Nana Mizuki:Thoughts on "Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha": "A precious time" and "An irreplaceable and special work"

The second season of the TV anime series "Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha", which is celebrating its 20th anniversary since its first broadcast, "Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's", will be broadcast on BS Shochiku Tokyu every Monday at 11:30 pm from January 6, 2025. In preparation for the broadcast, Nana Mizuki, who plays Fate Testarossa and sings the opening theme "ETERNAL BLAZE", commented.

Mizuki recalled about "Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha," "I was so excited to think that the day would come when I could become the magical girl I'd always dreamed of becoming since I was a child! As the story progressed, I received a lot of feedback from fans, with comments like, 'What an unexpected turn of events!' and 'I was moved to tears!' and I vividly remember how happy I was."

The opening theme "ETERNAL BLAZE" also garnered popularity. Regarding the song's appeal, she said, "It's passionate but not aggressive, it has a fragile elegance, and you can feel its enveloping kindness and inner strength. After repeated polishing from the first draft of the demo tape, we came up with a melody and arrangement that linked with the feelings of Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate, and the whole team was thrilled. We took on the challenge of symphonic rock, which combined strings with a band sound, which was rare at the time, and for me personally, this song opened a new door in music."

When asked about similarities between her and Fate, she commented, "I think we're similar in the way that we both go for it head-on when we think it's the one. We're also similar in that we're both shy (laughs)."

When asked about lines that still make an impression on her, she said, "There are so many! In 'Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's,' there's the scene at the beginning when Fate comes to Nanoha's rescue when she's in a pinch, and in response to Vita's words, "So you have friends...", she replies, "...They're friends." There are so many different feelings packed into this one word, it really hits home, and it's a line that has made a big impression on me and that I love."

"I am very happy that the series has continued for so long and that I have had the opportunity to play Fate, starting at age 9 and continuing through to adulthood...I was also in charge of the opening theme and was able to be more deeply involved in the work, which was a treasured time for me. It was a truly irreplaceable, special work that gave me so many beginnings," she said, expressing her passion for the series.

"We are blessed with the opportunity to broadcast the series on television again at this milestone of our 20th anniversary, and we are really happy that everyone can watch it. We hope that those who have been watching since back then will reminisce with us, and that those who are watching for the first time will get a sense of our youthfulness (laughs), and become completely immersed in the Nanoha world!"