From left to right: Kagami Hiiragi, Emiri Kato (playing Kagami Hiiragi), Kaori Fukuhara (playing Tsukasa Hiiragi)

The TV anime Lucky☆Star, which aired from April to September 2007, is a school-life series that had a diverse range of comedy from typical to surreal and parody, establishing itself as a monument in the genre of "Slice of Life." In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the original manga's serialization, Lucky☆Star organized a music event. What's surprising is that the anime's theme songs, background music, and character songs will be performed with an orchestral arrangement. In this context, we had the opportunity to have an interview with Kaori Fukuhara (as Tsukasa Hiiragi) and Emiri Kato (as Kagami Hiiragi), who played the main character, twin sisters in Lucky☆Star. They shared their thoughts on the recording process and the enthusiasm of fans, reflecting on the 17 years since the anime aired.
In the first part of the interview, memories about dubbing and preparing for the role will be introduced.

©Yoshimizu Kagami/Lucky Paradise

――Fukuhara-san and Kato-san, you both had first worked together on Lucky☆Star, right? Was the recording of the first episode your first meeting?

Fukuhara: No, we had a chance to gather before recording, and that was our first time to meet.

Kato: Yes, that's right. Lucky☆Star was a bit different. The staff and cast got together in advance and had a "let's all do our best!” kind of meeting. I was surprised because it was the first time for me to participate in such a production.

Fukuhara: I think it was probably due to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, which had been broadcast before that.The staff were all very enthusiastic, and they said, "This work is going to sell for sure!”, I remember being overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. At the time, I was only 20 years old and had only been a voice actor for a couple of years, so I could not grasp the situation very well and was left wondering, "What?” (laughs).
Kato: I was exactly the same (laughs). Anyway, I still remember how passionate the staff were. Lucky☆Star may have been the first and last time I was at a production site where everyone was on fire like that (laughs).


――It was amazing work. How did you feel about the role and the dialogue after the recording started?

Fukuhara: I think it was the recording of the Opening theme Motteke! Sailor Fuku was the time when my resolution for the role was heightened. In the interlude of this song, there is a time when everyone is talking and joking around, but it was all ad-libbed, so I thought hard about what kind of lines would be good. The song is also quite unique, isn't it? It's like a super Denpa song, a Japanese genre composed with electronic and high tempo music.

Kato: I certainly had never had the experience of singing and speaking that fast before.

Fukuhara: Yes, that's right. So although the recording finished, I wasn't sure if it was good enough, and I think I struggled with it for a while after it was finished. I couldn't imagine the finished product.

Kato: Another thing I remember most about the first recording was how spacious the studio was. We recorded the first few episodes in a big booth, so the distance between the microphones was so far that I had to strain to hear everyone's voices.

Fukuhara: In Lucky☆Star, there are very few lines of shouting, so we don't have to shout at all, which made it even more difficult to hear everyone.

Kato: That's right. Of course, it's not so far away that you can't hear, but I had to focus my attention in order to hear the smallest nuances.

Fukuhara: I think the first voice in the first episode was Tsukasa's(My role). I remember I was very nervous there.


――We can see the first episode, so let's check it out. (But when we played the video of the first episode, we found that the first voice was Kujira-san's "Get in your position, set!!”)

Fukuhara: Huh? It was Kujira-san’s line (laughs).

Kato: The next line was Tsukasa who was measuring the time and said, "Oh!”

Fukuhara: This is it!　This "Oh!" made me nervous. This line contains a lot of my nervousness that "it's finally going to start".


――In those days there weren't many daily life anime that were this relaxed, so it must have been difficult for you to adjust the tension?

Kato: This was the first time for me to work on this type of anime, and I received a lot of direction from the staff.

Fukuhara: The staff was very particular about the tsukkomi, the straight man comments in comedy. I remember that the staff were particularly enthusiastic in Emiri’s direction.

Kato: Yes, it was. Every character received enthusiastic instruction from the staff, but I think I probably received the most. Many things like how to keep my voice lower when I was tsukkomi, and how to keep the gap between my daily conversation and tsukkomi.

Fukuhara: In addition, at most production sites, the voices are applied to storyboards or original drawings, but for Lucky☆Star, the full-color animation was already completed at the time of post recording. I was amazed at how clearly even the smallest facial expressions were depicted. I was also overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the animators as well as the director and producers.


――One of the reasons Lucky☆Star was such a hit was the fascinating dialogue between the four main characters. How did you build the tempo, breathing, etc.?

Kato: Kagami(My role) is a straight man type of person, so I felt that she was pulled along by Konata, who was in charge of the more funny man type. I myself was worried, but Aya Hirano, the voice actress of Konata, was really good at acting as a goofball, and she helped me a lot.


――As Konata's variations increased, Kagami's tsukkomi became more and more effective in tandem, wasn't it?

Kato: Aya gradually started to play along (laughs).  For my part, no matter how much I planned the play at home, the dialogue never went according to plan. So, from the middle, I had no plan at all, just the base of Kagami, and the rest was made up as we went along. There was also a lot of ad-libbing. Everyone would write down their ad-lib lines and show them to each other before the performance. I would say, "Here's how I'm going to do it," and they would say, "Okay. Then I'll give something back to you.”. Especially, Tsukasa ad-libbed a lot, didn't you?

Fukuhara: Yes, there was a lot. And the staff didn't tell me in advance like "Please improvise here.”. But there were many scenes where the picture was completed, so it was obvious that the characters mouth was moving, but nothing was written in the script (laughs). The point is that it was a pass without saying a word from the staff.


――How did you make up the ad-lib lines?

Fukuhara: In my case, I wrote down lines that came to me on a moment's notice and kept a stock of them. Even if I had thought of what I was going to say for a scene beforehand, I never knew who would connect the lines and how they would be delivered to me, so I just had my cards in hand and let the flow of the day take care of itself.


――Was there any scene in particular that you felt you had a good response to in terms of ad-libbing?

Fukuhara: I think it would have to be the "balsamic vinegar" scene in episode 5. I wasn't planning to improvise in that scene, but the voice of  Kujira-san coming from the TV was quite playful.

Kato: You emphasized the word “balsamic vinegar” by stretching the last letter very long.

Fukuhara: That's right. I thought it would be fun to pick up on that, and the line just came out naturally. The staff was amused and adopted it on-air.


――So it was a playful response to Kujira-san's play.

Fukuhara: That's right. Without Kujira-san's play, I don't think that ad-lib would have been created. The audience really liked it, and as a result, the word became synonymous with Tsukasa. For a while after that, fans often sent balsamic vinegar to my office (laughs). It's not that I like balsamic vinegar (laughs).

Kato: Looking back on it like this, I realize that it was really a work created not only by the four of us, but also by everyone.


――Is there a scene that left a deep impression on you?

Kato: The line at the beginning of the Opening, "Start properly!” still leaves an impression on me. It was also my first point as Kagami, so I was very particular about recording it. On the other hand, I remember one of the hardest times recording was the scene in episode 13 where Kagami gives Valentine's Day chocolates to a boy student.

Fukuhara: That was Konata's fantasy scene (laughs).

Kato: That's right. It wasn't real, but I had to show a "shy feeling" in the scene that Kagami has never shown before, and that was difficult. But there were many fans who said, "I like this scene because there is a gap from the usual Kagami", which made me feel that all the hard work was worth it.


――Thank you very much. Now, we will continue with the second part.

We'll be waiting for you at the orchestra concert!

Text and composition by Daisuke Okamoto
Translated by Newtype Global

Lucky☆Star" Orchestra Concert - 20th Anniversary, Let's All Get Together! ~"
Tickets for archive viewing  are now on sale until February 11th, 2024.

☆Performances
Orchestra: Lucky☆Star Orchestra a.k.a Heartbeat Symphony　
Mixed Chorus=Nova Anima from ChoieL
Host: Hiromi Konno (Akira Kogami), Minoru Shiraishi (Minoru Shiraishi)
Guest: Kaori Fukuhara (played by Tsukasa Hiiragi), Satoru Kousaki(composer)
*The performers are subject to change.
☆Distribution ticket information
Normal delivery ticket: 4,400 JPY(tax included)
A separate handling fee will be charged.
Ticket sales
Friday, January 12th, 2024 - Sunday, February 11th, 2024 21:00(JST)

＜Archived viewing period＞
Sunday, February 4th 2024 (after each performance) - Sunday, February 11th 2024 (23:59) (JST)
Please note that it may take some time for the archive viewing to start after the performance.

To watch via "PIA LIVE STREAM
Reception page→https://w.pia.jp/a/pls-luckystar-concert-film-001/

Official website: http://www.lucky-ch.com/
Official X (former Twitter): @AnimeLuckystar
©Yoshimizu Kagami/Lucky Paradise