Interview with Ryohei Kimura, the main voice actor of "ULTRAMAN! The main character is Shinjiro, the son of the first Ultraman, Susumu Hayata!

Motion comics" are comics with sound effects and dialogue, sometimes with characters that seem to move. ULTRAMAN" is an outstanding work in this field, which is currently the focus of much attention. Following an interview with the editor who created the original comic, voice actor Ryohei Kimura, who plays the main character Shinjiro Hayata in the motion comic version of "ULTRAMAN, " appeared on stage!　We spoke with him about the work, which is still in postrecording.

⇒See the previous interview "ULTRAMAN" (......), a remarkable comic full of male characters, including glasses boys, younger brother characters, anthropomorphic characters, and even a shota (a boy).


We are giving away a set of Ryohei Kimura's autograph and the original comic! See the second half of the next page for details!

--What did you honestly think when you were asked to play the role of the new Ultraman of the new era, Shinjiro Hayata?

I was surprised when I heard about it. I was surprised when I heard about it. Then I read the original comic, and I thought, "This is so much fun! I thought, "That's really interesting! I thought, "I see what you mean. I was convinced that it was a new Ultraman for the modern age. When I perform a work that has an original story, I try not to read too far into the story. If I know what happens later in the story, my performance will be dragged out. That's why I only read "ULTRAMAN" up to the end of the recording. I can't help but be curious to see what happens next.

--I've heard that both the two authors and the editor of the original comic say that Shinjiro is a difficult character to grasp, but what is your impression of him right now?

As it stands up to volume 2, Shinjiro is just being pushed around by the status quo. Suddenly he is told that "your father was an Ultraman" or "you have the Ultraman factor," and he is just struggling to keep up. I was relieved to see him finally get the chance to take a step forward at the end of episode 14. He has a character that can be a bit misguided, and there are some bad parts that can be seen at key points, but it seems that he will grow. He was an ordinary high school student, but now he is only in a difficult situation (laughs). Of course anyone would be scared if something like that happened. But I think it is amazing that Shinjiro is able to work so hard for the sake of others.

--Is there any scene that has left a lasting impression on you so far as Shinjiro?

As a voice actor, I have been able to use superhuman techniques and ride in fighter planes, but I never thought that the day would come when I would be able to shoot a specium ray (laughs). (Laughs.) I watched it as a child, so I was happy.


--(Laughs) I was happy because I watched it when I was a child. Isn't it rare for someone of your generation to have seen the first "Ultraman"?

My parents bought it for me on video. I remember that it contained "Ultraman" and various other Ultraman series movies. I used to watch them when I was around kindergarten age. Oh yes, I used to read the illustrated book of Ultra monsters, too.

-The aliens in this "ULTRAMAN" are also very human, aren't they?

Yes, that's what I like about them, too!　The monsters in "Ultraman" were like that, too, weren't they? I liked the fact that it made me think that these guys have their own reasons for being.

--What was your favorite member of the Ultraman family?

I don't know many of them, but Ultraman Tarou was cute. There was a story about a fight between Taro and a monster on some planet. Taro admires Ultraman and his friends, so when he sees the monster, he starts a fight with it. But his mother scolded him, saying, "Just because they're monsters doesn't mean they're all bad. That was so cute.

--Hayata Shin, who used to transform into Ultraman, is Shinjiro's father. We didn't have a good relationship at first, because I didn't know that he was such a great father.

You knew that your father was once a member of the Science Search Party, but you didn't see him when he was on active duty, and when he told you that he was Ultraman, it didn't ring a bell. With no real sense of it, you are shown that your father is a real hero. At the end of volume 2, there is a scene where he says, "See that, Dad? There was a scene at the end of volume 2 where he says, "Did you see that, Dad?" There was a time when he was rebellious, but I realized that he really wanted his father to watch him.

--The Hayata Shin is played by veteran actor Takayuki Sugo.

I was happy to be able to play the role of father and son. There are many veteran actors in this film, such as Mr. Sugo, Masashi Ehara, and Shigeru Ushiyama. I really enjoy working with them, and just listening to their lines on the set makes me happy. I love being on set. It's like I'm doing voice acting for the fun of it.

--That's very typical of you, isn't it? By the way, it seems to me that drama CDs and motion comics, in which only voice acting is used, are similar, but is there a difference in your attitude as a voice actor?

They are totally different. For "ULTRAMAN," not only do we have the original story, but we also receive an edited VTR before recording. I don't necessarily prefer one over the other, but having the pictures helps me understand the distance between the actors and the direction they are facing, which makes it easier for me to act.

--Aside from that, are there any other characters you are interested in?

How will the idol Rena Sayama, who is almost the only female character, relate to Shinjiro in the future? I wonder how she will react when she finds out that her favorite Ultraman is Shinjiro. And then there is the man named Ed (a descendant of Zetton aliens), played by Masashi Ehara, who is too fishy to be true. I'm still not sure if I should take him at his word or not, but since he is played by Ehara, I can't be too careful (laughs).

*Character Correlation Chart
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