ORICON.CO.JP: GACKT's "Fly to Saitama'' sequel: "I was against it until the very end (lol)'' Concerned about plagiarism suspicion: "The release will be canceled soon...''

The Japan premiere red carpet event for the movie “Fly to Saitama ~From Lake Biwa with Love~” (released on November 23rd) was held at the Roppongi Hills Arena in Tokyo on the 24th. Although GACKT confessed that he was “opposed to making a sequel until the very end,” he also talked about his “love for the work” after it was completed.

At the event, Ryo Kato, Tsubasa Masuwaka, Emi Wakui, Akira 100%, and Nao Asahi will appear as “Team East,” and Anzu, Ainosuke Kataoka, Norika Fujiwara, and Mayo Kawasaki will appear as “Team West,” divided into camps depicted in the work. After that, the main actors GACKT and Fumi Nikaido appeared.

Wearing an all-black suit, GACKT bluntly stated, “I was against the production until the very end,” and added, “However, when I was shown this gorgeous cast list, I couldn’t escape.” (Laughs) I heard that Ms. Nikaido also said, “Let’s quit,” so I was worried about what kind of work it would turn out to be, but I was able to do it until the end because I had no choice but to trust the director. I think this is a work that is needed in times like this, and if you can laugh and say, ‘Kurenainai,’ that would be the best compliment,” he said of his thoughts on the release.

Nikaido also said, “We were talking about whether a sequel would be good or whether it would be better not to do it, but in the midst of all the troubles that are going on in the world, I think this is a really good work that allows us to reaffirm our love for our hometown. That’s what I think” she said with deep emotion, “I’m glad I did it.”

At the end, GACKT expressed his love for the work by saying, “I want you to laugh a lot with strangers at the movie theater. I believe that after watching it, you will feel refreshed, I’m telling you.” However, he went on to say, “There are some serious suspicions of plagiarism in this work. I think it will be canceled soon. There is a possibility that it will be permanently banned, so please watch it as soon as possible so that only those who have seen it can feel the same way. I hope it becomes a work that will remain in the world,” he said with humor.

This work is a sequel to the movie “Fly to Saitama”, which was made into a live-action film based on Mineo Maya’s manga starring GACKT and Nikaido, and had a box office revenue of 3.76 billion yen. In the previous work, the people of Saitama Prefecture, who had been severely persecuted by the people of Tokyo, won the abolishment of the pass system and were able to live a peaceful life through the efforts of the Saitama Liberation Front, including Rei and Momomi. In the sequel, the Saitama Liberation Front’s ambition to “create a sea in Saitama” spreads to Kansai, leading to a confrontation between East and West.