Shonen Jump‘s latest hit anime, Dandadan, features a “gruff” yet compassionate female lead named Momo Ayase. In a recent interview, Shion Wakayama, who voices Momo in the series, explained how she prepared for the ultimate “dream” role.
In Dandadan, high school classmates “Okarun” and Momo Ayase discover that their world is full of chaotic paranormal and supernatural entities. In spite of their contrasting personalities, the two team up to help one another survive. Per Mantan Web, Wakayama describes how Momo often uses “abusive language” while interacting with Okarun. “Before I participated in Dandadan, I had never raised my voice or shouted in an episode,” she admitted. “…I think this is the first time we’ve heard such a gruff voice, and I also get to say some abusive language and catchphrases that I could only say in this work.”
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Wakayama has taken on major roles in several other popular works, including Her Blue Sky and hit isekai series Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. However, in taking on the role of Momo, Wakayama has fulfilled her long-held dream of starring as the lead in a Shonen Jump production. “…I thought of it as something that was really far away, like a dream, so I was really fired up for the role of Momo this time. And even though no one was pressuring me, I felt a lot of pressure and was really tense,” she stated. Wakayama’s initial anxiety even caught the attention of Dandadan sound director Kimura Eriko, who urged her to relax more during the recording process.
According to Wakayama, Momo is essentially a “gyaru” archetype, which she describes as someone who has “high self-esteem and says what they think very clearly.” Since this was the actor’s first time portraying a gyaru, she prepared copiously for the role. “I wondered what elements I should incorporate to make the viewer think, ‘that’s a gyaru,’ so I watched YouTube videos of gyarus and listened to conversations between gyarus on the train, studying and incorporating their way of speaking, what they said, and their mindset, to create the role,” she explained. “I’m not a gyaru at all, but I really admire them…I admire their honesty in listening to the other people’s opinion and being able to say, ‘you’re right, I’m sorry,’ if they’re wrong, so I incorporated those elements into my role.”
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Dandadan’s Momo Ayase Voice Actor Aims to Play a “Convinving High School Girl”
While Momo is a bit cruder compared to many other female leads in anime, Wakayama also points out that, at her core, she shares many of the same desires as typical high school girls. Episode 1 opens with her breaking up with her boyfriend; shortly thereafter, she laments about not being able to find a guy “like Ken Takakura.” Because of this, Wakayama felt it was important to also portray Momo as a “convincing high school girl” in the anime. “I was very conscious of the fact that, if it were me, I would use this intonation, but it would be different for a high school girl, and I wanted to deliver it in a way that didn’t feel different from the way people hear it every day,” she stated.
While Wakayama stresses that her own personality is very different from Momo’s, she explains in-depth how the “multifaceted” nature of her own character informs how she voices Momo. “Momo is also multifaceted, so I ask myself questions like, ‘What would Momo do in this situation?’ and solidify the character,” she stated. “It may not seem relevant to the work, but I sometimes try to think about people’s personalities, like ‘does this person prefer tea or coffee?’ I do this hoping to understand the character as well as possible. After that, I make sure to find something that is similar to myself and expand on that.”
New episodes of Dandadan premiere every Thursday at 12 noon (EST). The series is currently streaming on both Crunchyroll and Netflix.
Dandadan (2024)
- Release Date
- September 13, 2024
- Cast
- Natsuki Hanae , Shion Wakayama , Nana Mizuki , Ayane Sakura , Kaito Ishikawa , Mayumi Tanaka , Kazuya Nakai , Kaori Maeda , Miyu Tomita , Ryûnosuke Watanuki , Hikaru Tanaka , Seitaro Taniguchi , Satomi Kobashi , Mayuko Kazama , Ryuuzaburou Ootomo
- Seasons
- 1
- Character(s)
- Ken Okarun Takakura , Momo Ayase , Seiko , Aira Shiratori , Jin Jiji Enjōji , Turbo Granny , Serpoians , Miko , Muko , Momo’s Boyfriend , Male Student A , Male Student B , Elementary School Boy , Flatwoods Monster
Source: Mantan Web
