A live concert titled "Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash THE SOUND OF UC0105," based on the theatrical anime Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash (directed by Murase Shukou) from the popular Gundam anime series, was held on March 7th and 8th at Tokyo International Forum Hall C (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo). The concert was by Hiroyuki Sawano, who is in charge of the film's music, and featured appearances by SennaRin, who sang the insert songs, as well as Benjamin, Laco, and mpi. The world of "Hathaway's Flash" was expressed through spatial direction and live performances.
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A grand piano was placed in the center of the stage, and the band began with "EARth," followed by "Mobius" by Benjaminsann, Laconn, and mpi. The first half of the concert ended with the main theme song, "XI," in addition to "83UeI" and "TRACER" by Benjamin and mpi.
Before the second half of the show, Sawano and executive producer Naohiro Ogata spoke, asking the audience, "Did you enjoy it?" The audience erupted in thunderous applause. Sawano said, "There were no particular changes made to the production method or musical aspects between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2," and "I was basically left to my own devices." He explained that he created the music based on the image conveyed by Director Murase, who requested that the music be kept subdued except for the insert songs. When Sawano explained that two versions of the song "NDA" were included on the Chapter 2 soundtrack, Ogata emphatically stated, "It's a song that I have a special attachment to." Ogata requested that two versions be produced, and since the CD was being produced without deciding which version would be used in the main story, both versions ended up being included. The song's "chorus" wasn't used in the main story, and Sawano laughed, "The chorus wasn't used!" He agreed, saying, "Director Murase made the decision after looking at the entire film, and that's exactly what Director Murase was particular about."
The second chapter, "The Witch of Circe," has been a hot topic, with SZA's "Snooze" playing in the opening and Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child of Mine" playing at the end, and Director Murase added that this has brought his desire to "make a Western-style film" closer to fruition.
SennaRin also appeared. The insert songs for Chapter 2, "CIRCE" and "ENDROLL," were composed to match Director Murase's image, and then SennaRin wrote the lyrics. Sawano spoke of how he was particular about the lyrics, saying, "The lyrics are in Japanese, and they link to the image of the work, which is an important part." Regarding "ENDROLL," he explained, "We were also able to get Yohei Kawakami of [Alexandros] to participate, so we worked on the song while keeping that image in mind." SennaRin said that when writing the lyrics, he analyzed the characters of Hathaway, Gigi, and Kelia in his own way, and expressed confidence, saying, "Every time I hear the insert song, I get goosebumps."
In the second half of the set, SennaRin sang "LAST," "CIRCE," "DELUSION," and "ENDROLL." After introducing the band members, they also performed "Cage," "MOBILE SUIT~GUNDAM," and songs from "Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative" and "Mobile Suit Gundam UC," for which Sawano provided the music. Finally, SennaRin and LACO sang "BEYOND THE TIME (Beyond the Mobius Universe)," which is also included on "Circe's Witch" concept EP "LOST and FOUND."
Sawano said, "One day I'd like to hold a concert featuring the three works: Hathaway, Gundam NT, and Gundam UC," which was met with thunderous applause. He added with a smile, "It may still be some time until the release of the third chapter of Hathaway's Flash, but..."
