Interesting relationships between characters that are not bumpy, but bumpy! A special talk between Yoko Hikasa and Yui Ishikawa to commemorate the new "Monstar Anime"!

The "Monster Strike" anime (hereafter referred to as "MonSt anime") is now available on YouTube. The latest episode, "Lucifer: Fallen Angel of the Rebellion," episode 13, "Lucifer, the Fallen Angel, Begins! has started to be distributed.

To commemorate the distribution of this work, in which new characters have been introduced and we can enjoy more exciting and thrilling developments than ever before, we asked Yoko Hikasa, who plays Lucifer, and Yui Ishikawa, who plays the new character Zephon, to talk about the charms of the work.

MonSt Anime" is a highly finished anime that you can enjoy!

Q: What is your impression of the fact that you can watch anime on YouTube?

Yui Ishikawa (Ishikawa): I thought it was a luxury that anyone can watch anime on YouTube. On TV, you can only watch it at that time, but on YouTube, you can watch it anytime you want. I thought that the popularity of the show in many countries made it possible for people all over the world to enjoy it in this format.

Yoko Hikasa (hereafter, Hikasa): I have a strong image of anime as something that is broadcast on TV, but I feel that the times have changed with the release of anime on YouTube. I feel that such an era has arrived. But now that I'm involved in it, I feel like I want to recommend it to many people. I hope that more and more people around the world will watch it.

Q: I get the sense that the era of watching TV alone is definitely disappearing.

Hikasa: "MonSt Anime" is a very high quality anime, so I thought that if it was distributed and shown on TV at the same time, it would be possible to cover everything. Some people are zapping on TV, so there is a possibility that it will catch their attention. I also watch programs that catch my eye, so I wonder if more people will become aware of anime in that way.

(*Note: Broadcasting will begin in September 2018 on Kids Station's "MonSt TV")

Ishikawa: The content is easy to watch, and since the anime is based on a smartphone app, there are quite a lot of characters, but there are no difficult terms.

Hikasa That's what's great about it!

Ishikawa: Even if you don't know what "MonSt" is, you can enjoy the anime, so I think it's a waste not to watch it because you don't know. I want more people to watch it.

Hikasa: But if it's on YouTube, it must be for young people, right?

Children from toddlers to junior high school students watch a lot of YouTube.

Hikasa: YouTubers are what kids want to be, right?

Q: Do the two of you who appear in "MonSt Animation" have the impression that children are watching you?

Hikasa Not really.

Ishikawa: I haven't been on yet, so I have to go to ...... (smiles). (*Note: The interview was conducted before the appearance of Zephon.)

Hikasa The first time I saw the fans was at "XFLAG PARK 2018" (an event held at Makuhari Messe from June 30 to July 1, 2018) when they made a surprise announcement that Lucifer would be beastified. I knew it was the ...... adults who were saying "Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

(Everyone laughed).

Ishikawa: It wasn't children, was it?

(laughs) Hikasa But I was happy to see so many people who were happy. Oh, but at the screening held in August, I saw some customers who were there with their parents and children!

Q: I want people who have played the game to watch the "MonSt Anime," and "Lucifer: Fallen Angel of the Rebellion" (episodes 1-12) was very interesting even if they don't know the game.

Hikasa: Each episode is also quite short; you can watch all 12 episodes in about 2 hours, so I don't think it will take up too much of your time. The new series is not very long in total, so you can watch it in your spare time, and the story is very well organized in a short time!　The story is well told in a short period of time!

Ishikawa: I was also surprised when I heard the total time. I thought there was only that much time.

Hikasa It seems to be very rich and voluminous.

Ishikawa Many things are going to happen this time, too. ......

Hikasa Yes, yes. So the story is really good!　There are some gags, and then you wonder how this foreshadowing is connected to this part. And at the end, there is a part that makes you cry.

Ishikawa: It is a very high level of perfection as an animation!　 I also watched the first 12 episodes, and Lucifer's kindness touched my heart. Even the part in the middle where he plays against Uriel and his friends, I was absolutely sure that Lucifer would have something to do with it! And. I could feel that he was fighting for his friends, and it made me squeamish.

Hikasa: He didn't fall because he did something wrong, but rather because he had no choice. I was also surprised because I could understand that they fell to protect him.

Ishikawa: I think the story is more interesting because it is connected to the current story.

The great enemy is hunger! Post recording at the end of the day

Q: Could you introduce the characters you are playing again?

Hikasa: As you all know, Lucifer is the king of the fallen angels, but during episodes 1 to 12, it was before he fell, so I was asked to forget about Lucifer, the fallen angel I had played so far. They wanted me to enjoy fighting and to be full of vigor.

So it was hard to take it there. ...... Lucifer is like this! I had already created this kind of image, so it was quite a challenge. But from episode 13, Lucifer is after his fall, so I went back to the Lucifer I used to do, and it was like starting from a place where it was very easy.

Also, although he has been completely hidden lately, he has always been positioned as a slow, lazy, and troublesome character. But he fights well, and even breathes in "Ha! (laughs). (Laughs.) I think that the character of Lucifer has been expanding in my mind since he has been animated and has more appearances in the film.

I see.

Hikasa: The base of the character is that he is lethargic, and he speaks without hesitation, leaving the hurrying to those around him. I don't usually include breaths of surprise or attacks. I let the pictures do the work for me. So when there was a scene where only Lucifer was surprised while Zephon was not, we discussed it a little. I asked, "Zephon is not surprised, but do you want Lucifer's voice in the scene? I asked him, "Well, I'll put both voices in. Then he said, "Well, let's put both! and I got Mr. Ishikawa involved (laughs).

LOL. How about Zephon?

Ishikawa: As you can see from his appearance, Zephon is a cool and calm character. He is working together with Lucifer, but it is more like they are only together because they are on a mission, rather than being close. He is a rather tsun tsun character, but as the story progresses, he starts to show a little more emotion. In the end, I have the impression that he was shouting, so I think he is a character that will grow in this story.

Q: "It seems that Xephon has a lot of action.

Ishikawa: He was fighting a lot towards the end. It seems that Zephon is characterized by his quickness, and he was fighting like "ba-ba-ba-ba-ba! So it was difficult to confirm how he was fighting by watching the video. The video was already almost ready at the postrecording stage, but it was worth watching on its own, so I thought it would have been brushed up even more in reality.

Q: In episode 13, it seemed like Zephon couldn't hold back and immediately tried to take you down.

Ishikawa: He is very bloodthirsty (laughs). When he encounters an enemy, he is the first to come forward and say, "I'll defeat him! When he meets an enemy, he is the first one to go forward and say, "I will defeat you! She is a motivated and straightforward girl.

Hikasa: In episodes 1 through 12, she and Uriel (CV. Mikako Komatsu) and the others were very well matched, but Zephon and Intendant, who go forward saying, "I'll defeat you! Zephon, the intellectual and free spirit Beelzebub, and Lucifer, who goes at his own pace. (Laughs.) That's what makes them so interesting. They are all going their own way, so I thought this was an interesting team dynamic.

Q: Is there anything unique about the postrecording atmosphere for "MonSt Anime"?

Hikasa: Well, you know, when I interviewed ...... at the beginning, I was told that the staff bought delicious sandwiches or onigiri (rice balls) for us every time because "MonSt Anime" was recorded late at night.

Ishikawa Oh?　Is it ...... this time?

Hikasa: That was not the case!　So we ran out of something unique! After recording until about 11 p.m., we were too hungry and said, "We can't go home like this!" So I ate shabu-shabu with Natsumi Fujiwara (who played Yoel) before going home (laughs). (Laughs.) There are a lot of fight scenes, which require a lot of concentration, so I am always hungry!

Q: I often hear that action scenes require a lot of energy, and it is true.

Hikasa: It was like I was using the last of my strength for the day to perform "MonSt Anime"! It was like that. The end of the day! It's the last of the day.

Ishikawa: And it was like an ad-lib festival at the end. Everyone was saying "Wooooooooo!

Hikasa Yes, yes, yes. But because we were soldiers or something, women were asked not to appear too much.

Ishikawa: The men seemed to have a hard time shouting all the time.

Hikasa I couldn't stand it any longer, so I joined in secretly (laughs).

Ishikawa: I made a loud voice in the back, saying "oh-oh-oh" so that they wouldn't recognize me.

Hikasa: They would get angry if they found out!　I actually got scolded last time (laughs). There are a lot of soldiers, and I'm credited at the top, so I had to do my best! But as a result, I was told, "Mr. Hikasa, you're a bit annoying, so please don't do it again. I'm really sorry (laughs).

(laughs). So, tell us about the highlights of the "MonSt Anime" again.

Hikasa: Are there any more enemies? I mean, I feel that there are a lot of hidden enemies.

Ishikawa: There are some easy-to-understand enemies in the first episode, and then the real enemies are over here! I think there are a lot of hidden enemies.

You always have a good pull, don't you?

Hikasa That's right!　The storyline is about a battle, so of course there are scenes that will make you cry, but it doesn't stop there, so I hope you enjoy the story. Also, Kokumar is very cute!

Ishikawa: He is cute.

Hikasa I love Mr. Cho, so I can't wait to see him playing Kokumar. （He used a lot more power than we did, so I was thinking, "Sandwiches for Cho! I thought (laughs). But from a girl's point of view, he is cute, but if you look at him in a normal way, he might be a character that makes some people angry. ......

Ishikawa: That may be so (laughs). Kokumar may have been cute including Mr. Cho who plays him. It's not that he looks cute. ......

Hikasa: But this time, Kokumar is really playing with me, so please pay attention to Kokumar as well.

(Interview, text, and photos by Junichi Tsukagoshi)