The cast is thrilled with the characters drawn by Mel Kishida! Interview with Mainaka Ishimi, Haruka Chisuge, and Yuka Takakura for the spring 2021 anime "BLUE REFLECTION RAY/Mio," which will be linked to the game version.

The TV anime "BLUE REFLECTION RAY/Mio," a completely original story, will begin on April 9, 2021 as a new project by illustrator Mel Kishida, who has drawn beautiful characters in numerous works.

Directed by Risako Yoshida, who has worked on "The Lesser Student of Magical High School: The Visitor Arc", "The Lesser Student of Magical High School the Movie: The Girl Who Calls the Stars", "Lostorage conflated WIXOSS", etc., series composition by Akiko Waba ("Hijine and Masotan", "Bermuda Triangle", etc.), character The character design is by Koichi Kikuta ("Bless This Wonderful World!", etc.), and the animation production ), and the animation is produced by J.C. STAFF.

In anticipation of the upcoming broadcast, we spoke with the three main characters at Tsukinomiya Girls' High School, played by Mainaka Ishimi (Hirahara Hiori), Haruka Sensuga (Hanari Ruka), and Yuka Takakura (Tanabe Momo).

My first impression of Mr. Mel Kishida was ...... that picture!

--Since the original character design for this work is by Mel Kishida-sensei, could you first tell us about your impression of the characters drawn by Kishida-sensei, including those outside of this work?

Ishimi: When I saw your work before, I was impressed by how beautiful, clear, and dainty your drawings were. So I was really happy to be able to voice the character in her work. I hoped that my performance would live up to the charm of her drawings, such as the luster of her hair and the depth of her eyes.

Chisuge: I have known Mr. Kishida's name for a long time. I think the first time I saw it was probably on the cover of Shoko Nakagawa's album "nsum ~Shoko Nakagawa ga utatte-mita! ～I think it was the jacket of Shoko Nakagawa's album "nsum~Shoko Nakagawa sang it! I had also seen the interview articles on the Internet and features in magazines.

Looking at the character design again, it's amazing how you managed to have both a very transparent and raw feel to it. I thought it was full of fetishism (laughs). There are various girls in this work, with different hairstyles, personalities, and facial features, and it is wonderful that each of them has a different charm.

Takakura: The first time I got to know Mr. Kishida was when I saw a picture of him wearing a mask and holding a sword (laughs).

--(laughs) - that picture (laughs). It was hard to believe that he would draw such a wonderful illustration.

Takakura What is it? I was surprised at the gap between the two when I searched for it and found a lot of very cute girls (laughs). (Laughs) But I also think the cute girls that Kishida-sensei draws have a really great sense of transparency. I wonder how she gets such a sense of transparency when she paints them.

Also, on a personal note, ...... the girls that Kishida draws are my type! It's not a case of "there will never be a girl like her. It's not like "there will never be a girl like her. It's not like, "There's no way you'll find a girl like her! It's not realistic, but it feels real. I am very honored to be able to voice the character, and I am looking forward to seeing her in action in the animation.

--Please tell us about the characters you play in this work and what kind of relationships you have with them.

Ishimi: I have the impression that Yousouri is a really nice girl who is bright, innocent, and straight-forward. Her big sister, whom she loves very much, is a person who cares about her thoughts and feelings, so she herself is motivated by "caring about the thoughts and feelings of everyone around her". She has no sense of doing something for others, and has no sense of profit or loss, but rather, when she sees someone in need, her body naturally moves to help. She is a wonderful girl who naturally does for those around her what makes her happy.

Ruka Chisuge is a bit withdrawn and not very good at communication, so she tends to be seen as cool. She may seem like a loner, but deep down she wants to be more involved with others and sometimes reflects on her inability to speak well. She has a personality that seems to be the opposite of Yousauri. How will such Ruka change when she meets Yousouri, who is like a sun goddess and completely different from herself? I think that will be a highlight for Ruka.

--You and Ruka live in the same room in the dormitory, don't you?

Ishimi: Yes, they are roommates. They are roommates. Ruka stops Yousouri from running too fast, and conversely, Yousouri pulls Ruka along and gives her the courage to take a step forward.

Chisuge: We have different personalities, but we make a good team. There are qualities that you don't notice and that you can only see from the other person's point of view. Ruka in particular is the type of person who doesn't see her own good qualities, and Yozuri is the one who makes her realize them.

--Ruka is transferring to a new school, so a girl like Yousouri is even more appreciated.

Chisuge: That's right. On the first day at the new school, when people around her come to talk to her, she is so spontaneous that she can't speak well.

Ishimi: Ruka has a special tempo, and when she is asked a question, there is a pause. There is a pause as if she is thinking about various things, and her answers are a little vague. She has a mysterious relationship with people.

Chisuge: When I played her, I was sometimes directed that if I spoke too naturally, she would say, "I can't speak that much (words). I also understand the feeling of not being able to speak well or thinking too much and losing sight of the timing.

Ishimi: You are modest, or you are not able to express yourself well. There are women like that, aren't there?

Takakura: Yes. It seems very realistic.

--You are in a slightly different position from them, aren't you, Momo?

Takakura: Yes. Momo is older than the two of them, and in the first episode, they only bump into each other on the street. We don't have any relationship yet. However, there are things that only Momo knows, and you can look forward to hearing about them in the future.

Ishimi: She is like a big sister.

--Is she a big sister in terms of personality?

Takakura: Yes, she is. She is like a savage older sister. I am also a former delinquent, so I speak out of turn, but in my mind, I think about things like, "If I say this, it might hurt them," as I interact with them.

--I think you are recording the recording with a small number of people, but are you able to record together?

Ishimi: We often record together. Basically, Ruka and Yousouri record together.

Chisuge: I am thankful that we are able to record our characters at the same time as much as possible.

--What is your experience in working together so far?

Ishimi: My debut anime work was a work with Chisuge ("Tsuki ga Kirei" aired in 2017).

Chisuge: That brings back memories.

Ishimi: I am happy to meet you after a long time in this work. But I still don't know so much about the personal side of both Chisuge and Takakura, so I hope I can talk more with you guys.

Takakura: I'd love to talk more, wouldn't you?

From left to right: Haruka Chisuge, Mainaka Ishimi, and Yuka Takakura

What do you remember about the personalities and school uniforms of the three of you when you were students?

--What were you like when you were students? If you were ex-Yangs like Hundred, I'll leave it a bit muddled.

Takakura: Don't worry. I was not an ex-yan (laughs).

Ishimi: I was completely like Ruka. I couldn't communicate with her at all. ......

Chisuge: Oh, that's unexpected.

Ishimi My elbows didn't seem to be compatible with the range of the desk, and I was the one who often dropped the eraser (laughs).

Sensuge: You bump into the same thing over and over again (laughs).

Ishimi: So the girl sitting next to me would pick it up, but I would only get as far as "A......" as a thank you.

Takakura That's cute! (laughs) I want to pick it up.

Ishimi: I still say "A......" quite often. Maybe I think about how it will be understood before I say the word. When I see someone who can go to the site without worrying about it, I think, "That's nice. It's dazzling.

--Chisugan-san and Takakura-san, were you the type of person who could go hard?

Takakura: I couldn't either. I was rather quiet in high school. I was a mix of Ruka and Yousauri. I don't go "ah......" like Ruka, but I'm not very good at maintaining a sense of distance from others. I was the type of person who would sit alone and wonder if anyone would come, but would feel lonely because no one would come.

Chisuge: Up until junior high school, I was more like Yousouri, the type who enjoyed student life. Then all of a sudden in high school, I went to .......

Takakura What happened! (Laughs)

Chisuge: When I first encountered anime, I suddenly became overly addicted to it, partly because I had not been exposed to it much before, and I would go to animate by myself or sing endlessly during free time at karaoke with my few otaku friends. I was in my own world the whole time, so I guess I would be the "character who doesn't get involved" in the world of these works (laughs).

(laughs) Ishimi & Takakura: Ha-ha-ha-ha!

--What do you think of the school uniforms in this work, which can be said to be the royal road to sailor uniforms?

Chisuge: Well, it's cute!

Ishimi It's refreshing, isn't it? It gives me a feeling of youth.

Takakura I like the ribbons. The sailor uniforms I wore when I was a student were the tie type, so I admire sailor uniforms with ribbons.

Ishimi: I also wore a sailor suit in high school, but it was a bit sad without ribbons, or rather, it was surprisingly plain (laughs). I thought it would have been cute if they had ribbons.

(laughs) -- Was it prohibited by school rules to wear ribbons by yourself?

Ishimi: In my generation, the school rules were very strict, so it was not allowed. Cardigans of any color were fine for the older students, but the school had a designated color for my generation.

Chisuge: I had a blazer, but it was the same old design. It was not fashionable. But I thought that this kind of austere design would bring out my youthfulness. (laughs).

Takakura: That's amazing. You must have been enlightened (laughs).

Chisuge: Now I wish I had worn something cute.

Takakura: I would have taken the entrance exam just because I wanted to wear that school uniform, you know.

--Lastly, I would like to ask you about something related to the work. One of the key words of this work is "strength of thought. What do you strongly think about?

Ishimi: "I want to be able to perform better! I always think "I want to be able to perform better! Whenever I watch or listen to the plays of my seniors whom I admire, I get inspired. I wonder how I can become such a good actor. My "favorite thing" for the longest time in my life has been acting. I had tried dancing and many other things, but they all didn't last. ...... The only thing that I have been able to continue with a strong passion for is my work, acting.

Chisuge: In terms of this work, I really want to get together with everyone someday. When I look at the completed video, I feel that each one of us was really dedicated to the characters. However, since we recorded separately, there are people I haven't had a chance to talk to yet. I hope that someday there will be a place where we can get together to talk about the work and share our thoughts and feelings.

Takakura That's so true. I guess so. ...... I would love to see Mel Kishida's work in motion. I'm looking forward to the anime.

--I'm looking forward to the anime! You mean your drawings in the anime. I thought you wanted to see Mel Kishida himself in action.

Chisuge: That's what I thought too (laughs).

Takakura That's not a problem (laughs). You don't have to hold the sword in front of me. If you do, I'll be surprised! I would be so excited. I'd rather see more of your drawings, so I'd like to see you publish a book of your drawings. I would definitely buy it if it came out.

--I would definitely buy it if it came out. Thank you very much!

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Kenichi Chiba)

Program Information

TV animation "BLUE REFLECTION RAY/Mio

<Broadcast Information
Broadcasting will begin on April 9, 2021 in the "Anime-ism" slot!
MBS: Every Friday from 25:55
TBS: Every Friday from 25:55
BS- TBS: Every Friday from 26:30 (first broadcast only on April 11 (Sun.) from 27:00)
AT-X: Every Tuesday from 23:00 (starting on April 13)
　Repeat broadcasts: Every (Thu.) 11:00 / Every (Mon.) 17:00

<Distribution information
Preliminary distribution on dAnime Store: April 9, 2021 (Fri.) 26:30~.
Other distribution sites will follow soon!

<Staff> Original story: Koei Tecmo Game Co.
Original story: "BLUE REFLECTION: The Sword of Genki ni Mau Shoujo" by Koei Tecmo Games, Inc.
Director：Risako Yoshida
Series Composition/Screenplay : Akiko Waba
Character Planning：Mel Kishida
Character Design：Koichi Kikuta
Sound Director: Miwa Iwanami
Sound Production: Magic Capsule
Music: Daisuke Shinoda
Opening Theme Song: EXiNA (SACRA MUSIC)
Animation Production: J.C.STAFF

<Cast

Hirahara Yousori: Mainaka Ishimi
HANARI Ruka: CHISUGA Haruka
Tanabe Momo: Takakura Yuka
Shirakaba Miyako: Hitomi Owada
Hirahara Migen: Ueda Rena
Nina Yamada: Nina Tamaki
Poetry Komakawa: Rui Tanabe
Shino Mizusaki: Shiori Izawa

＜Introduction
This is a story of connecting sparkling "feelings".

Joy, sadness, anger.
The power of human feelings is something that everyone possesses, but which is invisible to the eye.
Sometimes that power can even change the world.

Hirahara Hiori is a positive person who cannot leave anyone in need,
Ruka Hanari is a clumsy girl who does not know how to get along with others even when she tries.
The encounter between these two contrasting girls is a story of their own and of the world around them,
How will their encounter change themselves and the world?

Released in 2017 under the Gust brand of Koei Tecmo Games, "BLUE REFLECTION" is a game about two girls who meet in an encounter that changes them and the world.
The game is based on "BLUE REFLECTION: The Sword of the Girl Who Dances in Genesis," which was released in 2017 under the Gust brand of Koei Tecmo Games,
This TV animation will be developed as a new "BLUE REFLECTION Project".

A new world begins.