The theatrical anime "Naruto: THELAST", which was released in December 2014 based on Kishimoto's original manga, was released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 22. The story of this work takes place two years after the end of the Great Ninja War, and unlike the previous Naruto theatrical anime, this work is based on the theme of love, focusing on the relationship between Naruto and Hinata.

To commemorate the release of the disc, Japanese media conducted an interview with Junko Takeuchi, the voice actress who played the protagonist Naruto Uzumaki in the anime version. While reviewing "THELAST", Junko Takeuchi also mentioned some thoughts on the latest theatrical version of the anime "Naruto Theatrical Version: Boruto", which will be released in Japan in August. Now, let's hear how Junko Takeuchi feels when she plays Naruto.

"All of a sudden?!" There was a feeling of being left behind by Naruto

- "THELAST" is different from the theatrical version of "Naruto" so far, and it is a work that has become a topic of conversation because of the theme of love. First of all, can you tell us how you felt after watching this work?

Takeuchi: There's an indescribable sense of heaviness (laughs). Although there has always been a very happy feeling between Naruto and Hinata, and it was also a happy ending for the wedding, I always felt like I was left behind by them. Sadness? Happy? Or is it a feeling of emptiness in the heart? I don't understand that mixed feelings.

- What do you mean by "left behind"?

Takeuchi: I can say that I watched this 12-year-old naughty kid grow up, but I still think, "Hey, this is the point?!" How did you grow to this point all of a sudden?!" Isn't that a common occurrence like this? The little boy who was originally very short in the school suddenly became very tall, which made people sigh "Ah......". Maybe it's a little similar to that feeling.

──It's like when you meet after the summer vacation, you suddenly feel like you've grown. In other interviews, you've said that you might like Naruto.

Takeuchi: When I finally saw Naruto and Hinata's happy wedding ceremony, my heart suddenly became so heavy, probably because of the broken love...... That's what I thought. But after quite some time, I recently rewatched the DVD again, and I had a slightly different feeling.

──What's the difference?

Takeuchi: The mindset of watching movies has changed. I don't look at it as Naruto's growth story anymore, but only focus on the love part of the growth story, and I watched it with that mood. If you look at it with this mentality, you will notice the subtle contact between Naruto and Hinata and the feeling of shyness between the two, and you will be relieved.

I was surprised that Naruto had really become the Hokage

- There's a shy love confession scene in the play.

Takeuchi: When I read the script, I wanted to shout "wow". It doesn't matter if it's a love confession where only Naruto and Hinata are present, but it's embarrassing to think that everyone will see it on the big screen (laughs). Naruto-kun is so pitiful...... I have a feeling of being a relative of Naruto. Or rather, it's more like seeing a confession scene from a nephew or niece. But I didn't realize anything when I performed on my own.

──When did you hear that Naruto and Hinata are in love?

Takeuchi: I don't remember. When? It was probably before the recording of THELAST. "Ah, that's right," I thought at the time. This scenario was not specifically envisaged. I think it's most likely to be single. Like Zilai, it's not a strange thing to spend a wandering life alone. However, what shocked me more than Naruto got married and started a family was the fact that he became the Hokage.

──Do you think Naruto can't be the Hokage?

Takeuchi: Because people who always say "you want to be" don't usually be, don't you (laughs)?

- Haha (laughs). Well, indeed.

Takeuchi: Naw. Actually, I thought Sakura would become the Hokage.

Playing the role of 19-year-old Naruto, the way of breathing has changed

- "THELAST" is set in the world two years after the Great Ninja War, and Naruto is exactly 19 years old. From Naruto's childhood until he became an adult, did your acting change in terms of acting?

Takeuchi: To be honest, I didn't try to change the tone, and I tried not to worry too much about it during the recording. And as Naruto's height grows, so will the male hormones, and what changes will occur to the vocal cords is also part of what I should consider. But even I couldn't make the voice of a 19-year-old man. Therefore, there was no attachment to this issue when it was actually recorded.

- Hmm.

Takeuchi: If I had a voice changer in my body, I would have just changed the tone and injected my feelings, but in fact, I can't rely on a voice changer, and I want to express the mental activity of human beings in a good way. Rather than caring about the tone of the voice, I pay more attention to the communication of feelings and feelings.

──19-year-old Naruto, what has changed from before?

Takeuchi: The way you breathe has changed. Inhale slowly and exhale again. Standing next to Naruto like this, there would be a feeling of composure and calmness. He already exudes a feeling of not caring about other people's gazes and taking it in stride. However, I think there is also a reason for the change in the environment. He was always fighting non-stop when he was 17 years old, and he didn't realize that he had to communicate with those people at the time.

-- When I returned to my daily life, I became very relaxed.

Takeuchi: Well, because the war is over. However, I think it's not just because of age, but also because of environmental changes.

The fewer mood particles there are, the more powerful they feel

- "THELAST" has a lot of love elements, but the battle scenes are also quite handsome.

Takeuchi: Hmm. In the scene where Hinata was taken away, Naruto kept making shadow clones and fighting, and he was also handsome. Until now, when I played Naruto-kun as a child, I would add a lot of reaction sounds and sounds when I was hit, but I basically couldn't hear it in this scene. Something like, "Oh! "Wow! "Huh?!" The more these modal words are added, the less powerful they feel. Sasuke-kun, for example, basically doesn't have this kind of modal word. Kakashi-sensei is also almost none.

- Ah, indeed!

Takeuchi: Naruto-kun is arguably the character who uses the most modal words in Naruto, but it will become less and less in the future. So, he feels very handsome now, and he also has a sense of speed. In the end, the battle on the moon or something, it's not a human battle anymore. I'm a ninja, but I don't "shinobu" at all (laughs).

-- The stage of the battle is the moon, and the scale of the scene has become very large. Hinata's bridal outfit on the moon is also impressive.

Takeuchi: A black bridal outfit. It's cute. The hem of the suit gradually opens up every time it fights, and it is also beautiful.

- At the end of the show, at the wedding ceremony with Naruto, Hinata is wearing a kimono.

Takeuchi: I'm wearing a dress on the moon, so I'm going to change it at the wedding ceremony (laughs). However, I had already guessed that she would wear a kimono instead of a formal dress like "white sangue" or "color gown". It's not too solemn, but it's also very neat.

──I feel like the Hyuga family has been passed down from generation to generation.

Takeuchi: That's exactly how I feel! Next, it's Hanaki-chan's turn to wear it. Originally, I wanted to say that Naruto would have cooperated with Hinata in a men's kimono, but I was a little surprised that he was wearing an evening dress. It is a suit evening dress with a slight Konoha style.

──When I saw the wedding, I felt like I was witnessing my son's growth.

Takeuchi: Really. Before I knew it, I was growing up, and I felt like that.

"I'm not alone," Naruto had always thought

- In his new film, Naruto: Boruto, which was released in August, became the Hokage and became a father. Has there been any change in the way you interpret this work?

Takeuchi: Yes, because there has been a change in positions or responsibilities. He became a man who could take responsibility. When Naruto was a child, whether he accepted a job as a shinobi or ate ramen in private, his attitude towards Kakashi-sensei remained the same. But as Naruto matured, the separation between private life and work became clearer. The same attitude towards Kakashi-sensei, Naruto gets along well in private, but when working as Hokage, he has a grain of salt when he speaks. Probably adults are like that. I think that's changed a lot in this game.

──As the Hokage, and as Naruto, as a father, the way of speaking seems to be a little different.

Takeuchi: Naruto and Boruto are not so much father and son, but rather the feeling of companionship. When interacting with his daughter Sunflower, Naruto became more of a father. Sure enough, the mode of getting along with the same sex will be more like a friend~

- Well, mothers and daughters get along like friends.

Takeuchi: Yes, yes. Will quarrel, will hate, will like, but, after all, it is still a mother. In the same vein, Boruto knows that Naruto is his father on the one hand, but at the same time he feels that Naruto is an opponent and a hater. Looking at Naruto as an adult man, I only felt it strongly after Boruto appeared. Naruto has gotten older, but I don't think he's changed much. When you are 10 years old, you think that people in your 30s and 40s are very mature, but when you reach that age, you are completely immature (laughs). Naruto must have done the same. Twelve-year-old Naruto would have thought like this - "If I got married, I would definitely become super mature and stable, but the result is that it has not changed at all." This feeling of stumbling and anticipation is also very Naruto's style.

──What do you think is the most essential part of Naruto's heart?

Takeuchi: I guess I'm not alone.

- "I'm not alone." Didn't Naruto always feel like he was alone when he was a child? Has he changed?

Takeuchi: I think Naruto has always had the idea that he wasn't alone in his heart. If you knew that you were alone, you wouldn't want to be involved with others. Connecting with others, and still wanting attention in such a scornful environment, is because somewhere in my heart I cling, "I'm not alone." The (Otsuki) Asura who is connected to Naruto's soul is also the embodiment of "I am not alone", and is a person who attaches great importance to the collective amount. According to the theory of the same soul, Naruto should think the same way.

The tall buildings that rise behind the Hokage Rock symbolize all the qiē

──The TV series is running parallel to the theatrical version, so it's hard to switch between the two, right?

Takeuchi: I have a strong sense of disobedience. The TV series is currently in the period of the Great Ninja War, but "THELAST" takes place two years after the Great War, so it is a completely different mood. "Boruto" or something, I don't understand it at all. And after recording "Boruto" and transferring to the TV series, there are often "Huh? I was very confused. For example, during the recording of Boruto, Naruto wanted Boruto to "be spoiled with me too". However, when I came back to record a TV anime with that feeling, I wanted to ask, "Who are you spoiling yourself?" It's going to get messy. Naruto shouldn't beg to be coquettish, but "wants to protect everyone". It's the same Naruto, but the feelings inside are completely different. At this point, I'm a little lost.

── If the timeline is different, it's really hard to record at the same time, so can you tell us about the highlights of "Boruto"?

Takeuchi: First of all, the most interesting thing is the change in the environment. There are no elements of combat, but there are various developments. For example, using a smartphone or playing a game.

──After watching the Hokage Gaiden "Seven Hokage and the Scarlet Flower Moon" serialized on "JUMP", I was taken aback by the scene where Naruto, who became the Hokage, was working on a computer.

Takeuchi: The Internet is so advanced, so what kind of espionage activities are needed (laughs). Also, I think the tall buildings that rise behind the Hokage Rock symbolize all the qiē. In such a world, what will happen to a profession and job like a ninja, maybe this is a transition period. The theatrical anime tells the story of how Boruto, the son of Naruto, lives and thinks in such a world. So, the biggest attraction is the environment. The second is what the teenagers who live there think.

"Naruto-kun is great! Nice！ ”

- The DVD of the Naruto's stage show "LiveSpectacle" will be released in August. What do you think of the stage play?

Takeuchi: I really admire the actor's body. Whether it's Naruto-kun or Sasuke-kun, the movements are very fast. It would have been very tiring to perform at the end of the day, but they were all smiling, and I really felt "Naruto-kun is great!" Nice！ ”。 Naruto-kun was moving on stage with a lot of energy, and I felt happy when I watched it. On the other hand, Sasuke-kun also showed that he should be handsome. Although I don't know exactly whether it is the tacit cooperation between the characters or the performance of the actors, all in all, my feeling is: "Ah, that's amazing!" It's all right! ”

- Finally, please send a message to Hiroshi Matsuoka, who plays Naruto.

Takeuchi: I don't use 3D or anything like that, but I play Naruto by humans, and I insist on performing until the end with Naruto's acting skills that the whole audience recognizes, and I really think you're "amazing" as a member of the audience!