Overview
The following interview comes from Volume 1 of the anime booklet, released in Volume 1 of the Japanese Blu-Ray for the anime on June 28, 2017.
The timing of the information provided here likely comes 2016-2017, during the course of the anime project in 2017.
Q1: What were your first impressions of Sistine?
Basically, she is a confident and energetic girl, who on the other hand is someone not upfront about herself due to her shyness, which made me believe she is a so-called tsundere character at first. But as I got to know Sisti a bit more, I started to feel that she was a girl with conflicted emotions and facial expressions that were not that of a typical tsundere.
Q2: What was it like when preparing for the role in Episode 1?
After reading through the original work, I decided to present her as a ‘strong girl’ for the recording session with an equally strong tone. It came on a bit too strong, by giving off a shrill-like impression, which led to the sound director, Mr Yoji Shimizu, giving me some direction by suggesting, ‘You don’t have to be so angry.’ Sure, Sistine is a strong girl, but she’s also a normal girl right? Rumia’s like her close sister-like friend, while not being afraid to associate with her classmates. Essentially, I had a hard time trying to grasp the nuances at first.
Q3: There were some scenes where being young and fragile was needed.
It’s understandable when Mr Bang (Jin)* was about to assault the character in Episode 2. I tried my best to suppress my feelings of terror, but I couldn’t stop my emotions from overflowing. For that scene, I realized that no matter how strong the girl is, she is still a normal girl.
*Note: The term used here is “ズドンさん”, which translates to “Mr Bang”, named after the way Jin was able to quick cast his spells by just saying ‘Bang’.
Q4: As for the scene when Glenn came to the rescue, was it challenging to suddenly switch from being serious to a gag?
It was difficult! I understood the direction of ‘It’s okay to deliver the gag here,’, but because the recordings were recorded in the same flow as the video, it’s difficult to instantly switch emotions in an instant. (LOL) That’s why I tried to forget about the flow up to that point, and completely shake it off when I had to deliver my ‘Help me!’ retort to Glenn.
Q5: The tempo of the gag that comes here and there is fun isn’t it?
It’s interesting that it’s not just Glenn and Sistine, but also with Rumia and Re=L, Re=L and Albert, the comedy duo relationships can be found in various places. I especially liked it when after Glenn kicks Mr Bang with Magical Punch, he asks, ‘Isn’t that a kick?’*.
*Note: This line was translated as ‘That’s a kick!’.
Q6: After the attack by members of the Researchers Of Heavenly Wisdom, how did you see Sistine’s perception of Glenn change?
It changed from her first impressions of him being an unreliable bastard teacher to that of a reliable teacher she could rely on. It was helped by myself, because of how Glenn wanted to save Rumia above all else when he was fighting Reik, I was angry at first when he pushed me off the building, but then I remembered him mentioning [Dispel Force] before doing so, which made me wonder why would he say such a thing if he wanted me to escape. Also, as a student who’d never fought before, I came to the realization of Glenn’s strength when seeing him face-to-face in a life or death battle. In that sense, my impressions of him went up.
Q7: From your perspective Ms Fujita, what were your first impressions of Glenn?
Mr Soma’s (Glenn’s VA) acting for Glenn was wonderful, his portrayal of the bastard teacher also made me want to not work as well. (LOL) However, when I see how Glenn faces Sisti about his burdened past, I came to realize that he’s a good teacher for Sisti. Even though she has faith in him, there are still parts of his bastard behavior that she dislikes, but because she isn’t upfront about it, I find it funny in contrast. (LOL) I’m certain Sisti herself realizes that she has to do something because he is such a helpless person, which caused her to become nervous around him.
Q8: During the Magic Competition, the amount of confidence in Glenn had increased considerably.
Glenn was trying to win the competition for his own reasons, while Sistine was fighting for her struggling teacher. And of course, both of them aren’t upfront about their reasons! Especially during that lunch box scene! It was a bittersweet event that happened because of two people who weren’t upfront about themselves.
Q9: Because they’re not being honest with each other, misunderstandings happen. (LOL)
It’s frustrating! But I personally thought Rumia was more of a grown-up in comparison. I told Yume (Yume Miyamoto, VA for Rumia) that Sistine was more of a ‘girl’, and that Rumia was more of a ‘female’ in comparison. Even though it’s a secret about who made the bento, it’s too much for her to admit who it was made for…! Even though they’re about the same age, it’s regrettable that such a moment was allowed to pass. (LOL)
Q10: What about how Rumia is perceived by Sistine?
Sisti sees Rumia as a member of the family, a close friend and a respectable person who has a stronger mentality than herself, due to the burden of her painful past she doesn’t reveal to her. I personally see her in the same way too. However, Rumia is also a terrible cook and quite the sleepyhead, which at her age does make her seem like her sibling. This perspective may be the same for Sisti if seen from Rumia’s perspective. (LOL) The way they both have this ‘I must protect this child’ mentality creates this lovely relationship between them.
Q11: From start to end, there was this sense of a unique, yet distant bond shared between the two.
At the time of the first dubbing session, it was difficult to create this distant bond with Rumia. I’d only first met Yume at that same session, and when I spoke with her, that feeling of having some sense of distance between us came up. Initially, the challenge then was trying to reduce this sense of distance between Sisti and Lumia. We tried out various directions to get a feel for our performances, with us receiving the direction to be aware of our friendliness and close relationship with each other. It was thanks to this work and the radio program (Akashic Radio Of Sisti & Rumia)* where both of us were hosting that the distant relationship with Yume had been reduced. (LOL)
*Note: Yes, this is the actual name of the program. It’s actually called ‘Akashic Radio’. (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ Go double check the name here if you want.
Q12: From the midpoint of the series, Glenn’s existence became more important to Sistine.
For Episodes 8 & 9 especially, they were big turning points for Sistine in particular. She’d become frightened after Re=L’s betrayal that led to Glenn being seriously injured. Around this time, she didn’t just have faith in Glenn, but she also had this feeling she wasn’t aware of, the anxiety and fear of having someone important to her be hurt, that person being Glenn, instead of the familiar person she knows as a teacher. In addition, she was also unable to do anything against Re=L who’d kidnapped Rumia, someone she’d gotten along with before this. I personally think the shock from these scenes were great.
Q13: These are some situations that would normally be heartbreaking.
She is of course an honor student, who is proud of herself as a magician without being too overconfident. She did battle Glenn and received special training. Even then, it was a harsh reality where Sisti had no choice but to be overwhelmed by being so helpless. However, I felt that there was a good amount of growth for her to recognize her own weaknesses. Also, she also wanted to pursue Glenn, but chose to stay back and wait for him instead. That itself is another sign of growth for her.
Q14: Granted, she also played a role in stopping her classmates from pursuing Glenn.
I agree. When the classmates asked her why Glenn and Rumia weren’t around, she couldn’t tell them why exactly, but she instead told them to believe in him and wait, which I thought was her way of having faith in Glenn. At the same time, the main reason why everyone was convinced without having to talk about the situation, it’s because Glenn was always a trustable person, in the same way Sisti trusts him. I felt that I understood the feeling that Sistine had, of being the center of everyone’s trust towards Glenn.
Q15: What were the developments after the second half of the series?
The differences in responses from Leos and Glenn towards Sistine’s dream of wanting to unravel the mystery behind the Melgalius Sky Castle. Leos simply denied her dream, whilst Glenn countered back by saying, “You just walk the path you believe in.”. I’m sure Glenn is also chasing his own dream, so I think he cherishes the idea of chasing after one. Even after he became an instructor, he did say that he wanted to see what his students achieve, and that’s why he keeps chasing after this dream of his.
Q16: Looking back at all 12 episodes, what was Glenn like as a teacher?
Glenn is a teacher who knows what he can’t do. There are things he knows he cannot do, and as a result he has to figure out what he can do for the job, which leads to his way of teaching. Some teachers would teach with the ‘because I can do it’ way, since it’s easy and doable for them. However, Glenn’s actions are based on what he cannot do, which is why he doesn’t teach normally. Instead of having students cram the syllabus, he explores another direction of magic such as what would happen if spell chants were modified. For students who’d always thought cramming was the basis to learn magic, it creates an opportunity for them to learn more about the roots of magic. Essentially, Glenn changes the very ideas of thinking about magic.
Q17: Lastly, could you tell us what was the charm of this series that you felt?
Of course, it has to be the clear depiction of growth for each character. Of course, there is also the apparent teacher who initially couldn’t teach properly, who eventually gets involved with his students and begins thinking for their sake. Similar to Sisti, there’s many forms of growth for her, drawn from her having to face her own weakness and moving forward from there. What everyone has in common is that no one is the strongest, since everyone has their own weakness and soft spots. That’s why I find it wonderful to see them frantically fight for something and/or someone else.
Bonus!
From the official anime website following the broadcast of the final episode.
BONUS #1: Please give 3 of your personal post-dubbing impressions about the series.
The Akashic Records? The Underground Labyrinth? The continuation?! If you’re interested, please check out the original works!
BONUS #2: What was your most memorable scene throughout the story?
The final episode, in the scene where Sistine comes back for Glenn. I think that Sistine’s strength and naivety of returning to such a dangerous scene is a big growth for her, by taking a step forward that we couldn’t take before.
BONUS #3: Please give a message to all who’ve watched the series till the end!
The anime has come to an end, but I will do my best in believing that Sistine will continue studying for her dreams! …I think. One last thank you to everyone. Hopefully someday, I can meet the characters and everyone else again.
End Transmission? (Wait…what the hell is this?) (っ °Д °;)っ
Afterword
From Max.
As of today, Akane Fujita is one of the 4 cast members from the 2017 anime project that reprised their roles for the now defunct mobile game, Fantasia Re:Build.
She’s still got it, 3-4 years later. (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞
I heard if you check a certain Discord, you can hear the lines yourself. ;3
Thanks for checking out the translations.
Again. DO NOT expect regular updates for this. We’re busy with other stuff. D:
Just keep talking, sharing and discussing the series, that’s all we ask yall to do.
Or help push for the Light Novels for English. Then, the ticket to Season 2 will build itself.
Also,
It’s Akane Fujita’s BIRTHDAY TODAY! (Jan 26th) Go wish her on Twitter! ヾ(≧▽≦*)o
Also. Check out the following places for more on this series.
- Akashic Records Reddit
- Akashic Records Discord
- Akashic Records Wiki Twitter
- Akashic Records Wiki Facebook
And the other volumes translated here too. :0
- Translations List
- Sistine’s Notebook
- Akashic Records Of Bastard Magic Instructor (Anime) – Akane Fujita Interview (Sistine Fibel’s VA) [You are here!]
- Akashic Records Of Bastard Magic Instructor (Anime) – Yume Miyamoto Interview (Rumia Tingel’s VA)
- Memory Records Of Bastard Magic Instructor 1 (Short Stories)
- Memory Records Of Bastard Magic Instructor 2 (Short Stories)
- Memory Records Of Bastard Magic Instructor 3 (Short Stories)
- Memory Records Of Bastard Magic Instructor 4 (Short Stories)
- Memory Records Of Bastard Magic Instructor 5 (Short Stories)
- Memory Records Of Bastard Magic Instructor 6 (Short Stories)
- Memory Records Of Bastard Magic Instructor 7 (Short Stories)
- Memory Records Of Bastard Magic Instructor 8 (Short Stories)
- Memory Records Of Bastard Magic Instructor 9 (Short Stories)
And come disturb us over at the following,
- Rated F To Pay Facebook Respects
- Rated T For Twitter
- Rated D For Discordvery Channel
- Rated Y For YouDumbassTube
S.I.R We Read Stuff Here 
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