Voice actor Tomokazu Seki and manga creator Masakazu Katsura appeared at the Wingman live-action drama stage event during Tokyo Comic-Con 2024 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on December 6.

The Story of Wingman: From Manga to Live-Action

Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump (1983–1985), Wingman is the debut manga of Katsura, renowned for hits like Video Girl Ai and I"s. The story follows Kenta Hirono (played by Maito Fujioka), a high school sophomore and tokusatsu hero enthusiast, who invents a superhero persona called “Wingman.” With the help of friends, he builds his own suit and weapons.

Kenta encounters Aoi (played by Konatsu Kato), a mysterious girl from the alternate dimension Podrimus who arrives in the three-dimensional world (Earth). Using the “Dream Note,” Kenta gains the ability to transform into Wingman for five minutes.

Challenges in Adapting a Beloved Classic

Tomokazu Seki, known for his love of tokusatsu, voices characters from Podrimus and the Space Sheriff Gavan in the drama. Seki expressed his excitement, saying:

“The show is fantastic! As a kid, I dreamed of being Kenta. I never thought it would be made into a drama, and now I look forward to watching it every week.”

As the series’ chief supervisor, Katsura shared insights into the production challenges:

“Ensuring the consistency of the sci-fi elements was a major task. While the scripts were engaging and aligned with the concept, they adhered too closely to the original, requiring adjustments.”

Katsura also requested a unique twist for Aoi's character:

“From the beginning, I insisted Aoi shouldn’t speak normal Japanese initially. I wanted her dialogue to sound strange and otherworldly.”

Source : ORICON NEWS