Shopping Guide
“Arc Fes,” the 25th anniversary event for game maker Arc System Works, was held on May 19 at Pacifico Yokohama’s National Convention Hall. It was an enormous event lasting for nine hours, with the closing part being the public recording of the web radio show BlueRaji Hyper.
BlueRaji is the abbreviation of Blazblue Radio, and, as the name suggests, it is a radio program broadcast on Nico Nico Douga that aims to deliver the charm of the Blazblue series, a fighting game developed by Arc System Works, to more people. Although it is a radio program, it is a show high in amusement such as pop characters moving in sync to the person’s talking or illustrations shown at each scene. The series is so popular that the total number of replays on Nico Nico Douga has surpassed 2 million. This time, they also showed the recording environment live, which normally you wouldn’t have the chance to see; the whole hall was vibrating with fans’ anticipation.
As the lights in the hall went out and the curtains opened, a BlueRaji Hyper-style stage with scattered chibi characters from Blazblue was revealed. Next, the important points regarding the evening were conveyed in an anime mini drama that was projected on full screen, warming up the atmosphere of the hall, and the public recording started. Just like always, the recording began with the opening segment “Motto Motto Batotte, Ragna-kun.” First, the three voice stars Tomokazu Sugita, who voices main character Ragna the Bloodedge; Kanako Kondou, who voices Noel Vermillion, ν -No.13-, and μ -No.12-; and Asami Imai, the voice of Tsubaki Yayoi and Izayoi, appeared on stage, receiving a huge applause from the audience.
After them came special guests more fabulous than ever before: Yuuichi Nakamura (Hazama), Kana Ueda (Rachel Alucard), Chiwa Saito (Taokaka), Tetsuya Kakihara (Jin Kisaragi), Chie Matsuura (Kokonoe), Hiroki Yasumoto (Azrael), Tomomi Isomura (Makoto Nanaya), and Toa Yukinari (Bullet). Together with the three MCs, there were 11 voice stars lined up on the stage. Such a sight was a highlight in itself.
The first segment to include these guests was “BlueRaji Ranking Island.” A Blazblue character popularity poll was done prior to the show specially for the event; the long-expected results of which were finally announced now.
Before the announcement of the ranking, ordinary players’ impressions and thoughts of the characters were displayed for each character. It seems there were also people who voted for special reasons such as, “I voted because if chosen for most popular, he/she might become a playable character,” or, “I voted because I thought if he/she makes it to being the most popular, a character CD would be released.” Please be sure to check the results of the vital popularity poll in BlueRaji Hyper’s original broadcast.
The discussion segment, “Moshimo no Hitokoma Blazblue,” used panels, and the unexpected answers of the cast heated up the hall. With the same vigor came the quiz segment, “Yami ni Kuwareta no Nan da?,” where the voice actors had to guess from hints projected on the screen. However, the problems were so difficult that all the performers had a hard time, especially with the last one. There were three people visible behind the screen, but they didn’t know who they were! In the end, someone made the right guess from the several hints given that one of those three people was Toshimichi Mori, the producer of the Blazblue series, and so the quiz ended. As the performers wondered who the other two might be, director Hideki Tachibana and co-director Seiji Mizushima, both of whom are working on the anime Blazblue: Alter Memory, showed themselves on stage. As both the performers and the audience were full of hope toward the anime, their shouts were a mix a of surprise and appreciation.
Afterward, Mori, before the eyes of the whole hall, expressed his thoughts about the anime: “I want to make it as carefully as I can.” Director Tachibana then revealed his concerns with a serious look: “I am at a loss as to how to make Mori’s feelings into an anime. Participating in today’s event and feeling the “heat” of Blazblue, I feel a bit tense.” As the Blazblue fans’ anticipation toward the anime adaptation reached its climax, the public recording ended.
One and a half hours went away in what felt like a moment. It certainly was an event that Blazblue fans thoroughly enjoyed. For those who were unable to attend this event, no need to worry. Fans will be able to enjoy this event on Nico Nico Douga soon. Please look forward to it!
BlueRaji Official Page:
http://blazblue.jp/buluraji/ (Japanese)
Blazblue: Alter Memory Official Page:
http://blazblue-am.jp/ (Japanese)
© Arc System Works
© Arc System Works / Blazblue Partners
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
