Both the movie and attraction aspects of the work can be enjoyed. Report on the MX4D version of "Macross Frontier the Movie: Itsuwari no Utahime" and the stage greeting by General Director Shoji Kawamori.

MX4D ("MediaMation MX4D") is the latest "experiential" 4D theater system developed by MediaMation, Inc. The seats move back and forth, left and right, and up and down according to the movie scene, and there are 11 special effects that stimulate the five senses, such as wind, mist, scent, strobe, smoke and vibration, etc. These effects work together to create an "attraction-type movie-viewing style" that cannot be experienced in a regular theater. The Akiba Research Institute has also prepared a list of 11 special effects that stimulate the senses, including strobe, smoke and vibration.

Akiba Research Institute recently asked "Macross Delta the Movie: Gekijo no Valkyrie" (hereafter, Valkyrie) MX4D project leader Jun Jouzu and motion programmer Tomoe Nonaka to explain the MX4D system, and "Macross F the Movie: Itsuwari no Utahime" which uses the same system. The MX4D version of "Macross Frontier the Movie - Itsuwari no Utahime," which uses the same system, began screening on June 8, 2018 (Friday).
To commemorate the screening, a stage greeting was held on June 9 (Sat) at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku with Shoji Kawamori, the general director of the film, on stage.
⇒Schedule of Anime Film Screening

Macross F" was broadcast as a TV animation in 2008 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the "Macross" series. The two-part anime films "Macross Frontier the Movie: Itsuwari no Utahime" ("Itsuwari") and "Macross Frontier the Movie: Sayonara no Tsubasa" ("Sayonara") were released in theaters in 2009 and 2011, respectively, and together they grossed 1.35 billion yen at the box office 1.35 billion yen.
An MX4D version of the first film, "Macross Frontier the Movie: Itsuwari no Utahime," was produced, and about 10 years after the TV anime aired, a stage greeting was held with Shoji Kawamori, the general director, on stage.

Yuichi Hatanaka of VicWest hosted the greeting, which was filled with memories of the production and the time when the TV anime was aired.

It has been 10 years since the TV series of "Macross F" was aired, but it did not feel like that much time has passed since the "Macross BLUE MOON SHOW CASE IN TOKYO SKYTREE" was held at the Tokyo Skytree earlier this year, where a video of Cheryl and Ranka's new song "Good job! Director Kawamori said he did not feel that much time had passed. However, Kawamori himself expressed surprise that a stage greeting was held in connection with "Macross F" after almost 10 years had passed.

A survey was conducted among the fans who had gathered at the venue. The results were as follows: "Those who saw "Macross Frontier the Movie: Itsuwari no Utahime" in theaters at the time," "Those who heard the campaign song "Family Mart Cosmos" sung by Ranka in the movie at Family Mart at the time," "Those who saw "Macross Delta the Movie: Gekijo no Valkyrie" and its MX4D version at the theater," etc. Various questionnaires were collected from fans, Various questionnaires were taken.

During the survey, Director Kawamori was asked about his memories of that time. He said that although he had made the movie for TV, he always wanted people to see it on the big screen in theaters. He said that he was very concerned about the balance between how much of the story to tell in "Itsuwari" and what to do in "Sayonara" and how to make the story complete as a single movie. The film was a very difficult one to make, and the director had to find the right balance between the two.

Mr. Hatanaka, who was working at FamilyMart at the time, was curious to know how it felt to create a campaign song for a tie-up with a convenience store, which was also mentioned in the questionnaire. Director Kawamori said that he enjoyed the link between the divas (May'n, Ai Nakajima), whose popularity rose in the same way as the characters in the anime, and reality, and that he was hoping to create other links with the real world. It was during this time that he met Ms. Hatanaka, which led to the decision to tie up with a convenience store. He also shared an episode in which Director Kawamori was involved in supervising the menu items, such as the collaboration bento boxes at the time.

When we asked Kawamori, who supervised the MX4D version of the film, how he felt when he saw the film again, he said that it was made with the support of many staff members and that it brought back the feelings he had several years ago.
When asked about new discoveries, he replied, "I told the staff that "Itsuwari" was 30% new parts and "Sayonara" was 70% new parts, but the staff who actually produced the film blamed me, saying, "It's definitely 70% new! The director, who now expresses his apologies to the staff, said that he had told the staff that "Itsuwari" was 30% new work and "Sayonara" was 70% new work.

He also said that while "Valkyrie" has an active storyline and is more of an attraction, "Itsuwari" has active scenes in the first half and the second half, with time for quieter emotional scenes in the center, making it enjoyable both as a movie and as an attraction. He said, "Itsuwari" can be enjoyed both as a movie and as an attraction.

If "Valkyrie" was the first MX4D version, "Itsuwari" was the second MX4D version supervised by the director. He said that with an attraction, you can do reckless movements for 5 to 10 minutes, but with a movie, you have to be careful not to get drunk at the beginning, so he put in some parts where the audience can relax even though it is shaking. And they are not only adding vibrations to accompany battles, live performances, etc., but also to the emotional swings of the characters. This is something they have been doing since "Valkyrie," and when I actually watched the movie, I felt that having the seat vibrate in time with the character's emotional upheaval made me feel more emotionally invested in the characters than just watching the movie.

And when I asked Director Kawamori, who said he does not like to give spoilers, about the highlights of the film and where it would be good to have a preliminary study, he answered, "There are many battles that are more like flesh and blood than super large-scale battles, so the realistic feeling of being in the cockpit during the battle scenes, as well as the sense of scale and weight, are the key points. He also told us in secret that "the detailed shaking of feelings is the key. In addition, "I put in small emotional swings so that they don't disturb the viewer," and also included some small jokes, which he hopes viewers will look for.

The question continued, "Which of the many "Macross" films would you like to see made in MX4D? He also mentioned "Macross Plus Movie Edition" as a film that makes the most use of the ride, and commented that if an MX4D version of "Macross Plus" were to be produced, "I want to make it so that people are prepared to get drunk. If an MX4D version of "Macross Plus" can be produced, we would like to make it in such a way that people would be prepared to get drunk," a comment that was met with applause from the audience. Of course, he also expressed his passionate desire to make an MX4D version of "Sayonara," the second part of the film.

In closing, he said to the fans, "There are many people who have been watching this film for 7 or 8 years, and I feel like they have been supporting us for a long time. I hope that people will continue to watch "Macross" 10 or 20 years from now, and I would like to bring a new deculture to the world, so please support us. The greeting session ended with an unscheduled commemorative photo session with the audience.

The MX4D features "seat thrust, neck feel, back feel, scent, wind, water spray, foot feel, earth tremor, wind gusts, fog, and strobe lights," which made the first-time MX4D viewer involuntarily look down at his/her feet and look back up. I, as a first-time MX4D user, involuntarily peeked under my feet and looked backwards. The strobes and other lighting effects during the live performance scenes, the thrust of the seat during the battle scenes in the Valkyrie, and the shock to the back when it is attacked, everything from the live performance to the battle scenes is filled with a realistic feeling. I was already eager to see "Sayonara," which has not even been decided yet.

Among the many tricks, I was particularly curious about the scent in one scene and the vibrations of the seat as Cheryl's breasts swayed, but this may have been my imagination, so I would like to encourage everyone to come to the theater and check it out.

The MX4D version of "Macross Frontier the Movie: Itsuwari no Utahime" is currently showing at TOHO Cinemas MX4D theaters.
We hope you will feel the live performance of Sheryl Nome, the Galactic Fairy, and Ranka Lee, Cinderella of the Super Dimension, as well as the battle between Valkyrie and Vajra, with your whole body.

Movie Info.
Macross Frontier the Movie -Itsuwari no Utahime- MX4D version

＜STORY
The year is 2059. The "Macross Frontier," a fleet of ultra-long-distance immigrant ships voyages to a new world. A young boy named "Alto Saotome" yearns for the sky and aspires to become a Valkyrie pilot.
Sheryl Nome, the strongest pop star in the galaxy.
Ranka Lee, an aspiring singer who runs straight for Sheryl Nome.
When the three meet, a story that no one could have imagined opens up.
Alto fights to protect the two girls from the mysterious creature "Vajra" with his VF-25 variable fighter.
He encounters friends and a new world. But the battle for the fleet rages on, and finally Cheryl is even suspected of being a spy. What "mystery" and "song" await them as they fly through the flames? ......

<Staff
Original Story : Shoji Kawamori / Studio Nue
Director : Shoji Kawamori
Director : Yasuhito Kikuchi
Screenplay : Hiroyuki Yoshino / Shoji Kawamori
Character Design：Risa Ebata/ Yuichi Takahashi
Mechanical Design: Junya Ishigaki / Takeshi Takakura
Valkyrie Design: Shoji Kawamori
Mechanical Art: Hideki Tenjin
CGI Technical Director: Hiroshi Yagishita
Color Design: Kumiko Nakayama
Art Director: Shunichiro Yoshihara (Mimine)
Music: Yoko Kanno
Sound Director: Masafumi Mima
Production: Satellite / Eight Bit
Distributor: THE KLOCKWORX
Production: BIG WEST / Macross Frontier the Movie Production Committee

＜Cast
Alto Saotome: Yuichi Nakamura
Sheryl Nome: Aya Endo
Ranka Lee: Nakajima Ai
Ozma Lee: Katsuyuki Konishi
Michael Blanc: Hiroshi Kamiya
Luca Angeloni: Jun Fukuyama
Clan Clan: Megumi Toyoguchi
Brera Stern: Soichiro Hoshi and others

<Price
Normal price + MX4D surcharge

<Tickets on sale
Please refer to the theater page for details on ticket sales and availability.

＜Theaters: TOHO CINEMAS
Akaike Kashiwa LaLaport Fujimi Shinjuku Okanami Nishinomiya OS Nijo Namba Utsunomiya LaLaport Yokohama Kawasaki Ebina LaLaport Funabashi Fuchu Nishi Arai Roppongi Hills

(C)2009 Big West / Macross Frontier the Movie Production Committee