Spoiler Warning: This report contains major spoilers for the series A.I.C.O. Incarnation

In March 2018,  the anime series A.I.C.O. Incarnation joined the worldwide catalogue of Netflix. Although quite some time has passed since the series’ premiere, a special two-part screening took place at Shinjuku Piccadilly in Tokyo. The second screening showed the final six episodes and took place on 20 January. You may not want to carry on with this article if you have not yet finished watching the series!

After the screening, cast members Haruka Shiraishi (voice of Aiko Tachibana), Yusuke Kobayashi (Yuya Kanzaki and Toshihide Yura), Makoto Furukawa (Yoshihiko Sagami), Taishi Murata (Kazuki Minase) appeared on stage along with director Kazuya Murata.

‘Let’s roll!’ said Kobayashi, who was standing on the stage for the second time following the screening for the first half. The fans at the venue responded by shouting, ‘Willco-!’ Furukawa let out that he was jealous at how Kobayashi got to interact with the fans.

Furukawa, who was making his first appearance at an A.I.C.O event, talked about his character Sagami, and explained how he gradually developed a new kind of coolness as the series went on. He then added that Sagami demonstrated his superb leadership and reliability despite his young age of 25. Murata, who also appeared at A.I.C.O’s event for the first time, commented that his character Kazuki is young and pure and only thinks about Aiko. He expressed his sense of relief saying that despite Kazuki facing a life-threatening situation in every episode, he was glad that Kazuki survived the series.

Kobayashi, who portrayed Kanzaki and Yura, revealed that he was told about the double role at the initial stage of the recordings and was told not to let other cast members to know about it. He confessed that he had been nervous and felt pressured by the burden of keeping the secret throughout his recordings. Furukawa said that he remembered asking Kobayashi repeatedly if he was hiding something as he felt that he was hiding some kind of big secret.

At the final segment of the event, director Murata encouraged the fans to watch the anime again and again to solve mysteries that appear. Kobayashi said that the anime’s protagonist is interchangeable depending on the perspective of viewers. He confessed that he hadn’t been able to figure out many of the riddles and recommended that fans read the 100-page reference booklet that comes with its Blu-ray box set. Shiraishi stressed that viewers should pay attention on the gift from Aiko’s father which would become useful at some point later on. ‘Keep loving ‘A.I.C.O!’ Kobayashi exclaimed and the fans replied, ‘Willco’. The call-and-response made everyone in the venue feel united and that wrapped up the event.

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