Set to premiere on Feb. 21, 2020, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the “Digimon” series, “Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna”‘s story revolves around the final adventure of protagonist Kamiya Taichi and his partner Agumon. Voice actors Matsuoka Mayu and Ono Daisuki will act as guest characters. Matsuoka and Ono, as well as director Taguchi Tomohisa and producer Kinoshita Yousuke, commented on the newest movie of the series.
Matsuoka will perform the voice of Menoa Bellucci, a scientist researching Digimons at a New York University. Following her previous performances on “Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel”, “A Silent Voice” and “Birthday Wonderland”, this marks her fourth performance as a voice-actress since debuting.
Matsuoka, who was a huge fan of the series growing up, describes being so excited that she wanted to scream out loud when offered the role. Matsuoka-san commented enthusiastically that “Digimon has taught me valuable lessons about “Kindness”, “Strength” and “Pain”.” commented Matsuoka enthusiastically.
Ono Daisuke, famous for roles such as Kujo Jotarou on “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” and Erwin Smith on “Attack on Titan”, will perform the voice of Menoa’s assistant, Imura Kyotarou. Ono mentioned being “Extremely exhilarated to be part of such a beloved series that has such a long history.”.
The characters played by the voice-actors, Menoa and Imura are said to play an important role in the story when a mysterious incident revolves around Taichi, Agumon and the other chosen children.
As the plot unfolds, the audience will find out what kind of secrets lie behind the relationship between the Digimons and the chosen ones.
“Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna” theatrical release is set to Feb. 21, 2020.
<All comments bellow>
(Matsuoka Mayu)
I’ve always been a huge fan of Digimon series since I was a kid, and when I got offered the role, I was so excited I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs. Growin up I fell in love with Yamato (Matt) and used to look up to Sora, wanting to become like her. I watched the anime so many times that my VHS videotapes would wear out. Digimon has taught me valuable lessons about “Kindness”, “Strength” and “Pain”. It is a series that truly influenced me.
The character I play is a woman who is capable and cheerful but also someone who’s dealing with the pains of growing up, struggling with the transition to adulthood. I am very grateful for being part of this movie, so I did my best and did as many retakes as necessary while collaborating with Director Taguchi.
Not only the director but also most of the staff involved in the production grew up watching “Digimon Adventure”. Much like me, these are fans who looked forward to watching a new episode every single week. From this perspective, the movie contains elements we wanted to see in the series as kids.
Please, do look forward to seeing this movie as I’m sure everyone will cry tears of nostalgia, happiness, and sadness. Watching this movie will surely make you feel the “bond”(Kizuna) with the Digimons on the big screen.
(Ono Daisuke)
Congratulations for the 20th anniversary. I feel extremely exhilarated to be part of such a beloved series that has such a long history. The protagonists in the series are children, and the bond between them and the Digimon brings hope alive. Being an adult myself, I was overcome by a dazzling warm feeling inside while watching over these children.
(Director Taguchi Tomohisa)
When briefing Matsuoka-san initially, I told her that her character has a “mirror reflection” type of relationship with Taichi and the other main characters, and other details, but it seems like the explanations weren’t really necessary in the end. Because as soon as she started recording, I could see that she had Menoa’s essence inside hernaturally.
Menoa is a character created specially for this movie. During pre-production, after we outlined the character background and prepared the design, although all the framework was ready, the character still felt a little “cloudy” somehow, leaving a slight sense of unreliability. However as soon as we finished the recording stage, we could truly feel Menoa coming to life, almost like a fire was finally lit . I’m very grateful for the work Matsuoka-san put on to bring Menoa to life.
(Producer Kinoshita Yousuke)
What we felt was necessary for Menoa was someone whose performance could bring a certain level of realism and persuasiveness to be able to move the hearts of the main characters. And above it all, it had to be someone who’s into Digimon. As it turned out, the perfect person who met all the conditions was Matsuoka Mayu.
Before offering Matsuoka-san the role, besides her being a highly sought after voice-actress, we had no idea whether or not she was a fan of the series. Under these circumstances, one would worry about the chances of getting through to her. But I was somehow strangely confident we’d be able to . After she said yes, Menoa’s character’s prospects only grew stronger.
I was impressed by Matsuoka who displayed a stunning level of focus during the time-constrained recording session. Matsuoka-san brings a unique performance to Meona, that only she is capable of because she remembers the feeling of being a child once, just like the fans out there.
（C）Hongou Akiyoshi ・ Toei Animation
