Join the Gurren Brigade!Gurren Lagann Pep Rally in Kudanshita,Tokyo! Konitan was told to SHUT UP! =o
Natsu da! Drill da! Gurren Lagann Matsuri!!
~Dai Gurren Dan Kekki Shuukai~
Today was so much fun! I went to Kudanshita with
gokumew2 to attend the Gurren Dan Rally!!
The great thing about this event was that it was completely free. The only thing you had to do to participate was apply with your information at the website. So easy!! And despite being free, it was totally an event worth spending money on. The kekki shuukai was high tension all the way!! I loved it.
People were called in order of the numbers on their postcards. I was in the 700s but mew was in the 1000s so in order to stay together we had to stand in the back of the line. If you wanna sit with friends, you just have to arrive at the venue after the designated shuugou jikan. The only disadvantage of that is that you end up sitting on the top floor which in our case was the 3rd floor. But it turned out to be really good seats since they were the first row in the 2nd tier of seats. And since the venue wasn't too big, we got a pretty good view of the cast. Only obstruction was the fact that the top part of the screen couldn't be seen from our angle. Unfortunately, they had placed the screen to high up and too far back on the stage. But no biggie really.
The show started off with the MC coming out. I'm sure I've seen the MC at Jump Festa before, too. He said he was a Japan Brodcasting Announcer (Nihon Housou Announcer) and that everyone must be wondering what an announcer like him is doing at an event like this. He answered, it's because he's actually quite an otaku and thus he wanted to participate. (But please think otaku like FukuJun or Katou Kazuki and not Densha Otoko because he is quite young and cute.:p)
He proceeded to call the cast onto the stage. How I envied the people on the first floor because the cast ran through the aisles to get to the stage. And Kakkii (Kakihara Tetsuya) was first to run up carrying the Gurren Dan flag!! I was surprised, I never really thought of Kakkii as cute in terms of looks. Hatano, yes. But not Kakkii..no offense of course. But he was damn cute today. I like his style. His hair was even cute. And of course he had such a cute and funny personality today.<--but I've always thought so in his rajiban's anyway.:p
The other seiyuu were called onto the stage. Inoue Marina (Youko), Hiyama Nobuyuki (Viral), Fukui Yukari (Nia), Satou Rina, Ueda Kana,
Asumi, Kana and of course Saiga Mitsuki (Roshiu). Of course, there's one person missing, right? Well, the MC informed us that due to the fact that a certain character...ahem...Kamina...died( in ep. 8), he wouldn't be able to join us today. The audience reaction: "EHHHHHHHHH?????????????????" But then suddenly the screen on stage rises and it's none other than Konishi Katsuyuki (Kamina) making his oh so AWESOME entrance! Konitan is so great for Kamina. He totally stole the show. So this kinda entrance is so fitting for him. He talked for quite a bit and at one point when the MC was trying to let other people like Kakkii speak he was trying to upstage him..haha..I think he was even prepared to sing.^^
This show was being recorded and there were cameras everywhere. They wanted the audience to participate in the title call. So each seiyuu had a line as well as the audience. Our line was "~Dai Gurren Dan Kekki Shuukai~" and we had to say it while pointing our left hand up in the air similar to Kamina's pose. First we did a practice run and then the actual recording.
Next, onto the corners. In one of the corners, the MC announced the character rankings. Simon was number 2 only to who else but the great leader of the Gurren Dan, Kamina-himself. This incited a huge overwhelming applause from the audience. Can't help but feel bad for Simon who will forever be in his aniki's shadow.:/ Well, sadly, I guess that's why they had to kill Kamina off. So Simon could get a chance to shine.:p Please don't take me to seriously, tho. I love Kamina just as much as I love Simon.^o^
The next corner, they showed the preliminary sketches of each character's design plus the present designs both kodomo and otona versions. Simon's was so cute. But the preliminary sketch his face wasn't even drawn. So everyone was just assuming it must be Simon since he had the drill beside him. Next, was Kamina and his gave the image of like a Yokohama bousouzoku (punk).<--This became a running theme during the nama-afureko. Viral's designs were also cute. I liked the one they showed of him 7 years later, which of course is how he looks on the show now. So cute. They also showed the girls but well they were all similar to their current designs.
Now, Gurren Lagann's design was something else. One of the preliminary designs reminded me of transformers but that could just be me. Anyhow, the cast and I and prolly most of the audience all agree that we are heck a glad that the current design was the final product.
The next corner, they had pictures of all the GL characters figures and the actually GL. Each picture had the characters in different amusing poses and the seiyuu were supposed to come up with what they think the characters should say in each thought bubble in the pictures. The one thing they had to pay attention to was to make sure what they said would connect with the previous frame. Unfortunately, Kakkii misunderstood and his didn't connect well. But still it was funny.
Oh, there was also another corner where they showed a CM of the card game and DS game. I think it was the card game one which they had just recorded earlier today and we were seeing it for the first time. As for the DS game, poor Kakkii. He's so lucky to have such kind senpai. Konitan-tachi were telling us to applaud Kakkii because he lost his voice while recording for the game and he really worked hard during the shoot.
After the break, the MC came out and made a special announcement.
He talked about how Konitan is now forbidden from talking from here on out. He had talked so much during the first half, that they ran out of times for the corners and the girls barely had a chance to speak.:p Hehe...Konitan got in trouble but I don't mind him talking anytime. He's always got something funny or interesting to say.
Next, there was a corner where the MC interviewed Inoue Marina while a video of her interview with the anime staff from the dvd played in the background.
After that, the seiyuu did a Live Recording!! They basically read lines from scenes from actual episodes and performed them live. First, the actual actors of the seiyuu do the real version of the scene. After that, other actors perform those characters using the same script and scene. This part was one of the most hilarious parts of the show!
I especially loved the BL scene that Kakkii and Konitan performed together. They were reading the script for the scene where Youko cuts Nia's hair. Kakkii was Nia and Konitan played Youko. They were so perfect. And when Kakkii asked Konitan what he thought of the haircut, Konitan gave this funny grunt which sounded more like a "maa...maa it didn't turn out so good" than a "it looks nice." At the end of that scene Nia and Youko are supposed to laugh...but haha Konitan and Kakkii were laughing and it was so gay. hahahaha!! So the cast commented that their BL scene was so nice. haha...it was true..it was so BL-ish.
Another scene that was re-enacted was the one when Kamina and Simon fight Viral to take over the Ganmen ship.
Kakkii screamed with all his might. Wow...I was moved. He can scream!! Gave me goosebumps. Later, they were replaced with the 3-na's as I like to call the seiyuu who play the kuro no kyoudai. Umm..yeah they were interesting. At least one of them was purposely over-acting. And well, yeah they are not Kakkii because the girl playing Simon..her scream was chou yowakatta.
The other scene they did was Simon vs. Guame. Kakkii was awesome again. They had Hiyama play Simon and Fukui play Genome. Fukui was funny as Guame and it was just amusing hearing Hiyama's version of Simon. He really had to put effort into sounding more like a kid. haha..Still after seeing his version, thank goodness Simon is played by Kakkii.:p
The last scene they did was the scene from the onsen episode where everyone was enjoying the feast that Roshiu insisted was completely ayashii. This had 7 parts which meant 2 people would be left out. For this, the staff decided to make it a lottery and have the cast draw the roles. Konitan got a blank pc. of paper but he decided he'll play Koko-jii. Hiyama also got a blank paper and decided to do the narration for the scene. Saiga Mitsuki got Youko!! Haha...so we got to see her playing a girl chara. Kakkii played Roshiu and the rest of the girls got the remaining roles. But I forgot which of them got Kamina and Simon.
Anyhow, this was the most amusing corner of them all.
Before I knew it, it was the end of the show. Sadly....wish there were encores at these kind of events.:p
At the end of the show, each cast member gave a small speech. Kakkii's was funny because he basically teased Konitan for even being able to be there in the first place when his chara is long gone dead by now. And sarcastically, he commented on how in future events its too bad that he may not even get a chance to attend since he's dead already. haha Of course, Konitan didn't take this sitting and was so ready to fight but then Kakkii kowtowed in apology and reverence to his great senpai. :p They exchanged bows for a couple of seconds until
Kakkii finished his speech.
Of course, Konitan was last to speak...seeing as he was the STAR of the event. He finished the show in great Kamina-style.
The MC announced that the cast would be throwing signed balls into the audience. Luckily, they reassured us on the 2nd and 3rd floors not to worry because we would get a chance to win balls through lottery. In that venue, they didn't want us standing in our seats because there are no huge guardrails to keep us from falling from the 2nd or 3rd floors. Mew won Saiga Mitsuki's signed ball.^^ So lucky!
I was hoping they might do a mini-live in promotion of the new character songs that are out. But I guess they couldn't fit that into the program. Oh well.
With that the show ended. Man, I wanna go to more seiyuu events...esp. free ones!! I hope I can attend more this summer or upcoming fall!
