It's December. It's 1997. You are watching the final handful of episodes of Revolutionary Girl Utena, and you are excited. You pick up Animage Magazine, and immediately become a victim of this set of two page spreads by Akemi Hayashi. You flip from one to the next, and begin to worry that this show might just choose violence for an ending.
But you persevere! Cool! Because there are plenty more magazine scans where these came from!
Animage, June 2026 Issue
ft. Amano Kousei Interview
(translation below)
Publication: May 9, 2026
The Bringer of Bad Dreams
The new chapter begins with a shocking development……as the story of Kamen Rider Zeztz up until now had been a precognitive dream seen by Baku. As more shocking truths are revealed one after another, the "typhoon" that's been disrupting the battlefield is Sieg, also known as Kamen Rider Dawn.
Sieg is a criminal serving a 1,000 year prison sentence, and was once an agent who operated as Code Number One for the top secret defense organization CODE. However, after merging his own body with a Nightmare, Sieg was eventually viewed as a threat by CODE and even The Lady, who plans to destroy CODE. Sieg is being played by Amano Kousei, who's taking on the role of a Kamen Rider for a second time since Tachibana Sakuya (Garren) in Kamen Rider Blade. Playing an elusive, enigmatic character with a commanding presence, he commits heinous acts with a smile on his face, giving off the impression that there's an ulterior motive behind all of it.
Although Sieg's rampaging around like he runs the show, the wind has begun to shift directions now that Baku's grabbed hold of a new power and transformed into Kamen Rider Zeztz Exdream. When the time comes for these two to cross swords again, will Baku, who fights with the power of dreams, or Sieg, who fights with the power of bad dreams, emerge on top?
Amano Kousei
The resolve to take on a Kamen Rider's burden
-Contemplating the "justice" within Sieg-
"First, please tell us how you felt when you were asked to perform."
Amano: On the flip side, how about your thoughts? It was probably, "Guess this guy's back again," wasn't it?
"Not at all! (laughs). It genuinely made us happy that Amano-san was returning to the Kamen Rider series."
Amano: Ah, really? I'll be honest too, it made me incredibly happy. However, in addition to that, I also felt an intense amount of pressure to participate in a way that would surpass the works I've been in up until now, as I knew I couldn't approach things the same way I did when I was a newcomer.
"Please tell us your impressions of Kamen Rider Zeztz's production."
Amano: I was approached shortly before the broadcast began, so I watched it from the perspective that it was a production I'd be participating in from then on, but the first thing I noticed was that the visuals were really cool. And then, the action is fantastic. When I read the script I was given before the broadcast, the description of dreams and reality was complex, so I kept wondering, "How are they gonna depict this?" They didn't use Nem's dialogue in the actual story, but I was able to just go with it and think, "So this is the kind of world they've created," and felt like, "Kamihori-san is just amazing!" I found it entertaining even as someone in their 40s, and I think it's a Kamen Rider that adults can enjoy too.
"What are you conscious of when portraying Sieg?"
Amano: The Kamen Rider series isn't one where we receive a script that covers all the way up to the final episode. The first time I got to play a Kamen Rider, there were moments when I regretted things and thought, "If this development was gonna turn out this way, then I wish I had done that part alittle differently. To avoid that happening during Zeztz, I structure a coherent plan in my mind and make small adjustments based on the parts that are different each time a script comes in. Ultimately, there's been parts that've linked up with my vision, so there haven't been that many moments where I've thought, "I wish I'd done it this way."
"What's your impression of Kamen Rider Dawn?"
Amano: Everything about him is cool. I love his colors, and his design also properly captures a minimalist aesthetic that highlights key elements. If Zeztz was designed as an homage to the older Kamen Riders, then I'd say Dawn uses a modern take on that style. Equating him to a Rider from Blade, he's closest to Chalice.
"What kind of discussions do you have with Dawn's Takada Masashi-san?"
Amano: We'll talk about "doing this kind action during situations like these," and Takada-san in turn will ask, "I'm thinking of adding this little gesture before the Rider Kick, but what do you think?," so we're going over every fine detail together. This might actually be the most I've ever discussed a role.
"So you're taking a different approach compared to the past, huh?"
Amano: During my time as Garren, Oshikawa-san would always adapt to whatever I was doing on my own. At that time, I was just a newcomer who didn't have the skills to keep up with Oshikawa-san, so he was of huge help to me. During "Fourze," the one who played Libra Zodiarts was Watanabe-san, who's the Action Director for Zeztz, and we had talked to each other quite abit. In contrast, for "King-Ohger," I didn't discuss anything at all relating to my role with Muraoka-san, who took on playing Grodie's monster form.
"Why did you decide to communicate more closely this time around?"
Amano: I've pretty much been doing things my own way, so I guess you could say this is more like me reporting in and saying, "I'm doing it with this feeling," you know?……(laughs). There's been so many parts where he's really taken my portrayal of Sieg into consideration, and while I feel abit bad about that, I am truly grateful.
"For the villain roles that were just brought up, compared to Fourze's Hayami Kouhei and King-Ohger's Grodie, are there any differences in how you approached portraying him?"
Amano: I've given alot of thought into how to preserve the "Kamen Rider" aspect of Sieg's role. If Sieg's really just a villain who does nothing but hurt people, then I think it'd be best if he wasn't a Kamen Rider. If they don't grow within the story or carry some kind of burden, then I feel that they're not a Kamen Rider. Even if others see him as a villain, as long as he's a Kamen Rider, then there must be some kind of principle that resonates with him. It was like that with "Kamen Rider Outsiders," but ultimately, it's just a matter of perspective, as what might be seen as evil to Baku could be the opposite to Sieg. So, even when I don't fully understand the meaning behind the lines I'm given, I perform them with the mindset of making everything feel justified.
"It's because you've experienced playing the role before that you're taking great care to portray the essence of being a Kamen Rider."
Amano: Yes. It was mentally easier to portray pure evil villains like Principal Hayami and Grodie, as I could just do whatever I wanted (laughs). Still, Kamen Rider is a work that's changed my life, so being able to say "henshin" as a Kamen Rider holds profound meaning for me. In the past, I would just say henshin when I had to, but this time, I'm pretty particular on finding the right way to say henshin so that it conveys the emotions of the moment.
-Being inspired by the ideas of the Directors-
"Director Sugihara Teruaki was in charge of episode 27 and 28, where Sieg was properly introduced, and the most recent episode 33."
Amano: I've kept in touch with Sugi-san since Blade, and while I've had the opportunity to have Shibasaki-san, Yamaguchi-san and Kamihori-san, who I've known since their days as Assistant Directors, film me, I had never had that chance with Sugi-san. During filming of King-Ohger, I brought up that "I wanted him to film me someday," where it came to fruition at a time when we could closely coordinate various details, specifically, the episode that introduced Sieg. On my first day of filming, we filmed the scene with (Code Number) One, where I went into it full of enthusiasm, as I had come up with various plans. But then, Sugi-san simply summed it up by saying, "I don't think you need to do that." When I went to check my performance as One on the monitor after receiving that advice, I was able to comprehend it and think, "Ah, so that's the kind of person One is" and, "In that case, Sieg must be this kind of person." I think it was a scene that was only possible because we've known each other since we were young and are so comfortable communicating with each other.
"You've worked together with Director Shibasaki, who was in charge of episodes 29 and 30, on various other productions in the past, right?"
Amano: Shibasaki-san was Blade's Chief Assistant Director, and was the Director of "Super Hero Taisen GP" and Outsiders, so he's someone who's filmed Tachibana Sakuya alot. I wonder how Sieg appears through Shibasaki-san's eyes (laughs). Shibasaki-san has a good sense of balance, so while he basically tells me to "do whatever I want," he's also incredibly particular about important details. Because of that, I consciously try to comprehend exactly what those key points are.
"Director Kamihoriuchi, the main Director, was in charge of episodes 31 and 32."
Amano: Kamihori-san really helped me out during King-Ohger, but even though he's been calling me ever since then, he hasn't actually filmed many of the episodes I appear in. Since he inevitably ends up filming the lead actors most of the time, this old man gets pushed to the back (laughs). Still, when he does occasionally film me, it's alot of fun. With Kamihori-san, I often feel like "I can't figure out what's going on in his head," so when we're performing, I try to come up with ideas that would go beyond the Director's vision, but once I get on set, what happens there always exceeds my expectations. With a sly grin he'll tell me, "I never would've considered that" (laughs), which I think is truly amazing, as it really inspires me. It's not just Kamihori-san, as Sugi-san and Shibasaki-san are also seriously pouring their lives into creating these works. I couldn't fully understand it back when I was a newcomer, but I'm sure Director Ishida and the others behind Blade felt the same way as them. Now that I'm this age, I understand everyone's feelings and dedication regarding these productions, and that makes me feel like I have to give my all as well, and in a way, that makes me happy.
"Sieg has alot of scenes together with Baku and Nem, but how has it been working with Baku's Imai Ryutaro-san and Nem's Horiguchi Maho-san?"
Amano: Actually, my first involvement with Zeztz was playing the role of an opponent during the final audition. At the time, I had yet to be cast, but Kamihori-san reached out to me, which is also how I met Imai-san and Horiguchi-san. It was the same during the audition, but even after half a year, they've become much more confident and attentive, and it's been alot of fun performing with them.
"Are there any scenes where Imai-san and Horiguchi-san's performance have left a strong impression on you?"
Amano: In episode 33, during the scene where Nem cries after Baku's letter vanishes, she shed emotional tears from the test shot all the way through the actual shoot, and seeing that, I felt like I was going to cry too (laughs). There was a crying scene during the final audition when I played her partner, where she was crying with proper emotion, but at that time, she said something like, "This is the first time I've ever cried while acting." Seeing her there, sobbing uncontrollably while looking at a letter with nothing written on it, really drove home the approach to acting that she's developed over the past half year. In the upcoming episode 34, there's a scene where I face off against Imai-san, and I was almost in tears during this too. There was also a scene during the audition where I faced off against Imai-san, but the way his eyes looked at me then was completely different from how he looked at me in episode 34. I know this might sound abit arrogant, but it felt like, "He's looking me dead in the eyes while confronting me." Just as my seniors were the ones guiding me back when we were working on Blade, I thought I'd be in the position to guide them, but once I actually got on set, I found that I was the one learning from everyone else. I'm really being guided by Imai-kun and Horiguchi-san in particular.
"It seems that episode 34 will explore Sieg's background."
Amano: I can't go into too much detail yet, but I think this episode will give you a glimpse of Sieg before he became an agent. At first glance, Sieg doesn't seem very human, but I'm trying to make him as human as possible in my own way. If you've been thinking, "Why does this person seem so evil?" or "What's at Sieg's core?," then I think you'll enjoy the episode even more.
