The year-end and New Year special program for the TV anime Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider titled Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider Special: Show Me Your Rider SP has been streamed on ABEMA. To commemorate the release of the program, a roundtable interview recorded immediately after the special was also published, featuring Katsuyuki Konishi, the voice actor of the protagonist Tanzaburo Tojima, along with comedians who appeared on the special, including Drunk Dragon’s Muga Tsukaji and Hurricanez’s Yoshiyuki Arai.

The special program brought together Konishi, director of photography Junpei Takatsu , and well-known entertainers representing devoted Tojima Rider fans, including Tsukaji, Sayaka’s Ishii, JP, and Arai, for a total of six participants. The talk show was filled with overflowing love for Tojima and Kamen Rider, featuring segments where each guest selected and discussed their favorite scenes, truly living up to the theme “Show Me Your Rider.”

In the roundtable interview, the participants looked back on the recording. Tsukaji commented, “Being able to talk about ‘wanting to become Kamen Rider’ is pure happiness,” while Arai shared, “We heard so many great stories that it honestly made us wonder if this was really okay as a job.” Konishi also reflected, saying, “Above all, everyone’s Kamen Rider passion was incredible.” Just like the special itself, the interview was packed with enthusiasm for Tojima and Kamen Rider.

Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider tells the story of a protagonist who, even at the age of 40, seriously dreams of becoming Kamen Rider. Just as he is about to give up on that dream, he becomes entangled in a series of robberies linked to a group calling themselves “Fake Shocker,” which has been making headlines. The series depicts a group of adults who love Kamen Rider too much, engaging in a completely serious and heartfelt game of “playing Kamen Rider.”

■ Roundtable Interview with Katsuyuki Konishi, Takeaki

--How was the recording of the special?

Konishi:
It was incredibly fun. I honestly felt like I was there as an audience member.

Tsukaji:
No, no.

Arai:
You were completely a player.

Konishi:
I want to use everyone’s passion as motivation for tomorrow.

Tsukaji:
We really wanted to hear stories from Mr. Takatsu, the director of photography, and from Konishi.

Konishi:
I feel like I barely talked at all. More than anything, everyone’s Kamen Rider love was amazing. You all watch it so closely, and that made me really happy.

Tsukaji:
As fans, it is incredibly valuable to hear directly from voice actors and the people making the show. We were brought together on Ame Talk! as “Kamen Rider Comedians,” so having time to talk about wanting to be Kamen Rider was truly special.

Arai:
It really was. Hearing stories directly from the director of photography is not something you get to do often. We heard so many great episodes that it honestly felt almost too good to be work.

Tsukaji:
We are just talking about what we enjoyed as viewers.

Konishi:
And I enjoy watching that.

All:
(laughs)

Konishi:
In that sense, it feels like a really good cycle. What we talked about on the program was only a small part of it.

Tsukaji:
We could talk for hours.

--The presentation segment highlighting favorite scenes was very lively as well.

Konishi:
When adapting Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider into an anime, we had Mr. Shibata’s original work as the foundation, and both the cast and staff shared the same level of passion. That synergy really comes together to create a great final product.

Tsukaji:
When I heard Konishi’s voice, I thought, “That is completely Tojima.” Not just in Episode 1, but also when the real Shocker appears, or when monsters show up, hearing his trembling voice as he fights made me feel how Tojima is growing through all these experiences. Konishi’s voice is absolutely perfect for the role.

Arai:
It really is a case of “Thank you for playing Tanzaburo Tojima.”

Konishi:
That makes me happy. It paid off that I held back a bit during the show.

All:
(laughs)

Tsukaji:
I do not know if Konishi noticed, but since the promotional announcement for the special started with his voice, everyone else started talking louder.

Konishi:
Sorry about that.

Arai:
Mr. Takatsu was the only one who stayed completely at his own pace.

Konishi:
I was thinking, “I am really sorry,” the whole time.

Tsukaji:
But that is what made it good.

--Finally, please share a message for fans looking forward to future episodes while reflecting on the special.

Arai:
I am really looking forward to Tojima Rider from Episode 14 onward, but I truly hope everyone watches the special as well. As Tsukaji mentioned earlier, our voices do get a bit loud. If you have not seen it yet, you can still catch up, so please check out Episodes 1 through 13.

Tsukaji:
As an anime and as a work that takes on Kamen Rider, the level of passion is incredibly high. I really want people to at least watch Episode 1. The developments come one after another, and each character’s awkwardness, which is also their charm, is something everyone might recognize in themselves. Please give it a try.

Konishi:
Whether you are a boy or a girl, I think everyone has something they admired when they were younger. A story about someone who keeps believing in that admiration and faces real enemies head-on is something you do not see very often. If you can feel that passion and fun even once, I think you will be drawn into this world, so I truly hope you watch it. As for the special, Rider fans talk endlessly about their love for Kamen Rider, and I enjoyed it completely as an audience member. After raising my voice, all I did was laugh. I hope everyone can feel that love as well.

Source : ORICON NEWS