Yuki Kaji: "Everyone Has Kept Holding On to It for Over 10 Years" — Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 1 – Crimson Bow and Arrow SCREENX Stage Greeting Report

On October 25, a stage greeting commemorating the SCREENX release of Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 1 – Crimson Bow and Arrow was held at TOHO Cinemas Ikebukuro. Yuki Kaji, the voice of Eren Yeager, director Tetsuro Araki, and composer Hiroyuki Sawano took the stage.

Official Report

Attack on Titan, based on the original work by Hajime Isayama, is a landmark of dark fantasy. Season 1 of the TV anime, which aired from April to September 2013, became a hot topic the moment it began airing thanks to its overwhelming quality. Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 1 – Crimson Bow and Arrow, the first half of a two-part theatrical compilation that re-edits all 25 episodes of TV anime Season 1, is now back in theaters. Alongside 4DX and ULTRA 4DX, screenings in SCREENX, a three-screen multi-projection cinema system being used for the first time in the series, are also drawing attention.

After the SCREENX screening, MC Neki Matsuzawa called the three guests up in front of an audience still buzzing with excitement. Speaking about how Attack on Titan continues to see new developments even after the TV anime concluded, Kaji expressed his joy, saying, "I'm filled with the feeling that everyone has steadily kept holding on to it for over 10 years." Kaji also said it felt strange to meet in a work setting, since he rarely had the chance to see the staff in charge of the score at recording sessions, and the three of them had only ever met at private dinners where they chatted about nothing in particular.

Reflecting on the roughly 12 years that have passed since the release of Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 1 – Crimson Bow and Arrow, director Araki murmured wistfully, "It feels like it was just the other day, but it's really been that long, hasn't it..." Kaji, while describing his own voice and acting back then as "young," looked back on how there must have been meaning in his younger self playing the role, commenting, "That moment remains as part of the work. That goes for Hannes's voice, and for Grisha's voice too. They're things that have definitely stayed with me as well. I think film, and animation, is something that keeps living on in everyone's memories... So I'm happy we've been given the chance to let everyone experience it again." His words conveyed his feelings for the late, great actors Keiji Fujiwara, who played Hannes in Season 1, and Hiroshi Tsuchida, the voice of Grisha Yeager, who passed away on October 11.