ikemen (derogatory)

What is your favorite Metal Hero series, Takada JAPAN?

Kusano: It's "Special Investigation Robot Janperson"! Did you watch Metal Hero?

Fujita: I watched a lot of shows like "Juukou B-Fighter." I think I watched a lot of Metal Hero shows.

Kusano: For Yohei's generation, it was probably shows like "Special Investigations Exceedraft" and "Mobile Detective Jiban," right? What were you doing on Sunday mornings at 8am?

Fujita: Baseball! I think I probably played baseball.

Tsutamune: I didn't really follow them in real time either. I had a video compilation of Metal Heroes. It was a 30-minute video featuring Space Sheriff Gavan, Space Sheriff Sharivan, Space Sheriff Shaider, Mobile Detective Jiban, Special Police Winspector, and Special Rescue Command Solbrain, and I watched that all the time thinking how cool it was.

Fujita: Like 'B-Robo Kabutack'! I watched 'Kabutack' and 'Tetsuwan Detective Robotack'!

Takada: I had the Kabutack toys! I was only interested in slapstick comedy action (laughs).

Ito: If I had to choose one, I'd say I like 'Exceedraft' the most. I used to watch 'Exceedraft', 'Blue Swat', and 'B-Fighter'. I remember watching quite a bit of them on video as well. When I went to Harumi Terminal, I thought, "Oh, this is like Exceedraft!"

And in the currently airing "Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity," the members of Takada JAPAN are also playing a major role as suit actors and in action scenes! What do you think of Gavan's shining combat suit?

Ito: I think it's amazing. Mirror shine! And it's sparkly!

Tsutamune: Every mark is visible! It makes me even more determined not to break anything than before.

Ito: We have to manage it properly.

Tsutamune: We have to be extra careful to protect it so it doesn't get damaged.

Is it difficult to avoid having staff members appear in the shots on set?

Ito: It's incredibly tough. We're constantly being told, "Everyone hide behind the camera! You over there, crouch down! Don't move!"

Is there a difference between the suit used for close-ups and the suit used for action scenes?

Ito: They're completely different. The materials themselves are different.

Tsutamune: It's hard, and the metallic finish is even stronger, like a mirror. Mine is a bit more difficult than the other three. When I was making hand gestures for close-ups, I initially wondered if I'd be able to make the full motion. It was Mr. Fukuzawa's [TL note: Hirofumi Fukuzawa, director and former sentai red] idea to have him carrying and sheathing his sword. That wasn't part of the original plan, but it was decided at the last minute during the fitting to have him carry it.

How is the ease of movement?

Tsutamune: It's stiff. Especially for close-ups. I really can't raise my arms all the way.

Ito: It stops by the shoulder.

Tsutamune: Mine is especially different from the other three; my shoulder pieces are practically touching...it's hard to describe in words (laughs). I also considered the poses I wanted to do when thinking about the suit. For example, with Gavan, you can't do poses like raising your arms and hands, so I wondered what to do.

How is your visibility in the suit?

Ito: The visibility through the mask itself is about the same as a Super Sentai mask. What bothers me a little is that you can see the red and black parts, but if you glance at the boundary between the colors, you sometimes wonder, "What am I looking at?" I sometimes think, "It would have been better if it was all red."

Tsutamune: Red is generally hard to see, isn't it? It's not a problem with "Gavan Raiya" at all, but the eyes inside are a little low. I often lose sight of them during action scenes. I feel like I have to adjust with my movements and get used to it. I can't lift my chin. I'm told to "pull your chin in more!" so I'm pulling it in a lot.

Mr. Tsutamune, in this show you're doing ninja action, which is a different direction from the rest of the action in "Gavan Infinity."

Tsutamune: Mr. Fukuzawa had an image in mind. He said it would be good if I played a slightly different type of character than Shige. So I tried to differentiate myself by watching Shige's movements. I was able to compete against him in my first appearance, and that was fun. Playing the "Emons" is tough, but we enjoy it when it's person-to-person interaction.

Ito: "Emons" are huge, so it's tough for the person playing it. It's fun to do action scenes with Yone (Takahiro Yoneoka) as "Gavan Bushido," and you really get into it. [TL note: they call him ヨネ, which are different kanji but it's probably an injoke i don't get. it's read Yone tho]

In terms of action, is it different from the Super Sentai series?

Ito: No, the technical aspects are pretty much the same. The problem is that the pants get in the way!

Together: (laughs).

Takada: the thong! (laughs).

Ito: Yone doesn't really have a "Bushido" style, you know.

Tsutamune: "Raiya" and "Infinity" have similar shapes, and their lower bodies are almost identical. There are issues like the pants getting caught and making it difficult to kick, or the pants getting in the way when jumping down. They have a subtle presence.

I imagine there's a lot of action on set with the cast. What kind of communication do you have with the cast?

Ito: I always say this, but Kohei Nagata is amazing! I'm shy so I don't talk to people that much, so Kohei comes to me and asks questions. Kohei is serious and does a lot of action scenes, so he asks me things like, "How can I improve my action scenes?" and questions about his role, and I want to answer them. He's been very kind to me.

Tsutamune: When Gavan Raiya made his debut, it was with the Fukuzawa team, so we had action practice before he transformed, and that's when we first met. He was quite a capable kid, so much so that we thought, "He'll be fine without a stunt double." That was a big help!

Ken-chan (Kentaro Yasui) has a lot of guts that he's cultivated. He's like, "Let's just give it a try!" And when Fukuzawa-san gets into it, he'll tell the actors, "More! Come on, you can do even better!" (laughs). On days when we weren't practicing action sequences, there were some days with a lot of action, but he moved around so much and kept up so well that we in the action department would like to teach him more. Please write "We love Ken-chan!" (laughs).

Mr. Ito, you've mentioned before that you enjoy working with Director Fukuzawa on action sequences. What do you think of the action in "Gavan Infinity"?

Ito: Regarding "Gavan Infinity," I really decided to just do what I like. Rather than thinking about it, I just did what I like. When I'm not working with Fukuzawa, the action director Ren (Miyagawa Ren) will ask me things like, "Is it okay to include this?" I've also started thinking for myself more than before, so that's fun too. It's also fun working on the action with Fukuzawa.

Mr. Fujita, you've been active in robot battles with "Cosmo Gavarion GC-R" again this year, but the robot battles give a different impression than those of Super Sentai robots. What is it like filming?

Fujita: Yes, it's far out! It's the CG wall, and stuff like that.

Kusano: You were running, weren't you?

Fujita: There are no enemies, I'm just having a sports day with robots. It just goes to show how amazing Director Butsuda is. [TL note: Hiroshi Butsuda, SFX director]

What kind of conversations do you have with special effects director Butsuda?

Fujita: I was talking to Butsuda-san and we were like, "Yohei-kun, you're going to do SASUKE this time. Have you ever seen it? Can you run it?"

Together: (laughs).

Fujita: The robot is quite difficult to move with. We're differentiating it from Super Sentai robots. During the fitting, we first said, "If it has color, it looks like a Sentai robot, so let's get rid of it," and we eliminated the color.

You also work as a CG motion actor, right?

Fujita: I also do the CG. I did a lot of motion capture work for the robots in Super Sentai series, like "Avataro Sentai Don Brothers" and "Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger." We would capture the motion in real time and then use that footage directly for the robot battles. Since they could adjust it for me, it wasn't that difficult.

Just because I can move more doesn't mean it should move too much; if the robot moves too much, it will look too human. So, we need to use our imagination to create robotic movements. Drawing on our past experience, we need to avoid making it too human-like.

I was impressed by the exaggerated reactions of the robots in the Super Sentai series.

Fujita: There's also the balance with the explosions. Director Butsuda seems to be very conscious of creating a sense of speed. In Super Sentai, there's usually a moment before the action starts. I think he's trying to reduce the Super Sentai-like elements.

What do you think are the highlights of this robot, "Cosmo Gavarion GC-R," Mr. Fujita?

Fujita: The art department members' creations are amazing!

Takada: All around the robot!

Together: (laugh).

Ito: The setup is really amazing, isn't it?

Fujita: The special effects are amazing. We spent more time on them than usual. In the beginning of episode 2, there's a scene in a tunnel-like area where a napalm explosion comes surging towards us from behind. I was so overwhelmed I remember nothing.

Kusano: Nervous?

Fujita: I was nervous, and there was gunpowder right in front of me, and an explosion coming from behind, so I was running as fast as I could. I thought, "If I get caught on this, I might die!" During the test, I acted like a proper robot, but during the actual test, I ran away on instinct (laughs).

Ito: Yohei is the one playing it in the actual show!

Takada: "I have to live!"

Fujita: "How will I survive?" (laughs). Watch it with the gunpowder and explosions included! See Director Butsuda's imagination!

Tsutamune: It's really amazing that it's powered by a robot.

Fujita: Because it was so realistically sculpted, I didn't think it would move much. But it moves a lot!

There are various weapons available, but do you have a favorite?

Fujita: "Gavarion Crane" and "Gavarion Drill" are CG. "Gavarion Saber," I guess. That one was easier to work with. It's good to have something with that kind of individuality.

Kusano: Is it easier to work with if you add more and more unique parts?

Fujita: It's easy to work with. We're doing it under difficult circumstances, but it's cool!

Expressing emotions while wearing a suit is something only a suit actor can do, wouldn't you say?

Kusano: That's a difficult question!

Do you act without being particularly conscious of wearing a suit?

Ito: I've done it. Maybe I've actually succeeded (laughs).

Takada: I think they're just acting normally, whether they're wearing masks or not. Even if I'm not wearing a mask, when I'm working as a police officer, I'm a police officer!

I've never really thought about it that much. I feel like they're just acting even when they're wearing masks. When I'm Kamen Rider Dawn, I'll be grinning the whole time. Kousei Amano's Sieg is always grinning, so I'd be grinning the whole time inside the mask too.

Kusano: In terms of acting while wearing suits, in the final scenes of "Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger," when we were acting in a wide open field, the hero and the villain would exchange lines like, "Speak up a little more!"

Tsutamune-san said, "I want to give this kind of feel for Zamigo!", and Director Sugihara said, "Okay, let's put a walkie-talkie in the suits," and that's what we did. We got tosee a set where the Lupinrangers were being considerate, making sure the message was conveyed without over-the-top acting. I thought, "Wow, I'm witnessing something amazing!"

Tsutamune: Like the energy of "Zamigo," for example.

Kusano: When there's distance between us, we inevitably end up telling each other to "speak up!" on set, but I thought this consideration was wonderful.

Tsutsumune: I think it was before we went into the safe. I might have said something to Sugi-san (Director Sugihara). I was a little bold there (laughs).

I heard that Mr. Tsutamune adjusted the movements of his character in "Gavan Raiya" to match the ninja character.

Tsutamune: That's right. Character-wise, he's cool, or rather, a character who doesn't need to move around that much. Because he's a ninja. I thought I'd try to make a "quiet" character to distinguish him from the characters I've played so far. I kept thinking, "I want to join in on this play!" but at the same time, "No, no, I can't" (laughs).

Takada: Be patient!

Tsutamune: That's the difficult part. The difficulty of not moving. If I really take it off, I'll start messing around. "Don't go all out" is my theme right now. I'm trying to convey it somehow with just a movement of my neck or something. Don't move.

It seems like it will be quite difficult to find the right balance.

Tsutamune: I'm struggling with it. It's a tricky spot. There's a scene where Kazanami is searching for grass. He's searching desperately. I really wanted to make it more outlandish and funny, but I held back. I was told I was "seriously out of touch," so I need to be careful not to play around too much.

Mr. Ito, watching from beside Mr. Tsutsumune, do you feel any sense of restraint?

Ito: I feel like he's really playing the character in that way.

Tsutamune: When I'm in a scene with Shige, I try to be a little conscious of it, like if Shige crosses his arms, I make sure not to. I'd like you to take another look at that part too!

Mr. Shogo Teramoto, who has been observing the interview, who is your favorite Metal Hero?

Shogo Teramoto (hereinafter, Teramoto): 'Exceedraft', 'Janperson', 'Blue Swat', 'B-Fighter'...

Kusano: He just listed them starting from 1992 (laughs).

Ito: What's number one?

Teramoto: Number one, huh? "Blue Swat"!

Fujita: It was an extremely difficult decision (laughs).

Up to three?

Teramoto: 'Blue Swat', 'B-Fighter'. And one more... 'Kabutack', 'Robotack'.

Takada: It's become four. It'll be used as the punchline (laughs).