In commemoration of the release of "Black Clover: The Magical Sword of the Emperor", Takehito Kajiwara, who plays Asta, and Nobunaga Shimazaki, who plays Yuno, talk about their life-threatening work during recording sessions! Interview with Takehito Kajiwara (Asta) and Nobunaga Shimazaki (Yuno) Part 1

In a world where magic is everything, Asta, a boy born with no magic, and his rival Yuno, aim to become the "Magic Emperor," the pinnacle of mages!

The first film in the series, "Black Clover: The Sword of the Magical Emperor," will be released on June 16, 2023, and will reunite the staff members who worked on the TV series. In addition, Hiroki Tabata, the author of the original manga, will supervise the film as well as drafting the characters, and an original story will unfold.

The film depicts the story of the Magical Emperor, which was not revealed in the original story. Asta, who is on his way to becoming a magic emperor after accumulating achievements, is confronted by the previous magic emperor Konrad, who was feared as the most evil and sealed away, as well as three previous magic emperors.

Their goal is the destruction of the Clover Kingdom. The entire magical knight corps will fight against the greatest crisis in the Clover Kingdom!

We interviewed Takehito Kajiwara, who plays Asta, a boy who dreams of becoming a magic emperor, and Nobunaga Shimazaki, who plays Asta's rival Yuno, about episodes from the recording of the film, their thoughts on the series' first film adaptation, and the highlights of the movie!

The movie will tell the story of the Magical Emperor, which was not revealed in the original work. I was excited just by the script!

Kajiwara: I was happy to be able to make a feature-length film in which I starred for the first time, and when I received the script, I felt like I had to "tighten my grip and do my best. I felt that the scenario had the "Bla Bla Bla Bla" style of the past, but on a larger scale that could only be achieved with a movie, and the heat level was amplified. The film depicts not only physical battles but also clashes of feelings and emotions. In this film, the magic emperor, whom we admire, is the one who must be defeated. Asta has a feeling that the actions of the magic emperor are unforgivable, and the magic emperor with whom he fights also has his own beliefs. Because he is the object of her admiration, I felt that more energy was generated for Asta to confront the magic emperor. All the battles are very intense and passionate.

Takehito Kajiwara

The "thickness" of the script was also a topic of discussion on stage at the Jangfest. Toshihiko Seki, who plays the role of Konrad Leto, shared an episode where he was surprised at the thickness of the script and was told, "That's the front half.

Kajiwara I was surprised too. The script for "Bla Bla Bla Bla" is basically rather thick, but this time the battles were so intense that I thought I would have to keep shouting through the thickness of the script. I felt like, "Hold it together, my body! I think I worked pretty hard (laughs).

Q: Shimazaki-san, what did you think when you read the script?

SHIMAZAKI: The appearance of all the magical emperors of the past is exactly the kind of thing that would have been so exciting in the original story, so I thought, "What a gorgeous production! I thought. When I heard that it was supervised by Mr. Tabata, I thought, "Are you sure you don't want to use it in the original work?" I was like, "Are you sure you don't want to use it in the original? I thought they were boldly released (laughs). The Magical Emperor is a very great existence that Asta and Yuno continue to pursue. To have four of them in the movie at the same time is a luxury that is typical of a movie. And these four are really strong. The characters are strong, and so is the cast. But the stronger the opponent, the more the challenger shines. If we, the challengers, don't perform accordingly, the strength of the magical emperors won't shine through either. In that sense, we took on the challenge with the hope of improving each other in a good way as challengers. I was very enthusiastic when I read the script.

Nobunaga Shimazaki

Q: What are some of the highlights of this work that you would like us to pay attention to?

Kajiwara: Asta often says, "My magic is not to give up! In the movie, characters other than Asta also say the same thing. As an Asta character, it was a moment when I thought, "Whoa! I thought, "Wow! When someone else says Asta's words with his feelings in them, I can see the parts of his feelings that are shared by the other characters, and I think that maybe their fundamental feelings are similar to each other. Even if they are enemy characters, when they are fighting for each other's righteousness, you also feel as if you can understand each other somewhere in your heart. I think that battles in which you not only have to physically defeat your opponent, but also have a heart-to-heart dialogue with him and convince him that you can defeat him, are very rewarding to watch.

Shimazaki: The propagation of Asta's words is a real highlight. For me, I really enjoyed the scene at the beginning where Mimosa is giving a commentary and Klaus is explaining the situation. There are many serious scenes, and of course the battle scenes are a highlight, but they also work very hard on the funny parts. I thought to myself, "He's really doing it! I was really into it.

Kajiwara Klaus was very thorough in his explanations. He was very thorough (laughs).

Shimazaki: We were in perfect sync. Klaus and Mimosa are members of the same "Golden Dawn" troupe, so I felt like I caught a glimpse of their teamwork. It may be an unexpected part, but it left a great impression on me. Although there are some serious themes and heavy scenes, there are also some interesting scenes that are carefully drawn in detail, so I think you will enjoy every part of the film.

Q: I knew it was going to be an intense battle, but you pushed the limits (laughs).

Kajiwara It was hard work. ......

Shimazaki There are four magical emperors from past generations.

Kajiwara We had to push the limits. I did my best to overcome these challenges. I think I used my voice the hardest in my life as a voice actor. My muscles always ached the day after recording. I even felt pain in my legs and back, and realized that I had used muscles in many different places. It was physically demanding, and I was alone with Seki-san for the entire recording. Since he was an enemy character, I couldn't rely on him, and it was truly a solitary struggle. I had no one to help me (laughs). (Laughs) In that sense, I had to fight a hard battle with my own mentality, but since Asta kept fighting, I couldn't let him down. I had to be there, so I did my best while also fighting with myself.

Q: The recording sessions were full of various battles. Were you strong?

Kajiwara He was strong, really strong. You'll have to go to the theater to see if I was able to win!

Shimazaki: Our enemies were strong, too, but Yuno was fighting as a team, and so were the group leaders. I felt reassured because I had strong allies. Asta had to fight one-on-one, so I'm sure it was tough for him.

Kajiwara I wish at least one of them had come over here...

SHIMAZAKI That's right.

Kajiwara At least Yuno...

SHIMAZAKI When I think about it, that's true (laughs). (laughs) But even though they were not in the same place, I felt that everyone who wanted to protect the Clover Kingdom was working together. You can feel Yuno's growth and the passion in the scene, and I think it turned out to be a very good scene.

Yoon-ho is a cool character, but I could feel his passion. Is there anything you are conscious of in your portrayal of Yuno?

SHIMAZAKI: When you are entrusted with a character for a long time, it's not so much a matter of being conscious of the character as it is a matter of building on it. Just because Yuno is a cool character doesn't mean that I am cool at all times. Even cool people have their own emotions, and people's voices change depending on the situation. For example, there are people who usually have a dulcet voice, but when they sing, it becomes incredibly beautiful, and there are also people who change their voice color when they are on the phone. That is why Yoon-ho is not cool and stiff from the beginning. In the beginning, Yoon-ho has a surprisingly gentle voice, and sometimes he even keeps his voice tight. He is a human being, so he has more than one emotion and change. Because there are many different things, I try to be flexible and wide-ranging. I try to make any role I play shaky, and that may be the reason why you can see Yoon-ho as cool but hot. Yoon-ho himself is also growing, so I think he is becoming more mature as a human being.

Q: I heard that you will not be able to see the finished version of the film until the end of the year. What are your expectations for the finished film?

Kajiwara: Every "BLACKLAW" has gorgeous battle scenes. Even in the pre-production version, the scenes have the power that only a movie can have. The film is full of action right from the start, so I think it will be a film that will make your hands sweat until the very end. The big battle scenes are filled with delicate emotional swings, so I hope you will enjoy the fusion of detailed facial expressions and the cast's theatrical performances, as well as the great sound.

Q: By the way, which scene gave you the most muscle pain?

Kajiwara: Mainly in the second half, the most painful part was the recording of the last battle.

Shimazaki: The recording of the final battle was really tough, but I think it's a scene worth seeing. Asta is doing his best in a one-on-one battle, and Yuno is in a joint battle. It should look great to see strong people working together to face a powerful enemy. In a battle with all the top stars, people will say, "What are they going to do with so many of them? Can they work together? I am sure it will be a great video that will make each and every one of them shine. I am looking forward to seeing how Yuno and the Commander's work together. I am sure it will be a great show with everyone performing their special moves!

Continue to the second part of the interview!

(Reporting and writing by Shinobu Tanaka, Photography by Shohei Kanazawa)

Film Information
■Movie "Black Clover: Sword of the Magical Emperor
June 16, 2023 (Friday), Roadshow in Japan
Netflix worldwide distribution

Official website: bclover-movie.jp
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/bclover_PR

<Staff
Original Story, Supervisor, Character Planning：Hiroki Tabata (serialized in Shueisha's "Weekly Shonen Jump")
Director：Ayataka Tanemura
Character design：Itsuko Takeda
Music: Minako Seki
Screenplay: Johnny Onda, Ai Orii
Production: studio Piero ("BLEACH: The Thousand Year Blood War", "NARUTO", "Yu Yu Hakusho")
Production: Black Clover the Movie Production Committee
Distributor: Shochiku ODS Business Office

＜Cast
Asta: Takehito Kajiwara
Yuno: Nobunaga Shimazaki
Yami: Junichi Suwabe
Noel: Kana Yuuki
Konrad: Toshihiko Seki

＜Introduction
Serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump", a heart-stopping magical battle action game!
The original author, Hiroki Tabata, himself supervised the production! A film adaptation of the story of the "Magical Emperor" that was never revealed in the original work!

In a world where magic is everything, Asta, a boy who was born with no magic, aims to become the "Magic Emperor," the highest rank of mages, in order to overcome adversity, prove his power, and keep his vow to his friends.

The film is produced by studio PIERO, which has produced many hit anime works for Weekly Shonen Jump, including "BLEACH: The Thousand Year Blood War", "NARUTO", and "Yu Yu Hakusho", etc. The staff who worked on the TV series and pioneered the world of "Black Claw" are now fully prepared to produce the film version.

©2023 "BLACK CLOVER the Movie" Production Committee ©Hiroki Tabata/Shueisha