Cast interview in commemoration of the broadcast of the second season of the fall anime "Kizuna no Ariru"! No.15 Yuna Kitahara (Sophia) [PR].

As an anime project of the world's first virtual YouTuber "Kizuna Eye", the first season of the anime "Kizuna Ariru" was broadcast from April 2023.

Following the first season, which can be said to be an introduction to the story of Miraku, a girl who follows Kizuna Eye's back and aspires to become a virtual artist, and her friends, the long-awaited second season will begin in October.

Akiba Research Institute continues to push this work, in which reality and virtuality cross over, to the hilt. We will be releasing daily interviews with the members of PathTLive, formed by the main character Miraku, as well as with the cast of the virtual artists who will appear in the second season.

The 15th and final relay interview is with Yuna Kitahara (Sophia) of 3DM8 (3DM8)!

───Please tell us how you felt when you were chosen to perform in this film.

Kitahara: It may sound like a common word, but "I was so happy. That's all I can say. I had hoped to be involved not only in acting, but also in singing and dancing, so I was really, really happy when I was chosen to appear in "Kizuna no Ariru". I think it is a miracle that I was chosen out of so many possibilities. Now that I have been chosen, I will do my best to make sure that the audience will be happy to have her in the film.

─ Please tell us about the character Sophia.

Kitahara I think she is a mysterious genius who has been a genius programmer since she was a child. And yet, she is a strong girl. When I talk about her, I call her "Sophia-chan" or "Sophia," but when I talk about her again, I think it would be more appropriate to call her "Sophia-san.

─ What was your first impression of Sophia?

Kitahara My first impression was "How many faces does she have? That was my first impression. When I received the material, it said "Sophia is cool and mysterious, but she also has a mischievous side," and I had a hard time connecting cool and mischievous in a single character. What does it mean to be cool but mischievous? I was like, "What does it mean to be cool and yet mischievous? When I actually started working with her, it finally became clear to me. She is really cool but mischievous! And just as I had imagined, she was cool because she had many faces. I think that mysterious and elusive quality is one of her charms.

─ What kind of unit is "3DM8"?

Kitahara Each of the three is a free spirit. I think we are a group of three really free spirits. But then, how are we as a team? But I think that 3DM8 is a group of people who each have a strong sense of self and the ability to shine even as solo performers. When the strong light of each individual is gathered together, they shine individually and also shine strongly as a team, and I think this is a new type of existence.

─ ─ Please tell us about any episodes you had with the "3DM8" members during recording sessions or when recording songs.

Kitahara Actually, I have rarely done postrecording with all the members together, so until the work was completed, I was excited to see how it would turn out. I was excited to see how it would turn out. I basically record alone in the booth, but I often sing while listening to the voices of the other members who recorded before me, so I really like that feeling of being able to record while feeling their presence. Whenever I listen to the finished sound recording, I always think, "Our team's song is great!

───Are there any episodes from the postrecording sessions, including those of the other unit members?

Kitahara It was nice to meet all the new people at the recording studio, so I was always nervous when I went to the studio, thinking "Today, there are new people to meet at ....... Everyone at the "Kizuna no Ariru" studio, including the staff, was so kind and warm that I was able to enter the booth with a good sense of nervousness every time, and I learned a lot from them. I learned a lot from them. After the recording, I enjoyed chatting with the other girls who were waiting in turn, and we would get so excited that we were even more excited than during the recording. It was also fun to have such a lively conversation with the girls who were waiting in turn after the recording.

─ What is your impression of Kizuna Ai, who is an important character in this work?

Kitahara I had the image of her as a pioneer in the virtual world, active across the boundaries between the virtual world and the world we live in. I was worried about whether our existence would be accepted by the people who love Kizuna Ai, but I was more concerned about cherishing the many bonds that Ai has created with us! But more than that, we want to cherish the many bonds that Ai-chan has created with us! Therefore, we try to face the baton we received from Ai-chan with the feeling that we want to pass it on in a way that we can do because we are Ai-chan.

─ What do you think are the highlights and interesting aspects of the anime "Kizuna no Ariru"?

Kitahara I think the gap between the Alleles on YouTube, where they have been active up until now, and the Alleles in the anime is very interesting.

They can do such things! You will definitely see a different side of them from the way they are usually seen. Please enjoy our new charm!

─ What do you think is unique about the second season of the "Kizuna no Ariru" anime?

Kitahara In the first season, the main characters were the five members of PatTLive, but from the second season, the 15 Alleles will finally be all together. When I saw the key visual, I thought that the colorful personalities of all the members would make a spectacular lineup. I hope you will enjoy watching the story spun by all the members of ......, including new friendships, conflicting feelings, and the bonds between each unit, until the very end, and feel like you have danced with us.

─ In addition to appearing in animated films, you are also active as the XR artist project "Alleles" on the YouTube channel. What kind of activities would you like to do as "Alleles" in the future?

Kitahara The beauty of XR artists is that they are not separated from the virtual world and the real world, but can move back and forth between both worlds. The virtual world has its advantages, and the real world has its advantages. However, there are things that can be done in the virtual world that cannot be done in the real world, and vice versa. While incorporating the charms of these two worlds, I hope that more and more people will become aware of the Alleles Project, and that one day we will be able to hold events and live performances in large venues, both virtual and real.

─ ─ Finally, do you have a message for the readers of Akiba Research Institute?

Kitahara Thank you for reading to the end. Kizuna no Ariru" has many unique members. Not only the characters, but also the cast members are all very unique, and it is always a pleasure to meet them. I am very happy that the day when the story of the Alleles will be delivered to you is approaching, and I am excited to see how you will react to it. We will continue to work hard together, and I hope you will support us in our various activities in the world of animation, YouTube, etc.

＜Broadcast Information

TV Tokyo October 4, Wednesday midnight 24:00~.
TV Osaka October 4, Wednesday at 1:35 am -
TV Aichi October 4, Wednesday at 2:05 a.m.
Animax Saturday, October 14, 9:30 a.m.

<Cast

PathTLive
Miraku: Ayumi Hihara
Quon: Rina Kawaguchi
Chris: Hikari Kodama
Noel: Yuzuka Nukui
Liz: Arisaki Hanawa

BRT5
Nisca: Yuri Matsuoka
Jessie: Ran Fue
Ellie: Yuka Yoshiki
Sarah: Hina Natsume
Hal: Hinaki Yano

VICONIC
Jua: Nozomi Nagumo
Seah: Tsukino

3DM8
Hymena: Ruri Arai
Zoe: Nawa Furuhata
Sophia: Yuna Kitahara

Kizuna Ai: Kizuna Ai

Auris: Maazumi Tazawa
Ada:Kana Ueda

<Staff
Director : Kenichiro Komaya
Series composition：Deko Akao
Character Design : Shiori Asaka / Fumina Morita
Chief Animation Director : Shiori Asaka / Futatsuna Morita / Mizuki Takahashi
Prop Design: Kai-Qi Dan
Color Design: Mitsuko Sekimoto
Art Director: Masakazu Miyake
Art Director: Masakazu Miyake ・ Art Setup: Kazushige Kanehira / Yuri Sanami / Hitoyuki Ogi
CG Director: Ryo Sasaki
Director of Photography: Mayuko Koike
Editing: Junichi Masunaga
Sound Director: Hitoshi Akutagawa
Sound Effects: Yui Ando
Music: Tsuyoshi Sakabe
Animation Production: WIT STUDIO × Signal M.D.

Second Season Opening Theme
Perfect World! (Sung by PathTLive)

Second season ending theme
Jankenhoi! (Sung by #kzn)

<Distribution information
Bandai Channel, Hulu, TELASA, J:COM On Demand Megapack, milplus, Smart Pass Premium, dAnime Store, NETFLIX, U-NEXT, Anime Unlimited, Prime Video, DMM TV, FOD Premium, Flat Video, ABEMA, Nico Nico Live, Lemino, Animax on Demand

XR Artist Project "Alleles
What is XR Artist Project "Alleles"?

Dive into "i" Let's dive into it, into the me you want to be.
This is a project in which 15 members with different origins and personalities from the TV anime "Kizuna no Ariru" will dive into the virtual world and grow up.

(c)KA/Kizuna no Ariru PJ (c)Kizuna no Ariru Production Committee