#tachibana-san is her favorite and not rita??? 😡

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Animage November 2023 Issue ft. Murakami Erica Interview (translation below)

Publication: October 10, 2023 (between episodes 32-33)

"I'll do as I want and follow my own path!"

Hymeno Ran, the young queen of Ishabana and a remarkable doctor, is extremely selfish. Although Hymeno sometimes acts out of the ordinary, for her, being selfish is a way of life to get what she wants.

Her aesthetics can be seen in the words she once said, "No one can make your wishes come true, only you can make them come true," and, "Dreams, as well as the future, starts with being selfish."

Hymeno's parents were murdered by the perpetrator of the "Wrath of God," and she ascended to the throne at a very young age. As she tries to avenge her parents, she grows and deepens her bonds as she clashes with the kings of other countries.

Rita Kaniska, who tried to seal off "Tranquility Grodie," the culprit behind the Wrath of God, by sacrificing themself, was stopped, and together with Hymeno and the others, were sent to Earth by the Uchu King Dagded Dujardin, a planet with the same name as Chikyu, where the Zyuden Sentai Kyoryugers and Deboth Army were fighting. Not only is it a concern about whether they can safely return, but also the present situation in Chikyu without its kings.

After a fierce battle on Earth, the battle between the Royal Sentai and the Uchu King will advance to a new stage!

-The secret birth of "The muscles that protect people"-

"Please tell us how you're feeling now that we've crossed the halfway point."

Murakami: After interacting with fans at the Summer event, I realized that the opportunities to meet everyone, and the time the 6 of us have together for filming is running out, so now, I'm just trying to cherish the few remaining film shoots we have left. In particular, the trip to Kyushu for the movie campaign was a big part of my life. After spending some private time with everyone for the first time, I realized once again that, "I really do love these members." Since we were all together the whole time, we got along really well, and it felt like we were on a school field trip (laughs). I wanted to give something back to the fans to preserve these memories with them, so I made a conscious effort to take pictures of people other than myself and post them on SNS.

"That might be why the two shot photo of Taisei Sakai-san and Masashi Ikeda-san taken by Murakami-san became a hot topic."

Murakami: That's right! I took it right after the event at TV Asahi, and I felt a sense of responsibility to, "Deliver it to everyone!" (laughs). Posting photos to SNS is a great way for everyone to remember these events, as the photos will be preserved.

"What are you conscious of when expressing the relationships between the other kings?"

Murakami: I think that the current way of thinking is not to go out and fight alone, but to fight together. In the beginning, everyone was strong in their own way, and their own interests came first, so it was difficult to come up with a plan to join forces, but gradually, as the enemy became bigger, I think the mindset changed to one of working together to defeat them. Because we've gained each other's trust, we can now rely on each other in our respective areas of expertise. For Hymeno, such people with whom she can trust and with whom she can be in a mutual relationship with is a valuable thing. The butler Sebastian and the maids are all very lenient with Hymeno, so there's no one at Ishabana who's willing to speak their mind. I think that's why having someone like Rita, who she can honestly call a friend, is a positive thing for her.

"Episode 30, where the truth of the Wrath of God was revealed, was the climax episode of the drama between Hymeno and Rita."

Murakami: For scenes between the two of them, I was impressed by episode 30, where Hymeno excitedly invites Rita to tea when they come to pick up the repaired royal seal. She's developed a deep relationship with Rita over the Wrath of God incident, and since they went out of their way to come see her, I think she may be under the impression that they want to spend time with her. I personally think it would've been cute if she thought, "Hmmm~?, They want to get along, do they? Alright, I'll invite them over then" (laughs).

"We get the impression that, especially in the beginning, Gira and Yanma were always together."

Murakami: That's right. I really like the combination of Gira and Yanma alot, although we haven't seen much of it recently. There's a perfect balance between Gira, who's honest and straightforward, Hymeno, who thinks that she has no choice but to stop him, and Yanma, who gives him ideas. Just like Hymeno and Rita, I think the interesting thing about King-Ohger is that you can see completely different sides of the characters depending on the combination.

"How about Jeramie, who appeared over the course of the story?"

Murakami: I think Hymeno has the impression that he's an amazing guy who's also between the lines (laughs). Like Gira, who's always moving ahead, Jeramie is always in his own little world, and from my point of view is very cute, but for Hymeno, he's more like a troublesome little brother. Hymeno is able to say what she thinks without hesitation, so when Gira uses his evil talk, she says, "I don't understand, translate for me," and she'll cut off Jeramie's story by saying, "Get rid of reading between the lines." On the other hand, Rita and Yanma are reasonable, so they're easy for Hymeno to talk to. She used to not know what Kaguragi was thinking, but I think her impression of him has changed when she learned of his compassionate side when they swapped bodies (episode 28).

"We heard that the dumbbell lifting in the scene where the 6 of you were gathered was improvised."

Murakami: That's right. I was thinking of Kaguragi's line, "For the sake of my people, I'll get my hands dirty," so I said, "The muscles that protect people." Even though he tends to intervene and pushes through with power, I was alittle nervous because there hasn't been any depictions of him doing muscle training. But, since I was given the OK on set and it was aired, I guess it was fine for his character (laughs). Considering the depictions of her dancing, I also thought that Hymeno's inner muscles were well developed and that she'd be able to lift dumbbells.

"It was a scene that you performed after thinking about it logically."

Murakami: Yeah, I already had some ideas in mind. I also consulted with Kaku So-san, and we showed each other how we'd act in our original roles. When Kaku-san told me, "In Kaguragi's case, I think he's planning to use the swap for something," I thought, "I see." That's why I decided to do muscle training to compensate for the lack of outer muscles in Hymeno's body (laughs). I wouldn't have known unless I had become Kaguragi myself, and I felt like I saw a side of Kaku-san that I didn't know before. I felt the pressure to exaggerate and make it interesting without destroying his character, but I think we were able to make that body swap episode happen because we're all friends who can talk about the performance and say, "This is how I want to do it."

-Hymeno's way of life seen through a collaborative effort-

"Is there anything you're conscious of in your interactions with Sebastian and the rest of your entourage?"

Murakami: For Sebas and the head maid Cleo, I try to be natural. I think that Sebas and the others are like family to Hymeno, those she can show her weakness to that she wouldn't show in public, and who she can entrust everything about herself to. Unlike the other kings, who are equals and share their opinions with each other, I often speak to Sebas and my entourage as if I'm throwing them off. In episode 25, Hymeno's decision to go into battle with Sebas and the others was a very serious one for her, as she had lost her family, and I acted with those feelings in mind.

"What are your impressions of KamakiriOhger, played by Suit Actor Sakanashi Yume-san?"

Murakami: She's so cool! I especially loved the scene in episode 27 where she wields the giant sickle. Seeing Yume-san's beautiful and cool actions makes me feel like I can't lose to her, and I get really fired up during the dubbing. While discussing it with Yume-san, I challenged myself with the pre transformation action scenes in episodes 32 and 33, which were done in collaboration with Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger.

"Episodes 32 and 33 were directed by Sakamoto Koichi, who's known for his action direction."

Murakami: It was fun to challenge myself with actions that I put my whole heart and soul into, and everyone else was really cool too! I even performed an Ina Bauer (laughs). In the scene where I fight with the Ohger Calibur, I didn't swing it around quickly, rather, I thought about the sword's center of gravity as I performed. When I was talking with Yume-san, she mentioned that she was conscious of sword driven movements, where the weight of the sword can be felt, so I also wanted to keep that in mind.

"Other than Hymeno, who's your favorite character?"

Murakami: It's Grodie! I love characters who are apathetic but the strongest, like Kiyotaka Ayanokoji from "Classroom of the Elite," or Levi from "Attack on Titan." I especially like characters who are mindless but can do anything, and who think the world is boring because they can do anything. That's why Grodie, who’s despairing of the world but also strong, is exactly what I like, although, for Hymeno, he's someone she can't help but want to perform surgery on (laughs).

"Please tell us about some of the most memorable scenes you've filmed."

Murakami: In episode 33, when Ian called out to Hymeno, she said something really cool in response, and I thought, "What is this line? 100 points!" (laughs). I think it showed Hymeno's idea that she'll live her life on her own terms. I myself will also keep these words in my heart as I live my life. I think that the unique combination of Hymeno and Ian is what made that interaction so interesting.

"We're looking forward to that broadcast! Finally, what are some highlights of future events?"

Murakami: The king's pasts will be depicted during the upcoming battle between the Uchu King and the Five Jesters, so make sure you pay attention to that. And, just as I felt during the movie, you’ll also see the unique aspects of Sentai, where the characters advance together with their friends, and the 6 members work together to face the enemy. Please look forward to seeing how the kings will conquer their extremely overpowered enemies! _

Question to Hirakawa Yuzuki-san! (Rita Kaniska's Actor)

During the tea party with Rita in episode 30, I think I asked them, "Do you like sweets?" I know that Yuzuyan herself really likes Japanese sweets, but I wonder what Rita likes. When I invite Rita to a tea party in the future, if you know what they like, I can prepare it and entertain them. Also, I need help designing a coat for when I go to Gokkan (laughs). I would love to hear Rita's ideas. (-Murakami)

Question from Watanabe Aoto-san! (Yanma Gast's Actor)

Q: What does Hymeno currently think of Yanma?

She didn't pay much attention to Yanma in the beginning, but when he talked about the Wrath of God in episode 7, he gave Hymeno a different perspective and values that she didn't have before, and now she trusts him. That was the first scene where Hymeno had a realization to what someone said to her. But it's not just Yanma that she trust, it's everyone. I want to tell him that. (-Murakami)