Takuya Eguchi voices the main character, Loid Froger, in Spy x Family. Below is the voice actor’s interview with Animate Times.
Takuya Eguchi voices the main character, Loid Froger, in Spy x Family. Below is the voice actor’s interview with Animate Times
Tell us your impressions about the series.
The story introduces us to a spy, a psychic, and an assassin. Together they form a temporary family. As I read on, I felt that the series was more heartwarming than it was serious. There are a lot of comedic moments and the messages are surprisingly easy to understand. I could tell that this story moved people’s hearts.
Tell us about your character Loid Forger.
He is a super amazing person hidden behind an iron mask. At first I thought he was this fearless robotic character but I was wrong. The first episode tells us why he turned out that way. He’s a compassionate person and at his core, is full of warmth. Deep down he wants to protect people and he’s the type to sacrifice all that he is to do so.
He is a person who can see things in such a way, and I believe that because of his compassion for people, he is able to act as a spy.
Share your thoughts about Yor and Anya Forger.
She is very straightforward. Her thought process is very simple. Like: it’s either kill or be killed. Live or die. It’s like she personifies the natural world order (laughs).
Anya is unique in that she has an ability to understand people’s thoughts, but she is a straight-forward character in terms of her expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure. She is the embodiment of what we want people to be like in the human world.
Tell us how you felt when you passed the audition.
Of course, I was happy when I passed the audition. Basically all voice acting in anime require an audition. I feel the same way about all works, but I am very happy and grateful to have been chosen.
But this time, people at my office were happy for me. For some reason, my manager was extremely happy (laughs). Partly because the manager themself enjoys the series. And also because they must have felt the joy and satisfaction of having an actor from his own company selected for such a series. The reactions of the people around me made me realize that I was involved in something big.
How did you feel when Saori Hayami was cast as Yor Forger?
I worked with Hayami when I auditioned for Eden of the East, the very first series I’ve ever been a part of. We’ve worked in other things since then. She’s very nice and I feel a sense of trust with her.
How did you feel about Hayami when you worked together during Eden of the East?
Hayami was 18 years-old at the time, but she played the heroine. I was very impressed by her.
How did you feel when Ayumi Tanezaki was cast as Anya Forger?
She can play a wide range of roles. I felt that she’s a specialist who can handle all sorts of characters when I saw her deliver her lines. I’m able to go into work with a sense of trust.
Have you worked together before?
We have before. But I’m not the type to chit-chat with others at work. At events we’ve attended together, we’ve really only exchanged greetings. So this is the very first time that I get to actually talk with her.
Did you feel a good response during the audition?
I felt that there were a lot of difficult parts at the audition. But I felt that I was easily able to create a voice that works. I always audition with the mindset that if I have a chance, I would be happy to play the role, because sometimes I fail when I think the role is definitely made for me.
You said you were easily able to create his voice. Did your performance change as you played the character?
At the audition, I bring with me the character I create. But at work, there are so many people involved and I feel like we’ve lent a hand in creating the character. I take the image of Loid that I have created in my mind and go to work. The rest is like working together to carve a sculpture; shaving and adding to it on the spot, asking ourselves, “can we leave this part as it is?” It’s work but I enjoy it.
I record alongside Hayami and Tanezaki but as I hear their lines in person, they feel more nuanced and change how I perceived them on script. I feel that these two add a different layer to the character.
Loid speaks from the heart often. Did you notice that?
Anya can read people’s thoughts so we can see a character’s true feelings behind their pretense. I am aware of this change in tempo, as the dialogue, monologue, dialogue, monologue, and so on, often change at a rather fast pace.
I need to be aware of his thoughts and his pretense in order to portray the character.
Do you often have inner monologues yourself?
I think I do (laughs). Though I’m not sure if I think about anything on a regular basis, I am more absentminded if anything (laughs).
The story opens with “we all have a part of ourselves that we don’t show to anyone.” What do you think about this saying?
Each human being has his or her own sense of values, and we live our lives while concealing the parts of us that are considered normal and the parts that are special. This is coexistence, but I don’t think showing 100 % of ourselves is always correct.
For example, you have to wear clothes, just as you shouldn’t walk outside naked. That act of putting on clothes is in secrecy. Some people may want to walk outside naked, but there is a rule built up in human society that says that you should not walk outside completely naked. It’s a rule that everyone follows.
You can’t expose yourself. How much one shows themself differs with every person. You have a sense of distance with every one of them.
Will the relationship and distance change within the Forger family?
For me, I wouldn’t say I’m most myself in front of my family, but I’m at ease around them. So I’m at my most stress-free when I’m with them. If we go by “family” as seen in the show, then Loid also does feel at ease with the others. I believe that family is a relationship where you can show that side of yourself.
Source: Animate Times