AnimeJapan 2019] The live broadcast of the live performance was also a big hit! Report on the special "ARP" booth, which also featured stories and footage of the anime currently in production.

Almost a week has passed since AnimeJapan 2019, which took place on March 23 and 24, 2019, but Akiba Research Institute's report article is not over yet! This time we bring you a special booth for virtual artist ARP, which was set up in the Asmik Ace booth. In celebration of the anime adaptation, there was a live video screening and a live broadcast live with a talk by ARP's producer, Akari Uchida. The two days were well worth seeing and hearing, including stories related to the first-announced anime and behind-the-scenes stories of ARP members.

What is "ARP"? If you are wondering what "ARP" is, check this article!

I was able to see the animation video! Live Video Screening" featuring Uchi-P

First, let's take a look at the "Live Video Screening" held on the 23rd. Even though they are going to be adapted into an anime, there are still many people who do not know about ARP, which is mainly active in live performances. In order to help people get to know ARP, the general producer, Mr. Akari Uchida (hereafter referred to as "Uchi-P"), appeared at the screening, which was held four times in total. Each session featured one ARP member at a time, and we were able to hear their personal stories as well as rare stories about how they were scouted for ARP. The first interview was supposed to be for the first show, but the whole show was so interesting that I ended up watching the whole show, (Laughs). There were so many interesting stories that I ended up watching all of them.

The first talk featured Shinji, the leader of ARP. Shinji, whose parents are well-known members of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, is a thoroughbred who has played the violin, piano, and ballet since childhood, and he was the head of the International School of Music (ISM) in Yokohama. However, she had a nervous disposition, and at the beginning of her debut, she sometimes did not look people in the eye and talk to them. However, as he performed more and more live shows, he changed more and more. His talent as a performer, which he had always harbored, has awakened, and he has such potential that he has recently awakened his abilities as a comic actor and rakugo performer as well. He is a perfectionist and does not show his efforts to others, but it is clear that he is working very hard, and Uchi-P highly praises him as a dependable guy who is elite, but has guts and a solid way of thinking!

The second performer featured was Dia. She may look like an orahora type, but she is also everyone's aniki-bun and a motherly figure. Dia has been hanging out with Rage since elementary school, and they still live together in the same dorm room. She is stoic about music, but in her daily life, she is a very kind and gentle person who always takes care of Rage, who does nothing. Before joining ARP, Dia formed a band called "CROSS BONE" with Rage, which made a name for itself in the indie music scene, and when Uchi P saw their achievements, he recruited them to join ARP with Rage. At the time, he thought he was the kind of guy that if you bumped shoulders with him on the street, you would just have to apologize and run away, but after talking to him a lot, he changed his impression to a really nice guy who is very serious about his art and takes good care of himself. He is also a good cook and has a sensitive side, as he is also in charge of designing ARP's costume logo and goods.

Rage, who was scouted along with Dia, was discussed to the fullest in the third session. Rage's public profile does not disclose her height, weight, or gender, but Uchi-P dropped a bombshell by saying, "I'm going to reveal her height! To his surprise, Rage's height is 130 cm. No, that's definitely not true (laughs). The reason for this kind of teasing is that Rage is the shortest of the four members, and he is the only one who wears high heels when wearing the same outfit, so he is a bit concerned about his height. He is stoic and particular about music, and is the most artist-like person in ARP. He expresses various opinions to Uchi-P as well, so there are times when they clash. He also calls producers and composers by their first names, and is a bit cheeky, but Uchi-P respects him for his attitude as an artist.

The last performer of the live screening was "ARP's fantasista," Leon! With a Japanese father and a Brazilian mother, Leon has a great deal of physical ability, probably due in part to his blood, and he can do just about anything by imitation, regardless of the dance variation. He is also a vocalist with a four-octave range, making him a perfect singer and dancer. The charm of this perfect Leon is his gap. When he starts talking, he speaks in a lispy Kansai dialect and is a bit silly. He chews a lot during talks, and at the live "KICK A'LIVE2" held in January 2019, he sang the fastest song Leon ever wrote by himself, "SHAKE! I also chewed while singing the song "SHAKE! The reason for his defeat was that he included the fast words "raw barley, raw rice, raw egg" in the lyrics, but whether he failed or succeeded, the audience was thrilled. Leon must have been born with the ability to produce a show in which he sings, dances, and speaks in a way that brings everyone around him into Leon's world. Leon came to ARP a little later than the other members, but I am very glad that he became an ARP member!

The title of the anime was also announced at the live screening. The title is "ARP BackstagePass. It will focus on the four ARP members in their everyday lives off stage, following their history in a documentary style, and will be a drama that will include what they were thinking behind the scenes and what happened to them, as well as their conflicts. Since it is an animated film, there are some embellishments and beautifications, but it will be interesting to learn more about ARP that we don't know yet! While I was thinking about all this, suddenly Uchi P said let's play a test video of the production in progress, and Shinji's live stage scene was shown to the public. The audience cheered the loudest at this point (laughs).

And there is one more thing I must mention. The screening I have just described is a normal one, but due to "something", all the people gathered here turned out to be a bit of a strange group. After Rage had mentioned many times on the radio and at live performances that he loves freeze-dried miso soup, Amano Foods, a well-known freeze-dried food company, agreed to collaborate with us! I am so grateful to Amano Foods. I am grateful to Amano Foods from the bottom of my heart. ...... What a surprise, Uchi-P asked us all to shout out our thanks. In the fourth screening, he even made the audience turn around diagonally to the back to tell the Amano Foods employees who would have been in the back (laughs). The mysterious words "Thank you, Amano Foods" echoed throughout the anime festival. Is this booth the best?

The temperature of the venue rose! Live broadcast of the "Rebel Cross Show

This is already a voluminous report, but we are only halfway through! Here are some highlights of the "Rebel Cross Show," the super highlight of the event held on the 24th. The ARP members, who are also high school boys, are in the middle of their spring break. With Shinji off to Europe to see his parents and Leon back home in Kobe, Dia and Reiji's unit "REBEL CROSS" appeared live this time, connecting the Yuke's office in Yokohama to the Anime Japan venue, on the radio broadcast on January 5, 2019, Dia had mentioned that she wanted to have more one-man shows and live performances by REBEL CROSS, and it seems like this live performance has already made it happen!

Each of the three "Rebel Cross Show" sessions consisted of a talk and a live performance. The talks were about the members, miso soup, and so many other things that it would be impossible to write about them all, so this time I will focus on the contents related to the animation production. What left the biggest impression on me was my first experience in postrecording. Speaking of postrecording, I was worried that Leon, who has trouble speaking smoothly, might not be able to speak without biting his tongue, but to my surprise, Shinji was the one who bit the most. Since the postrecording has just started, the perfectionist Shinji must practice and perfect his dubbing so that he can do it perfectly! And according to a tip from Dia, who watches Shinji closely, he gives a quick bang before he speaks his lines. I'd like to see the recording session!

Normally, the postrecording is done with one or two microphones, with the person saying the lines switching from one microphone to the other. The production staff of the animation, as well as the adults who are around ARP at live performances and on the radio, are all kind people! And all the ARP kids are nice!

Beyond the discussion of postrecording, Rage also issued some problems with the character designs. He said that the three characters, with the exception of Rage, were too beautified. In particular, he said that the degree of beautification of Dia and Leon was so bad that they needed to be made more realistic. Incidentally, the animators are having trouble with Rage's character design. The reason is that no matter how beautifully they write the character, they cannot beautify the originally beautiful Rage. After this, he murmured in a calm voice, "What are you talking about? Dia murmured in a calm voice, "What are you talking about?

Since the event was broadcast live, the talk was lively, with ARS in the audience answering questions and exchanging ideas with the audience. I wish this time could have gone on forever, but it was time to come to an end. The last song of the evening was a live performance of Rebel Cross' song "rrrrrrrrrrride On ! by REBEL CROSS. Everyone was dancing and the venue was getting more and more heated up. The author was in a similar position in the back, but the ARS heat was tremendous during the last times, and the temperature around me became higher and hotter (laugh). Since it was through the monitor, I wondered how good it would be, but it was more fun than I had imagined. Maybe this style of live performance will be planned in the future. Of course, a live concert is the best, but I think it is a good way to convey the real-time excitement to those who cannot make it to the venue.

If you are interested in ARP, check out the new program and "REWIND!

At the REBEL CROSS live broadcast, I saw many passersby stopping to watch the show. I heard them (men) saying, "You move so naturally," and I thought to myself, "Yes, yes, yes, yes," but I don't want them to be impressed by something like this! ARP's live performance is 10, 20, or even more amazing than what you see here! For those who are not familiar with ARP, ARP uses AR technology, but all the motion capture and rendering is done simultaneously with the live performance. Moreover, the character is played by three people: a V cast member who talks and sings, an A cast member who moves and dances, and a technical staff member who adjusts hair, clothes, and other movements. Each of these professionals is in charge of a character, so the dancing and singing are top-notch. Knowing this technique, it is truly impressive to see a live performance. It's a very difficult job, but it's done without any sense of discomfort, a divine feat. And they are so ordinary that you forget about the behind-the-scenes stuff.

The show is performed in real time, so you can interact with the audience. You will actively interact with ARS during the talk as well. The best part of ARP Live is the "battle song," in which two performers compete in a performance, but it is the audience that decides who wins. The winner is determined by the number of points awarded to the Performer they wish to cheer for by shaking their smartphone, which has downloaded a special application (Furefre), in the same way as playing a sound game. The feeling of performing live together with the performers and the plotless story that unfolds are the main attractions of ARP Live.

If you want to know more about ARP's live performance, check out the report!

If you can't get a sense of ARP's charm through videos and photos, please experience them live. However, since they have only performed live twice a year so far, in January and August, if things continue as usual, the live show is still a long way off. If you want to experience the feel of a live show, you might want to check out ARP REWIND5 on April 13, 14, 20, and 21, 2019, featuring a director's cut of the live "KICK A'LIVE2" show from January 2019. Regular tickets will be on sale to the general public from April 3, 2019, so check the official website for more information!

■ Check the official website!

In addition, ARP's regular terrestrial program "ARP AFTER SCHOOL PARADISE" (also known as "Aspara") will start every Wednesday on TOKYO MX from April 3, 2019. Although the broadcast time is short (21:54-22:00), the four members gather in a karaoke room after school and watch videos of their live performances, which are introduced by the members themselves. This is a great program to get to know the atmosphere of the live performance and the ARP members, so please take a look at it!

The booth was full of cute exhibits!

Although I have mainly introduced the event, the exhibition that could be seen at all times was also excellent. There was a recreation of a classroom with two desks, and as soon as I saw them, I was so excited to see that they were Rage and Leon's seats, which were next to each other. I was super excited. However, upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a joint exhibition with another Asmik Ace work (the Hyperdimension Revolution anime "Dimension High School") (laugh).

And the highlights of this display area are the calligraphy and lockers! Let's take a look at the calligraphy first. He was told to write "Heisei" since it is the last year of the Heisei Era, but only Rage wrote "Miso soup". For Reiji, who has already seen the future, it means ...... even if he writes something that will end. Also, did you notice that there is a mistake in this article, and if you are ARS, the first thing that comes to your mind when you see the word "mistake" is the book of Leon. Yes, that is correct! In addition to the name being written on the right side of the page, you forgot the "," in "成". But that's what Leon is all about, isn't it? (I'm complimenting you.)

The locker that drew the largest crowd in the exhibition area was full of "cute" things, and I couldn't stop taking pictures of it! The lockers are reproductions of ARP members' lockers, but according to the story told at the "Rebel Cross Show," they are not exact replicas of the actual lockers. They say it is just a figment of their imagination, but the reproduction must be very accurate because the feedback was very realistic, such as "Surprisingly, Shinji's locker is not neat and tidy.

These lockers are hard to photograph (lol), but if you look hard enough, you can see that each ...... contained a towel and a hoodie, as well as many other items that show your taste. There was also a bottle of his favorite perfume, and here we found out the brand name of Rage's perfume, which until now had only been disclosed as "Cotton Candy". It is also cute to see the birthday presents given to the members!

(Reporting and writing by f-jyoko)