The first chapter of the anime movie Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] will finally be released on Saturday 14 October 2017. A special event called ‘Fate/Grand Order Fes. 2017 ~2nd Anniversary~’ took place on Saturday 29 July, 77 days before the release of the movie, at Makuhari Messe. Noriaki Sugiyama (Shirou Emiya), Noriko Shitaya (Sakura Matou), Ayako Kawasumi (Saber), and Jouji Nakata (Kirei Kotomine) attended the event and spoke about the highlights of the film.
This is the first time the final route of Fate/stay night will be depicted in anime form and the passion of the excited fans who wanted to hear the new information as soon as possible could be felt from before the event began. The event began with a narration by Nakata’s character, Kirei Kotomine, sending the fans’ excitement through the roof. Then, with Sugiyama’s famous line, ‘I am the bone of my sword’, the voice actors took to the stage and were met with overwhelming applause.
The first corner to take place was ‘Heaven’s Talk’ and the cast was asked ‘Which scenes do you have the most expectations for in the anime movie?’ The cast members each suggested different scenes such as the battle scene with Nobutoshi Canna’s character Lancer, Shirou and Sakura’s cooking scenes which can be considered a symbol of happy daily life in the Emiya household, the scene with that line said by Sakura in the first PV (if you’re a fan, then you should already know!), and the scene where Shirou and Kotomine quarrel. As the scenes were explained, voices of agreement and expectation could be heard from the fans.
After the screening of a trailer that was made specifically for the event and that included two new scenes, the next corner, ‘Heaven’s Museum’, began. The theme was ‘the movie’s key visuals.’ Pictures drawn by the cast were brought onstage covered in a red veil. Sugiyama displayed his distinctive drawing of Sakura standing under a cherry blossom tree, Shitaya had drawn Shiro and Sakura standing back-to-back holding a ladle and a rice paddle respectively and a single teardrop on Sakura’s cheek, Kawasumi had drawn a close-up of Hiroshi Kamiya’s character, Shinji Matou, who will carry out an important role, and Nakata displayed an illustration of Shiro and Kotomine eating with dialogue.
Each member gazed at the pictures, agreeing with the others’ interpretation of Fate/stay night’s world. In response to their comments on the other members’ pictures, the fans voiced their agreement and erupted into applause. Some fans said that they wanted to officially buy the artwork or that they would make nice stickers on instant messaging application LINE so, who knows, there may be a chance to see the cast’s artwork again.
During the information corner, Sakura became the focus and the other main characters surrounded her. The third key visual, drawn by original character designer Takashi Takeuchi was revealed. The pre-order tickets which feature the illustration will go on sale from September. It has also been decided that Shitaya will be a radio personality on a new internet radio show and that there will be a collaboration with the beef bowl chain restaurant Nakau, exciting the fans. Details will be announced via the official website.
During the final greetings, the cast asked the fans to fully enjoy the movie on the big screen at full volume and the fans responded in kind with thunderous applause. The new key visual is also on the official website so be sure to check it out!
In Japanese Cinemas 14 October 2017
Official Anime Website: http://www.fate-sn.com/
Official Anime Twitter: https://twitter.com/Fate_SN_Anime
Official Aimer Website: http://www.aimer-web.jp/
Official Aimer Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aimer_and_staff
Official Aimer YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/aimerSMEJ
The first season of the new year is just one month away from its finale. It was a great start with many amazing titles that made these past months worth the extra hours we put in front of our sets. Now, it is time for the cold wind to give way to the pink hues of the sakura tree and for the Winter 2018 season to give the anime baton to Spring 2018.
