The animated film "Aikatsu! x PriPara THE MOVIE - The Miracle of Encounter!", a collaboration between the popular anime and game series "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara," was finally released on October 10th. This "dream collaboration" commemorates the 10th anniversary of "Aikatsu!"'s Akari Generation and "PriPara." We spoke to Kubota Miyu, who plays Hojo Sophy in "PriPara," about her thoughts on "PriPara" and the collaborative anime.
◇ Surprised by the gap between "Aikatsu!"
--It's an unexpected collaboration. What were your honest thoughts when you heard that an anime would be made?
Eh! I thought all the fans would be really surprised! But they would also be really happy! In the past, when we collaborated with i☆Ris for "Aikatsu Friends!" at a festival, we received a huge response, so I think a collaboration between our works will be even more shocking!
--What does "Pripara" mean to you?
It's a work that taught me everything I do in my job now, both as a voice actress and performing as a character on stage. In particular, "PriPara" also had the opportunity to perform a musical, so I got to face the girl Hojo Sophie a lot.
--What is your impression of "Aikatsu!"?
I'd heard through the grapevine that although there are lots of cute girls, they also have a surprisingly passionate side...!
-How has your impression changed after this collaboration?
I was surprised by the contrast between the passion and the cuteness of the characters, which is a bit strange. But I think that this balance is what has captured the hearts of fans!
Miracles surely happen again and again
-What do you feel is unique to this collaboration?
All the songs performed in the movie are performed by a mix of characters from "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara," which I thought was wonderful as it gave the collaboration a special feeling. I also had the opportunity to sing a song from "Aikatsu!" as Hojo Sophy! I'm really looking forward to seeing how everyone reacts!
-What was the recording like?
The sound director was from the "Aikatsu!" side, so we basically showed examples of the words in "PriPara" (like the glow stick changes) and had everyone from "Aikatsu!" do them. It felt like we were creating a work together, which was fun.
-What are the highlights?
The main story has much more collaboration than I imagined! I'm sure the collaboration between the two works that fans most wanted to see has been faithfully portrayed on screen! I hope you enjoy it, and if this one is well-received, I'm sure miracles will happen again and again! Please enjoy the present to the fullest!
