Animage November 2024 Issue
ft. Miyazawa Yu Interview
(translation below)
Publication: October 10, 2024 (between episode 32-33)
A Cleaner Style
The 3rd Lap is a chaotic development, where the intentions of various people will blend together. Among them, Sakito Homura is attracting the most attention.
Sakito lost both of his parents at an early age and had no one to rely on. When he was around 10 years old, he encountered Byun Diesel, also known as Byundi, and set off to space, where he lived a dangerous life as a cleaner. Although Sakito initially said that he had "abandoned Earth," ever since he bonded with Taiya Hando and the others, he now fights to protect Earth from the Hashiriyans.
Sakito has changed through these new encounters, and it's because of them that he has friends that he can rely on, but he can't ignore Genba Bureki, who's walking his own path of loneliness out of a desire for revenge against Disrace, the one who seized his home planet of Bureki. Sakito, who works on his own as a cleaner, uses this position to approach Genba and attempts to pull him back to the Boonboomgers, sometimes by expressing his own feelings to him.
As a result of Sakito's actions and his interaction with Nijino Akira of Ressha Sentai ToQger, Genba's stubborn feelings begin to change.
The day when the six Boonboomger members once again fight side by side isn't that far off.
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-The distance between me and Byundi isn't the same as close friends or brothers-
"After passing through the 2nd Lap, Sakito's become a familiar face, and we think his personality and position, which is independent of the other Boonboomgers, make him a unique character in the show."
Miyazawa: Even before filming, I wanted Sakito's character to find a balance between those three - the calm Taiya and Ishiro and the mysterious Genba, and those cheerful two - Mira and Jou, so that he could go either way. So, I tried to make him two faced, or rather, it was important to give him the calmness that comes from having nearly 20 years of experience working as a cleaner in space, and the childishness that comes from having left Earth at the age of 10 to live freely. I still have trouble raising and lowering the excitement between those two roles, but I'm trying to make that part of my performance bring out Sakito's best qualities.
"We were impressed by how child like you sometimes act, but that was a conscious part of your performance, right?"
Miyazawa: That's right. He knows about space, so he acts as a commentator, but he also screws around, so it's convenient for the comedic parts (laughs). Lately, I've been trying to express that kind of growth in him, like how he's looking at things more calmly now that a few months have passed, compared to how excited he used to be when he first came back to Earth.
"In the 3rd Lap, Sakito has more scenes with Genba, who had left Boonboomger."
Miyazawa: Sakito has Byundi by his side, but I think that because of his past experiences, he's lived his life without relying on others, believing that he has to do things on his own. In the fight with Taiya in episode 18, he also spoke about his disillusionment and resignation toward adults. This overlaps with the current Genba, who's outlook has become narrow due to wanting to take his planet back. Sakito himself felt that he could grow with the help of the Boonboomgers, and in his own clumsy way, I'm sure he wants to pass on his experiences to Genba, even if only alittle, and do something about it. For Sakito's reaction to hearing Genba say, "This is my only shot," after sumo wrestling with him in episode 32, I wanted to express the conflict of, "Is it really impossible to persuade him any further?," so I consulted Director Nakazawa-san about it.
"The Suit Actor for BoonViolet after the Change is Tsutamune Masato-san."
Miyazawa: Not only do I talk alot with Tsuta-san, but we also copy each other's performances. We've never had the opportunity to perform our roles together before, so I was abit worried, thinking, "Is this gonna be okay?," but the fact that we were able to build a good relationship right from the start was good for creating Sakito's character.
"Something indispensable for Sakito is the existence of his partner Byundi."
Miyazawa: Byundi's his partner who's been through some difficult times together, Sakito can talk to him about anything, and if something happens to the other, they immediately rush over. Figuratively speaking, he's like an older brother to Sakito, so while I'm conscious of their brotherly relationship in my performance, in terms of the distance between them, he's not his brother, best friend, or even a parent. Having a relationship like these two where you're together all year round is unusual, isn't it? That's why I think Byundi's existence is unique and special.
"What kind of conversations do you have on set with Takada Masashi-san, Byundi's Suit Actor, when it comes to expressing the relationship of those two?"
Miyazawa: I wanted to realistically portray the perfect harmony between Sakito and Byundi, or rather, what it's probably been like since Sakito was little, so I've talked about alot of things with Takada-san. Like, when he sat on Byundi's tire as a chair in episode 24, or when he watched the battle between the Aori Family and the Hashiriyans on Byundi's legs in episode 29. For improv like that, I consult with Takada-san, who tells me places where I can hop on with, "This is a good spot," but also adds more ideas.
"What's your impression of Hanae Natsuki-san, the voice behind Byundi?"
Miyazawa: I've watched Hanae-san do post recording multiple times, and have also had the chance to talk with him. Hanae-san always manages to skillfully "train" for my performances, and he improvises quite abit. In the baseball scene in episode 23, when he was cheering for Sakito, he kept saying, "Sa-ki-to!" (laughs). During recording of the scenes between BoonViolet and Byundi, when I record first, I'll think about how I'll interact with him, and when Hanae-san records, I think about how I'll respond while watching Tsuta-san's movements. I thought a relationship like this was wonderful. It's not often that you get the chance to work so closely with tokusatsu professionals like Tsuta-san and Takada-san, and Voice Actor professionals like Hanae-san, so I've been taking in alot from them through this experience.
-A decisive battle with the Cannonborg, I also carried Tsutamune-san's feelings on my shoulders-
"In episode 32, the most recently aired episode, from "Ressha Sentai ToQger," Suzuki Right's Shison Jun-san and Nijino Akira's Nagahama Shin-san made guest appearances."
Miyazawa: I worked with Nagahama-san during filming and Shison-san during post recording, and while both of them are senior Sentai members, above all else, they're senior actors, so it was a great honor for me to costar with them. Still, I also thought, "I absolutely can't lose." Sakito himself isn't the type to get carried away just because some seniors came along. Both of them took on all of our acting, so I went into it with the feeling of "I'm gonna give it my all."
"In a positive way, there was a sense of rivalry."
Miyazawa: Yeah, it was one sided though (laughs). I did feel alittle frustrated because I could see the difference in our abilities, but I also received tons of positive encouragement.
"So far, which episodes are you particularly attached to?"
Miyazawa: It would have to be episode 25, that was one of the turning points for Sakito, and it left a deep impression on me. How would I show the change in Sakito, who used to say, "I'll give this planet to Hashiriyans," through his involvement with Boonboomgers? While doing it I was thinking, "If Sakito and BoonViolet can't liven things up, then this episode will be ruined." Just from the script, I was especially excited about him using the weapons everyone gave him in the battle against Cannonborg, and I thought Tsuta-san would definitely do some cool action, so I went to observe filming to get a better idea of what to expect during post recording. On set, Tsuta-san was speaking BoonViolet's lines, and I could really feel his emotions through them. In order to convey Sakito's feelings for the Boonboomgers and Earth, I tried to use my voice with as much passion, if not more, as Tsuta-san's actions, and for the first time ever, I was sweating during post recording. I also wanted to show Sakito's innocence in the fireworks scene at the end.
"It truly was a scene that showed Sakito's gap."
Miyazawa: I was like, "You were so cool defending Earth, and now you're all hyped up about some festival!" (laughs). Still, I believe that the build up of those efforts has led to his current development.
"Are there any situations you'd like to play as Sakito in the future?"
Miyazawa: I personally feel like, "Please let me do whatever I want!," but if I were to list them all in detail, there'd be no end in sight……However, I wonder what'll happen to Sakito at the end of Boonboomger's story. Sakito's current goal is crushing the Hashiriyans, but unlike the other Boonboomgers, he doesn't have a goal like competing in the Big Bang Grand Prix. I also wonder what kind of answer he'll give on whether he chooses to stay on Earth, to which he's grown increasingly attached to, or to return to space where his cleaner acquaintances are. I'm really looking forward to the moment when I find out how Sakito feels after achieving his goal.
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Q: What's your favorite manga/anime?
I've watched a variety of things, like "Kimetsu no Yaiba," which features Hanae-san in it, but if there's one work that I really like, it's "ONE PIECE." I've read the original story in Shonen Jump magazines, and have participated in the card game tournaments (laughs). For characters, I like Eustass Kid and Charlotte Katakuri so much, that I put them in my card game deck. Kid is cool in that he's a madman with a surprisingly passionate side, and Katakuri, despite being a villain, is very compassionate…….Perhaps it's because they both have something in common with Sakito that I'm even more fond of them. (-Miyazawa)
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Transcript of a Cleaner
Sakito, along with Byundi, have been cleaning up trouble as the best cleaners in the universe. Here's a glimpse of how they've been taking care of things on Earth.
Delivery of the Legendary Sword
Client: The Hashiriyan Family
His delivery to Cannonborg was his first job on Earth. Later, in order to pay off his debt to the Boonboomgrs and allow Byundi to meet Bundorio, he disposed of Sword Grumer, the legendary sword that had mutated.
Disposal of the Boonboomgers
Client: Cannonborg
He was left with no other choice but to take on the job after his precious trading cards was stolen. However, he withdrew from the request because Cannonborg involved Kakeru, his old friend and the owner of the card, and his family.
Fighting with the Boonboomgers
Client: Taiya Hando
Out of anger for putting Kakeru in harm's way, he accepted this request from Taiya immediately after breaking things off with the Hashiriyans. Since then, he's rushed to join the Boonboomgers in their battles against the Hashiriyans.
Disposal of Cannonborg
Client: The Boonboomgers
The only way to prevent Jackie Hoi Hoi's reactivation, is for Sakito, the fastest of the six, to stop Cannonborg. Sakito hunted down Cannonborg with the weapons entrusted to him by his friends.
Support for the Spy Job
Client: Ishiro Meita
At the request of the ISA, Ishiro was trying to retrieve an item from the Aori Family. Sakito took things upon himself to help out, and together with Byundi, they attracted the attention of the Aori Family and assisted him in his work.
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