âLove Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie Over the Rainbowâ Guilty Kiss Interviews #2: Kobayashi Aika (Part 2)
fun fact this headline is different from the one at the end of part 1 because i didnât actually read part 2 until i did this
also this should be obvious based on the title but this part contains heavy movie spoilers
Iâm glad she met Aqours
âThe movie came out in the middle of all these events. What were your thoughts when you first saw the story?
Kobayashi:Â I cried so much. The third years were going towards their own futures, and it felt like everyone was leaving for somewhere far away. It was sad and lonely, but because Aqours was able to see the future ahead of them, thereâs a lot of happiness in it for them.
In fact, if you told me âLetâs end Aqoursâ story right hereâ, Iâd be at a loss. But Iâm glad that I got to see them embark on a new path.
âThe third years leaving certainly isnât something we should be dwelling on.
Kobayashi: I was crying from the very first moments of the movie⌠I didnât expect to cry so much. Everyone was just passing the tissues back and forth (laughs).
â(also laughs) Do you still remember the recording sessions?
Kobayashi: Of course I do. It took place over three days, but on the first day, the third years werenât there for the opening scenes. They were with us for the second day onward, but I felt uneasy without the three of them there (strained laugh).
Of course, Tsuki-chan (Kurosawa Tomoyo-san) and everyone else was there, but having just the six of us there felt really lonely. I knew how the story was supposed to progress, but I still felt like crying throughout the recording session.
âItâs just like how they feel in the story; without the third years, it feels so lonely.
Kobayashi: Thatâs definitely true. Thatâs why what Saint Snow said felt so on point, and I really felt it even as a voice actress.
âWhat scenes left an impression on you?
Kobayashi: Hmm⌠there were a lot, but for me, I like the performance of âNext SPARKLING!!â the most. The part where Chika sees the third years, who are already gone, and reaches out with both of her hands before bringing them to her heart, as it transitions to a performance with all nine of them was really moving. I bet a lot of the fans love that part, too.
After that, thereâs the part where we join hands and form a circle. Thatâs actually reserved for the most important moments for us. We also start âBrightest Melodyâ off in a circle; itâs moments like that where weâll form a circle. That why that scene really stays in my heart.
Also, the credits start rolling after the second verse, and while there are still some lingering emotions there, I was crying the entire time. Maybe they put that there so people can calm their emotions down a bit (laughs).
Seeing my name beside Yoshikoâs name in the credits, along with the rest of the cast, and everyone involved in the making of this movie was a reminder of just how many were supporting us and helped bring this to completion.
âTell us about your favorite scenes with Yoshiko.
Kobayashi: When Mariâs mother tasks the first and second years with finding the third years, the very last chocolate coin that falls from the ceiling hits her head, and she goes âOw!â. I love that scene! Itâs that misfortune of hers that I love. (laughs).
Also, thereâs the scene where everyone is in Mariâs vacation home, and for some reason Yoshiko falls from the balcony. I have no clue why she was even there in the first place, and Iâm amazed at how she gets away without getting hurt all the time (laughs). They should put a disclaimer saying âThis is special training for fallen angels. Please donât try this at homeâ (laughs).
âThatâs true (laughs). She also had a reunion with her middle school classmates in the scene where everyone helps to come with the preparations for the final live.
Kobayashi: Sheâs a girl thatâs carrying a lot of dark history that she probably wants to forget, so to see her successfully exchange contact information like that personally made me feel like sheâs grown.
âThe Yoshiko from season one definitely couldnât have pulled that off.
Kobayashi: She probably would have just run away. But itâs because Aqours didnât run away either, accepted Yoshiko for who she was, and gave her a place to belong that she could face her past. So Iâm glad she met Aqours.
âAs the voice of a first year, what did you think of the second and third years?
Kobayashi: Seeing the third years go towards the future like that makes me think that the second years must have a lot of the same worries as them. But through the movie, weâve seen them grow so much after the third yearsâ graduation that theyâll surely be fine from now on.
And of course, the first years grew a lot as a unit, too. I kept watching them and thinking, âOne day, theyâll have some juniors that theyâll have to take care of, tooâ. Theyâre all very unique in their own way, but rather than falling apart, theyâve really stuck together, so I imagine that theyâll be fine from now on, too.
âIn the movie, there are two scenes where the six of you are running on the beach. At the beginning of the movie, they were completely exhausted and trailing behind the second years, but at the end, they ended up overtaking and running past them.
Kobayashi: At the beginning, it was really tough for them, but after their live in Italy and the Love Live! finals against Saint Snow, their feelings of âLetâs follow the second yearsâ changed to âLetâs chase after the second yearsâ. I really love that.
Personally, I had thought that they were still just kids at heart. At the beginning of season one, they couldnât really do anything, and their personalities were conflicting and all over the place. They were really just âfirst year students that were a part of Aqoursâ.
But because Aqours was working together towards their goals, they got so close, and they all developed these feelings of wanting to work hard. Theyâve grown so much, and theyâve given me a push to work harder as well.
âThe Blu-ray will go on sale on July 26th, so are there any other scenes you want people to rewatch?
Kobayashi: Definitely all the little details in the performance scenes. With a Blu-ray, you can go through it at your own pace, so I hope you can have all sorts of fun making new discoveries like that!
That being said, I think our fans watch and think about these things more than even we do⌠(laughs) Weâll make sure to watch it a lot, and I hope we can have fun making those discoveries, too!
Next time: Guilty Kissâ highlight at the Subunit National Battle Tour was definitelyâŚ?
