Report on the stage greeting for "Masked Rider 555 20th Paradise Reign" featuring Kento Handa, Yuria Haga, Kohei Murakami, Mitsuru Karahashi, Rei Fujita, and director Ryuta Tasaki!

The completion announcement stage greeting for V-Cinext's "Masked Rider 555 20th Paradise Regained" was held on Sunday, January 14, 2024.

This year, "Masked Rider 555 (Phaze)" celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023. MASKED RIDER 555" is the fourth in the Heisei Masked Rider series, which aired from January 2003 to January 2004 on the TV Asahi network. The main character, a young man named Takumi Inui (Kento Handa), fights as Masked Rider Faiz when he encounters a girl named Mari Sonoda (Yuria Haga) who has a special transformation tool called "Faiz Gear" and is attacked by a deformed monster named Orphenok. Unlike the previous series, the story depicted the anguish of the monster side and other aspects of the ensemble drama that were not simply a dualism of good and evil, which drew a lot of attention.
The production of "Masked Rider 555 20th Paradise Regained," a V-Cinext commemorating the 20th anniversary of the series, has been announced. This work will be a legitimate sequel that takes place 20 years after the last episode of the TV series, and the original cast has been assembled. The cast includes Kento Handa as Takumi Inui, Yuria Haga as the heroine Mari Sonoda, Kohei Murakami as Masato Soka, Mitsuru Karahashi as Naoya Kaido, and Rei Fujita as Kitazaki.

⇒V Cinext's "Masked Rider 555 20th Paradise Reigns" will be screened for a limited time starting Friday, February 2, 2024! The "Next Kaiser" visuals will be unveiled for the first time!

The completion announcement stage greeting for V-Cinext's "Masked Rider 555 20th Paradise Regained" was held on Sunday, January 14, 2024.
The event was attended by Kento Handa as Masked Rider Next Phaze/Takumi Inui, Yuria Haga as Mari Sonoda, Kohei Murakami as Masked Rider Kaiza/Masato Souka, Mitsuru Karahashi as Snake Orphenok/Naoya Kaido, Rei Fujita as Kitazaki, and director Ryuta Tazaki. The official report of the event, in which they spoke about their joy and gratitude at the completion of the 20th anniversary production and the highlights of the show for fans, has just arrived.

Official Report】 【Official Report

After the screening of the film, he took the stage to the applause of the full house and greeted the audience one by one, including the name of his role! Thank you! Takumi Inui, who plays the main character Takumi Inui/Masked Rider Phaze, and Kento Handa, who plays the role of Masked Rider Phaze, responded with smiles and shared with the audience the joy of having completed the film.

When asked by the MC how he felt about the completion of "Masked Rider 555" after 20 years, Handa replied, "If I could tell my 20-year-old self that this kind of day exists, I would. It's what you all made." Kohei Murakami, who plays Masato Soka/Kamen Rider Kaiza, asked the audience, "Did you enjoy the movie? He received loud applause and cheers from the audience, and with a happy expression on his face, he said, "Thank you very much! I have been looking forward to having you all see the film. It's like a dream come true...I want to tell Soka, who was hated 20 years ago, that she will be loved so much 20 years from now." When Murakami shouted Soka's customary line, "People who don't love me," to the audience, "are in my way! A call-and-response ensued.
Yuria Haga, who plays Mari Sonoda, commented with joy and gratitude, "I really didn't think I could make a new film with this team, not even a millimeter at the time, but after 20 years of support, I think this is a continuation of the dream you have shown me.
Mitsuru Karahashi, who plays Naoya Kaido, continued to blabber on, "For the past 20 years, I've had chapped nails and dry lips..." "Why should I cry today after crying at Nakano Sunplaza (in front of an audience)? I'm fine..." When he said this, some cast members interjected, "It's all right.
The cast members also made the audience laugh, saying, "It's all right.
Rei Fujita, who plays the role of Kitazaki, said, "I feel it is meaningful that I am standing here now with this group of people who have all put their hearts and souls into this production, even though some of them have quit acting and some have passed away. Thanks to all of you, I am having a dreamlike time," she said.
Director Ryuta Tasaki, who also directed the pilot of the TV series 20 years ago, said, "This project started with the actors' club, but everyone is passionate about it, and some of the younger staff members watched "555" when they were children and said they would participate because of "555. I feel that I am supported by the passion and love of the staff.

Handa added, "At first, the cast members talked about wanting to do something for the 20th anniversary, but I didn't think it would turn into a movie, so I'm taking on a lot of responsibility. However, I hope that the fans who are waiting for the film will enjoy it and think it's nostalgic and fun! Haga said, "There was a huge change in Mari (with this film), so I couldn't accept it right away. Haga said, "There was a huge change in Mari (in this film), so I couldn't accept it right away. I was lost in the process, but it was completed on the set." Murakami added, "I am glad that I was able to perform in this film, because the 20th anniversary is not a matter of course but something great. Fujita added, "We (Murakami-san from the same agency) died in the TV series. (When I was told by the office that I would be in it, I thought, "How? But when I read the script, I thought, "I see what they mean," and I accepted the offer. I think I would have been jealous if someone else had directed the film with this group. We all knew what we were doing, and unlike when we were young, we were able to work through the process of exploration, communicating with each other as old men and as adults.

When asked about the relationship with the new cast members, Murakami said, "The new cast members are so young that when they appear on the screen, they look very old. Handa had appeared in another Masked Rider film, and he said, "After reflecting on my last performance, I quit being an old man. I was an old man for two and a half hours in the location bus for the junior riders, so I took the stance of answering questions asked by the younger ones, since they would have time for younger ones," he confessed.
Murakami shared a secret story about filming with Amane Shindo, who plays the smart lady in the film. "We only had one day of shooting together, and I talked to her on the crank-in day because she was shaking. Handa said that Shindo-san has the most followers on SNS among all the actors, and he called out to the audience, "I'm counting on you, Shindo-san! Shindo-san!" to the excitement of the audience.
Murakami then told Shindo to write on social media that he got the Soka Smile right in front of him, to which Shindo replied, "Yes! Handa immediately interjected, "You are an old man, aren't you?

Handa concluded his speech with a message to those who are looking forward to the film: "We are really looking forward to this film.
We had been aiming to complete this kind of work, but it was out of our control whether we could make it happen or not. However, thanks to everyone's support, we were able to make this work. I hope that this film is not just a reunion film, but a starting point for a new "555" and a chance for people to love "555" for the next 5, 10, and 20 years. With these words, the stage greeting came to an end.
(*Original text)

Kento Handa

Yuria Haga

Kohei Murakami

Mitsuru Karahashi

Rei Fujita

Director Ryuta Tasaki

Event Information

Date: January 14, 2024 (Sun.) 19:00-19:30 *Post-screening event and live viewing will be held.
Place: Shinjuku Wald 9 Theater 9 (Shinjuku 3-1-26, Shinjuku 3-chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)
＜Speakers
Kento Handa (39/Kamen Rider Next Phaze/Takumi Inui), Yuria Haga (36/Mari Sonoda), Kohei Murakami (47/Kamen Rider Kaiza/Masato Souka), Mitsuru Karahashi (46/Snake Orphenok/Naoya Kaido), Rei Fujita (35/Kitazaki), Director Ryuta Tazaki (59)
MC: Maro Terasako

Film Info.

<Cast

Kento Handa, Yuria Haga, Kohei Murakami, Mitsuru Karahashi
Rumika Fukuda, Daiji Asakawa, Rui Yanagawa, Ryunosuke Toshino, Kaen Matsuzawa, Amane Shindo, Seiji Takaiwa and others

＜Staff
Original Story: Shotaro Ishinomori
Screenplay: Toshiki Inoue
Director: Ryuta Tazaki
Music: Hayato Matsuo
Action Director: Sanshiro Wada
Theme Song "Identiφ's" ISSA

<Screening Information
Limited screenings at Shinjuku Wald 9 and other locations from February 2, 2024 (Fri.)

<Package Information
Normal and Special Editions: May 29, 2024 (Wed) Blu-ray & DVD release
CSM Caissaphone XX and Complete Edition: September 13, 2024 (Fri) Blu-ray & DVD release

Distributed and released by Toei Video