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Publication: February 10, 2025

A Sweet & Bitter Collision

In the midst of the battle against the Stomach Family, who manufacture dark sweets and employ part time Granutes to kidnap humans, Shouma meets Karakida Hanto. They fight together, but Shouma's unable to tell Hanto, who despises Granutes, that he's the youngest brother of the Stomach Family.

A major topic in the story was when Hanto found out Shouma's secret, but that moment came in an unexpected way. A casual remark by Glotta, the eldest daughter of the Stomach Family, was what revealed Shouma's true identity.

Their relationship of trust began to crack. It was Shouma's own actions that paved the way to repairing it. He risks his life fighting in order to protect the humans who live in this precious world……Hanto realizes that he wants to trust Shouma, and their nearly shattered bond was revived as something stronger.

During the battle with Kamen Rider Bitter Gavv, Shouma remembers meeting Hanto's mother when he was a child, and tells Hanto about it. What exactly happened to Shouma and Hanto's mother? A further unsweetened fate will bear its fangs at both of them!!

-Bitter Gavv is a hollow Shouma-

"Both Shouma and Hanto have grown and changed significantly compared to the very beginning of the show."

Chinen: In the beginning, Shouma would say whatever he thought out loud like a child, but now that he has people that he cares about, the fear of losing them has also developed. Because of that, he began to look at his surroundings and think before saying anything, which I think was the biggest change.

Hino: Hanto had always held a grudge against the Granute who took his mother, and had a bad impression of the entire species, but he had developed enough trust and a tight friendship with Shouma to the extent that he was able to shake it off. He was able to come to terms with the thought that all Granutes are enemies, while accepting Shouma for who he is. I wanted to effectively express the moment when Hanto grew as a person.

"Starting from episode 21, Dark Shouma, who transforms into Bitter Gavv, appeared. Including how you'd differentiate your role as Shouma, what were you conscious of in your performance?"

Chinen: Dark Shouma's a hollow vessel, as he's lacking the almost 20 years of life that Shouma's lived. I was conscious of trying to differentiate him from Shouma in that Dark Shouma is unable to distinguish between right and wrong and is lacking social skills. Also, Dark Shouma himself doesn't fear death, as he has nothing to lose, which is different from Shouma, who's found things that are important to him. It's really fun doing such drastic things when performing as Dark Shouma, as all his actions are for the sake of becoming stronger.

Hino: He seems to be having fun as Dark Shouma. On the flip side, as soon as he "returned" to being Shouma, he was all like, "Ah, what am I going to do?"

Chinen: At a time when Shouma had alot of things to deal with, I took on the role of the completely broke Dark Shouma……

Hino: Just the way you said, "completely broke" (laughs).

Chinen: (laughs). I've been thinking very hard about how to make the switch in attitude. I tried to study Satoh Takeru-san's performance by watching the "Kamen Rider Den-O" making of video, but he would switch so quickly, that it makes me think that he has a natural talent that I can never imitate.

-Various thoughts are conveyed through my facial expressions and fist-

"We think that the scene at the end of episode 20, where Hanto punches Shouma, was the one that made Hanto's anger most apparent out of all the episodes up to this point."

Hino: This was a scene where his suspicion and sense of mistrust that had been building up towards Shouma finally burst, so instead of simply venting his feelings, I thought I'd express his mixed emotions of anger, confusion and shock. My synchronization with Hanto has improved, so I've been practicing in advance less often, but I did record that scene myself countless times in order to check what kind of expressions I had on my face, and to see how the image would turn out before entering the set. Director Sugihara said I "looked like a boyfriend who just witnessed his partner cheating" (laughs).

Chinen: You did. That's not at all what the scene is about though (laughs).

Hino: I think Shouma was the only person that Hanto had allowed himself to trust after losing his mentor. The anger at being betrayed must've also struck a very special nerve within Hanto, but ultimately, I think the way things turned out was good.

"How was it for Chinen-san to act as the person on the receiving end of his anger?"

Chinen: His true identity was unexpectedly revealed, so all he felt in that moment was regret, that he was in the wrong, and the feeling of guilt towards Hanto. That said, instead of asking for forgiveness or making excuses, he just had to accept Hanto's anger, and took the punch with Hanto's feelings loaded in it as it came.

Hino: It was challenging because we had to do multiple shots at various angles and speeds.

Chinen: We must've done atleast four shots. They were also checking for the point where Yusuke-kun made contact.

Hino: Because of the angle of the camera, there were takes where I didn't have to make a direct hit, while other takes I had to hit him properly, but I really hated it. The sensation of hitting another person just felt wrong…….

Chinen: As the one doing the punch, you probably also felt a sense of responsibility to not injure your co star.

Hino: Right. I've done some action before, but that scene may be the only one I've ever had to perform a hit so precisely.

Chinen: Yusuke-kun naturally went easy on me, but I was determined to give it my all, so we shot that scene while consulting with each other on set. Director Sugihara told me that I "looked like I was used to being hit," so it was also difficult to act out when I took his punch.

"The scene in episode 22 where Shouma confides in Hanto about his past was the climax for Shouma and Hanto's misunderstanding drama."

Hino: That part was difficult……

Chinen: We had something of a meeting before shooting that scene.

Hino: Now that you mention it, we did!

Chinen: We discussed what we were thinking with Director Tasaki and came up with our own ideas, which we then brought to the set on the day of the scene. With their hearts bare, and without hiding anything, it's a scene where the two of them spoke their true feelings to each other, so I was conscious of how honestly I could speak each line, and wanted to bring out everything I had felt as Shouma up to that point. Director Tasaki also explained the meaning behind the situation, saying that because it would be emotionally difficult for them to talk face to face, he created an environment where they could both look out at the city and open up about their true feelings. As I performed, I thought that the sight and feelings Shouma experienced when he first entered his mother's world after falling from the plane were also overlapping with this scene.

Hino: Director Tasaki told me to "be considerate of Shouma's feelings, but not to be influenced by them," and it was very difficult to focus on that. Hanto's the type to express anger when he's mad and cries when he's sad, but Shouma's the type of kid who smiles in front of everyone, even if he's crying on the inside. If he was going to try to be considerate of his true feelings, he won't be able to grasp them unless he listens carefully to what he's saying. Still, as Hanto, I had to listen to what Shouma had to say while trying to believe him, but if I were to suddenly think, "That's true, it is painful, isn't it?," what was bothering and angering him just before then would become blurry. It was a very sensitive scene, so it was important for me to maintain a good balance between not getting caught up in Shouma's mood and accepting him as Hanto.

"We felt that it was very "Gavv like" how the two of them carefully chose their words as they discussed the matter."

Hino: For my part, I was preparing for the possibility of having to fight Shouma. However, I felt that Komura-san was trying to depict a human drama rather than a Kamen Rider one, and that she was committed to the idea that instead of fighting, the two would accept each other by facing one another as people. Director Tasaki told me, "The real challenge is to make sure children don't take their eyes off it." Children like scenes where we transform into Kamen Riders and fight, but they can also get something earnest out of the drama, so we discussed having faith in the viewers and how we'd do that scene in order to draw them in.

-Sachika's presence is important to both of them-

"Episodes 21 and 22 were also memorable because of Sachika's active role."

Hino: This may have been the first time I worked so intensely together with Miyabecchi on a performance. Being kicked, locked out of a room, and given a stern talking to by someone who's super cheerful and cares about everyone, well, it really sucks, doesn't it? (laughs). He really wanted to believe Shouma, but he couldn't keep his cool due to his inability to forgive Granutes and his anger at him for hiding it, and I acted with the feelings that the president (Sachika) had helped him come to his senses. Our conversation through the door was a fresh experience for me, and in the scene where we're fighting over the door, Miyabecchi used too much strength and ripped the handle off, to which Director Tasaki told her, "It's okay if you take that home with you" (laughs).

"That's just how much Miyabe-san got into it (laughs)."

Hino: In the kicking scene, the Director told her, "You can kick as hard as you'd like," but Miyabecchi is kind, so she looked me in the face. I told her, "It's totally fine, just kick," but Sachika's shoes were so hard, that it was extremely painful (laughs).

Chinen: Even though you said it was fine to kick (laughs). Sachika-san was the first person who created a place for Shouma to stay, and he looks up to her with the thought of, "I want to be like this person". Because of that, he was afraid that everything he had built up until that point might collapse, and he couldn't confide in her that he was a Granute. For the phone scene in episode 22, Sachika-san's voice was recorded in advance and played on the set to make it easier for me to act out the scene. When I heard Sachika-san's voice, I naturally felt a rush of emotions, and I was able to perform in a state in which my feelings and Shouma's feelings were closely linked.

Hino: If they had used the voice of a staff member, you wouldn't have been able to do such a good performance (laughs).

Chinen: No, no, that's not true! Still, I felt more at ease since her voice is one I'm used to hearing.

Hino: Right.

Chinen: Thanks to that, I was able to do that scene in one take. In episode 23, Shouma and Sachika-san meet for the first time since she found out that he's a Granute, where I was also deeply moved by it. I think that scene is the one where I was reminded again how glad I am that Sachika-san is Sachika-san.

"In episode 23, Hanto will learn what really happened to his mother."

Hino: Honestly, the situation is so cruel, that if I myself were Hanto, I wouldn't be able to go on living, but Hanto has to overcome it. I hope you'll look forward to the important story that awaits Hanto, and I'd also like to firmly establish various things intended for the future.

"Bitter Gavv is likely to have a presence in future episodes."

Chinen: So far, all he's done is run wild, cause damage, and then disappear, almost like a typhoon (laughs).

Hino: He really is a menace, isn't he? (laughs).

Chinen: There are many mysteries surrounding this character, such as how he was born, so I hope that you'll pay attention to Bitter Gavv going forward. _

Q: What's your favorite chocolate treat?

Chinen: When it comes to chocolate, I like "gateau au chocolat" the best. I've even made my own by using a rice cooker!

Hino: I'd have to say frappes, as they're easy to drink even if you don't like sweet things. As Valen, the man most suitable for Valentine's Day, I love everyone's handmade chocolates the most ❤️ (everyone laughs).

The tertiary Rider is a reliable senior hero.

Chinen: I feel that Shouma relies on Lakia since he's also a Granute, and that there's something about him that makes Shouma feel safe.

Hino: Lakia beat the shit out of Hanto though. Gavv's always one step too slow when it comes to saving him (laughs).

Chinen: It can't be helped (laughs). Lakia's Shoji-kun appeared in "Kiramager," making him my tokusatsu senior, and he teaches me technical things and gives me advice when I'm having trouble with my performance. He's very considerate of those around him, will try to communicate with us as actors, and is the connection between everyone, so I'm very grateful to him for that.