Aa Megami-sama 5 after recording

On Sunday 3/27, I went to the "Aa Megami-sama" volume 5 after recording session at KSS.

[after recording = recording the voices for the anime]

The after recording was planned for 16:00 to 21:00, and they had planned around 30 minutes for the press between 18:00 and 19:00.

After meeting with Peter Evans, we went to KSS and arrived around 17:00. (Arrived a little early.. ^_^) We went to the second floor where the recording studio was located.

When we got there, some of the voice actors/actresses were in the studio watching/practicing. I recognized Inoue Kikuko, Hisakawa Aya, and Touma Yumi.

Since it was getting crowded (with the reporters and cameramen from various magazines), they made us wait in the first floor lobby. There were people from Telepal, AnimeV, OUT, and some others.

At around 18:30, they called all of the reporters/cameramen to the studio. The voice actors/actresses, Fujishima Kousuke (the author of Aa Megami-sama), and Gouda Hiroyuki (the director of the Aa Megami-sama OAV series) were in the studio, ready for the photo session. For a few minutes, the cameramen took several pictures. Fujishima Kousuke and Gouda Hiroyuki did some funny poses.

After the photo session, they allowed the reporters in for the comment session, which lasted about 15 minutes. Some of the comments were..

Q: Thoughts about the final episode.

Fujishima Kousuke: I wrote some of the lines myself, but I felt that this one can make you cry. When the voices are put in, I think it will really become something that will make you cry. So I'm looking forward to it.
Gouda Hiroyuki: When I first got it, I got some images about what to do. A lot of that really happened, and now I'm very satisfied with it. Please look forward to the results.
Asami Junko: When I saw that pictures, I was supposed to be checking it for my voice roles. But I just watched it and was very moved by it. This time I'm not doing Sayoko, but a store clerk. I'm very happy to be part of this final episode. Thank you very much.
Inoue Kikuko: Speaking from here? Ventriloquism.. (^_^) [Touma Yumi was sitting on Inoue Kikuko's lap.] When I read the script I thought it was great. It's really worth the many months of waiting. Lots of tears came out just by reading it. When I saw the pictures today, there was another surge of tears. So I want to do something more than what everyone is expecting. The lines and pictures are very wonderful, so I want to do my best.
Kikuchi Masami: In the previous episode, the situation changed very drastically and Keiichi was starting to panic. In this one where Keiichi works hard at many part time jobs, I think the female fans will think it is great. It's great just watching the pictures, so I have to try hard to do a good role. Everyone please look forward to it.
Touma Yumi: This time the parts that will make you cry is done by Bell-chan and Keiichi. So Urd and Skuld is in a position to add to the atmosphere. I think this is the first episode where you can really see Urd as an older sister, one that you can depend on. I'm happy that I got to say lots of magic spells.
Hisakawa Aya: As everyone said, the story is very good. This is a very serious story, so the comical parts are given to Skuld. The facial expressions of Skuld, getting angry, crying, were very good.
Ogata Megami: I'm very nervous about having to do the final part, after everyone had done such a great job to get it this far. I just came, so I don't know about the art. About the manga.. I had been reading Morning, so I liked Taiho a lot. But I had never read Megami-sama. So when I got it, I ran out to a friend's house to read it. It was very good. I'm sorry I haven't seen the video, but the art in the manga is very good. I want to try my best in this final episode.

Q: Any "catch phrase" for this episode?

Fujishima Kousuke: Get three buckets before watching this.
[meaning that it will really make you cry]
Inoue Kikuko: Would you like to swim in an ocean of tears?
[but Inoue Kikuko was too shy so she asked Touma Yumi to say it]

Q: Any other story that you would have liked to do?

Touma Yumi: I would have liked to do the story with Troubadour.

Then the comment session ended, and the voice actors/actresses went to eat some bento for dinner.

But.. that wasn't the end. Peter and I went to Fujishima Kousuke and had the following conversation.

Doi: It seems like there are going to be English translations of the Megami-sama manga coming out..
Fujishima: Yes. It's being worked on.
Doi: The title seems to have changed from Ah My Goddess to Oh My Goddess. What are your feelings on that?
Fujishima: Yes. I think that it is best to use the one so that the meaning will be correct, and will be taken correctly by the people of that country. So it doesn't have to be Ah. If I'm not mistaken, it has been decided to be Oh?
Doi: Yes.
Fujishima: Since they say Oh is closer to the meaning, it became Oh.. How is it? Which is the more correct meaning?
Doi: Either way is fine.. Maybe with Oh, there is a feeling of surprise.
Fujishima: So Ah is..
Doi: Yes. Also one other point is that the Japanese anime and goods already use the name Ah.
Fujishima: So the Japanese things have already been released over there.
Doi: Yes. Since that's written as Ah, when people see Oh, they ask if it is the same thing.
Fujishima: I was a little careless.
Doi: If the name is kept the same, it can have the same name all over the world..
Fujishima: Indeed. I wonder if it's been finalized.. I'll think about it. If it can still be fixed..
Doi: Well, among the translators there are those who say Oh is correct.
Fujishima: But if we want compatibility, it should be Ah.
Doi: Yes.