Cast Interview - Akira Ishida (Hikaru Gosunkugi)

Translated by: Harley Acres

Hikaru Gosunkugi appears in the second season of the anime as Ranma's new rival (!?). He's elusive and shady, but his strong heart, unwavering no matter how many times he fails, makes him a popular character beloved by many fans of the series. We spoke to Akira Ishida, who will be taking on the role, about his feelings toward Gosunkugi.

Interview and Text: Motoki Kurata

Even if his obsession is expressed in a clingy rather than passionate way, there is something a little cute about them because he's so devoted.

Hikaru Gosunkugi is one of the key characters in the second season of the Ranma 1/2 anime. Ishida-san, who plays this character, said of his feelings when he was cast, "Because it's a work that had already been completed (in the past), I had to prepare myself mentally in many ways." While most of the cast are taking over roles from the TV anime series from over 30 years ago, Ishida-san is one of the few newcomers. ^[1]

"It's hard to believe that the first anime adaptation was over 30 years ago. That means it's a work with a strong mainstay, so I relied entirely on that reliability and felt like I was giving it a little makeover. I couldn't help but have the voice and acting of Issei Futamata, who originally played the role, in my head, so when I was acting, I tried to 'not be conscious of that.'" ^[2]

Gosunkugi has been secretly in love with his classmate Akane Tendo. His feelings begin to spiral out of control with the arrival of Ranma Saotome, who claims to be Akane's fiance. His words and actions are often sneaky and shady, yet he also has a charm that is hard to resist, making him one of the most popular of the many unique characters in the series. ^[3]

"His obsession with Akane isn't expressed in a straightforward, passionate way, but rather in a clingy way, which would normally be considered creepy, but in his case, it's so over the top, and I think his single-mindedness makes him seem slightly obscene. What was most striking was how, even after Akane had merely insulted him, he was delighted, saying, 'We were able to have a conversation!' I felt like I was seeing what makes Hikaru Gosunkugi the Hikaru Gosunkugi that he is."

On the recording set, Ishida-san said, "I forget the exact words, but I remember being directed to make it scary." When asked about Gosunkugi's character, he analyzed, "He's like a garnish that makes the main dish of Ranma and Akane stand out. Without him it's lonely, but with him you feel like you've gained something." Another "stand-out character" similar to Gosunkugi is Tatewaki Kuno, who also appears before Ranma and Akane for various reasons and disrupts the story in amusing ways, but Kuno and he are also seen fighting together as people with the same goal.

“Even two people with completely opposite personalities— who would normally never cross paths— can join forces when faced with a common enemy. Yet despite glimpsing this truth, they still only exploit each other's useful traits without forming a united front, choosing instead to act independently. This reveals a surprising similarity between them, making it an intriguing observation.”

The characters that interest Ishida are Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo. "I'm always drawn to adults who are a little outside the boundaries of common sense." This focus on enjoying characters "slightly outside the boundaries of common sense" is apparently the same in other Rumiko Takahashi works. "For me as a middle and high school student at the time, Maison Ikkoku not only had the main storyline that gave us a glimpse into the slightly adult love life surrounding Kyoko Otonashi, but also the comfortable balance of relaxedness created by the pleasantly non-serious attitudes of the characters surrounding her, who deviated from the ideal model of a "sensible adult," and I found that to be what made it interesting."

The world of manga drawn by Rumiko Takahashi has been a subject of his own fascination since his teenage years. Speaking of its appeal, he prefaced his comment by saying, "This is just my amateur opinion," but added, "I think it's because each character is unique and has a role that suits them, which allows them to meet the needs of a wide range of readers."

"And above all, the artwork is captivating. That's precisely why it grabs readers from the very first scene and pulls them in. I first encountered Urusei Yatsura in middle school, and was shocked by the novelty of using aliens as a tool to bring out the appeal of the story. And to this day, Takahashi-sensei's artwork, which she continues to produce, is one of the pillars supporting manga culture. I hope she continues to bring joy to us readers."

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Akira Ishida was born on November 2nd in Aichi Prefecture. He is a voice actor. His notable works include the roles of Kaworu Nagisa in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, Kotaro Katsura in Gintama, Akaza in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and the role of the 8th generation Yakumo Yurakutei/Kikuhiko in Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju.

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Footnotes

• [1] Akira Ishida (石田彰) is actually not a newcomer to Ranma 1/2 as he appeared in many episodes of the original series. His most notable character was Yutaro, but he voiced many unnamed background characters in the original series. He has been involved in many Rumic World projects including as Amari Nobunaga in Inuyasha and Kurosu in Kyokai no RINNE.
• [2] Issei Futamata (二又一成) was the original voice of Gosunkugi in Ranma 1/2 Nettohen. He is better known for having played Chibi in Urusei Yatsura and Yusaku Godai in Maison Ikkoku.
• [3] Describing Gosunkugi as one of the most popular characters from the series is rather overstated. There were large gaps between his appearances in the original manga and his debut in the anime was long delayed. In the Reiwa adaptation of Ranma 1/2 Gosunkugi is introduced as he was in the manga. In the 1989 series his debut was long delayed until much later into the series. There were plans to introduce him at the same point he was introduced in the manga as evidenced from a song title in the original soundtrack being called "Darkness is Life! Hikaru Gosunkugi". It is impossible to find absolutely verifiable evidence, but in Japan it has long been suggested that edits were made due to the serial killer/kidnapper Tsutomu Miyazaki (宮﨑勤) being in the news at the time. Because the media exaggerated Miyazaki's anime fandom, some productions self-censored. Azusa Shiratori, a character who kidnaps P-chan, had her completed episodes shifted to later in the series which resulted in a continuity error caused by Shampoo's early arrival. It is genearlly believed that these sensitivites caused Gosunkugi's debut to be moved much later. Even in the Reiwa version Gosunkugi's habit of surrepticiously photographing Akane was seen as perhaps too provocative in the age of cellphones and men doing much the same to unwitting victims on crowded trains in Japan.

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