Thirteen years after the original game "Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan", the first new anime in 7 years, OVA "Hakuouki" (3 chapters) is now being distributed exclusively on U-NEXT, and on Saturday, January 29th, 2022, an advance screening of the third chapter "Hoshi Welcoming, Unkhan no Kenkyu" was held at Ikebukuro HUMAX Cinemas. The official report of the event has now arrived. In addition, the details of the special radio show to be held on Saturday, May 7th, featuring Shinichiro Miki (Toshizo Hijikata), Shotaro Morikubo (Soji Okita), Kosuke Toriumi (Hajime Saito), Hiroyuki Yoshino (Heisuke Toudou), and Koji Yusa (Sanosuke Harada) have been determined. 2Chapter 3 "Hoshiwari, Unkhan no Kenkyu" advance screening report released! The OVA "Hakuouki" (three chapters in total) is being distributed as fast as possible exclusively on U-NEXT. Following the first chapter "Kayahanagashi, Kumogakure no Toki" and the second chapter "Yoigami, Yugao Betsu no Toki", the advance screening of the third chapter "Hoshi Welcoming, Kumohan no Kenkyu" was held at Ikebukuro HUMAX Cinemas on Saturday, January 29th. Mr. Shinichiro Miki (Toshizo Hijikata), Mr. Tosekiyo Fujisawa (original plan, composition supervisor, general producer), and Mr. Mitsutoshi Ogura (producer), who have participated in the screenings of the first and second chapters, were joined by Ms. Noriko Kuwashima (Chizuru Yukimura) for a talk session before the screening. First of all, Ms. Kuwashima was asked about her impressions of the OVA: "It was very nostalgic. I thought Hijikata-san was composing haiku, Saito-san was baking sweetfish, Okita-san was smoking a cat, etc. ...... There were a lot of heart-wrenching scenes, but I also thought it was wonderful that everyone was alive! The audience applauded in agreement. Mr. Fujisawa explained the origins of the OVA project, and Mr. Kuwashima said, "I felt like I could make more things this way. Kuwashima said, "I feel like we can make more things this way! Kuwashima said, "I feel like we can make more things this way! During the conversation that followed, Mr. Fujisawa also answered, "If there is a future version, I would like to make something that everyone who plays the game can enjoy watching. Mr. Kuwashima said that he felt nostalgic when he passed by other voice actors in the studio when they were taking turns. Mr. Miki said, "I think the reason why I was able to enter the world of 'Hakuouki' even with only a small number of people recording is because we've been doing this for a long time, and we were making the OVA with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, so I could feel the lingering scent of that enthusiasm. The second chapter is next week! The second chapter is next week! I think we were able to do the recording at a speed that kept the heat flowing. As for the highlights of the third chapter, he said, "The third chapter is about the core of the Shinsengumi. I hope that people will think that this is what "Hakuoki" is all about. And when you finish watching it, you will get a present that includes all three chapters, so I hope you will look forward to it," Fujisawa said. So if you rewatch the series, you might get a different perspective. Mr. Kuwashima also said, "I realized after watching Chapter 3 that the ending picture was a pretty spoilerific cut (lol). (laughs) So please watch the action scenes as well," he said, raising expectations. Then, we went to the customary question corner where we asked questions via the official Twitter. Many of the questions were about Chizuru, since it was Kuwashima's first time on stage, but Fujisawa told the secret story of Chizuru's birth: "The Shinsengumi is made up of characters from historical facts, so I created this character with the idea that she would fit in with the male members of the group. When Mr. Fujisawa said, "The 'Shinsengumi' is made up of characters from historical facts, so I created this character with the idea of joining the male members of the group. I thought the appearance of the character was also important, but in fact, the character design at the time was based on the image of Soji Okita without any instructions. Not only the audience, but also the three of them who were on stage were surprised to know this for the first time! Mr. Kuwajima said, "From the first time I saw a picture of the character, Chizuru didn't look like a man even though he was dressed as a man, so I never really paid attention to that." Mr. Miki also praised Mr. Kuwajima's performance, saying, "Chizuru's acting matched the world of 'Hakuoki' so I didn't feel uncomfortable. Mr. Miki also praised Mr. Kuwajima's performance, saying, "In the first chapter, what did you think when Chizuru wore the haori of a samurai for the first time? She replied, "I didn't notice it when we were recording. I didn't realize it at the time of recording, but when I saw the video, I thought, '...... Kuwashima replied, "It wasn't supposed to be public knowledge that we had Chizuru wear the uniform, but after discussing it with producer Ogura, we decided that we wanted to have her wear the uniform, so we made that scene to see if we could incorporate it into the story. Thanks to Chizuru's quick thinking (to protect Hyogo Sakai), we were able to make her wear the uniform," explained Mr. Fujisawa. Mr. Kuwashima, who heard the thoughts of the staff, also thanked them saying, "Thank you very much. When asked what he liked about the OVA, Mr. Kuwashima said, "I like the way Hijikata-san said 'You go away' in the first chapter because you can feel his love for Chizuru. After the talk corner, where various behind-the-scenes stories were told, the talk corner before the main program ended with an announcement of future developments. At the end of the talk, Mr. Fujisawa said, "I hope that in this third chapter, you will enjoy not only the Shinsengumi, but also the fact that it is "Hakuouki"". The talk session is available for free on YouTube until 23:59 on February 5th (Sat), so please check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClTOCkIJXOY Details of the special radio show to be held on May 7th (Sat) Date & Time May 7 (Sat), 2022 Hanami-kai] [Doors open] 13:15 [Concert begins] 14:00 Tsuki-mi-kai] [Doors open] 16:45 [Concert begins] 17:30 Venue Japan Education Center Hitotsubashi Hall (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) Performers Shinichiro Miki (Toshizo Hijikata), Shotaro Morikubo (Soji Okita), Kosuke Toriumi (Hajime Saito), Hiroyuki Yoshino (Heisuke Toudou), Koji Yusa (Sanosuke Harada) U-NEXT: https://t.unext.jp/r/hakuoki U-NEXT is also distributing "Hakuouki" TV series, theatrical anime, and other related works, so please enjoy them as well! Hakuouki" series Overall Synopsis Chizuru Yukimura, who came to the capital of Kyoto in search of her father, was saved from a blood-seeking monster and started working with the Shinsengumi. Then, in June of the first year of Keio. In June of the first year of Keio, the Shinsengumi moved to Nishi Honganji Temple to continue their patrol of Kyoto, and received reports of the frequent appearance of "bandits who cheat the Shinsengumi. At the same time, the Shogun Iemochi is sent to Kyoto to protect the city, and Hijikata and his men are in a hurry to solve the case. At the same time, several rakshasa escape from the Shinsengumi post with the help of "a figure resembling Chizuru". In addition, Chizuru, who had gone to the city with Sakai, the treasurer, gets caught up in the commotion and goes missing. The Satsuma clan receives news of a plot by Tosa clan ronin to assassinate the shogun, and Kazama and the others head for the capital of Kyoto. Are the various incidents surrounding the Shinsengumi a coincidence? As everything becomes chaotic and the time to the Shogun's arrival in Kyoto approaches, Hijikata and the Shinsengumi must make a decision... Staff Original Story: Otomate (Idea Factory/Design Factory) Original Story, Supervising Designer: Fujisawa Yoshikiyo Director: Chiosamu Yamasa Original Character Design: Kazuki Yone Character Design: Atsuko Nakajima Music: Kenji Kawai Sound Director: Yukio Nagasaki Animation Production: Studio DEEN Cast Yukimura Chizuru: Kuwashima Houko Hijikata Toshizo: Miki Shinichiro OKITA Soji: MORIKUBO Shotaro SAITO Ichi: Toriumi Kosuke Todo Heisuke: Yoshino Hiroyuki Sanosuke Harada: Koji Yusa Chikage Kazama: Kenjiro Tsuda Hyogo Sakai: Shota Aoi (C)IF/DF/"Hakuoki" Production Committee 2021
【Background】
・Graduated from Kyoto University with a major in Japanese Culture Studies, Faculty of Letters
・After graduation, worked 4 years as editor and proofreader for a print magazine specializing in traditional performing arts and culture
・Became a freelance journalist in 2021 and launched japanculturean.com in 2022
【Expertise】
・Pop-Culture Fusion Analysis
Analytical commentary on how modern pop-culture media (anime, film, fashion) incorporates and reinterprets traditional Japanese motifs.
