What did Kaminagi see behind the scenes of "Zegapain ADP"?　Interview to Commemorate the Completion of Yarate Bunko's "Entangled: Girl" (Part 2)

Entangled: Girl Maihama Minami High School Film Study Club" (hereafter, "Entangled: Girl") finally reached its conclusion with "Karamaru Natsu no Kaminagi Ryoko" 4, which was released today (April 27) at 12:00.

Akiba Research Institute interviewed Makoto Shibuya (Sunrise), who is in charge of promoting this work, and Yuya Takashima, the author of the book. In the first part of the interview, which was published yesterday, we talked about the outline of the work, including the reason why no robots appear in the novelization despite being a novelization of a robot anime.
⇒ Why are there no robots in the novelization of " Zegapain"?　Interview with Yarate Bunko to Commemorate the Completion of "Entangled: Girl" (Part 1)

In this second part of the interview, we finally get to the heart of the story of "Entangled: Girl. The interview also touches on the future of "Zegapain," so be sure to check it out.

Due to the nature of this interview, there are some parts where the ending and the core of the story are mentioned. To avoid spoilers, we strongly recommend that you read this article after you have finished reading the last installment.

Why does Kaminagi make movies?
Entangled: Girl" is a full-fledged hard science fiction film about the entanglement of worlds

─ ─ From here, I would like to talk about the actual content of the film. First of all, please tell us about the concept of "Entangled: Girl.

Yuya Takashima (Takashima): Like "Zegapain ADP" (ADP), I wrote "Entangled: Girl" with the hope that people who have never seen "Zegapain" before will find it interesting. I am also a "Zegapain" fan, so I hope it will be an enjoyable work for avid "Zegapain" fans to read as well.
⇒ " Zegapain ADP", Interview with Director Masami Shimoda [preliminary version

Makoto Shibuya (Shibuya): I put a lot of emphasis on the fact that the work can be enjoyed even if you don't know "Zegapain" from the beginning. It would be difficult to start following "Zegapain" in order to read "Entangled: Girl".

─ ─ "Entangled: Girl" is the story of "ADP" from Kaminagi's point of view, isn't it?

Takashima: Once it was decided that the story would be set in the Maihama Minami High School Film Club, rather than in a quantum server research institute, I made it so that it would link well with "ADP" and be exciting. However, as I mentioned earlier, we adjusted the structure of the film, and the story is completely different from what we had originally envisioned.

─ Is that so?

Takashima: At first, we were thinking of "Kaminagi's search for the Seven Wonders at Maihama Minami High School. There would be a total of seven episodes, and each episode would be about finding one "wonder" each time. When Kaminagi finds the last "wonder," she realizes that her experience took place in a quantum server (......). That's how it went down. The fact that "Entangled: Girl" is composed of seven episodes is a legacy of those days.

─ ─ At first, the story was about the awakening of Kaminagi, wasn't it? It is true that the content of "Entangled: Girl" is more enjoyable even if you are not familiar with the work "Zegapain". By the way, what was the reason for the change in direction?

Takashima: I think the main reason was that I wrote episodes 5, 6, and 7 all at once in the middle of the story. Actually, I had been writing up to the fourth episode, "Sheltering Summer," in line with the pace of the serialization, but I wrote the second half in one go during the year-end and New Year holidays. I spent several weeks at Eiken. I came up with the idea that it was important for Kaminagi to make a film, not only for herself, but also for the world inside the quantum server.

─ ─ It is true that the taste of the film has changed a lot since episode 5.

Takashima: There was a reset in episode 4, and after that, in episode 5, "I remember the scenery that was supposed to be invisible," Kaminagi becomes half-awake, and from that point on, the atmosphere becomes a little eerie and dark. The first four episodes are juvenile science fiction and not that hard science fiction, but the fifth and later episodes deal with the concept of entanglement entropy, which is still being actively researched in superstring theory and quantum gravity theory, and I think it has become a hard science fiction that Zega fans will enjoy.

─ ─ "Entanglement entropy" ...... is a word that often appears in "Entangled: Girl" as "the frayed edges of the world," isn't it?

Takashima In "Entangled: Girl," it is suggested that the entangled information in the quantum server is organized by making a movie, and the entanglement entropy is suppressed, and as a result, the world of the quantum server may be maintained.
This is the reason why Ryoko Kaminagi, who is an information body (phantom body), makes movies.

Shibuya: At the planning stage, I was hoping to create a pure science fiction film using "Zegapain" beyond the framework of "novelization of an anime," but I think it turned out to be a very middle-of-the-road science fiction film.

─ ─ Now, speaking of the connection with "ADP," you must be referring to Toru Kanou, right? In "Entangled: Girl," his mysterious behavior was very impressive.

Takashima: Kanou is basically a cool senior, but the mysterious part was taken from the audio commentary between Kana Hanazawa, Ayako Kawasumi, and Hatike that was included in the Blu-ray of "ADP".

Shibuya: It was inevitable that Toru Kanou would appear in the promotion of "ADP," but we were still a little unsure about his character, so we asked director Masami Shimoda and Hatike to check his words and actions.

─ So director Shimoda and Hataike are also checking him out?

Takashima Yes. Director Shimoda pointed out and corrected the lines of not only Kanou, but also Kyou, Shizuno, and other characters from the TV anime. He said things like, "Kyou should have a stronger tone," or "Kyou doesn't use such detailed language. In that sense, too, I think the anime has become firmly "Zegapain".

─ I see. By the way, there are new characters in "Entangled: Girl", aren't there?

Shibuya: FUKAYA Amane, Hiyama Chiho, and Uzuhara Shinsuke. All of the new characters are Takashima-san's ideas.

In the TV series, there was a story that "Science III of the University of Tokyo is..." and there was also a story that "the University of Tokyo is the best in various fields". In the TV series, it was mentioned that "Tokyo University Science III is..." and there are many talented students from various fields, but "Entangled: Girl" may be the first time that this was explicitly stated.
Actually, I suggested that Chiho's position (deputy director of Eiken) be taken by Sachiko Tsumura, who is Hayase's girlfriend.　But since we already have Kanou and Lupa, the AI, for the "ADP" link, we decided to go with a new character. So, Chiho was born.

─ By the way, in "Entangled: Girl," we can see how Kaminagi was acting at the time of the "ADP" story, but we can't understand what Kyou is doing until we watch "ADP.

Takashima: In the very early stages of the film, I was thinking of making the film as a normal high school student, without Kyou being awakened. That way, it would have fit better as a single film. The reason why Kyou doesn't say much this time is partly because I didn't want to make Kaminagi fully awakened, but I would like to write more about Kyou, Shizuno, and the rest of the student council.

─ ─ But I think that the fact that Kyou's battle was not depicted in the story made it possible for me to enjoy watching "ADP" and reading "Entangled: Girl", or conversely, reading "Entangled: Girl" and watching "ADP".

Takashima: In "ADP," of course you can enjoy seeing Kyou fighting, and if you watch the TV anime, you can also see what happens to Kaminagi after "Entangled: Girl. In that sense, I think we were able to accomplish the same concept as "ADP" of providing an opportunity to learn about "Zegapain".

─ ─ Well, in the first part of the interview, Mr. Shibuya often mentioned the keyword "book publication" (......).

Shibuya: It depends on your support. So, I would be very happy if you fans could tell me what you think. We always want to know the reactions from our fans, and we are always checking the responses, as is the case with the survey (# ) we are currently conducting at Yattate Bunko.

We would be very grateful if you could tweet about it on Twitter, etc. with the hashtag ( #zega ) or, for that matter, send us comments on this survey (editor's note: we are accepting responses until May 8, 2017), so we can refer to it.

Takashima: If a book version is realized, the content, including the development, may change significantly from the serialization; since the opening image of "Zegapain" changed little by little in the TV anime, I am not sure what the novel will actually be like (laughs). I hope people will be able to enjoy the differences in those parts.

Shibuya: "Zegapain" is a work that requires "change".

─ ─ "Entangled: Girl" may be published as a book at ...... depending on the support, but what do you think about the future of "Zegapain" as a whole?

Shibuya: The 10th anniversary of "Zegapain" will come to an end with the completion of "Entangled: Girl" for the time being. However, as the logo "NEXT ENTANGLE!" appeared at the end of "ADP" and on the official Twitter, of course it will not be the end.

There will be a special event at "Smile festival Chiba" in the summer, and it will be broadcast on Chiba TV from August. Bandai will be releasing two types of T-shirts ( # ), and there are many more things in the works. I am sure that we will be able to develop the project in various ways depending on your feedback, so I hope you will give us your support.

─ ─ So it's up to you to support us at ......? By the way, I personally would like to see the "Aikatsu dancing Zegapain" that was introduced here ( #) .......

Takashima: I saw that one too, and it was interesting (laughs). I think it was that video that won the competition, wasn't it?

Shibuya: It was made by D.I.D. Studio, wasn't it? If there are many requests, we may be able to show that in some form at.......

─ ─ (laughs) I would like to support that with enthusiasm. Mr. Takashima, please give us your final thoughts on the end of the serialization.

Takashima: This was my first serialization of a full-length novel as a novelist, and I learned a lot and had a very fulfilling time. When the book version comes to fruition, there will be additions and revisions. I hope I was able to grow with Kamina and the others myself. Your messages of support during the serialization really encouraged me.
And this year, "Zegapain ADP" was selected for the Media Division of the Nebula Awards, and "Zegapain ADP and Related Movements" was selected as a reference candidate for the Free Division. All of us are very pleased. We would like to thank you again for your support. We do not yet know how the book will turn out, but we hope you are looking forward to it.
Also, depending on your cheers, there might be Director Kaminagi's next work at ......, right? So please continue to support "Zegapain" and "Entangled: Girl".

Thank you very much.

(Reporting and writing by editorial department)

Entangled: Girl, Maihama South High School Film Club

Author: Yuya Takashima
Illustration: Ryo Akizuki
Page of works: ##
・Part 1: #

Synopsis.
I want to shoot summer. On the day before the summer vacation of her first year of high school, Ryoko Kaminagi, an aspiring film director, was running around the school with her favorite video camera in her hand. She was going to enter her film in a national high school film contest. Her film will be decorated by her childhood friend Sogol Kyou, her best friend Mizuki, and the seniors of Maihama Minami High School's film club (......), all of whom have their own quirks and quirks. Will she be able to film "Summer"?
New writer Yuya Takashima, who also worked on "Zegapain ADP," depicts the heroine's point of view in this fresh, adolescent ensemble drama.

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