“Tanzaburo Higashijima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider” will be broadcast from Saturday, October 4, 2025.
“Because I wanted to be a Kamen Rider'' Tanzaburo Higashijima was a man who seriously wanted to become a “Kamen Rider'' even at the age of 40. Just when he was about to give up on that dream, he got caught up in the “Fake Shocker” robbery that caused a stir… The “serious Kamen Rider play” by adults who love “Kamen Rider”, which is based on the manga by Yoksal Shibata of “Air Master” and “Hachiwan Diver”, is about to begin!
Isekai2nd will deliver interviews with the cast members after each episode airs! In the 7th episode, we asked Soma Saito, who plays Mitsuha Shimamura, about the relationship between the Shimamura siblings.
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Last time here
Talking about the relationship between the Shimamura siblings
–Please tell us your impression of Mitsuha's older brother, Kazuha Shimamura, played by Kenichi Suzumura.
Souma Saito (hereinafter referred to as Saito) who plays Mitsuha Shimamura:I can't think of anyone other than Suzumura to play Kazuha. I think his acting, which seems to be all about Kazuha's V3, is unique.
When I read the original story, I expected her performance to be a little more cool, but Suzumura-san said, “Konishi-san makes a loud voice, so I had no choice but to do it too'' (lol). Even when I was listening to the dubbing, I had the opportunity to co-star with him in various ways, but I felt it was a great luxury to be able to listen to Mr. Suzumura's performance next to me, as he belted out every line.
…However, if you have a sibling like Kazuha, it would be quite difficult (lol). In that sense, I completely understand how Futaba feels.
–The scene in which Kazuha breaks Mitsuha's arm in the flashback was shocking. Even though he was a child, he said, “That's quite an unusual behavior…''
Saito:That's for sure. You wonder, “What kind of emotions did Mitsuha have in accepting that? No, is it possible for her to accept it in the first place?'' There aren't many characters in this work who are “proper'' as humans, but Kazuha is particularly deviant, and that's what makes her so appealing as a character.
ーーIt's amazing that you can do it without cosplaying at all.
Saito:I agree. He's doing V3 just for his love of riding, and I think that's cool. He goes beyond “I like V3'' and continues to think “I'm a V3.'' He's definitely a strange person, but I find that strange side attractive.
–From episode 6, Futaba Shimamura (CV: Ami Koshimizu), Mitsuha's older sister and Ichiha's younger sister, also appeared. What is your impression of her?
Saito:Futaba is supposed to be a pretty decent person in this work, but because of Hitoha, she hates Riders in general. However, the words themselves are strong, but if you listen carefully, you'll find that they're actually saying something sensible. For example, things like “order knobs'' and “don't destroy the restaurant'' at a bar are all valid.
As for Mitsuha, I think there is a part of her that is scared of Futaba. On the other hand, he may be the person with whom you can have the most successful conversation.
–I think the Tsukkomi side of the character has finally appeared.
Saito:When Mr. Koshimizu came to the set for the first time, during the rehearsal he was surprised and asked, “Why are you shouting so loudly?'' (laughs) In terms of production, even in places where you might think that the volume of the voice should be lowered, the volume is kept louder.
Of course, it was a great play from the time we tested it, but the sound director told us, “I'd like to hear more of Koshimizu-san's screams.'' During the actual performance, he responded perfectly. At that moment, I thought to myself, “There's one more person yelling!'' (laughs) Of course, it's not just that her voice is loud, but based on Futaba's past, I feel like her lines have a kind of grudge against Kazuha, saying, “This happened because of you.''
ーーThis is related to what I said earlier, but there is a very legitimate grudge about that as well.
Saito:I agree. She didn't do anything wrong. The only “mistake” I have is that I think there is no Shocker. Because Shocker was there… (lol)
– (laughs). From your perspective, Mr. Saito, how do you see the relationship between the three brothers, Futaba and Mitsuha?
Saito:I also happen to have three siblings, and having three children makes for a surprisingly good balance. For example, one leaf and two leaves, one leaf and three leaves, two leaves and three leaves…If it's a one-on-one relationship, it's easy to clash, but when a third person comes in, it becomes like a buffer. I don't think the three of us are close enough to go on a trip together, but I think we have a perfect balance.
Nakao, played by Kenjiro Tsuda, is a character that will make you cry.
–From the second half of episode 6, the spotlight is on Nakao, played by Kenjiro Tsuda.
Saito:Nakao is a character that makes you cry. Although he is also a blunt person, he also has some common sense sensibilities, such as the side that tries to protect his subordinates. I think the presence of Nakao as another storyline makes this work look multi-layered.
–Although Mitsuha doesn't appear much in episode 7, it's a good episode that focuses on Nakao's past.
Saito:It's a really wonderful time. The episode with his father is very heartwarming, and the scene at the end where he says, “My father was still running the food stall,'' is irresistible…
Also, although it's not the main story, there was a line at the end that we all said together, “No, no, no, no,'' and it all lined up perfectly in one shot. It felt good.
–That's great teamwork.
Saito:Lines like this often come together over time by re-recording them several times. However, this time, everyone was able to naturally work together and I felt a strong sense of team unity.
–Nakao's henchmen Ito, Ishige, and Sato also have great taste.
Saito:From the casting point of view, it's very interesting (lol). We don't have any scenes where we are directly involved, but even when I was listening to the play during recording, the rhythm of the dialogue between Nakao and the three of us was very nice. All of them have strong accents, and I think that actually works to enhance Tsuda-san's acting. When he is with Nakao, his acting is conscious of his position as a henchman, and when there are scenes with just the three of them, the tension becomes a little broken. The amount of spooning is exquisite.
ーーAs I was listening to your story, I felt that even though the world view is so profound, the charm of the characters is conveyed precisely because the cast members play their roles in such a perfect balance.
Saito:I agree. I think that the basic idea is to “speak out loud'' (lol), and that is definitely a feature of this work, but that's not the only thing. Each character and story has its own flow. It's really fun to be able to perform in a theater competition with seniors who have such a sense of balance and explosive power.
–I think the story will enter a phase where it will become even more intense. Lastly, please tell us what you would like us to look forward to in future broadcasts.
Saito:I think future developments will be a turning point for Kazuha and Mitsuha. In particular, I would like you to pay attention to the part about whether Mitsuha will be able to surpass her older brother. The positions and relationships of each character will become clearer or even change, so please enjoy watching them expose their inner selves and clash.
For those who are watching the show without knowing the original story, there will surely be some unexpected twists and turns waiting for them. I was anticipating, “Isn't this what's going to happen?'' and hoping that he would be betrayed in a good way. I'd be happy if you could watch it and be surprised, wondering, “Is that what it's going to be like?”
(Interview/Inari Ogawa)
Serial back number
Katsuyuki Konishi Part 1
Katsuyuki Konishi Part 2
Ai Kayano Part 1
Ai Kayano Part 2
Kenichi Suzumura Part 1
Kouki Uchiyama Part 1
Soma Saito Part 1
“Tanzaburo Higashijima Wants to Become a Kamen Rider” work information
Synopsis
Tanzaburo Higashijima was seriously trying to become a Kamen Rider even at the age of 40. However, just when he was about to give up on that dream, he got caught up in the “Fake Shocker” robbery incident that caused a stir in the world. The “serious Kamen Rider play” by adults who love “Kamen Rider”, drawn with the soul of “Air Master” and “Hachiwan Diver” Yokusaru Shibata, is about to begin!
cast
Yuriko Okada: Ai Kayano
Kazuha Shimamura: Kenichi Suzumura
Mitsuha Shimamura: Soma Saito
Yucharis: Fairuz Ai
Hachiro Nakao: Kenjiro Tsuda
Kumota: Kouki Uchiyama
Bat Man: Hiroyuki Yoshino
Satoshi Ito: Satoshi Tsuruoka
Ishige Fukushi: Fukushi Ochiai
Daisuke Sato: Daisuke Sakaguchi
(C) Yokusaru Shibata/Heroes/Tojima Rider Project (C) Ishimori Productions/Toei
