Just before the final episode of the TV anime "WIMUSHI PEDAL LIMIT BREAK"! Captains Daisuke Kishio (Junta Teshima) and Atsushi Abe (Toichiro Izumida) talk! Part 1

The ongoing TV anime "WIMUSHI PEDAL LIMIT BREAK" is finally reaching its final episode.

Sakamichi Onoda, who led Sohoku High School to the overall championship in the Inter-High School Championship as a first-year high school student, has moved up to the second year along with Shunsuke Imaizumi and Shokichi Naruko, and the summer Inter-High School Championship is finally entering its final day as the new team, led by new captain Junta Teshima, aims for another championship. Sohoku is once again facing a difficult situation as the champion Hakone Gakuen, burning for the revenge of last year's defeat, makes a strong comeback to challenge them. Who will grab the glorious goal, Sohoku or Hakone Gakuen? ......

With the climax of the season just around the corner, we interviewed Daisuke Kishio, who plays Junta Teshima, the captain of Sohoku, and Atsushi Abe, who plays Toichiro Izumida, the captain of Hakone Gakuen. They talked about the team's growth and changes as well as the battles they have fought so far!

ーー The fifth and final season of the show is coming to an end. I know that many fans are wondering if the long-awaited 5th season is already over.

Kishio: I was really happy that we were able to do the fifth season, because I had been eagerly waiting for the second year to finish the intermission. It took a little bit of time, but first of all, I am satisfied that we made it this far. It was a hard work, but I am relieved that we were able to complete the 5th term, and that we were able to successfully sublimate what we had built up.

Abe: The second day of the second year of the heated inter-high school competition was over, and the anime ended just as the third day was beginning. I knew that the anime would continue until the third day, but when the fifth season started, I felt like I had been waiting for it. I was sure that viewers would want to see the rest of the anime, and we also wanted to finish it, so it is amazing that we were able to make it happen over the past four years. The fact that we were able to do it after such a long interval is due to the support of the people who wanted to see it. I wanted to do my best to live up to their expectations.

Q: The fourth season ended on a good note, and it must have been difficult to recall the passion during the postrecording sessions.

Kishio: It was more fun. Rather, the first episode started with a lot of excitement, so I wondered if the audience would be able to keep up with it (laughs).

Abe That's true, isn't it?

Kishio The cast was eagerly awaiting the continuation of the show, so I think there was a strong feeling of "finally here it is" or "we can finally do it. So I think more people enjoyed doing it.

Abe In the past, "Weak Peda" has always ended at a point where we thought, "This is where it ends! and then, after a gap of half a year or a few months, the series would end and we would say, "Is this where it starts? So I think we were used to it. We have become comfortable with suddenly coming from a place of high heat (laughs).

Laughs] - The third day of the inter-high school competition was filled with many highlights. I have the impression that Teshima in particular showed off so much that it was unfair.

Kishio: I heard Mr. Watanabe (Wataru) say earlier, "This series is an inter-high school for Teshima. I see, then I thought, it doesn't matter how much Teshima stands out or plays an active role.

Abe Ahahaha.

Kishio: If that's what you said, I thought I could proudly say, "I (Teshima) played the leading role! I thought I could say, "I (Teshima) was the main character!" And in fact, I played such an active role that I could almost say I was the main character behind the scenes, so it was very rewarding to act, and I just had a lot of fun.

Q: You had many memorable scenes with Takuto Ashikiba (CV: Mamoru Miyano), didn't you?

Kishio: Ashikiba is a new type. I thought he was really amazing. In "Weak Peda," there have been times when I felt as if I was talking to him even though we were not talking to each other. He is a complete new type. Teshima is a complete old type, so I felt like it was a battle of new type vs. old type.

Not only in "Weak Peda," but also in other works such as "Gundam," it is common to depict two fighters communicating their feelings without talking to each other, but Reed Kiba gave us the perfect answer. There was a sharpened sense of "I know you, I know your thoughts." I am pleased that we were able to go from a relationship where we were old warriors, friends, and rivals to one where we could have a monologue conversation where we could see what you were thinking.

Q: What did you think of Izumida's awakening as he led the team as captain?

Abe: He is a sprinter, so there is a "question as to whether he can keep up with the team until the end," but on the second day, he told us that something like this happened in the past, so I was able to convince him to trust in him and send him off. I was convinced that he believed in him and entrusted him with the task at hand. I think it was a great scene that we were able to send the climber team off with a 700-meter lead on the flat section of the mountain. （I was able to show my back to Yuto (CV: Yuma Uchida) and say silently, "This is what Hakone Gakuen is all about! I personally like that scene very much.

Q: You must have had a different feeling from the previous year's Inter-High.

Abe: There were the same lines as the first year, and some of the feelings were the same, but what I inherited from the first year to the second year and the determination that was born in me took over and made it similar but slightly different. I felt the "hotness" of the scene and thought it was a good scene as I played the role.

Q: What do you think of the attractiveness of the other team?

Kishio: In terms of individual level, Hakone Gakuen is definitely better than us, so I really like that.

Abe: That's great.

Kishio As you can see in the line in the play, all six of us are like aces who can score a goal, so if there were six of us with a perfect score of 10 points, we would be envious (laughs). (Laughs) Because no matter who you put where, there is little chance of failure, right?　With the best team in charge, you are an invincible team. But we are winning, so I can't say anything about it. ......

Abe That's true.

Kishio But I am really impressed with the high level of each individual.

Q: If you could bring someone on board, who would it be?

Kishio: I would like someone who can complement the good parts, so I would be grateful if an all-rounder type could come. I think it would be Kuroda (Yukinari) (CV: Kenji Nojima). I think there will be more strategies we can make.

Abe I think Hakone Gakuen is, after all, a kind of perfect team. I think they are like the Gold Saints. They also have a Bronze Saint feel to them, but I think it is good that they have a range of unexpectedness. Above all, I like that the conversation is relaxed. Everyone at Hakone Gakuen is well established, so I have the impression that the conversations are somewhat formal. Recently, I feel that there has been an increase in fun conversations, but I don't have Sohoku's flirtatious atmosphere in my team, so I am a little envious of that.

A: It doesn't seem necessary to bring in new members to a team that is already finished. ......

Abe: If I had to bring in a new member, I would probably bring in Naruko (Shokichi) (CV: Jun Fukushima). I think it would be a cheerful team if he were to join. I think he would have interesting conversations with Dobashi (Masakiyo) (CV: Daisuke Ono), and I think he and Asikiba would have a good goofy/tsukkomi relationship.

Q: What do you think about the changes and growth of Teshima and Izumida?

Kishio: We are both captains, but to be honest, we don't really get along with each other (laughs).

Abe That's true.

Kishio But when I talk about Izumida, we always end up talking about muscles. I think we had a lot of fun talking about muscles when we were recording together. He is a serious but funny guy. I envy him as a character because he has a killer word.

Abe: Either a change or ......, your hair has grown longer.

Kishio I wondered if there was some kind of wishful thinking. I wondered what it was. But, well, I have the impression that both of you made your respective teams as captains. They are a sprinter and a climber, two totally different types of people. Rather than making major changes, I feel that we each brushed up on our good points and made the team into what we thought was the strongest team we could be. You did your best (laughs).

Abe: There was also a physical change in the amount of dialogue. I think Teshima is the one who has changed the most in terms of heat and the number of calories consumed.　Teshima and Izumida are two extremely different people, and I think the contrast between them is part of the fun of the work.

In the second part of the interview, they talked about everything from "weak peda," which they want to be rivals, to their personal lives. Stay tuned!

(Interview and text by Shinobu Tanaka)