Completed through crowdfunding! Interview with Ayane Sakura, Suzuko Mimori, and Mikako Izawa for "Grisaia: Phantom Trigger The Animation Stargazer" Screening Commemoration

Grisaia Phantom Trigger" is the latest in the "Grisaia" series, a sequel to the novel games "Grisaia no Kajitsu", "Grisaia no Maze", and "Grisaia no Rakuen" produced by Front Wing. The anime work will be called "Grisaia: Phantom Trigger THE ANIMATION".

In March 2019, Vol. 01 "SORD" and Vol. 02 "Soul Speed," which correspond to the first two volumes of the original game, will be released as an animated feature film (OVA). From November 27, 2020, "Grisaia: Phantom Trigger THE ANIMATION Stargazer," based on the third volume of the game, will be shown in theaters.

A portion of the funds for the production of this work, following Vol.01 and Vol.02, was raised through crowdfunding, and it was completed with the enthusiastic support and assistance of ordinary fans.

We asked Ayane Sakura, who plays Toka, Suzuko Mimori, who plays Gumi, and Mikako Izawa, who plays Akisauri Arisaka, about their roles in this episode, which was completed in concert with the fans.

This time, the story is about the connection between Toka's past and future.

─ ─ How did you feel when you heard that "Grisaia: Phantom Trigger The Animation Stargazer" would be released as a theater piece?

Sakura: Even before the previous work, the staff told me that they wanted to animate the game as far as they could, so I believed them and kept waiting, and I am very happy to hear that up to Vol. 03 is being animated smoothly. At this rate, I will continue to be a voice actor until all the episodes are animated! I will continue to be involved in the project with this in mind.

─ ─ In that sense, I also like the fact that the crowdfunding will continue the work.

Sakura: Because everyone's support reaches us directly, I feel as if I am determined to respond to it, and I am very grateful for that, and I feel that it is a work of love.

───How about you, Izawa-san and Mimori-san?

Izawa: When I saw the previous film in the theater, I thought it was very cool, the pictures moved well, the characters' expressions changed frequently, and the sound was wonderful. I thought that I was shown a work of great quality. So I was really looking forward to seeing the rest of the series.

So I am very happy to be able to show the third installment in this way, and I myself can't wait to see it in theaters! I can't wait to see it in theaters myself!

Mimori: I am a newcomer to the series, but I saw the posters of Vol. 01-02 in the postrecording studio, and I knew that you were doing it! I knew that you were doing it! But I was disappointed that I had not been invited yet, but this time, Gumi finally made an appearance, and I was really looking forward to it! I felt that it was a long-awaited appearance. It was a long-awaited appearance, and I was thrilled to see Gumi in action.

─ ─ The third volume is a popular episode in the game as well, isn't it?

Mimori: I am very happy!　It's been quite a while since I recorded the game, but I was remembering how I used to play it. I was able to review it in more detail in the animated version because of the dialogue between the characters.

Ayane Sakura

─ ─ Could you tell us about the story of "Stargazer" from the perspective of each character?

Sakura: It's a story about Toka's past and future. I think it is an episode that symbolizes what has happened to Toka and what makes her who she is, as well as how she will move forward in the future after having experienced her past. In that sense, I felt that the number of important elements, including the newly introduced Gumi, increased dramatically.

Izawa: In the previous two works, Mr. Arisaka met the children of SORD for the first time and was confused, surprised, and involved, and before he knew it, the incident was over. But in this work, I felt like I was taking a step forward from a teacher's point of view by accompanying the students to an overseas training camp for the first time. I think the story was about seeing everyone actually fighting, trying to understand what they were doing, and then taking a step forward as an adult to confront the children about what is right and what they should be careful about.

Mimori: This story had many important scenes for Gumi. Why did she meet Toka, who is also a sniper, and what story did she have with Shiho Ariizumi, a senior who is also an observer. ...... I can't say too much (laughs), but my impression is that there were many important scenes.

─ ─ It's all related to the root of this episode, you know. As an introduction, I thought it would be more enjoyable if you knew that Gumi is a fence breaker who escaped from the organization and is being chased by his friends.

Mimori: Due to various schemes, Gumi seems to be on the verge of a pitiful fate, but there are people who are willing to lend a helping hand, ......, and we learn a lot about Gumi.

───Can you tell us about the character you play, taking into account the new things you learned in this episode?

Sakura: As those who have seen the previous episode or played the game know, Toka is really foul-mouthed, like a rabid dog or a rabid cat (laughs). She is a little girl who doesn't really like people and has an air of a loner about her. She may look like a rambunctious child, but I felt that she is a child who has a lot of reasons for being the way she is.

─ Isn't the backbone of a character important when playing a character?

Sakura: I am very grateful for that. I realized once again that character creation should be like this! I realized once again that character creation should be like this. I think that just having a bad mouth or just being unmannered is nothing but an element to be disliked (laughs). This may just be my ego, but in order for people to enjoy a work, I want them to like the character, so I want them to understand that there is a reason why she behaves in this way and talks to others in this tone of voice, and I want the character's life and backbone to be depicted in the work. As an actor, I am very grateful for works that depict the life and backbone of the character.

I couldn't dislike the character from the beginning because I thought there must be something to him.

Sakura That's right. I feel that the fact that I could understand the character later on is a big reason why I was able to work on him without any stress.

─ What did you see in Mr. Arisaka?

Izawa: Mr. Arisaka is in charge of general subjects, so he is an amateur who does not know anything about combat or tactics. However, even such a teacher has his own sense of justice, and because he cares about the children, he does not unilaterally take away what everyone else is working on because it is dangerous.

─ ─ Personally, I thought he was in a position of being a warm-hearted person.

Izawa Ah ha ha. There is definitely a sense of dustiness (laughs). (Laughs). One person is desperately concerned about something that everyone else is completely unconcerned about. Also, I think their reactions are cute. Whenever there was something shocking, such as a frog or a chicken, he reacted by moving all over his face, which I liked.

Suzuko Mimori

─ ─ Since the story takes place in a bleak world, I thought the presence of the teacher mitigated that. Gumi had a distinctive way of speaking, what kind of character was she?

Mimori: Gumi is a very serious and military-like character. She looks very fragile, but inside she is like a Japanese soldier, and her tone of voice is very distinctive (laughs). I hope Gumi's sense of justice doesn't go in the wrong direction. ......" Gumi is the type of person who would give up her life at any cost for the sake of her mission, so her strong sense of justice may go too far. I think I may have gone too far in my sense of justice.

──When you played the role of Gumi, were you conscious of her childishness?

Mimori: I am not extremely small, but Shiho and Toka are around me, and I am always in a junior position, so I was acting as if I was immature and my mind was not fully developed.

The character that caught your attention this time was Rena!

─ ─ We have talked about the high quality of this work several times before, but could you tell us what you particularly want us to see in this work?

Sakura: There are several scenes that left an impression on me, and one of them is the opening scene where Rena is ready for battle. I was surprised at how detailed the scene was, even during the postrecording.

Also, what I noticed during the postrecording was how naturally Toka was kneeling on Rena's lap!　The distance between the two women is very strange. They talk to each other, but their backs are always in each other's arms. I felt that their trust in each other's arms was reflected in their kneeling on each other's lap, and I was watching the scene thinking that it was a nice cut.

─ Rena was a bit of a lark this time, though (laughs).

(laughs) That's right. But she was very active in other episodes.

Mimori: She was eating ramen noodles (laughs).

Sakura You often eat something (laughs).

Izawa I am a little bit in the same boat, but I was impressed by Rena. Rena and Maki are in a stay-at-home position this time, and the way they interacted with each other was like a puppy in a cardboard box. Master (*Harth) hasn't come back yet, when is he coming back?　It was soothing to see the two of them playing with each other like that.

The expedition team was in a tense situation, but I felt that the cheerful exchanges between Rena and Maki in between were very nice. I think it is also cute that Rena, who would dry up without Aoi (Harto), maintains her ego thanks to Maki's presence.

Sakura When Rena says something to Maki on the bench, I wondered if the girls on the street could understand what she was feeling. I don't understand it at all (laughs).

(Everyone laughs).

(Laughs) I thought it was interesting to see what kind of girl Rena was.

Mikako Izawa

─ ─ For those who watch from here, I would like you to watch the previous work as well about Rena and Maki and Hurt. How about you, Mimori-san?

Mimori: The scenes where Dr. Arisaka is pushed around from time to time were interesting. He is the only ordinary person, so he is a person who sees things from the same perspective as we do. So I felt sorry for him as I watched the scene (laughs).

─ ─ That was a healing point, wasn't it? Now, this work is supported by the fans, so do you have any final message for them?

Sakura I think it is thanks to your support that we have been able to see the characters moving so well. That is why we, the cast members, have been able to put so much energy into performing the daily lives of Rena, Toka and the other characters. We hope that you will enjoy "Stargazer" as well as the previous work and the game, as we will continue to create this work together with you.

Izawa: We are very happy to hear that so many people have supported us through crowdfunding, and we are aware of the high expectations for this work. This is a high quality work that will not disappoint your expectations. Although there are many concerns in this day and age, I hope that you will immerse yourself in the world of this work at the theater, on the big screen, and with loud sound.

There are many elements that will make you fall in love with the work even more, such as the appearance of many new characters and a deeper look into the backbones of the previous characters, so I would be happy if you could step into the world of "Grisaia Phantom Trigger" with me.

Mimori: Having so many people support us through crowdfunding makes me realize the history of this series and the depth of the fan base. As an actor, I am very grateful that the game alone is such a voluminous story on a grand scale, and now that it has been animated, it has been further elaborated. I felt as if I became one with Gumi through this experience. I was very happy to be able to appear in the animation for the first time. Thank you very much!

(Interview and text by Junichi Tsukagoshi)

Work information】】
Grisaia: Phantom Trigger The Animation Stargazer
Screening starts: November 27, 2020 (Friday) in theaters

＜The work is one of the most popular and popular games in the original series.
The episode of the snipers, one of the most popular in the original game, will be screened in theaters as "Grisaia: Phantom Trigger THE ANIMATION Stargazer"! The characters are designed by Akio Watanabe, known for his work on the < Monogatari> series. The character design is by Akio Watanabe, known for his < Monogatari> series and other works. The original story and production company, Front Wing, has received a total of 2,340 supporters from Japan and abroad through cloud funding, attracting attention as an animation created with fans.

In addition to Ayane Sakura, Marei Uchida, Kaori Nazuka, Atsumi Tanazaki, Aino Nanjo, Mikako Izawa, and Tsubasa Dainaga, Suzuko Mimori will be joining the cast! A gun action battle where the past and future intersect!

＜Synopsis
Every time a girl shoots her way through the past, she becomes an adult.

Toka, a sniper from Mihama Academy, a special skills training school, heads to a remote island in the Philippines for a joint overseas training camp with St. Yale School for Foreigners, along with members of SORD, a private contracted operative agent training organization. However, he gets caught up in the "trouble" of a top-secret operation aimed at destroying an arms smuggling ring, and ends up joining a mission to track down Gumi, a deserter from St. Yale. On her mission, Toka encounters memories of her parents and an unfulfilled promise to her old friend Shiho, and she begins to think about Gumi's circumstances. What is Toka's answer to these intersecting questions?

<Staff> Original Story and Production: Front Wing
Original Story/Production : Front Wing (representative work: Grisaia series)
Director : Kosuke Murayama
Planning/Producer : Ryuichiro Yamakawa
Executive Producer/Series Composition : Tensyu

Character Design/ Chief Animation Director: Akio Watanabe (representative work: "Monogatari" series)
Original Design: Ryuta Fujisaki
Website/PV Production: .
Animation Production: Vibri-Animation Studio
Distributor: Kadokawa ANIMATION/MBS Animation
Production: ©Frontwing

＜Cast
Toka Ayane Sakura
Gumi Suzuko Mimori

Rena Uchida Marei
Maki Nanjo Aino
Chris Kaori Nazuka
MURASAKI Atsumi Tanesaki
Akisauri Arisaka Mikako Izawa
HARTO Tsubasa DAINAGA

Sylvia Nagatsuma Juri
Velvet Chiaki Omigawa
Shiho Yoda Natsu
Thanatos Tomonaga Akemi

＜Theme Song
OP theme "Genso no Ranbu" by Maon Kurosaki
ED theme "Nada nagareru rurumama" by Aino Nanjo

Ticket information
Mubichike advance ticket with key visual tapestry (B2 size) for Gamers only.
# Mubicike Advance Ticket

Mubicike Advance Ticket (Card)
# Mubichike Advance Ticket (Card)

Screening Theaters Info.
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