Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue! Part Four: RecapDecember 2, 2020 marked the release of part four of the
Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue! Part Four: RecapDecember 2, 2020 marked the release of part four of the Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue series, an online documentary showing us a look behind-the-scenes into the audition process and casting of Ichigo Momomiya in the new animation project, “Tokyo Mew Mew New”, announced on April 2, 2020 for Nakayoshi’s 65th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of Tokyo Mew Mew. The documentary is narrated by Saki Nakajima, the voice of Ichigo in the original 2002 animation and subsequent video games.This episode focused on our final three of the twelve audition finalists, picked by judges and by fans on the “mysta” app out of the 57 entries that made it through all three stages of the screening process to attend the Event Screening. According to the documentary, there were some 3,000+ applicants in total!The Event Screening consisted of two parts: reading lines on stage and singing and dancing to the new song “bitter sweet darling”. Judges for the event included opera singer and vocal director Sugai Hidenori, dancer and choreographer SA.KANA, director of audiography Kameyama Toshiki, editor-in-chief of Nakayoshi magazine Suda Shukuko and Yoshida Takeshi, a representative on behalf of Pony Canyon/Swallow.Highlighted this episode were:Entry 1692: Shinonome Iku. “Though I’ve always dreamed of being a voice actor or idol since I was a little girl, I couldn’t pursue it due to my family situation.” Despite being quite busy with her job, she managed to make time for the audition, even renting a studio so she could practicing dancing, singing, and smiling. Her strengths are her persistence and good posture, she said. “I’ve learned Sado (Japanese tea ceremony) for twelve years. I’m going to straighten my back and perform crisply. I’m so nervous that my body is even about to tremble, but I appreciate this chance and will do my best.”Following her audition, Sugai Hidenori asked her if she had ever taken singing, dancing or acting lessons. When she explained that she never had, he wanted to know the reason she was there auditioning. After explaining that it was something she had decided for herself, he continued to ask why she had made that decision despite lacking the experience. When she earnestly explained her desire for the challenge and her family situation not allowing it, he seemed to be satisfied, saying: “you made me want to do lessons for you.” Entry 2641: Ryusaki Yuka. “Here, I met so many pretty girls with nice voices. It brings out my heartfelt appreciation for being here out of 3,000 candidates. I’ll act Ichigo-chan in my way, with my appreciation.” Like many of the other candidates, she has been striving to become a voice actor since she was small. “One of my high school friends who knows my aspiration kindly told me about this audition,” she said. “I read Nakayoshi and loved Tokyo Mew Mew when I was little. This is a chance to engage in my favorite.” According to her, her strengths are bold actions and facial expressions. Cosplay is one of her hobbies, and she said that she has often been complimented for her ability to get into character. After practicing daily and revisiting the comics, thinking about Ichigo and the story, she said that she hopes she can cheer everyone up. She explained that because she was working, it was difficult to arrange her schedule so that she could audition. She expressed thanks to her colleagues for their understanding and enthusiasm. “I see all candidates are great, but I’ll try to be confident in myself and do my best!”Sugai Hidenori asked her if there had been any changes in herself since she began singing the song a month ago. “I did not mean the technical progress,” he said. “I want to hear about your progress in understanding, like ‘now I can see this side of Momomiya Ichigo after singing for one month’. […] I believe there are more things you could do. Put more importance on what you have inside!”The episode took a short break to show some candid footage of the girls backstage – practicing, eating, and taking a moment to relax and have fun.Entry 2117: Temma Yuuki. “I was impressed by the Tokyo Mew Mew anime when I was a little girl. ‘How cool are the fighting girls!’“ Now 22, she said that this felt like fate and an opportunity to change her life. She talked about how impressed she was to encounter Tokyo Mew Mew once again after so many years. Her favorite character is Lettuce. “I’ve been encouraged so much by her, who is a very withdrawn character like me.” She also discussed how all-rounded the auditions process was. She admitted that she practiced every night, even asking her mother to record videos of her practice and to help coach her, because she didn’t have much dancing or singing experience. “She is not professional,” she admitted with a laugh, “but she helped me. Thank you, mom!” To her, passing through three stages of screenings feels like a miracle. “But I won’t let it be a miracle,” she said. “I’ll do my best to sparkle more than anyone today!”Sugai Hidenori went on to criticize her for singing through her nose. He then gave her an assignment to make a cry like an Iriomote wildcat. “I don’t think they make such a refined cry,” he said. “The Iriomote wildcat preys on other animals, you know. Let’s try to use the whole back muscle. […] You can’t, can you? That is your current ability. You can’t afford to fool around. You should remember to use your back muscle.”Part four can be found here!The next episode will be released on December 12, 2020 and will begin reporting on the final round of auditions which took place on September 20-21, 2020 where the contestants received singing, dancing, and acting lessons as well as recorded a new song “Resolution of colors” to be used in the final judging. The winner has already been decided and will be revealed in a later program. (The announcement details can be found here.)Tokyo Mew Mew was first released as a manga in Nakayoshi magazine, appearing in issues from 2000-2003, and Tokyo Mew Mew a la mode through 2004. -- source link