Afterwards, the MC came on stage and said Eir Aoi was a bit shy and to get her on stage we had to do a special chant to get her onstage. After a few minutes, Eir Aoi came on stage; the glow sticks turned on and the concert finally began. She sang the opening to Kill la Kill before heading off-stage as he introduced the first episode of Kill la Kill dubbed in English. [Fun fact we where sitting behind the English cast of Kill la Kill and they were enjoying the event as well.] Once the episode finished, seiyuus Ami Koshimizu (Ryuko Matoi) and Ryoka Yuzuki (Satsuki Kiryuin) along with Kazuki Nakashima (script writer), Yosuke Toba (producer), SUSHIO (character designer) came on stage for a quick Q&A. Fans began to chant "Kill la Kill" over and over until SUSHIO came on; the chant changed to "SUSHIO" as he hyped them up and then made them stop, similar to a music conductor. During this time SUSHIO was on stage while working on a live sketch, which was later shown at the Aniplex booth and also the Trigger website. In addition, seiyuus Ami Koshimizu and Ryoka Yuzuki were dressed as their respective characters, which was also their first time ever cosplaying.
During the Q&A, the voice actresses answered several questions. One that stood out was "How are you like your character?" Ryoka Yuzuki jokingly answered that Ami Koshimizu was really a "Yankee" (rebel), which Ami began to deny but Mr. Nakashima said she really was and that they gave her the part because they were scared of her. A fun fact that the voice actresses shared with the fans was that in real life, Ami Koshimizu (Ryuko Matoi) is taller then Ryoka Yuzuki (Satsuki Kiryuin) but in the anime it's reversed. Ami Koshimizu was being funny by patting her co-star on her head in a jokingly manner of her height. Ryoka Yuzuki mentioned that in real life she is really shy but for the anime, she had to lower her voice to a deep octave. One running joke among the staff is that Ami Koshimizu is really a "Yankee" (rebel). The questions for the developing team ranged from "Where the idea for the series started" to "How was it seeing American fans cosplay as the Kill la Kill cast?" They answered by saying that in Japan, fans don't really go all the way in the risky costumes but instead, they use tan color body suits. because they don't feel brave enough and they also add that American females fill in the roles of Ryuko Matoi and Satsuki Kiryuin better. They also liked that some cosplayers dressed up as Nudist Beach.
After the Q&A, it was once again time for Eir Aoi to perform several of her songs, including her newest single, "Ignite", which is the new OP for Sword Art Online II; the single will be released on August 20, 2014. During the concert, he glow sticks came out once more and stayed in the air for the whole concert. People were really excited to see her and I could hear some even singing along with her. Behind me there was a girl who got really emotional and began crying so much that staff had to come over and check on her. She was fine but it was amazing to see an artist that can do that to a fan even from on stage.
After the Q&A it was once again time for Eir Aoi to perform her songs along with her new single "Ignite" which is the OP for Sword Art Online II and will be released on August 20, 2014. She also performed "Sirius", "Memoria", "Innocence", "Niji no Oto", just to name a few from her albums "Prayer", "Blau", and "AUBE". The glow sticks came out and stayed in the air for the whole concert people were really excited to see her and I could hear some even singing along with her. Behind me there was a girl who got really emotional and began crying so much that staff had to come over and check on her. She was fine but it was amazing to see an artist that can do that to a fan even from on stage.
Once she left the stage, the MC came back and asked the audience to chant her name "E, I, Ru" until she came back for an encore. As the encore finished, the MC returned on stage and brought out the other guests as everyone chanted, "Kill la Kill" along with "SUSHIO". The guests wanted to take pictures to remember this event, which fans were more than happy to oblige as the chants continued to the very end.
I truly enjoyed the feel of the event from the cosplayers that came on stage to tell us about the FreFlow glow sticks. To the screening of the first English dubbed episode of "Kill la Kill". I like how it was more then a concert or even a Q&A it was really a fully packed one of a kind Event. Having the FreFlow glow sticks made it even more special since they synced to the music so they all changed color or flashed at special times along with they would turn off when the songs ended it just made it feel like you were in Japan where this is common. And seeing the Q&A which was like they were in front of friends and not a cookie cutter Q&A was something special. Just watching how the voice actresses were interacting with themselves and joking and being free made fans feel more intimate with them. Like I said I really like this event and would love to see more events like this coming from Aniplex/Anime Expo in the future.
The Kill la Kill event was truly one to remember. From the cosplayers explaining the function of the FreFlow, to the screening of the English dub, Eir Aoi's concert and finally the Q & A session with the cast and crew made for a really special event at Anime Expo. Particularly the Q & A session with the voice actresses was as fun as it was quite relaxed and intimate. If there are more chances for events like this one at Anime Expo, that would be fantastic.
