What words do you want to send to Eureka at the end of her 16-year journey? ...... Interview with Kaori Nazuka, who plays Eureka, in commemoration of the release of "EUREKA: Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN High Evolution"!

The "Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN High Evolution" theater series has been developing since 2017. The final film in the series, "EUREKA: Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN High Evolution," which follows the first film "High Evolution 1" and the second film "ANEMONE," will finally be released nationwide on November 26 (Friday).

Starting with the TV animation "Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN" broadcast in 2005, followed by the theater version "Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN: Pockets Full of Rainbows" (released in 2009), "Eureka seveN AO" (2012), and the "High Evolution" trilogy, the long The long journey of Eureka finally comes to an end with "EUREKA: Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN High Evolution".

It has been 10 years since the world of "ANEMONE" - you can find out what has happened during that time by watching the movie carefully.

And I urge you to go to the theater and witness the story of Eureka.

I am sure you will leave the theater with a somewhat refreshed feeling.

We asked Kaori Nazuka, who plays Eureka, to share her thoughts on the film and the character of Eureka, just before the film's release.

Because I had a real conflict with Anemone, we have a relationship that I can still have a real and sweet relationship with her.

Q: What did you think when you saw the key visual for this work?

Nazuka: Quite frankly, I thought that I had met a different type of Eureka from the previous ones. I saw Eureka for the first time when I received the illustration of the character settings, and I was shocked. I think everyone was surprised when they saw the key visual, and I was just as shocked as you were. (laughs).

So I started by wondering how I should play the role of Eureka, and when I received the script, I thought, "I see! I was convinced that I could play the role of Eureka. I was convinced that this expression was right, and I felt that a different Eureka was born.

Q: As with the "High Evolution" series, the "Eureka Seven" series always surprises me, doesn't it?

Nazuka: I really wonder what goes on in director Tomoki Kyoda's head (laughs). I think Eureka's voice changes as she grows up, but this time she was especially strong physically through her training, so I had the feeling that her voice itself would change.

Q: Considering Eureka's voice in the TV series, it must have been very different.

Nazuka: That's right. She had a thin line, but now she has a strong frame, so I feel she is a different person (laughs).

Q: You have played various Eureka characters from childhood to adulthood.

Nazuka: The appearance has changed this time, but I have the impression that the fundamentals haven't changed. ...... She still has the same low ability to communicate with others, the same lack of self-confidence, and the same fear of people around her being unhappy because of her existence, so I felt that part of her was the same as before.

Q: In "ANEMONE," the story is about Eureka who lost Renton and was trapped in a virtual world, and Anemone rescues her, but the story was difficult to tell because of the virtual world. However, the structure of this work was easy to understand: Eureka travels while escorting Iris, who has the same abilities as Eureka. The interaction between Eureka and Iris was very interesting, as they seemed to be like a father and son, or someone who suddenly had a relative's child.

Nazuka: Until now, Eureka has never had this much contact with children, rather she has had adults around her to take care of her and play with her, but in this work, Iris's position is that of the Eureka of the past.

And Eureka travels alone with the two of them, even though it is the first time she has been in contact with a child. ...... I thought that the presence of Iris made Eureka grow up to be very mature. I don't think she was like a mother, but she made me feel like an adult.

They start out awkwardly, not knowing how to approach each other, but even without deep conversations, they gradually grow closer to each other and come to care for each other, which I think is the charm of this work.

Iris has very realistic child-like movements, and I personally sympathize with her and her fretting. ...... It has been 16 years since the TV anime aired, and I thought that viewers from back then who have children now would have a different point of sympathy. I thought that people who watched the TV anime 16 years ago and now have children may have a different point of empathy.

I have a daughter myself, so there are many points that I can relate to. I was directed by the director to say, "You're too convincing, you're too much like a mother" (laughs). I was told, "It's okay for Eureka to be a little more hesitant, but don't say it with a real sense of feeling," so I had to be careful to find the right balance (laughs).

I had to be careful to keep that balance (laughs). But it was mildly amusing, and I saw Eureka getting frustrated (laughs).

Nazuka: There are things that even actual parents and children don't understand each other. Especially children around the age of 10 grow up to know many things outside the home, and adults tend to say things based on their own values (laughs). Certainly, the generation that has experienced such things may be able to relate to many of these things.

ーーWe hit it off directly at ....... How was your interaction with Rina Endo, who plays Iris?

Nazuka: She is very straightforward, and her voice has a childlike quality to it, in a good way. It's like a cute selfishness. ...... Children often make sharp remarks without thinking (laughs), but I thought it was wonderful how her voice carried that honestly and not in a contrived way.

I was able to do the postrecording with her, and she was very hurt and upset, and I thought, "What? I felt that I had to think of all kinds of tricks to get through to Iris, and if I didn't do my best, she wouldn't get it at all. I felt that if I was not good enough, I would not be able to reach Iris at all. So I had to play my part straight as Eureka to move Iris's heart.

You are actually a young actress, but your voice was wonderful because it carried a child-like quality. Another big presence is Ishii, Fuka, and Anemone (cv. Ami Shimizu). How was the relationship between Eureka and Anemone?

Nazuka: In the TV series, they were rivals, or rather, two people who could never understand each other, but in this "High Evolution" trilogy, they became like warriors. In the previous work "ANEMONE," there were still parts where they clashed, but when you are young, your generation and gender are rivals in a good way. No matter how well you get along with someone, there are moments when you envy them or wish for something they don't have, but once you get over that and enter your 30s or so, you become warriors.

Moreover, people who bumped into each other when they were younger tend to remain good friends, or people who they viewed as rivals tend to get along better when they work together. I felt that Anemone and Eureka must have had that kind of relationship.

They started out like that, but in the end they became able to recognize each other and eventually forgave each other, and it was very moving to see how they were able to have a relationship where they could still be honest and sweet to each other because of their honest confrontation.

Q: Is that like that with Ms. Koshimizu, who plays the role of Anemone?

Nazuka: Yes, that's right!　Yuko Sanpei, who plays Renton, and Ami Koshimizu both debuted around the same time, and we have been working together since we were teenagers.

We have never been at loggerheads or had any quarrels, but I feel that when I was a teenager, I had a different awareness of the world than I do now. We talked well together, but we stimulated each other. But now, rather than stimulating each other, we are supporting each other.

If someone is having a hard time, I want to help them, and on the other hand, there are many times when I receive help. Before I knew it, we had become like a family, and now I probably consult with Sanpei-chan and Koshimizu more often than with my parents in my daily life (laughs).

(laughs) - I think this is a very nice comment for fans who have been with the series since the TV series.

We have been working together on the radio for a long time. We were often invited to events together, and we often worked together, so we experienced many things for the first time, and before we knew it, we had been friends for a long time (laughs).

Speaking of long-time friends, the appearance of Moondoggie (CV. Mamoru Miyano), Gidget (CV. Fumie Mizusawa), and Taruho (CV. Michiko Neya) in this film was also a joy for fans from the TV series.

Nazuka: That's right!　Everyone made an appearance this time. I was really impressed by the power of the voices. Just by listening to their voices, I felt "ah! I was so excited just by hearing their voices.

Because of Corona, we couldn't record everyone together this time. But afterwards, when I was shown the video with the voices, I was very excited. I was like, "They're all here! (laughs).

I knew that Moondoggie was a bit of a slacker, and Holland was still a butt.

Nazuka: Yes, that's right (laughs). But I think Taruho became softer because she was pregnant; she was sharp in the TV series, but she became very soft, and I thought it was great that she was gripping Holland with her guts (laughs).

Laughs] In that sense, I felt that it was a work that also made me nostalgic for the 16 years of history. When you heard the voices, did it bring back memories of those days?

Nazuka: I remembered the postrecording at the time!　It was recorded at night, so we all went out for dinner afterwards. The members of Gekko State were like a family, and we chatted and made merry during the recording, so the feeling and atmosphere of the studio was instantly remembered.

But for this film, we didn't have a post-recording launch. It doesn't have to be right away, so I hope we can all get together sometime.

ーーAnd with this film, as Eureka, the journey ends ....... If you were to speak to Eureka now, what would you like to say to them?

Nazuka: Well, I guess. But in this film, Eureka has become so mature that I don't have any words to say to her (laughs). (Laughs.) She had swallowed and wrapped herself up in a lot more things than I did, and she was coming to the final scene.

This may be a spoiler, but there is Eureka's last line, "●●●●, ●●●●●●●." (*Spoilers ahead.) I think that line really says it all. I think that line is really everything. ...... She had been through a lot of hardships and went through a lot, but when she said that line, I thought that she must have really meant it. That made me happy. If Eureka felt that way, I thought it was fine with me.

I am sad that I will no longer be able to play Eureka, but I was happy to hear those words at the end, and I don't think I could have said it any better.

(Interview and text by Junichi Tsukagoshi)

Film information】
■EUREKA / Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN High Evolution
November 26, 2021 (Fri.) Nationwide Roadshow

＜Cast
Eureka Thurston: Kaori Nazuka / Iris Mackenzie: Rina Endo / Ishii, Kazuka, Anemone: Ami Koshimizu
Holland Novak: Tomoyuki Morikawa / Tarjo Novak: Michiko Neya / Moondoggie: Mamoru Miyano / Gidget: Fumie Mizusawa / Woz: Cho
Charles Beams: Jurota Kosugi / Ray Beams: Aya Kugawa / Pea: Toshi Sasaki / Samna Sturgeon: Hiro Shimono / Luli Flame: Megumi Toyoguchi
Misha Stravinskaya: Yoko Sawaumi / Banks: Shinichiro Miki / Greg Bear Egan: Banjo Galaxy
Red Tsu: Ayaka Sengi / Chaim: Megumi Ban / Ex Tiger: Masami Seto / Kira Pomato: M.A.O / Sueno La Tino: Yu Shimamura / La La Land: Sumire Moroboshi
Renton Beams Thurston: Yufuko Sanpei / Dewey Novak: Koichi Yamadera

<Staff> Director: Tomoki Kyoda / Screenplay: Tomoki Kyoda
Director : Tomoki Kyoda / Screenplay : Yuichi Nomura, Tomoki Kyoda / Original Story : BONES / Character Design Original Story : Kenichi Yoshida / Character Design and Animation Director : Masashi Okumura
Main Mechanical Design: Shoji Kawamori / Conceptual Design: Kazutaka Miyatake / Mechanical Design: Kunio Okawara, Yutaka Izubuchi, Junichiro Tamamori
Main Design: Yasuyoshi Uetsu, Yoshinori Sayama, Kimitoshi Yamane, Takayuki Yanase, Masatsugu Saito, Bunyo Katagai, Shingo Takehan / Firearms Design: Shuichi Kaneko / Special Effects Director: Yasushi Muraki
Mechanical Animation Director: Kenta Yokoya / Main Animators: Hideki Kakita, Takeshi Otsuka, Shingo Abe, Nobuaki Nagano / Art Directors: Kazuo Nagai, Takeshi Honjo / Color Design: Nobuko Mizuta / Color Designer.
Editing: Kumiko Sakamoto / Director of Photography: Toshiya Kimura / Sound Director: Kazuhiro Wakabayashi / Sound Effects: Shizuo Kurahashi / Music: Naoki Sato
Theme Song: "Eureka (feat. kojikoji)" by Hentai Gentlemen's Club (TOY'S FACTORY)
Animation Production: BONES
Production: NAMCO BANDAI ARTS, NAMCO BANDAI SEVENS, Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures, BONES, Sammy, MBS
Distributor: Show Gate

<Synopsis
A virtual world in a scab coral (coral-like information life form) created by Eureka. Ten years have passed since the people of the virtual world appeared on this earth with its collapse. As a result of this "great fusion," the humans of the virtual world became the "Green Earth" and the old Earth humans became the "Blue Earth," and they repeatedly clashed with each other under the surface. In order to protect their dignity, Dewey Novak, a high-ranking official of the Green Earth Army, and his comrades decide to carry out a large-scale terrorist plot.
Eureka, hated by the world as the source of chaos, becomes a senior combatant in the A.C.I.D. (Acid), the UN's independent divisional unassigned force. He lives to keep this world in peace. This was Eureka's chosen path of redemption. Eureka receives an order to protect a new "Eureka", a girl named Iris, who has the ability to manipulate scab corals. At first, the two are at odds with each other, but through their lonely escape, they gradually come to understand each other. When the world is faced with a crisis, Eureka takes her power to the extreme and fights. I want to protect Iris and this world. What awaits Eureka at the end of her wish?

(C) 2021 BONES/Project EUREKA MOVIE