Autumn anime "Thunderbirds Are Go" announces cast!　New mecha "S-go" designed by Shoji Kawamori of Macross

The cast of "Thunderbirds Are Go," a TV animation/special effects series starting in the fall, has been announced.

Thunderbirds Are Go" is a new TV series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the classic tokusatsu series "Thunderbirds," which began airing in the UK in 1965 and in Japan the following year in 1966, and has greatly influenced Japanese tokusatsu and anime. The new series is a co-production by ITV Studios, Pukeko Pictures, and Weta Workshop. While the previous series was a supermarionation using elaborate puppets, this time the characters and mecha are CG-animated, and some of the backgrounds are shot on miniature sets. In addition to the familiar characters from the previous film, new characters will also appear, making this a film that will be enjoyed by both fans of the previous film and newcomers. Incidentally, in the U.K., the series has been broadcast since April and has become a hot topic of conversation, garnering high viewer ratings. In Japan, it will be broadcast on NHK Sogo in the fall.

The cast of the five Tracy siblings has been unveiled. Scott of Thunderbird 1 is played by Daisuke Namikawa, Virgil of Thunderbird 2 by Eiji Hanawa, Alan of Thunderbird 3 by Ayumi Murase, Gordon of Thunderbird 4 by Tetsuya Kakihara, and John of Thunderbird 5 by KENN. It was also announced that the first female pilot, Keiyo, will be piloting the new mecha "Thunderbird S," and that Shoji Kawamori, well-known for his work on the "Macross" series, is participating as the mecha designer for S.

In addition, it was decided that a special broadcast will be held in September, following August.

Daisuke Namikawa comment
I thought I would take my time with the first two episodes of the first recording, but I think I was able to create the characters surprisingly easily. Each character was established early on, and the atmosphere was great, making the recording process enjoyable. I was impressed by the carefully crafted scenes in which the characters go to work, and the scene in which they go to work from the top of their heads is one I used to imitate as a child on the slide. I hope to convey the new Thunderbirds' style in this work, which is both nostalgic and new.

Eiji Hanawa commented
I wondered what kind of atmosphere the new series would have, but I went into the recording thinking that I could just do it as it was because it was close to my natural voice. I had the opportunity to work with people I don't usually get to meet, but each of them has established their own character, so the recording went smoothly and was enjoyable.

Comment from Ayumu Murase
I am honored to play one of the main brothers. I still have memories of using the Thunderbirds' song in kumite gymnastics when I was in elementary school, so I am grateful to be involved in such a work. The character is taken care of by the people around me, and I am happy to be able to enjoy playing the role surrounded by my seniors in the actual recording as well. Each episode has its own ups and downs, and I think everyone will enjoy it.

Tetsuya Kakihara comment
I play the role of Gordon, who is a good-natured guy. The director has given me the freedom to do what I want, so I'm having a lot of fun using Kakihara's colors. I used to watch reruns of the original production in Germany, where I lived as a child. It is a great honor to be able to dub a new version of a work that I watched in a foreign language back then in my native language. The warmth that the original has is still alive in this work even though it has been converted to CG. I would like to play the role so that today's young people and children can dream about how cool it is, how great the mechanisms are, and how amazing the technology is.

KENN comment
I am excited to be in a work with a long history that I saw several times when I was a child. When I saw the images, I felt as if I was watching the images of those days without any sense of discomfort in a good way. I think the CG animation is intentionally left more doll-like than realistic, so I am thinking about how I can give the voice to the doll-like movements.

Shoji Kawamori comment
I am the only one from the real-time generation among today's speakers. I saw the doll when I was in the early grades of elementary school and became an enthusiastic fan. I made a paper model of the No. 2 and the container gimmick. It is wonderful that the warmth of the original is reproduced by the extremely time-consuming production method of compositing miniatures and CG. I am very happy because I never thought I would be involved in a new series. I created a small machine called "Thunderbird S," which can turn in small circles and has tricky movements.I'm looking forward to seeing itin action in the second half of the series.

Broadcast schedule for September
New series "Thunderbirds Are Go
September 22 (Tue., holiday) 6:10 p.m. Episode 4 "Close the Dangerous Mine
September 23 (Wed., holiday) 6:10 p.m. Episode 5 "The Missing Fireflash
Original "Thunderbirds
Monday, September 21 (holiday) 9:05 a.m. "Treasures from the Bottom of the Lake
September 22 (Tue., holiday) 9:05 a.m. "The Mystery of the Pyramids
September 23 (Wed., holiday) 9:05 a.m. "Supersonic Jet Red Arrow

(C) ITV Studios Limited / Pukeko Pictures LP 2015 All copyright in the original Thunderbirds TM series is owned by ITC Entertainment Group Limited.