A stage greeting to commemorate the long run of the film version of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Castle Arc Chapter 1 - Akaza Returns," based on the popular manga by Koyoharu Gotouge, was held on February 8th at Grand Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro (Toshima Ward, Tokyo), with appearances by Hanae Natsuki, who plays Kamado Tanjiro, Shimono Hiro, who plays Agatsuma Zenitsu, Ueda Reina, who plays Tsuyuri Kanao, Sakurai Takahiro, who plays Tomioka Giyuu, and Hayami Saori, who plays Kocho Shinobu. The stellar voice cast revealed their thoughts on the film.
Approximately seven months after its release on July 18th of last year, the film has become a huge hit, attracting over 26.84 million domestic audience members. During a Q&A segment with fans, Hanae was asked, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is loved all over the world. If you had the opportunity to promote the film somewhere, which country or region would you like to visit?" Hanae replied, "I've been to quite a few places around the world, but surprisingly, I haven't been to many in Japan yet. I love hot springs, so I'd like to visit Jigoku Onsen in Oita Prefecture and the Oniyama Jigoku hot springs within." Shimono shared his favorite fried chicken, saying, "(Oita Prefecture) has amazing fried chicken," and excitedly added, "Fukui Prefecture. It's famous for glasses and dinosaurs. I've heard the seafood is delicious, too!" When Ueda recommended his hometown of Toyama Prefecture, Ueda immediately changed his mind, saying, "Then I'll choose Toyama!"
Sakurai expressed a desire to go to Nogata, Tokyo, the hometown of Giyuu, the character she plays, which drew a retort from the audience, "Isn't that too close?!" Hayami suggested, "How about building a special stage on the sea in Okinawa and holding an event on the sea?" Ueda's eyes lit up as she said, "If my sister goes to the sea, then I'll go to the top of the highest mountain in Japan!"
When asked, "There was a big change between the normally silent Giyuu and the Giyuu in the battle at Mugen Castle. How did you portray this change?" Sakurai replied, "After the story with Tanjiro in the 'Hashira Training Arc,' I felt like I was liberated from the self-blame I had been carrying. It may seem like a big change, but it was more like he was finally freed from something he had been carrying alone for so long, so it wasn't a sudden change, but more like a gradual change. Furthermore, (in the Mugen Castle) various things happen, such as meeting a side of yourself you didn't know during the battle, so I ended up becoming that person as I followed the story." In reference to Giyuu's favorite food, Sakurai was asked, "Do you also like salmon and daikon?" to which he replied, "I've never tried it. But I do have yellowtail and daikon!"
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Regarding the fight between Shinobu and Douma, she passionately wrote, "I love the scene where she clicks her tongue. Even though it's just for a moment, it felt like all of Shinobu's feelings were packed into it, and it was amazing. How did you feel when you acted out that scene, Hayami?" To which Hayami replied, "For example, if you say it like a line, it comes off as cute. This time, rather than thinking, 'How should I make the click of my tongue?' I think it came out in that form as part of the overall flow of the expression."
In response to the question, "Every time Kanao rushes over, my heart clenches when she screams. I'd like to hear any stories from recording," Ueda said, "Until the day of recording arrived, I couldn't even imagine what kind of voice Kanao would make in that scene. I was able to watch the dubbing of Shinobu and Douma's fight from the beginning, and as I watched the two of them fighting, feelings naturally built up. I particularly felt Shinobu's concentration and emotion in the fight very well from Hayami, who played her. I also think that the scream came naturally because I was able to see the dialogue between Shinobu and Kanae (played by Kayano Ai) and Shinobu's feelings. It's a scene that brings me to tears no matter how many times I watch it."
When asked, "In Mugen Castle, we saw a different Zenitsu than usual, which was really cool! The scene with Karuijin in particular had me on the edge of my seat! How was it acting that scene?" Shimono said, "When it came to the fight between Zenitsu and Kaigaku, I felt that I had to lead the fight and create the atmosphere. Parts of it are influenced by things like the feelings of the person I'm facing, and the acting of the actors. Within that, when I thought about how to portray Karuijin, I thought there were various patterns. The staff felt the same way, and we worked together to find out what would make Karuijin look great."
When asked, "How did you feel when you overcame the breathtakingly fierce battle between Tanjiro, Giyuu, and Akaza?" Hanae revealed his complicated feelings, saying, "I had a plan in mind for this battle, but as the recording date approached, I had this strange feeling that I wanted to get it done quickly, but I didn't want it to end." He also mentioned that Akira Ishida, who played Akaza, played a big role, saying, "Even though he's the enemy, there were parts where Ishida really pulled me along. There were times on set when I tried to follow Ishida's acting as much as possible, and there were even scenes where I closed my eyes while recording, because I valued what was born on set."
A special IMAX screening version was released on February 6th, and screenings in SCREENX and ULTRA 4DX have also been scheduled for February 20th. Hanae expressed his expectations, saying, "Thank you very much! I'll definitely go!" Finally, Hanae concluded, "Thank you for today. There were so many things I experienced for the first time with 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.' I feel like every time I see something new, like being able to greet people on such a big screen and being able to travel to various countries and regions. I look forward to continuing this journey with you all, so please continue to support us. And above all, I would like to return to this stage greeting with my utmost gratitude to the original author, Koyomu Gotouge. Thank you very much!"
"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" tells the story of Tanjiro Kamado, whose family was killed by demons, who joins the Demon Slayer Corps in order to turn his sister Nezuko, who has turned into a demon, back into a human. The original manga was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from 2016 to 2020. The total number of copies of the comics sold worldwide is over 220 million.
The TV anime "Tanjiro Kamado: Resolve Arc" aired from April to September 2019, and the movie "Infinity Train Arc" was released in October 2020. The "Entertainment District Arc" aired from December 2021 to February 2022, the "Swordsmith Village Arc" from April to June 2023, and the "Hashira Training Arc" from May to June 2024. It was also announced that the entire series will be rebroadcast on Fuji TV and other channels every Sunday at 9:30 AM starting from April 5th.
