The cast of "In a Corner of the World" also took the stage! A look back at the hottest new anime with the casts at the "NETFLIX Anime Festival! Special Stage" Report [AnimeJapan 2018

On Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25, 2018, AnimeJapan 2018, one of Japan's largest anime events, will be held at Tokyo Big Sight.

On March 24, at the RED Stage of AnimeJapan 2018, "NETFLIX Anime Festival! Special Stage" was held. This stage, presided over by the online entertainment service NETFLIX, featured Hiroaki Hirata and Yuki Kaji from "B: The Beginning," an anime currently being distributed on NETFLIX, Haruka Shiraishi and Yusuke Kobayashi from "A.I.C.O. Incarnation," and Haruka Shiraishi and Yusuke Kobayashi from "A.I.C.O. Incarnation," Yusho Kamimura and Yuichiro Umehara from "Sword Guy The Animation," and Nonn, the voice actor for "In a Corner of the World," took the stage. Let us introduce the cross-talk that transcended the works.

As an introduction, each of them introduced their respective works and gave a brief description of the characters they portray. B: The Beginning" is a completely original suspense drama that has attracted much attention due to the combination of Mr. Kazuto Nakazawa, Production I.G, and NETFLIX. Mr. Hirata, who plays Keith Kazama Flick, describes his character as "a genius, and what I don't like a bit is that he thinks 'I am a genius' (laughs). Mr. Kaji, while being careful not to spoil the story, describes his character Kurou as "basically calm and quiet, but he has the ability to transform into a deformed monster," and is a surprisingly strong boy. B: The Beginning" is said to be a work that unfolds in a foreign drama-like world where the mystery of Kurobane and the case Keith is chasing are intertwined.

A.I.C.O Incarnation" is a near-future sci-fi action film directed by Kazuya Murata and BONES, set in Japan in 2037. The story is about a group of unique characters who, while overcoming various conflicts, travel together to a place called "the hypocenter"" (Shiraishi). The main character, Aiko Tachibana, played by Shiraishi, is a key figure in the play and is involved in a story related to the "burst" of an important incident that occurred in the past. She is guided by Yuya Kanzaki, voiced by Ms. Kobayashi. He leads the story with his mysterious words and actions, such as telling Aiko, "You're not human now. There are many twists and turns and betrayals," said Shiraishi, describing the charm of the work.

Next up was "Sword Guy The Animation," the latest work that began streaming on NETFLIX on March 23, the day before the stage. It is a dark hero and action film about people who are fascinated by weapons and their emotions. The main character, Guy Ogata, is a person who is close to the weapon "Shiryuu" and cannot be left alone somehow, despite his passionate side, according to Uemura-san. Haruya Ichijo, who plays the role of Haruya Ichijo, is a chrysalis, a human being who fights in a chakram and is about to be captured by the weapon," said Umehara, adding that the bond between Ichijo and Gai is one of the highlights of the film.

Finally, "In This Corner of the World," which was released in theaters in 2016, was a hit and won numerous awards. The film has been distributed on NETFLIX since this March, and has attracted renewed attention as a moving work. About the appeal of the film, which depicts the life of a woman living in Hiroshima during World War II, she said, "You can be happy by eating delicious food or disappointed by eating bad food. I feel happy again to live such a life," says lead actress Non.

When asked about her fondest memory of the film, she revealed that she will never forget the first time she was nervous during the first recording session with the cast and crew, when she looked into the monitor room and saw Sunao Katabuchi, the director who was also nervous, eating an onigiri rice ball.

After that, as part of the planning corner, a variety of talk topics were thrown at the speakers. The first theme was "If you had the ability to transform, what would you like to transform into? Mr. Kaji responded, "I want to be a voice actor with a voice different from my own. I can't help but connect it to my work. For example, if I became a giant, would I be able to understand the feelings of the role better?　When Mr. Hirata responded, "You're so serious!　You're sick! Hirata quickly chided him, "You're so serious! Hirata-san also showed his good humor, calling Kaji-san "Mr. AnimeJapan" in reference to his frequent appearances at AnimeJapan 2018 stage events.

When asked what he would like to transform himself into, Hirata-san replied, "I think I would like to be a ganmodoki. I think it would absorb various tastes in oden and become delicious. Fuji. Fuji. It's the biggest and flashiest mountain in Japan," responded Nonn, and a curious crosstalk ensued.

In addition, in connection with the setting of "Sword Guy The Animation," the question "What is the strongest weapon for you? In response to the question, "What is your strongest weapon?" he answered, "Even if I have a bad day at work, I can easily forget about it and switch over. But I forget a lot of things (laughs)" (Mr. Umehara) and "The charm of Ms. Shiraishi is that she is a ...... screw-up. I think this screwed-upness is the best" (Mr. Kobayashi).

And then, Hirata-san, who was in charge of making a punchline (?), asked, "What do you think of the way he does it? When Hirata was asked to speak, he said, "Recently, on a warm day, I said in the studio, 'The cicadas are starting to sing,' and Kenjiro Tsuda said to me, 'He really lies like he breathes. I thought this is my special skill, my weapon," he said, concluding the crosstalk with laughter from the audience.

Finally, the speakers gave their greetings on behalf of their respective works.

B: The Beginning

The film, the music, and the script are all well thought out. I think you can enjoy it in a different way no matter how many times you see it. On a personal note, Hiroaki Hirata plays a serious role. Please don't think there is a punchline (laughs). Please enjoy it.

A.I.C.O. Incarnation

The film is very cool and exciting with beautiful and powerful drawings, just like the movie version. I hope you will put yourself in Aiko's shoes and watch it as if you were on the journey with her.

Sword Guy The Animation

I have the strong impression that we had a lot of fun working on the film. I think you can feel our strong feelings through the weapons in the battle scenes.

In a Corner of the World

I hope that many more people will watch it now that it is being released on NETFLIX. I hope more people will watch it now that it's on NETFLIX, and I hope people who haven't seen it yet will feel free to watch it. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

The 30-minute-long performance ended with a round of applause from the audience. In addition to the works featured in this event, NETFLIX has been releasing a number of ambitious works such as "DEVILMAN crybaby" and "LOST SONG," which will be distributed this spring, and we could feel a part of their momentum from the stage.

(Reporting and writing by Michi Sugahara)