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What is your impression of Ikémen Sengoku?
Exactly like the title implies, I expected the game to feature a collection of handsome men in a Sengoku era story. Of course, everyone most likely has a certain image of the warlords from history books, but I figured that they wouldn't be the same, and I was right. The game has warlords of all types ranging from cute, cool, wild and so on.
Definitely a series including all the different kinds of handsome men you can ever think of. As for the content itself, I was very curious as to whether the story would be an accurate depiction of history, or something completely different. At that point, I hadn't received any materials yet so I had no clue. -
Tell us your first impression and charm point of Yoshiteru Ashikaga, the character you portray.
I'm not quite sure as to how detailed I can be with my answer, but my first impression is that Yoshiteru certainly fits the "handsome man" category.
To explain further, his looks mirror his personality to a T, with his emotionless expressions and unreadable, mysterious aura that's difficult to comprehend.
He fits the "prince" type as well as someone with a hidden dark side, since his facial features and looks can be interpreted in different ways, he is not easy to portray, and in fact it's difficult to know which is his truest self.
To sum it up, I'd say he is a very complex character to portray and understand.
As for his charm point, I think it's the "hard to read" aspect which ironically makes everyone even more curious about him. So I felt that you can indulge in this curiosity about his inner thoughts, background, and other details that will be revealed from now on.
I'm sure everyone, even long-time fans of the series, will realize that there's more to Yoshiteru than meets the eye. In fact, I also feel like I'm right there beside him, ready to unravel the mystery bit by bit. The mystery surrounding Yoshiteru is probably his biggest appeal, and something that will definitely keep people hooked. -
Please tell us what points you focus on while voice acting.
When I consider how to approach voice acting as Yoshiteru, I think about whether I should use a low tone with a muffled way of speaking, or speaking in a clear, steady tone. For emotions, he barely ever expresses any so that balance is very difficult to achieve.
As for the way he speaks, his character description says he "carries out cold-hearted actions in a stoic way" but his lines are usually directed at the protagonist or Hisahide, so that aspect of his personality hasn't been revealed yet. I'm quite curious as to how that will develop moving forward.
Personally, I tend to speak a lot of sweet lines to the protagonist, so I often had to adjust the tone. This involved finding the balance between pure affection or a slightly dangerous edge of obsession. Navigating through those subtle emotional fluctuations was incredibly difficult, but I hope you can sense the delicate nuances embedded in those emotions.
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Yoshiteru's tagline is Ethereal & Obsessive. What kind of image did you have and what do you have in common with him?
First of all, we have nothing in common.
Yoshiteru is truly the chosen one, born with everything. That's why his world is in black and white, as he's only ever seen the world a certain way. Since his worldview is totally different from mine, I think we are complete opposites. But what he doesn't realize is that he can be very close-minded and naive about anything else outside his own world.
Honestly speaking, he seems like a child who never grew up. So even though he seems cool and mature on the outside, you get the impression that his mental age is stuck somewhere in boyhood. -
Ikémen Sengoku is a story about time travel, so if you could, which period of time would you go to?
I would go back to the Bubble Economy era.
I'd love to experience the bubble-era extravagance, where everyone had so much money they were literally wiping their sweat with stacks of cash, diving into a sea of bills, and bathing in money.
It's because I was born well after the bubble era collapsed.
Once that happened, it's gone deeper and deeper downhill, which is why I would love to indulge in that "party every day!" type of life. -
Lastly, please send a message to all the fans of Ikémen Sengoku.
To all the long-time players, as well as newcomers who'll be playing for the first time, I was gifted with the opportunity to play a key character who is meant to reel in new players with his intrigue. I wanted to do my best to live up to everyone's expectations so I took on this role.
Yoshiteru is an extremely complicated character, but I could literally feel the staff's passion towards him through the sheer volume of character notes. To convey that passion, I gave my all into portraying him to make sure he comes across as captivating as he should be. I'd be so thrilled if you could support him. I don't know what lies in store for him, as he's a character shrouded in mystery, but I'm sure everyone will enjoy speculating on that. He's truly a character who drums up excitement. I hope we can unravel the rest of his story together.
Thank you as always for your support.

