Don't look" makes you want to look! Shintaro Asanuma, who plays Seiji Hayami, talks about the appeal of Cutie Honey Universe!

The TV anime "Cutie Honey Universe" will start in April. This time Cutie Honey changes seven times! This time, Cutie Honey changes seven times! Shintaro Asanuma plays the role of Seiji Hayami, a good friend who supports Honey in her cases. We asked him about the highlights of "Cutie Honey Universe" and the character of Seiji.

You'll want to see it when you think "I'm not supposed to see it.

───How did you feel when you were chosen to appear in the show?

Shintaro Asanuma (Asanuma): I originally played the role of Kaidou Ken in Go Nagai's "Mazinkaiser SKL," and then I played Devilman/Akira Fudo in the film version of "Cyborg 009 vs Devilman. This time, I was most happy to be able to be involved again in "Cutie Honey," one of Mr. Nagai's masterpieces.

──Did you feel any pressure or weight as one of the animated works commemorating the 50th anniversary of Go Nagai?

Asanuma: After "DEVILMAN crybaby" and "Mazinger Z/INFINITY the Movie", I heard that "Cutie Honey Universe" was the last of them, so I felt a little tense.

───"Cutie Honey" has been made into a number of films, but what is your impression of it?

Asanuma: I have an impression of the transformations and the theme song (*Yoko Maekawa's "Cutie Honey"), but I think that when I was a child, I was aware that I was not allowed to watch it. I think girls have a particularly strong desire to transform themselves, and I have the image of more female cosplayers, and girls want to wear princess dresses from the age of 3 or 4, and they also like to dress up. I thought that they have that kind of pressure point. Of course, men also have the desire to transform themselves, and that's what tokusatsu heroes are all about. But I think the secret to their long-lasting popularity is that they hold on to a girl's desire to transform into something cute or to become something cute. I think that is the most attractive part of the song. That's why the lyrics include the words "I'll change! in the lyrics (laughs).

─ You mentioned earlier that you have appeared in Nagai's works before, but is there anything in common among the three works you have been involved in?

Asanuma: The sexiness is always there somewhere, and there are parts of his works that are very sexy, even though they are made to look like they are for children. In the case of "Devilman," the enemy characters are sexy, or there is a picaresque romance, or the allure of evil. Mazinger Z" also has sexy robots (laughs). (Laughs.) I think that is the charm of Nagai's work and the "Nagai-bushi" (Nagai's style). And if you let your guard down, a sudden burst of violence will suddenly appear. In this "Cutie Honey Universe," there are some surprises that make you say, "You're going to beat me like this? There are also some surprises. I thought that was typical of Mr. Nagai.

──This also ties in with what you said earlier about "things that children should not see.

Asanuma: You are aware of "what children are not allowed to see" in terms of sexiness and violence, aren't you?

─ ─ I am sure that the balance between the two is exquisite.

Asanuma That's right. Because "I'm not supposed to look at it" makes me want to look at it.

───What do you think is the highlight of "Cutie Honey Universe"?

Asanuma: This may be something that has been said everywhere, but the fact that the voice of this honey changes every time she transforms is something that has never been done before. Of course, I want you to pay attention to that, but the enemy characters are also gorgeous (laughs).

─ You mean the guest voice actors?

Asanuma: Yes. I was surprised when I heard the voice of the guest voice-over actor.　This person? Guests who say "What! Cutie Honey Universe" is a completely female world, so the enemies are all female. So I think that people who are familiar with female voice actors will love it. Also, I'm not sure how well this will translate to the younger generation, but there is a certain Showa-era feel to it that is oozing out everywhere. For example, the skateboarding team appears in the film, and there are characters that have a Showa-esque look that makes you think, "Is that a visual? For example, there is a skeleton team, characters with a Showa-esque visual, and Showa-esque phrasing, which I think is interesting for people of our generation.

The Panther Claw monster is somewhat lovable!

───I would also like to ask you about Seiji Hayami, the character you play.

Asanuma He is a young man who fights alongside Honey and tries to support her, but she is a supergirl who can do everything by herself, so relatively speaking, he is somewhat unreliable. She is the type of person who is hot-blooded and shouts loudly, but in acting, I am conscious of not getting ahead of Honey.

I also rely on the feelings that a man should have, such as "I have to protect what is beautiful and cute and what I love! I am also aware that I should not be in front of Honey, but I try not to be. However, Dr. Takeshi Kisaragi is played by Mr. Kouki Mori, who played Seiji in a previous work, so I hope that you will take into account the horror of playing Seiji in front of him (laughs).

─ ─ (laughs). (laughs) How was the interaction in the play?

Asanuma: Most of the actors have worked with me before, so I don't have anything special in mind. I want to treat them as different characters, but as a child, I try to think that they are all honey. Of course, for the sake of strategy, I try to keep a sense of distance when I have to make people think that I am not a honey, but I keep the same mindset.

Also, I only know what will happen from the script I have received, but I wonder when Aoko will find out the secret of an important character. For example, he has a "?" look on his face. I wonder when he will realize the secret of a certain important person. I wonder when he will realize the secret of a certain important person. I wonder which one it is. I think about which one it is. The roles of Akinatsuko and Seiji, played by Mr. Horie, are about how much we can be from the viewer's perspective. They represent the ordinary people who are closest to Honey, so I try to find the right balance between the two.

─ This time Kisaragi Honey is played by Maaya Sakamoto.

Asanuma: She says things like "I'm not sexy" or "I wonder if I can be cute," but I see everything in the booth as a convincing performance. When the person playing the sexy enemy character reads Honey's lines, he jokingly says something like, "Stop it, you're sexier than me. But I think honey's charm is not only "cute" or "sexy" but also "dignified". That's why I think Maaya is perfect for the role.

───How is the atmosphere at the recording studio?

Asanuma: Everyone is laughing. Like, "What's going on here? (laughs). (laughs). It's not so much about the story, but more about who's terrible. When there is an interesting turn of phrase in a line, they laugh and say, "This is so Showa! In some scenes, when they count, they say, "Hii, fuu, mii. Showa counting!" and everyone laughs.

Also, this may sound like a tip-off, but since there are a lot of women in the group, we receive a lot of sweets. There are only three or four men in the group, so when we ask the women to eat the sweets, Yui Horie takes the initiative and takes charge of the sweets, saying, "There are two flavors, one is "X" and the other is "X"! She would say, "We have X flavor and X flavor! She was the "confectionary magistrate," wasn't she? Let's all say the flavors at once!" and suddenly he turns handing out sweets into a game (laughs).

(laughs) ─ He is a mood-maker, isn't he? In our interview with Ms. Horie, we had a lot of fun talking about how she is a big fan of Maaya Sakamoto.

Asanuma: From the very first episode, it was interesting to watch the two of them interact with each other. It was like, "What is this? It was like, "What's going on? They always sit next to each other during recording sessions, and they seem to be having a lot of fun.

──What do you think is fun about the visual aspect of the film?

Asanuma: Well, there are many scenes that don't stop at the sexy level. There are scenes that are not limited to the sexy level. I get nervous when I hear "Is this okay? It makes me nervous. The women were also saying, "Isn't this bad?" on the set. ......, so that's where the men feel a little awkward (laughs).

(laughs) Also, it's surreal. It's like, "Why did you transform there?" (laughs). （The Panther Claw monster (a mysterious secret society) is also surreal. When you watch a transforming hero story as an adult, you might say, "Why is the monster waiting for the hero while the hero is transforming? It's like that. It's just like that. Moreover, the enemy character is somewhat lovable. Of course, as a young man, I am in a position to protect the peace, so I play the role with a sense of "Nikkuki! but as an individual, I find the Panther Claw monster somewhat endearing.

─ By the way, is it novel for you to change the voice of Honey?

Asanuma: In the first episode, Marei Uchida appears as Hurricane Honey, but she doesn't say much more than reactions. She just says, "Do you notice this?" (laughs). (laughs). (Laughs.) Even she said, "Do you think I would recognize it? (laughs). He left saying, "This isn't the end, is it? But I was able to continue to appear after that (laughs). So I am looking forward to seeing which honey will become which honey, and it may be one of the highlights. It might be one of the highlights. I think it will be a surprise.

───Now, finally, please give a message to those who are looking forward to it.

Asanuma: I am honored to be involved in Ms. Nagai's work again in this way. Cutie Honey Universe" has more than seven points of interest. There are many different types of women in the story, some cute, some beautiful, etc., so in that sense, I think there is a lot to see in this work. I hope you will find your own way to enjoy it and have fun.

(Interview and text by Junichi Tsukagoshi)