"Anime Tokyo Station Early Summer Gathering" to be streamed on YouTube for a limited time from June 13 (Sat) to July 12 (Sun)!

Anime Tokyo Station, a Japanese anime exhibition hub operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Association of Japanese Animations, welcomes many visitors from Japan and abroad as a facility that promotes the appeal of Japanese anime to the world under the motto "Make ANIME more interesting, ANIME to the future forever."

At Anime Tokyo Station, the public recording event for the Anime Tokyo Station official YouTube channel program, "Anime Tokyo Station Early Summer Gathering," was held on Monday, June 1. On the day, 52 customers selected by lottery participated.

The event was held in two parts, with Mina Tominaga serving as the emcee. When guest Tomokazu Seki appeared at Tominaga's call, the audience greeted him with thunderous applause. Seki was surprised, saying, "Amazing! It feels like there are 1,000 people here!"

In the first part, a talk was developed using the comprehensive Japanese anime database "Anime Daizen" installed at Anime Tokyo Station, searching for works featuring Seki. When 'PSYCHO-PASS' was mentioned, in which Seki played the protagonist Shinya Kogami, he performed lines on the spot. He read, "We have our own way of doing things" and "But it's you, the Inspector, who bears that responsibility," drawing loud applause from the audience. Tominaga commented on Seki as a voice actor, saying, "I think he's a voice actor who can make his presence disappear. As a viewer, I feel he becomes the role so completely... and he appears in so many works. Even on stage, I feel Seki is the one who stays in character until he exits the wings." Seki, surprised but pleased, responded, "I'm so happy to hear that from you, Mina-san, whom I respect!" Tominaga humorously replied, "So that's how you should respond when praised! I learned something!" to which Seki playfully retorted, "Oh, it's from the heart!" Their perfectly timed exchange had the audience laughing.

The two discussed how in recent years, they have been appearing in long-running series, such as Seki's role as Panda in 'Jujutsu Kaisen.' When Tominaga consulted about the difficulty of maintaining the same voice and tension over a long period due to the voice actor's own growth, Seki agreed, saying, "That's true. For my role as Sanemi Shinazugawa in 'Demon Slayer,' there's a gap between the first recording and the next appearance, so it's hard to maintain the feeling until the next session." Tominaga nodded, saying, "As a fellow professional, I understand. It's like I'm imitating my former self." They shared valuable anecdotes unique to these two who have continued to appear in numerous works.

Next, the topic shifted to what inspired Seki to become a voice actor. When a pre-prepared flip chart was opened, it revealed Seki's hand-drawn illustrations of 'Devilman' and 'Mazinger Z.' Tominaga exclaimed, "You're so good!" admiring the illustrations, and mentioned, "I met Go Nagai-sensei at a fan meeting held at Anime Tokyo Station!" Seki replied, "When I was in 4th grade, I had the opportunity to visit Nagai-sensei's home." He then surprised the audience by revealing that he had even had a sword fight with the master on the rooftop. The audience buzzed with excitement. Seki also mentioned being into the radio program 'Anime Topia' at the time, saying, "I called the station and they said 'come on over,' and I got to meet Mayumi Tanaka and Saeko Shimazu. 4th grade was a turning point for me." Seki commented with a smile, "Adults back then were more open-hearted. Please feel free to come to our events too," drawing expectant applause from the audience.

Then, the event moved to the final corner of the first part, the "Instant Anime Quiz," where quizzes about a specified anime were given on the spot. A selected audience member specified 'PSYCHO-PASS' and challenged the quiz, getting all answers correct. The two were impressed and applauded, and the participating audience member received a commemorative gift from Anime Tokyo Station. Seki then took on the quiz, specifying 'Getter Robo.' When questions like "What is the name of the genius doctor who created Getter Robo?" were asked, Seki answered all questions instantly, getting them all correct. Seki looked relieved, saying, "I'm glad I could answer them properly!"

The venue was filled with loud applause and laughter throughout, thanks to the valuable anecdotes and perfectly timed exchanges that only these two voice actors, who have worked on super-national anime for many years, could share.

In the second part, the reading play, another guest, Atsumi Tanezaki, appeared and performed a live reading of the 4th installment of the 'In the Stormy Night' series, 'In the Mist,' a staple at Anime Tokyo Station events. Regarding Tanezaki's participation, Tominaga explained that when the two had co-starred on a program before, Tominaga had invited Tanezaki, and after Tanezaki watched the previous reading play stream, it led to her participation this time.

The three performed live with such vividness that the scenes came to life before the audience's eyes. In particular, Seki single-handedly played three roles—the wolves Gabu, Barry, and Giro—perfectly distinguishing between them. The 4th reading play, which featured live percussion, original BGM, and sound effects as before, plus the new addition of a live flute performance, made the entire audience feel as if they were inside the world of the story. The gathered audience listened quietly to this exclusive reading play, and after it ended, unending applause was sent to the stage.

After the reading play, Yuichi Kimura, the author of the 'In the Stormy Night' series, appeared. Kimura commented, "It was wonderful! There were so many characters, but the way you differentiated your voices was amazing. I felt how much written words come to life when performed by voice actors." When the author smiled and told Tanezaki, who played the goat Mei, "You were cute," she replied, "I'm honored...!" while looking relieved.

Reflecting on the event, Seki commented, "I felt that Anime Tokyo Station is a wonderful space for learning about the history of anime and its future. I also learned that wonderful events like this are being held here, so I have a strong desire to cooperate more actively." Tanezaki also commented, "It was very nerve-wracking to perform a reading in front of the original author alongside such senior colleagues, but it was a very enjoyable time. I am honored to have been able to appear in such an event!"