Animage January 2024 Issue
ft. Kaku So Interview
(translation below)
Publication: December 8, 2023 (between episodes 39-40)
"By any means necessary!"
Kaguragi Dybowski, lord of Toufu, the country of abundance, has the belief of, "We'll protect the country by any means necessary!"
Two years ago, as Gira and Racules Husty opposed each other, he cleverly used his words against the two of them. The king of N'Kosopa, Yanma Gast, accurately summed him up as, "Someone who's neither on one side or the other. However, he's trustworthy."
Kaguragi was just a simple farmer before ascending the throne, but 17 years ago, the death of Toufu's former lord, Iroki, was the turning point that changed him. Faced against Iroki, who was revived through the ability of Grodie, one of the Uchu Five Jesters, Kaguragi confronts her with the truth that she's been hiding in her heart. In order to protect Toufu's future, and hide the fact that Grodie mixed poison into Toufu's rice, Iroki plays the role of a villain who has monopolized the food supply, and attempts to entrust everything to Kaguragi. He is willing to get his hands dirty in order to protect his country and people. Kaguragi's way of being a lord was something he inherited from Iroki.
Kaguragi is once again determined to take the dirtiest road ahead. True to his words, while participating in the Royal Sentai's plan to recapture N'Kosopa, he cooperates with Racules, who has become a servant of the Uchu King. When Gira and Racules face each other again, who will Kaguragi lend his hand to?
-Kaguragi's humanity, brought out by his younger sister Suzume-
"King-Ohger has finally entered the fourth quarter (end of year broadcasts)"
Kaku: Wow, it all really happened so fast. When we were filming the pilot (episodes 1-5), it felt like a long time since I was nervous and unfamiliar with everything, but now, I enjoy the set so much that I think, "I don't want this to end" and, "I want to keep doing this for the rest of my life." The story is interesting, and I feel that I've been involved in a truly wonderful production. It was also good experience for me as an actor to play the same role for a year, and learn how to think about a character that's different from myself.
"Starting from the second chapter, there are more scenes where you interact with the other kings, but is there anything you consider to be important when expressing these relationships?"
Kaku: It was impressive that his relationship with Hymeno grew during the body swap episode, but even now, he doesn't have that many conversations with the other kings. I think there's more involvement with Racules. Still, I want to create a feeling that we're gradually getting closer, and that we acknowledge each other, rather than just being able to talk in a casual manner. Even now, the people of Toufu may still be the most important people for Kaguragi, but I think he's become the bigger man, someone who's concerned about the other countries and tries to protect the people living outside of Toufu. I'm mindful of such changes in Kaguragi.
"In the dialogue with Racules, who was mentioned earlier, the profound feeling that you wouldn't expect from Nichi Asa (Super Hero Time) became a hot topic."
Kaku: They're both planning something, and although they don't fully reveal their intentions, they're working together because they have mutual interests. His relationship with Racules is interesting to play, and it's alot of fun playing catch up with Yano-chan. As for Racules, there'll be more developments in the future that you can't afford to miss, so please continue to keep an eye on him.
"Other people who are closely related to Kaguragi include his younger sister Suzume and his retainer Kuroda. What do you keep in mind when interacting with them?"
Kaku: When in front of Suzume, I think it's his own fault that he can't help but show his true feelings of affection for his little sister. Kaguragi is surprised at how weirdly he's treated, and the feeling of being swayed by a younger sister who's different from Kaguragi's manipulative side I perform in a way that makes it look as funny as possible. Thanks to Suzume, I have the impression that Kaguragi's humanity has come out, and I feel very grateful for her character. As for Kuroda, when his name changed from "Kuroda-san" to "Kuroda" in episode 10, I asked Kanzaki Hajime-san, who plays Kuroda, "I wonder what the relationship is between the two of them." We've played our roles with the understanding that they've been friends for a long time, and when their pasts were revealed in episode 37, I thought, "So that's it."
"In the flashback scenes of episode 37, you played Kaguragi from the past."
Kaku: That's right. Because it was Kaguragi from before he became a backstabber, I was very careful about acting honestly. I actually wanted to lose some muscle for the role, but it was alittle too much to do in one or two weeks (laughs). For episode 37, the biggest surprise was the fact that Iroki was actually a good guy. In my mind, I imagined that Kaguragi was influenced by the people of Toufu and decided, "I have no choice but to do it myself" and killed Iroki. I didn't expect such a complicated backstory, so when I read the script, I was shocked. From the first movie in which Iroki appeared, the script's ability to draw out the words, "This was said there, so I can connect it this way" and bring them to a good Iroki was excellent.
"We think that Iroki reappearing in the first place was a surprise for many fans."
Kaku: I think it's really great that Iroki-san, or rather Hinagata Akiko-san has appeared again. I was nervous about us performing together, but it was alot of fun. I was fascinated by her range of acting, from the scary and bewitching Iroki, to the gentle and cute Iroki. I learned alot from her.
-Are Kaguragi's clothes incompatible with weapons?!-
"Please tell us about some of the most memorable interactions with Teramoto Shogo-san, who plays HachiOhger after the transformation."
Kaku: Even when he isn't playing HachiOhger, Tera-chan comes to the set to support me, so we often talk about Kaguragi and HachiOhger. Tera-chan is concerned about the height difference between us, so he tries to match my height by wearing platform boots. When I was worried that HachiOhger's fighting style didn't match Kaguragi's character, I said, "I like fighting styles that incorporate Japanese elements, so I want it to be performed like that." In episode 37, there was a scene where I consulted with Tera-chan about what kind of line delivery would be best. HachiOhger has some interesting movements. During the dubbing, I thought about whether I could do shouts that were different from the usual ones, such as "Un!" or "Hah!", so that viewers would pay attention to the action.
"In episodes 32 and 33, there were lengthy action scenes as Kaguragi, at that time, did you receive any advice from Teramoto-san?"
Kaku: Tera-chan came up with the idea for that sword fight! If I separate myself from HachiOhger's fighting style, I won't be able to maintain consistency, and I wanted to know how to make the action cool, so we had a close discussion about it. At first, I was worried and afraid that I might get hurt, so I couldn't attack my opponent or do a proper attack. However, Tera-chan taught me, "Your opponent's are also good at receiving attacks, so it's better to keep your arms fully extended," and I think that's how things turned out in the end.
"We remember being surprised when watching the broadcast, not thinking that you'd be able to perform such big, flashy movements in those clothes."
Kaku: Ah, well, I'm used to it (laughs). At that time, I remember being surprised that my wig came off during the action. Kaguragi's clothes have pretty long sleeves, and they often get caught on the OhgerCalibur, so they don't work well together. Especially when they get caught on KuwagataOhgers trigger (laughs). So, instead of simply slashing to avoid getting my sleeves caught, I performed parrying movements.
"Other than Kaguragi, if you had to choose your favorite character, who would it be?"
Kaku: It would be…..It's hard to choose one, since everyone including the retainers are good characters, I like them all. I watched the idol episode (episode 38), so I guess it's been Rita recently. That difference is too good…..I'm now wondering how the viewers will react to that episode (it hasn't aired at the time of this interview). What will they think when watching……because I'm exhausted just trying to pick it apart (laughs).
"That episode is the one where everyone is reading too much into Rita's behavior (laughs)."
Kaku: That's true, I wonder what the truth is. I think it'll be an interesting episode with that in mind. Ah, but, since idol Rita will appear in the preview during the upcoming Toufu episode, they'll be the one taking over the Twitter trends……poor Kaguragi……in that case, I won't pick Rita as my favorite character (laughs). I'll choose Yanma, who's a cool guy from a man's point of view, and someone you can leave things to with peace of mind.
"Let's go with that (laughs). Please tell us about some of the most memorable episodes that have been broadcast so far."
Kaku: For me, it's episode 37, I have no choice but to mention the Toufu episode. The story is about Iroki and Kaguragi's past, and how Kaguragi became lord. Kaguragi's been hiding what happened between him and Iroki for a long time, and thought he was going to have to live with it, but he unexpectedly found an opportunity to settle his feelings thanks to the enemy Grodie. Past Kaguragi’s efforts were paid off, and I feel very thankful for this episode. It was a very tiring role for me to play though (laughs). Man, it was difficult!
"It was an important episode because it told the story of Kaguragi's very being."
Kaku: At first, I thought of a performance plan to act in such a way that Kaguragi himself would be at a loss. However, Director Kazuya Kamihoriuchi told me, "It'd be better if you don't show emotion," so I went with his direction. As a result, I think the character of Kaguragi shined more brightly, and I have nothing but gratitude for the Director.
"Finally, please tell us about some future highlights."
Kaku: From this point on, it's a series of twists and turns, and the fate of Gira and Racules and the hotly anticipated development showing a resolution will be portrayed! Fans of the two of them shouldn't miss it, and Kaguragi will also be playing a very "standard" role among them. I encourage you to watch until the final episode!
_
Question to Masato Yano-san! (Racules Husty's Actor)
During the times when he's Shugo Mask, even though Yano-chan's mouth is sticking out, why does he make breathing sounds, or rather, have a raspy voice? (laughs). When he took off the mask, there were even some clicking sounds (laughs). I would like to ask Yano-chan, "What do you think?" in regards to the mechanics of it. Also, as I mentioned in the cast blog on the official site, there was a round of applause after Racules's speech scene, and it felt like everyone was in attendance. I would like to once again say, "Welcome home" and "I'm so glad you're back." (-Kaku)
Questions from Hirakawa Yuzuki-san! (Rita Kaniska's Actor)
Q: How does Kaguragi sneak around without anyone noticing? How do you think he takes care of his long silky hair?
In addition to the optical camouflage of his haori, I guess he also studied the art of tip toeing and other ninja skills. He's also good at disguises. Honestly, I really don't know (laughs). In my opinion, Kaguragi's hair has a rough, permed look to it, and I believe that he grew it out intentionally to give off the dignity of a lord. If he were to take care of it, I feel like he'd leave it up to the people clad in black while he soaks in the bathtub. Kaguragi doesn't seem to take care of his own hair (laughs). (-Kaku)
was casually listening to so kaku’s (kaguragi) twitter space while i was drawing, so here's some fun kingohger related + personal questions he answered that i noted down and translated!
(unfortunately i didn't record the stream though so you’ll just have to believe me)
(source: bro just trust me)
Q: who’s your favorite king in kingohger?
probably yanma. he’s very cool and manly, and i like how high energy he gets
Q: do you guys come up with the kingohger tiktoks yourselves?
we have a social media manager who suggests which audio to do, and we (the actors) decide how we'll act it out together
Q: anyone from the cast you talk to/hang out with the most?
all of them, but maybe because we’re shooting a lot of scenes with jeremy right now recently i talk to masashi ikeda a lot
Q: does kaguragi know what kuroda looks like?
oh but of course he does~!
Q: what's your favorite sentai?
dairanger! it's such a cool show
Q: a question from my 5 yr old son: does kaguragi like flowers? he says he wants to go flower picking with kaguragi
ahh, flower picking, how nice! yes, kaguragi likes flowers!
Q: does kaguragi have a favorite place?
he does, but i can't say what it is yet. there’s a really good scene (about it) so look forward to that
Q: how much of kaguragi’s hair is a wig? also how long does the hair and makeup take?
the entire thing is a wig. it used to take a lot longer to get into hair and makeup, but the makeup artists have gotten used to it/have gotten better at it so the process is a lot faster now, which i’m really grateful for
Q: i heard shiokara's actor does a lot of adlibs. do you do that a lot as kaguragi too?
“sukonbu piiman” (”sour konbu peppers”, kaguragi mishearing “sukopi”) was an adlib
Q: are kaguragi's geta (wooden sandals) hard to walk in?
it was at first, but i've gotten used to it now
Q: what’s your favorite anime?
code geass, gurren lagann, higurashi no naku koro ni. i like intense anime
Q: favorite musician?
BUMP OF CHICKEN
Q: favorite flower?
pansies
Q: favorite food?
curry, sushi, and yakiniku
Q: i love how hachi ohger incorporates kabuki movements in his fighting style. what's your relationship with kabuki?
i really like kabuki. it wasn’t a traditional kabuki production but when i was younger i saw a performance of “super kabuki” and thought it was really cool. as for kaguragi/hachi ohger, the suit actors and i would watch videos of kabuki actors and try to mimic their movements.
Q: we want to see the fruits of your (muscle) training!! please let kaguragi wear a tank top!!
hopefully we get to do a scene like that hahaha
Q: do you look up your name online?
i do... so please don’t say mean things about me ;w;
Q: what's kaguragi's favorite vegetable? my nephew who’s growing vegetables at home would like to know!
wow! kaguragi would love anything homegrown. but maybe in particular he likes tomatoes, or eggplants
Q: what’s your favorite thing about kaguragi’s outfit?
the haori (coat), definitely. it’s when i put it on that i really feel like i’ve transformed into kaguragi. but the outfit weighs 5 kilos... so heavy...
Q: tell us about the "H" incident
the what....? *suddenly remembers* OHHHH HAHAHA
so during the roll call scene in episode 10 where aoto (yanma) said "eichi no ou, yanma gasuto! (king of wisdom, yanma gast!)" i thought he said "eichi" as in the latin letter “H” (in japanese, H = hentai/ecchi, in other words he thought yanma said he was “the king of perverts/sex” LOL)
Q: what's kaguragi's color? (asking for light stick reasons since there’s no black color setting on a light stick)
it's orange, i'm pretty sure!
END
i joined in kinda late so there’s probably some questions i missed (and sorry if i remembered some details wrong, i was multitasking and not fully focused, but i did take simple notes) he also talked abt things like how he plays valorant and how great his muscle training is going etc (he lamented that kaguragi wears so much clothing and he doesn’t get to show off his muscles lol). i think i remember he also teased something about kaguragi and rita as a duo and something ~maybe~ happening with them in the plot
it was his first time hosting a twitter space and he gave off very boomer energy because he had No idea what he was doing. people kept trying to help him understand how to let in other speakers but he gave up lol xD he was kind of nervous but it was still a lot of fun! himeno and shiokara’s actors were there too, and he might do a twt space with the both of them next time ^^
