Kamen Rider Revice’s Igarashi Siblings and Their Family Bond

Kamen Rider Revice‘s Kentaro Maeda, Wataru Hyuga, and Ayaka Imoto speak about their family bond in this interview with MANTANWEB.

The latest in the Kamen Rider series, Kamen Rider Revice, began airing on September 5. In this family-driven story, the eldest son, Ikki Igarashi, runs the bath house Shiawase Yu and transforms into Kamen Rider Revi to protect his siblings, Daiji and Sakura. In this interview, Kentaro Maeda (Ikki), Wataru Hyuga (Daiji), and Ayaka Imoto (Sakura) talk about their “family” bond, teamwork, and being on set.

What were first impressions like?

Kentaro: When I first met them, I thought they were really mature for high schoolers. But they’re also innocent and cute, and my impressions changed when filming started. They really feel like my siblings. At first, I wondered if there’d be any reservations between us, but I was completely wrong (laughs). I’m happy it turned out like this, even if I did consider them “mature” before. (laughs).

Wataru: Now that you mention it, we really did open up to each other (laughs). Kentaro came off as a little serious and not the kind of guy to joke around, but as we got closer and closer, I realized he’s not that way at all. Nowadays, we poke fun at each other all the time.

Kentaro: My impression of Ayaka changed too.

Ayaka: Oh, really? (laughs)

Kentaro: So at the start, Ayaka came up to me to talk, right? She was worried because of all the guys, but she fit right in. Was it tough for you?

Ayaka: I worked through it! Kentaro and Wataru looked really close after meeting at auditions, but for me, I felt like an outsider so I really had to screw up my courage to join in. We’re all really close now, so being on set is really fun.

How did you close the gap?

Wataru: Because of the family theme, we had photos taken of us doing family things and to decorate the house with. So there were scenes like a barbecue and badminton, stuff like that. The three of us were together the whole time doing family things that day, so we got a lot closer because of that.

Ayaka: Yeah, yeah! I feel the same!

Kentaro: The three of us didn’t have a lot of chances to hang out before then. Practicing the action scenes helped too.

Ayaka: That’s right.

Wataru: Good thing we had those practices.

What are the highlights of your characters?

Kentaro: Ikki Igarashi is very serious and gives everything his all. He truly loves the bath house his family runs, and it’s a great part of Ikki’s character that he’ll do anything in his power to protect it. A less-good part might be that he dotes on his brother and sister because he adores them so much, but he’s just the kind of character who really loves his family and people in general. Kamen Riders often have this solitary image, but we’re going to show off the power of family in Revice. Watch us working together, and enjoy the show!

Wataru: Daiji Igarashi is brimming with talent and is the type who works very hard out of sight. Daiji gives his all, he’s smart, and he’s strong, but even he has things he’s unsure about. He’s not very expressive or wealthy, and he’s nowhere as intense as his brother. You might be wondering what Daiji’s really thinking, but he’ll show his true feelings as the story continues. That’s what I think you should look for!

Ayaka: Sakura is a high school student and the youngest of the siblings. She’s kind, but Sakura has a “cool” side she wears in front of her brothers because she’s going through adolescence. Her strongest skill is her karate, and you’ll get to see her in action later in the show. I hope you’ll watch for that if nothing else!

Kamen Rider Revice is the third Reiwa-era Kamen Rider series and celebrates the 50th anniversary of Kamen Rider. The main character Ikki Igarashi signs a contract with Vice, a devil living inside his body, and transforms into Kamen Rider Revi. He fights alongside Vice (who transforms into Kamen Rider Vice), and together, the two fight Kamen Rider Revice against the diabolic organization Deadmans. After making his start in Kamen Rider Saber, Takayuki Shibasaki takes the helm in directing Kamen Rider Revice. Hanta Kinoshita, known for his “Nightmare” series of books, will be in charge of script writing.

Kamen Rider Revice airs on TV-Asahi at 9:00 Japan Standard Time on Sunday mornings.

Source: MANTANWEB