The audience was excited to see the characters holding their favorite weapons! Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online" Stage Event Report [Anime Japan 2018

One of Japan's largest anime events, AnimeJapan 2018, was held at Tokyo Big Sight on March 24 (Sat.) and 25 (Sun.), 2018. Here we present the "Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online" stage event, which took place on the RED Stage on the 25th (Sunday).

The cast included Tomori Kusunoki as Ren, Yoko Hikasa as Pitofui, Kazuyuki Okitsu as Em, and Chinatsu Akasaki as Fuka Jiro, with Nippon Broadcasting System announcer Naoki Yoshida serving as the MC.

Based on the novel "Sword Art Online" by Reki Kawahara, "Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online," newly written by Keiichi Shigurezawa, known for "Kino's Journey," and illustrator Kohaku Kuroboshi, will finally begin broadcasting in April. A special stage was held at Anime Japan 2018, just prior to the broadcast of "Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online" in April.

Among the cast members who appeared on stage, Ms. Kusunoki, who plays the role of Ren, was a bit nervous at her first time on the big stage of "Anime Japan". The atmosphere seemed to have continued from the recording sessions, with Mr. Okitsu as the father and Ms. Hikasa as the mother, and Mr. Akasaki and Ms. Kusunoki talking with their daughters. Mr. Akasaki and Ms. Kusunoki talked with their daughters. Ms. Hikasa was particularly attentive to Ms. Kusunoki, as they had worked together on Ms. Kusunoki's voice acting debut.

The stage started with such a friendly atmosphere, but the mood changed when model guns used by each character in the film appeared on stage, and the audience cheered loudly. Announcer Yoshida announced that the guns were not loaded, but that they were not to be pointed at the audience, that they were not to hold them up to each other, and that they were not to put their fingers on the trigger. Kusunoki-san was wearing the "P90," which Ren calls "P-chan" and loves to use, and Hikasa-san was wearing the "KTR-90" used by Pitohooie,

Mr. Kusunoki was holding the "P90" used by Ren, whom he calls "Pi-chan," Mr. Hikasa the "KTR-90" used by Pitofui, Mr. Okitsu the "M14 EBR" used by M, and Mr. Akasaki the "MGL-140" used by Fukajiro. While Ms. Hikasa and Mr. Akasaki were surprised at the heavier-than-expected weight of the guns, Mr. Okitsu confessed that the sight of a woman holding a gun makes him hot, to which the audience applauded in agreement.

The model gun was used in the "Which one rings? Air Gungaer Online" corner.

Mr. Shigurezawa, the author of this work, is a gun enthusiast and is so particular about the sound effects of guns that he even participates in the dubbing process of adding sound effects to the animation, let alone the postrecording.

The cast members were asked to choose one of the two gun sounds and pose with the gun in front of them, and if they guessed the correct answer, they could make a cool decision. However, as they felt that it would not be interesting enough to just do the usual thing, they decided to have Kusunoki imitate the sound of a gun being fired in his voice if the correct answer was not chosen.

He was the first one to try the game and got the correct answer, but for some reason, the voice he had voiced was also played, and he was "humiliated," as he put it. The rest of the cast also chose Mr. Kusunoki's voice, so the real sound of the projectiles, except for the "P90," would have to wait until the day of the on-air broadcast.

After that, they announced that the web radio program "Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Offline," in which Kusunoki-san and Akasaki-san will act as personalities, will be updated every week, and that a special Nico Live program featuring Kusunoki-san and Akasaki-san will be broadcast on Monday, April 2, from 9:00 p.m. The latest volume of the original work, volume 7, will be released on June 9, and other new information was announced.

The stage ended with comments from the cast, but only the Nico Live broadcast ended here. On stage, Ms. Kusunoki, who sings the ending theme song "To see the future," performed live. Ms. Kusunoki, who had never sung in front of an audience before, looked nervous at first, but her voice captivated the audience, and by the end of the song, the venue was completely colored in Kusunoki's colors. It will be interesting to see how "To see the future" will be combined with the ending animation in the on-air version of "Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online," which will begin airing sequentially on April 7, 2012.