Mayumi Tanaka, Kazue Ikura, and others take the stage, and now we can laugh and talk about the truth...!　Interesting and cool "Majin Hero Den Wataru Autumn Festival 2017" talk show!

Sunrise Festival 2017 Shoun," a selection screening of Sunrise's classic anime, is being held at various theaters in Shinjuku, Tokyo. As part of the festival, "The Demon Heroes: Wataru Autumn Festival 2017" was held at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku on Saturday, September 2, 2017. This event featured an all-night screening as well as a talk show with the cast and staff. This time, we will report on the first part of the talk show held before the screening.

The first series of "The Heroic Legend of Wataru" is a robot anime that started in 1988. It is also known as a pioneer of multi-faceted media mix works, and even now, 19 years after the third TV anime in the series, "Wataru: The Super Fiend Hero Den," finished airing, it still has a strong fan base. This time, fans from as far north as Hokkaido, as far south as Okinawa, and as far away as Taiwan came to Shinjuku for the event.

Mayumi Tanaka, who plays the main character Wataru Senbe, Kazue Ikura, who plays Tiger King, and Nobuhiro Kondo, the director, took the stage at the event. As soon as they appeared on stage, Ms. Tanaka said, "So many people gathered here even though we don't have a new production! Animator Hiroshi Kamishina joined him as MC, and they talked about their works.

The first topic was in memory of director Shuji Iuchi, who passed away in 2016. Mr. Kondo spoke about the director, saying, "He was too shy to say so, but I think he made 'Wataru' with pure heart. Mr. Ikura recalls a memory of when he asked the director to write a script for the stage of the theater company he presided over. The director and Mr. Ikura had many discussions to improve the work, and Mr. Tanaka used to enjoy their exchanges as a snack.

Mr. Ikura also talked about a time in 2014 when he missed a public recording of "The Devil's Herald Wataru Memorial Radio". At the time, Mr. Ikura was said to have missed the event due to a cold, but in fact, he had fallen ill a few days before the event and was rushed to the emergency room. During the open recording, there was a scene where Mr. Tanaka called Ms. Ikura, but it was revealed that he had actually received that call in his hospital room as well. I'm glad she is back safely," said Tanaka! I'm glad to be back in one piece," said Tanaka, while Ikura smiled and told the fans, "I can talk to you now that I'm all better.

When asked what kind of role he would like to play if a new "The Hero of Magic Wataru" series were to appear, Mr. Tanaka said, "I would like to play a villain, since I've gone to the trouble of playing a villain. Kondo suggested, "How about a fake Wataru? Mr. Kondo suggested, "How about Nise-Wataru? Mr. Ikura said, "I'd love to see that! and the audience listened in anticipation.

The event was winding down in such a relaxed atmosphere. After the gift drawing, it was finally time for the closing remarks at ......, but Ms. Tanaka said, "Since we're here, I'd like to pick up what everyone wants to hear!　I'll go first," he said, grabbing the microphone and storming off the stage to meet the fans. Fans took this opportunity to raise their hands and ask questions and requests to the production team.

When asked if they wanted to make a package of "Cho Majin Eiyuuden Wataru," which has not yet been released on DVD, each staff member responded, "With your support, we can make it available on ......! to which the fans responded with enthusiastic applause. Fans also requested the use of the "Hacky-sacky, that's funny and cool! The audience was excited to hear Mr. Tanaka and the other staff members deliver such quip lines on the spot, as requested.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Tanaka said, "I am grateful that there are fans who continue to support me even though there is no new work. I feel that this will lead to something. The event ended with a sense of closeness between the fans and the creators through their love of the work.

(Reporting and writing by Menegi Takahashi at TRAP)