It’s time! The long-awaited grand finale of Attack on Titan, the adaptation of Hajime Isayama’s multi-award-winning manga, is released this Sunday, November 5 in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
Available on Crunchyroll’s streaming platform almost simultaneously with Japan, this last 1h25 episode will also be broadcast on Monday, November 6th at 21:10 on the MANGAS channel in VOSTFR. After ten years of relentless battles against the Titans, heartbreaking sacrifices for our heroes, and unpredictable twists, this series finale promises to be epic!
For the occasion, we had the opportunity to meet Bruno Meyer and Nathalie Bienheimer, both actors, and the respective French voices of Levi and Mikasa Akerman.
We discuss their experiences with Attack on Titan and their relationship with the anime.
AlloCiné: How did you come to voice Attack on Titan?
Bruno Meyer: Very simply: I auditioned for the character of Levi and after some time they called me and told me that I had the role. I was very happy.
Natalie Bienaime : I also tested Mika against other actors and they chose me.
Did you know the piece before you started working on it?
Bruno Meyer: I used to watch anime when I was younger, but by the time Attack on Titan started, I had already moved on as a viewer. And despite dubbing a few of them, I didn’t really watch anime anymore. So no, I didn’t know the job.
Natalie Bienaime : Absolutely not. I really liked comics, but I knew very little about manga culture. It was thanks to various dubbing that I managed to get interested in anime.
Did you expect such a success with the public?
Bruno Meyer: There is no way. No one is a prophet in his own country. I did not bet on its success, as well as on the success of my other projects. We don’t realize it because we experience things differently from the public: we go to the studio, do our thing, go home and forget. As the other seasons arrived and fans talked about them, we realized the full impact of the series.
Natalie Bienaime : I didn’t expect that. I didn’t notice (laughs). But it’s true that it’s an incredible adventure and, for my part, it’s given me the opportunity to work with people that I’ve become friends with. This is the work that allowed me to participate in certain conventions and get to know the public. These are magical moments.
We did not expect such success at all.
Do you have anything in common with your heroes?
Bruno Meyer: A priori not so much (laughs). It must be said that Levi is quite quiet.
Natalie Bienaime : It’s hard because Mikasa is quite a righteous person, but I would say that like him, I’m ready to fight for the people I love.
Do you have a special attachment to them?
Bruno Meyer: Of course. I love characters who confuse everyone in the morning like someone stole breakfast. The twisted side of it may be very far from who I am in life, but that’s the fun of being an actor: playing a role that’s not like us.
Natalie Bienaime : I have a strong crush on her, especially when it comes to anime, because I feel like she’s the only one I can stand up for who isn’t hysterical. While I love dubbing weird characters, Mikasa allows me to experiment with something else in terms of interpretation. Sober playing and calm voice is very interesting.
From season 4, a new studio took care of the animation, and the style changed quite a bit: did that bother you for dubbing or not?
Bruno Meyer: No, because as an actor you have no choice but to adapt to what’s on screen. Our job is to instantly slip into the skin of our character, so we do that no matter what the image is.
Natalie Bienaime : Compared to Misaka, I didn’t feel any special change, so it didn’t bother me at all. It must be said that he began to be less and less from this season. So the few moments I spent with him didn’t allow me to tell the difference.
Livai by Wit Studio / Livai by MAPPA
In the anime, the characters scream a lot, and in Attack on Titan even more. After all these years, do you have a technique to avoid cracking your voice?
Bruno Meyer: You need to work on your breathing. But I didn’t have any special technique because I rarely make screaming characters. Besides, Levi shouts so little that when he does, it automatically becomes a cult scene (laughs). That’s why I don’t have much to complain about, unlike Ace, for example, who is much more energetic.
Natalie Bienaime : You never know what you’re going to play until you get to the studio. So we can’t prepare for the T moment, but I regularly do vocal warm-up exercises before and after a recording session. sometimes even This allows you to relax your vocal cords and scream, while limiting the risk of breaking your voice.
Do you remember a particularly difficult scene to dub?
Bruno Meyer: Well, actually, I still remember tearing my vocal chords when I screamed “KENNY” in Season 3 Episode 1. I got to do it a few times and it was a pretty awesome scene.
Natalie Bienaime : The screaming scenes are actually quite difficult. But with Mikasa, I didn’t have too many opportunities to do that, so it’s not bad.
Attack on Titan It’s been 10 years since its first show, that’s 4 seasons and more than 80 episodes: how does it feel to say goodbye to these characters?
Bruno Meyer: Obviously, these are small heartaches. But because the dubbing sessions were relatively spaced out, it’s not like we’ve been working on it for months. We also didn’t have this troupe effect, like in the theater, because we recorded alone for the sake of planning. Yes, it hurts a bit, but it’s not the first character I’ve said goodbye to.
Natalie Bienaime : It’s hard because I really like Mikasa. I attached myself to him, appreciating his personality: calmness, alertness, depth. I’m not used to playing this type of role in anime. It is truly a special treat.
It’s a rich world: if a spin-off of your character were planned, would you be a part of it?
Bruno Meyer: Oh, seriously! And twice than once! I get it, I get it!
Natalie Bienaime : I’m jumping on the ceiling! I would be absolutely delighted! In the end, if he survives (laughs).
Comments collected by Manon Marouf on Parc des Expositions in Villepinte, October 29, 2023.
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
