Column] On the Goal of the Greatest Detective in Yokohama - A Look Back at the Story of Milky Holmes (Part 1) "Early Days of Dawn

January 28, 2019, Monday.

Milky Holmes, the voice-over unit, reached its goal at "Milky Holmes Final Live Q.E.D.".

Please check this live report for more details.
⇒ Thank you, Yokohama's best detectives! Laugh, cry, and laugh again! Milky Holmes Final Live Q.E.D." Report

It was the best final live performance I can remember now. Seeing the crystallization of the 10 years there, I wanted to leave a record about the team Milky Holmes as I saw it from my own eyes. Due to the nature of this report, please forgive the fact that this column will be based on the author's memories and subjectivity, about an old story that is difficult to explore anew now.

When I think of where to place the starting point of "Milky Holmes" history, what personally comes to mind is the "3rd Concert of Rune Angel Squad" held on May 20, 2007, at the Nippon Seinenkan Hall. It was not the shiny, newly renovated Nippon Seinenkan Hall of today, but the old Nippon Seinenkan Hall where the backyard was like an underground labyrinth. The concert by the Rune Angel Squad, featuring Satomi Akezaka and others, was a great success, but there was a strange sequel to that day's concert. After the concert, then-President Takaaki Kitani held a debriefing on stage to announce that he was leaving Broccoli to start a new company, Bushiroad Inc. The debriefing session was hosted by Miyuki Sawashiro, a voice actress whom Mr. Kitani discovered as Petit Carat in "Dezi-Carat," and the stage was lined with people related to Mr. Kitani. The atmosphere was like a rally.

What is important to note is that in May 2007, President Kitani launched a new company and restarted his business. Bushiroad, as the name implies, was set up with the goal of completing the production of "Hot Fu Kairiku Bushiroad," which was once cancelled due to various reasons (the anime was successfully broadcast on December 31, 2013). (The anime successfully aired on December 31, 2013.) The company first gained ground as a trading card game company, starting with "Weiss Schwarz. Bushiroad's first original content was "Detective Opera Milky Holmes," which was announced at an event held on October 16, 2009. The event was held at Shinjuku FACE, which was located near the Shinjuku Koma Theater. President Takaaki Kitani, Nobuyuki Nakamura, the first general producer, and cast members Suzuko Mimori playing Sherlock Sherrinford, Aozora Tokui playing Nero Yozaki, and Izumi Tachibanada playing Cordelia Glauca were all present that day. We would later learn that Ms. Mimori had extensive musical and stage experience, but at the time I had the impression that all three were unknown newcomers.

I once asked Mr. Mimori about those days. Even though I explained what Milky Holmes was, the audience didn't understand what it was about at all," he said. I thought it was a sad episode, but then he continued, "Even though I was explaining it to them, I didn't really understand it. Even I didn't really understand what I was explaining, so there was no way I could get it across. Aino Nanjo also revealed an episode from the early days of "Milky Holmes," the legendary exchange between Sharo and Koyi Akechi, "Kokoro-chan! Don't say Kokoro-chan!" When Sharo and Koyo Akechi performed the legendary exchange between Sharo and Koyo Akechi, "Don't say Kokoro!" in front of the audience, the audience, who still had no knowledge of the relationship between the characters, was surprised by the harsh tone (as Koyo) and mistakenly thought that Mimori and Nanjo did not get along. It is a funny story now, but the fact that Ms. Nanjo often deliriously said, "Just for today, it's okay," when Ms. Mimori called her Kokoro-chan afterwards may have been partly due to the unexpected disagreement.

I digress. The three cast members on stage for the Milky Holmes presentation were Suzuko Mimori, Aozora Tokui, and Izumi Tachibanada. Milky Holmes was started by the three of them. On the same day of the announcement, "Find Ellie! Milky Holmes Voice Actor Audition Tour.

The turning point of the destiny, "Find Ellie! Audition

Find Ellie! Milky Holmes Voice Actor Audition" had a clear concept. Successful candidates will be able to voice the role of Hercule Burton in the detective romance adventure game "Detective Opera Milky Holmes," scheduled for release on the PSP in the winter of 2010. This is a great opportunity for girls who aspire to be voice actors to go beyond belonging to an office and directly make their debut in a game or animation.

The finals were held on February 6, 2010 at Nakano Sunplaza. The only successful candidate in this audition was Mirai Sasaki, who represented the Sendai region. My personal impression was that among the eight finalists, Ms. Sasaki was not flashy, but she was a strong performer with solid skills. The Nico Nico Live Broadcast users gave Mr. Sasaki a big boost. The final competition was broadcast live on Nico Nico Live, and people were voting on which candidate they thought had the most potential. When I saw that Mr. Sasaki was nominated, I remember thinking that Nico Nico users have a good eye, or rather, that they are watching carefully.

The Nico Nico Nico votes were for reference only, and the actual selection was made backstage by President Kitani and other adults, but I have no doubt that the strong tailwind from the Nico Nico Nico live voting had an impact on the selection process.

It was the moment when "Mirai Sasaki as Hercule Burton" was born.

I have not had the opportunity to ask Ms. Sasaki herself how she felt at the time, but I have heard the same assessment of her many times from those who participated in that audition. Mikoron is a really good girl," and "I am glad the person I lost to was Mikoron. These comments from the girls who competed for the only chair in the competition conveyed the contours of her personality.

After winning the role of Ellie in February 2010, Ms. Sasaki continued to take lessons, and six months later, in August 2010, she took the stage at Saitama Super Arena as a member of Milky Holmes at "Animelo Summer Live 2010 - evolution -". It was a modern Cinderella story.

When the Milky Holmes project was launched, the only one who had some experience as a voice actor was Ms. Tachibana. Ms. Tokui and Ms. Sasaki, although in different positions, were young girls who loved anime and dreamed of becoming voice actors. A little different was Suzuko Mimori, who had extensive experience in musicals and stage casting. The solo dance during the interlude of "Milky Holmes'" first song, "Ameagari no Mirai," shows that at the start of the project, Mimori's dancing ability was outstanding. As Mimori herself later said at a live performance at the Budokan in 2012, she was the only one who jumped into the "Milky Holmes" situation without any particular desire to become a voice actor.

One of the performances that left a deep impression on me personally was the tour final of "Milky Holmes Live Tour 2011 Autumn "To-gather!!!!"" held on October 22, 2011, at Kanagawa Kenmin Hall in Yokohama, Japan. This was the final event of the tour. This venue was a memorable place for Ms. Mimori, who had taken the stage as a ballet dancer in her high school days. I remember Mimori reporting to her parents from the stage with a truly happy look on her face, "I used to stand second from the back, behind the lead in "Swan Lake", and now I am standing here as a solo ....... This performance was the culmination of the tour in which Milky Holmes as a voice acting unit began to blossom in earnest, and it was also the place where Milky Holmes announced its first Nippon Budokan live performance. I remember the strength of the handshake I involuntarily exchanged with Ms. Nakamura after the show.

On May 20, 2012, Milky Holmes finally took the stage at the Nippon Budokan with "Milky Holmes Live in Budokan. It was the moment when Milky Holmes as a voice actor unit took a big step forward. To see what the stage was like on that day, check out the DVD/Blu-ray "Milky Holmes Live in Budokan. Seven years later, at "Milky Holmes Final Live Q.E.D.," Tokui flew through the Budokan once again.

(Continue to Part 2!)

(Text by Kiri Nakazato)