An advance screening of Season 2 of the TV anime "Grand Blue Dreaming," based on a manga currently being serialized in "good! Afternoon" (Kodansha), was held in Tokyo on June 14th. The "true key visual" was revealed, in which almost all of the male characters, who were usually wearing swimsuits, had their swimsuits removed. Speakers exclaimed, "What is this?", "Are you serious?", and "This is Grand Grand Blue Dreaming!", and the audience erupted in loud applause.
The screening was attended by a star-studded cast of voice actors, including Yuma Uchida Uchida as Kitahara Iori, Ryohei Kimura as Imamura Kohei, Hiroki Yasumoto as Tokita Shinji, Katsuyuki Konishi Chika Anzai Anzai as Kotegawa Chisa, Maaya Uchida as Kotegawa Nanaka, Toa Yukinari as Hamaoka Azusa, and Kana Asumi as Yoshiwara Mana. The talk show began with the customary toast with the audience, and Kimura loudly led the way, saying, "It's written as 'sakazuki o hosu' (toast) but pronounced as 'kanpai' (cheers)! Cheers!"
Before the screening of the first episode, each of the speakers introduced the highlights of the show. As scenes from the first episode, such as scuba diving and a drinking party, were projected onto the screen, Yuma Uchida commented, "Everything feels like Grand Blue Dreaming. Our summer has returned." "(Kitahara Iori's) little sister is a new character this time, and she's super cute. Other new and powerful characters have appeared, making the party even stronger. No matter which scene you look at, this is Grand Grand Blue Dreaming."
Konishi joked, "The drinking party scene this time (in Season 2) has been beefed up. In the first episode, I have almost no lines. That (the drinking party) is everything (laughs)." Yasumoto reflected, "On the contrary, (the drinking party scene cuts) look divine (laughs). I feel like I worked desperately (during the dubbing) so that nothing was left undone."
This was the first recording in about seven years since Season 1, and Uchida Maaya said, "There was no gap at all. The dubbing was extremely free, just like before (laughs). If you were free to do what you wanted, you got the OK." She went on to reveal, "It's a 30-minute anime, so dubbing usually takes about four hours, but on this set it took less than two hours, so it was really fast."
Yasumoto and Konishi say they have a lot of ad-libs, and that they only explore each other during the testing stage, without consulting each other. When asked if they've ever had to NG, Yasumoto said, "They've never said anything other than OK. If they can't think of anything funny, they just laugh out loud (laughs)." Konishi began by saying, "The set of Grand Grand Blue Dreaming is weird," and added, "There's a ton of alcohol in the lobby. It's surprising. It's there even before recording begins (laughs)."
Finally, Yuma Uchida said, "We have a really lively cast. Those of you who have seen Season 1 or read the original work will already know, but it's chaotic (laughs). Season 2 is no different. But when I finish watching it, I'm laughing for some reason. And I feel a little happy. I hope we can all get excited about Season 2 of Grand Blue Dreaming, an uplifting anime like that. This summer itGrand Blue Dreaming! And next year, and the year after, I hope we can all get excited about Season 2 so that Grand Blue Dreaming will be synonymous with summer! Thank you for your support!"
"Grand Blue Dreaming" is based on a manga written by Kenji Inoue, known for "Baka and Test", and illustrated by Kimitake Yoshioka. The story follows the protagonist, Iori Kitahara, who moves into his uncle's seaside home when he goes to college, and meets passionate men who devote their youth to scuba diving and his cousin, who grows up to be beautiful.
Season 11 of the TV anime aired from July to September 2018. A live-action movie starring actors Ryo Ryusei and Atsuhiro Inukai was released in August 2020, which also attracted attention. Season 2 of the TV anime will be broadcast on TOKYO MX, BS11 and other stations from July 7th.
