Sunrise Festival 2019 Special】Saeko Shimazu was nervous at the first "Dirty Pair" event in over 30 years! Report on the "Dirty Pair" talk stage, which was filled with talk filled with love for the work!

Sunrise Festival 2019 Fugetsu, an annual event in which Sunrise, which has produced numerous animation works, screened its works in movie theaters every day, was held from September 13, 2019 to September 27, 2019.

This year's "Sunrise Festival" will screen works by Sunrise and Namco Bandai Pictures, a company closely associated with Sunrise, and from September 13 to 19, in addition to the screening of Namco Bandai Pictures works, 65 OP/ED songs of Sunrise's robot anime will be screened at the event "Ongaku! Music! -Subject Song Support Screening Edition" was held at TOHO CINEMAS SHINJUKU.

From September 20, the event moved to Theatre Shinjuku, where Sunrise films were screened every night until September 27. Each time, a talk stage was prepared with the staff, cast, and other people involved in the production on stage, making it a valuable event for those who wanted to enjoy the productions more deeply.

Akiba Research Institute closely covered all the stages at Theatre Shinjuku! Here are some articles you can only read here, including the scenes from each talk stage and individual interviews with the speakers.

This time we report on "Dirty Pair" held on September 20.

To commemorate the Sunrise Festival feature, "Dirty Pair" visitor bonus posters will be given away to five lucky winners in a drawing!
For more details, please check the article linked below.

Shocking images brought back to life by the latest technology!

The first day of Sunrise Festival 2019 at Theatre Shinjuku opened with a stage performance of "Dirty Pair," one of the most popular films of the 80s.

Taking the stage this time was Saeko Shimazu, who played the role of Yuri. The moderator was writer Yutaka Ohashi. Mr. Ohashi also participated in the production of the "Dirty Pair" Blu-ray box set, making him the perfect person to play the role of Ms. Shimazu's partner. The two, who know the work inside and out, talked about the behind-the-scenes story of "Dirty Pair," which can only be told now.

Shimazu-san appeared on stage with the opening theme song "Ro Ro Ro Russian Roulette" in the background, and greeted the audience with a mischievous smile, saying, "Everyone, we're having a night out together today, aren't we? He was surprised that an event would be held 34 years after the broadcast, and revealed that he was actually nervous, but he seemed to be enjoying even his nervousness, smiling and charming the audience.

First of all, he talked about the episode before his appearance on stage this time.

He said that he was asked to perform on stage after Mr. Shimazu tweeted about Norio Hatsukawa, who was the producer of the film at the time, on Twitter.

I'm always ready to say anything," said Shimazu.

Unfortunately, Kyoko Tongu, who plays Kei, was only able to comment on the show because of a scheduling conflict with her other work. She was warmly applauded by the audience for her comment that "for me, Kei, a rare and beautiful character, is like a treasure to be loved" and her feelings toward the character.

Incidentally, Shimazu-san and Tonmiya-san met again after a long time at the site of the audio commentary recording for this Blu-ray BOX, and Ohashi-san said, "Shimazu-san's voice sounded amazing (when they met again). Mr. Ohashi mentioned that the Blu-ray BOX released this time was able to combine the TV series, OVA, and movie version into one package, which was not possible with the previously released DVD-BOX due to label restrictions. Looking back on each of the recorded works, Shimazu commented, "I think we are here today because of everyone's support throughout the years.

The images in the Blu-ray box set are "HD remastered images scanned in 2K from the master positive film," and are dramatically more beautiful than those in previous releases, with clearer lines and more vivid colors. Shimazu-san, who was one of the first to see the video, expressed his impression, "It was a shock.

Fans were thrilled by Shimazu's live performance!

The topic of conversation turned to Shimazu's favorite line.

In episode 19 of the TV series, "Love's resentment and recrimination, don't hold a grudge, let me love you," Ms. Shimadzu said, "I'm cute myself. Because I'm cute. You hate me, so you hate yourself, don't you? So why don't you go?" And so you should go. The audience applauded the performance of these lines on stage.

Mr. Shimazu read out the lines one after another, explaining in detail which scene from episode 0 he was referring to! His love for the work brought smiles to the faces of the fans.

Shimazu-san also commented on the fact that the character designs of Yuri and Kay were redesigned for the OVA "The Dirty Pair's Great Game: The Mystery of Nolandia," which was produced after the TV series. Shimazu says he still wonders "Why? In "Dirty Pair," the costumes and designs differed slightly from one work to the next. "I was a bit confused because each character was different," he said honestly.

In particular, he wanted to make "Nolandia" sound more mature, but if he made major changes, fans who had seen the TV series might think he was a different character. Thinking that this was a bad idea, he decided to go for a voice that was somewhere between the voice of the TV series and the voice that Mr. Shimadzu wanted to play.

Before the decision was made to make an animated series, fans told me, "It's an interesting work, so please read it. I think Yuri is perfect for Saeko-san." She had been introduced to the original novel, and it was revealed that Ms. Shimazu was originally a reader of the original novel. He said that he had been thinking "I want to do this" since that time, and Mr. Ohashi rolled his eyes at this connection, saying, "That's amazing.

Unfortunately, the work "Dirty Pair" had been "far away in my memory" since there had been no events or productions for many years, but Mr. Shimazu said he now feels "closer to it (through this stage). She also said that after reviewing the work again, she "felt that I am a very good voice actor. When such words are said in the voice of the cute Yuri, one can't help but think, "That's right! I guess it's because I'm a fan. The audience applauded Shimazu's mischievous comment.

Toward the end of the event, Shimazu-san and Tonmiya-san talked about their mysterious relationship.

According to Ms. Shimazu, "I don't remember what Tongu-san says, and Tongu-san doesn't remember what I say. Therefore, he jokingly says, "We are one person together, and we can create something only when we are both on our own. The two will hold an event on December 14, 2019, called "Voice Story 3: The Great Sacred Night of Saeko Shimazu and Kyoko Tongu - Angel's Time Lovely Dream. It will be held with Naoki Makishima playing Mugi, who also co-starred in "Dirty Pair," Ikuya Sawaki playing Chief Gourry, and Keiichi Namba, who made a guest appearance in the first episode, so this one is also noteworthy.

The finale of the talk stage, where one topic after another was discussed endlessly, was finally approaching. But, "I've accumulated 35 years' worth of talk! Shimadzu-san, however, did not seem to have enough to say at all. The event came to an end with her expressing her hopes for a sequel.

Saeko Shimazu's comments after the event

─ ─ It has been a long time since you held an event related to "Dirty Pair," what were your impressions?

Shimazu: I was filled with gratitude to all the fans who came to the event even after so many months had passed. However, I always attended "Dirty Pair" events together with Tonomiya-san, so I still felt lonely.

───Can you tell us what was impressive about the event?

Shimazu: I was more nervous than I thought I would be. The fact that the audience reacted so well. I was also watching the screening in the audience, and when the message "And then no one did it" appeared at the end of the 5th episode of the OVA, I was very impressed by the laughter I heard from the audience. I was happy to see the sense of togetherness.

─ ─ What kind of work is "Dirty Pair" for you?

Shimazu: It is an important work. It is a work that I was very happy to act in. The fact that the work changed its form many times is also very memorable. However, I had a regret that the final episode of the work was cut off without a clear end, as if I was not able to create a complete work. In other words...it was a work that gave me a sense of hope, as if it was still going on...as if it would continue.

─ Would you give a few words to your fans?

Shimazu: Thank you for always remembering me. I hope you will continue to remember Tonmiya-san and my Kei and Yuri.

I was alone this time, but on December 14, at the event "Seibutsu Monogatari 3: The Great Sacred Night of Saeko Shimazu and Kyoko Tonomiya: Angel's Time, Lovely Dream," the two of us, Ikuya Sawaki as Chief Gourry, Naoki Makishima as Mugi, and Keiichi Namba as Nimaime, a well-known actor of the dirty pair, will gather for a talk show. (A talk show will be held at a later date. (It was later announced that Yohei Azaue, a young male voice actor who is known for his roles as Shizugata Naginata in "Sword Dance," Kamiyama Seijuro in "New Sakura Wars," and Aoma Kennosuke Tokisada in "Chrome Clo," will also appear.)

This is an event I have had in mind for a long time. We can't make anime by ourselves, but we planned an event that would allow people to feel the atmosphere of the anime with just the voice actors.

With the screening by Sunrise and the release of the Blu-ray box by VAP, everyone is interested in this event, and I decided to hold it because if we miss this opportunity, we will never have another chance.

This is a one-time-only event. Please come and join us! Thank you very much.

■Five winners will be selected by lottery to receive a special poster for visitors to the Sunrise Festival!
For more details, please click the link below!