[Event] Qualidea Code Special Event ~Tri-City Combined School Festival~

Date: 2017/1/15 @ 2:30pm, 5:30pm
Guests: Saito Soma, Ishikawa Yui, Yuki Aoi, Fukuhara Ayaka, Uchida Yuma, Anzai Chika
Event Report: https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1486799058

※The event report and photos are from the evening session.


After introductions, the first corner was the “History Club’s Research Findings,” where the voice actors presented their partners’ best scenes. Soma went first, and he selected the scene from the final episode, where Canaria falls from the crumbling bridge after the building collapses. He picked it because her screaming was cute, and said “I guess this is what moe is.”

Next was Yuishi, and she selected the scene from Episode 9 where Ichiya screams, “There’s only one person who could do this… KASUMIIIIIIIII!” But apparently she’d picked the same one for the daytime session, so the cast and the audience all burst out laughing because that really must’ve been the one best Ichiya scene.

Moving on to the Kanagawa team, Ao-chan revealed her pick for Hotaru. Apparently she’d written Hotaru’s “Utsuhami” move, so the video footage showed all the scenes of her using it throughout the show. Ao-chan had been imagining the one from Episode 1, because she liked the view of her butt in that scene.

For Maihime, Fuurin chose the scene from the final episode when she found out that the boss unknown they’d been fighting was Yuunami Airi. She referenced Hime’s strength and wisdom upon making the realization, overcoming the pain, and understanding what she should do next. Ao-chan was really happy that her partner understood her so well.

Next was the Chiba team. For Kasumi, Chikape chose the scene where he confronts Ookuni Mahiru in Episode 8. She liked how he dealt the final blow so that Asuha wouldn’t get her hands dirty. She also talked about how Kasumi had a lot more lines starting from there, and Yuma struggled with the increased word count.

Lastly, Yuma selected a scene of the Chigusa siblings chatting at home. He said “Asuha-chan’s a real cutie” like an uncle would, but he also said he liked this scene because you can see how close the siblings are.

Next was the “Theatre Club’s Reading Drama.” The script was specially written by the three authors of the original novels, and was about a school festival.

The scenes included:

  • Ichiya being thrown off by Canaria innocently asking, “I have an important question… Who does Icchan like?”
  • Conversations between Ichiya and Kasumi where, as usual, you couldn’t tell if they got along or not

With the Kanagawa team constantly entering their own little world, the Chigusa team flirting with each other, and Ichiya at Canaria’s mercy, all of the characters were playing the funny role, and it was an endless string of laughter.

When they were discussing the after-party’s background music, Kasumi started humming Canaria’s song, which leads to an impromptu musical because Asuha wants to hear him sing.

Kasumi (CV: Yuma) passionately sang that famous song about “wanting wings” while retaining the atmosphere of Canaria’s song. Everyone in the room was charmed by his singing voice.

The drama ended with the same words as the anime’s final scene: “See you.” “Later.”

The next corner was “Pair vs Pair Club Activity Challenges,” where the cast competed to win a wonderful prize. The first challenge was the “Pantomime Club Challenge,” where each team competed in a gesture game.

The Chiba team went first, with Yuma as the gesturer and Chikape as the guesser. He acted out Asuha showing up to save her brother from Ookuni, and Chikape barely guessed it within the time limit.

Next was the Kanagawa team, with Fuurin as the gesturer and Ao-chan as the guesser. The topic was Maihime splitting the Aqua Line in half, but it was a close struggle. Ao-chan figured out that she was splitting something in half, but couldn’t get the Aqua Line part, so they sadly did not complete the challenge.

Lastly was the Tokyo team. Their topic was hidden from the audience as well, so the audience joined Yuishi in guessing the answer. The topic was from the final episode, when Ichiya saves Canaria from the collapsing building, and Yuishi easily guessed it right.

The teams complained that there was too much variance in difficulty between the topics, so to be fair, they were all given 5 points.

Next was the “Broadcasting Club Challenge,” where they did a corner from the show’s radio, South Kanto Tri-City Defense Force Broadcasting Club. They had to eat two types of ham and guess which one was more expensive.

All of them chose B, but the answer was actually A. The fact that all of them got it wrong made for a great punchline.

Since it was a three-way tie, the final game would determine the winner. It was the “Volleyball Club Challenge,” where each team served soft beach balls into the audience, trying to get the most distance. The team members took turns as the tosser and the server, and whoever caught the beach balls could keep them as a present.

Soma was the winner, so the Tokyo team received 10 points.

With 15 points total, the Tokyo team was the winner, receiving a pair of 5000-yen gift cards for Asakusa Imahan, a wagyu beef producer. There was also a prize raffle for the audience.


Bonus: Group photo from Twitter

Bonus: Photo from Ishikawa Yui’s blog

[Event] Hand Shakers Advance Screening: “A Road To Be Hand Shakers”

Date: 2016/11/13 @ 1:30pm
Guest: Saito Soma
Event Report: https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1481187680


This event was an advance screening of Episodes 1-4, but Soma’s talk corner was in between Episode 2 and 3.

Soma had little experience with events in Osaka, and hadn’t done much sightseeing there. For this event, he arrived in Osaka the day before, and he said “Yesterday I ate kushikatsu, without double dipping!” (Not double dipping kushikatsu is an informal rule in Osaka.)

Naturally, this was Soma’s first time at a Nanba Parks Cinema event, and he was surprised that the front row of the audience was basically within arm’s reach. “Can you see the screen properly from there? Is it okay?”

Soma asked what everyone thought of the first two episodes, and applause echoes throughout the theatre. He expressed his thanks and went on to give a passionate speech about the unique camerawork, how Episode 1’s animation was mostly complete at the time of recording, the impact of the battle scenes, and the stylish music.

Regarding the protagonist who he voices, Tazuna, he said “If my life suddenly changed and I had to fight and protect Koyori-chan, I wouldn’t be able to analyze the situation calmly like he does.” Regarding the pressure he feels voicing the protagonist, he said “I think it’s just a matter of directly incorporating what I’m feeling.” He doesn’t feel pressure, and instead acts energetically.

Next is the character introduction using the screen. Soma was standing in the middle of the stage, so he started moving to the side, saying “I’ll be moving~” and waving his hand. The audience exclaimed “Cute~!” “What an angel!” and Soma gave an embarrassed “Thank you.” The announcer also whispered “Isn’t he cute?” and the audience laughed.

The character introduction began with the protagonist, Tazuna. When asked for his impression of the character design, Soma said “There were no visuals during the audition, so I imagined what he’d look like from the lines and acted naturally. When I saw the completed art afterwards, I thought ‘Isn’t he cute?'” with a laugh. “He’s not just cute though, he’s also boyish in a good way, and I make sure to express that youthfulness.”

Tazuna has a habit of using the word “mesh,” and Soma is asked “What has meshed for you lately?” He answered “I finally finished all my dental work, and my teeth mesh really well now! Leave the meat to me!”

As for the teamwork between the voice actors, he said “Rather than the characters and actors meshing together, it’s more like everyone is entering their own world.” He also did an imitation of Morikubo Showtaro’s character Makihara, immediately filling the theatre with laughter.

When introducing the heroine Koyori, Soma said “She loses life force when she’s not holding hands with Tazuna. But if I were Tazuna, as a teenager I’d definitely be way too nervous to hold a girl’s hand while sleeping, bathing, and using the toilet” with an embarrassed laugh.

When introducing the shumai-loving Makihara, the topic returned to Osaka cuisine. “When I was eating kushikatsu last night, I also ate one with mozzarella cheese, and it was reaaaaaally stretchy! I couldn’t bite it off at all.” Without missing a beat, the announcer said “So you’re saying… it didn’t mesh” and everyone laughed.

The talk corner finally drew to an end. Soma said “I think it’s rare to get the opportunity to watch the first four episodes in advance, and I hope you’ll look forward to the rest of the show. There’s still a while before it goes on air, but I hope you’ll enjoy revisiting the world of Hand Shakers. Thank you!” and exited the stage, maintaining his fresh smile the whole way.

After Episodes 3 and 4 were shown, the announcer came back with some surprise announcements: the anime’s air date, the theme song’s artist and release date, and a hotel collaboration.

[Event] Qualidea Code Blu-ray/DVD Vol.1 Release Event [Tokyo]

Date: 2016/10/16 @ 2pm
Guests: Saito Soma, Ishikawa Yui, Sagara Sou (author, surprise guest)
Event Report Sourced: https://ameblo.jp/hopt-ag/entry-12211030939.html


Qualidea Talk Corner

  • Impressions now that the anime is over?

Soma: The audition felt like it was a long time ago, but once the recordings began, it went by in a flash. The authors didn’t tell us what was going to happen in the story, so I was in suspense until the very end. I didn’t know when my character was going to disappear. *laughs*

Sagara: The character count went down with each episode, and at Episode 8 the recording studio was very sparse. *laughs*

Yuishi: Canaria disappeared in the middle, but I’m glad she came back. I think she was the ultimate airhead until the end, though. Canaria is different from the other characters I’ve voiced, and at first I was going to audition for Hime, but when I saw that Canaria’s ability involved singing, I decided to try for her since I like to sing too.

Soma: I was considering auditioning for Kasumi as well.

  • What did Sagara-sensei think of their voice acting?

Sagara: Ichiya was fine as-is. As for Canaria, she seemed to struggle with expressing her airheadedness at first.

Sagara: After the recording, we all went to a Qualidea collab cafe and drew in notebooks together.

Yuishi: We talked about how Soma-kun looks like an art college student.

  • Did your impression change after the anime aired?

Soma: Ichiya was calling people incompetent left and right at the start, but in the end, he was being manipulated for the longest.

Sagara: Suzaku is the character with the most human reactions.

Soma: He became better friends with Kasumi midway, which I was happy for because there weren’t any characters he could have a proper conversation with besides Canaria.

Yuishi: On the other hand, I felt bad for Canaria, because in the last episode everyone else was paired up (Ichiya + Kasumi, Hime + Hotaru, Asuha + Aoi) except for her.

Sagara: Canaria belongs to everyone *laughs*

Yuishi: There’s a year in between the novel and the anime, so Canaria developed during that time. I think that’s why she was a serious, older sister type at the beginning of the anime. Although she immediately became airheaded *laughs*

Sagara: Yeah, Canaria might’ve had the biggest personality change between the novel and the anime.

Soma: The fact that she’s always smiling didn’t change, though. I’d want to be told that too (“When you’re in trouble, smile!”).

Sagara: Canaria can live without Suzaku, but Suzaku can’t live without Canaria. I think that by saving Suzaku, she also saved herself.

Yuishi: Ichiya has a lot of scenes where he’s struggling, but that makes you care about him more. I thought that he and Canaria supplemented each other.

Sagara: I’m glad that you both understood my intentions for the characters.

  • We have a sample of the Vol.2 Blu-ray here, that goes on sale this month. It includes a novel written by Sagara Sou-sensei.

Sagara: Canaria is the main character. Actually, she’s there the whole time.

Soma: Is Ichiya there the whole time?

Sagara:

Soma: Huh?

Sagara: Look forward to it *laughs*

  • Which scene do you want people to watch the most?

Soma: The scene where Ichiya pushes Kasumi against the wall. Also, Canaria’s singing.

Yuishi: The conversation between the adults. When you’ve seen the last episode and go back to see what they said at the start, it all links together. I also like the scene where the adults hold hands.


Trinity Challenge Corner

  • The three team up to play games, and they win a prize if they get a perfect score.
  • The first game was “God Tasting,” where they eat variants of an item and guess which is more expensive. The topic was bananas, where the cheap one was 60 yen and the expensive one was 700 yen. All of them got it right, and apparently the expensive one was sweeter.
  • The next game was “Atomic Draw,” where two of them draw the topic together and the other one guesses.
    • The first topic was Tokyo Tower drawn by Soma and Sagara-sensei, but Yuishi guessed wrong (rocket).
    • The second topic was sumo wrestling drawn by Soma and Yuishi, which Sagara-sensei guessed correctly.
    • The third topic was Halloween drawn by Yuishi and Sagara-sensei, which Soma guessed correctly.
  • The third game was “Prestigious Hands,” where they take turns putting their hands inside a box and guessing what’s inside. The answer was a chick-shaped cake, which they guessed correctly.
  • Since they performed well at the games, they qualified for the prize (to be received after the event).
  • The person who wrote the event report commented that Soma seemed to be taking the audience in the back seats into consideration, because he suggested the cast stand up to play, and held the items up as high as he could.

  • Lastly was the gift corner, where an autographed poster was given away by raffle.

[Event] Qualidea Code Episode 1 Advance Screening & Cast Talk Show

Date: 2016/7/2
Guests: Saito Soma, Ishikawa Yui, Yuki Aoi, Fukuhara Ayaka, Uchida Yuma

I couldn’t find any particularly useful event reports, but here’s some misc notes:

  • The cast talk was 30-40 mins long
  • Anzai Chika was missing because she was attending Anime Expo in LA instead
  • Yuma’s character has a little sister, so they began teasing him about his older sister

[Event] AnimeJapan: Qualidea Code Talk Show

Date: 2016/3/26 @ 7:15pm
Event: AnimeJapan 2016
Guests: Saito Soma, Ishikawa Yui, Yuki Aoi, Fukuhara Ayaka, Uchida Yuma, Anzai Chika, Sagara Sou (author), Tachibana Koshi (author), Watari Wataru (author)
Event Reports Sourced: https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1460480554 https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/Animeanime_27692/


First, the cast members were called on stage and the first PV was played. Soma read out the story synopsis, and the authors were called on stage next.

Next, each group of characters was introduced, with their respective commercials played.

An interesting part of the Tokyo camp’s talk was how Suzaku Ichiya (CV: Saito Soma) looks down on the incompetent, and he hates Chigusa Kasumi (CV: Uchida Yuma) whose quote in the PV was “I’m only here because of my younger sister’s influence.” The fact that he “hates” Kasumi rather than just looking down on him may imply that he has a special awareness of him. Perhaps Kasumi has something that forces Ichiya to hate him. (When Soma started talking about how his character hates Yuma’s, Yuma stood up in protest.)

Also, Canaria’s “World” (special ability) strengthens her abilities by singing, so… we might get to hear her singing?! Look forward to the character songs.

Sagara-sensei’s comments on how he’d like Soma and Yuishi to voice Ichiya and Canaria were displayed. They referenced other works, such as a certain “Prism King” show that both Soma and Yuma were in, that was airing at the time of the event.

Next was the Kanagawa team, with the two voice actresses meeting each other for the first time. Their characters were introduced and commentary was given by the corresponding author, Tachibana-sensei.

Lastly was the Chiba team, following the same format as the others.

After the character discussions, the authors departed from the stage and a major announcement was made: the theme songs would be performed by LiSA, ClariS, and GARNiDELiA. The cast members were surprised too, and were eager to hear the songs.

Finally, the cast members said their farewells, encouraging the audience to look forward to what the series had in store.