#Naito Shuichiro

[storge]

I blew it. I finally killed him.

Nami yo Kiite Kure (2023) 1.01

[emotionallychargedtowel]

Takeda Kouhei on Kamen Rider, a Primer

I’m not the only person on tumblr who’s a fan of both tokusatsu and BL shows, but there aren’t a ton of us. Which isn’t too surprising. They don’t have a lot in common aside from being genres that originated in and are still produced (in the case of tokusatsu, almost exclusively) in Japan. But, for reasons that are hard to pinpoint for those of us in the U.S., there’s quite a bit of actor overlap between these genres. From what I’ve seen the biggest contributor to the BL casting pool is Kamen Rider.My impetus for writing this post was a post by @waitmyturtles​ that mentioned being interested in seeing other work by Takeda Kouhei after seeing him in Old Fashion Cupcake. And really, who wouldn’t be? His performance was really lovely. Subtle, moving, funny, endearing, everything you would want in that role.

So I thought I’d post about Takeda’s Kamen Rider work in case other fans are curious. I don’t know how likely BL folks are to get into Kamen Rider but at the very least, I thought Takeda appreciators might enjoy a glimpse of him doing something really different from Cupcake.

Takeda has been in two Kamen Rider series, mostly playing two characters. The first, Kamen Rider Kiva, I’ve seen in its entirety and the other, Kamen Rider Build, I’m currently watching with my family.

Kiva is a pretty unique series within the Kamen Rider franchise. The aesthetic is bonkers. The opening credits give you a decent idea of what that’s like–basically, we’re talking about violins, rose petals, and chains everywhere with a nu-metal soundtrack. It came out in 2008 and definitely feels of that time. Opening credits for these shows are usually pretty easy to find but for some reason this one is only on Tiktok. You might have to squint to make it out but it’s still worth a look.

The basic plot of the series is that there are creatures called Fangires that are kinda-sorta similar to vampires except that they suck out your life force instead of your blood, and there are humans who hunt them and protect humanity. The Fangires can look like humans and then transform into their Fangire forms, and the Fangire hunters have the technology to turn into armored superhero-type people as well. Except there’s also this kid who is half Fangire, half human, the protagonist, Kurenai Wataru. He also transforms, in a way that is like a combination of a Fangire transforming and a human using the hunter technology. The show follows his story in 2008 and at the same time, the story of his dad’s experiences 22 years earlier in 1986. His dad, Kurenai Otoya, is Takeda’s character and at a lot of points in the series is almost a co-protagonist.

They did a pretty good job casting a realistic father-and-son pairing, I’d say.

I’m not usually a big fan of this particular type of shag hairdo that was big in Japan in the 2000s but I’d say they’re both pulling it off quite well here. 

According to an interview I read, Takeda was pretty inexperienced when he played Otoya and as a result he started out overacting a bit, but the showrunners really liked how it worked–basically, Otoya is an over-the-top dude anyway. Otoya is an interesting character. He’s this overconfident, sometimes irritating wannabe womanizer who wears some seriously loud blazers (it’s the 80s, after all), but he’s also a highly skilled violinist and violin-maker who ends up making some huge sacrifices for the people he loves. In a lot of ways he’s the polar opposite of Takeda’s character Nozue in Old Fashion Cupcake.

(In case you’re wondering about the gif above, father and son are in the same timeline briefly because of some magical shenanigans here.)

Toward the end of Kiva, Takeda also (briefly) plays Wataru’s son/Otoya’s grandson, Kurenai Masao, who has traveled back in time to help his dad. Apparently in the future we’ll all be wearing a whole lot of bobby pins.

I didn’t realize until after I had started watching Old Fashion Cupcake that Takeda was also in Kamen Rider Build. I’m about a fifth of the way into that series but Takeda’s character has only been around for a short time. I’m really enjoying him, though, and I think the difference Takeda’s skill level between the two shows is really palpable.

The basic premise of Build is that after an expedition to Mars, a mysterious cube (the “Pandora Box”) is brought back to Earth, a weird light comes out of the cube that changes people, and a wall springs out of the ground that divides Japan into three subregions that end up at war. The mechanism for the characters to transform into Kamen Rider forms involves human beings that are subjected to experiments using stuff from Mars that alters them and allows them to use these objects to transform. Sawatari Kazumi, Takeda’s character, owns a large farm before the Mars cube disaster, but environmental effects of the disaster make his land tainted and infertile. He spends all of his remaining money trying to support the workers from his farm that are now out of work, then basically goes into the villain business to try to pay the bills. It’s pretty clear he’s not going to be a villain forever. I’m on episode 20 (of 49–these shows are long) and it seems like he could join the good guys any time now. (Recognize the other two dudes below? I’ll talk more about that in a bit.)

Sawatari is super different from both Otoya and Nozue, so viewing the three together really can’t help but make you appreciate Takeda’s versatility. Sawatari puts up a very tough front most of the time, except when it comes to Misora, who is part of the main character’s core group but also has another identity as an online “idol” (kind of like an influencer, I guess) called Mii-tan. Sawatari is a Mii-tan fan with a huge crush on her. He seems oddly naïve for someone who is basically a mercenary, and she brings that side of him out in a big (and extremely goofy) way.

Sawatari is also the butchest character I’ve seen Takeda play, which is fun in some ways but not in others. On the latter end, his wardrobe on Build is his most boring I’ve seen as he wears slight variations on the same parka-and-mottled-pants combo nonstop. But on the plus side, he gets to do a lot of fighting, trash talking, and sneering and since it’s Takeda it’s all pretty cute. 

My favorite thing about Sawatari so far is his “henshin” sequence so I’ll talk about that for a moment. Transforming characters are a big theme in tokusatsu, and often when we talk about that genre folks are referring more to the suit transformation type shows as opposed to straight kaiju movies like Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah, etc. that are also considered tokusatsu. Having an actor disappear and then someone in a masked suit appear in their place requires some kind of neat transition in order to make it work, and these transition sequences usually have a lot of visual interest and meaning built into them.

Characters usually have something they say when they transform, like a word or catchphrase. In Ultraman shows, they usually yell out their Ultraman name. In the Kamen Rider franchise, the tradition (usually upheld) is for characters to simply say “henshin,” meaning “transform.” They usually have some kind of transformation item (in Kamen Rider it’s usually in the form of a belt) and they have a set of actions or gestures they do just before they change. Then different kinds of effects, often CGI, are used to show the normal human being turning into their masked fighter form. Below is a nice example of a henshin move by someone BL fans might recognize, Naito Shuichiro from Kamen Rider Saber and Senpai, This Can’t Be Love.

Apparently, from some things I’ve watched and read, the actors on these shows seem to come up with their own pre-henshin moves. Takeda apparently put quite a bit of thought into his, according to one interview snippet I read. It makes sense because when he transformed in Kiva (only rarely), his henshin routine was kind of dull (sorry!).

I can just imagine him thinking in the intervening years about how he’d do it a second time if he had the chance.

Well, it paid off because Sawatari’s henshin sequence is right up there with the best I’ve seen in my Kamen Rider viewing. The whole thing has an insolent quality and he tops it off with a beckoning finger that looks like he’s flipping his opponent off (which I take it he sort of is, because supposedly beckoning to someone in the American style is considered extremely rude and demeaning in Japan). Basically, it’s like the “fuck you” version of henshin and it makes him look like a badass. It’s also, frankly, pretty hot.

The gif above is just a snippet so I recommend the longer clip below if you want to see the whole thing.

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While I’m at it, here’s his first scene, when all the audience knows is that he’s a mysterious surly cutie.

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If anyone reading this decides to try watching one of Takeda’s Kamen Rider series without being familiar with the franchise, I have one thing I’d suggest keeping in mind. This is just my take so others may not agree. I’ll refrain from theorizing about why this is in this post but I’ll just say I have some thoughts.  The first 10-15 episodes of most tokusatsu shows tend to get bogged down in worldbuilding, introductions, team formations, and other things that can get tiresome quickly. But this is only a relatively small portion of an entire series since they tend to go for 50ish episodes, like I mentioned above. My advice is that if you check out one of these shows and aren’t feeling it at first, you should give it a chance to get to that 15 episode mark and then see how it seems to you. You can always skip around if you have to in order to get to the point where things get juicier.

One last note–in addition to Takeda being on Kamen Rider Build, it also features two other actors that BL fans might know. The first is Inukai Atsuhiro from The Man Who Defies the World of BL and Kei x Yaku: Dangerous Buddy (which I’m not really familiar with but I think I remember hearing it was sort of an almost-BL where the Bs never end up in L?). He plays the protagonist Kiryu Sento, whose Rider form is Kamen Rider Build. Kiryu definitely has a certain level of sassiness in common with Mob from TMWDtWoBL, but he has a lot more agency in his life and the stakes are higher than whether or not he’s going to fall in L with a B.

Also, Akaso Eiji from Cherry Magic plays Banjo Ryuga, another main character who eventually becomes a Rider. His character in Build is extremely different from Adachi Kiyoshi—he’s a boxer and an impulsive meathead type, albeit one with a heart of gold and all that. A far cry from his shy cutie persona in Cherry Magic. His character also usually has some sort of tiny French braid situation going on with his hair but I’ve spared y’all from having to look at that for the moment.

If you’re curious about any other actors who are in the middle of the BL/tokusatsu Venn diagram, or just found this interesting, let me know. I might do a few more posts of this type.

[dengswei]

cherry magic ep. 1 | senpai, danjite koidewa ep. 5

[shijiujun]

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH: SENPAI, THIS CAN’T BE LOVE

Back in drama-land with this latest cute workplace Japanese BL drama Senpai, This Can’t Be Love that’s adapted off a manga of the same name and I think has a total of 8 episodes! Featuring two dumb dumbs that are secretly crushing on each other and thinking the other hates them or would never like them. So handsome. 帅爆了, like Toshiki Seto and Naito Shuicihiro are like... balm for your eyes.

Let me try to wrap this up in a brief WYSW - I haven’t read the manga, and only two episodes are out so far, so take this with a pinch of salt (BUT THEY ARE SO CUTE?!)

Details: 8 episodes | Airing every Friday starting June 24, 2022 | Watch with subs on Gagaoolala (VIP required) or on Rakuten Viki (Specific region locks)

Summary: Kaneda Yuki is a talented CG designer who’s just starting out at this company and is being supervised by Yanase Jun, an experienced and well-recognized CG designer at the company whose works have been extensively featured in public. Yanase is a really friendly guy who’s looking to bond with and tutor Kaneda to the best of his abilities, but there’s just one problem: Kaneda is really standoffish and cold to Yanase, leading Yanase and everyone in the company to think that Kaneda actually dislikes Yanase. 

In actual fact, Kaneda is just... the biggest Yanase fanboy who just doesn’t know how to interact with his idol without embarrassing himself, so ends up coming across as cold when he’s just panicking internally. It seems that the both of them would be stuck in communication for the rest of their time working together, but a big new project lands on the both of them, forcing them to work together all the time. 

Reasons Why You Should Watch:

(1) Yanase Jun is so damn handsome excuse me?!?!? Look at his fashion sense and that hairstyle and the way he smiles and the way his eyes crinkled??! And the way he looks at Kaneda?!?!?

(2) This fanboy is so far in the closet you can’t even see him but boy does he have it bad for his idol - he is us, he’s exactly like us

He even legit has a shrine dedicated to Yanase and is so diligent every single day about cleaning it up and making sure it’s dust-less

And everytime Yanase touches him he says this:

But inside he’s totally like this:

LIKE HOW EMBARRASSING IS KANEDA I LITERALLY CANNOT

(3) They kiss in the first episode, honestly they have it down pat in the first episode except actually being in a relationship in name because like come on all the skinship and OBVIOUS crush they have on each other while they each think the other doesn’t like them...

(4) It’s half about careers and growing in their love for CG work and also sticking to principles as a designer in general right like, is what the client’s rushed request best when it compromises quality? WHICH IS LIKE SO REAL

(5) Being able to OT with your crush is like the best shit ever and yeah ok cliche trope of the other falling asleep and the main guy looking over all fond and letting him sleep but dang how cute are they how cute!!! And in a very useful tip HONESTLY Yanase says, “Don’t fall asleep with your hands on your keyboard/mouse especially when you have OPEN WORK ON YOUR DESKTOP”

[stormyoceans]

ON GOD WHY IS HE SO HANDSOME

[licoricesorcerer]

Yes!! Japan is getting better in adapting BLs🥰❤️

More sunshines and their sunshine protectors are coming❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

[save-the-data]

senpai, this can’t be love! | s01e02

EP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

[801number]

𝑺𝒆𝒏𝒑𝒂𝒊 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒋𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒌𝒐𝒊 𝒅𝒆 𝒘𝒂

[vctmsoflove]

did i ever post these here?

that one scene in sepakoi but its hiiro and touma

[keeponwatching]

Naito Shuichiro as Yanase Jun in Senpai, Danjite Koidewa

[exfidefiducia]

Look who met up for some golf lmao

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 結木滉星 (@kouseiyuki_official)

[storge]

Are you crying? What a troublesome guy. It's nothing to cry over. You worked really hard. Thanks to you we finished without compromising quality. That wouldn't have happened without you. I'm glad you were here. Kaneda. Thank you.

Senpai, This Can’t be Love!

[liankuea]

Naito Shuichiro as Yanase Jun & Seto Toshiki as Kaneda Yuki Senpai, This Can’t Be Love! (2022), Ep. 1

[spaceskam]

Seto Toshiki and Naito Shuichiro as Kaneda Yuki and Yanase Jun in Senpai, This Can’t Be Love! (2022) - Episode Three

[shijiujun]

no one:

kaneda: he’s my idol i need to be cold, aloof and cool so he doesn’t think i’m an idiot because i am-

[noviceaoiryusei]

「 KAMEN RIDER'S CROSS TALK_02 」 Yamaguchi Takaya × Aoki Ryo × Naito Shuichiro interview

The three who portrayed as Kamen Riders, fought as swordsmen and supported each other as friends. Looking back on their days of working hard as actors (in this) "friends" tripartite talk. They talk about their experiences while working diligently with their roles on "Kamen Rider Saber" in a course of a year.

「 KAMEN RIDER'S CROSS TALK_02 」

Three swordsmen's encounter and the other side

→ What was the relationship between the three of you when you first met?

Naito: All I heard was about Yamaguchi-kun's personal life. When I heard that he was doing muscle training, I asked him how he worked out and such. That's how I started muscle training.

Yamaguchi: I had less work experience than Naito-kun, so I relied on him for many things.

Aoki: Takaya seemed serious and I thought he must be very solid, but he was really absentminded. The gap made me laugh.

Yamaguchi: Within the four of us, including Kawazu (Asuka)-san, who will be in charge? Aoki-kun was taking the lead so I thought, "Oh, it's okay to have this person turn it around". However, I didn't know what or how much to say, so I was a bit idle. (everyone laughed)

→ What are the most memorable on-set episodes of the three of you worked together?

Aoki: For me, it was the scene wherein Kento fights Calibur, Kamijo-san (played by Hirayama Hiroyuki) and is beaten to pulp, the scene wherein Touma is holding him (Kento) in his arms. The scene was supposed to be about Kento dying, but instead of gently holding him in the lining... what are you thinking that you just blasted it off? (everyone laughed) I was so surprised that I wondered if we were really going to do this.

Naito: No, that was my stance and also my lack of muscle strength... When I saw it on the video, I totally messed up.

Aoki: That was the finishing blow, huh.

Naito: Kento's expression became like "tightly".

Aoki: It was an act that I was supposed to be dying. (laughs) It's really hard.

Yamaguchi: What left an impression to me was when Kento and Touma we're working face to face, for some reason, I remembered that they laughed on my face.

Aoki: Well, that... (laughs) It's because your eyes move so much! When I'm talking to you one-on-one, your eyes immediately go "choro, choro" (wandering around). (T/N: the original expression used was 「チョロッ、チョロッ」 and there's no direct translation for it so probably it could mean "wandering around" because they are talking how Yamaguchi's eyes move quite a lot but reading the next sentence, it could really mean so.)

Naito: Indeed! (laughs) It looks at the different parts of my face.

Yamaguchi: No, I get embarrassed when I stare at them. Besides, you two are tall, so your gazes are different from mine!

Aoki: Ah, so that's how it was!!

Yamaguchi: If I looked forward normally, I wouldn't be able to look at them. Since the camera was shooting from the side, looking up would be a bit unnatural. So, I tried to look at their chin.

Aoki: That was very interesting. Although we were usually friendly, the atmosphere changed completely once filming starts. Everyone was a good rival. Everyone, including Kawazu-san is working earnestly during the shoot.

In a drama where relationships change

→ What was your impression of Kawazu-san who played the role of Mei?

Yamaguchi: At the scene, she can swing around and play a character like that. She's a great mood maker. We were attracted by her cheerfulness, it means a lot (to us).

Naito: Because we're men, sometimes things get stiff. There are even times that we're bachi bachi (sputtering) during shooting. (T/N: the expression used was 「バチバチ」 meaning crackling, sparking. I just used the other synonymous meaning that I read on google.)

Aoki: Yes, we clash in a good way. Each of us has our own work that we desire to do. However, when Mei-chan comes in at such times, it makes me feel a little more at ease.

→ By the way, when did Rintaro became aware of Mei-chan?

Yamaguchi: It was around episode 7 where I appeared as Blades and carried her like a princess. If anything, the first one was Sophia-san who is more like a mother that raised me so, I have an image of her as a cherished woman.

Naito: Really!

Yamaguchi: So when Sophia-san would say "Blades", it made me feel in my heart that I should do my best. However, when he is at odds with Touma, a word from Mei-chan shakes him up a bit and he gradually starts to....... So, around the time I fought the Neko Megido, I thought that "Maybe I can fight for this person". With that in mind, I decided to put it out in the act. Kawazu-san and I used to discuss, "Which one do you prefer?" He might feel that Mei-chan is significant, but then I thought maybe she's like this with everyone.

Aoki: There wasn't even a clear depiction. You didn't use the word "like".

Yamaguchi: It's reserved at the end.

Naito: That's romantic!

→ What about the time that Kento left the show halfway?

Aoki: To be honest, I was surprised when I first received the script, but I was convinced "Just as I've thought". Up until now, I had been running alone, overcoming the restraints of my friends, and I knew that I would be sanctioned at some point.

Naito: From the beginning we had talked that we're so many so we have (already) thought someone would be gone. Who did you expect?

Aoki: Would it be Ren? I had it in my thoughts though.

Naito: I also thought so.

Aoki: I thought maybe he'd get killed one day.

Naito: When I read the script, I thought it was fast. I honestly thought it was too hasty for Kento to disappear while Touma was occupied with himself.

Aoki: Everyone except me thought "Isn't it a little too early?" but, I knew that it's definitely coming. Well that's fun.

Yamaguchi: I never imagined that you would disappear in front of everyone.

Aoki: You know, it's nice to die while being taken cared of by everyone. (everyone laughed)

“The three of us felt like there wasn't much difference between the roles and ourselves which was nice. After a year, it will resemble each other more and more.” (Aoki)

→ After that, Kento returned with a bit dangerous aura.

Aoki: I had a lot of discussions with Director Kamihoriuchi (Kazuya) about that part. All the ideas I had were rejected (laughs).

Yamaguchi: Yeah. (laughs) I just happened to be see it, what Aoki-kun had made was completely covered.

Aoki: It was all useless. However, the director came up with a lot of ideas, and I performed it all for a number of times so that I could compare them....... I was told "Uhm, no" "Well, that's not right". It took me a lot of time, it was a really important (part of the) filming.

Naito: Did you finally convinced them?

Aoki: Of course!

Naito: Director Kamihoriuchi's ideas exceeded our imagination. At the beginning, we could only come up with something mundane. The first time I shoot a PR video, I prepared everything.

Yamaguchi: That's how it was!

Naito: But the director wanted more than that. Everything I've brought was fixed.

Aoki: But those things are important, isn't it? It's frustrating, but (at the same time) it's also interesting. The director's point of view is outside of our own, and it makes us realize that this way of thinking exists. The words from the director is really important. (T/N: the phrase is actually written as 「ものすごく重いんですよ」 which literally meant as "something really heavy", I just rephrased it.)

Naito: But the last part was something I brought myself. If the director gave me instructions that were different, I would say, "I can't do that".

Aoki: Ohh, that's impressive! (everyone laughed)

→ Is that a sign that you have understood the character better than anyone else in your performance?

Naito: After all, I've been close to the role for a year. The director changes every time, so I thought that I am the one who understands the role the best.

→ Well then, at what point do you feel like you've grab each of the characters?

Yamaguchi: For me, it was around episode 29 to 32 when I transformed into Tategami (Kamen Rider Blades Tategami Hyouju Senki). It was the time that I had faced on Rintaro for such a long time, and this is when I started to feel that I should be confident with him. Also, I think it was around that time that I was able to convince the audience of what I thought Rintaro was like.

Naito: When I was alone and split out with everyone else. Until then, there were no episodes depicting the firmness of Touma so I think there was a part of me and Touma that did not match. But after being separated from everyone else, I started to think and act as if I were in the other person's shoes in order to fight together with them again. That's when I began to realize that Touma is that kind of person. (T/N: the word used was 'backbone' figuratively meaning 'firmness'.)

Aoki: I don't have a clear timing. Since I had disappeared, my character had changed once, and it didn't feel like it fits, but rather that I was getting more and more comfortable with it as I went along.

→ The scene with the 3 of you, the Momotaro in episode 39 was impressive.

Yamaguchi: The time Rintaro portrayed a dog with a monkey for Kento. (laughs) (T/N: this is quite a play of Japanese words.)

Aoki: Indeed. In that scene, the once-sullen Kento gradually returns to his former Kento self. It is a trivial scene, but I felt that I've finally came to their side. Kento has accumulated so many things that he gets tired from the weight of it all during the work. It was gone in that scene. From that point on, it became easier to act.

Naito: Yeah, I had a lot of fun doing it.

Aoki: It is also a meaningful scene because it brings in Mei-chan and Rintaro as his new friends in that fantasy. There's also Touma's line "Hey! Don't change the story!" and it was also a scene that had many implications for Kento's new step forward.

A year in which the three of us grew together as heroes.

→ After the transformation, you all pass the baton to the suit actors, but how do you interact with them?

Yamaguchi: I was with the action department quite a lot. I was with Eitoku-san all the time and imitated him. Whether he was talking or walking...... even the way he eat.

Aoki: (laughs)

Yamaguchi: I consulted him about the portrayal, especially in episodes 29 to 32, it's created together by the two of us. We both said to each other, "We'll do what we want to show, and then we'll pick up the rest together". I think we were able to achieve it and for that I can only be grateful.

Aoki: When I first met Nakata (Yuji)-san, he never looked people in the eye (laughs), and I thought that "He must be shy". I tried to get into his pocket, but he just won't look me in the eye.

Yamaguchi: Is that so!?!?!

Aoki: That's what I really like about Nakata-san, he's modest and humble. When he teaches me something, he takes it very seriously, but very sensitively. He says "I do it like this, I would do it like this, I do it in this manner...... Can you do it?".

Yamaguchi, Naito: (laughs)

Aoki: Since it was a little difficult for me I would say, "No, it's still a little difficult". Later, he would carefully teach me, but that was just Nakata-san's humility.

Naito: My impression of Asai (Kousuke)-san has changed a lot since when I first met him. At first, he was too kind and gentle that it's hard for me to say "This is what I want to do". But Asai-san said, "That's not good enough! I'm just going to imitate Naito-kun's Touma, so just tell me anything". But Asai-san was also very competitive and doesn't want to loose, so he gradually said, "I think this way, but what about Touma?" (and) "I'm thinking of doing it this way, so take a look one more time". Ah, I could tell that he was self-motivated and a passionate person. Whenever we were together, we would talk about Kamen Rider. Seeing him like that really motivated me in portraying Kamiyama Touma.

→ Asai-san is always serious.

Naito: No, he surprisingly fools around but, the way he jokes is serious. At first, didn't even know how much I could tease him. (laughs)

“For me, I felt most relaxed and at ease when it was the four of us, including Kawazu-san.” (Yamaguchi)

→ What was the most exciting part of the transformation scene?

Naito: It is still the scene of the simultaneous transformation by the three of us. Episode 10, directed by Koichi Sakamoto.

Yamaguchi: The duck (episode)!

Naito: It was the first time for all of us to do a lot of action, but each of us looked so cool, and the transformation at that moment made me think, "This is Kamen Rider!".

Aoki: For me it's the part wherein Kento comes back from his dark fall and the three of us fought Master Logos in the woods. Is that the second transformation of the cross saber?

Naito: (You've got to) Remember it!

Aoki: The simultaneous transformation of the three of us in that scene really got me excited! For me, that was the first time we had transformed at the same time after Kento came back, so it left a deep impression on me.

Naito: It is when the three of us said「物語の結末は俺“たち”が決める！ 」("We" will decide how the story ends!)

Yamaguchi: In terms of simultaneous transformations, I would have to say the 10 simultaneous transformations we did in episode 45, I think that was very valuable. It was a miracle that the timing was right for all of us. They said, "Well in the next cut I'll have you all say 'henshin' at the same time", "Se no (ready)" and without any shouts of "Yoi, Hai! (alright, cue!)" we all said "Henshin!" and we're all at the same time.

Aoki: I (even) wonder(ed) how we did it all together, huh?

Naito: I've never been able to fit in with everyone else, so I know that everyone's trying to adapt with me. (everyone laughed)

Aoki: Since Touma is in the forefront, he can't watch from the back, so we have to look behind him and adjust the timing.

Yamaguchi: Everyone fits in with him, and if we get covered by his movements, everyone avoids it.

Naito: That was the easiest (part).

Aoki: In a good way, you don't care about what's behind you at all. Does that mean you have a strong core of your own.

Yamaguchi: There's splendid feeling that makes me feel like I should go follow you from behind.

Naito: It's not selfish, I think it is important to stand in front and make a firm decision.

Yamaguchi: And everyone supports it.

Naito: If it was about simultaneous transformations, when Kento and I transformed at the same time in the collaboration episode with "Kamen Rider Revice" ("Kamen Rider Saber" extra issue), it was the first time we put the book in the belt without looking. I don't have to do that because I usually do it with cuts, but I was impressed to be able to do a simultaneous no-look transformation for the first time. Director Ishida told us, "Give it a try, guys!" and he let us do it...... We did it in one shot.

Aoki: I thought I might do it for a few times. (laughs)

Yamaguchi: I was surprised that it was done in one shot.

Aoki: On the contrary, I was worried (and thought) "Eh, would it be alright?".

Naito: But I've been doing that for a year, so I've been able to do it.

“When I was about to disappear in the last chapter, I could feel the relief in their expressions and their hands supporting me.” (Naito)

→ What do you feel now after a year of performing as trio?

Naito: Anyway, "I'm glad that it was the three of us". When I was about to disappear in the last chapter, I could feel a relief in their expressions and their hands supporting me. I felt that it was because of the two of them that I was able to feel the way I do now. I felt that I could disappear with peace of mind. Nothing special about it.

Aoki: It will be conveyed. I understand.

Yamaguchi: Yes, I can't put it into words. I was lonely when Kento disappeared and even when Touma is about to disappear. It's like we are a family now. For me, I felt most relaxed and at ease when it was the four of us, including Kawazu-san

Aoki: There are a lot of people, so there are a lot of emotions. So it can feel frustrating in the midst of it all. But more than that, "like" is stronger. Moreover, I feel that Touma and Naito Shuichiro, Rintaro and Yamaguchi Takaya, Kento and I...... the 3 of us felt like there wasn't much difference between our roles and ourselves which was nice. After a year, it will resemble each other more and more. It's not that we are getting closer to either one, but both the role and myself are getting closer to each other.

Naito: Yeah, there's that!