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Uchusen Vol.184 (Spring 2024) King-Ohger VS Donbrothers/King-Ohger VS Kyoryuger ft. Suit Actor Takada Masashi Interview (translations below)

Publication: April 1, 2024

"The Royal Sentai, Donbrothers and Kyoryugers are going to get wild during this year's Golden Week!!"

The annual Super Sentai VS series will be released as a double feature for the first time ever this year! "Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger" will face off against two major legendary Sentai, "Avataro Sentai Donbrothers" and "Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger." The battles take place in the Land of Death, Hakabaka, and on Earth, where Gira has become the new Uchu King……?! The original cast has also gathered in numbers, as the King-Ohgers, Donbrothers, and Kyoryugers face a new battle!

King-Ohger VS Donbrothers Story: Kitou Haruka and the other Donbrothers are sent by chance to Shugoddam, a kingdom in Chikyu, a planet in a corner of the universe. They interact with the kings of each country, however……Furthermore, Momoi Tarou also visits Shugoddam to deliver something to Gira.

(middle right) Ono Minoru (played by Sakakibara Takashi) who has turned into a Hitotsuki multiple times, will also appear in this year's VS! Even Saruhara is reluctant to touch Ono, saying, "Let sleeping dogs lie."

(bottom left) From the right is GolDon KuwagataOhger and GolDon MomotaroOhger

(bottom right) Momoi Tarou visits Caucasuskabuto Castle. He's supposed to deliver something addressed to Gira, but what's inside?

King-Ohger VS Kyoryuger Story: Kiryu Daigo and Utsusemimaru set off to space in pursuit of Dagded, who has invaded Earth. Daigo brings Prince back from the future world, but the future is changed by the effect of time space alteration. They arrive in the Chikyu multiverse. There, not only does Gira become the Uchu King, but the conditions and ranks of the other kings have changed as well……

(top left) From the right is Gira Husty, Kiryu Daigo and Kiryu Daigoro, a triple Red lineup! Don't miss the first Kyoryu Change since "Episode 33.5" six years ago!

(top right) From the right is KuwagataOhger Carnival and Gabutyra KyoryuRed. In what way will these two transform…..?!

(middle) The "Evil King," an enemy created by a malicious spirit. Calling himself the "King of Pure Evil," he stands in the way of the King-Ohgers and Kyoryugers.

Takada Masashi Interview Suit Actor for KyoryuBlue, KijiBrother, ZenkaizerBlack and Spider Kumonos among others. He also played multiple police officers, including Asada Keisuke, and the Shugoddam knight in King-Ohger.

Takada Masashi, who has worked as a Suit Actor in numerous Super Sentai series, made his debut as a hero in "Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger." 10 years have passed since then……Takada, who in recent years has left a strong impression not only as a hero, but also as an actor, will play "five roles as one person" in "King-Ohger VS Donbrothers. Furthermore, in "King-Ohger VS Kyoryuger," which will be screened at the same time, he'll play the same KyoryuBlue as he did 10 years ago. We asked him about his thoughts on this double feature and the TV series, which can be called the "Takada Festival."

"Unlike cast members whose roles are decided by auditions, Suit Actors like Takada-san are often nominated for "this role." Takada-san, when playing the role of a hero, how do you prepare for it?"

Takada: I ask the Producers what kind of character they're looking for during costume fitting for the suit or during still photo shoots. Since it's several months before we film the show, some things may not be decided at that stage, so we work on it gradually. I get an idea of what the role will look like by listening to how the script is progressing, and then I'll consult with the Action Director based on that and think about what kind of performance would best suit the character while creating the role.

"You sometimes get an idea of the character while filming, right?"

Takada: Of course. Sometimes we meet the cast members playing the pre transformed roles only after filming has started. They watch our performance during the recording for the dub, but we don't know what kind of voices they'll use until the broadcast. Some information is learned only after the broadcast starts, so I update my image each time I go out to shoot a scene.

"Before getting into King-Ohger VS Donbrothers and King-Ohger VS Kyoryuger, which will be screened during Golden Week, we'd like to ask you about your memories of the TV series. First, Takada-san was the motion capture actor for KijiBrother in Avataro Sentai Donbrothers. In order to play the role of KijiBrother, who's depicted in CG, for the motion capture, were you required to act differently from the other actors?"

Takada: It was all new to me, and I was fumbling my way through it with Okada Kazuya, who played the role of InuBrother. In a normal Sentai, we all act together in front of the cameras, but in Donbrothers, it was just me and Okada acting in separate locations. Because of that, I wasn't able to get a sense of distance between myself and the actors in the background, nor was I able to act while being aware of the camera's position. The line of sight was especially difficult, and I had to do retakes many times. However, I don't think I had that much trouble, as compared to KijiBrother, who flies through the air, it seemed to be more difficult as InuBrother, who literally has his feet on the ground, At the same time, Suzuki Hirofumi-san was saying his lines in a way that felt as if he was actually talking on set. When he said things like "Miho-cha~n!" he would create the kind of "pause" that's typical of Kijino (laughs). Then, before the dub recording, I'd tell the recording artist what kind of lines he'd be saying, and when Suzuki-san heard this, he'd add a voice that matched my movements during the recording. Such a thing was very KijiBrother coded.

"Did you play the role of ZenkaizerBlack differently than when you played Zenkaizer in Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger?"

Takada: In the end, they never revealed who he was (laughs). In Zenkaiger, he said something like "Chou-wah!" all the time, so I thought their character development wouldn't be the same. Before Goshikida Kaito transformed, he would just read books and say things like, "I have it (aruyo)" in a nonchalant tone, so I was aiming for the image of a mysterious hero who doesn't do anything.

"In addition, you played the role of the police officer Asada Keisuke in Donbrothers. At first, we thought you were just playing the role of a police officer, but when he was given the name Asada, he began to leave a strong impression on viewers."

Takada: Actually, the name Asada was chosen when I asked Komura Junko-san (Scriptwriter for Lupinranger VS Patranger), "Did you have any rejected ideas for Asaka Keiichiro's name?" That's because, for me, Asada Keisuke is like the alter ego of Patren1gou/Asaka Keiichiro. Just as Keiichiro was chasing LupinRed, Asada was chasing Inuzuka Tsubasa. So, I was acting with exactly the same intensity as when I was playing Patren1gou. However, it was a pleasant miscalculation that he appeared more frequently. There was a detective named Sayama who was chasing Inuzuka, but he turned into a Juto……I found myself appearing in more scenes than Saito Kenya-kun and Fujita Yohei, both who played Sayama's subordinate detectives. In addition, on the set, I kept saying to Assistant Producer Matsuura Daigo-kun, "This police officer is Asada Keisuke," and then he wrote in the script, "Also known as Asada Keisuke." It made me happy. You could say this is my win (laughs).

"In Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger, Takada-san served as the Suit Actor for Spider Kumonos. How did you prepare for this role?"

Takada: Ikeda Masashi-kun, who plays Jeramie, appeared in the first episode as the narrator, so I knew his way of speaking even before he started acting. That's why, based on my understanding of his vibe before transforming, I was able to work with the Directors during costume fitting to match my image. Based on Ikeda-kun's vibe, I tried to create a cool yet noble aura in my performance. As an additional warrior, his weapons are different from those of other heroes, so I was conscious of making him able to perform actions that require alot of effort.

"Takada-san has wide shoulders, so what kind of gestures did you keep in mind when playing the same role as Ikeda-san, who's more slender?"

Takada: Ikeda-kun doesn't close his legs when he acts, but I always close my legs to give the impression that I'm slim. In episode 28, the swapping episode, Sakai Taisei-kun, who had been watching my performance, acted by closing his legs like Kumonos, and without thinking I told him, "You don't have to do that! I just look big when I open them." Another thing I do is mutter "otto" every time we film (laughs).

"Kijino said, "Miho-chan," while Jeramie said, "otto" to create a pause (laughs)."

Takada: Ikeda-kun's "otto" is useful to create a pause during conversation. I also incorporated it into Kumonos.

"Now then, in King-Ohger, Takada-san played the role of an unmasked knight. What was your impression of this?"

Takada: In the first episode, I played a mean role. I thought, "I don't like this" (bitter smile). He had a forceful attitude toward the citizens, didn't he? I thought that I'd like to appear in the second episode and beyond, since he seemed like such a big deal. The children threw rocks and other junk at him and he ran off pathetically, so I guess he wasn't such a bad guy. Anyway, I was careful not to make the viewers hate him. Thanks to their support, I've had the opportunity to appear on several occasions since then, carrying Gira's coffin and doing some action with Douga-san, and you can see that he's quite a high ranking soldier in Shugoddam. I found that part interesting as I performed. The person who let me appear was usually Director Hiroyuki Kato. I have nothing but gratitude to Director Kato.

"Although he made a guest appearance in King-Ohger, Takada-san's first role as a hero in the Super Sentai series was KyoryuBlue in Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger. How did you plan to play KyoryuBlue 10 years ago?"

Takada: I had heard that he was the only character making old man jokes. Additionally, he's a power fighter. That being said, I think I started preparing for the role with the idea that I could play it without thinking too much about being a hero. However, because we were on Sakamoto Koichi's team, we had to work hard on the action. That's why I had been practicing with Kinjo Yamato-kun, who plays the role before transforming, even before filming began. There are some parts that I'm alittle embarrassed about watching now, but it was a time when I loved muscle training, so my body was nice and toned.

"The characters played by Takada-san will be appearing all at once in VS Donbrothers and VS Kyoryuger. Especially in Director Kato's VS Donbrothers, where he played four roles."

Takada: I played both heroes and characters, so I was the only one who had perfect attendance during filming (laughs). Director Kato also said, "Takada-kun, you're so much fun to have around, so I included you in the entire filming schedule." I've already got a cozy relationship with the Director! (laughs). Shortly before filming began, I happened to meet Director Kato at a convenience store near Toei Studios and asked him, "Will the knight or police officer appear? There, I heard that I would be playing several roles by myself and was told, "You're going to be busy~," but it seems that ZenkaizerBlack's appearance was decided at the last minute……I unexpectedly ended up with five roles (laughs). Of course, I couldn't act alone in the scenes where all the members are assembled, so I sometimes had to rely on substitutes, but this was a rare opportunity, so I had alot of fun filming it.

"Takada-san, when you were yourself, what were you most conscious of while working on VS Donbrothers?"

Takada: The police officer and knight both have the same face, don't they? They're different people, but when Inuzuka, being chased by Asada, wanders into the world of King-Ohger, he finds the knight there. The question then became what kind of interaction would take place with Inuzuka and Sononi. It was fun to play the role, and I thought about how to make it more enjoyable. Director Kato also seemed to be very impressed.

"You play the role of KyoryuBlue in VS Kyoryuger, but did you notice any differences from 10 years ago?"

Takada: It was around last Summer I think…..before we filmed the collaboration episodes for King-Ohger, that I heard a rumor that there was going to be a V-Cinext. So, my first thought was, "If I don't do muscle training, my suit will be too baggy!" There was a sense of crisis. When I was filming Kyoryuger, I did muscle training every day, so I was very bulky. I tried to get close to that, but was shocked when I didn't turn out at 100%. Also, I've been doing this for 10 years now, and the action has gotten alittle better, so the dull feeling from back then doesn't really come out. Now, I aim for quick action with alot of moves, but back then I put alot of effort into each shot. So, I slowed down alittle and put more power into each shot.

"VS Donbrothers and VS Kyoryuger, in which you can also enjoy Takada-san's struggles, will finally be screened. These are productions where you can enjoy Takada-san's acting throughout their entirety."

Takada: Taisei and the others may have more roles, but in terms of the number of roles, I'm number one (laughs). I hope you enjoy the differences between Asada and the knight, but I also hope you don't miss the Kyoryuger's activities, which haven't changed in the past 10 years. Only Ofuji Naoki-san, who played the role of KyoryuGold was unable to participate, but I think you'll enjoy "Kyoryuger" as an extension of the original, both before and after the transformations. I'd like you to pay attention to the action before the transformation, which is one of the strengths of Sakamoto's team. Director Kato's love for comedy shines through in VS Donbrothers, so I hope it'll make you laugh.

"These productions also unexpectedly follow the history of Takada-san's 10th anniversary as a hero in the Super Sentai series."

Takada: Thankfully, I've been given the opportunity to play the role of hero every year, and I've learned alot from every production. I think that because of what I learned from my veteran seniors, Fukuzawa Hirofumi-san and Takeuchi Yasuhiro-san, I've gained alot more experience in the field, which led to Donbrothers and King-Ohger.

"Do you have any plans for future appearances?"

Takada: I can't go into details, but "Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger" will also have an episode by Director Kato, so there may be alittle surprise in store (laughs). I hope you enjoy VS Donbrothers and VS Kyoryuger, as well as Boonboomger!

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