To celebrate the fourth anniversary of HYBE and ENHYPEN’s collaborative original series “DARK MOON,” as well as the release of the anime adaptation of “DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR,” we reached out to three of the voice actors who brought the characters to life for a written interview. Shunichi Toki, Chiaki Kobayashi, and Kikunosuke Toya—who voice Shion, Noa, and Heli, respectively—gave us the lowdown on their approaches to the characters when it came to acting and recording their lines, plus shared a little more about themselves. Below, we break down their responses under seven helpful headings.
Seven insights from Shunichi Toki (voice of Shion)
Introduction
Shunichi Toki: Hi, I’m Shunichi Toki. I’m from Tokyo, Japan, and I debuted in 2014, so this year marks my 12th year as a voice actor.
Being cast as Shion
Shunichi Toki: I was cast as Shion by auditioning for the role. While preparing to audition, I learned that Shion and all the other “DARK MOON” characters were made in collaboration with the real-life ENHYPEN members. Then I wondered for a bit whether I should act in a way that sounded close to the artist’s real voice, or see the character as existing strictly in the anime and create a voice to match that. That was when I did my Self-tape audition, meaning I was being judged strictly by my voice, and I found my direction thinking of him as a manga character, saying to myself, “Shion would probably sound something like this.” The acting is all in Japanese, so my thinking was to just do my best to give him the best voice I could.
Shion according to Shunichi Toki
Shunichi Toki: When I first got the role and read the webtoon, Shion struck me as honest but also someone who can match the energy of those around him, so I could feel he’s not a simple character. I also watched a lot of ENHYPEN shorts and group conversation videos focused on SUNOO, who Shion is linked with. SUNOO not only has a really beautiful smile, but it felt like he’s always looking around him, kind of like he’s paying attention to everyone around him. That mood-setter side of Shion, showing he’s not just outgoing but really attentive toward others, is something I came up with by comparing webtoon Shion and SUNOO side by side and analyzing them from my point of view. Oh, and ENHYPEN fans let me know through reposts that SUNOO was curious if I’m pro-mint chocolate chip or not. I don’t really eat ice cream that often, but if I do, I usually go for chocolate chip, cookies and cream, or crunchy chocolate. I tried to remember if I’d ever even had mint chocolate and realized I pretty much never have. I’ll have to give it a try next time I get the chance. (laughs)
A particularly memorable scene
Shunichi Toki: Honestly, there’s so much about Shion that I love. (laughs) There’s this scene where the members nag him, like, “You shouldn’t do stuff like that,” and he pretends to be all disappointed and down, but the very next day he’s already asking Sooha out. It felt so adorable to me the way he tells these cute little lies. He’s not making people unhappy when he lies, though. The people with him might think, “There he goes again,” but I saw those lies as just another way he looks out for others and lifts the mood, so I tried to deliver the line “That was a lie” in a way that would feel really cute and coy.
When Shunichi Toki shines the brightest
Shunichi Toki: My voice acting work, which is my main gig, and what I do as a musical artist feel like two completely different worlds to me. As a voice actor, you’re rarely in the spotlight alone. For example, even the ADR for “DARK MOON” isn’t done alone—all the actors get together to act out their characters. Music, on the other hand—I’m up there onstage as myself, all alone, performing to tons of people, so the whole feeling’s really different from acting. I honestly didn’t know what I should be doing onstage at first, or what my selling point even was, so I was all worried and flustered. That’s when some other voice actors with more experience told me, “Try to think about when you shine the brightest.” As I started thinking about what people wanted to see from me, what to do with my sound so fans will say, “I really love this part of the song,” and what kind of tone and emotion I should go with, I noticed that that whole process actually connects back to my voice acting work. So I feel like my experience as a voice actor has naturally crossed over and helped me in my search for my appeal as an artist and in developing in both fields. I’ve been working in music about six years and about 12 years as a voice actor, and I’m still discovering all kinds of attractive things within myself. Every now and then, though, when I’m acting or performing music, it suddenly hits me that I love the work even more than I used to and how I managed to take what I love and make a career out of it. In my eyes, that’s probably when I shine the brightest.
When your hobby becomes your job
Shunichi Toki: I really love anime and manga, so I watch and read a ton of stuff I’m not even in—to the point where, if someone asked, “How much anime have you watched in your life?” I’d honestly say I’ve seen enough to be known in the industry just for that. (laughs) As for what kind of influence that has on my work, I think it’s made me the type of person who can relatively quickly understand a story’s intentions and goals when I read a script—like how to preserve the emotional peak, or how a certain line and structure will be directed. But while it’s great from a reader [or viewer]’s perspective to be fully immersed in a story, if you’re a voice actor and the only one who finds it immersive is you, it means you’re only making yourself happy. A voice actor’s job is to allow the people watching to get immersed in the story. Being able to do your hobby as a job is something a lot of people dream about, which I think means we always have to carry that responsibility on our shoulders. Voice acting is something a lot of people might dream about, but it isn’t something just anyone can do.
To my (slightly) younger self
Shunichi Toki: To be honest, I’m always facing questions and hurdles to climb. That goes for when I sang “Good For,” and it applies even now. When you face a hurdle like that, some people eventually overcome it, some people learn to avoid it, and some go head-on and challenge it. As I’ve gotten older, I think I’ve grown a bit more seasoned in the way I look at the hurdles in front of me. Naturally it’s important to overcome them one by one, but instead of always thinking you absolutely have to smash your way through every single one, it turns out that finding a way around them is important too. You don’t always have to overcome them, and sometimes it’s okay to just avoid them—but I think even just fully facing the fact that the hurdle’s there in front of you can lead to personal growth. If you’re reading this article right now and struggling with something, it might feel annoying, bothersome, or exhausting, but I want you to know that I hope you hang in there and keep going.
Seven insights from Chiaki Kobayashi (voice of Noa)
Introduction
Chiaki Kobayashi: I’m Chiaki Kobayashi, and I’ve been working as a voice actor for around 10 years now.
Being cast as Noa
Chiaki Kobayashi: I got the role by auditioning like everybody else. I had auditioned for three roles, and in the end I was cast as Noa. I didn’t get the details, but it felt like they decided the roles by looking at how well each actor’s vibe, way of speaking, and the sound of their voice itself lined up with each character overall. The director said they not only considered the voice we used in the audition, but took our other work on radio and at other events into strong consideration, too.
Noa according to Chiaki Kobayashi
Chiaki Kobayashi: Out of the seven leads, Noa and Jakah are the youngest. I think he comes across as relatively calm for his age, but at the same time, he definitely marches to the beat of his own drum. I feel like the reason Noa has the freedom to do that despite being the youngest is because the older guys are so kind to and fond of him. So, I played Noa in a way where he has this way of talking that sounds a bit uninterested or unenthusiastic compared to the others, and a more laid-back tempo. But later on, as he develops, he starts to get impatient and eager, like he wants to make sure he can keep up with the others, so I tried to break away from that early mentality bit by bit, having him speak at a similar tempo as the others, projecting his voice more, and speaking in a stronger tone of voice to sound more determined. I really hope people watch closely to the end to see how Noa grows. (laughs)
A particularly memorable scene
Chiaki Kobayashi: “DARK MOON” is a school-life drama but also fantasy, and I personally feel like the fantasy aspects are stronger, and that the darker, more serious side really stands out. For that reason, when we were trying to bring out more of the school life and comedy vibes earlier on, I really had to think about it because Noa isn’t exactly easy to play up for laughs. I remember laughing a lot because of the way Shion’s always joking around and how he tells lies like it’s nothing. He lies so casually even in super tense scenes. (laughs) I actually felt a bit calmer whenever Shion talked, but when I watched the show, that laid-back way Noa talks ended up actually coming across kind of funny in its own way, so I think it turned out pretty well.
Finer details of the role
Chiaki Kobayashi: When we did the test recording for the first episode, the director said it’d be better not to act too much like an anime, so I voiced Noa in a generally natural, everyday speaking voice, but since the main characters are vampires, I also tried to layer on a feeling of something slightly outside the realm of reality. He’s lived with the other vampires like a family since he was a kid, so all the teasing and the way they talk to each other is a daily occurrence. That’s why I tried to keep that sense of the everyday in the acting—so it wouldn’t feel too sharp, but not too laid-back, either. On the other hand, in scenes where he moves in close to Sooha and whispers, or later on when he shows off his special powers in front of their enemies, I tried to play up the fantasy and dramatic angle more. But, I mean, no one ever really whispers to someone like that in real life. (laughs)
The culmination of individual strengths and personal character
Chiaki Kobayashi: I actually kind of like hearing reviews of my acting. It takes thousands, tens of thousands, sometimes even hundreds of thousands of people all working together to make an anime, so I feel like other people end up making up for the things I worry about or parts where I fall short, so no matter what kind of reviews or feedback I get, I try to see it for the unique perspective and as something that can help improve my acting. I do get in my own head sometimes, but I’m a naturally positive person, so I don’t get discouraged very easily. (laughs) On the flip side, even when I hear good things, it doesn’t make me think I’m some amazing person. I just perform one small part of an anime, and it’s only because so many different people come together to make something happen that I get to be a part of it at all. That’s why I think making anime is a collaborative art form—you end up with something more entertaining thanks to everyone’s individual strength and personal character.
Everyone’s strengths and individuality come together and make the work even more fun.
What being a voice actor means to Chiaki Kobayashi
Chiaki Kobayashi: Being a voice actor is a major source of fulfillment in my life. I feel incredibly fulfilled every time someone tells me my voice work’s had a positive influence on them. It’s also one of the reasons I keep growing more and more attached to the job. I could be a voice actor the rest of my life if people need me to.
Seven insights from Kikunosuke Toya (voice of Heli)
Introduction
Kikunosuke Toya: Hi, I’m Kikunosuke Toya. I mainly work as a voice actor and have appeared in a number of different anime. I’m also into music and play different instruments like trombone and piano on YouTube.
Being cast as Heli
Kikunosuke Toya: I got this role through a self-tape audition. I only launched my career about five years ago, so I’m still relatively new to the voice acting game. The director once told me, “There’s certain roles suitable to people at that point in their careers,” and I think certain parts about the voice actors and their characters overlap, which is why I think I ended up playing Heli.
Heli according to Kikunosuke Toya
Kikunosuke Toya: Heli is shown being in the library a lot. The story doesn’t explicitly explain why he’s there, but I imagined that maybe he’s been researching vampires. He’s always thinking about the others in those scenes, and you can really feel how that kind, gentle side of him really shines through. I also found out while getting ready for the role how Heli is made in collaboration with HEESEUNG from ENHYPEN, so I looked into what kind of person he is. For me, the older-brother role he plays in the group and how he’s good at both singing and dancing really overlapped with how perfect Heli is.
A particularly memorable scene
Kikunosuke Toya: The scene Sooha finds out Heli’s a vampire really sank in for me. There’s also a scene where the two of them are up in a tree, talking, and I was extra attentive with the acting for that one. It’s that scene where he tells her that he wants her to believe in him, and he starts to cry. I felt like I needed to put myself in a mindset to Heli for the emotion to really come through, so I imagined myself being in the exact same situation, which makes it particularly memorable for me.
Voice acting behind the scenes
Kikunosuke Toya: I first played Heli during the test recording with a bit more of an upbeat vibe, but then I was told it would be better if he felt a little calmer and somewhat mature. My interpretation was then that Heli, being a vampire, keeps a certain distance from people in the human world so he won’t be exposed for who he is. From there, I focused on giving him a slightly mysterious aura, calm and kind, but not overly amicable. Doing ADR and our breaks between recording stand out in my mind, too. The atmosphere was super warm and inviting. We were chatting nonstop all the time. It was impossible not to smile. And after practically every ADR session, the vampire cast would all go out to eat together. I still remember how great it felt that we’d become a group just like them.
True-to-life acting and transformational acting
Kikunosuke Toya: To me, true-to-life acting is based on your own everyday sense of life, where questions like, “What would I do in that situation?” or “How would I feel if it were me?” become the foundation of the performance. In that sense, I think Heli was relatively close to that kind of true-to-life acting. He is a vampire, but I interpreted him as being fairly human at heart, and he doesn’t experience many emotions that were hard for me to understand or that I struggled with. Transformational acting, on the other hand, is all about searching for things that are so different from yourself that you can barely picture them—for example, raising your voice or speaking in a way higher pitch. That is, things you would never do if it were you. So when I have to do a particularly transformational role, I gather data by watching a lot of other people’s performances.
Striving to be someone who can lighten the mood
Kikunosuke Toya: I was on another project where Fairouz Ai, who’s been in the biz longer than me, really knew how to set the mood on set. She made the whole atmosphere pleasant and fostered a comfortable environment for everyone to act in, to the point that I even started calling her Fai-chan. That left a huge impression on me, which made me want to be like her to newer actors. So, when we did ADR on this show, I decided to have fun with it. Shugo Nakamura was great at setting the mood and was a huge help to me. I’m not quite at the point where I can do the same yet, but I’m certainly working hard to get there. (laughs)