"Just sitting around, nothing is going to happen!" If children can feel the drama of the film - "Ultraman JeeDo the Movie: Tsunaguze! Wish! Interview with Director Koichi Sakamoto

The film version of the TV series "Ultraman JeeD" that aired in 2017, "Ultraman JeeD the Movie: Tsunaguze! Wish!" will be released in theaters nationwide on March 10, 2018 (Saturday). The film is a sequel to the final episode of the TV series, in which the mighty artificial brain Gilbaris and the robot monster Galactron Army attack, threatening the peace of the entire universe. Ultraman Jeeed and his reliable allies, Ultraman Zero and Ultraman Orb, are the ones to fight them off.

The film is directed by Koichi Sakamoto, who was the main director of the TV series as well, and is also the director of the 2015 film "Ultraman Ginga S the Movie: Decisive Battle!　Ultra 10 Braves! Director Sakamoto was very enthusiastic, as it had been a while since he had directed an Ultraman movie since "Ultraman Ginga S the Movie: The 10 Braves of Ultraman! He is very enthusiastic about this film, as it has been a long time since he worked on a theatrical Ultraman film since "Ultraman Ginga S: Battle of the 10 Braves".

--What is the connection between this movie and the "Ultraman JeeDo" TV series?

SAKAMOTO: In the last episode of the TV series, Jee-do was recognized as a hero for the people of the earth. The theme of the movie is to depict what happened after the last episode. However, we wanted the movie to be enjoyable on its own, so we didn't make a strong link with the TV series.

--The TV series was appealing because of its grand scale, and it developed on a cosmic scale.

SAKAMOTO: Of course. The TV series had a worldview on a cosmic scale, but it was mainly set on Earth. This time, since it was a movie, we wanted a more powerful enemy with a greater sense of scale, and that's how we came up with the "Gilbaris," which seeks to destroy all intelligent life in the universe. The main attraction of the film is that Ultraman Zero, who can travel between parallel universes, and Ultraman Orb, the hero of the previous film, join forces to confront the greatest crisis in the universe.

--The scene where Galactron, who had caused so much trouble for the Ultra heroes with only one Ultraman Zero, attacked as an army gave the audience an unprecedented sense of danger, and the appearance of Gilbaris, who had come out with a full force, was also a formidable enemy that even all the Ultra heroes could not win against, Gilbaris, who comes out in full force, is also a formidable foe that even a bunch of ultra heroes might not be able to defeat.

Sakamoto: Even from a visual point of view, with his looks like that, it was obvious that he was a dangerous guy! I wanted to make it look like he was a bad guy. The key point is the inorganic terror of the creature, as it just keeps going forward without any emotion or pain. Ordinary monsters and aliens would take some kind of damage when they are attacked, but Gilbertis has none of that. It is simple, but I think it is terrifying. The real thrill of the movie is when Ultraman, including Zeed, join forces against such a powerful enemy and defeat it with all their passion.

--The movie was set in Okinawa in parallel with the final chapter of the TV series, and the beautiful natural scenery enhanced the mystical mood of the movie. What are your impressions of the Okinawa location shooting?

SAKAMOTO: Filming on location in Okinawa was a great plus for the film. The wonderful scenery allowed us to visually increase the scale of the film, and the miniatures for the special effects scenes were done with a strong awareness of the Okinawan flavor, which made the film different from previous films. Taro Kiba, the art director, went to the site, took a lot of photos, collected materials, and created a wonderful miniature set within a tight schedule. At first I was a little worried about how the miniatures would connect to the actual scenery, but when I watched the video, I was pleasantly surprised to see how seamlessly they connected.

--I was also happy to see how seamlessly the miniatures connected with the real scenery when I saw the images.

Sakamoto: Tatsuomi has had a lot of experience as a child actor since he was very young, and he always creates his plays with his own conviction. He always makes plays with his own conviction, and yet he is so pure. He must have been in the industry for a long time, but he has kept his innocence to a pleasant degree. And since he is playing the role of Ultraman, whom he loves with all his heart and soul, he puts a lot of effort into it. He is working as a professional actor, but at the same time he has a sense of innocence. For me, he is as cute as a son. We joke around with each other on the same level, and at times he watches over me like a father. He is now 17 years old, so his physical growth is amazing compared to last year when we started filming. We have also made Riku's costumes many times to accommodate his growth.

--Hideo Ishiguro, who plays Kurenai Gai in Ultraman Orb, and Takaya Aoyagi, who plays Jagras Juggler, will be working with the "Zeedo" team this year, which is an important point. What was your impression of the two?

Sakamoto: I was not involved in "Orb" for the most part, and I watched the work purely as a fan. I wanted to make the most of Gai's strengths, so I tried to include his "Ramune," "public bath," and "calling the previous Ultraman 'san'" parts in the film. Ishiguro and Aoyagi-kun are both adults in terms of age, so they were the kind of people I could enjoy the company of. Ishiguro was very excited and fun to be around on set. The two of them have played Guy and Juggler for a long time in the "Orb" TV series and in the films distributed by "Orb," so I wondered how they would talk to each other in a situation like this, or how they would keep their distance. Or, how would they keep their distance? We had a lot of discussions with them and asked them to act out their roles after they were satisfied with them. It was fun to get their opinions and then throw them back at them.

--Riku has the "innocence of a boy," while Guy has the "dependability of an adult. In the movie as well, their positions are clear, and the individuality of the double heroes is fully demonstrated.

Sakamoto: Even in terms of action, Riku is not the type of person who specializes in combat, so he is always rushing headlong toward the enemy, but Guy has fought many enemies in the past, so he shows a kind of composure, not losing his breath even when fighting. In order to show this kind of strength, I discussed with Ishiguro-kun how it would be good to have a "that's hero" performance where Riku and the others were all fighting together and he suddenly comes in all by himself and wipes out all the enemies.

--I discussed the idea with Mr. Ishiguro and we came up with a direction that would be like "That's Hero," in which he comes in alone and rounds up all the enemies. Yuta Ozawa, who plays the character of Raitt, is an ordinary salaryman when Zero is not in his body, and his basic "weak" character was a nice touch.

Sakamoto: That is also a key point this time. The combination of Late and Juggler kicking enemy aliens to the curb, and I hope you will enjoy seeing how the action is like (laughs). I had decided from the beginning that I wanted Late and Juggler to work together as a duo, and since both of them are talented performers and have great expressive power, I thought it would be more interesting to have them work together. Since the tone of the film has a serious tone, I tried to include comical scenes in between, and it was easy to include the interaction between the two. The scene where Late steps on a banana peel and slips is also very difficult to get right, as we have been doing since the opening shot of the TV series. It is a difficult task to get it right, but it was made possible by Ozawa's excellent physical skills and experience in break dancing, which is one of his specialties. As a performer who is good at expressing emotions with his body, I think his character really comes alive.

--What was your impression of Yuika Motokariya as Airyu Higa, the guest heroine of the film, who creates a mysterious mood?

SAKAMOTO: She is a very serious person. She had studied a lot about the previous Ultraman films before appearing in the movie. During the costume fitting, I asked him what kind of films he should have seen beforehand and what terms appeared in the script. During the filming, he took the initiative to go out on the set and lead everyone as an actor. There were many scenes where I was alone with Tatsuomi, and I think it was a good experience for him as well.

--Raiha and Moa are different types of gentle adult sisters, and in the movie, there were scenes where Riku seemed to have a faint crush on Airu.

Sakamoto: I created the role of Air because I wanted Riku to meet a type of woman he had never met before. When you are a boy, everyone yearns for an older woman. Riku doesn't have a mother, so I don't know if he saw a mother or an older sister in Airu, but I wanted to portray a heroine that had never existed in "Ultraman Jido" before. I wanted to portray a heroine who gently watches over Riku, places high expectations on him, and in the end, inspires him to go back into battle.

--In the film, Riku is too determined to protect the earth on his own, and he suffers a setback like he has never experienced before.

Sakamoto: Riku hits rock bottom, and after putting himself through unprecedented stress, he "comes back" stronger than ever. Zeed's strongest style in the movie is called "Ultimate Final," which means the ultimate and final style, so I wanted Riku to experience enough to reach that point and grow up in the story.

--The film also carefully depicts the existence of Riku's friends who support him. The sword action by Chihiro Yamamoto, who played Raiha, was also brilliant.

Sakamoto: One of the highlights of Raiha's role in the movie is the action scene where she fights in a black tank top. Like Sigourney Weaver in "Alien" and Linda Hamilton in "Terminator 2," I have a strong feeling that women in tank tops are cool. I requested Chihiro to wear a tank top at the end of the film. In the scene where the friends fight the enemy with all their might, believing in Riku's resurrection, I wanted to convey each character's personality through the way they fight and act, rather than just fighting.

--The scene that created a comical mood in the film was the appearance of the "informer" played by the impersonator "Jackie Chan" in the suspicious bar where the aliens were hanging out. Of course, it was an impersonation of Jackie Chan. Was Jackie-chan chosen by the director?

Sakamoto: Yes, that's right. I wanted to add a "comedy" element to the story so that it would not become too serious, so I asked Jackie Chan to appear. There was a lot of dialogue in the script for that scene, and if we shot it normally, the children would have been bored, so we wanted to convey the situation in the funniest way possible. I wanted to make it as interesting as possible and convey the situation as well as possible. I recommended Jackie Chan, whom I had met before.

--Jackie Chan has recently been getting more and more exposure on TV and is popular mainly among fathers of the Jackie Chan generation, isn't he? I think that even children who are not familiar with kung-fu movies starring Jackie Chan will enjoy the comical actions of Jackie Chan.

Sakamoto: I hope so. Jackie Chan looks exactly like Jackie Chan to me, a long-time Jackie fan, and his action is very good. Many of the film crew are of my generation and fans of Jackie films, and I heard that it was very difficult for them to suppress their laughter on set. Chihiro was the one who was laughing the hardest (laughs).

--Ji-Do and Orb were characterized by their ability to change types in order to fight powerful enemies by borrowing the power of previous Ultramen, and in the movie, they repeatedly changed types one after another to fight, which was a great service in the action scenes. This was also a part of director Sakamoto's commitment to the film. Is this another of director Sakamoto's specialties?

SAKAMOTO: One of the attractions of recent Ultraman films is the type change, so I wanted to show that in the film. I felt that this would lead to the strength of Jiid and Orb. I wanted to show the type changes that have appeared so far as much as possible.

--In addition to Zeed, Orb, Zero, and Juggler (the Majin form), who play a major role in the climax of the film, the "Ultimates Force Zero" (Mirror Knight, Jumbot, Jan Nine, and Glenn Fire) will come together for the first time in many years, and the M78 nebula, the land of light, the father of Ultra, the father of Ultra, and the father of Ultra. In the Land of Light, heroes from past generations such as Ultra's Father, Ultra's Mother, Zofie, the first Ultraman, and Ultra Seven also make appearances.

SAKAMOTO: Ultimate Force Zero is an essential part of the Ultraman Zero story. Actually, this is the first time I've directed them. That's why I really wanted to show them. I wanted to show the relationship between Jumbot and Tatsuomi (directed by Yuichi Abe, "Ultraman Zero: The Movie Super Battle! Belial Galactic Empire"), they were heroes I couldn't leave out of this movie (laughs). The voice actors, including Tomokazu Seki, who played the voice of Glennfire, did a great job of improvising and making each character more and more interesting. Please look forward to it. And since "Zeed" is a story about the direct lineage of Ultraman from the M78 nebula, we have also taken good care of his father, mother, and Zofie, who are in important positions in the story. The heroes of the new generation are great, but we must never forget the heroic figures of the legendary heroes. The first Ultraman and Ultra Seven are popular even among children today. I don't feel that they are old heroes.

--What was the point of using May J. for the ending theme "Kizuna ∞ Infinity"?

SAKAMOTO: The theme song is important because it carries the theme of the film, so the music producer team submitted several candidates, and May J.'s name was one of them. However, at first I had the feeling that it was "no way ....... After that, May J. graciously agreed to sing the theme song for us. For "Kizuna ∞ Infinity," we asked May J. to write a song that would fit the content of the film after actually watching the video. I would say that the theme song speaks for itself.

--Lastly, do you have a message for the fans who are looking forward to the film?

SAKAMOTO: The staff and cast all love Ultraman and are proud to participate in the work they create. I was reminded once again that the "history" of Ultraman, which has been cultivated for more than 50 years, is amazing. Even though there are different series, once you are involved in the Ultraman series, you feel as if you are part of the family. It's also wonderful to have a connection that transcends works.

For this film, I placed the greatest importance on pacing. Once again, Rikku's words "sitting around is not going to get you anywhere! I would be happy if the children could feel the drama of how Riku once again comes to the words, "Jisshitsu no dou ni nani nara nai!

Ultraman Jeeed the Movie: Tsunaguze! Wish! will be released in theaters nationwide on March 10, 2018.

(Reporting and writing by Hideo Akita)