Wataru and Tiger King's strongest duo is back beyond the century!　Interview with Mayumi Tanaka and Kazue Ikura in commemoration of the screening of "Wataru: The Heroic Legend of Magic - The Seven Spirits of Ryujinmaru - Reunion.

The "The Movie: Wataru: The Seven Spirits of Ryujin Maru -Reunion-" will be screened at 34 theaters nationwide for a limited three-week period starting January 7, 2022, and a Blu-ray box set will be available for purchase. To commemorate the screening, we interviewed Mayumi Tanaka, who plays Wataru Senbe, and Kazue Ikura, who plays Tiger King/Shou Ryuko.

The series started as a TV animation series broadcast in 1988, and tells the story of a fourth grader, Wataru Senbe, who saves the other world of "Sokai-san" by riding a robot, Ryujin Maru. Wataru: The Legend of Heroes, Ryujinmaru of the Seven Souls" was released in 2020 as the latest series. This time, the nine distributed videos are combined into one specially edited version, with new cuts added.

We asked the two allies who have played Wataru and Tiger King for over 30 years to talk about their first new anime in about 25 years.

─ How did you feel when you heard that you were going to produce "Wataru: The Legend of the Magus Gods" and the special edited version "Wataru: The Legend of the Magus Gods -Ryujin Maru of Seven Souls- Reunion-"?

Mayumi Tanaka (hereafter, Tanaka): Actually, there have been many talks about making new works in the past. So I was wondering if it would really be possible, and I was waiting for it without getting my hopes up too high. When it was officially decided, I was like, "Oh, it's really happening!　I didn't really believe it at first (laughs).

Kazue Ikura (Ikura): I was very happy, but so was I. Sunrise is not at a good time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of "City Hunter" as well. Sunrise releases a new work in a slightly in-between year. Both "City Hunter" and "Wataru: The Heroic Legend of the Magus" have new works coming out on their 32nd anniversaries (laughs). So I was surprised and very happy at the same time.

Tanaka It is also nice to be able to see them in the theater.

Ikura It's not often you get a chance to see a film on a big screen with today's beautiful picture quality. I am very much looking forward to it.

Mayumi Tanaka

─ How long has it been since you played Wataru and Tiger King in earnest?

Tanaka It's been quite a while.

Ikura: "Wataru: The Super God of Magic" was in 1997?　So it has been 20 years since then.

───Did the feeling of playing the boy Wataru and the Tiger King come back to you easily after 25 years?

Tanaka: I was a little worried about my voice before playing the role. My voice is lower now, so when I look at the old footage, I wonder if my voice was this high. I wondered if I had to raise my voice higher than that of Wataru, an elementary school student. I wondered if I would be able to achieve that height and the vigor of a boy's voice. But when I actually perform, I don't worry about such things because I'm in the act. As you get older, your voice becomes lower. Even Luffy in "One Piece" is an adult, so I tried to keep my voice as low as possible, and it gradually became lower and lower.

Ikura: That's right. And Mayumi, you are still doing boy's voices, aren't you?　I am a school teacher these days, so I was a little worried.

Tanaka And then there is Kaori Makimura of "City Hunter" fame, who is also a woman, right?

Ikura Yes, I was not consistently working as a boy. But I am an actor, so I can do what I can do. The thing that worried me the most was the mood of springing up. When you become an adult, you calm down. Children run all the time for no reason. When you become an adult, you forget the feeling of being in a rush when you should be walking. Before I started acting, I wondered if I would ever be able to get that kind of feeling, but once we started working together, it seemed to happen naturally, so I didn't have to worry so much.

Tanaka This time, Tiger King was very strong, wasn't he?

Ikura That's right, like towards the end.

Tanaka (In the past works), it seemed that Tiger King was mischievous and Wataru was well-behaved, didn't it?

Ikura I wonder if there might be some elements of Shoryuko's personality or growth in the story, but that's a mystery now.

Tanaka The relationship between Tiger King and Shoryuko is still a mystery to us as well (laughs).

Kazue Ikura

─ Director Kamishina said that when you returned to the original Mt. Soukai, you were replaced by Shoryuko, and he felt that there was no last scene for Tiger King, so he included Tiger King's monologue in the new cut.

Ikura: I guess I will miss it. When you included the new cut, I felt that Tiger King took on that sadness and returned to Shoryuko. Including that, I felt that Torao grew up in "Seven Souls". Tiger King stopped Wataru from wanting to play at the amusement park, but he also eats all sorts of things that Dr. Shibarak and Himiko like.

─ I have an image that Tiger King seems to take the initiative in playing and eating.

Ikura He seems to eat more than Himiko (laughs).

Tanaka: Like Gian. He was like a naughty boy.

Ikura That's why I'm asking you to make a spin-off of the Tiger King, to show that kind of emotional response (laughs).

─ ─ Shoryuko is a very nice and attractive character, but I think there are many fans who like Tiger King's mischievousness and freedom.

Ikura I think Shoryuko's position as a caged bird is really difficult, so I think it's good that she is like Tiger King. In that sense, I feel sorry for Shoryuko because she has a lot on her shoulders. That is why I think it is good that she has a purpose to go and defeat evil and can run wild freely as the Tiger King.

─ ─ This time, Ryujinmaru, who has always guided Wataru, gets lost and caught up in negative emotions. How do you feel about that?

Tanaka: First of all, I feel sad that Ryujinmaru, who was always there to help me, is not there from the beginning. I guess you could say that I feel a renewed sense of gratitude for the absence of someone whose presence I took for granted. There is a scene where Wataru scolds Ryujinmaru for always guiding him. When you are the same age as Ryujinmaru, it is hard to get him to say, "Ryujinmaru-kun, that's not right. But Ryujinmaru is able to get Wataru to say so, and when Wataru wants to play at the amusement park, Tiger King stops him. I think it's very important to have someone who will take care of you. Wataru: The Legend of Heroic Spirits" is a work where you can learn a lot about life (laughs).

Ikura Wataru calls out "Ryujinmaru" over and over again. I want you to hear the various emotions and nuances in the phrase "Ryujinmaru".

─ ─ You called out Ryujinmaru's name a lot and shouted various special moves.

Tanaka We did a lot of things. There were various demons, and it was very lively.

Ikura We even dressed up in costumes. In that sense, we had a lot of variety, so it was fun to see it as a single work in the theater.

─ ─ In "Seven Souls," the Wi-Fi, the mail server, and other elements that decorate the world are completely new.

Tanaka These elements are also very "Wataru"-like!　Back then, it would have been a pay phone, but now it's a smartphone. Wataru wears roller skates at first, but this time he wears drone boots.

Ikura: Mr. Shibarak's phone ran out of battery power, and he answered on line. I think that kind of thing is also fun.

─ ─ Were you able to do all the postrecording together this time?

Ikura: It's difficult to do now, and the best we could do was three at a time.

Tanaka It seems that "Shichisama no Ryujinmaru" began and ended with the Corona disaster. When we used to work on "Wataru," we used to go out to eat afterwards, go cherry blossom viewing, and get together often. We used to get together all the time.

When we were working on the TV series, we usually went out for lunch after recording.

─ ─ I heard that the lyrics to the ending theme were actually a stunt because you wanted the audience to sing along with you.

Ikura I would like to sing it with everyone when Corona is over.

Tanaka I remember singing "STEP" with the children at Victor.

Ikura We also got to sing "STEP" at the Seiyu Kohaku (Seiyu Kohaku in 2020). That was fun.

Tanaka Yeah, we sang "STEP" at ......, not a-chi-a-chi.

Ikura I 'm tired and worn out, I hear (laughs).

─ ─ Lastly, what do you have to say about the future of "The Hero of Magic Wataru" and a message to the fans?

Ikura: The relationship between the Tiger King and Shoryuko is still a mystery, so I hope that will be solved in the spin-off (laughs). (laughs) Since the work is loved by everyone, I am sure that there are people who watched it back then who would like to write something like that. After all, as an actor, I want to see and act in dramas.

Tanaka: After "Doakdar," "Doowaldar," and "Ankokdar," this time it's "Dobazdar. I feel like we can continue "Wataru: The Legend of Heroes" as long as we want (laughs). Of course we want "Wataru" to continue, but it's impossible if the customers don't want it. So we can do as much as we want as long as you all support us, and Ikura is here.

Ikura We live in an era where both good and bad things spread (buzz), so I think Dobazdar is very current, but I am sure there will be many more bad things to come.

Tanaka Please continue to support us.

Ikura If you want it, it will come true.

(Interview and text by Kiri Nakazato)

Movie Information

Wataru: The Movie of Heroic Monsters -Ryujin Maru of the Seven Souls- (Reunion)

Screening Theaters: In theaters nationwide at 34

＜Casting credits

　Wataru Senbu: Mayumi Tanaka

　Himiko Shinobu: Megumi Hayashibara

　Tiger King/Shou Ryuko: Ikura Kazue

　Shibaraku: Tomomichi Nishimura

　Wataru Kurama: Koichi Yamadera

　Kaihiko: Takano Rei

　Ryujinmaru: Tetsuaki Genda

Theme Song: STEP / a-chi-a-chi

＜Staff Credits

Planning/Production: Sunrise

Original Story : Hajime Yatate

Director : Hiroshi Kamishina

Screenplay : Shingo Nagai

Character Design : Momoko Makiuchi

Mechanical Design: Manabu Shintani

Design Works: Jun Yukawa

Key Mechanical Animators: Satoshi Shigeta, Kentaro Azuma

Art Director: Shigemi Ikeda, Yukiko Maruyama

Color Design: Miyuki Sato

Director of Photography: Yuichiro Nagata, Haruhiro Goto

Editing: Yukiko Nojiri

Sound Director: Sadayoshi Fujino

Music: Junichi Kanesaki, Satoshi Kadokura, Hayato Kambayashi

Distribution: SUNRISE INC.

■Introduction

This is the latest in the adventure fantasy series "The Tale of the Magus Wataru" produced by Sunrise Corporation.

Wataru: The Legend of Magus Wataru" began broadcasting in 1988, followed by "Wataru: The Legend of Magus Wataru 2" in 1990 and "Wataru: The Legend of Super Magus Wataru" in 1997, and has been loved throughout the ages, from Showa to Heisei to 2025.

This work, which was released in April 2020, has become a topic of conversation, with the voices of the main character, Wataru Senbe, and his friends voiced by the cast of the original broadcast, and the opening and ending music that has not changed since the original broadcast.

■Story

Wataru rushes to the scene of another crisis at Mount Soukai. However, in a battle with an unknown enemy, "Dobazdar," Ryujinmaru is torn apart!

Wataru, in despair, hears the voice of Ryujinmaru. Wataru, in despair, he hears the voice of Ryujinmaru, who tells him that he is still alive, barely holding on to his life. In his dream, Wataru sees the upside-down Mt. It is also called "Mount Mushokai" or "The Dream that the Dragon Sees", and it is a world somewhere other than here, somewhere other than now. Wataru feels that Ryujinmaru is there, and together with Tiger King and Himiko, he sets off on another adventure.

© Sunrise R