The highlight of the second half of the season is Dawn! Boom! Zoom! TV anime "Azur Lane" interview with the yui yui duo of Yui Ishikawa and Yui Horie!

The TV anime "Azur Lane" is currently being broadcast and distributed by popular demand. The story has reached the midpoint of the series and is about to take an even more interesting turn, so we present an interview with the main cast members, Yui Ishikawa (Enterprise) and Yui Horie (Belfast).

The original "Azur Lane" is a smartphone game application distributed by Yostar, which is based on the anthropomorphic theme of ships. The player takes on the role of a commander who fosters anthropomorphic ships and builds a fleet to fight against enemies. In addition to the game, the series has been adapted into a radio program, a manga, and a novel, and the TV anime has also been well received.

As the story has passed the turnaround point and is now in its final stages, we asked the "Yui Yui" duo of Yui Ishikawa and Yui Horie, who play the central characters in the story, to talk about the appeal of this work and its future development.

The charm of the characters is also because it is an anime!

--What are your impressions of the TV anime after watching it?

Ishikawa: It felt like it happened very quickly. The story develops speedily and the characters are really cute, so I never get tired of watching it. There were moments when I thought, "I see that character! I felt excited when I saw the characters in the movie. I can see how they move in battle scenes and how they are having fun in their daily lives, and I feel that it was worthwhile to make an anime version of this work.

Horie: I also thought it was short (in terms of time). Maybe it was the enjoyment of finding the various children that made it seem shorter. Also, I thought the pictures were very beautiful and all the characters were drawn in a very cute way. The world, the sea, the school, and everything else is really beautiful.

--I think that the world, the sea, and the school are all really beautiful.

Ishikawa: I have a slightly different impression of Enterprise in the game and the anime. In the game, I played her as a perfect older sister, or a graceful and leadership girl. But in the anime, she runs away without thinking about herself, and everyone worries about her, and Belfast gives her a lecture. I really felt the danger and the burden she was carrying.

--In the game, you were also very strong at the beginning, weren't you?

Ishikawa: When you hear a voice saying, "It's over," it's as if you have been annihilated (laughs). The strong image is the same as in the game, but I think the clumsy part is expressed more in the anime.

--How do you feel about Belfast?

Horie: In the game, I was told to create the image of a woman who can do her job. She has a lot of battle voices and lines instructing the commander (player), so I had the impression that she was a firm and strict attendant or secretary. In the anime, I was directed to be a little gentler, so I felt that the supportive and accepting nature of my relationship with Mr. Enterprise came out more strongly.

I also thought that (Belfast's) clothes were supposed to look like this (laughs). (Laughs.) I thought they were maid-like clothes, but I was surprised to see them wearing such clothes in the anime.

--I was surprised to see them wearing such clothes in the anime.

Horie: They are well-made clothes. It doesn't come off (laughs).

Ishikawa: Normally, it would be hard to look at them, wouldn't it?

--Belfast-san also has breasts.

Ishikawa: They are much more impressive (laughs).

--What were the most impressive scenes and lines in the first half of the show, in which both of them played an active role?

Ishikawa: I was personally very happy when Cleveland said to me in the second episode, "What a ...... human being you are. Enterprise doesn't fit in with the others, or she may seem like an individualist, but because of her background, when it comes to her sisters, she has a strong desire to help them. So when you said that I was "very human," I felt grateful. Yes, Enterprise has a human side, too.

Horie: Enterprise tends to take poor care of itself, or perhaps there is a part of it that thinks, "We are not people," and it seems to me that it is clumsy in some ways. I thought the scene in which Belfast admonishes her, "We are people," and tells her to take better care of herself, was meaningful.

What is your two personal favorite camps ......?

--Aside from Enterprise and Belfast, do you have a favorite character, even if it is purely visual?

Ishikawa: The kids from the early ships (Ayanami, Laffey, Javelin) are so cute. Moreover, I really liked the relationship between the three of them, with Laffey "wanting to be friends" with Ayanami while she and Ayanami have to fight as enemies.

--I also like the last scene of the 5th episode.

Ishikawa: I like that scene. Although they are opposing camps, I really felt that they are not fighting because they like each other, but they are fighting for their own righteousness and to move on.

--By the way, if you had to choose one of the three in the anime, who would you choose first?

Ishikawa: In the game, I would have chosen Raffy, but now that I've seen ...... (the anime version), it's hard to choose.

Horie I understand! If it was only about looks, you could just choose your favorite girl, but when the personality comes in, you start thinking "this girl is cute too" or "that girl is cute too" (laughs).

Ishikawa: That's right. I can't choose anymore (laughs).

--How about you, Mr. Horie?

Horie: I liked Akashi, Edinburgh, and Sheffield in episode 4 from a narrative point of view. I thought it was cute that the three of them were in a pinch but it wasn't too serious, or that they looked like they were on a rare road trip. I thought it was cute that they were in a pinch, but it wasn't too serious.

--What do you personally like about the camps, not the characters?

Ishikawa: I really like "Jusakura", I got goosebumps when the cherry blossoms danced in the first episode. Isn't the base of "Shigesakura" really cool too?

Horie It looks so cool!

Ishikawa It has a shrine-like atmosphere, and everyone is dressed in kimono-like clothes. If I were to cosplay, I would like to play someone from Jusakura. I don't do ......, though (laughs).

--I don't know, but if I were to cosplay, who would I choose?

Ishikawa Eh! I think Zuikaku-san and Shozaku-san would be wonderful. Ruizuru-san makes me an enemy of my eyes, though. Gray Ghost!" (*An alias of the Enterprise) many times (laughs).

--(Laughs.) -What is your favorite team, Mr. Horie?

Horie: I like Royal, not necessarily because of Belfast. I like that they have a tea party every time (laughs). I thought the scene where everyone was sitting around a beautiful table and drinking tea was elegant - I thought it was nice. You definitely want to do it, don't you?

Ishikawa: I would love to do it! Moreover, all the food in the anime looks delicious.

Horie Scones and muffins in the royal camp definitely look delicious. I think they are delicious even plain.

--I think they should start with the plain ones.

Horie: That's right!

--After that, you can put jam or something on top.

Horie I think jam and clotted cream would be delicious.

Ishikawa: I like that. I bet you brew tea with a lot of care, don't you? Enterprise is a coffee guy, though (laughs).

Horie Breakfast is like a coffee and calorie bar. I definitely prefer Royal, after all (laughs).

--Let's get back to the story. There are further new developments in the second half, what are the highlights of the second half?

Ishikawa: It is mysterious, or something is going on behind the scenes! There is a suspicious atmosphere.

Horie Yes, that's right. A lot of things happen due to the black mental cube that has been there for a long time.

Ishikawa I thought that Enterprise and Belfast were taking a brighter turn, but then they got caught up in a different black atmosphere. ......

Horie Dawn! Boom! Zoom! It's like that (laughs).

--I see. Boom! Boom! Zoom!" is like having the audience confirm it in the actual broadcast, isn't it?

Ishikawa: Yes, that's right (laughs). When the second half of the story starts, the mystery will deepen and the battle will become bigger than the "Azur Lane vs. Red Axis" battle so far.

Horie: We don't know (at the time of this interview) how the battle will end, but we hope that everyone will be happy.

--Lastly, this is a little off topic, but both of your names read "Yui", right? Are you aware of this?

Horie: It is better luck to have "Ninben" in your name, right?

Ishikawa: Is that so? (laugh) But not only these two, the percentage of "yui" in their names is very high in this work, isn't it?

Horie I thought, I thought!

--It was talked about even after the first episode went on the air.

Ishikawa: Even during recording, everyone was talking about "Aren't there a lot of people with "koromo" in their names? We were all talking about it. I thought they just wanted to put the robes in a row. (laugh).

--(laugh) - "Team Koromo", right?

Ishikawa: Then, I would be left out.

Horie No, you are the leader, the leader! Leader, because you are attached to a niben, so you are the leader! (laughs)

Ishikawa (laughs). (laughs) Also, there are many dual roles in this work. In the game, there is almost no dialogue, but in the anime, a single person can play multiple roles, which is interesting.

Horie: That's right. Everyone does their best (laughs).

--I'm looking forward to the second half of the show as well, including these professional performances. Thank you very much!

(Interview and text by Kenichi Chiba)

Commemorating the interview, Yui Ishikawa & Yui Horie autographs will be given away!

To commemorate the interview, we are giving away autographs of Yui Ishikawa and Yui Horie to one lucky winner!

<Prize
Autographs of Yui Ishikawa and Yui Horie

<Entry requirements
・ Entry period: November 21, 2019 (Thu) - November 28, 2019 (Thu) 23:59
Number of winners: 1 person
Prize delivery : Scheduled to be shipped by the end of January 2020.
How to apply: Use the dedicated application form below.

<Caution> ・Please register as a member (free of charge) to enter the contest.
Registration (free of charge) is required to enter the contest.
Only one entry per person is allowed.
We will not be able to respond to any inquiries regarding the results of the drawing or shipping status.
Transfer or resale of the prize or rights to the prize winner to a third party is prohibited.
Kakaku.com Group employees and related parties are not eligible to participate.
Prizes must be shipped within Japan.
We will take the utmost care in packaging the prizes, but please note that we cannot accept returns or exchanges in the event that the prizes are damaged due to an accident during transportation.
Please note that the prize will be invalidated in the following cases
　Multiple winners at the same address or in the same household
　If you have entered the contest using an unauthorized account (e.g., multiple accounts by the same person)
　If a prize cannot be delivered due to the winner's address, change of address, long-term absence, etc.
　Prizes cannot be delivered due to incomplete contact or delivery address information.
　Prize winners are not notified by the deadline for prize delivery address notification.
　If there is any fraudulent activity related to the application.