The "back then" image that can be expressed because it is the current WUG! Aoba no Kiseki" press conference and public performance report

Aoba no Kiseki" was performed at Sogetsu Hall in Tokyo from June 6 to 10, 2018. In this issue, we report on the press conference held prior to the performance and the open rehearsal (final rehearsal).

This is the second time that "Wake Up, Girls!" has been adapted for the stage since "Wake Up, Girls! (hereafter referred to as "WUG") members who were voice actors in the anime also play the same roles on stage, making the stage an attractive hyperlink unique to WUG. This time, based on the script of the TV anime "Wake Up, Girls!" broadcast in 2014, scriptwriter Doko Waita, one of the founding members of the WUG project, has reconstructed the story by herself.

The press conference was attended by Maasuke Yoshioka playing Mayu Shimada, Airi Nagano playing Auri Hayashida, Mimi Tanaka playing Minami Katayama, Yoshinoh Aoyama playing Yoshino Nanase, Nanami Yamashita playing Nanami Kumi, Kaya Okuno playing Natsuya Kikuma, Misuke Takagi playing Miyu Okamoto, and Shiho Iwasaki from the rival "I-1club. Yuka Ohtsubo as Shiho Iwasaki, Meikumi Matsumura as Mai Kondo, Chihirai Mochida as Ai Yoshikawa, Sena Horikoshi as Nanoha Aizawa, Natsuo Yamashita as Moeka Suzuki, Reina Tachibana as Reina Suzuki, Mia Kusakabe as Tina Kobayakawa, and Ayaki Matsuda as Rika Takashina from the rival I-1club. Then Yuu Ichinai who plays Kohei Matsuda, Yoshiko Tanaka who plays Junko Tange, Mina Kurio who plays Anna, Miyako Maikawa who plays Karina, and Seiji Fukuyama who plays Ai Hayasaka took the stage.

At the beginning of the press conference, each WUG member made the following remarks. I think that the second time we performed on stage, we have become more united and our performance has become more complete. I will do my best (Misuke Takagi)," "I want to show many good points of Nanami Kumi, whom I have been following closely (Nanami Yamashita)," and "The story I will play on stage this time is one I have loved since I did postrecording for the TV anime "Wake Up, Girls! I was happy to have the opportunity to perform it, and I enjoyed the process of rehearsing it (Mimi Tanaka)" "Since it is a sequel to the previous performance, the characters have grown and I hope we can show our own growth on stage (Maasuke Yoshioka)" "I think the content will be enjoyable for both anime fans and newcomers. I am glad that we have been able to work together as a team. I am glad to have been able to work with these members on the stage (Airi Nagano)." "In this stage, we will be performing a story from the time of the first TV anime, a series before the "new chapter" of the anime broadcast in winter. I feel as if I have returned to a few years ago and I am looking forward to the show (Kaya Okuno)" "This is the first sequel since the stage about a year and a half ago. I often cut and grow my hair to match the Kano of the story, but this time I am growing my hair to match the old Kano again, so I think it will match the Kano of this time (Yoshinoh Aoyama).

I-1club, WUG's rival and the biggest and strongest idol unit in the industry, will also play an important role on stage. Among them is Yuka Otsubo, who plays the role of Shiho Iwasaki in both the anime and stage productions and has played the role continuously since the first anime season. Ms. Ohtsubo said of the stage version of Shiho: "In the anime, Shiho's main focus was on her conflicts as a member of I-1club and her complex toward Shimada Mayu, who was the center of the club before her. In this stage, I think we will see a different Shiho from the TV version, a Shiho who talks with her friends of the same age and is kind to them, and a Shiho who is an older sister to junior member Rika as in the comic book "Little Challenger Wake Up, Girls! As for her I-1club friends, she commented, "I am happy to be able to act and dance as I-1club with various Maimai (Mai Kondo) and other members, both in the anime and on stage, as if I have many more friends. The members this time studied the anime I-1club so much that I was able to smoothly enter the stage from the beginning. We are doing our best to look like legendary cool idols!" she said enthusiastically.

Report on the open rehearsal and mini live performance!

Aoba no Kiroku" performed in January 2017 focused on the drama leading up to the formation of WUG, but in this stage, WUG has been under the strict guidance of the capricious genius producer Ai Hayasaka since the middle of the TV anime that aired in January 2014, and the members sometimes clash head-on with each other. The story focuses on the growth of the members as they clash head-on with each other. It is interesting to note the change in the way the producer Hayasaka is portrayed from the solitary genius played by Kenichi Suzumura in the TV anime.

Even though the basic story line is the same as in the TV anime, the earnestness of the scene where the members confront each other on stage, worrying and disagreeing with each other, can be said to be expressed in a completely different way. The expression of impatience, anger, and sadness among the members in the exchange over Ai's departure from the group is heartbreaking. Looking back, I think that the real-life experiences and thoughts that the girls thought, worried, and discussed were also converted into the power of expression. In particular, Ms. Aoyama's tearful performance as Kanose Yoshino Nanase, speaking in Ai's room, was truly wonderful and showed how much she had grown as an actor since the recording of the TV anime.

Ms. Yoshioka, who acted thoughtfully while watching her surroundings from a corner of the stage, had a calm and composed demeanor, just like Mamu Shimada herself. The dance scene was a must-see for Ms. Nagano. It was one of the interesting contradictions of WUG that Ms. Nagano, who has the most experience in dancing and can choreograph, plays Ai, who is the worst dancer among the members.

As for the non-WUG members, the combination of Matsuda, played by Ichinouchi, and President Tange, played by Yoshiko Tanaka, is now a virtuoso performance. The combination of Matsuda, played by Ichinouchi, and President Tange, played by Yoshiko Tanaka, is now a masterful combination. WUG's reliable seniors "Twinkle" (Anna and Karina) also appeared on stage this time, and the way they showed their singing on stage (in separate stage costumes!) was something that could only be done on stage. The stage direction of showing the two singing on stage (with separate stage costumes!) is unique to the stage.

The I-1club team had a lot to showcase on stage this time, including singing and dancing. I was rather surprised to see that this kind of staging was done in order to provide a solid showcase for the I-1 team. As Mr. Ohtsubo said at the press conference, I think that many aspects of Shiho as a "dependable and kind friend" from the I-1 side were depicted. The fact that we were able to see the "eight I-1club members," including Rika Takashina, played by Ayaki Matsuda, on stage was something that could only happen on a stage for which Ms. Doji Taida wrote the script herself. In terms of performance, the dance of Mechumi Matsumura, who played the role of Mai Kondo, the captain of the I-1club, was overwhelming. I was surprised to see how much difference she could make in the same choreography with such subtle nuances as the way she twisted her lower body and the angle of her shoulders. I think it was Ms. Matsumura's personal skill rather than because she is a former real idol... but I felt it was a WUG-like hyperlink that the NMB48 graduate's performance brought more persuasive power to the I-1 presence.

Another thing to note about this stage and mini-live was that the seven members wore the nostalgic "Agape for 16 Years Old" costumes. This costume (also worn in 7 Girls War's music videos #) is striking with its white skirt and two green lines. The costumes from the first period, which have rarely been seen recently, were worn (or maybe remade) stiffly on the stage this time. The performance wearing the costumes of "those days" reminded me of those days and made me feel the growth of the seven members more.

The live performance of "7 Girls War", which was performed as a mini live, showed the history and growth of WUG in terms of live performance. In the early days, WUG performed live wearing headsets, and during the "7 Girls War" song, there was a corner where the members showed their special skills (a.k.a. superhero competition), and there were many big moves such as side rolls, ballet-style jumps, and Ms. Nagano's break dancing. Later, when they started performing live with hand microphones, they had changed the arrangement of their movements, but on this stage, all of these performances were unleashed!　The scene where Ms. Nagano, who showed a sharp breakdance as if she were a different person from the main performance, received the microphone from Mr. Okuno and returned to the song as it was, showed the accumulation of five years of experience.

The seven evolved members of the group now play the roles of the idols of those days. It was a wonderful performance and story. LIVE TOUR 2018→2019", which will be the last run of the live tour trilogy starting in July 2018. However, it has been stated that "Wake Up, Girls!" as content will continue. I am sure that everyone who saw this stage wished to see the continuation of the story, and the appearance of Wake Up, Girls! and I-1club on stage at the idol festival, on the stage as well.

(Reporting and writing by Kiri Nakazato)