Director Hideaki Anno and main cast members appear at "Shin Kamen Rider vs. Hideaki Anno Exhibition" press conference.

On September 29, 2021, a joint press conference titled "Shin Masked Rider vs. Hideaki Anno Exhibition" was held at the National Art Center in Roppongi, Tokyo.

In this issue, we would like to report on the "Shin Masked Rider" press conference. The title of the press conference was a tribute to the movies "Masked Rider vs. Shocker" (1972) and "Masked Rider vs. Jigoku Ambassador" (1972).

Director Hideaki Anno is fresh in our memories for his "Shin Evangelion the Movie," which reached 10 billion yen at the box office, and this is his first live-action film since "Shin Godzilla" (2016), which is said to be based on "Masked Rider" (1971) to create a work suitable for the modern age.

At the press conference, "Promotional Video A," which was filmed and produced as the "Shin Masked Rider" version based on the opening video of the first episode of "Masked Rider," was first shown. The angle, filming, editing, and even the recreation of the former housing development-style location and rotating tower (revolving back) were all done to perfection, and it has become a topic of conversation on SNS.

Next, the two main cast members, Sousuke Ikematsu and Minami Hamabe, who play the hero, Takeshi Hongo, and the heroine, Ruriko Midorikawa, respectively, were announced. When each of them took the stage, stills of them dressed in costumes from the film were also shown, with Ikematsu's Takeru Hongo in a mask off attracting particular attention. On the other hand, Ikematsu, who took the stage, was wearing crutches. He said that he was injured during action practice before the shooting, but he told the audience, "It's just that the main character failed a little bit in the remodeling surgery, but it doesn't affect the shooting itself! He told the audience to his delight.

Both Ikematsu and Hamabe talked about how they felt when they were chosen to appear in the film. I was thrilled to hear that Anno-san was preparing a "Masked Rider" movie. It is not something I take lightly, but I am grateful for the opportunity to take on such a great challenge, and I hope that I can somehow show my abilities" (Ikematsu). I have loved 'Masked Rider' since I was a little girl, and it has been like a hope for me. To be involved as a heroine in this work, and the first 'Masked Rider' is a work that formed a part of Mr. Anno's origin, so I was just amazed to see how the story would turn out this time around. I was just amazed," said Hamabe.

Director Anno mentioned the casting of the two actors: "Ikematsu-kun was auditioned. I thought that if he played the role of a different character from the Masked Rider of 50 years ago, he would become a different Takeshi Hongo. When I was thinking about the heroine, I saw Ms. Hamabe on the Toho calendar for that month on the wall at work, and I thought, "I like this girl. I decided on her based on the calendar (laugh), but then I saw "Kette Kegurui the Movie" and found it to be very good, so I knew my hunch was right.　In response, Hamabe said, "I never heard how I was chosen as the heroine, and I didn't think it would be on the calendar. I didn't expect it to be on a calendar. I guess encounters happen in places you don't expect. I'm glad it was in August! (laugh)," he replied with a big smile.

Director Anno, who describes the appeal of the first "Masked Rider" as "strength and coolness," added, "The scene in the second episode where he fights the bat man on the roof of the apartment building was almost completely black because the TV reception at the time was not good. In the middle of it, there are Kamen Rider and Shocker fighters fighting, and you don't know what's going on. But it was cool." He recalled his experience of watching the show in a rear-tiered TV set. He also talked about the Heisei Masked Rider series, mentioning "555" and "Kabuto" as his favorites, and said, "I'm too busy these days to watch much, but I'll watch them through TTFC (Toei Special Effects Fan Club). I'm promoting them! (laugh)" His talk was also in high gear. "If I keep talking, I'll get more and more maniacal, so I'd like to leave it at that, but I can keep talking for an hour or even a day," he said, summarizing that "the most attractive thing about Kamen Rider is the sound effects, music, and action.

The visual relationship between the Masked Rider, Cyclone, and spider monster was also unveiled on the same day, and here is what Anno had to say about the design in full.

One is Mr. Yutaka Izubuchi, a veteran of the special effects genre, and the other is Mr. Iku Yamashita, who is a mechatronic designer for "Eva. The remaining one is Maeda Masahiro, who works at our company. He has worked on Ultraman ("Ultraman Powered"), Gamera ("Heisei Gamera Trilogy"), Godzilla ("Shin Godzilla"), and now Kamen Rider, which is very rare. The three of them split the work between them. Most of the work on the Cyclone was done by Yamashita-kun, and he is also responsible for the "regular Cyclone" seen in the promotional video. I couldn't get away from the previous image of the design, but when I wondered if it would be possible to follow that line and give it a modern look, he did a very good job of bringing it all together, which was very good. As for Masked Rider, Maeda and Mr. Izubuchi went through two or three changes, but in the end they returned to the image of 50 years ago.

On the other hand, although he did not reveal much about the content of the film, through a Q&A session with the media, Ikematsu said, "It is filled with all kinds of problems that are prevalent in today's society, and above all, I think the content will be very timely. Director Anno deftly dodged questions from the press about the monsters that are of interest, saying, "There will be spiders and grasshoppers (laughs).

Anno, whose works including "Eva" have been highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad, said of this film, "First of all, I want to make it for Japanese Masked Rider fans. I want to make a film that will ultimately be interesting to people in other languages who don't understand Japanese, but I'll start from the neighborhood," he stressed.

Finally, Ikematsu, Hamabe, and Anno all expressed their enthusiasm for the film.

I will do my best to get as many people's attention as possible," said Ikematsu, "although filming is just beginning. I hope to create something for the first time in 50 years with the intention of carrying on the dream of this country.

I myself am surprised to be asked to be the heroine in "Shin Kamen Rider," but I am sure that if I were to tell my past self, I would be even more surprised. I am grateful to be in such a position now, and I will cling to Director Anno and Kamen Rider and do my best for the upcoming filming! (Hamabe)

I would be happy if the generation of 60-61 year olds who grew up around the same time as me could watch the film and think, "Oh, this kind of Masked Rider would be nice," or if the generation slightly younger than us who liked Masked Rider 2, or even the Heisei and 2025 generations could watch the film, Masked Rider is a long series that has continued for 50 years, and I want to make this work as interesting as possible for such a wide range of fans. I don't want it to be something that only I would enjoy. I know it won't be released until the end of the year, but I will do my best, so please give me your support.

(Reporting and writing by Tomohisa Toyota)