Iori Yagami's Original Drama - Yuuhi to Tsuki ~ Prologue

It’s been a long time since I met Yagami. My initial impression after seeing the eccentric design and peculiar lines of dialogue, among other things, was “this new character is different”, but, to be honest, he didn’t quite pique my interest. However, before I knew it, I had started to really like him. It’s been years of seeing him almost every day and, even now, when the arcades around the city put up posters of him, I pause and think “ah, it’s Yagami.”

I’ve given this some thought. “Why do I like Yagami this much?,” I asked myself. “Because he’s so cool?”, “because he’s strong?”, “because he’s a loner?” I reflected on many things, but couldn’t come up with a satisfactory answer. “Hmph! Because this is none of your business!,” I concluded, as this is probably the will of Yagami, who doesn’t reveal anything about his background.

However, I had a feeling.
When I can’t find an answer now, there’s that feeling.
The feeling that this is the kind of Yagami that I expect—the one that draws me to him.
In this story, I decided to try to find the answers in the Yagami of the past.

KONNY（SNK Shinsekai Gakkyoku Zatsugidan）

To begin with, discussing the “past and private life” of Iori Yagami is off-limits—there’s a sacredness to it. This time, we had to step into that territory and it wasn’t an ordinary job. If it weren’t for the huge help of the KOF development team and the energy of the SNK Shinsekai Gakkyoku Zatsugidan, this project would have never seen the light, that’s for sure.

I’ll leave the interpretation of the story to the audience, but we intended to give a “gentle” atmosphere to the whole story. Of course, if we had used the speedy pace that is trending among storytelling nowadays (which I like a lot, by the way), then we would have achieved the same tone of the Iori Yagami found in KOF dramas, and we tried to avoid that. So there’s a softness to it, and, in some way, there’s also a little of that nostalgic flavor of the dramas of the good old days.

One more point is that… I guess you already noticed it, didn’t you? The title is “The Setting Sun and the Moon”.

For me, this song—and the lyrics, and the music—is #1 or #2 on my list of favorites, and I always thought that if I made a drama about Iori Yagami, it would have to be about this theme. However, when I submitted the story’s plot, there was this unanimous reaction from practically all the staff: “Wait, wait. But isn’t this Kyo Kusanagi and Iori’s song? What are you going to do about Kyo’s point of view?!” I guess many fans were also surprised by the different implications and meanings in “The Setting Sun and the Moon”. (I also caused trouble for lyricist MOMO-chan. I’m so sorry~)

But don’t worry. Kyo is in no way forgotten in this story.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I think that it would be great to make a follow-up story, like “Kikuri ##### Kyo’s ###### and ####### with ######, #### gets to #####. Moreover, Konoe’s ####### by ####### is ####### and ends up ####, and Kyo comes across “The Setting Sun and the Moon ~ Prologue ~”. Of course, these are just thoughts of my own. I didn’t obtain authorization from the development team, and making a dramatization about it is also unlikely. That’s why for ethical purposes I redacted the text, but I wanted to include it just to express that I didn’t mean to neglect Kyo.

Finally, this story is just one aspect of Iori Yagami. What happened to him further back in the past and what awaits him in the future are just some of the many mysteries that haven’t been unveiled—and that in itself fuels a large part of his charm. There’s no way they will reveal everything. But if the opportunity to write about it comes again… As someone who personally loves Iori Yagami, I  would want to explore the sad story that lurks within him.

Masashi Takimoto, Scriptwriter

Kunihiko Yasui

To all Iori Yagami fans,
(If possible, please read this after listening to the CD.)

Hello, I’m Kunihiko Yasui and I play Iori Yagami. What are your thoughts on “Iori Yagami’s Original Drama ‘The Setting Sun and the Moon ~ Prologue’”? Did you like it? Maybe some of you were surprised by the unexpected contents of the drama? That’s right, this time, none of the familiar KOF characters made an appearance. And so, there’s no mention of flames, Yaotome or the Riot of the Blood. I approached this performance as if this were your everyday TV series or movie. I want Iori to always exist there. Although he’s not that much different from his game version, right? That was a surprise. Anyway, I hope many of you will love this iteration of Iori!

Yumi Kakazu

My first impression of Yasui-san was that he was Iori. And it was to be expected, because I was watching from outside the studio while he was recording Iori’s lines and his inner voice. But! After the recording session, all of us went to eat together, and that impression crumbled at once. Sorry, I mean, it was no longer there. Yasui-san is a very kind and friendly person.

It hardly felt like I was meeting RUMI-san for the first time; she’s cheerful and easy to talk to. In the middle of the interview, RUMI-san’s ringtone started to sound and it was The Drifter’s transition melody and she made me laugh (lol). She’s a wonderful big sis.

Anyway, sorry for going on and on about my first impressions. To get to the point, I’m really happy that I was able to participate in creating this drama together with such wonderful people. That’s what I wanted to say. And of course, please listen to the brave Kikuri!
The story is somewhat different from what has been done until now, hope you’ll enjoy it!

RUMI

Hello! I’m Konoe. I normally just sing in a band, so I’m happy to be able to meet you all like this! I’m a bit embarrassed to show this side of me, but I’m delighted that you’ll be able to get to know the super bassist Iori Yagami. Ah! It’s showtime. I need to get on stage. Bye, everyone. Hope we’ll meet again, on a stage, somewhere!
Konoe

If it weren’t for Konoe, I wouldn’t have met such wonderful people. Iori, Kikuri, Kuwabara, Himemiya, sensei… Thank you for everything. Good job to the staff. And to the audience, thank you. Together with Iori, please continue to support Konoe. Oh, and me too!
RUMI

Daiki Nakamura

Everyone, thank you for your continuous support. I’m Daiki Nakamura and I play Kuwabara, a supporting character. What did you think of this production? It was recorded carefully over a long period of time. Compared to the usual fighting game, I think this work is more serious. It takes place five years before the main story, it has more depth, and its universe is clearer.
It was an honor to be a part of it!

Hisanori Nemoto

I heard from a friend who is addicted to this game that each character has a detailed backstory, and each game is like a story on its own. I was in charge of the narration, but as I heard more about the main games, I could feel the depth of their universe. And thanks to their solid backbone, you can easily become immersed in this sidestory, right? Please listen to the CD while playing the games, to have a better understanding of it.

Hidenari Ugaki

To you, who checked the cast list before listening to the CD. I’m sure you thought “What, Ugaki is in this?”, and concluded that I was voicing another baddie with a menacing voice. However, this time, I play Himemiya, a dashingly unpleasant man. I don’t usually play this kind of role, so I was a little worried about pulling it out successfully! I was able to enjoy it. If you pick up this drama, I hope you’ll like it.
Please recommend your friends to buy a copy as well.

The Setting Sun and the Moon ~ To a kind person
Lyrics: MOMO Music: Shinsekai Gakkyoku Zatsugidan

To hide your loneliness
You forsake your heart and turn your back to it
From the distance and without words
I want to look at you

What kind of dreams do you see when you sleep?
I want to protect those dreams at least
They look like they could break, and I can’t touch them
The moon shines on the streets at night

When you can’t sleep and lose your way in the dark, shivering
Remember the flickering moon in the night sky…

The sky is dyed in deep crimson
Why am I feeling this kindness?
Everyone casts a light in the heart of someone important
Just like the setting sun…

Although at nightfall the deep darkness
Might surround the city and its people
That’s right, it won’t extinguish
The warmth in our heart…