" type of feeling (laugh). I thought Ms. Nana's interpretation was too crazy. But it's true that in G Dr. Ver had control over Maria's weak mental state and after all that happened, she wasn't able to overcome his leftover influence without Elfnein's help, so in a certain sense he was an important figure to her.
The scene where Maria comes to realize "it's love" is one that's pretty surprising since it's a callback to previous seasons.
Hikasa: Well sure, but everybody actually laughed at me when we recorded it (laugh).
Kuno: You've got it wrong! I delivered the line before yours, but it came off really flat, so when you delivered this super passionate "it's love!" line the balance with mine seemed way off. That's where everyone kind of butt in with jokes about how "only Hikasa is getting passionate about it."
Hikasa: "Maria, what's got you all worked up?!" is the kind of reaction it felt like.
Kuno: It's all my fault...
Hikasa: No, no, no! We pulled it off well during the final recording.
Are there any other scenes from AXZ that left an impression on you?
Hikasa: The song that the FIS group sings in episodes 1 and 2. Up until now, Hibiki, Tsubasa and Chris have shared these intense songs that have signified them as a trio, and so I was expecting something similar for the FIS group. However, in the end it actually ended up having a very different style compared to their songs and I thought it was interesting. However, it requires us to harmonize our voices together and there's some parts where we have to shout out like "Ohh!". At first, we were all worried about how best to pull that off. Eventually we said "let's just give it a try" which is basically a catchphrase among the cast of Symphogear at his point, and it came together surprisingly well when we sang, so all of our concerns were unnecessary in the end. I was really happy with how well we came together to create that harmony.
Kuno: I think the best part of "Melodic Sorority" is all of the lyrics that convey empathy for others. I think it's really incredible that they can fight out on the battlefield and still have their thoughts focused on the people around them.
Hikasa: It's a song that they fill with their gratitude for all the people who have helped and supported them to this point. That's why they want to support someone else in turn and pay it forward, so I think the lyrics reflect the theme of everyone helping each other out.
Kuno: When it comes to Elfnein, I like the scenes where she remembers Carol. I think one of the reasons why Elfnein is able to work so hard on her research is because of Carol. Not only does she owe Carol a debt for saving her life, but she also wants to be able to see Carol again. So, a lot of her dialogue makes it feel like she keeps a piece of Carol in her heart and I take a lot of care in delivering those lines.
Lastly, please tell us a little about what we have to look forward to beyond episode 8.
Hikasa: Up until now there have been a number of solo songs and triplet songs, but in the later half there are even more types of songs to look forward to. Please enjoy them.
Kuno: In the remaining episodes, each character's emotions will come into focus as they reflect back on their past and come face-to-face with the current reality. I hope everyone will stay to watch all of their dazzling scenes until the very end.
Special Corner
Please sum up Symphogear in one word!Hikasa: Why "love"?!
Kuno: Self-restraint.
I have a headcanon that Maria legally adopted Elfnein after GX, so seeing Hikasa mention their relationship being akin to a mother and daughter pleases me greatly!
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