Origin: Toei Hero MAX Vol. 28 2008 Summer
東映ヒーロー MAX
Break limit! A dashing new hero, his name is Hiroto Suto. Having changed stages from Kamen Rider to Super Sentai, what kind of hero image will Hidenori Tokuyama create?
Hiroto, Break!? [Referring to Hiroto’s catchphrase break limit]
Due to being a year-long series, you fundamentally don’t know what will happen. What I have on hand is three to four episode scripts ahead of what is being currently filmed. This way I can look ahead a little and not make blunders. It makes me think “If I over-act here, I’ll do badly later on”. I found this especially important in episode 20 [“Siblings Battle!”]. I acted while bearing in mind Hiroto’s change in the next episodes 21 and 22.
With Hiroto’s lines, there are a lot I can’t get used to saying normally (?). If I say the lines wrong even a little, he comes off as pretentious, and if I don’t keep the face of his sister in my thoughts then it’s not Hiroto. If I don’t pull these feelings together I won’t get used to being Hiroto. In episode 20, Hiroto is led astray by Miu and loses his composure a little. This connects into the next episode. After that, Miu.... I wonder how Yumi Sugimoto [Miu’s Actress] will act? (Laughs) We do tests, we see how Miu will act and how Hiroto will respond. For exmple, even in scenes that are dangerous to shoot, our back and forth is earnest but there’s still a touch of humour. It’s difficult but fun to get those little expressions across.
In the instance of that scene, Satoshi Morota (Director) has a clear image of what he wants. Of course, I have my own ideas, but when I’m told ‘do it this way’, I do my best to cooperate and get as close to that as I can. I think it’s best to discuss the acting method and meet in the middle. What I mean by that is, each director for Go-Onger has a different approach, and that’s really exciting. If I don’t become more flexible, then their intentions might not be able to be expressed. At this point Hidenori Tokuyama is still losing to Hiroto Suto. Hiroto, he’s a seriously impressive guy. I’ll just have to keep trying.
Jum-Bowhale and Hiramekimedes!
I’ve been a fan of Jum-Bowhale’s voice actor Tomomichi Nishimura for a long time. I really wanted to meet him and it’s an honour to work with him. No matter what, my image of Tomomichi Nishimura is him in Slam Dunk as Mitsuyoshi Anzai. Since Tomomichi is a teacher to Hiroto, I feel like I’ve become Mitsui [from Slam Dunk]. (Laughs) I’m really happy about it. Tomomichi is a very kind person, he’s polite to everyone and very funny to talk to. This is just how I feel, but I think Hiroto has a similar opinion of Jum-Bowhale.
Hiramekimedes is also a fascinating character. Even though he’s an enemy, I’m glad he sees Hiroto as a rival. Hiramekimedes also helps Hiroto’s character stand out. It’s not just me, I think all the staff and cast like him. In a scene where Hiroto and Hiramekimedes had a standoff, I was filled with fighting spirit. Although I haven’t seen the final version of the scene, I was really effected by it and I’m excited to see the result.
Super Hero Hiroto!
In episode 20, a lot of Hiroto’s past was revealed. He was scouted by Hollywood, he could become a Kung Fu champion, and for some reason, even a curry king (Laughs). Honestly, I’m jealous of Hiroto’s genius. Especially since I love curry (Laughs). Even though there’s a lot of humour, that sort of thing is revealing. Go-On Gold’s Nabe-san (Suit actor Jun Watanabe) said “given that setting, isn’t it okay to change up Hiroto’s fighting style?” The first thing that comes to mind for Hiroto is boxing, but him also being good at karate and soccer is interesting. Given it’s in the script, I thought it would be fine to expand on it. Whether it’s good or bad is up to the director to decide, but nothing will happen unless we try it... Still, so far there haven’t been many action scenes for Hiroto (wry smile). I want to see him fight against Banki beasts.
The charm of sentai!
It’s fun to see characters’ personalities come out after filming for a while. You really see their personality come into focus. While I was a bit scared of acting in sentai (laughs), I really want to work together with everyone to make the show even more exciting!