On August 6, 2022, a stage event for the TV anime “RWBY: Ice Queendom” was held at Smile Fest 2022 organized by Good Smile Company at the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building Triangle Plaza in Tokyo. MC Ken Washizaki called for the opening theme song “Beyond Selves” to be played, and Yu Shimamura (Blake Belladonna) and Ami Koshimizu (Yang Xiaolong), Gen Urobuchi (animation director), and Tow Ubukata (series composition and screenplay) took the stage! Shimamura and Koshimizu were quick to show off their matching bee accessories inspired by Blake and Yang!

First, the cast members talked about the appeal of the original work. Shimamura and Koshimizu, who have been involved with “RWBY” for about eight years since the dubbed version, introduced the appeal of the work as “being filled with ‘likes'” and “unique characters. They also said that the balance of jokes is fun because it was made in the U.S. Mr. Ubuchi also mentioned the use of transformable weapons by the girls, and analyzed it from his own perspective as a creator, saying, “The creator’s desires are being expressed in spades. Ubukata-san was told by Kerry Shawcross, the director of the original anime, “Please stop adding more characters! He told the audience the story behind the original anime, which was full of vitality.

The first three episodes of “Ice Queendom” depict such content from the original anime. Originally, the original plan was to consist solely of the original Japanese content, but “I found that if I proceeded with the story in a speedy manner, it would come together in about eight episodes. So we decided to do the introduction with the remaining length,” said Mr. Kyobuchi, revealing the background of this work, in which the contents of Volume 1 were drawn to serve as a primer for the original.

 

The two cast members also had comparisons to the original anime in mind when they were asked to start from scratch with “RWBY”. Shimamura said, “Blake became sexier and Ruby’s cuteness became more noticeable,” and Koshimizu said, “It had been quite some time since the dubbing of Volume 1, but I was happy to be able to start from scratch again after years of playing Jan. The film was a great experience for me.

The fourth episode of “Ice Queendom” has an original Japanese storyline underway. In order to save Weiss, who is possessed by Nightmare and trapped in a dream, RWBY and his friends break into her dream. When asked why this content was chosen, Mr. Kyobuchi revealed the reason for Weiss’ story: “I got the offer when Team RWBY was falling apart in the original anime (Volume 4), so I wanted to do an outside story about a character whose problems seemed to go unsolved for a long time.

As for the original character Zion Zaiden, who is of interest, Rooster Teeth Productions first requested a new character. Mr. Urobuchi explained the origin of the idea, saying, “There are many neutral characters in Japanese content, so we thought of a character in that direction. Also, the casting of Hiroki Nanami as Zion was recommended by Mr. Urobuchi. Hiroki Nanami’s neutral performance in the original work written by Mr. Urobuchi had left a strong impression on him, and he revealed his intention in recommending her: “She has a dandy female voice.

The topic then turned to the impressions of Team RWBY’s characters in ” Ice Queendom. Saori Hayami, who commented on the video, praised the cute Ruby Rose with her large goggles and slanted backpack, saying, “She gives off a sporty impression, perfect for Ruby’s lively personality! She praised her as “sporty and perfect for Ruby’s lively personality! She also talked about the ending theme song she sings and gave encouragement to the performers on stage.

The stage then turned to Weiss Schnee, who will be featured in “Ice Queendom”. Ms. Koshimizu pointed out that Weiss has a cool older sister, so her admiration for her is likely to be reflected. Ms. Shimamura introduced Blake Belladonna, the character she plays, as “a girl who doesn’t talk much but has a passionate fighting spirit. She said that “We can see Weiss’s confusion” about the costume, but when she saw the ribbons and cat ears, she felt that “she is not rejecting Blake, and you can see that she is thinking about him. Ms. Koshimizu dismissed Yang Xiaolong as “Ruby’s big sister who fights with goop. There were many retakes because Yang’s voice was too loud (laugh),” she said, confessing a rare episode at the recording studio.

When asked about developments after the sixth episode, Ubukata answered, “Joan will be active. He also revealed a development that fans will be happy to hear: “Penny will appear once more. When Mr. Koshimizu mentioned Weiss, who appeared on the slide with an evil expression on his face, Mr. Ubuchi said, “He is a good boy at heart, so he doesn’t give me this kind of look. I believe there is a need for this,” he said, hoping that the audience will pay attention to the unique facial expressions of the characters in ” Ice Queendom.

After that, when they entered the figure information announcement corner, Shimamura-san and Koshimizu-san were engrossed in the prototypes of the four “POP UP PARADE” figures laid out on the table. Ms. Koshimizu exclaimed, “The dynamism of their hair and the feel of the fabric is so detailed! and the fabric is so detailed! I can’t wait to see them painted! I can’t wait to see the painted version! Ms. Shimamura, Ms. Koshimizu, and Ms. Washizaki also checked the figure from the back and exclaimed, “It can be enjoyed from every angle! and exclaimed, “It can be enjoyed from all angles! The 1/7th scale figure, illustrated by Nobuhiro Sugiyama, character designer and chief animation director, was unveiled on stage for the first time, and many other goods were also announced at the same time, including LAWSON goods starting on August 24 (Wednesday). Mr. Shimamura seemed thrilled, saying, “I’m so happy because there were not so many goods when I dubbed the original! Mr. Shimamura seemed thrilled with the news.

RWBY: Ice Queendom” is heading towards the turn of the year. Mr. Shimamura encouraged viewers to “look forward to seeing the bond between Team RWBY and Team JNPR, as well as other parts of the show that you have wanted to see.

Ms. Koshimizu emphasized the highlights of the show, saying, “I love the emotional expression of the eyes in “Ice Queendom”, which is very Japanese, so please pay attention to it.

Touching on how Shimamura-san and Koshimizu-san looked during the talk event, Mr. Ubuchi smiled and said, “I was happy to see Yan and Blake flirting up close. Ubukata-san expressed his surprise, “This was my first time attending a Good Smile event, so I was surprised to see so many announcements,” and concluded, “We haven’t turned the page on ‘Ice Queendom’ yet, so please enjoy the rest of the story.

The “RWBY: Ice Queendom” stage left many viewers even more curious about what the future holds. The talk event ended with the excitement of the stage still remaining. The stage was archived on YouTube “GoodSmileChannel” (URL: https://youtu.be/awJgIdFd7xg ) until September 9 (Sat.) at 16:59! We hope you enjoy your live reactions on video as well!

 

Text by Shohki Ota (TARKUS)