The world’s fastest advance screening event for the anime Demon’s Crest (デモンズ・クレスト) was held on November 1 at United Cinema AquaCity Odaiba in Tokyo. Three members of the voice cast took the stage: Shiraishi Haruka (Ashihara Yuma), Inagaki Konomi (Ashihara Sawa), and Uchida Maaya (Misono Eria).

Blown Away by the Quality

Attendees were treated to advance screenings of Episodes 1 and 2 before the cast talk began. Shiraishi praised the visual beauty of the finished product and gushed over the character designs by Horiguchi Yukiko, who also illustrated the original novels, saying, “The character designs are so cute!” When Inagaki cautiously brought up the opening theme — “Can I mention the opening…?” — all three immediately agreed it was outstanding. Inagaki noted it was the first time any of them had seen it, adding, “Both the opening and ending are movie-quality. The synergy with the music gave me goosebumps.”

Elementary Schoolers in a Death Game

Since the main characters are elementary school students, Uchida found their dialogue endearing: “The things they say are so cute — it’s really soothing.” She also laughed at a scene where the kids wager chocolate pudding, calling it “so elementary school.” At the same time, she acknowledged the story’s darker core — a death game set in an isolated world where reality and gaming collide — praising the sharp tonal shifts as a key part of the show’s appeal.

Shiraishi’s First Male Lead Role

The MC noted that playing Yuma marks Shiraishi’s first time voicing a male protagonist. She revealed that when she received news of passing the audition, she assumed she had landed a female character, so learning it was “Yuma” brought both joy and surprise. She reflected on the performance challenge: “Yuma only shows his shyness through his facial expressions, especially when girls approach him. I had a lot of fun imagining what that kind of embarrassment looks like from a boy’s perspective.”

“Yuma Is Meroi!” — Uchida Maaya Breaks It Down

Responding to Shiraishi’s comments, Uchida declared, “Yuma is cool. He’s the kind of guy girls fall for. He’s meroi!” — with Inagaki nodding vigorously beside her. Uchida elaborated: “He’s good at closing the distance with people. He can take a step back and calmly read a situation. Even elementary school girls have moments when they need to hear a certain thing — and Yuma delivers exactly that.” She added that during recording sessions the cast would often joke, “Yuma’s natural lady-killer side is showing again!” — leaving Shiraishi to laugh and admit, “I kept getting teased about it.”

Shiraishi’s Favorite Character: Konken

When asked about her favorite character, Shiraishi chose Konken — Kondo Kenji, Yuma’s best friend and his polar opposite in personality. Inagaki and Uchida were visibly surprised, exclaiming “Eh?!” before enthusiastically urging Shiraishi to say it louder. Shiraishi praised Konken’s fearless, headstrong nature as “courageous,” describing him as “the most childlike of the group — he keeps the energy up, he’s straightforward, and his reactions are big.” She admitted she initially thought he would just be comic relief, but was won over by episodes that showed what a genuinely good person he is, and expressed confidence that audiences would come to love him too.

Closing Messages

In her closing remarks, Uchida encouraged viewers to pay attention to each individual character: “There are so many characters that just thinking about where everyone is and what they’re doing expands the world. Getting to know each one will make theorizing even more fun.” Inagaki teased that shocking scenes lie ahead and urged fans to keep watching as quickly as possible.

Shiraishi pointed to the word “Demons” in the title as a crucial story key, and invited viewers to watch how each of the children discovers their own role in the situation they find themselves in.

About Demon’s Crest

Demon’s Crest is based on a novel by Kawahara Reki, best known for Sword Art Online, published under Dengeki Bunko / KADOKAWA. Episodes 1 and 2 will drop simultaneously on November 6, 2026 as a worldwide exclusive on Prime Video.

Staff

• Original Story: Kawahara Reki (Dengeki Bunko / KADOKAWA)
• Original Illustration / Character Design: Horiguchi Yukiko
• Chief Director: Ushiro Shinji
• Director: Komaya Kenichiro
• Chief Animation Directors: Kawakami Shuji, Kise Kazuya
• Color Design: Kitabayashi Chiaki
• Art Director: Takao Katsumi
• CG Director: Nasu Motohito
• Photography Director: Saito Keiichi
• Editor: Kimura Yoshiaki
• Sound Director: Aketakawa Jin
• Music: Hayashi Yuki, Chikaya Naoyuki
• CG Production: Rails
• Animation Production: Production I.G

Cast

• Ashihara Yuma — Shiraishi Haruka
• Ashihara Sawa — Inagaki Konomi
• Kondo Kenji — Hirose Yuya
• Chano Minagi — Amano Satomi
• Sugamo Mitsuki — Kobayashi Yusuke
• Misono Eria — Uchida Maaya
• Kisanuki Kai — Murakawa Rie
• Watamaki Sumika — Amamiya Sora
• Haisaki Shin — Tamaru Atsushi
• Futaki Sho — Murase Ayumu