PRETTY CURE SUPERSTARS THE MOVIE! Commemorating the release of the movie! Interview with Kazuki Kitamura, who plays the role of the lovable enemy character, Usobarcka!

On March 17, 2018, the movie Pretty Cure Superstars! became a nationwide roadshow.

This film is a crossover work that brings together the Precures from "Magical Creature", "Kira Kira Kira Precure Aramode", which just recently came to a conclusion, and the latest "HUGt! Pretty Cure" and the latest "HUGt!

To commemorate the film's release, we interviewed Kazuki Kitamura, who plays the role of the film's enemy character, Usobarukka! We asked him about his thoughts on his first attempt at voice acting and his favorite anime.

--Please tell us how you felt when you were offered the role of "Pretty Cure" and what was the reaction of the people around you.

Kazuki Kitamura (Kitamura): I am now in my late 40s, and just last year I started thinking about taking on new challenges in my 50s, so I was just starting to prepare for that. I wanted to try my hand at voice acting, and being offered the role in "Pretty Cure," a work that is enjoyed by children and adults alike, was an opportunity that I could not have wished for. I immediately said, "I'll do it.

People around me said, "You're going to be in 'Pretty Cure'? That's amazing! I was told. When my friend's kids came over to my house, we would play Pretty Cure, and when the time comes to play Pretty Cure in the future, I'm sure I'll be asked to play the role of Usoberkka (laughs).

--(laughs) - It's a very extravagant way to play Pretty Cure (laughs). (laughs) Please tell us about the role of Usoberkka that you play.

Kitamura: He's a guy who tells a lot of lies and tries to drag Pretty Cure and Clover into the world of darkness. Since the movie is aimed at children, I tried to make the character a little bit lovable and easy to imitate, so that when children play Pretty Cure after seeing the movie, some of them will say, "I want to play the role of Usoberberkka.

Usoberkka is more like a naughty boy than a real evil one, and his position is that of an adversary to Precure. However, I wanted to make it seem as if Usoberkka had some kind of loneliness within him, and that is why he has turned to evil. But there are a lot of lines like "Noooooooo! It's difficult to give that kind of feeling to the character, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

--How was your first attempt at voice acting?

Kitamura: I watch animation and have been waiting for a long time for voice-over work, including dubbing for foreign TV dramas and movies, but I have never been asked to do anything until now (laughs). (Laughs.) I found voice acting really interesting, which made me even more interested in it. Even the line "Gyoe~! but when the director said, "It's a little different," I wondered how it would be different. Everything was fresh and fun.

Acting with only my voice was a bit more "binding" than when I usually act. I feel like I am thinking from various angles using my brain, which I have never used before, such as the strength of my voice and the fluidity of my voice. There are still many unknowns, so I would like to practice and study more, and I would like to play any role I can.

--Do you have any advice about voice acting from your peers?

Kitamura: I was going to ask Wataru Takagi, who I worked with (on the drama "No. 4 Security"), but when I changed my cell phone, half of his phone number disappeared, so I went to ....... So I did my best on my own. If you read this article, maybe Mr. Takagi will contact me, so please write it down like that (laughs).

-Since you also watch anime, please tell us about your favorite anime.

Kitamura: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," "Casshern," "Ladybug Song," and ....... There are a lot of them, but in the end, it's "Mobile Suit Gundam. First Gundam. Even after I grew up, I even made "Gundam" voice dramas with my friends (laughs). As for characters, I like Ramba Ral. Also, Slegger. My favorite mobile suit is Dom. When I made plastic models, there were many old Zaku and Gelgoog.

I think that is very important because anime conveys a storyline, message, or theme in a very straightforward manner.

--Do you have a message you would like to convey through your role as Usoberkka this time?

Kitamura: I think there is something about the anime and manga we watched as children that shaped us. I hope that adults will watch "Pretty Cure" not as something for children, but as a work created by adults, and that they will remember their own initial feelings and the important feelings they had when they were children. I hope it will be a chance for them to look back on themselves.

--Lastly, what do you think are the highlights of "Pretty Cure Superstars! What are the highlights of "Pretty Cure Superstars!

Kitamura: I think it's the courage and faith of the Pretty Cure girls. People give up too soon or regret it, but I hope that the strength to believe again instead of giving up at that point will reach children. Not only believing when the other person is doing well, but also having the strength to believe when something happens to the other person without running away from it. I think it is important for Hana and the children to have this kind of feeling.

(Reporting and writing by Michi Sugahara)