[TheRaizin]

Interview of Tomohiru Hibu with Shirakura about Super Hero Senki. It's a bit long, but I ran it through DeepL to translate it mostly. Seems like this is some sort of "parting ways" for the two franchises for the time being and becoming their own thing.

In 2021, the 50th anniversary of "Masked Rider" and the 45th series of "Super Sentai", the film "Saber + Zenkaiger: Super Hero Senki" will be released on 22 July, looking at the roots of "Masked Rider Saber", "Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger" and the heroes of the past. The film will be released on 22 July. So we asked Shinichiro Shirakura, who produced this film, about the future vision he envisions based on what Toei's hero works have accumulated so far.

The theme of this film is "the secret of the birth of heroes" entrusted by Shotaro Ishinomori, the original author of the series, and the special report film released in May attracted attention because it showed a total of 83 heroes, including 37 masked riders and 46 super sentai from the Showa, Heisei and Reika periods.

Producer Shirakura laughs, "People tend to think that Toei makes a movie with a big group of heroes as soon as they take their eyes off the screen, but actually we don't do as much as we say we do. This year is particularly special, as it marks the 50th anniversary of "Kamen Rider" and the 45th anniversary of "Super Sentai". It's a big milestone, so I thought I had to do it. I thought this would be the first and last opportunity to make a double-anniversary movie, so I decided to make it with a certain sense of mission," he said. So this will be the last "Kamen Rider". So, this will be the last time that "Kamen Rider" and "Super Sentai" will share a ride. This is not to say that the "Super Sentai" series will part company with the "Kamen Rider" series, but I think it will take its own path in the future, and this is the starting point for that," he says about the meaning of this film.

Gathering characters who have been active in different programs and different worlds into one work has a "festival feeling" that can be called a traditional art of Toei. The crossover works of "Masked Rider" and "Super Sentai" titled "Super Hero Taisen" have also gained popularity. Toei is a company that has risen through the ranks by making all-star period films. Toei is a company that has risen through the ranks of all-star period films, so the desire to bring together the stars of hero shows and create a huge fireworks display is ingrained in our DNA.

Of course the characters from the current show will be at the forefront, but each hero was once the undisputed star of the current show. That's why if you carelessly bring them all together, you end up with a whole bunch of heroes who should have been the stars of their own shows. I'm well aware of the fact that this is a double-edged sword. It's very difficult to find the right balance.

Toei's hero series have spanned three generations: the Showa, Heisei and Showa 2025. In particular, this year marks the 50th anniversary of "Masked Rider", and it can be said that it has taken a new step towards the future in order to celebrate the 60th, 70th and even 100th anniversaries.

Producer Shirakura's vision for the future is "I want "Kamen Rider" and "Super Sentai" to be the foundation for creating new stories. I want "Kamen Rider" and "Super Sentai" to be the foundation for creating new stories. I would like to see the significance and value of the show as the most current and up-to-date show in the world come to the fore.

The same is true for both series: the producers of long-lived series can't help but feel the weight of history. Because of this history, they become traditional art. It's a kind of culture that has taken root in Japan, but it's contradictory to the idea of a new work that is contemporary. The burden we carry is getting heavier and heavier, but we can't throw it away. I think we need to develop the strength to be able to carry that load with ease.

"As for what exactly we need to do to achieve this, I'd say good luck to all of you," laughs producer Shirakura, but he has high hopes for the next generation of staff, especially those with a certain "youthful exuberance".

Even if the starting point is a kind of self-realization, such as "my own Kamen Rider" or "my own Super Sentai", while holding the question of "who am I? It's very important to have a strong motivation. I think it's a kind of passion that only young people can have. Ideally, we would like to have a team of professional, experienced staff who can support this "youthful enthusiasm". I think that's one of the strengths of this long-running series.