The TV anime Tenmaku no Jadugal (天幕のジャードゥーガル), based on the award-winning historical manga by Tomato Soup (serialised in Akita Shoten’s Souffle), is currently airing in the “IMAnimation” slot across TV Asahi’s 24-station network and on BS Asahi. Set in 13th-century Mongolia, the story follows Shitara, a former slave girl who carries a burning desire for vengeance and shakes the foundations of the empire.

In the fifth instalment of the series’ interview series, we spoke with Shimono Hiro, the voice of Ogedei — third son of Genghis Khan — about his impressions of the character, the intricate relationship with Dörregene, and the human drama at the heart of the series.

First Impressions vs. Reality

Shimono admitted that when he first saw the original manga, he assumed it would be a light slice-of-life story set in an exotic land, given the cute character designs and compact proportions. Reading it properly, however, he was struck by how serious and historically grounded it was — a tale of empire, conquest, and one girl’s quest for revenge. “The gap between my first impression and the actual content was huge,” he said.

He reflected that the work illuminates the human emotions that history books tend to omit. Records usually preserve only outcomes — “this country was invaded and became part of another” — but the feelings of the people living through those events are rarely told. Tenmaku no Jadugal, he felt, gives voice to precisely those hidden feelings.

Building an Ogedei with Both Warmth and Authority

Shimono’s initial read of Ogedei was of someone “vague and easygoing” — hardly the image of a future ruler. But as he worked through the role, he came to see that Ogedei thinks further ahead than he lets on. “What stayed consistent from start to finish was that he is not a heartless person. If anything, he thinks deeply about people and about how to build a nation with humanity at its centre,” Shimono said.

The directorial challenge was to layer gravitas onto Ogedei’s natural gentleness without erasing it — something Shimono found considerably harder than expected. He also expressed genuine personal sympathy for Ogedei’s core vision: not simply expanding the empire through conquest, but seeking a world where all parties can prosper together. “It might sound idealistic, but I really do agree with that way of thinking,” he said.

A Complex Marriage — Waiting Rather Than Forcing

On the relationship between Ogedei and Dörregene, Shimono believes that encounters with Dörregene and his other consorts — women taken from conquered peoples — were formative in shaping Ogedei’s worldview. Yet his goodwill cannot easily reach Dörregene, because to her and to Shitara, Mongolia remains the aggressor.

“Ogedei understands how she sees him, so he doesn’t try to force her to change. He waits for her to come around on her own terms,” Shimono explained. He noted a personal parallel: even when someone puts up a wall against him, his instinct is not to get angry but to quietly wonder how to make them smile. “I think Ogedei feels something like, ‘She’s not opening up yet — that’s a shame, but it can’t be helped,'” he said with a laugh.

Shimono also praised Dörregene as voiced by Koshimizu Ami, describing the character as someone who appears cool on the surface but burns with deep passion — a woman whose resentment toward Mongolia has never faded precisely because her love for her homeland and family is so profound. Koshimizu had previously said that Shimono’s Ogedei is “such a charmer that she completely understands why Dörregene’s heart wavers,” a sentiment Shimono said he felt through their recording sessions.

The Women’s Quiet War — “Smiling While Thinking Something Terrible”

Asked about memorable scenes, Shimono highlighted the exchanges among the female characters — Shitara, Dörregene, Sorqoqtani, Borakjin and others. On the surface their conversations sound perfectly ordinary, but beneath every polite phrase lies a web of intentions and strategies. “The wording is soft, but then you realise, ‘That was actually brutal!’ There were many moments where I thought, ‘She was smiling but thinking that?'” he laughed.

By contrast, the scenes between the brothers felt natural and enjoyable — genuinely like siblings talking. Yet a quiet sadness runs through them too, because Ogedei’s vision for Mongolia’s future differs from his brothers’. “I got the sense that Ogedei might be quite a lonely person,” Shimono reflected.

Message to Viewers

Shimono encouraged viewers to imagine what Ogedei is thinking rather than waiting for him to spell it out, since the character rarely verbalises his inner feelings. He also recommended paying attention to the smaller exchanges between supporting characters, which he finds full of subtle charm.

He closed by sharing a detail he learned during recording: the scene where brothers embrace is not simply a hug — it is a Mongolian custom of confirming bonds by taking in each other’s scent. “The series is crafted with that level of care for historical and cultural detail,” he said, “so I hope viewers enjoy every little corner of it.”

Production Information

Staff

• Original Work: Tomato Soup, Tenmaku no Jadugal (Akita Shoten / Souffle)
• General Director: Yamada Naoko
• Director: Abel Gongora
• Series Composition: Kato Kan’ichi
• Character Design / Animation Chief: Yoshida Ken’ichi
• Direction Chief: Fujikura Takuya
• Art Director: Kabasawa Yuri
• Color Design: Konno Narumi
• Photography Director: Takahashi Naoki
• Editor: Hirose Kiyoshi
• Music: Hino Koshiro
• Sound Director: Konuma Noriyoshi
• Animation Studio: Science SARU

Cast

• Shitara: Sekine Akira
• Dörregene: Koshimizu Ami
• Fatima: Kuwashima Houko
• Muhammad: Saito Jun
• Ogedei: Shimono Hiro
• Tolui: Suzuki Ryota
• Shira: Irino Miyu
• Chagatai: Namikawa Daisuke
• Jochi: Nojima Kenji
• Sorqoqtani: Kuno Misaki
• Moge: Asai Ayaka
• Kirghiztani: Shintani Mayumi
• Borakjin: TBA

Theme Songs

• Opening: SEKAI NO OWARI — “Stella”
• Ending: Joō Bee (女王蜂) — “Hoshi”