#sgt frog

[keroarchives]

Doujin goods plushies (Edo Omomizu No O Mise)

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Kumamoto postcard (Kadokawa)

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"Keroro Gunso Online Lottery (G-3)" acrylic stand (Kadokawa)

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[battlecruiseranthracite]

[mityfresh]

bath time

[askinsgift]

Proper intro for my kerosona/orikero

[juns-kg-blog]

gingaga’s ref sheet

[keroarchives]

"Keroro Gunsou Riding Keyholder" Tamama keychain (Banpresto)

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Giroro badge and metal keychain (Great Eastern Entertainment)

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"Keroro Gunso Large Tote Bag /NATURAL" (Cospa)

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[tamamatango]

Voice Actor Roundtable Interview From PASH! featuring Kumiko Watanabe, Etsuko Kozakura, and Joji Nakata!

Here's the other major Keroro-related feature from this month's PASH!, a three-page interview with Keroro, Tamama, and Giroro's voice actors! It's focused mostly on the new movie, and there will be some spoilers included, but I'll mark where those start. Enjoy!

--Could you please tell us what you thought when you first heard that Shin Gekijouban Keroro Gunso: Fukkatsu Shite Sokkou Chikyuu Metsubou no Kiki De Arimasu! (hereafter referred to as “the new movie”) was going to be produced?

Watanabe: Considering it’s been 16 years since we recorded the Keroro Gunso anime, I was surprised to hear they’d be making a new movie. But from the perspective of Keron [Sergeant Keroro’s home planet], 16 years feels like yesterday. And I’ve actually been performing Sergeant Keroro’s voice for game collaborations, events, and so on over the years, so it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. To me, it was kind of like continuing from the latest save point. I still felt quite a bit of pressure since there are so many new things about the movie, like the new story, new director, and new characters. But more than anything, I felt ready to enjoy myself like always.

Kozakura: For me, it was like receiving happy news and sad news at the same time. I was of course super excited to hear that Keroro Gunso would be getting a new movie, but I remember feeling a twinge of disappointment when I was told this would be the last Keroro Gunso installment with the current cast. It was like, “Oh, so the Keroro Gunso we made is ending…” But it’s not like the franchise itself is ending, and after this, it’ll be the birth of a new Keroro Gunso by fresh faces. So I also felt, “Let’s make sure we go out with a bang first!” In terms of the content, it really feels fitting as the culmination of Keroro Gunso, so I went into the recording aiming to make it a wonderful memory that would stick with all the viewers forever.

Nakata: My first reaction as well was “A brand new movie?! For real?!” And like Ecchan [Kozakura] says, this is the last Keroro Gunso we’ll be acting in. That’s why we reunited all the main cast members for this movie, and I felt deeply grateful to all the staff who gave us the opportunity to thank the fans for everything up until now. It’d been a pretty long time since I played Giroro, so I was a little worried if I’d be able to pull off the same voice from back then, but I went in deciding I would do my best if it would make all the fans happy.

--How did you feel about the story of the new movie?

Watanabe: When I was told the screenplay writer and chief director would be Yuichi Fukuda, who has experience making several hit films, I was excited to see what he could cook up with Keroro Gunso. And when I got to see the script, it became clear to me that this was made by someone who had fully studied Keroro Gunso, perfectly understood its unique flow and perspective, and even stuffed in just the right bits that would make fans happy, all of which made it worthy of being called a culmination. Not only that, this movie is filled with parodies to the max, to the point where I wondered if it would slide even if we got permission from the relevant parties. Director Fukuda and the other staff members each put their blood, sweat, and tears into the screenplay, so it got me fired up.

Kozakura: The variety of parodies packed in made me laugh. A cat youkai-like character from a certain youkai anime I performed in appears early on, and while I was reading the script, I couldn’t help but rag on it a bit, like, “Did that come out of nowhere or what?!” (laughs) Other than that, many “Team Fukuda works” such as Hero Yoshihiko show up, but that kind of stuff doesn’t take over the story, and there’s a very good balance of things sprinkled in. And the writing did a solid job of maintaining the perspective and flow of Keroro Gunso. That very particular balance of entertaining elements made me realize Director Fukuda is really something!

Nakata: There was so much packed into the script we got. I was shocked.

Kozakura: Wasn’t it mind-blowing? They gave us two thick booklets, and I thought at first that this was gonna be a duology.

Watanabe: It’s because with Keroro Gunso, it’s not just about the dialogue, but there’s also a lot of notes on the characters’ movements and how the performances should sound. This movie in particular has a ton of flashy visuals, so I think the script was full of things like that.

Nakata: There’s a huge amount of content in the roughly just under two-hour runtime. It left a tangible impact as a whole when it was put in front of me, and I was certain it’d wow everyone who went to see the movie. And when I read the script, I really felt it condensed Director Fukuda’s respect for Keroro Gunso into one neat package. The new movie takes on the designation of being the culminating work of an anime with a twenty-year history, so I think Director Fukuda must have been nervous too. There was absolutely pressure to make it into something that would please the fans. But I felt the script really understands the series and loves its characters in a way that doesn’t buckle under that stress.

--Tell us how it felt to play your characters again.

Watanabe: This was my first considerably long recording session as Keroro in quite a while, but like I said at the beginning, I didn’t feel much like I was getting ready to go to war or anything. What I wanted was to go above and beyond to deliver a killer performance for the production staff who put so much work into this screenplay. It would be like I was running around so fast that I couldn’t stop, or like rolling down a hill and getting stuck in a ditch and covered in mud. I figured I would savor it more that way, and it’s very Keroro-like too.

--We think it’s appropriate to say Sergeant Keroro is the character that represents you the most, Watanabe-san. How did you approach the role when you took on the audition?

Watanabe: When the audition was coming up, I binged the manga volumes and got totally hooked. I liked it enough that I wanted to recommend it to everyone as a great read regardless of whether I got the role. There’s something weirdly addicting about Keroro Gunso, which I think gives it a unique charm. So when I started to mull over what kind of performance would embody Keroro’s addicting quality, it felt like getting lost in a maze with no exits… I let myself get absorbed in the role during the audition, but I didn’t feel like I did a great job, and I felt so depressed that all I can remember about the walk home was staring at the ground. So when I got the news that I’d passed some days later, it kinda didn’t feel real. Even we were recording the first episode, I felt unsure and conflicted about whether Keroro really would sound like this. But then when I watched the credits after Episode 1’s broadcast, set to the “Afro Gunso” ending theme, and saw the words “Sergeant Keroro: Kumiko Watanabe,” it finally sunk in that I got the role of Keroro. Because of that, whenever I hear “Afro Gunso,” I flash back to that moment and tear up thinking about how far I’ve come since then. As the episodes went on and I interacted with many different characters, I added lots of tweaks to the performance, and I started to think I finally established that “addicting” performance I was trying to figure out from the start.

--We’re so used to your performance that we can hear your voice just by looking at a picture of Keroro, so we never would’ve thought you had such trouble at first. As for you, Kozakura-san, what did you think of playing Private Tamama again in the new movie?

Kozakura: Tamama is the team cutie of the Keroro Platoon, so that’s how I portrayed him. But Tamama also has another side to his personality, so occasionally something will bring out his hidden ferocious “Inner Tamama” side. But in this movie, there’s a lot of random “Inner Tamama” moments, and when I asked Director Fukuda why, he said it’s because he just really likes Inner Tamama (laughs).

Watanabe: Inner Tamama is weirdly popular, huh?

Kozakura: Yeah. In fact, at an event we appeared at the other day, “Kero! to Concert 2026,” when we got the results of the survey held that asked the audience what lines they’d like to hear live, all of Tamama’s lines were from Inner Tamama moments. I cracked myself up questioning how Inner Tamama was more popular than Outer Tamama! (laughs)

--Why do you think people like Inner Tamama so much?

Kozakura: We live in an age where it’s desirable to hide your true self in front of others, right? So when he lays bare how he really feels in such a bold way, Inner Tamama gives a big "screw that" to the current trend of having to read the room...or maybe it's not actually that deep (laughs). Characters who have a cute-but-sometimes-deadly contrast going on are fun, and screaming in a menacing voice during recording sessions is really enjoyable for me too. I think that might be the source of his popularity.

--And how do you feel about playing Corporal Giroro, Nakata-san?

Nakata: Giroro is strict with both himself and others, so at first he was a pretty serious guy, and the way he'd get mad at Keroro and the others' general laziness and try to whip them into shape made him leave a strong impression as a character. But as he met people like Fuyuki and Natsumi, and the longer he spent living with the Hinatas, he got softer and softer. I also think his bonds with the members of the Keroro Platoon are stronger than they used to be, so I truly feel he grew as a character as time went on. And even with how he was stern and always mad at everyone in the beginning, in hindsight, I've started to think he got mad because he cares about everyone. So in that sense, I get the idea that the current Giroro's character was built up over time.

Out of all the characters you've played over the course of your career, we see Giroro as particularly unique. Do you remember anything about the time you first played the role?

Nakata: I do! Keronians are just 55.5 cm [TLN: ~1.8 ft] tall, so I was lost as to what kind of voice I should give him. So at the test recording, I tried doing his "Hey, Keroro!" [in a high-pitched voice], but sound director [Yota] Tsuruoka-san said, "Do it in your usual voice!" And in my head, I was like, "Huh...? How...?" and looked around at my fellow actors. Kuu-chan [Watanabe] encouraged me, saying "It's okay! He'll sound good if you do your usual." Thanks to that, I shook off my jitters and handled the recording well.

--The original characters in the new movie, Aruru and Deruru, are voiced by Jesse-san of SixTONES. What were your impressions when you heard his acting? [TLN: Warning that this where they start discussing some movie plot spoilers! Though if you follow the official Keroro social media, you might've seen some of this already even though I've been deliberately holding off on clip reporting for now...]

Watanabe: When we were recording, Jesse-san's voice had already been applied to the footage, and I was shocked by how talented he was. I thought it would be difficult to voice Keronian characters rather than Pekoponian [Earthling/human] characters to begin with, but not only are they main characters in the new movie, he was tasked with playing two roles at once, so I figured it would be a considerable challenge to pull off. Even so, Jesse-san did a splendid job voicing both new characters. In particular, [his character's] interactions with Kururu, his old friend and rival, really stood out as a dramatic scene in a script full of zany moments.

Kozakura: There were several moments for Kururu that showed him getting fired up for a change and being cool or going through a hard time. Kururu's voice actor, [Takehito] Koyasu-san, was unusually serious too.

Nakata: Well, Koyasu-san always gives it his all! (laughs) But this time was different—you could tell he knew he had to sound cool and put a lot of force behind it.

Kozakura: For the dialogue between Kururu and Aruru, Koyasu-san was performing along to already recorded footage with Jesse-san's voice. There was a scene where—and this is rare for him—he requested to do a retake, saying he couldn't match Jesse-san's performance well enough. It was really surprising to see Koyasu-san's unexpectedly earnest side!

Watanabe: Kururu and Koyasu-san both put their best foot forward when push comes to shove.

Nakata: It was amazing how Jesse-san really captured the traits of Keronians even though this was his first time recording for Keroro Gunso, wasn't it? Watching him really bring about Aruru and Deruru's characters in the videos of him recording was fun. Considering they were major characters, he pulled off the roles well.

--There are many references to other works scattered about the new movie. What are your thoughts on those parodies?

Watanabe: I'm a big fan of Director Fukuda's movie HK / Hentai Kamen. The eccentric concept of a macho tough guy main character running around wearing women's underwear as a mask was a home run with me personally. It was an honor to be in a movie together with the actor.

Kozakura: I love Hero Yoshihiko. I actually appeared in it myself playing the role of Killer Cat. It made me really happy to see the Yoshihiko party come in for Keroro Gunso, and it felt like a funny twist of fate. It's a highlight of this movie to see the voices of characters from "Team Fukuda's" works be performed by their original actors, and in the Hero Yoshihiko scene, a Buddha character played by Jiro Sato-san appears. You should pay close attention to how Jiro-san's particular brand of acting translates to anime.

Nakata: I have to say that the cat youkai from that "certain youkai anime" in the early parts of the movie left a really strong impression on me. They really came out swinging with this movie! (laughs) There are a ton of different references to works that any anime fan or tokusatsu fan would recognize, so when I read the script for the first time, I worried if they were really allowed to do this (laughs).

--It sounds like the movie is chock full of highlights, but what scenes stood out to you all in particular?

Kozakura: I like the scene featuring Kururu and Aruru's student days, where they strangely seemed to get along pretty well even though neither appears to have much interest in other people. This is the first time Kururu has really starred in a movie-scale story, and I think it was worth seeing. Also, the interactions between Kururu and Saburo, who are featured on the [back] cover of this month's PASH!, were pretty good too. Even when they're just cracking jokes, you can feel their strong bond. This is a must-see for Kururu and Saburo fans!

Watanabe: I liked Keroro and Fuyuki's interactions. No matter how much happens, Fuyuki is always the person who understands Keroro the best, and Keroro trusts Fuyuki with all his heart. Seeing them work together to overcome hardship just plain tugged at my heartstrings. I also really liked the part where, at a critical moment, Keroro orders, "Keroro Platoon, assemble!" and the other members all follow along. This scene plays out in the big fight against Aruru and Deruru, of course, so it really gets your blood pumping.

Nakata: This time, whenever a character makes their first appearance, there's a pause in the action to briefly explain who they are. And the movie starts with Keroro building Gunpla, climaxes with Keroro and Fuyuki joining forces to overcome a challenge, and ends with everyone going back to the Hinata house. I think longtime fans will remember seeing that typical Keroro Gunso movie structure done properly and feel something like the comfort of coming home. There's a sense of chaos that colors the whole movie and so many wacky things happening that you'll have no idea what comes next, but the ending wraps it all up in a nice, cozy blanket. I hope everyone enjoys seeing the abilities of Director Fukuda, who's made many great films, in real time.

And that's it! What a doozy. I hope you liked reading all this insight! If you guys really like it I'll consider digging up some other longer articles because this is not the only one from recent times. But I happen to be off work this week so I had time/energy to put a couple hours into an interview and oftentimes I don't xD

[tamamatango]

New Keroro Fan Club Q&A! Ask the KeroMus Platoon Cast!

Just announced (literally like 20 minutes ago): Keroro Fan Club is doing another* Q&A session! This time with the five Keroro Platoon cast members from the musical: Shogo Tamura (Keroro), Shion Otomo (Tamama), Ryono Kusachi (Giroro), Haruki Kiyama (Kururu), and Shin Tamura (Dororo). I don’t really have anything to ask personally, so I’ll be taking your suggestions once again, followers! We can only ask questions for the next two weeks, so don’t delay! I might though. I am very bad at not delaying.

*Technically this is the third Q&A, as there is also a submissions period that I believe is still ongoing for Fumitoshi Oizaki specifically about Movie 6. But because presumably nobody here has seen it I decided to stay out of that one and keep the playing field level. Unless you have seen it, in which case if you really want to ask a question, let me know. (I would also not be surprised if they just cancel that if the questions are too aggressive…or if they don’t get enough because even Fan Club generally hasn’t been very kind to the movie…)