#tono

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Pachirisu -- tono

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Illus. tono

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Interesante, ¿eh?

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Animage, April 2026 Issue ft. Fuyuno Mio x Iuchi Haruhi Interview (translation below)

Publication: March 10, 2026

The Ultimate and Strongest VS!!

As a result of the universe fusion initiated by Universe No One, numerous parallel universes, including the world of the Gozyugers and world of the Boonboomgers, began to merge together. As the impact begins to manifest in various locations, Taiya Hando (BoonRed), who had been battling the Kurumaju Galaxy Circuit Grumer, encounters Tono Hoeru (GozyuWolf). Meanwhile, as the Gozyugers are fighting against Universe No One, Hoeru appears before them with the personality of a completely different person……

The newest installment in the VS series, which features the crossover between two grand Super Sentai teams, is finally screening in theaters. The Gozyugers, who competed to become Number One in order to make their wishes come true, and the Boonboomgers, a team of professionals each with their own area of expertise, are teams whose members are among the most distinct characters in Super Sentai history. A truly "cranked up" collaboration where unique personalities clash against one another is depicted throughout the entire film.

The Gozyugers and Boonboomgers learn that as the universe fusion progresses, the world will collapse. Combine your strength for the sake of protecting all worlds, Super Sentai! _

Fuyuno Mio (Hoeru) x Iuchi Haruhi (Taiya)

-With Hoeru being "abandoned," does Taiya convey the presence of a senior? Hoeru of the Light-

"Please tell us your impressions after you read the script for this production."

Iuchi: First, it had been a long time since I'd seen the characters for "BoonRed" and "Taiya Hando" written in a script, and it's such an important role to me, so I was really happy. However, I was basically working separately from all of the other Boonboomgers. Part of the reason was that the Boonboomgers have grown and are capable of working on their own now, but I did feel really lonely since we didn't get to talk much on set.

"Were you able to get back into Taiya as soon as you got on set?"

Iuchi: Because I had played a completely different role in between then, I was initially worried that I wouldn't be able to remember, so I rewatched clips from the main series and reread the scripts, including the ones for the FLT. However, once I entered the set, with Director Nakazawa and the same staff members from Boonboomger surrounding me, I was able to get back into it quicker than I had expected. It felt like home, or like I was returning to my parents house, as I felt a sense of security.

Fuyuno: I was shocked by how well behaved and radiant Hoeru was (he'll be referred to as Light Hoeru going forward). The Producer had gently warned me that "it's gonna be something like this," but when I actually saw it, he was more eccentric than I had imagined (laughs). I was going to play a character who's narcissistic, says pretentious things, and acts like a gentleman, which are qualities I don't possess, so I thought it'd be really tough.

"How did you approach developing your role as Light Hoeru?"

Fuyuno: I would sometimes wonder if the ideal image Hoeru had of himself was actually of Light Hoeru, but since they're completely different characters, for the time being, I decided to abandon the Hoeru I'd been playing up until then and approach it with the mindset that I was playing a totally different role. Since there was absolutely nothing in common between me and him, I also made a conscious effort to remove my own personality as much as I could.

"Did you go over anything with Director Nakazawa regarding your portrayal of Light Hoeru?"

Fuyuno: On set, I was often told to correct my posture. I usually play Hoeru with somewhat sluggish vibes, and there were countless times where I'd be hunched over without even realizing it. Light Hoeru also had alot of post recording scenes, but not only were his lines different from the way Hoeru usually delivers them, his gestures were unique as well. I couldn't match it up at all, as it felt like I was just barely managing to keep up, so it was really tough. I wanted to convey an overwhelming sense of power for Saint GozyuWolf, so I was careful not to overdo it with my voice.

"This was your first time working together since episodes 1 and 2 of Gozyuger, where Iuchi-san played the role of Tsutsumi Natsume, but how was it working together again after almost a year?"

Iuchi: Nothing changed in terms of my scenes with Hoeru, but I'm guessing it was the complete opposite from his perspective.

Fuyuno: It was completely different. Having been influenced by my impression of Natsume Tsutsumi, when I saw Taiya Hando, I genuinely thought, "He's so cool!" It's evident from his lines, but he carries the presence of a reliable leader.

Iuchi: That makes me happy (he smiles shyly). Thank you very much!

"How did you envision portraying the relationship between Hoeru and Taiya?"

Iuchi: As Taiya, I was conscious of how to guide Hoeru. While Taiya can be pushy at times, he'd never actually force anyone into doing anything, and he doesn't simply drag people along, as he also shows kindness by encouraging them to "stand up on their own." I was thinking about how to express that, and "how I'd get this across to Hoeru" while we were working on it. That was something Sakai-san and Gira did for me last year in VS King-Ohger, so I was really focused on how I'd be the one giving back this time.

Fuyuno: In the scenes where he's interacting with Taiya, Hoeru's mostly in a depressed mood. I tried to convey that sense of negativity while also making sure to genuinely take in Taiya's words.

"From Iuchi-san's perspective, has your impression of Fuyuno-san changed?"

Iuchi: I was also told the same thing after my year had passed, but seeing how his posture and demeanor had changed, I really felt like "he was a hero." Also, he started talking to me on set (laughs).

Fuyuno: That's right (laughs).

Iuchi: It was the film shoot for the first episode, so he must've been nervous, but for me, since it overlapped with Boonboomger's endgame, my mind was completely preoccupied with how to switch between roles. I do remember us having surface level conversations like, "Being a hero, it's tough, isn't it?" (laughs).

Fuyuno: Things like, "Where's your hometown?"

Iuchi: Right, right (laughs). It made me really happy that we were able to talk about more personal things this time around.

Fuyuno: I was also on edge a year ago, so this time, I thought it'd be nice to show how much I had grown too, but I was genuinely looking forward to acting alongside the Boonboomgers and Taiya Hando. On set, Iuchi-san shared some stories about the Boonboomger cast members, which really made me feel how close they are, and their transformation scenes were also really cool.

-Exact Opposite No.1?! Two teams with contrasting "colors"-

"Which scene did you put the most effort into while performing?"

Iuchi: While the other members had both action and lively scenes where they weren't transformed, Taiya had many scenes where he was interacting with Hoeru. Taiya is a role where composure is vital, so I'd usually convey that through things like in the way he walks, but since there were so many dialogue scenes this time, I really had to think about how to convey that sense of composure.

Fuyuno: The part where he's guided by Taiya to stand up and face the enemy was the one I put all my strength into. It was the same for his lines too, but there's also the moment where he bites back, and that scene best captured Hoeru's character.

"Over the past year, Hoeru's been making all sorts of "I'm XX Number One!" claims, and this film also featured a particularly impactful number one moment, didn't it?"

Fuyuno: That's right. I didn't really understand what I was saying with that line (laughs), but then I was like, "Ah, I never thought of it that way!," which surprised me. It was really amazing.

"Other than the ones you'll be appearing in, which scenes are you looking forward to seeing in the completed film?"

Iuchi: I'm beyond excited for Light Hoeru's performance (laughs). Ever since I read the script, I've been thinking, "Fuyuno-san, how are you gonna pull this off?" and, "This would be incredibly difficult for me."

Fuyuno: No, you're right.

Iuchi: I (Taiya) didn't get to see any of the scenes with Light Hoeru in his untransformed state, but when I watched the Suit Actor do his post transformation performance, it was so different, that I thought he was playing a completely different character. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Fuyuno-san performed Light Hoeru's manner of speaking and gestures.

Fuyuno: I'm really looking forward to the scene where the Gozyugers and Boonboomgers are lined up together, as well as the interactions between the characters other than Hoeru and Taiya. I wasn't able to greet him on set, but BoukenRed's Takahashi-san is a senior at my agency. I'm very grateful that he agreed to appear in this, and am curious to see how the scenes he appeared in turned out.

"This time, it was a team up between the two Red members, but if you could work together with the other Gozyuger or Boonboomger members, who would you like to team up with?"

Iuchi: From the very beginning, Hoeru was the one I wanted to work with the most. Despite having somewhat mischievous vibes and being a lone wolf, which are qualities similar to Sakito's, he's a character unlike anyone in Boonboomger. Aside from Hoeru, it'd be Kumade Mashiro. Out of all the Gozyugers, I personally feel that his arrogance is abit similar to Taiya's, so I'd like to see what would happen if they got involved with each other.

Fuyuno: I like the way BoonOrange pronounces "Orange" when he does his roll call.

Iuchi: Yeah (laughs).

Fuyuno: Genba's gentle, but there's something about him that makes him seem abit unapproachable, where he has a certain aura about him, so I'm curious to see how Hoeru would interact with him. Also, I wonder how Hoeru would respond to a character as incredibly cheerful as BoonPink.

Iuchi: He'd be at the mercy of Mira.

Fuyuno: Ah, really?

Iuchi: Mira always does the unexpected, and she's the only one who Taiya's easily swayed by. It'd be interesting to see her interact with Hoeru.

"We hope that materializes someday! Regarding your own Sentai, please tell us what you think makes yours unbeatable compared to other Sentai and why it's number one."

Iuchi: In terms of our roles, I think we're unbeatable when it comes to teamwork. Just like how Taiya is a Deliverer, this Sentai is made up of professionals, with each of their titles relating to their area of expertise, so they can work independently, but when they're all together, they become even more powerful. Speaking of the actors, we're such good friends that even back on set, the staff would constantly ask us, "Why are you guys so close?" We still meet up to this day, and sometimes the whole group gets together, so I guess that's one area where we're unbeatable.

Fuyuno: Yeah……our guys don't get along with each other, huh?

Iuchi: The way you phrased it (laughs).

Fuyuno: We're number one at walking down our own paths (laughs). Everyone has their own core values, like, "This is what I want to become" or "This is how I want to be," and I think that stubbornness and assertiveness is what makes the Gozyugers so great, and what makes them unbeatable.

"Finally, please tell us again the key points you'd like us to focus on in the film."

Iuchi: Now that the main series has ended, one of the highlights is seeing how the Boonboomgers have grown, building on the experiences they had during VS King-Ohger and the FLT. As Mira said in her dialogue, I think this will be a film where we can fully showcase "this is Boonboomger!" to everyone, not just to those who have been supporting Boonboomger, but also to the children and adults who started watching with Gozyuger. It'd make me happy if you'd look forward to that.

Fuyuno: A point to watch out for is the various elements of Hoeru's appearance and the chemistry that occurs when the Gozyugers and Boonboomgers interact. I hope you'll watch it while imagining all the possible ways these two Super Sentai might interact and what might happen, and I also hope you'll simply enjoy seeing the Gozyugers and Boonboomgers teaming up. Please make sure to go see it in theaters!

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初夏の遠野