Special Interview Project #5: 20 Years Later, the bonds with .hack cast members remain unchanged. (.hack//20th Anniversary Book TRANSLATION)

 Please read this before you start reading: This is a medium-translation level, which is not a much higher standard level than how it was translated, especially how this translation uses translators and adds a few edits to match English viewers' understanding, but hoping this would help viewers to understand what contents and information based on it mean. If any translator is willing to help me with corrections I would be glad and appreciate their contribution and their help.

Disclaimer: The following article is a non-profit fan translation, all .hack title series are owned by CyberConnect 2 and Bandai Namco Entertainment, please buy .hack//20th Anniversary Book and support the official release!!!. You can buy it on Amazon or any online store.

.hack//20th Anniversary Book -Interview- Translation
(P.162-165)
Special Interview Project #5
Listen to President Matsuyama

20 Years Later, the bonds with .hack cast members remain unchanged.

We asked two people who are close friends of President Matsuyama about .hack//SIGN, and they told us about his nickname, which we didn't expect to hear! What is it?

Megumi Toyoguchi

Belong to 81 Produce. She has participated as a voice actor since the beginning of the .hack series. Major roles include Mimiru in the .hack//SIGN anime and the first .hack//Quadrilogy, Sakubo in .hack//G.U., and Tabby in the .hack//Roots anime. Her hobbies include gaming, singing, walking, and theater.

Mitsuki Saiga

She belongs to Ken Productions. She has played many characters throughout the .hack series. Her major roles include Tsukasa in the .hack//SIGN Anime, Tsukasa and Elk in the first .hack//Quadrilogy and Endurance in the .hack//G.U. According to her official profile, her hobbies are astronomy and driving, but she is also addicted to online games.

The Secret Story of .hack Cast

Matsuyama: Well, let's start by introducing ourselves again. I'd like to know more about you and the characters you've worked on in the .hack series.

Saiga: Yes! I'm Saiga! I played Tsukasa in .hack//SIGN Anime, Elk, and Endrance from the .hack//Games Series. I also played Cashmere once as a guest character in .hack//ROOTS, in which Sakurai (Takahiro) was the main character.

Matsuyama: Well, it's hard to remember everything after the 20th anniversary (laughs).

Toyoguchi: We do a lot, don't we?

Matsuyama: Okay, next is Toyoguchi-san. Please introduce yourself.

Toyoguchi: Yes, I'm Megumi Toyoguchi. I played Mimiru in .hack//SIGN, and then, for the order of preference, first is Sakubo in .hack//G.U., and then Tabby in .hack//Roots. In the movie (.hack//Sekai No Mukou Ni) which was released in January 2012, I play the main character Sora (Yuuki)'s mother. Isn't that right?

Matsuyama: Both of you have played a variety of roles. I like GAINAX's films and their production approach has influenced me in some ways. When you work with the actors you have gathered for a film, you get to know them and it becomes easier to work with them. That's why GAINAX at the time often used the same actors for other productions.

Toyoguchi: I am grateful for that.

Matsuyama: That's one of the reasons why in the .hack series, we have the same actors play completely different roles. We also have the same actors play roles that are related to each other in the setting.

Saiga: I see.

Toyoguchi: Who has the casting authority, or who is the most important person when it comes to deciding who will be cast?

Matsuyama: That's the on-site director. In the case of anime, that would be Director Koichi Mashimo-san, and if something went wrong, the producer would have a word or two to say.

Saiga & Toyoguchi: Hmmm.

Matsuyama: So I was the on-site director for the game, and Uchiyama-san from Bandai would make comments as a producer.

Toyoguchi: First, you held auditions for the .hack//SIGN anime.

Saiga: When I auditioned for the role of Tsukasa, I was asked to play another role in the game. I was suddenly asked to play the role of Elk, and I thought what the heck is wrong with me (laughs).

Matsuyama: If you compare .hack//SIGN (anime) and .hack// (game), you can see that they are set in the same world of an online game, so there are characters who look like each other even though they are different people. However, we asked Saiga-san to voice Tsukasa and Elk, because we thought "if they look alike, it would be better to have voices of the same type".

Saiga: But the requirement for the tone of acting was completely different because of the difference in the content. In the direction, I was asked to "make it a little cuter!" and so on. We were not of the same type! (Laughs)

Toyoguchi: At first, I didn't really understand that the player character (PC) was an extension of the character I was playing. So I thought, "I'm going to play Mimiru, but I'm not the one who's going to be the BlackRose?" (Laughs)

Saiga: Oh, they have the same appearance, too.

Toyoguchi: Back then, online games and MMORPGs were not as popular as they are now. So I was really confused and didn't know what it means (laughs).

Matsuyama: There was a pattern of having the same person do the work, but there was also a pattern of having a different person do the work.

Saiga: In .hack, Elk will become an Endrance in .hack//G.U. Is that what you had in mind from the beginning? that the character will be changed or the design will be changed when the character grows bigger?

Matsuyama: Of course. When I was working on the first game, I had the idea that the loss of Mia would lead to a new character, Endrance, or what we call a "Dark Fallen" character. Since about seven years have passed since the first game, the boy Elk will grow up and become a young man, and this is what he will become when he falls into the darkness. Of course, we didn't tell Saiga-san about this during the production process, but I was thinking in my mind, "She's going to fall into darkness later, isn't she?" (laughs).

Saiga: That's right!? (laughs)

Toyoguchi: In .hack//SIGN, the character of Sora, played by Hiroshi Yanaka, was initially unintelligible to me, but as the story unfolded, I realized how interesting the character was.

Saiga: It will remain relevant throughout the series. 

Toyoguchi: Just as you thought about the future development of the game during the anime, did you also think about the future development of the series in the game?

Matsuyama: In order, the game comes first, then the animation, and finally the manga. That's why when we move from MUJI (.hack//IMOQ Remake) to .hack//G.U., that's where we create the framework for the game. Then, what should we do with Roots Anime? Then, I thought about it with Director Mashimo.

Toyoguchi: I see.

The State of Online Gaming 20 Years Ago

Toyoguchi: When I look back on it that way, .hack has become quite a long series, hasn't it?

Matsuyama: Thanks to all of you, we are celebrating our 20th anniversary. I mean, .hack//G.U. is set in 2017 or something, so ...... 

Toyoguchi: We've caught up! (laughs)

Saiga: In fact, online games have become mainstream in real life as well. I started playing an online RPG when .hack//SIGN was on air, and I named my character "Tsukasa".

Matsuyama: SIGN, an anime series, started airing in April 2002, just in time for the launch of Final Fantasy XI.

Saiga: That's it! That's what I was doing (laughs).

Matsuyama: Really? (laughs) With FFXI, people started to understand what online games were all about, and the .hack//SIGN anime was being broadcast at the same time. They were able to play the .hack game and watch the anime after learning about real MMORPGs.

Saiga: Yes, that's right. And on the other hand, there was a person who became interested in online games after watching .hack and started playing FFXI. I started playing Dragon Quest X at the same time, and have been playing it for 10 years now.

Matsuyama: Saiga-san, you are really into online games, aren't you? ( Laughs )

Saiga: I've retired from playing FF (Final Fantasy).

Matsuyama: Well, that's because they are no longer in service for home use, isn't that right?

Saiga: No, it's still running on Windows (laughs).

Matsuyama: Oh, I see. It's the 20th anniversary, too, right?

Saiga: That's right. So, it's thanks to .hack that I have been able to connect with online games in various ways.

Matsuyama: Saiga-san, you play a lot of online games, but did other players ever find out who you are?

Saiga: I don't think they knew. I didn't communicate with people here and there, but rather with Masaya Onosaka-san and others.

Matsuyama: Ah, so it's a group of fellow voice actors. Even so, they are a dangerous bunch! (laughs)

Saiga: That's right. In addition to Onosaka-san, there are also Katsuyuki Konishi-san and Yuichi Nakamura-san.

Toyoguchi: What a great team!

Saiga: That's right (laughs). I think there are probably some people who are still playing.

Toyoguchi: It's hard to believe that 20 years have passed. 

Matsuyama: It's still the same as it was then.

Toyoguchi: We had dinner together a few years ago. When we were chatting then, the atmosphere was exactly the same as it was in the past, and in a good way, I felt that nothing had changed.

Saiga: I still remember that "The Shinkansen in the Profile" was a comedy joke at that time.

Toyoguchi: She did say that (laughs).

Matsuyama: Nowadays, young people don't get the joke (laughs). We have a system where we show archives of .hack events in the company, and when the young staff sees them, they say, "Saiga-san mistakenly called the president "President Higashino" in the past," but what was that about? I'm not wrong! I'm not wrong! (laughs)

Saiga: They still say that.

Toyoguchi: It still feels strange to say "President Matsuyama".

Saiga: President Higashino, right? I was just thinking that he resembles Matsuyama-san. He even talks like the comedian Koji Higashino (laughs).

Matsuyama: I heard that Higashi's president was well established among some of the fans who came to the event at the time. 

Toyoguchi: I am registered on my cell phone as "Higashi no Boss."

Matsuyama: Still!? (Laughs)

Toyoguchi: I am the president of Higashi (Piroshi Matsuyama).

Saiga: Well, I don't have "Matsuyama-san" in my phone registration either.

Toyoguchi: It's in the "ha-go" line, isn't it?

Saiga: That's right (laughs).

The Staff and Cast get along well.

Matsuyama: I've become a position where I get picked on a lot (laughs), but do you remember the first time we met? 

Toyoguchi: When we met in the studio? 

Matsuyama: Oh, yes. I was wondering if there was any connection between the two, since the recording studio is divided into two sections, the adjustment room, and the studio, and there are various staff members and many cast members besides myself.

Toyoguchi: Well, there are usually a lot of characters in recent works, but .hack//SIGN had 7 to 8 cast members to rotate the story. That's why the cast and staff got along with each other quickly. 

Matsuyama: Ah, that may be true. And since we always do the recording in the evening, we would go to a nearby Izakaya (Japanese-style pub) after each show.

Saiga: It's difficult to do in this day and age, but it was a common practice back then. 

Matsuyama: There is also the issue of the number of cast members. In a work that has 10 or 20 people in the cast, it is impossible to have all of them. It is difficult to do. 

Saiga: Yes, yes. 

Matsuyama: At that time, even P. Uchiyama-san of Bandai was there. Director Mashimo was there too.

Saiga: We all went together. But I was there for the game recording first, not for the anime, so I had a bigger impression of Producer Uchiyama-san. I got the impression that he was the one who talked about everything, and Matsuyama-san was in the background listening quietly. 

Matsuyama: Was it like that? (laughs)

Saiga: That's right. And then, when the recording of the animation started and we started going to the Izakaya together, I thought, "Oh, he's just a pleasant person who looks like Koji Higashino."

Toyoguchi: Such a "Mere Higashino" is disrespectful to Koji Higashino-san, isn't it? (Laughs) 

Matsuyama: That's the first time I've heard that kind of thing. 

Saiga: I mean, Matsuyama-san is a very open person who interacts with actors. You don't see that very often. There are very few people who work so closely together and have such a long relationship.

Matsuyama: At that time, CyberConnect2 did not yet have a studio in Tokyo, and I commuted from Hakata, where the company was located for filming. 

Toyoguchi: Ah, that's right. 

Matsuyama: That's why we didn't have the idea of going back to the office after the recording (laughs), and that's why we could stay up late drinking at the izakaya (Japanese-style pub).  I mean, they were very kind to go out with us, weren't they? They should have been quite popular even back then. 

Saiga: No, no, no (laughs).

Matsuyama: I also remember that kind of story from, when we visited screenwriter Michiko Yokote's apartment.

Saiga: Ah, we used to go there together! We all did! 

Matsuyama: How could you let us in such a private place? And since we were all popular voice talents, how often did you have drinks together? 

Saiga: We had a drink every week, and we would also get together to talk about anything else that happened.

Matsuyama: And every time we did that, I brought a bottle of "Gonka Kyoji no Mentaiko" from Hakata. 

Saiga: Oh, that's because I love Mentaiko from Wakka Ei, so I told him I wanted Wakka Ei (laughs). I was even invited to an event in Kyushu together with Akiko Hiramatsu for .hack//G.U. Not only participating in events but .hack is a work that gave me a lot of experiences that I had never had before.

Matsuyama: No, but I was young too.

Toyoguchi: We were all young, weren't we? (laughs) 

Matsuyama: Well, we were young and didn't know how to proceed. We were all excited and said, "We want to hold an event!" We didn't know what to expect, but we just asked Bandai to do it, and they said, "We don't have the budget for that."

Toyoguchi: Ha ha ha! (laughs) 

Matsuyama: I was wondering what I should do, but the president of a company in Kyushu said that I should invite him. So we held the event at a place called IMS Hall in Fukuoka, but it just so happened that on the same day, Bandai Visual was holding another anime event nearby.  

Saiga: You've got it all on the same day! (laughs)

Matsuyama: At that time, there was not much horizontal connection between the game and visual divisions, probably because there was not much multi-development at that time. I was so angry that I thought, "Adults are so angry..." 

Toyoguchi: That's a great story (laughs). But it was fun.

Matsuyama: It's still a lot of fun, isn't it? (laughs)

Toyoguchi: Nowadays, we are restricted in many ways because of COVID-19, but back then, I think we had a lot more fun than we do now. 

Matsuyama: Social networking sites were not as popular. People still take pictures and upload them to social networking sites, and it's easy to find out inside information. Back then, even famous people didn't wear masks or sunglasses to hide their faces, and they would often accompany famous voice actors. 

Saiga: Yes, they did. 

Matsuyama: At best, there was a thread on the then 2channel (now 5channel) about me and P Uchiyama being together (laughs). 

Toyoguchi: No way! (laughs) 

Saiga: That happened. Because we always attend events together and get along well with each other (laughs). 

Toyoguchi: That's good, you have a dream. 

Matsuyama: What a dream! (laughs) 

Saiga: It's a dream for creators (laughs). I think it's great that the fans were able to enjoy themselves in that sense as well. .hack was very open in many ways. I also openly complained to  Matsuyama-san about how difficult it was to see the map.

Matsuyama: There were no online updates or version upgrades at that time, so we tried to fix what was pointed out when we moved up from Vol.1 to Vol.2 of .hack//. 

Toyoguchi: Wow! Your request has been properly reflected! That's what I'm talking about! 

Saiga: User-friendly Cyber-Connect! 

Matsuyama: Well, you know, Saiga-san is not only an actress but also one of the players. 

Toyoguchi: It seems like you represent the voice of the players. 

Matsuyama: Nowadays, you can find many opinions through ego searches, but those were not the times. People concerned were reluctant to point out such things, but Saiga-san speaks up frankly and clearly. (laughs). 

Toyoguchi: There wasn't really a line between being an actor and being a staff member, but there was a relationship in .hack that transcended these boundaries. 

Saiga: Yes. It was so strange. It's really unthinkable nowadays, and I don't think there were many productions like that even back then. 

Toyoguchi: These days, with so many people appearing in one production, it's really hard to remember names and faces (laughs).

Source: Minitokyo

Behind the story of .hack//SIGN recording

Matsuyama: Now that we're on the topic of the scene, are there any episodes from the recording that stands out in your memory? 

Toyoguchi: I was impressed by the staff's ability to have very productive conversations with me at the studio. During the recording of animations, not only the director, Mashimo-san, but also the episode directors explained their intentions and backgrounds to us. It's not often that you get to talk with the director of each episode on set. I wondered if this was the Mashimo style. I was also impressed by the way he praised me at the end of the recording, saying, "You were really good again today!"

Saiga: Wow. I haven't received much praise from Director Mashimo (laughs).

Toyoguchi: Eh? 

Saiga: I don't know, maybe I didn't talk to Director Mashimo as much as I would have liked. At that time, Toyoguchi-san was just as sociable as Mimiru, and she actively communicated with all kinds of people, right? I think everyone relied on her a lot. I think we all relied on her a lot. (laugh). 

Toyoguchi: I wonder if that's true (laughs). The balance on the set was good, and Mashimo-san helped me get more excited, so I remember I was able to play the role very well. The character of Mimiru was close to me, so I was able to concentrate on my performance. 

Matsuyama: So, the Tsukasa character must have been difficult to play, right? I mean, the spoiler settings for the real players running Tsukasa in the game weren't explained at first, were they? 

Saiga: Oh, but I did get a brief background explanation. She said, "I am many things, but this is how I live in this world. He's a bit crooked." It was a rough explanation (laughs). I wasn't bothered by the drama, but I felt like, "I have to do something about this girl!" I didn't have to worry about her in the drama, but I felt like I had to do something about her. I was like, 'These bastards don't even look at me when I help them!" I secretly laughed at her (laughs). 

Matsuyama: Wasn't this character unique among all the characters you've played? He was always so twisted (laughs). 

Saiga: It's been a long time since she's been this twisted (laughs). She seems to be open to Subaru alone, and although she likes Mimiru, she's a bit of a tsundere, or she's bothered by him and calls her "annoying", but at the same time she's still interested in him. 

Toyoguchi: I've been called "annoying" a lot! 

Saiga: He always said I was annoying (laughs). It was his usual expression. He was the main character, but he was not a legitimate hero, or rather, the people around him were like legitimate heroes. In that sense, it was interesting. 

Toyoguchi: ・・・・・・ And then there's Silver Knight (Ginkan). 

Saiga: Oh, that's right! He's getting more and more popular, is he? 

Toyoguchi: Everyone loves Silver Knight (laughs).

Matsuyama: He wasn't such a memorable character at first, but everyone liked him so much that we started rolling with him (laughs). While we were working on the TV Anime, there was a live performance of the character.

Toyoguchi: That kind of thing is very rewarding, isn't it? I don't know about these days, but in the past, actors would plan how to make their presence felt in supporting roles, and as a result, they would work their way up to regular roles, or so the saying goes. 

Saiga: I once had a character who started out as a nihilistic villain but turned out to be a hot-blooded character, and I was told that it was your fault. 

Matsuyama: Ah ha ha (laughs). 

Saiga: I guess one of the reasons was that it was an original work, not an anime that had been running for a year, but he said that my voice acting had changed the character. That's only possible with the work of that time. 

Matsuyama: Nowadays, there is a series writer who creates a solid plot before starting work, but in the past, we started with a rough idea and moved on as we went along. 

Saiga: With today's one-cour anime, you can't do that kind of work. So, in a sense, .hack/SIGN was a blessed time. We had both the traditional way of making things and the new and evolved way of making things. 

Toyoguchi: Indeed. By the way, this goes back to the topic of casting, but I played Sakubo in .hack//G.U., right? How did they cast me for that? 

Sakubo is voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi (on the left) and Endrance is voiced by Mitsuki Saiga (on the right)

Saiga: My Endrance is connected with Elk, but how many connections do you have with Sakubo, by the way? 

Toyoguchi: I mean, isn't he a Kansai accent character? 

Matsuyama: Ah, is that why you asked me to create a Kansai accent character for someone who is not from Kansai? Ah (laughs). 

Toyoguchi: I had someone from Kansai at the office read the script to me and recorded it so I could practice my intonation (laughs). I thought it might be because Sakubo is involved with Endrance's character, like Mimiru who is also involved with Tsukasa in .hack//SIGN. 

Matsuyama: I thought he could do a good job with Endrance, but since Sakubo was a multiple personality character, I wondered who could play that role "....Toyoguchi?" (laughs).

Toyoguchi: Thanks. 

Matsuyama: Or perhaps it was because, when I was writing the scenario, I was thinking of Saiga as Endrance and Toyoguchi as Sakubo! 

Toyoguchi: Thank you very much. 

Matsuyama: And later I realized "Oh, you are a Kansai dialect character ・・・・・・" (laughs). 

Toyoguchi & Saiga: Ha-ha-ha-ha (laughs). 

Toyoguchi: While some works seem to be okay with a Kansai accent, you asked us to use the proper Kansai accent for Sakubo. 

Saiga: Sometimes we are told that it is not a Kansai accent even though it is done by someone from the Kansai region. It's better to do as much research as possible and then perform in the correct accent. 

Matsuyama: During the recording of Sakubo, we had a game designer from the Kansai region come in to confirm Toyoguchi-san's Kansai accent. 

Saiga: That was wonderful.

Toyoguchi: One more thing! Why was Tabby of .hack//Roots getting hate? 

Matsuyama: Tabby is in exactly the same position as Mimiru to Tsukasa. She's the Mimiru position to Haseo, the main character of .hack//Roots. Although the .hack series has different protagonists and themes, the underlying concept is the same, so the roles of the characters are often similar. It's a habit of mine to assign the same actors to the same positions.

Toyoguchi: I'm in charge of encouraging the main character! 

Saiga: Oh, I see. I didn't have a part in Roots, but that's because there were no characters like Tsukasa or Endrance Position in that work. 

Matsuyama: That's what I mean. 

What's Next for the 20th Anniversary 

Saiga: I am very happy that both Tsukasa and Endrance are ranked high in the fan polls. It's great to know that characters from our early works have been supported by fans for 20 years. 

Toyoguchi: We're doing various things to keep the content alive. After SIGN, we did something called .hack//Legend of Twilight. 

Saiga: The characters' heads were different, and the kawaii girls gave a different impression. 

Toyoguchi: Even in the "Anime version," each work had a very different color and taste, and it was very aggressive at that time. 

Saiga: I think it's really amazing. I think it's difficult to continue with the same title for 20 years. 

Toyoguchi: Right, so what's the next ------? (Laughs)

Saiga: Oh yeah. When do I get out? (laughs) 

Matsuyama: Eh!? (laugh) 

Toyoguchi: Should I tell P. Uchiyama of Bandai? 

Matsuyama: He is already the president of Namco Bandai Studios, a game developer in the same business as ours. 

Toyoguchi: Eh! Then what kind of a great person do I have to ask to make a continuation of the story? 

Saiga: Well, you know, our president is a great person too!? (laughs). And he is strangely loved by the employees. At an event about five years ago, I thought it was cute that everyone who greeted me said, "The president is the president" (laughs). That's the kind of president you are, so you should be able to do it again. Use me! 

Toyoguchi: Then let's do something for our 25th anniversary! 

Matsuyama: Of course, we are a company that does a lot of things, so we will consult with you both if anything else comes up (laughs). 

Saiga: That's true! (laughs). (laughs) 

Toyoguchi: The other people who were involved in .hack also love this work. If we decide to do something again, they will definitely be very happy to get together. 

Saiga: That's right. Thank you very much for inviting me to the roundtable today. 

Matsuyama: No, no, this is the one and only. We look forward to working with you again in the future.