Interview: Petals of Reincarnation Voice Actor Wakana Maruoka, Producer Takanori Matsuoka

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Adapted from the manga of the same name by Mikihisa Konishi, Petals of Reincarnation follows high schoolers Toya Senji and Haito Luo Buffett, as Toya learns that some people have gained the talents of historical figures. At Anime Boston, we caught up with series producer Takanori Matsuoka and Haito's voice actress Wakana Maruoka to talk all things Petals of Reincarnation, talent, and more.

What initially drew you to this project? For Maruoka, could you tell us how you came to be cast as Haito?

Takanori Matsuoka: I actually first saw the original manga in a bookstore. At the time, I was reading it simply as a fan, and we first started seriously discussing an anime adaptation about five or six years ago. I believe I first met the original mangaka, Konishi-sensei, around three or four years when the anime adaptation was officially decided.

Wakana Maruoka: I first did an initial audition—just sending in a recording—and I got accepted. So then I went through a second round where I had to record my voice in a studio, and that's how I got accepted into the role. This is a standard procedure for the anime industry.

There's a certain tonal darkness to Petals of Reincarnation. For those new to the series, what are some key highlights or unique aspects?

MARUOKA: I would love for the viewers to focus on how Toya develops as a character. Especially for the anime's opening scenes. It's insanely dark material, so I would love for viewers to see how Toya grows and develops as he meets and interacts with different people.

MATSUOKA: For a lot of people, everyone wants to be talented or be good at something. For Toya, his older brother is someone he really looks up to, and he feels almost insignificant compared to him. That's his driving motivation for acquiring a talent in the beginning. It might be a very simple motivation, and he basically gambles with his power. He doesn't know if he's getting a good or bad power, and he might die in the process. However, over time, his motivations deepen and change as he meets people with talents using the Branch of Reincarnation.

I thought it was really interesting. There are shows with historical figures or reincarnated characters, but what makes Petals of Reincarnation unique is that it's not about reincarnation or rebirth itself — instead, the characters wield the historical figures' very “talents” as supernatural abilities.That was really unique, and so that's kind of what drew me to this work.

This series features many characters with unique talents, appearances, and personalities. Which character do you relate to the most, or which character would you most like to be friends with? Please tell us why.

MARUOKA: It's actually Haito. She really reminded me of myself, and we have a similar way of thinking: instead of thinking before acting, we go with the flow, basically. Just being able to act would be appropriate at the moment. We're also similar in that we both do kendo.

MATSUOKA: I think I could really become friends with Xiang Yu. That's because he has a lot of energy, he's gutsy, and he's a character to able to act. I think I could be friends with Kitazuka as well.

What's been your favorite part of working on this project?

MARUOKA: I heard from the production team that the story is dark, and all the character roles are dark as well. But what the team and especially the director really wanted for Haito is to be the breath of fresh air—being almost like an uplifting energy in all that darkness. The director personally told me to go all out—being as bubbly, energetic, cheery, and lighthearted as possible in a really dark setting, and it was really fun to play Haito like that.

MATSUOKA:When we first had discussions with Mikihisa Konishi and the director, Konishi-sensei told us, “I'll leave everything to the anime team.” As our meetings continued, he even provided us with a thick reference booklet filled with notes and suggestions on his own manga, such as “it might work well if this part were done this way.” We also used those ideas as reference for the anime production, and all of us discussed them over and over again as we moved forward with the anime's script.

Matsuoka-san, as you're also involved as a music producer, could you share any behind-the-scenes stories or particular points of focus in the music production?

MATSUOKA: I worked with KOHTA YAMAMOTO. We worked together on other projects, so we knew we would be a good match. And because of the setting of the story, it's a little bit edgy. So I knew he'd fit well with this setting. So, for the music, there are a lot of dark, cool tracks, which fit the fight scenes and dark setting. But we also mix in a variety of music, too. Like lighthearted, humorous music, as well as Japanese-inspired music using Japanese instruments, while mixing it with rock and other genres, which gave us a variety of music.

Any messages for the fans?

MARUOKA: For fans, there are a lot of ways to enjoy the series. Like, enjoying the battle scenes, thinking about what kind of talent they'd want, or just enjoying the overall atmosphere and the dark story in general. I would love for fans to enjoy it however they like. It's really this anime and the original manga's story that moves the emotions. There are a lot of almost philosophical ideas in it, too. For all the fans, I would really love to see everyone enjoy it the way they do.

MATSUOKA: The characters are really charming, and there's a lot to like about them, including the fight scenes. But one thing I really noticed is that when people develop their specific talents, it comes from a dark past or from suffering in the past. And really thinking about why characters would want to attain a talent, that might be one way where you could really dig deeper into why the characters seek to gain talent. For example, Toya seems like a normally smart guy, but he doesn't feel he has any talent. And that's kind of an interesting way to think about talent. Because you could think of it like it's your perspective—do you see getting good grades as having talent, or something else? And I think one of the most interesting things to think about is what talent actually is, and watching this series will kind of help to—maybe not answer, investigate that question.

The supernatural battle anime is now streaming on HIDIVE.

You can see the latest trailer here.

This interview was conducted thanks to the indispensable help of interpreter Koyo Masore.

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