Enjoy the charm of "Konosuba" sound with an orchestra! Behind-the-scenes stories were also shared at the "Bless This Wonderful World! Concert, Night Session Report

The first and second TV anime seasons have been well received, and a movie version is scheduled to be released this year. (a.k.a. "Konosuba"), which is scheduled to be released in theaters this year. The first orchestral event "Bless this Wonderful World! Concert - Applaud this Wonderful Music! ～was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space on Sunday, February 3, 2019. The concert was held twice, once in the daytime and once in the evening, and here we report on the evening performance, "Gospel in the Days of Passion! which focused on music from the second period.

The performers were Jun Fukushima (Kazuma), Ten Amemiya (Aqua), Riyo Takahashi (Megumi), Ai Chino (Daknes), Machico (TV anime OP theme song artist), and Masato Koda (play accompaniment artist). The Tokyo New City Orchestra performed, and the MC was Mr. Hyakka Ryoran.

A Wonderful Marriage of "Konosuba" and Orchestra

When it was time for the performance to begin, the Tokyo New City Orchestra, followed by Mr. Koda and Ms. Machico, stunned by her gorgeous pastel-colored dress, looked divine standing in front of the orchestra on the stage of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space.

The orchestra played "TOMORROW," the opening theme song of the second TV anime season. The lively sound of the snare drums, the gentle but profound tones of the strings, and the sparkling wind instruments added color, and the acoustics of the venue combined to envelop the audience with the richness of her singing voice.

Then, the orchestrated accompaniment to the film was played one after another. The narration by the roughneck (CV: Toru Inada) was followed by images of the TV anime on the screen, as if the audience's hearts were entering the world of the work. Moreover, the orchestra's performance seemed to increase the power and exuberance of the tense scenes and the soothing effect of the calm scenes.

The fusion of images and music that pick up on the characters and scenes creates a joyful mood that is typical of this work. In the exploration scenes, the female chorus sounds beautifully in the fantastic atmosphere, and in the battle scenes, the tense melodies and the sound of bells are impressive. The visuals were in line with the storyline and made us relive the story.

What was meant to be a battle song turned into a pants song!

Following the performance, a special talk by the cast began. The four cast members appeared on stage in dresses and tuxedos that matched the visuals of the event, and they began by saying, "I felt so close to the orchestra," and "I never thought I would get to play in an orchestra in "KonoSuba" one day.

The producer had dreamed of having an orchestra play in the first season of "Konosuba" since the show's inception. Mr. Fukushima heard about this about 3 to 4 years ago and expressed his gratitude that the work has been able to move forward with everyone in this way.

Mr. Koda also joined the members and various behind-the-scenes stories were told. Mr. Koda said that he first heard about "Konosuba" as "an epic fantasy world adventure in which you are reincarnated in another world," but when he opened the door, he was surprised and asked, "Did we have an adventure?　Did we have an adventure? (laugh).

On the topic of specific music, he made everyone laugh when he revealed that a cool song he had created with the image of an RPG battle scene in mind, such as "Battle 1," was actually used in the pants scene in the actual anime.

He said that there were some difficulties when arranging such music for orchestral performance. For example, the bassoon was arranged to keep playing all the time, but it was too demanding for a human to play, so the arrangement was changed so that the audience could take a break. He said that the new challenge of having a live orchestra play the music led to many discoveries.

He also mentioned that one of the most memorable songs in the second season was that of the "Axis Order. The cast members agreed that the song was exactly what they had in mind.

Slapstick reading play and orchestra world typical of "Konosuba

Following the talk part, the cast members performed a slapstick reading play. The story, written by Makoto Uezu, depicted Kazuma and his friends at the opening performance of a concert hall built in the town of Axel.

Impressed by the wonderful music, Aqua scouts a chorus group. He plans to make the chorus sing the Axis cult song and spread the cult to the world. ...... Aqua is drawn to a horde of undead. What was released to wipe them out was Megumi's explosive magic.

The reading play was full of the slapstick atmosphere typical of "Konosuba. The chorus group was a gorgeous one, with actual orchestra members in charge, giving the performance an excellent sense of realism. During the play, Takahashi-san, who plays Megumin, actually eats a rice cracker sold as merchandise, "Kono Aka Karai Sembei ni Bakudan! which was sold as merchandise, and a brilliant punchline at the end of the play.

In the latter half of the event, the orchestra performed a variety of music, from the gentle tones that made the audience feel at ease, to powerful battle music, and even a song by the Axis cult that had elicited laughter earlier. The final song was the ending theme "I want to go home" performed by Ms. Amemiya, Mr. Takahashi, and Mr. Chino. The warm, pastoral tune fit well with the orchestra's performance and gave the audience a relaxing and gentle feeling.

The three girls said they were happy to sing with the orchestra in the background, and Ms. Fukushima said shyly, "We were like goddesses. Each of the performers then gave a few words of thanks to everyone who had supported them and expressed their enthusiasm for the future, saying, "I will always and forever go on as big an adventure as I can, so please keep following me.

As the performers were about to leave the stage, he said, "It is an adventurer's duty to live up to expectations! Let's make it bloom one more time! Let's make it bloom one more time! The performance ended with a warm round of applause.

As the latest information, the Blu-ray BOX of the second TV anime season "Bless This Wonderful World! Also, "Isekai Karutetto" (to be broadcast from April 2019), in which members of "Konosuba" also appear, and the movie "Bless This Wonderful World! Red Legend" were also released. For more details and other information, check out the official website.

(Reporting and writing by Kenichi Chiba)