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

Araki also shared a story from when the anime adaptation was decided. He had come to love the manga after reading it on the recommendation of people around him, and had even daydreamed about what an anime version would look like. "With production studios competing for it, I felt that I absolutely should be the one to do it, that this was a work I could contribute to by taking it on myself," he recalled. When Neki Matsuzawa pointed out that Kaji and Araki shared the same "I can do this" attitude, the two nodded firmly.

In the dressing room that day, they reportedly also reminisced about the promotional video released when the anime adaptation was announced. The video was based on Episode 5, "First Battle," set in the Trost District and the first episode the studio produced, and it is one of the most representative pieces of footage from the work, featuring two elements that symbolize the series: omni-directional mobility gear and the Colossal Titan. Its quality was so high that people let out an "Ooh!" even during the in-house rush check (the process of piecing together footage that has finished compositing and editing to check for problems), and it reportedly also earned a reputation at Asahi Production, which handled compositing, with people saying "Attack on Titan is amazing." Incidentally, around that time, Kaji received a phone call directly from Araki asking whether his audition audio could be used in the promotional video.

Sawano, for his part, mentioned that he had initially turned down the offer for Attack on Titan due to scheduling conflicts with other projects. He explained that Araki and producer Tetsuya Kinoshita then went out of their way to visit his office and earnestly pleaded with him to do it, and that he accepted because their enthusiasm made him happy. When Sawano humbly said that it is only thanks to Attack on Titan that he can call himself a composer today, the other two were quick to push back: "I can't imagine a timeline where the music isn't by Sawano!" (Kaji) and "Because I was convinced we absolutely had to have him do it" (Araki). Even so, as Sawano kept modestly insisting, "If someone else had done the music, it would have become their Attack on Titan," Kaji fired back with a forceful, "I'll crush that timeline!"

Neki Matsuzawa then asked how the timing of the music cues is decided. Araki explained that he and sound director Mima decide it together, and regarding the new pieces for the film, he answered, "I think I told (Sawano) that we'd basically put them at the beginning, the middle, and the end." Araki also said his favorite moment is the staging where a new piece plays as Mitabi's squad struggles to plug the hole during the defense of the Trost District, passionately explaining that he can't get enough of the way the music settles down once and then swells up again.

According to Araki, the timing of the music was also restructured for the theatrical adaptation, with sound director Mima taking the way music is placed a step further than in the TV anime series so that the layered components within each piece fit the scenes well. In addition, when a fitting scene comes to mind as soon as he receives a piece from Sawano, Araki sometimes tells Mima, "Be sure to use it here."

Apart from such cases, Araki and Mima often work out the music through trial and error, and Araki says he absolutely loves that process. He even runs simulations while checking Sawano's soundtracks on the move, and drew laughter from the audience with comments such as "I love putting Sawano's music to the film and swapping things around. It's my lifelong hobby!" and "Sawano is the guy in charge of giving me toys to play with."

Sawano, meanwhile, said he composes pieces based on the "intended use" communicated to him at the time of the offer. According to Araki, if the tracks are split into stems (the technique or process of extracting separate audio files for each part), Mima can arrange the music to match the footage, so they are actually grateful that Sawano leaves it up to them how the music is used. Except for pieces written with a specific use in mind, Sawano doesn't know how his music will be used on screen, so he has sometimes been surprised when watching the broadcast. For example, "The Reluctant Heroes," which many strongly associate with Levi as his theme song, was originally composed as a battle track. It was actually used before Levi first appeared, but because the image of Levi as a character was so strong, many viewers came to think of it as Levi's theme. There are also times when orders are placed so that a piece used in a character's great moment has its phrase reused in that same character's standout scenes in other seasons. Kaji was impressed by this, remarking, "That's professional..."

The visuals were often unfinished at the voice recording stage, and while Kaji spoke about this tactfully, Araki was candid about the production situation at the time. When Araki said, "We let the actors perform freely, thought, 'Oh, so that's how they're going to play it,' and had the time to reflect that in the animation," Kaji heaped praise on him: "Even so, no matter how rough the state of things was, the characters' expressions and feelings came through... Of course, part of it is that there's an original work, but I especially don't remember ever struggling with director Araki's storyboards."

Kaji also shared a behind-the-scenes story: for the final episode, which appears in Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 2 – Wings of Freedom, there was no script until the day of recording, and the stapled script handed out at the studio was still warm from the copier. Kaji then went right on to talk about what happens in Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 2 – Wings of Freedom, saying, "I don't think spoilers are an issue at this point, but...", yet when he checked just in case, it turned out the venue included audience members who had "watched Attack on Titan for the first time that day." He apologized profusely, and the sight of Kaji unable to hide his delight at spotting fans encountering the work for the first time at this point left a lasting impression.

The conversation then turned to Kaji's acting. Since the three guests had also worked together on another project before Attack on Titan, Araki said he had an image of Kaji as "a nice person with a streak of madness," which is exactly why he was convinced Kaji was right for Eren. Kaji, on the other hand, recalled that when he was given the role of Eren, a type of character he had never played before, he thought, "Huh, not Armin...!? I'd have liked to at least audition for it alongside Eren." Despite that first impression, he said that the more he played the role, the more he came to feel that "Eren is here." Araki likewise saw Kaji and the rest of the cast as the characters themselves, recalling, "I listened with the mindset of hearing out what the characters themselves had to say. If Kaji didn't feel like screaming at a certain point, I took it to mean that the character wouldn't either."

There was no end of things to talk about, but the stage greeting eventually reached its close. The event wrapped up with Kaji leading the now-customary call of "Dedicate your hearts!" The three said with evident reluctance that they could talk forever with this lineup, and their deep love for Attack on Titan came through clearly.

（C)諫山創・講談社／「進撃の巨人」製作委員会