A report on the stage greeting in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, where the anime film "Princess Hirune: The Unknown Watashi no Monogatari" is set, has arrived!

A special stage greeting was held from the anime film "Princess Hirune: The Unknown Watashi no Monogatari," which will be released on March 18, 2017.

The anime film "Princess Hirune: The Unknown Watashi no Monogatari" is the latest film written by director Kenji Kamiyama, known for the "Ghost in the Shell S.A.C." series, "Eden of the East" and "The Guardian of the Spirit," and is a "story about a family" with gimmicky direction that is typical of the director. The characters are based on "Onna no Ongyo" (The Return of the Cat). The original character design is by Satoko Morikawa of "The Cat Returns," the design of the sidecar "Hearts" that transforms into a robot is by Shigeto Koyama of "Baymax," the animation director is Atsuko Sasaki of "Eden of the East," and the animation production is by Signal M.D.
⇒ "Princess Hirune", the latest work by Kenji Kamiyama, director of "Ghost in the Shell S.A.C.", will be released in theaters in 2017!　Character draft is by Satoko Morikawa of "The Cat Returns".
⇒ Anime Industry Watching Vol. 29: Director Kenji Kamiyama talks about the long road to "Princess Hirune: The Unknown Watashi no Monogatari

On March 14, 2017, "Greetings from the Stage with Special Screening of "Princess Hirune x Kurashiki"" was held in Shimotsui, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, with Shinnosuke Mitsushima, who played the role of Morio, Tomoya Maeno, who played Kida and is from Okayama, where this work is set, and director Kenji Kamiyama on stage.
The official event report of the stage greeting has just arrived, so let us introduce it to you.
The event report also includes information on the current campaign, so don't miss it.

Event Report] (*Honorifics omitted)

Shinnosuke Mitsushima (who plays Morio), Tomoya Maeno (who plays Kida), and director Kenji Kamiyama appeared later than originally scheduled for the stage greeting with a special screening held in Shimotsui, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, where the film is set, to loud applause, smiling and saying "Domo, domo" repeatedly with Maeno, a local Kurashiki City native!
When asked about his impression of Shimotsui and Kojima, Mr. Mitsushima replied, "I was allowed to go to Kojima Station earlier and play with jeans. So I feel like I've finally made it here." He suddenly pointed at Maeno and said, "I was late because he was trying on jeans! Maeno also said, "I put them on once and couldn't take them off... I wanted to wear my local jeans, but they were a size too small. Sorry!" and although the event's start was originally delayed due to equipment trouble, the two made it a local ironic story and excited the audience.

Maeno commented on his hometown Kurashiki City being the setting for the movie, "I used to come to Kojima and Shimotsui often to eat octopus and see the scenery of the Seto Inland Sea, so the wonderful scenery brings me into the world of the anime, which creates a magical atmosphere. The scenery I know becomes the world of the anime." Mitsushima suddenly asked, "What about this senior? The local audience had no reaction, and Maeno couldn't help but chuckle, "No comment! Maeno laughed bitterly.
Director Kamiyama was asked by Maeno why he chose Shimotsui and Kojima in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, as the setting for his film, and he replied, "I was thinking of making an animation film set in a new, non-urban, rural area, and when I was looking for a setting, I had a longing for the ocean since I grew up in the mountains. When I rented a car in Okayama to go to Osaka, I thought I would stop by Kojima. I stopped by Jeans Street and decided to go out to the sea beyond the mountains, and there I saw the port of Shimotsui and the big Seto Ohashi Bridge. I thought it was a nice place, the town was very nice, and the sea reflected the sunlight and sparkled. I also thought it was a place where time passed slowly and I was healed by the scenery. That's why I decided to set the film here. Mitsushima added, "I am also from Okinawa and grew up on the sea, but the sea of the Seto Inland Sea is different. It's calm. They both talked about the charm of the city.

Director Kamiyama, who was looking at the audience who was about to watch the screening, said, "When I decided to set the film here, I came to the town secretly by myself and didn't consult anyone. I'm glad that the local people will see it. I am happy that local people will see the film, but I am nervous about how they will watch it. I'm very excited to think about how they will watch it. I'm very excited to see the film.
Maeno, who had a first-hand experience of the Hertz VR video as part of the Kurashiki campaign, was booed by the director and Mitsushima, who had only just begun to show the film, who said, "That's not fair! But Maeno, who is still in the process of getting ready for the campaign, said, "You ride up in Hertz from the port of the Seto Ohashi Bridge, and it floats up to the Seto Ohashi Bridge and the adjacent Ichi. It feels so good! He seemed to be very excited.

Director Kamiyama concluded the film by saying, "The main character of 'Hirunehime' is Kokone Morikawa, a high school senior living in Shimotsui. She has a dream that she sees every day, but in reality, incidents start happening and her father is suddenly arrested. The story is about a high school girl who longs to go to Tokyo, and two years ago, she and her childhood friend, Morio, who went to college in Tokyo first, have an adventure to Tokyo. The mystery of the dream she always had is gradually revealed, so I hope that everyone will not let their guard down and enjoy the spectacle that awaits you, which you cannot imagine from the title "Princess Hirune". I am very happy to have chosen this city as the setting. I hope you will enjoy the film with me. I hope you will enjoy it with me," he commented.

Since this is the first animated film set in Kurashiki, Mayor Ito and the people of Kurashiki were invited to the screening, which was attended by many of the main character Kokone's classmates, in other words, high school students who will graduate from high schools in Kojima and Shimotsui this year. In addition, trains and buses in original "Princess Hirune" wrapping ran through town, and a special photo spot was set up at Kojima Station.

Campaign Information
1. Stamp Rally Campaign
Period: March 1, 2017 (Wed) - June 30, 2017 (Fri)
Location: Kojima and Shimotsui area, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture
Details: Visitors will be able to get "Princess Hirune x Kurashiki" original goods by visiting viewpoints where they can see the original landscape of the work and rally spots to collect character stamps!

2. smartphone app (AR)
Period: March 1, 2017 (Wed) - August 31, 2017 (Thu)
Location: Area around Kojima and Shimotsui, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture
Content: The smartphone app "Butai Meguri" provides convenient navigation to filming locations! Secret spots will be introduced and you can listen to a special voice (Rie Kugimiya as Joy) when you check in at the location. 3!

3. wrapped trains and buses
Period: Wednesday, March 1, 2017 - for the time being
JR｜Seto-ohashi Line (Okayama - Kojima - Kotohira Station), Uno-Minato Line (Okayama - Uno Station)
　　　　　　　　Sanyo Line (Himeji - Okayama - Mihara Station), Ako Line (Okayama - Banshu-Ako Station), Hakubi Line (Okayama - Niimi Station), etc.
　　　　　　　　Shimoden Bus｜Tokohai-go Shimotsui Circulation Line, buses operating between Kojima and Kurashiki (Amagi Line, Shioyu Line, etc.), etc.
The JR Sanyo Main Line and Shimoden buses will run in special wraps featuring the original scenery and scenes depicted in "Princess Hirune". The buses will serve as welcome icons to the area. In addition, posters made of denim material and costumes inspired by Kokone's uniform in the movie will be on display on the platform of JR Kojima Station.

4. Trip Spot (VR)
Dates and times: (Dates and times are subject to change depending on the circumstances of each facility. Please note that dates and times are subject to change depending on the circumstances of each facility.)
Tokyo｜Shinjuku Marui Annex Pop-up Shop｜13:00-19:00
March 17 (Fri.), 18 (Sat.), 19 (Sun.), 20 (Holiday), 25 (Sat.), 26 (Sun.), 2017
Tokyo｜United Cinemas Toyosu Lobby Space｜11:00-18:00
March 18 (Sat), 19 (Sun), 20 (Holiday), 25 (Sat), 26 (Sun), April 1 (Sat), 2 (Sun), 2017
Osaka｜Umeda Burg 7 Museum Space｜11:00-18:00
March 18 (Sat), 19 (Sun), 20 (Holiday), 25 (Sat), 26 (Sun), April 1 (Sat), 2 (Sun), 2017
The event will be held: Trip on VR to the Seto-ohashi Bridge and take to the skies on Hertz!　Special trip spots are set up where visitors can enjoy reliving the main characters Kokone and Morio.