In an era where the lines between humans and artificial intelligence are becoming increasingly blurred, YOUR FORMA stands out as a work of science fiction that feels intimately relevant.
Voice actress Nao Toyama, who plays Biga in the anime adaptation, recently shared her insights into what makes the series compelling not just as a futuristic thriller, but as a story grounded in emotional realism, complex relationships, and philosophical reflection. Her perspective offers fans a deeper appreciation for the series’ subtle emotional currents and thematic richness.
On the occasion of the episode 6 of YOUR FORMA, we had the pleasure of chatting with Nao Toyama. Interviews with the staff and cast will be published on AnimeTV following episodes 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 13.
Official Trailer:
To start off Toyama-san, could you tell us what you think makes Your Forma such an intriguing series?
Toyama: Your Forma is a deep series with a realistic worldview that makes us, who live in an era where AI has become integrated with our daily lives, reflect on how humans and machines can coexist in the future. I definitely find that to be the most intriguing aspect of the series. However, if I leave it there, people will definitely think it’s some overly complicated or heavy series, but that’s not the only appealing aspect of Your Forma. I think the mystery, charming relationship between Echika and Harold, and many other factors come together to create a very interesting series. Furthermore, in the anime, the veteran voice actors also give incredible performances.
Kana Hanazawa conveys such a range of emotions in her performance as Echika while keeping the character’s voice detached and composed, and Kensho Ono managed to make his performance as Harold strangely cold and unfeeling while voicing such a talkative character. I found that their amazing performances gave this work much more depth than the average series.
Can you tell me how you reacted after reading the script at first?
Toyama: I thought it was a challenging read, but that made it all the more rewarding to understand in the end. I myself love mysteries, so attempting to solve them resulted in moments that genuinely left a strong impression on me as I read. The character’s expressions, lines, and relationships were also interesting to explore. There were subtle cues in the writing that made me think, “Well, this line probably isn’t what the character truly feels,” or “They’re forcing themselves to say this.” Those nuances gave the dialogue a true sense of realism.
What kind of impression do you have about the character you play, Biga?
Toyama: Your Forma is a story centered around the intelligent adults who work at the Cyber-Investigation Department, and there are many scenes where there are lots of complicated thoughts and feelings behind their conversations. However, Biga generally isn’t involved with any of that.
She’s a young woman whose motivations mainly stem from, “I want to be helpful to Echika and Harold,” and “I like Harold,” so that’s quite cute, don’t you think? Also, while she does have a crush on Harold, she sees how Harold feels towards Echika and tries to give her a push forward. I like how straightforward Biga is, it made me think that really, she is such a nice girl. I hope she will be the kind of character who makes the audience feel at ease.
Was there anything in particular you were conscious about while playing Biga?
Toyama: While recording Episode 1, Director Takaharu Ozaki told each of the voice actors for the main characters, “This character has this aspect to them, so please play them with this in mind,” however, when it came to Biga, he said, “You can just be yourself for this role, Toyama-san.” That was the first time I’d been told something like that, and it was a real surprise for me (laughs). But I think Director Ozaki chose me for Biga because he knew I would become quite similar to her if I just thought about her personality while playing the role. So really, I just straightforwardly focused on being close to Biga while playing her.
Episode 6 showed what kind of relationship Biga and her father, Danel, have. When voicing Biga for this episode, what was your reaction to the story?
Toyama: While working with Danel’s voice actor, Tetsu Inada, during the recording, I found that his performance had a great deal of strength behind it, but also a certain depth to it that I could feel as well. It’s not as if Biga and Danel have a hateful parent-child relationship, but it’s sad that their difference in viewpoint has created a rift between them. The reason why Biga thinks, “I want to be useful to people,” is because she has received so much love from her parents over the course of her life. If you think about it like that, it makes their current relationship that much sadder…
When Echika tells her, “If you want to quit being a CID collaborator, please tell me,” Biga doesn’t give her a clear answer. I think it’s because she couldn’t put her feelings into words. The way her mother chose to die for tradition’s sake, her father becoming one of E’s followers, and how she herself has been spying on them as a CID collaborator…I think there’s so many events in her life that have overlapped with each other and led to “this situation” which is what she actually wants to quit. When I think about how Biga’s life has gone so far, I start hoping that society will become the kind of place where we can listen to each other and accept differing points of view, despite how isolated we can be in this world. I am not just thinking about the world of Your Forma, but our own world as well.
Could you share any memories from the recording sessions?
Toyama: I think everyone will say this, but “Harold” was a really hard name for me to pronounce (laughs). While recording, usually if I mess up my lines or stumble over the pronunciation, I get really nervous, but when I mispronounced “Harold” the sound director Yano-san would just warmly say to me, “Okay, let’s have another take.” The series itself is quite tense, but the atmosphere of the recording set was very relaxed, and I really looked forward to our recording sessions each week.
By the way, if you could dive into someone’s memories like Echika, whose memories would you want to see?
Toyama: I would like to dive into my family’s memories. For example, I want to see what my grandmother’s life was like growing up, and how my parents felt when they first met.
Thank you so much. And finally, do you have a message for the fans looking forward to the upcoming episodes?
Toyama: The further Your Forma’s story progresses, and the more you think about the plot, the more interesting it gets. I think the original work is amazing, of course, and the anime staff worked so passionately on preserving the appeal of the novel while adapting the story in a new medium. I think this series will leave an impression on everyone. I hope everyone will stick with us up until the very last episode!
By the way, my favorite line is in Episode 7. That’s the one where Echika answers the question about why machines are interested in humans, and humans interested in machines. When I heard her line, I really related to Echika and wanted to let her know I agree with her! I wonder how everyone feels about that, and I think it’s incredibly meaningful that this work is the type to make you stop and think deeply about questions like that.
RELATED: INTERVIEW: YOUR FORMA Anime – Toyonaga and Saito decipher their role
Streaming platforms:
- North America: Samsung TV Plus
- Central and South America: Bandplay, Anime Onegai
- Europe, Middle East, and Africa: ADN, aniverse, Anime Generation, Anime Key
- Asia: Bahamut, MyVideo, CHT, Hamivideo, Bilibili, TVING, Wavve, Watcha, U+tv, SK Btv, Genie TV, Home Choice, D’LIVE, SKY LIFE, B’flix
CAST:
Echika Hieda (CV.Kana Hanazawa)
Harold W. Lucraft (CV.Kensho Ono)
Bigga (CV.Nao Toyama)
Ui Totoki (CV.Aya Endo)
Ivan Lukich Fokine(CV.Nobuhiko Okamoto)
Darya Romanovna Chernova(CV.Ayaka Nanase)
Lexie Willow Carter (CV.Chiwa Saito)
Benno Kleemann (CV.Yuu Hayashi)
Sozon A. Chernov(CV.Jun Fukuyama)
Lexie W. Carter(CV.Chiwa Saito)
Raissa Germaine Robin(CV.Hisako Tojo)
Kazimir Martinovich Shubin(CV.Tomokazu Sugita)
Kupriyan Valentinovich Napolov(CV.Koichi Yamadera)
STAFF:
Original Work: Mareho Kikuishi
Original Illustrations: Tsubata Nozaki
Director: Takaharu Ozaki
Series Composition & Script: Kazuyuki Fudeyasu
Character Design: Chikashi Kadekaru
Music: Tatsuya Kato
Animation Production: Geno Studio
Production: Project YOUR FORMA
Official synopsis:
In 1992, a pandemic of viral encephalitis shook the world. The medical technology that saved humanity evolved into “Your Forma”—an invasive information device implanted into the brain. In this world where every sight, sound, and even emotion is recorded, investigating major crimes means diving into the collective data, a job reserved for special detectives called “Electronic Investigator.”
Echika Hieda, a prodigious “Electronic Investigator” assigned at an astonishingly young age, stands isolated by her exceptional talent. Her newly assigned partner is Harold, a blonde, blue-eyed humanoid “Amicus.” Together, this unrivaled duo will expose every hidden secret.
©2025 Mareho Kikuishi/KADOKAWA/Project YOUR FORMA
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