Atsumi Tanezaki, Nao Higashiyama, Mochiyui Honda, and Naoko Yamada, the director of "Liz and the Blue Bird," are on stage to greet the audience on the opening day.

Liz and the Blue Bird," the latest animated film produced by Kyoto Animation, opened in theaters on April 21, 2018 (Saturday), and an opening day greeting with a star-studded guest cast was held at Shinjuku Piccadilly on the first day.

Liz and the Blue Bird" is based on Ayano Takeda's novel "Hibike! Euphonium Kita-Uji High School Brass Band Club, Disturbing Second Movement," an animated film adaptation of Ayano Takeda's novel about high school youth. Kyoto Animation, which won the "40th Japan Academy Prize for Best Animation" and the "Tokyo Anime Awards Festival 2017 Animation of the Year Film Grand Prix in the Theatrical Film Division" for the film "Unamplified", depicts a fleeting and beautiful moment between two girls, Mizore and Nozomi.
⇒Main staff comments and the latest information from "Liz and the Blue Bird," the latest KyoAni film directed by Naoko Yamada!
⇒Schedule of Animation Film Screening

On April 21 (Sat), the first day of the film's release, a stage greeting was held at Shinjuku Piccadilly, with a stage appearance by gorgeous guests. The official report has arrived and will be introduced below.

Official Report】 ※Honorific titles are omitted.

The stage greeting was attended by Atsumi Tanezaki as Mizore Arumizuka and Nao Higashiyama as Nozomi Kusaki, the two heroines of the film, who are good friends but are somewhat on edge before the final high school competition; Mochiyui Honda, who played the dual roles of Liz, a character in a fairy tale, and a blue girl; and Naoko Yamada, the film's director!　They talked about the film, which has finally been released to the public.

During the talk session, Ms. Tanazaki said about the film, "I think I conveyed the idea that when you are looking at a microscope, you don't breathe, or that when you are looking at a microscope, you can't help but hold your breath. Higashiyama replied, "It's a good analogy! Director Yamada responded, "It's great! Director Yamada also gave his approval to the analogy used to describe the film, saying, "It's great!
　Honda, who played Liz and the girl in the film, said, "The voices of the other cast members are really wonderful, and I'm really worried that my scenes might make the audience feel uncomfortable, so I hope you will forgive me. The way they acted and their voices were so straight and straightforward! Higashiyama added, "We (Kimi and Mizore) are not so honest that we can't say things like 'stay by my side' or 'I love you' or 'I love you too' so I appreciate you saying those things! I'm so glad you said that!

Comments
Q: How do you feel about the first day of the show?

Atsumi Tanezaki:
I am frankly happy to be able to greet you all today on the opening day.
I think now that you have seen the film, you may be able to understand what I could not easily convey in words before the screening.
I think you can see that I have increased the resolution of each moment between Mizore and Kimi, and I hope you could tell that this is a work that makes you hold your breath when you are looking at it, as if you are not breathing when you are looking at a microscope.

Nao Higashiyama:
I have been looking forward to this day, hoping to discuss this work with you all as soon as possible. I would like to talk about the many thoughts we put into this work and the points of interest that we didn't realize ourselves.
I hope you could understand the feelings behind the lines and the thoughts we put into each word, not just our lines. I think this is what led to what Kimi said at the end of the film.

Nozomi Honda:
I was really looking forward to it, so I am very happy. At the same time, I was worried that they would not allow my voice, which is not a professional voice actress, but I was looking forward to today. The voices of the other cast members are really wonderful, and I was really worried that my scene might make the audience feel uncomfortable, so I hope you will forgive me.

Q: How do you feel about the cast's impressions?

Director Yamada:
I couldn't help but giggle when I heard everyone's stories. I think it was a really good film (laughs).

Q: What was the most impressive part of the film?

Atsumi Tanezaki:
The phrase "I thought we were together all the time," which is also in the catch copy of this film,
Atsumi Tanezaki: I thought the catchphrase "I thought we would always be together" was a great catchphrase, because it had many meanings, not just that the two of us would be physically separated. I didn't write it myself (laughs).

Nao Higashiyama:
In the past, Nozomi was cheerful and made us think, "This is the kind of girl that people admire." But by raising her resolution in this work, we found that she is not only straightforward when we look closely at her human side.
When Kimi asked Mizore to go to the pool, I was surprised that she was upset when Mizore said, "There is someone else I want to invite," but it was also a scene where I realized that Mizore was beginning to flap her wings in a way I did not know, and it was very impressive.

Q: Closing remarks

Atsumi Tanezaki:
Thank you very much for coming to the opening of the film today.
I hope that by watching this film, you will be able to feel the various aspects of this film that would break down if I tried to put them into words. It is a work filled with so many feelings that you will see a different side of it every time you see it, and you will be able to look at it from many different directions. I hope you will visit the theater as many times as possible and enjoy "Liz and the Blue Bird" to a deeper level. Thank you very much for your continued support of this work.

Nao Higashiyama:
Thank you very much for your kind attention today. Even before recording, I opened the script thinking that this work would be a special one for me. It is more than one of the "Hibike! Euphonium" series, it became a more special work than I thought it would be as a movie.
I can talk about it with everyone, wondering, "What was that expression on her face? I hope to see you all again. I hope to see you all again and look forward to discussing this work with you.

Nozomi Honda:
It is a really wonderful work and I am so happy to be here today. I would like to go see it at least 10 times in the movie theater.
It is a work about adolescence, and this work became a page in my youth. I worked very hard on this film, and I would be happy if you could feel the same way. Thank you very much for your time today.

Director Yamada:
At first glance, you might think it is a quiet film, but in fact, it is a film about the subtleties of a young girl who talks a lot.
I am very touched that so many people have seen it on the first day of its release. I hope you will continue to watch it as many times as possible.
The sound design is maniacal and can only be heard in movie theaters (laughs). Please continue to see it in the cinema as many times as you can.
Thank you very much for your time today.

Film Information] (*Honorifics omitted)
■Liz and the Blue Bird
Release date: April 21, 2018 (Saturday)
・Theatre information: http://liz-bluebird.com
・Distribution: Shochiku