Stone Ocean Anime Interviews (February 2023)

Published November 30, 2022

Incomplete translation

Missing transcript

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Stone Ocean

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A series of interviews released alongside the Blu-Ray boxes of the Stone Ocean Anime with the Japanese voice actors and production staff. The first interview was released on November 30, 2022 and other interviews followed with the subsequent Blu-Ray box releases. In addition, on January 23, 2024, additional interviews with the English dub cast were included in the VIZ Media release of the Blu-ray sets.

Interview

Interview with the voice actress of Jolyne Cujoh, discussing her experiences from dubbing Jolyne.

Tell us how you got the part of Jolyne.

I got the part via audition, but on the day of the audition, I distinctly remember crying the whole way home thinking I didn't get the role. I love Jolyne so much. Because of that, I was way too nervous during the audition and wasn't able to showcase my best self. I received a callback, which made me both surprised and happy — and it wasn't actually a callback, they brought me back in to tell me that I got the part! The staff had prepared a whole ordeal for me knowing I was such a huge fan of the JoJo series. Later on, they sent me a video of that day as a gift. I'm so grateful to them, because this audition really was an extremely important part of my life. I get to look back on the day my dream came true over and over again! After all, our memories give our cells courage!

How was the first day of recording?

I was so overwhelmed about that fact that I'd be voicing my favorite Jolyne that I was more nervous than happy! I entered this industry wanting to voice one of Jolyne's allies, so I was so rickety the first day — with the flurry of retakes I had to do, I couldn't bring out Jolyne's wild and sensitive character. I had discussion after discussion with the sound director Iwanami-san in order to get her character right. As the recordings went on, though, I felt I was able to understand her and love her even more than I did before.

How did it feel acting alongside your "father," Jotaro, for the first time?

When I first heard Jotaro's voice recording the third episode, I was immediately like, "It's just like the anime!" After that, I received lots of advice from Daisuke Ono about how to voice the "ORA ORA", and I am so grateful for that. He's like a father to me, and I adore him!

Tell us about working with Ermes and F.F.

I've always admired Mutsumi Tamura (Ermes), but I was surprised at how loud and powerful her voice was. Episode 8 in particular was a heated battle with F.F., and we were all just shouting as loudly as we possibly could. (laughs) We were all riled up during recording, which I think ended up sounding good in the actual episode. Compared to Golden Wind, Stone Ocean has way more female characters, so if we aren't careful, our voices will end up sounding too shrill. We made sure that our voices were passionate and good on the ears. And F.F. is the character I relate to the most, so when they finally appeared in episode 8, I was like "I finally get to meet you!" My heart was full. And Mariya Ise's performance of F.F. is so nuanced, switching smoothly from the creepy mutant to the cute mascot character. Even though F.F.'s character does a 180-degree turn from the beginning to the end, her performance gives them continuity; we can see they're still the same character. F.F.'s voice when we first meet them is processed in post, but even during recording, Mariya Ise's voice performance was so good that I felt like it didn't need to be edited at all!

Was there a specific moment in the first cour (episode 1 through 12) where you felt your performance as Jolyne stood out?

The part in episode 5 where Jolyne trips, and it seems like Jotaro is extending a hand to help her up, but he's actually handing her the pendant. I also had a time when I did not get along with my father, so I really understood how Jolyne felt in that moment, and I was able to bring a daughter's straightforward anger to her father's disappointing action. I think it was pretty real! That scene was also in the audition, so I had a lot of practice. It ended up becoming a very important scene for me.

We heard that you listen to the opening and ending songs every day.

I listen to the opening, "STONE OCEAN", in the mornings after I wake up, and I listen to the ending, "Distant Dreamer", in the evenings on the way home. I love them so much, they're a part of my daily life now! (laughs) I especially love the opening animation that Kamikaze Douga produced — Jolyne's thread connecting to the other JoJo's is awesome. The bright colors make me think, "Prison life doesn't seem too bad!"

How did the people around you react to your participation in this project?

A friend of mine from my days as a student contacted me and told me that my acting has gotten better! We used to read JoJo's aloud together. It made me really happy to see a reaction from someone I knew in real life. I had wanted to be a voice actor since back then, and I remember telling them, "You should get my signature now while you can!" And I was right! (laughs)

And lastly, a message for the fans, please.

The JoJo's anime is chock-full of directorial choices that move fans of the original manga. I hope you watch this over and over again and discover something new each time. This season holds a lot of references to Stardust Crusaders, and we also get to see Ermes, F.F., and Enrico Pucci's backstories, so I'd be happy if you get to understand them on a deeper level.

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Interview with the voice actresses for Ermes Costello and Foo Fighters, discussing their experiences from dubbing Ermes and F.F.

First off, tell us about the audition process.

TAMURA: As soon as I heard about the Phantom Blood anime adaptation, I asked my agency to let me audition for Stone Ocean if it ever got adapted. When the time finally came, I was so excited to see who I'd end up auditioning for. I went with Ermes—considering my experience and strengths, I felt she'd be the best fit for me. I was nervous, but at the same time, I was able to audition with confidence. When I had read the series as a student, I thought she was a difficult character to grasp, but now I feel like I can sympathize with her. But I've always felt that F.F. is impossible to grasp...

ISE: You tell me that a lot! (laughs)

TAMURA: I couldn't imagine what F.F. would sound like. So that's one character I did not want to audition for.

ISE: I was originally offered to audition as Jolyne, but ended up auditioning for F.F., and it was definitely a challenge trying to get a hold of them.

TAMURA: Right? F.F. is difficult to figure out!

ISE: Yes, but I thought this would be my only chance, that if I didn't try, I wouldn't get to be in Stone Ocean, so I did my absolute best. I had loved JoJo's as a college student, so I've always wanted to be involved somehow. When I heard about the Stone Ocean anime adaptation, I thought, "This is it!" When I was preparing to audition as Jolyne, I watched and read all the previous seasons, so I was very prepared for the role of F.F. as well. They're rational and considerate, but also very cute, so I knew they'd be worth the effort.

How was the recording experience for this series?

TAMURA: In the first episode, Ermes and Jolyne have a conversation in the prison van. Based on the context, I asked the sound director Iwanami if I should do more of a whisper, but I was shocked when told me, "JoJo's doesn't do whispers! It seems Fairouz Ai (nickname: Fai-chan) was also not aware of this, so we both decided to carve those words into our hearts. (laughs) So we speak in a normal volume in that scene, but we're going for a whisper in vibes only.

ISE: Since F.F. doesn't appear until episode 8, I was very curious about the atmosphere of the recording booth. I recall asking you about it when we were together for a different project.

TAMURA: I remember! You also asked me about what kind of person Fai-chan is.

ISE: I wanted to prepare, since I had never worked with her before. And you told me that she's bubbly and a JoJo's expert, and that recording has been great so far, so I was relieved. And meeting her in person, she's like a walking spiritual power spot! (laughs)

TAMURA: Indeed she is. (laughs)

ISE: She's such a bubbly human, and she radiates positive energy. When we met, she was like, "Nice to meet you! I really love the projects you've been in!" and my walls instantly went down! Thanks to her, I was able to join mid-production with ease. F.F. first appears as the enemy Stand, but recording went so smoothly. My voice has been altered there, but my performance is pretty much as is!

The two of you don't appear together too often.

TAMURA: That's right. After episode 14, we basically don't see each other, since Ermes is forced to retire due to injury.

ISE: From there it's just Jolyne, F.F., Weather Report, and Anasui.

TAMURA: I felt so left out when I saw episode 22! (laughs) But Weather Report, well... As a viewer, I was shocked by what F.F. brought in.

ISE: Oh, that! Me, too. (laughs)

TAMURA: Like, seriously?! (laughs)

ISE: I completely forgot about it, even though I had read through the story and even recorded the lines! We don't see the completed animation until it shows up on streaming or broadcast, so it leaves a completely different impression.

TAMURA: I agree. JoJo's records in batches, so we skip the scenes we're not a part of.

ISE: For episode 22, I didn't record my lines with Yuichiro Umehara (Weather Report) or Tomokazu Seki (Enrico Pucci), so seeing the finished episode really was a shock!

Were there any specific memories from episodes 13 through 24 that left an impression on you?

TAMURA: I love the scene in episode 14, where Ermes goes "And this one, and this one! All for Gloria!" During the audition, I said that line much faster, but when it came to recording the actual episode, that scene is actually much longer, so even though the action is swift, I was able to pour all of Ermes's love and grief for her sister into each punch. That whole scene is incredibly moving.

ISE: Even during rehearsal, that scene made me tear up.

TAMURA: Yes! I did the test run, and when I turned to look at everyone, you were all crying. And that hug between Gloria and Ermes is an anime-only bit. I was so grateful to the staff. There's no way we wouldn't cry from that!

ISE: Exactly.

TAMURA: Of course, if we cry, it's no longer just a performance. But I cry so easily! So even though I cried during the rehearsal take, I made sure to keep it in during the real take. If I were voicing F.F., I'd definitely cry recording episode 22. Wouldn't you?

ISE: Yes. I love the line, "Their memories give their cells courage" But I suffered... A two-week New Year's holiday came up between recording episode 21 and 22. That scene, which requires so much of F.F.'s heart, was after the New Year, so I couldn't enjoy the holiday properly! (laughs bitterly)

TAMURA: I hate when our momentum is paused!

ISE: For this episode only, the director gave us the storyboard to refer to, so I spent the entire holiday paging through it and thinking about F.F. When I came back to recording, I was so stiff and nervous! My hands are usually so stable, but I was shaking holding the script. F.F.'s monologue tripped me up so badly...

TAMURA: I understand, it's especially challenging for those quiet scenes.

ISE: Exactly. I was overthinking everything. But I think the final scene with Jolyne ended up rich with emotion.

TAMURA: It was really good! I cried so many times watching that episode.

ISE: Thank you! In the end, the feeling that I fought hard with everyone won over the challenges I faced. That scene has so much poured into it.

TAMURA: F.F. was doing absolutely everything they possibly could until the very end, and the way they disappear just like that was so sad. They were speaking normally until the end, so I could physically feel how Jolyne and the others felt as the ones who were left behind.

ISE: That was an amazing directorial choice. And only for episode 22, my name was listed first in the ending credits. It felt like an offering from the director to F.F. and me, and I was really grateful.

Who are your favorite characters outside of your own?

TAMURA: I love Miraschon and Miu Miu and all the female characters, but my favorite is actually Emporio. He grew up in such a complicated environment in the prison, but is such a good boy! He's so sage, but still acts hisage sometimes, which is so cute. I especially love him from episode 25 onward—he's absolutely adorable.

ISE: Mine is D an G. He appears handsome and cool, but in episode 19 he cries, going, "I want my mama!" I remember Ryota Takeuchi having a difficult time recording that scene, too.

TAMURA: How so?

ISE: Sound Director Iwanami told him to cry like a spoiled baby, and I remember him saying,"Understood! That's definitely not in my repertoire, but I'll try my best!" And Iwanami-san was like, "I'm sure you've felt this way in real life, right?" (laughs)

TAMURA: Iwanami-san's having fun!

ISE: And Takeuchi-san replied,"In real life...? I..I don't think so..." (laugh)" He was cornered!

TAMURA: I wish I had been there to see that! But props to Takeuchi-san for being able to pass with flying colors in the end.

What are your favorite aspects of the JoJo's series?

TAMURA: Araki Sensei's artwork is so amazing that at first I considered the series too grotesque and scary, but as I read on, I was completed sucked into the story. I love that it makes to want to keep turning the page.

ISE: As a woman reading Stone Ocean for the first time, I was given so much courage by Jolyne. She doesn't let all these horrible things get to her, she doesn't lose the will to fight. Her unbreakable spirit really guided me. She's really the perfect role model.

TAMURA: Reading Stone Ocean makes me want to keep going!

ISE: Exactly! I think that's what makes the series so incredible.

Lastly, please provide a message for the fans.

TAMURA: If you are able to enjoy Stone Ocean over and over again through the Blu-ray, that's perfect. The next set will ramp up with the fight against Father Pucchi and the appearance of even more formidable Stands. Our time with F.F. will be coming to an end, but Jolyne's battle continues with Emporio joining the gang in full force.

ISE: I would also love it if you relive F.F.'s last moments over and over again. Working onJoJo's had been a dream of mine, so I am so grateful to have met F.F. and I am honored to have been able to give voice to their life. This was an incredible experience for me as a voice actor. Sadly, F.F. and I are bidding the team farewell here, but the battle with Enrico Pucci awaits in the coming episodes, so I will be sure to watch over Jolyne, Ermes, and the others from the heavens.

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Interview with the voice actor of Narciso Anasui, discussing his experiences from dubbing Anasui.

Was there anything specific you recall about recording Stone Ocean?

It took courage for me to dive into the atmosphere of the sessions midproduction, since everyone knew what they were doing by that point. The recording studio was fiery!

Tell us about any growth or changes you felt about Narciso Anasui as the story progressed.

He's shrouded in mystery and arouses suspicion upon his first appearance, but as we get to know more about him, we learn that he's a very warm and earnest character. But... he's a bit off on the when and how of showing affection...

How was it working with the others? Did anything surprise you? Did the staff provide any specific direction?

The director and everyone else have so much love for this show. If something clicked, we praised one another, and if something didn't, we redid it until our voices gave out. It was a lighthearted and professional atmosphere.

What is your favorite line from Anasui's dialogue?

Definitely "Give us your blessing. No marriage is official without one", especially since he said it so soon after his first appearance. It took me a while to figure out the right way to say it.

Please give the fans a word, including the highlights from the second tour, episodes 13 through 24.

The words Anasui decides to utter right in the midst of that heated battle made me smile and think, really? You're saying this now? It highlights Anasui's character, and really endeared me to him.

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Interview with the Series Director of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, discussing the ending animation for the season.

Tell us your thought process behind the direction of the ending animation.

The lyrics for "Distant Dreamer" matched so perfectly with Jolyne's sentiments, I wanted to make sure that the animation also allowed viewers to resonate with what Jolyne was feeling as she waged her battles. The ocean is not strapped down by a specific time or place, so the impression changes after each episode; it can be seen with the lens of hope and despair. This is the first ending in the JoJo's series where characters don't appear, and this might have surprised people, but I want people to consider why we chose not to depict anyone.

How did you go on about animating the waves?

It's all due to the hard work of Ryo Ohashi, who was in charge of the ending animation VFX and cinematography. We were able to do waves because of his skill. It's very difficult to create natural things such as waves using CG, and we were even considering animating them by hand, but we saw Ohashi's waves during a test run for a different part of the show, and he helped realize my vision. I want the viewers to pay close attention to the waves hitting the shore, and those waves being washed away by the next.

A word for the fans who have purchased the Blu-ray, please.

I know you might have seen this show on TV or via streaming, but the Blu-ray will allow for a uniquely high-quality viewing experience. The battles rage on as we approach the third Cour, episodes 25 through 38. Why not join the fight with Jolyne and gang?

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Interview with the Character Designer of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, discussing the character design process for the season.

What was the process leading up to participating in this project?

It was through a character design competition. I had been asked to join since Phantom Blood, but my schedule never lined up, so I was able to join at last in this season. I had been buying and reading Stone Ocean even before I was asked to work on it, so I believe it was fate, and my wish came true.

What was it like getting to design the characters?

Jolyne in particular has so many expression variations that I had a hard time in the beginning. She grows from a normal girl to a strong young woman, so her expressions are compeletely different in the beginning versus later in the season. After discussing with Director Suzuki, we decided to split her design sheet, one for the first half, one for the second half. We have two character design sheets just for Jolyne.

Were there any other requests from Director Suzuki that you recall?

He requested that I streamline the line work as much as possible so that everyone could draw the characters. Of course, if we remove too much of the line work, it's no longer JoJo's, so he ended up asking me to add more lines back in. [laughs] I wanted to make sure the style followed the manga art as much as possible, so that was a challenging aspect.

Tell us about your character designing process.

I start with the ears, actually. Every manga artist draws ears a different way, so getting the ears down is a big step toward grasping the character as a whole. Araki Sensei leans towards realism, but his ears are very manga-esque, so I find that very interesting.

The JoJo's series has some very unique poses.

I was concious of that as well, JoJo's bodies have a very particular form, so outlining the human form like normal would not bring out Araki Sensei's style. Everyone's proportions are unique, and Jolyne and gang never stand like normal people, so re-creating those poses was difficult. I also paid special attention to how characters looked lined up next to one another.

There's quite the height difference between Jolyne and Emporio.

Exactly. It's especially difficult striking the right head-and-body ratio. Since anime is horizontal, re-creating Emporio as is would cut him out of the screen because he's so short. And if you include his hat, Weather Report is like nine or ten heads tall, so lining him up with other characters tends to throw off the balance.

Could you tell us more about how you struck the right balance?

Since Jolyne wouldn't be Jolyne if we changed her proportions, I used her as the base for everyone else. For example, we made Emporio's ratio a tad taller than he is in the manga, just enough that it doesn't feel wrong.

You were also one of the chief animation directors. How was that experience?

My biggest regret is not being able to work on all of the episodes and not being able to check all the scenes. But I really love the scenes of Jolyne that I was able to work on in the first episode. Also, since shadows are drawn in a unique way in JoJo's, I went back and forth about how to go on about it for this season, but in the end we went with a more realistic style. I'm proud of the results, especially in the first episode.

Do you have a favorite character out of the ones you designed?

Jolyne is my favorite, but I also like Gwess. I had the opportunity to draw Gwess for the anime, too, and I am really satisfied with my work! I liked her as a character when I was reading the manga, as well.

What are your favorite aspects of the JoJo's series?

The art style, definitely. I personally adore the style in Diamond is Unbreakable, but Vento Aureo leaves the biggest impression. I used to follow the series in real time via Weekly Shonen Jump, and I finally began buying the manga volumes around the time Stone Ocean started up. This applies to all the seasons, but I love how we can never predict what will happen next.

Finally, please leave a message for the fans who've purchased the Blu-ray.

I mentioned Jolyne earlier, but I also really love Jotaro, especially this new perception of him as a father. "I want to make him as badass as possible" was always on my mind during production. So, I hope that my feelings are reflected in the way Jotaro is animated.

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Interview with the Stand Designer of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, discussing the Stand design process for the season.

Please tell us a bit about how you came about working on this season.

Since I had worked as chief animation director and secondary character designer on Golden Wind, I felt like I was done working on the JoJo's series. But Director Suzuki asked me to work on the Stand designs. I've been under his care since early on, when I was just starting out in my career, so I accepted the request.

How did you feel when you were put in charge of Stand design?

I felt the weight of expectation on me, for sure. This series has so many fans, and I wanted to make sure the designs were stable across the season.

Was there anything you prepared for in order to work on the Stand designs?

It was a challenge to figure out the designs for the Stone Ocean Stands, since they're so complex. We basically made sure that we all knew how each Stand worked, so that meant reading the manga, and asking Director Suzuki and even Hirohiko Araki Sensei if any questions came up. For example, Diver Down sometimes narrows its round eyes, and we had to check whether that meant it was changing facial expressions.

Were there any other points you found challenging?

The amount of lines used in the Stand designs in the manga are part of what make them so beautiful, but we can't animate all of that line work. So, we made sure to toe the thin line between too little and too much, so that the Stands were still beautiful but not impossible to animate. If they were still too difficult, we edited them in post using photography.

Which Stands were created with the help of photography?

One example is the DNA sequence written on Whitesnake's chest. We couldn't hand draw all of that. Dragon's Dream is another one that used the help of 3D CG. Stone Free's threads were a combination of hand drawn and post-editing. If the threads were entangled in a difficult way, we edited them after animation.

In your opinion, what are the most important things to think about when designing Stands?

I think it's important to leave room for stylization to be added in the key animation. This makes sure the Stands move and look their best. Usually, the most important thing in anime is to make sure characters can be drawn by any member of the staff. But in JoJo's, we put notes in the design sheets so that the key animators can add their own direction, changing the flavor of shading or expressions, or adding highlights in key points.

We see those often in the battle scenes.

Yes, like in Kiss's brawl in episode 14, where Takeshi Morita was in charge of key animation. Some details in this scene purposefully deviate from the character design sheet, since the animation was closer to theatrical quality. I did something similar in episode 15, where I was the chief animation director.

Were there any challenges acting as chief animation director?

Episode 15 features three storylines, so it was a chore to animate all the characters, young and old, male and female. [laughs] It was also Anasui's first appearance, so the layout highlighted him. I also put in a lot of effort into DIO's appearance. He might be the enemy, but he's also a godlike presence to our villain Pucci, so we had to make sure he appeared dignified.

Did you do any special preparations in order to animate the JoJo's series?

Reading the manga is a given, but we also study other non-animated works in order to absorb different techniques and knowledge. For Stone Ocean, I watched a lot of movies, like old thrillers, which helped me with the Stand designs. I also did face studies of people from different countries and researched what sort of makeup models used. These types of things really help us draw in a wider capacity.

Thank you. Lastly, a message to the fans who purchased the Blu-ray.

Please enjoy this season. I'd love it if you'd watch all the seasons straight through, from Phantom Blood to Stone Ocean. It's such a fun season, and so many scenes give you courage, so even if you're feeling down, I believe Stone Ocean will help you get back on your feet.

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Interview with the singer of the first opening of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, STONE OCEAN, discussing ichigo's thoughts and reactions to the opening video.

What was your reaction when you recieved the offer to sing the opening song for Stone Ocean?

I ended up crying my eyes out from shock, elation and disbelief. It was such a tremendous honor that I truly thought it wasn't real until I saw the song on the streamed episode.

Tell us about the highlights of your song, "STONE OCEAN"

It's a rock number with plenty of distortion and a melody that's distinctly reminiscent of the enka style. I think it reflects the story, which is highly individualistic in nature, but at the same time is like, "I will lay my life on the line to save my friends!"

Was there anything in particular that you kept in mind when you were recording the song?

I pictured an all-female band performing at a rock festival, so I made sure my expression felt like I was singing for a large audience. Because of that, the call-and-response in English was originally much wilder, but it ended up feeling too rugged, so I toned it down a notch. If I am ever to perform this song live, I'll do the rugged version! [laughs]

What is your favorite part in the opening animation? Tell us why, too!

It's a blink-and-you-miss-it thing, but I got so excited when I noticed the moment when the weak-willed Atroe turns into F.F. And I love the way the credits start changing from episode 13 onward! Please take a look if you can. It's almost unreadable, its amazing! "ichigo from Kisida Kyodan & The Akebosi Rockets" was able to melt into the world of Stone Ocean!

What are your favorite aspects of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series?

That no one is simply "a good person"! Everyone has their own sense of justice that burns in their soul, and that gives them an infallible sense of willpower. I love that we can garner courage from their words and actions. "I see! so I can just punch away what I don't like!" [laughs]

A word for the fans who have purchased the Blu-ray set.

We're making the physical product a family heirloom, right? I mean, I certainly will!

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