Okay, last bit of stuff from the article. Link to page 4:
http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/275/275837/index-4.htmlA message from Director Ishihara to all producers
It's now coming up on the 8th year since we've had the Yukiho audition, and I thought I'd clarify what Ms. Hase wanted to do, including if she'd want to continue doing Imas, seeing as it's changing. I've been feeling that we've been putting a lot on her, with all the CDs and lives that have come to define Imas as we know it.
I've been talking to each individual voice actress (and actor) about Imas2 since we've decided to make it. Honestly speaking, from a company and business standpoint, having Ms. Hase not reprise her role might not have been the best decision. However, if she's not going to enjoy her role, then she won't be able to pass on her enjoyment to the role. I believe that the audience will be able to feel this in the final version as well. This is why we've passed the baton onward.
From my own personal standpoint, both Ms. Hase and Ms. Asakura have many things in common with Yukiho. I still remember when Ms. Hase first sung "First Stage." We made that song with the intention of it being sung by a more weaker, timid character, but Ms. Hase's First Stage was unexpectedly quite determined. Unexpected as it was, I thought it could work, and from that point, the sort of idol that was to be Yukiho was more or less settled. Ms. Hase's strength of will, so to speak, became the central point of Yukiho's character.
Deep within me, I don't feel as though Ms. Hase's move on and away from Idolmaster. After all, the songs she's sung as Yukiho still exist. To be more accurate, I'd say that there're just a lot of things that she's left with us. It's like she's taken to the bench in a soccer game - it's not like she's not part of the team anymore, even after she's left the field. I think this is closest to how it feels to me. Just looking at the final score, we can see how long they've been around, Ms. Ochiai, Ms. Hase. That's why Ms. Hase isn't just a spectator now, she's just bowed off the field on her way to the bench.
Deep within me, I feel that this baton passing is only going to make Yukiho's character deeper, even if I don't know how everyone playing will feel. I don't feel that Imas has ended now that Ms. Hase's gone away, but until that day comes, she'll always have left something with us.
I don't wish for any producer anywhere to fall into despair. I'm not going to overwrite Ms. Hase's Yukiho that we all know and love. I'm not going to raze her legacy without leaving anything behind. What will be will be. Even still, the new Imas will still be made. I only wish that everyone will enjoy Yukiho, with whatever feelings they might feel.
I'll leave everyone off with a bit of my own personal feelings. I, Ishihara, have become a fan of Ms. Hase ever since she joined Imas, and I'd like us all to continue supporting her. I believe that, if all of us involved in Imas, whether in the past or the present, if we all can find our happiness, then that will surely lead Imas into the future, and lead us all to finding something which cares deeply for us.
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Wow, this one turned out better than the last, in my opinion. It's probably because of the music playing in the background. The Liberation of Gracemeria, The Invasion of Gracemeria, and Chandlier, all by Keiki Kobayashi. And yes, I fly the meanest, cutest F-14D SuperTomcat this side of the Pacific. ^_^
