[translation] “Kuroko no Basuke” DVD Vol. 4 Audio Drama Feat. Midorima Shintarou – Cast Comment Track

As per several requests for a translation of the cast comment track. Enjoy! (The translation of the vol. 4 audio drama can be found here.)

「黒子のバスケ」DVD Vol. 4: オーディオドラマ 緑間編 – キャストコメント
“Kuroko no Basuke” DVD Vol. 4: Audio Drama Feat. Midorima Shintarou – Cast Comments

緑間真太郎 (小野大輔), 高尾和成 (鈴木達央), & 黒子テツヤ (小野賢章)
Midorima Shintarou (Ono Daisuke), Takao Kazunari (Suzuki Tatsuhisa), & Kuroko Tetsuya (Ono Kenshou)

“No, no, since I’m surrounded by Onos, I did a quick transformation. I changed from a Suzuki into an Ono.”

Key:
Ono Daisuke – D
Ono Kenshou – K
Suzuki Tatsuhisa – S

Translation:

K: Kuroko no Basuke, Special CD—

[music pauses; laughter]

S: Are you serious?

[music resumes]

K: Umm, Kuroko no Basuke, Special CD…er, featuring Midorima Shintarou…

All: Na no da yo.

[laughter]

K: These are the cast comments.

D: Yep!

S: Yep!

D: Blah blah blah.

S: Blah blah blah.

K: This is the voice of Kuroko Tetsuya, Ono Kenshou!

S: And this is the voice of Takao Kazunari, Ono Tatsuhisa!

D: Oh! And this is the voice of Midorima Shintarou, Ono Daisuke na no da yo!

[laughter]

K: Yes, thank you for your hard work!

D: One of us is lying about his name, though.

S: No, no, since I’m surrounded by Onos, I did a quick transformation. I changed from a Suzuki into an Ono.

[laughter]

D: You can’t become an Ono that easily!

K: Sorry, I was totally spaced out just now and didn’t notice at all.

[laughter]

D: Kenshou-kun!

K: I’m sorry.

D: You can’t let this gathering of Onos go to waste, Kenshou-kun!

K: I’m sorry!

D: You have to pick up on these things!

[laughter]

D: Come on, you need to get us started.

K: Okay, okay! This time, with just the three of us…

D & S: Yeah.

K: …um, this CD had the smallest cast so far.

D: Oh, you’re right.

K: Yep.

D: The absolute minimum number of people.

K: Yep.

D: That’s how we did the recording.

S: And until halfway, it was just two of us.

K: That’s right.

D: Yeah, it was just Tattsun and me.

K: At the beginning…I mean, at the end. I didn’t have any lines until the very end. So I got to sit in the back and just listen…while smirking the whole time.

[laughter]

K: I had a lot of fun listening to you during the recording.

D: While smirking all the while, huh?

S: We were really surprised when we received the script.

[laughter]

S: We were like, “Three people?”

K: Right.

S: And until the halfway point, it was just two of us.

D: Yeah, and come to think of it, when we did the test recording, you know, we split the script in half and recorded each part… But even after we finished the first half, Kuroko still hadn’t made an appearance. And, yeah, when I turned around to look, there was Kenshou-kun, um, how should I describe it? He was wearing this expression that I’ve never seen him make before.

[laughter]

D: Yeah. I would definitely call that a “smirk”.

S: Yeah, he was.

K: I had a lot of fun listening to you.

[laughter]

K: Watching you at work was a lot of fun.

S: Right?

D: Wow… But it’s at times like this that, you know, Kenshou-kun seems a lot like Kuroko.

K: Really?

S: Yeah, he’s almost too much like Kuroko.

D: Exactly.

K: Whaaat?

D: He was sitting behind us, smirking like that, but he just said, “I had a lot of fun,” right?

S: Right.

D: But it’s like, then why were you smirking?

[laughter]

D: It doesn’t make any sense!

[laughter]

K: I see, so I should…I should smile more.

D: Well, now…

S: “Smile more”?

[laughter]

D: No, I mean, you just fit the role so well that…

K: Yeah.

D: I’m sure everybody else tells you the same thing.

S: That’s the truth.

D: You might as well be Kuroko.

S: Yep, and there was that thing that happened the other day, right? Didn’t you go shopping…

K: Yes.

S: …at the Jump Shop or something? (1)

K: Yes, I did!

D: Really?

S: “I’m the real deal!”

[laughter]

S: “I’m Kuroko!”

K: Um… I went to buy the fan book…

D: The fan book… Oh, the one that sold out almost instantly.

K: Right.

D: I wasn’t able to buy a copy, either, but I can’t believe you actually went to the Jump Shop in person!

[laughter]

K: I did! I went, in person.

S: I—that idea never even occurred to me.

[laughter]

K: Because I was sure they’d have it in stock!

D: You’re right! That’s the logical thing to do! That’s amazing.

S: What’s a member of the cast doing, going over there to buy the book?

[laughter]

K: I just slipped in, bought it, and slipped back out…

S: “I’m Kuroko!”

[laughter]

K: And, by the way, no one noticed me.

[laughter]

D: Wow, that’s incredible, really.

K: Not one person noticed me.

S: Like real-life misdirection.

K: Yes, I used misdirection when I bought the book.

D: And here we have the one and only person who can counteract that misdirection.

S: Yep.

D: Yeah.

S: Yes, I’m voicing Takao.

D: Yes, you’re Takao…

S: Right.

D: What did you think of the story this time?

S: Well, see, I can personally relate to quite a bit of the content.

D: Hm.

S: There was all that discussion about figures, right?

D: Hmm. That’s right.

S: You know, about how they were produced by “Billmark”…

D: Right. The things with “cute, round eyes”.

S: …or “Pandai” or what have you. And how they’re different, etcetera. And I just love those kinds of little details. So, you know, I can really relate to that.

D & K: Ohh?

S: And to things like knowing the differences between the manufacturers.

D & K: Ohhhh.

S: Because I like figures. In fact, just recently…an Alien-san was delivered to my house. (2)

K: [laughs]

D: You bought one?

S: A really big one.

K: Whoa.

S: It’s a little over seventy centimeters tall.

K: Wow, that is big.

D: Mhmm.

S: So now I have this figure of an Alien-san. And at the moment, I don’t really have anywhere to put it, so it’s sitting right next to my bed.

[laughter]

K: That’s scary!

S: When I wake up, its face is right there, like, “Wrahh—!!” You know, it makes me kind of happy when I see it.

D: Really?

S: Yes.

D: You’re…you’re incredible.

S: It’s really exciting.

D: That’s some hobby.

S: But when I tell this story, everyone has the same reaction you did.

D: Well, I—

S: So that’s why I can really relate to the way the characters react in the story.

D: Oh, you mean you understand how Midorima feels?

K: Ohhh.

S: Exactly. Midorima is incredibly serious about it, but Takao basically couldn’t care less.

[laughter]

S: I’ve had the same experience.

D: I do care, though! It’s a very interesting story!

S: Everybody goes, “Yeah…?” or, “That’s nice…” Like, “How much longer do I have to listen to this?”

[laughter]

S: So I can really relate.

D: Well, to be honest—yeah, I agree.

S: Everybody makes that face. When people ask what I’m into, and I tell them, they usually make that face. I get that a lot.

K: I see…

D: I didn’t ask, though!

[laughter]

D: Well, you know, we just don’t really have a frame of reference for it, so…

S: Right.

D: So now we just have these crazy images in our minds because we’re trying to imagine what it looks like.

K: Now I kind of want to go see it.

S: The whole place is full of figures, just so you know.

D: Yeah, I agree. I kind of want to see it.

K: I’d like to see it.

S: I think it’d be a lot of fun.

D: Takao and Kuroko… I’m pretty sure there’s no way Kuroko would end up at Takao’s house.

[laughter]

D: I’m sure of it. I mean, this drama CD was really something else—

K: It was!

D: Kuroko was incredible at the end there, wasn’t he?

[laughter]

K: He was totally straightforward—he just spoke his mind. He really doesn’t hold back.

S: Right? He has a tendency to just tell it like it is.

D: What surprised me the most was the part where he says, “We’ve never really gotten along.”

[laughter]

D: He came right out and said it! And I thought to myself, “So that’s how it was!”

S: Exactly. He didn’t hesitate at all.

D: That came as a real shock to me.

S: So the story this time was about Midorima having to search for a lucky item. What did you think of that?

D: Well, you know, um…Midoriba—Midoriba—

[laughter]

D: Midorima…

S: Midorima.

D: Yeah, I thought he was really cute. You know, those obsessions he has?

S: That’s right.

D: Yeah…

S: That’s a special kind of tenacity.

D: Characters like Midorima have, you know—they’ve already put in all the hard work. All that’s left for him to do is to abide by his fortune.

S: So he does everything in his power.

D: Right. Yeah, so he’s a very stalwart believer. He is, really and truly. And maybe an idiot?

[laughter]

D: I mean a bit of a basketball junkie! Don’t get the wrong idea. Although sometimes I wonder if maybe he really is an idiot…

[laughter]

S: Takao said the same thing.

K: Maybe it’s because he takes everything he does very seriously.

D: But, you know, one of the scenes from the anime that left an impression on me personally was… Uh, what episode what that? The subtitle was “I Believed in You”.

K: Yes.

D: Episode 13, maybe?

K: Right.

D: And in that scene… First, um, Takao says, “It’s not over yet!”

S: Oh, yeah.

D: And then—

S: And then passes to Midorima.

D: He passes to Midorima, and then—Kagami jumps, but Midorima says, “I believed you would jump.”

S: That’s right. That was an incredibly long three seconds.

D: And then Midorima fakes. We were like, “Three seconds? Wouldn’t it take longer?”

S: And not only are they monologuing during those three seconds, but they’re actually holding a normal conversation.

D: That was crazy. I kept expecting the buzzer to go, “Bzzzz—!” and then hear, “Game over—!”

S: “Game over—!” “VICTORY!”

[laughter]

D: And they’d be like, “Whaaaat?!” During that scene, Midorima says to Kagami, “I believed in you,” even though they’re opponents.

S: Right. He sure does.

D: And what’s more, once Midorima fakes, Kuroko says to him, “I believed that Kagami-kun would jump. And I believed that you would predict that and go for the fake.”

S: Yep.

D: That’s what he says. And I thought to myself, “Whoa, what the heck?!” In the middle of a game, even though they’re opponents, they still believe in each other.

S: Because they acknowledge one another.

D: Yes… And that scene made me go, sob, sob…sob, sob…blubber, blubber…sniff.

S: What the heck does that mean?!

[laughter]

D: They’re supposed to be tears.

S: Maybe he really is an idiot.

D: That scene made me cry.

S: Are you an idiot?

D: But honestly, I really love that scene.

[laughter]

K: It’s a good one.

S: Really, if you had just left out that last bit, you would’ve summed it up perfectly.

D: Yeah… And so, we have the idiot…and Ono-kun and…

S: Yes.

D: And…

S: And a Suzuki-turned-Ono.

D: Yeah. We’ve enjoyed doing this recording, and it’s about time to wrap things up.

K: Yes.

D: Yep.

K: Um…

D: Yes.

K: Right…

S: [laughing]

D: Is there anything you’d like to say before we finish up?

K: To finish up… No, um, I…uh… I enjoyed seeing another side of them—seeing what they’re normally like. Um, Midorima and Takao.

D: Oh, you mean them, not us.

[snickering]

K: We get to see what they’re like in everyday life, so I really enjoyed doing this recording. Yes.

D: I see.

K: Um, Daisuke-san, can you do the ending, please?

D: The ending?

S: [laughing]

K: I…I can’t do it.

D: Okay. Alright, well, I’ve been saving something just for this. Um, “We have done everything in our power. So, until we meet again.”

S: Are you sure it’s okay to end it like that?

– –

Translation Notes:

(1) Jump Shop is the official store of Shueisha’s Jump publications. They sell a variety of goods related to the manga and anime associated with Jump publications such as Weekly Shounen Jump, the magazine in which Kuroko no Basuke is serialized.

(2) It sounds like Suzuki-san is describing a figure of an Alien from the Alien movies.

– – –