Hiro Shimono & Miyu Irino Take on Cardboard Art! Returning to Their Childhood with Handmade Swords and Helmets

On ABEMA’s “Anime LIVE Channel,” “Say You To Yo Asobi Tuesday” #13 aired on July 29, 2025 (Tuesday) at 10:00 p.m.

■Hiro Shimono Ecstatic Over His Long-Awaited Cardboard Art Challenge!

In this installment of “Learn from the Pros! Try Anything Broadly,” Hiro Shimono attempted cardboard art for the first time, something he had wanted to do since the show’s start. When the pair moved to a separate room, they found a collection of intricately crafted cardboard art pieces on display, and both were impressed by the level of craftsmanship. When they approached a large cardboard box, suddenly a person jumped out from inside, surprising both of them and drawing out shocked expressions. This episode’s cardboard art instructor was cardboard artist Masaki Odaka.

While filming the details of the works with a handheld camera, Shimono was especially excited about the moving-mouthed seahorse sculpture. When the crucial part was not shown on camera, Miyu Irino pointed out, “Shimono-san! Please capture it properly! You’re getting too excited; (since you didn’t get it) the camera switched,” which resulted in a brief comic exchange. Shimono responded, “Sorry, sorry! I won’t touch it,” and continued to introduce the various pieces one after another.

When Irino asked, “Can cardboard really create curves like these?” Odaka explained, “I dampen the cardboard with alcohol and knead it to mold the shapes.” Shimono was surprised and asked, “Knead cardboard? What do you mean by that?!” Shimono also commented, “Isn’t this dragon super cool? Imagine bringing something like this for your summer vacation research project! You’d be a hero!” his eyes sparkling with the excitement of a young boy.

In the hands-on production part, they decided to make swords out of cardboard. Irino said, “When I was a kid, I loved swords,” while Shimono recalled, “I used to make these out of cardboard a lot too.” When they asked about the problem of cardboard swords breaking easily, Odaka taught them how to make stronger swords. Irino then called out to the audience, “There are people who need ideas for their summer projects, right? If you submit this, you’ll be a hero! You should definitely try making one!”

Several sword templates were introduced, and the two debated over which design to choose, saying things like, “I like the one with the hole in it!” and “That one’s nice too.” After being taught how to use the box cutter, they started making their swords. Irino, who chose a jagged sword with lots of curves, struggled, saying, “I might have picked the wrong one—it’s so hard!” Still, he vowed, “The harder it is, the stronger the sword! I’ll definitely make a sword stronger than Shimono-san’s!” The two exchanged playful banter reminiscent of elementary school kids, with lines like, “Mine’s stronger!” “No way, mine’s definitely stronger—it has jagged edges!” After finishing, adding decorations to the hilt, Irino beamed as he wielded his completed sword, exclaiming, “Ha ha! I’m so happy! It’s totally a sword!”