We will report on the matinee session, starting with the post-screening talk with the cast, which was held in two parts.
The story is set in the country of Fortuna, where Princess Alisha has just died in an accident. Nina, who had been living as an orphan, is discovered by the second prince, Azul, and lives as a substitute princess because she has the same colored eyes as Alisha. Her mission is to marry Seto, the first prince of the great nation of Galgada after the March moon, as a false bride. What will Nina’s fate be?
After the first three nights had finished, MC Tatsuya Tomizawa, who played Daitas, called out Minami Tanaka, who played Nina, Yuichiro Umehara, who played Azul, Kouki Uchiyama, who played Seto, and Nao Toyama, who played Mufulumu, onto the stage. They were met with thunderous applause.
With the broadcast approaching, Tanaka commented on the fact that the advance screening was held, “I was really looking forward to this day, as I was really eager for everyone to see it.” Umehara added, “I’m glad that everyone was able to enjoy this wonderful world. I hope you will recommend it to your friends.” Unfortunately, Seto did not appear in the episodes screened, but Uchiyama raised expectations by saying, “He makes a shocking appearance in the fourth episode, so I hope you will look forward to it.”
Higashiyama not only plays the role of Muhurumu, but also sings the ending theme “Hoshi no Dengon”. The advance screening was a special version without the opening and ending songs, but you can hear a part of it in the first PV. “We were able to record the song together, and I was able to feel Miumi’s back, the heat of the recording studio, and the passion, so there were a lot of things I was able to put into the song,” he said, talking about the behind-the-scenes production of the song.
The talk corner started with a discussion of the original work by Rikachi sensei. This work won the 46th Kodansha Manga Award in the Girls’ Category. It is currently being serialized in “BE･LOVE”, and Tanaka commented on its appeal, saying, “There are so many heart-throbbing scenes, and at the recording studio we were saying, ‘This scene is great, isn’t it?'” Higashiyama also said, “We were talking about whether we were on the Azul or Seto side,” and asked the fans in the venue whether they were on the Azul or Seto side. The result was a close battle between the Azul and Seto sides, and the cast seemed to be satisfied. Tanaka and Higashiyama were also given the “ultimate choice,” but it seemed difficult, as Higashiyama said, “I want to have an alter-ego!”, drawing big laughs.
In the section delving into the characters, Tanaka shared an episode of the difficulties he faced during the dubbing, recalling, “During the first night of dubbing, I was asked to be more violent and rough than I had expected. I think that because he is normally violent, the contrast becomes even more pronounced when he behaves as Princess Alisha.” Umehara introduced Azul, saying, “Basically, he has high abilities, but because of that he can be a bit cold-hearted, and because of his complicated origins he also has a dark side.”
Daitas, played by Tomizawa, is Azul’s servant and serves as a good advisor. The voice actor said, “Azul is calm and collected, so it’s important to be calmer than him. That was difficult to act.” Higashiyama analyzed the charm of Mufurumu, played by Higashiyama, saying, “I admire how he’s grown up so straightforwardly,” despite the pressure of being the first prince. He also talked about his favorite scene, saying, “I also like the part where Nina is carrying him on her back and he apologizes for being plump.” He also said that since Mufurumu is a prince, the servants may have expressed him that way out of consideration, and paid attention to the relationship that can be seen from casual scenes.
Uchiyama, who plays Seto, explains that there are still many mysteries surrounding Seto, saying, “He is feared for his cold-hearted and ruthless behavior, and he closes his heart off to those around him, but the only person he opens up to is a parrot named Nina.” Umehara and Uchiyama have been working together in the voice comics of the original work since before the anime was made, but it will be a while before the two interact in the anime, so let’s look forward to it.
PV第1弾が紹介された後、第一～三夜には登場していなかったセトの先行カットが公開された。剣を持ったセトがニナに迫るカットや虎に襲われるカットなどが紹介され、「だいぶSッ気のあるキャラ」（冨沢さん）、「まだ綺麗な場面ですよね。本当にヒドいじゃないですか」（梅原さん）とのツッコミが入り、会場は大爆笑。「戦神」としてどのような振る舞いを見せるのか期待が高まる。
また、セトの兄弟たちのキャストも改めて紹介された。ヨル役は山下誠一郎さん、ビドー役は石川界人さん、トート役は堀江瞬さんと、そうそうたる顔ぶれだ。内山さんは、「それぞれのキャストさんの特色を生かしたかなり濃い味付けになっています（笑）。彼らもまたニナと出会うことで変化を見せ、物語もがらっと変わるので期待していただきたいです」と語った。
インフォメーションコーナーでは放送情報や主題歌などの情報が公開された。坂本真綾さんが歌うOPテーマ「nina」は11月6日にリリース。田中さんは「儚いけれど力強いところがあって、この作品にふさわしい楽曲になっています」と絶賛。10月23日にリリースされるEDテーマ「星の伝言」は、「ニナははつらつとした女性ではあるんですが、根っこにあるものはすごく大きな愛だと私は感じていて。それを込めて歌わせていただきました」と、東山さん。オープニング映像、エンディング映像ともに原作に寄り添った素晴らしい出来とのことなので、放送を楽しみに待とう。
Blu-rayシリーズは2025年1月29日より全3巻にて順次発売開始。原作のリカチ先生による描き下ろしジャケットにくわえ、描き下ろしの漫画を収録した特製ブックレットもつく。さらに田中さんがMCを務める『星降る王国のニナ』のラジオ「星降るラジオのニナ」の配信も決定したほか、公式Xにて放送カウントダウン色紙のプレゼントキャンペーンも実施。詳細は公式Xまたは公式HPを参照のこと。
最後はキャストそれぞれから、メッセージが贈られた。一部を抜粋して紹介する。
「アニメで描かれているお話も手に汗握る展開で、血の通ったキャラクターたちに思いを馳せながら見ることができますが、その先も素晴らしい展開が待っています。キャスト陣で『目指せ、2期』と話していたこともあるので、皆さんにもぜひ感想をたくさんつぶやいていただいて一緒に盛り上げていただけたら嬉しく思います」（東山奈央）
「原作等々でご存知の方はいらっしゃると思いますが、セトは結構びっくりな登場の仕方をします。アニメで初めて見る方にセトをどうお届けしていくべきか。のちのち背景が語られていくキャラクターなので、最初は『こいつ大丈夫か？』『ヤバい奴じゃないか？』と思うかもしれませんが、長い目で見守っていただければと思います」（内山昂輝）
「無事アフレコも終わり、皆さまにお届けできることを本当に嬉しく思っております。ニナがたくましく強く生きていく様は皆さん感動するのではないかと思います。もちろん、恋愛でもアズールとのお話があり、第四夜以降はセトのお話があります。そこから物語がどんどん加速していきますので、先を楽しみにしていただきながら、いろいろな方に勧めていただければ幸いです」（梅原裕一郎）
「第三夜まで見ていただき、ハッピーエンドじゃんと思ったかもしれませんが、ニナはまだまだ運命に翻弄されていきます。ここからニナが運命をどう動かしていくのか、最後まで見守ってください。アフレコ時からニナの行動力には元気づけられていたので、アニメを見て皆さんにもこの作品の虜になってほしいです」（田中美海）
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