YoRHa Ver.1.1 Opening Sequence by CO:JIN PROJECT

I’m sure anyone who is familiar with this site knows how much I love my fandoms. That being said, I am still very much human. At times, some things will slip past me… and sometimes nearly half a year will pass before I am clued in on what I’ve missed. orz But, it is these times that I need to rely on the global fanbase to help clue me in on things that might have missed.

Case in point:
The YoRHa Ver.1.1 Opening Sequence on YouTube

Thanks for the heads-up goes to Marcelus Castle Rain.

This was originally uploaded by Sone Hisamitsu from CO:JIN PROJECT who was in charge of recording the footage from the live performance. It’s very difficult to tell from the footage, but I believe this is from one of the performances by the Delta cast.

I’ve also found an interview by NIHK that was uploaded on May 24, 2015 (toward the beginning of the Ver1.1 run) with the lead Alpha cast and director Matsuda Ichidai. A couple times throughout the interview, Matsuda shows a couple clips from his iPad… I’m guessing, he’s actually showing the footage from the opening sequence above.

Here’s a look at the opening sequence from the first run of the play in October 2014 from the official DVD:

Everything about the Ver1.1 version of the play is better! As you can see by comparing the two videos above, you can see how many things have been improved. Here’s just a short list:

  • Camera Angles: No more strange zooms or sequences where only a small portion of the stage can be seen. (It seems as though the Ver1.1 footage is only from the main camera, anyway, so should they have released a DVD of this version, we should have expected to see more close-ups of various characters as well.)
  • Exposition: More exposition is done on the backdrop this time as opposed to actual lines by the actors. No more characters quickly running on stage to spout their lines of exposition before the main number begins. This adds sooo much to the aesthetics and flow of the scene. Sometimes less is more.
  • Venue: It’s clear that the first run was small and the venue was limited in size. Having a slightly larger stage and more resources technically certainly helped to tell this story.
  • Usage of the Backdrop: Many times throughout the Ver1.1 version of the play, the backdrop screen on stage was used to help illustrate the story to the max. Here, in just the opening sequence, you can see how much more of the stage this encompasses. There’s not only the main screen on stage, but also the surrounding frame that lights the boundaries of the stage like a nice picture frame. Also, in the first run of the play, we were never introduced to the NAMES of each character that came out on stage for their little “spotlight” time. In Ver.1.1, their names are clearly displayed on the backdrop. <3

Anyway, with little more to discuss, here is a video I recorded from the DVD of the first run of the play. By comparing the two, you can clearly see how much of an upgrade the play received in Ver.1.1!! <3 How I wish they would release a DVD or Blu-ray of this version!!!