“Kamen Rider Geats” stars talk “Kamen Rider”, their characters and more!

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The 4th Reiwa Rider series “Kamen Rider Geats”, has been on air since September last year (TV Asahi, 9 every Sunday).

In this work, which depicts Kamen Riders fighting to become the winner of the “Desire Grand Prix” and fights against Jyamat, which disturbs the peace of the world, the main character Kamen Rider Geats/Ace Ukiyo (portrayed by Kan Hideyoshi), Sakurai Keiwa/Kamen Rider Tycoon (portrayed by Sato Ryuga), Kurama Neon/Kamen Rider Na-go (portrayed by Hoshino Yuna), Azuma Michinaga/Kamen Rider Buffa (portrayed by Mokudai Kazuto) and the mysterious navigator Tsumuri (portrayed by Aoshima Kokoro).

The five were interviewed for IZA and this is an excerpt from the interview:

It’s been four months since the show started, how have your family and friends reacted to it?

Kan: I’m happy that my friends who are college students are watching the video every time or in real time.

Sato: I’m getting a lot of feedback not only from relatives, but also from people around me. I’ve also received LINE and messages saying “I saw the movie”, and I really feel that they’re really supporting me.

Mokudai: I get messages from my classmates saying, “I’m watching” or “I’m watching it with my brother”. I also get videos of my cousin watching “Geats” every week (laughs). So, I always feel grateful.

Hoshino: My friends tell me that they are watching, and my family records it every week. I also get messages from my mother’s old friends, saying, “You look like your mother in the past”.'(laughs) People with small children have told me that they bought transformation goods and belts, and I feel the response is huge.

Aoshima: My parents really enjoy it every week, and I get calls from friends and classmates of boys who also watch it.

“Kamen Rider Geats” has many unique characters, but how do you perceive the characters you play? Also, did your impressions change as you acted?

Kan: At first, I didn’t know what Ukiyo’s purpose was in entering the Desire Grand Prix, or whether he was fighting, but it became clear that he was actually looking for his mother. It doesn’t change that there are many people, but that was a big clue.”

Sato: In the beginning, Sakurai was a character who couldn’t fight (laughs). In the beginning, I had a hard time voicing Sakurai, but with each episode, he grew as a person and at the same time he gradually became the image of a rider I envisioned. There is a feeling that it is getting closer, and it has become easier to act.”

Mokudai: At first, Michinaga was cool and reserved, playing as a rival to Geatz, but I came to realize that he was actually a passionate man. I think it’s more than the first broadcast that the coolness is gone and the fact that he has a hot rivalry with Geats.

Hoshino: I think it’s the same for everyone, but I was able to create the role with very little information. Neon is cute and cheerful, but in fact, she has troubles with her family. I knew nothing but information, but gradually the mystery was revealed and my purpose became clear. At first, I felt like I didn’t know right or left, but after the 3rd season of participating in the competition. I can see my surroundings, and my fighting style has become more powerful.The same goes for my compassion for my friends, and the strength to fulfill my own wishes. I have grown steadily as a rider and as a woman. I think so.

Aoshima: In the initial settings, my character would get close to Ace and the others, I actually pretended to be close to the four of them, pretending to be sad and pretending to be happy, but now that has completely stopped. Oh, right now there are three (laughs).

Mokudai: Because there is no Michinaga (laughs).

Which Kamen Rider did you like when you were a child?

Kan: “Kamen Rider Den-O” (2007). I was born in 2002, but I watched it when I was just five years old, and I loved the Imagins. From that time on, I admired Kamen Rider, but there was no one to play pretend with me, so I was fighting an invisible enemy by myself… I was kept a little distance from the people around me. (laughs) I have a photo of myself wearing a Den-O belt when I was a kid, and it really touches my heart to think that 15 years later, I really became a rider.

Sato: The first rider I saw was “Kamen Rider Blade” (2004), then “Kabuto” (2006), “Den-O”, “Decade” (2009), and “W’ (09-10). 2010), I watched OOO for a long time (10-11 years), and I was playing Kamen Rider with a child in the same class. (laughs) My friend who was playing pretend with me said, “It really happened”.

Mokudai:  I was watching “Kamen Rider W”. I really liked “Samurai Sentai Shinkenger” which was broadcast at the same time. At the time, I was playing Kamen Rider and Shinkenger, but being able to appear in this memorable time slot called Nichiasa is deeply moving, and I think my dream has come true.

Hoshino: My older brother used to watch Rider, so I have memories of watching it together and playing with transformation goods. In a recent work, Takahashi Fumiya, my senior who was a model for the fashion magazine “Popteen” appeared on “Kamen Rider Zero One” (2019).

Aoshima: It’s hard to say, but I don’t really watch Rider, and I’m completely a Pretty Cure fan… (laughs). Occasionally, I watched works written by screenwriter Takahashi Yuya  (“Kamen Rider Ex-Aid” (2016-2017) and “Zero One”)”.

By the way, Tsumuri is not a Rider among the five of you, but does Aoshima-san want to transform into a Rider?

Aoshima: I don’t want to transform. (laughs)

Kan and Mokushiro: Huh~!? (laughs)

Aoshima: I want to make the four of them shine, or rather, I want to give meaning to that. However, I don’t know what will happen to the script in the future, so if I decide to transform, I’ll do my best (laughs), but right now I want to support him.

Sato: She’s my sister. (laughs).

Aoshima: Yes, I am your oldest sister. (laughs)

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