Anime "Kizuna no Ariru" Unit Interview Part 1: "BRT5" Yuri Matsuoka (Niska), Ranfei (Jesse), Yuka Yoshiki (Ellie), Hina Natsume (Sara), and Hinaki Yano (Hal) Special Talk [PR].

In addition to the unit "PathTLive" whose story up to its formation was depicted in the first season, new members "BRT5," "VICONIC," and "3DM8" were introduced in the second season. Along with the story of how the Virtual Grid Awards and ADEN Seed main competition, which takes place during the unit battles, each unit's music and music video-like live performances also attracted attention.

Akiba Research Institute conducted interviews with each unit to commemorate the Arills XR Live ( # ), which is scheduled to take place on March 8, 2024. In this first installment, we spoke with Yuri Matsuoka (Niska), Randei (Jesse), Yuka Yoshiki (Ellie), Hina Natsume (Sara), and Hinaki Yano (Hal) from the overwhelmingly talented unit "BRT5.

The growth and bonding of BRT5 that began with their departure and was felt with their return

--The second season of the show featured the stories of BRT5 and many other units. First of all, please tell us your impression of this film.

Matsuoka: I felt that it was geared a little too much (laughs). (Laughs) I felt that no matter where you cut to the chase, there were many scenes that directly touched my heart. Above all, the performances were too passionate! As a viewer, I enjoyed every episode.

Ranfei: In the first season, only PathTLive was in the show, but while the show was airing, we were still active as the 15 members of the Alleles Project (Alleles Project), so I felt that the other members had finally appeared in the anime. It is wonderful to see stories outside of PathTLive and the growth of each member.

Yoshiki: Everyone has finally come out at last. 15 members is a lot of people, and at first you may not have understood the characters' personalities and relationships, but as the story progresses, I think you will understand more. I watched the show with a smile on my face as each problem was resolved and everyone was performing with a nice, refreshed look on their faces.

Matsuoka I really appreciated the way they introduced everyone's face and name at the opening.

Natsume I also felt that all 15 members had arrived in full force. I kept saying in the delivery that it would be out soon, but in the end I had to make you wait until the second season. ...... I thought it was a very deep season, with all 15 members finally speaking, and each member's background and the secret story of the unit's formation being told.

Yano: As everyone has said, we've been waiting a long time for this show. 15 members together gives the show more of a flirty feel, and I think the collaborative live performance is also a feature of the second season. I felt that it was wonderful to see everyone grow and take shape as a single unit.

Yuri Matsuoka

--The collaboration live had some unexpected combinations, and each of them had their own drama. Among them, Niska's actions were very important to the story.

Matsuoka: I was not sure if I was allowed to go around so much. As for myself, I wanted to collaborate with all of them. However, only Miraku actually performed a duet in the film. ......12 episodes are really short, aren't they? But Miraku is a girl who gives me a strong sense of the "potential" of ...... virtual artists in the future. The most important thing to remember is that the best way to get the most out of your money is to be careful what you spend it on.

As is the case with ...... Nisca, Mirak is a real drag (laughs).

Yano: The relationship between Jesse and Niska really stung when I saw it. I hate myself for not being able to forgive Niska, the feelings I have when I am angry at her. ...... I think Jessie is a really good girl who can recognize that, and her comments are because she is thinking about Niska. I like that kind of relationship between the two of them.

Yoshiki: The song "Let go," which Jessie collaborated with Hymena (CV. Ruri Arai) on before telling Niska how she feels about her, was also very unexpected. Both Jessie and Hymena are energetic, but they sang in a mellow and melancholy way. I like this kind of unexpectedness.

Ranfei: I was surprised when Niska suddenly left the group, but when she came back and everyone hugged each other, I felt the bond of BRT5. I think BRT5 has grown and become a better unit by coming back after leaving the group.

Matsuoka Starting with the shocking withdrawal, how the story progressed from there was a point of interest, wasn't it?

Natsume: First Niska left and then Quon joined BRT5. I think BRT5 was able to improve because of Quon. I invited him to come, and when he left, I was like, "Here you go" (laughs), but I think Nisca was able to come back because of Quon.

Yuka Yoshiki

Some of the collaborative songs are a combination that I thought was unexpected

--Since you mentioned collaboration songs, I would like to ask about each collaboration song. First of all, that collaboration song "Let go" by Jessie and Hymena. How did you feel when you sang it?

Ranfei: When we recorded this song, I didn't know what kind of story would unfold with Hymena or what kind of girl she was. The tune was a gentle ballad that warmed my heart, so during the postrecording of the anime, I thought, "What? I was surprised that the girl who sang this gentle song (my collaborator) was such a messy girl" (laughs). But as the story progressed, I realized how gentle Hymena was, and I was glad that this song was a collaboration between the two of them.

--And both Nisca and Sara are singing with Miraku (CV. Ayumi Hihara). The collaboration song between Niska and Miraku is "Tell me, Sympathy" and the collaboration song between Sara and Miraku is "Unfinished Fate. Please tell us about your impressions of each song and the recording process.

Matsuoka: When I first received "Tell me, Sympathy," I thought, "Miraku and Niska duet on this tune? What's going to happen?" I was both excited and anxious. I couldn't imagine how they would work together. However, I was very happy to see that they got into each other more perfectly than I had imagined.

The scene just before the performance of the song, in which he suddenly confesses his suspicions on the boat, was shocking (laugh), but I really like that scene in which he confides his feelings to the other person while slowly walking up to him. The flow of "Tell me, Sympathy" leading up to the confession was also great and I couldn't get enough of it.

Natsume: Sara is the type of girl who always pushes herself to the limit, thinking that there is nothing left to do but climb to the top. But when I collaborated with Mirak, I realized once again how much I enjoy music and performance.

So, I recorded "Unfinished Fate" with an awareness of "having fun singing" in addition to the coolness of the previous songs. I was surprised that Mirak, who has a cute image, would sing this song, but when I saw the on-air performance, both of them were cool. After singing the song, I saw Sara's expression soften as the song went on, and I felt that it really reminded me of the fun of live performances.

--Ellie and Hal didn't sing a collaboration song in this anime, but now that you know more about the other characters from the anime, who would you like to collaborate with?

Yoshiki: It would be more interesting to have an unexpected combination.

Matsuoka That's exactly what I mean. A combination of Ellie and Hal would be very unexpected.

Yoshiki Indeed. They have contrasting personalities, so it would be fun to work together. On a personal note, I like Chris a lot, including his character, so I have a wish to collaborate with him (laughs).

Hinaki Yano

Yano: You two have gentle voices, so I think we would fit well together. I think if I collaborated with Jua (cv. Nozomi Nagumo), who has a high tension, it would be noisy, but I think that would be new and nice. She's usually so serious, so I thought a fun, flirty song would be a surprisingly good fit for her personality.

Natsume: "Kizuna no Ariru" doesn't have many songs that are just stories, so I think it would be good for Hal (who eats a lot) to sing a song where he just lists all the food (laughs).

Yano: That's exactly what he did in the film, "Banana Oni no Kyoku" (song about a banana demon) (laughs).

During the recording of "Asunohikari," there was a certain misunderstanding!

--BRT5 showed their ability by performing "Asunohikari" at the beginning of the second season. What were your impressions of this song, episodes during recording, and what did you think of the live scene in the anime?

Matsuoka: I don't have to tell you about the music, but I was also strongly impressed by the incredibly beautiful 3D images that came with the song. Actually, "Asunohikari" was the first "Kizuna no Ariru"-related song I recorded. So, I was so excited to receive such a wonderful song right off the bat that I put my heart into it and worked hard on it. The recording itself was a lot of fun. I was really happy that the song was broadcast on terrestrial TV with such a beautiful video.

Ranfei: The movements of the five members and their singing voices were really cool. I felt that the song was a positive message that allowed the audience to face themselves. I also thought it was great that the performance took place on a lake and that the audience could become anything they wanted to be in the virtual world.

Yano As Yuri said, this was the first song we recorded. We hadn't even recorded the voices yet, and I was still thinking, "What kind of character is Hal? What kind of voice does he have? I was given a really cool song, and I am very grateful to BRT for giving me this song. We received a really cool song, and that was when I learned that BRT5 was a unit like this.

I was the last one to record the song, so I got to hear all the members sing. I had only heard his voice, so I thought he had a cool (voice) and said to the manager, "So there are men too" (laughs).

Matsuoka That's right (laughs). (Laughs.) At first I thought, "All the members are girls, so shouldn't I lean on everyone's voice? I thought it would be better to lean on everyone's voice. But when the five voices are combined, the elements have to be strong to be heard, so I said, "It's okay to go all out. I was given the direction, "It's okay to be as powerful as you want to be. I think that was a good thing.

Natsume: So, after Yuri, I was the next one to record the song. It was the first time for me to sing "Asunohikari" for work, and I was very nervous about recording it for the first time at ...... and after Yurin (Matsuoka-san), so the bar was set very high for me. I remember I sang desperately trying not to lose to Yurin's voice. In a way, I'm glad I did, because it turned out to be cool in combination with Sarah's desperation.

Yoshiki: BRT5 has different voices and different characters. Yuri has a cool voice and Jessie has a very cute voice, so I thought I would use a gentler voice for Ellie. ...... The result is a very good balance. The first thing that comes to my mind is that the BRT5 is a cool unit that is different from PathTLive's cuteness and brightness, I think we were able to create that kind of overwhelming atmosphere.

The charm of Arills is that as artists, they are different from the rest.

--As I mentioned at the beginning, you are also active as the Arills. Please tell us about the appeal of Arills and some of the most memorable moments in your career so far.

Ranfei: When I was first assigned to a team, I didn't work with the BRT5 members, but with members I had only briefly crossed paths with on the recording, so I was a bit worried. But all the members of Arills are kind and warm, and I think the charm of Arills is that any combination can be great.

Yoshiki: Since Arills is basically a live streaming group, we only communicate with our viewers through comments, but at AnimeJapan 2023, we had a chance to talk directly with them and take pictures together. I was able to talk directly with them and take pictures with them at AnimeJapan 2023. I really felt that these people were watching us. I think that was the first time you and Haru (Mr. Yano) worked together.

Yano Yes, that's right. That was the first time.

Yoshiki I thought the difference in height between Hinaki and Hal was amazing (laughs). I was also impressed by the fact that Hal was dancing in front of me because he is good at dancing. I had a lot of fun at "AnimeJapan.

Yano I had fun too.

Matsuoka Although Arills is a virtual artist, it is a different project that calls itself an XR artist, so I think there is a world that we can walk together in a different way than other artists.

Mr. Ranpue

Ranfei: PathTLive was singing in front of real fans.

Matsuoka: (Virtual artists) usually don't show their inner person to this extent. Therefore, I think it is easier to see the passion, including the struggle and anguish. I would like people to pay attention to that aspect.

Yano: But because I am not on the show as a virtual artist, there are things I can do with the help of Hal. I enjoy saying things that I normally would never say, and I think that the WithLinkers (a collective term for Arills' fans) who watch us also enjoy that. I feel like I'm bringing out a side of myself that I didn't know existed. That being said, this is the first time for me to wear a full-body suit (for motion capture), and I am having a lot of different experiences.

Natsume: Arills started its activities in February 2023, and for me, I went through Team Dark and Team Rock before finally getting to perform in BRT5. I think there are some aspects that I would not have realized if I had only done BRT5 from the beginning, so I felt as if I had come together through a warrior training program. I think that we were able to show Sarah, who has been raised to a higher level by bringing together the elegance and bewitching quality gained through Team Dark and the coolness and vigor gained through Team Rock, at the unit live performance held on December 29.

--It is a long time coming for the members of BRT5 to be together, isn't it?

Yano That's right. Because the recording was dispersed, it was not possible for all five of us to do the postrecording together. We were able to get together for the first time at a lesson the other day.

Our dream is to perform at live concerts and festivals as a group of 15, and to go global!

--Yoshiki: Even though there were not many opportunities for all five of you to be together, did your impressions of each other change through the activities of the Arills and the recording of the anime?

Yoshiki: My impression of them as Arills came first, so when the anime aired, I was like, "No, they're too different! (laughs). (Laughs.) Like Sarah, they are the exact opposite, aren't they?

Yano: What happened to Ellie's usual impression (as Arills)? (Laughs)

Yoshiki: The delivery of Arills needs to entertain everyone, so I thought a quiet Ellie was not good enough.

Matsuoka You're not actually a "secretive Yoshiki" by saying that, are you? (Laughs.) Yoshiki.

Yoshiki (laughs) As an XR artist, I wondered about the ratio between Ellie and Yuka Yoshiki, or how much of the inside person should be revealed. I think everyone was conflicted about the ratio between Ellie and Yuka Yoshiki as XR artists. We discussed it with the staff. It was a difficult balance.

Matsuoka It was very interesting to see the characters that emerged as a result of everyone's trial-and-error, all-out effort, and spinning out of control. Sometimes, the characters are loved for a long time.

Yano: Team Electro with Yuri was too conservative and it was like a wake at first (laughs).

Natsume I was talking with everyone on Team Dark about how everyone on Team Electro was so faithful to the original work. Maybe Team Dark was just too dangerous (laughs).

Hina Natsume

Matsuoka: On the contrary, everyone (on Team Electro) said to us, "Dirk is terrible. Is it OK? We were talking about it, weren't we?

Yano Yes. It's amazing.

Natsume: It's amazing that Hal doesn't seem to have deviated from the original work yet. She's a gourmand and energetic, and I feel that she's very similar to Hinäki.

Yano: I guess they have the same inner secrets.

Ranfei Team Dark was shocking and made a strong impression on me as well. The members Sarah (Natsume) and Ellie (Yoshiki) were also different from their characters when it came to the Arills' delivery. I think the coolness and gentleness in the anime, combined with the fun in Arills, made them better characters.

Matsuoka Jesse is so cute because he went through the team cuteness. If the initial team assignments had been different, the way everyone would have been different, and if I had been on Team Dark, I might have been a different Niska image. It's interesting to imagine.

--Finally, what are your hopes for the future, including Arills' activities and the anime?

Yano: The anime has ended for now, but I believe that the activities of Arills that we have accumulated and what we have built up in the anime will lead to the future. There are also collaborative live performances that all Wizlinkers would like to see. So I would be very happy if you would continue to support Arills in the future.

Natsume: In February, all 15 members of Arills participated in the debut live broadcast, but since then, we have not had a live broadcast or live performance by all 15 members, so I hope we can do something together again. I would like to do something with all of us again. I hope that we will not stop at this unit live performance, but will continue to do various kinds of live performances, both virtual and real. Since the contents are close to Wizlinker, I think it would be fun to do something based on your voices.

Yoshiki: We've had a lot of good songs written for both the anime and Arills. However, we have only been able to showcase them once or twice, so it would be great if we could hold a real live concert with 15 people and deliver them directly to the audience. Also, the team chairs have been performing in order from PathTLive and stopped at Niska, so I would like to hear everyone else's versions of the songs.

Lanfei: This is just my ambition, but I am from China, so I would like to go global if possible. Arills also has an account on bilibili, and the videos we upload to YouTube are also posted on bilibili. We will do our best to expand our business to China and the rest of the world!

Matsuoka: As I listened to what everyone had to say, it got me thinking that I would like to invite outside artists to join us for an "Arills Fest". As I have learned through my activities as a virtual artist and XR artist, there are many things in this world that you cannot grasp unless you try to grasp them. I strongly felt that it is not easy to be found by someone.

That is why I hope to grab it together with everyone through this project and the music I love. If other artists are inspired to create a stage with us, I think it will open up new possibilities that we have not yet seen, and I would be very happy if we could have an "Arills Fest"!

(Interview and text by Kenichi Chiba)