Dengeki Bunko Fall Festival 2016 Special Stage Show Official Report 10.09.2016
“It’s just a game...or so I thought—” The latest information related to Sword Art Online was finally revealed at Dengeki Bunko Fall Festival 2016 held in Akihabara, Tokyo on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016 at Bellesalle Akihabara and Akihabara UDX.
The event started with emcees Kazuma Miki (from the Dengeki Bunko editorial department) and Rina Hidaka (the voice of Silica), taking the stage. Rina appeared onstage holding a puppet of Silica. She was a hit as the emcee of the last event (Spring Festival 2016), so she was brought back to emcee yet again. Regarding the challenge, she enthusiastically replied, “If I do a good job emceeing this time, maybe I can increase my role in the movie.”
The heroines of the SAO series then appeared onstage as the event guests. Together with the wonderful lineup of the main cast including Haruka Tomatsu (voice of Asuna), Ayana Taketatsu (Leafa), Kanae Ito (Yui), and Ayahi Takagaki (Lisbeth), new information was announced to the excitement of the audience. In keeping with the number of guests, the event was titled “Sword Art Online Yontaku no Stage” Unexpectedly in the middle of announcing new information throughout the event each guests’ love of Sword Art Online was put to the test through a quiz. The quiz worked like this: Each guest would receive a “Super Kirito-kun” for each correct answer given, and the guest at the very end with the most “Super Kirito-kuns” would win a prize. So, how much do the guests actually love the series…?
The first announcement was regarding the second trailer. But before that, emcee Miki interjected with “Quiz Time!” and the first quiz abruptly started.
Quiz 1 The second released trailer is for which film? A) Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale B) Sword Art Offline the Movie: Ordinal Scale C) Sword Art Skyline the Movie: Ordinal Scale D) Sword Art Eyeline the Movie: Cosmetic Beauty
You’d think that each one would surely know the right answer, but contrary to that Haruka answered “B” and Ayahi answered “D.” When asked why, the two commented that they would want to see a film with such a title… The correct answer is, of course, “A.” Both Ayana and Kanae answered correctly and nabbed a “Super Kirito-kun.” Embarrassed that the entire panel didn’t get the right answer, the emcees unveiled for the first time the second trailer. It was also announced during the trailer that the film will get a countrywide roadshow release in Japan beginning on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017.
And with that it was once again quiz time.
Quiz 2 Which character is not shown in the second trailer? A) Yuna: The songstress of Ordinal Scale B) Eiji: The mysterious 2nd ranked player of Ordinal Scale C) Dr. Shigemura: Developer of the Augma D) Kashiwada: A subordinate of evil and member of a rival guild to Kirito’s.
Once again, Haruka and Ayahi daringly gave the wrong answer. The correct answer is “D,” and Ayana and Kanae again each netted a “Super Kirito-kun.”
At this point in the show, new characters were introduced. There’s the songstress Yuna who gained popularity as the first AR (augmented reality) idol in Ordinal Scale, the mysterious Eiji who appears before Kirito and co., and Shigemura who developed the AR device Augma… “So far the series has been set in the fictional worlds of VRMMO games, but this time it’s AR...a game that expands reality. That’s why the fighting is physical. You fight by moving your own body. So Eiji must be extremely fit,” commented Kazuma. Upon hearing this, Rina interjected, asking, “Kirito has been strong so far, but since now that a strong physicality is needed...does that mean that this time Kirito might actually be...weak?” This was promptly booed by the cast members, who exclaimed, “I don’t want to see Kirito like that!” Sure enough, excitement grew for how he will be portrayed in the movie. And with that it was quiz time again.
Quiz 3: Who is the singer director Ito referenced for Yuna? A) Avril Lavigne B) Christina Aguilera C) Namie Amuro D) Adele
In truth, the cast recently had a meeting with director Tomohiko Ito prior to post-recording where he explained the details of the film. However, he kept his explanation brief since he heard there would be a quiz at the event and didn’t want to spoil anything. So this one was a difficult question for the cast members… The correct answer is “A: Avril Lavigne.” Not a single cast member answered this one correctly.
At this point more information was revealed including advance ticket sales. It was announced that the second round of advance tickets that include a bonus item will go on sale Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016.
Onto the next Yontaku Quiz.
Quiz 4 Which store is not selling advance tickets? A) Lawson B) Torvana C) Amazon D) Aniplex+
Although emcee Kazuma gave a reminder to the cast members, saying, “I said this already, but it’s okay not to choose the silly answer!,” Haruka and Ayahi still resolutely chose the wrong answer. The correct answer is “B.” Only Ayana and Kanae got it right… Once again the results flabbergasted the emcees who thought they would all get it right.
Without letting it get to them, Kazuma and Rina continued by announcing information on advance tickets and a tie-in project. Also announced for the first time was release info for the upcoming Sword Art Online Song Collection II, which includes two new songs in addition to character songs and theme songs from the Phantom Bullet Arc and Mother’s Rosario Arc, and the “Sword Art Online Blu-ray Disc Box.” There was a rush of excitement from the audience over the contents, which will include the Aincrad Arc, Fairy Dance Arc, and Extra Edition.
Continuing on, it was time for the latest info on the upcoming video game. For this segment of the show, producer Yosuke Futami of Bandai Namco Entertainment took the stage to unveil a promotional video for the PS Vita and PS4 game Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization which will be released on Oct. 27. Haruka was also announced as the singer of the game’s ending theme, “Two of Us.” The single will hit shelves the day before the game releases. With that, it was time for the final quiz.
What is the point Yosuke Futami likes most about this character? A) Childish appearance B) Tatsumi is cute C) Mole below the eye D) Cool & Sweet AI personality The answer is “D.” Unfortunately, none of the four cast members answered correctly. With the results in, the winners of the “Sword Art Online Yontaku no Stage” were Ayana and Kanae who each received a prize - a set of five advance tickets to the film! At losing the game (on purpose), Haruka and Ayahi lamented, “I want one! I wish I had answered the quiz seriously!” This was followed by an invitation from Ayana and Kanae to all go see the film together.
With that, it was time for the event to come to a close, and the five cast members each gave a final message to the audience.
Rina Hidaka (CV: Silica) “We’ve really covered a lot of information, so I hope it’s made you look forward to the film and game. Sword Art Online will steadily continue from hereon. Thank you for joining us today.”
Ayahi Takagaki (CV: Lisbeth) “We’ve seen the latest clips from Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale, but it’s completely different this time and is set in the real world through AR so I think its charm will be real life locations connected to the series. Please make sure to get to the theater and enjoy the world of Sword Art Online.”
Kanae Ito (CV: Yui) “I’m happy I won the quiz! The upcoming film is set in the real world, and I’m excited to see what happens to Yui. Postrecording will also be starting so I’m really excited to read the script.”
Ayana Taketatsu (CV: Leafa) “Thank you all very much for coming out today. I’m really glad to have been able to convey new information, try my best in answering the quiz, and receive such a wonderful prize (a set of advance tickets). I want to go see the film together with everyone. Please look forward to its release.”
Haruka Tomatsu (CV: Asuna) “I really regret not answering the quiz seriously. Today we saw a PV voiced by Kirito and Asuna (second trailer), for which I had the pleasure of recording lines from a variety of scenes from the film. The PV shows serious scenes and everyday scenes, and I think the PV itself is likely enough to convey how fun the series is. When I had the opportunity to record for this the film wasn’t this far along, so it was my first time seeing it today too. I’m nervous and excited to start postrecording soon. I hope that that excitement can be felt by everyone who sees it in theaters. Please continue cheering on Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale.”
With that, thunderous applause erupted from the tightly packed crowd and the event came to a close.
